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Independent News | July 4, 2019 | Volume 20 | Number 27

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winners & losers

outtakes

news

I'd buy everything he had if he had something for sale.

buzz

cover feature 11

publisher Rick Outzen

graphic designer Michael Daw

editor & creative director Joani Delezen

contributing writers Savannah Evanoff, Jennifer Leigh, Jeremy Morrison, C.S. Satterwhite, Stephanie Sharp, Sydney Robinson

a&e 17

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

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inweekly.net

July 4, 2019

winners & losers

Innes Richards / Courtesy Photo

winners

INNES RICHARDS Richards was recently inducted as the 106th Rotary District Governor and will serve as chief administrative officer of all District 6940 Rotary Clubs that stretch across the Florida Panhandle to Gainesville. Innes received a B.A. from John Hopkins University and Judson College. Locally, she has served in various director positions with Pensacola Symphony, Northwest Florida Ballet, Covenant Hospice and American Lung Association. CASINO BEACH BAR & GRILLE Out-

ranking some of the hottest beach bars in the sunshine state, Casino Beach Bar & Grille has been voted as one of the topranking best beach bars in Florida for the third consecutive year. The Best Florida Beach Bar award is a statewide competition held through floridabeachbar.com where thousands vote for their favorites.

PENSACOLA MSN recently included Pensac-

John “Jay” Fraiser Named Partner Moorhead Real Estate Law Group is pleased to announce that Jay Fraiser is now a partner with the ﬁrm.

Jay is admitted in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia and practiced for over 10 years in Atlanta before moving to Pensacola. He focuses his practice on the full-service representation of condominium and homeowners associations throughout Northwest Florida. Jay graduated from Tulane University School of Law in 2001 and obtained his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Mississippi State University in 1997.

ola in its Top 25 Most Desirable Places to Live in the U.S. in its 2019 lists. Among the factors contributing to the rankings were affordability, job market and population growth due to net migration. MSN surveyed people throughout the country to determine where residents would live if given the choice.

MICHAEL ZIARNEK The bicycle/pedestrian coordinator for the Florida Department of Transportation has been hired as Pensacola's first Complete Streets transportation planner. Before moving to Florida to work for FDOT in 2017, Ziarnek was a traffic engineer for the Denver Regional Council of Governments.

Illustration Courtesy of Live Work Learn Play

losers

WEST MORENO DISTRICT Four years

ago, Baptist Health Care announced a partnership with the city and county to help remake its neighborhood for its employees, hospital visitors and area residents. Baptist planned to build an office building that would feature retail, restaurants and other amenities on the ground floor for neighborhood residents as well as hospital-related visitors and employees. Local government would remake streetscapes with lighting, landscaping and sidewalks as well as usable public green space. If we can dust off that plan and combine it with the city's West Side Redevelopment plan, the West Moreno District could quickly become a winner.

BERGOSH, UNDERHILL & ROBINSON

With Baptist relocating to Brent Lane, the Escambia County Commission may come to regret that it gave away nearby Rawson Lane to Pensacola Christian College, cutting off direct access to the future hospital to residents living north of Airport Boulevard. In May 2017, Commissioners Jeff Bergosh, Grover Robinson and Doug Underhill gave the street away for free over the objections of Commissioners Steven Barry and Lumon May.

ESCAMBIA COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT The School-to-Prison pipeline still

exists in Escambia County with the district having among the highest rates for overall student arrests, first student arrests for disorderly conduct and student arrests for first-time, non-serious misdemeanors. Anyone want to bet on the racial demographics of the students arrested?

Call Jay Fraiser (850) 972-9900 127 Palafox Place, Suite 200, Pensacola, FL 32502 MoorheadLaw.com

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outtakes

By Rick Outzen

WOW, 20 YEARS

We've been at this newspaper thing for two decades, covering hurricanes, floods, oil spills, murders, jail explosions, government corruption and the area's renaissance. We've upset the status quo, picked fights and went too far several times to make our points. We've had office windows smashed, tires slashed, received too many personal threats to count and had our newspapers stolen off our stands. Yet, we endure. I've had the pleasure of working with very talented editors, reporters, graphic artists and others over the years—each of whom has left his or her mark on this everevolving newspaper. As I prepared for this special anniversary, I reviewed all 1,032 issues of the paper and saw how much we've improved with each year. I also saw the impact this little alt-weekly has had on this community. We exposed the crooked land deals of the county, challenged ECUA to relocate its downtown sewage plant, fought for better medical care for prisoners in the county jail and pushed for the maritime park when few thought it would ever happen. We were bold, brash and relentless in our pursuit of the truth. We were also reckless and irreverent at times—creating our pink flamingo statues to compete with the Gannett pelican monuments, submitting our resumes to be the next PNJ editor and having our entire staff pre-file to run for the Pensacola City

Council. Our "ballsy plans" and April Fools' issues became harbingers of future city, county and UWF initiatives. We tried to maintain the delicate balance of respecting our readers and their concerns without taking ourselves too seriously. As you can imagine, the task of recapping 20 years for reporting in one issue is nearly impossible. We've decided to spread our anniversary over all four July issues. Each week, we will focus on the moments that we believe helped ingrain our publication into the fabric of this community. This issue focuses on the coverage of Commissioner W.D. Childers that led to his downfall and built our reputation has skilled investigators. While people may groan about the current state of local politics, the Childers era was the "Wild West," and we had a front-row seat. On July 11, we will publish the inside story of the passage of the referendum that made the Community Maritime Park possible. Without the park, downtown Pensacola would still be a ghost town. On July 18, we will write about how Inweekly became a national and international phenomenon with our coverage of the murders of Bud and Melanie Billings and the BP oil spill, and the following week, we will write about how we've returned to our roots as an advocate for the community. We hope you will enjoy the articles. Thank you for your support all these years. {in} rick@inweekly.net

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HATE CRIME TUTORIAL By Jeremy Morrison One question was asked over and over again—"How many people think this is a hate crime?" It's a question that Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Robert Schwinger spent a lot of time on, circling around and studying it from every possible angle, teasing out legalities and theorizing potential particulars in search of variances. "So, what is a hate crime?" Schwinger asked. "Let's start with that." Schwinger works out of the FBI's Jacksonville offices. He focuses on civil rights-related cases and was in Pensacola for a June 25 forum at Zion Hope Primitive Baptist Church called "Investigating Hate Crimes: Your Questions Answered." On a screen set up in the front of the church's auditorium, Schwinger projected various images as well as word-problem styled scenarios, asking the audience if each constituted a hate crime. "You've got members of the Klan with an old Confederate flag," he said, referring to an image of the screen. "That's offensive to most people in this country now, but that's protected speech." The agent then changed the photo to one of a letter written to Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in Major League Baseball. The note, written in large, capitalized block-style letters, reads in part, "WE ARE GOING TO KILL YOU IF YOU ATTEMPT TO ENTER A BALLGAME AT CROSLEY FIELD." "So, this is the Jackie Robinson letter," Schwinger said, giving the audience a moment to absorb the note. "This is obviously a hate crime. This is a textbook example of a hate crime or a true threat." But what about graffiti on a house depicting a swastika and the words "Die Jews?" What if it were just the swastika, without the words? What if Jews actually lived in the house? What if the house were empty?

And how about the young white man who punches an old black man while also yelling racist slurs, then posts a video of the event on social media as part of the "knock out challenge?" What about a giant peace symbol spray painted on a synagogue? "This is a pig's head that was thrown up against a mosque," Schwinger explained the next slide. Throughout the local forum, the FBI agent familiarized attendees with the specifics of hate crime-related federal statues and explained what types of acts were covered under such statutes. This pig's head, for example, does not meet the criteria of a hate crime even though it appears, as Schwinger said, "extremely offensive." "However," the agent explained, pointing out the reason the act fell outside the hate crime parameters, "there is no permanent damage to this building. It is essentially littering. It's throwing garbage at this building."

HOW HATE CRIME LAW HAS EVOLVED

The investigation of hate crimes is considered a top priority within the FBI's Civil Rights Program. The agency investigates hundreds of hate crimes each year. Legally speaking, a hate crime is defined as "a criminal offense against a person or property motivated by the individual's bias against a race, religion, disability, ethnic/national origin, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity." The defining parameters are laid out in a series of federal statutes. Agent Schwinger explained that while the FBI's foray into civil rights territory began with the investigation of the 1964 murders of three young men working to register black voters in Mississippi, the agency's pursual of hate crimes—or even such a legal designation—came later. While some aspects of the U.S's hate crime legislation date back, and are contained within, the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968, the

country's laws legally defining such offenses have continued to evolve over the years to accommodate greater protections. During the Pensacola forum, a couple of landmark cases from 1998, as well as the new legislation resulting from them, were offered up for consideration. The first case was the murder of James Byrd, Jr., and the second was the murder of Matthew Shepard. "Many of you may remember these cases," Schwinger noted. The cases, in fact, are difficult to forget, each brutally horrific enough to stain the collective national consciousness and each also jarring enough to inspire more thorough hate crime legislation. In June of 1998, three white men in Jasper, Texas, chained Byrd, an African American, to the back of a pickup truck. The men dragged Byrd for a few miles along an asphalt road until he hit a culvert and was decapitated. "They dropped his torso in an African American cemetery nearby," said Schwinger, "and then these guys went to a barbecue and drank beer and had a good time." While Byrd's murder did spur a state hate crime law in Texas, there was no federal civil rights law that covered the murder. Ordinarily, the act would have been deemed a hate crime based on its racial component, but because the incident occurred on private property (whereas the statutes stipulated the crime must have been committed on public property) it was not covered. A few months after Byrd's murder, in October, Shepard, a gay college student in Wyoming, was beaten, tortured and left for dead outside Laramie. "They hung him on a fence post, basically left to bleed to death," Schwinger said. Shepard's killers were prosecuted and convicted under state law. At the time, federal hate crime legislation did not address sexual orientation. The grisly nature of the crime in Wyoming, and the fact that it appeared that Shepard may have been targeted due to his sexuality, drew

national attention. It also generated a fair amount of critique that such a crime wouldn't be viewed as a hate crime. "There was an outcry," Schwinger recalled. It took a while, but in October of 2009, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act was passed. The act expands the parameters of hate crime legislation to include a victim's sexual orientation or identity.

HOW TO RESPOND DURING AN ACTIVE SHOOTER EVENT

In addition to offering a primer on hate crimes, the FBI forum also featured a presentation regarding active shooter events. With such events becoming all too common—in schools or offices or other public spaces—the agents in attendance stressed it was a good idea to know how best to react under such circumstances. "This is clearly a problem that is out of control in this country," Schwinger said. "Politics aside, this is a problem we've got to deal with." The nuts-and-bolts takeaway from the FBI active-shooter presentation was, "Run. Hide. Fight." In that order. In a worst-case scenario, attendees were instructed that if escape or hiding is not an option, people should try to take out the gunman. "Commit to taking the shooter down no matter what," Schwinger said. During a question-and-answer session, Schwinger was asked what he thought of a recent Florida law—the first of its kind in the nation—that allows for teachers to carry guns. The special agent said he thought arming teachers could be problematic, particularly when authorities responding to an event are expected to differentiate between armed teachers and the shooter. "What confusion would that cause in an active shooter situation?" he said. "I think that's a bad idea." {in}

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Congratulations to

InWeekly on its 20th Anniversary We thank the InWeekly team for 20 years of outstanding service to our community.

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TRANSFORMING B A P T I S T for the F U T U R E A New Hospital A Reimagined E Street Campus Baptist is building a new main hospital at the intersection of Brent Lane and I-110 in Pensacola. We plan to open in summer 2023. This new facility will keep us close to our current main hospital location and will offer greater access, enhanced technology and a concentration of related services, making it easier and more convenient to deliver better care to those we serve. More good news— Baptist will maintain a signiﬁcant presence at our E Street Pensacola location. We look forward to working with community partners to ensure that the new version of this campus is designed to best serve local needs.

eB A PT I ST H E A LT H C A R E . O R G July 4, 2019

MOVING TO THE EAST SIDE Baptist Health Care is moving. Described as "a transformational investment and commitment for generations to come," plans for a new campus at the corner of Brent Lane and I-110 were announced on June 26. "Today is perhaps the most significant day in the 68-year history of this organization," Baptist president and CEO Mark Faulkner said before formally announcing the move. Baptist Health Care will develop its new campus over the next few years. Construction is expected to begin in about a year, with an estimated completion date of summer 2023. "We're excited about this location because it keeps us close to our current campus while also creating greater accessibility to the greater community," Faulkner said. The new campus will be about 650,000 square feet. It is expected to cost around $550 million. Faulkner said that Baptist had considered continued upgrades to the current campus, as well as developing a new facility on the current site, but ultimately determined a move best suited the hospital's needs. "This facility was not designed for today's healthcare," the CEO said. "It has served us well and will continue to serve us well over the next four years, but we do know that a more efficient, more state-of-the-art delivery, with a more healing environment, will better serve the needs of the community going forward." A number of locations were considered for the relocation—"throughout the community, in the central part, downtown, in the north end—and the corner of Brent and I-110 was settled upon. "If this was an economic decision, we would move far north, towards the Pine Forest, Beulah area," Faulkner noted. "But this is not an economic decision. This is a community decision." The decision was described as being a relatively recent one, but Faulkner did say that for some time, "work has been underway to cobble together enough number of parcels to make up 50 acres at that southwest corner intersection." When completed, Baptist's new facility will basically replicate its current offer-

ings. There are no specific plans to unroll increased or different services. "Right now, at this stage, we are essentially planning to replicate what we have in terms of capacity and services and offerings at the new campus," Faulkner said.

WHAT ABOUT E STREET? Baptist Hospital currently sprawls across a considerable swath of property off of E Street. Faulkner said the organization intends to maintain a presence on its current property even after its new facility is complete. "We're going to do this in a way that allows us to maintain a significant presence at our current E Street campus," Faulkner said. Initially, a list of services and departments that would remain on E Street were provided— including administrative, support and clinical services as well as elective programs—but during a following question-and-answer session, Faulkner said he did not know how many of the hospital's physical buildings might remain and wasn't sure what Baptist's ultimate presence in area might look like or how the organization's current property might be used. "We are not sure yet. Here's what we are sure of—we are committed to this community," he said, explaining how Baptist intended to engage the local community in determining what happened to the property. "We look forward to working with community partners," Faulkner said, "nonprofits, the faith community, the business community, elected officials as we work together to reimagine our current E Street campus to better meet the needs of this community in the future." A WHITER PENSACOLA For decades, the city of Pensacola has had two districts with a majority of African-American voters, Districts 5 and 7, and one that was split evenly between blacks and whites, District 6. However, the influx of white residents into downtown and west Pensacola has changed the political landscape of the city. In 2006, District 5—which is currently represented by Gerald Wingate—the black community made up 52.8 percent of its

registered voters. Six years later, it dropped to 51.8 percent, and as of last month, the percentage was only 44.4 percent. District 6—which incorporates downtown Pensacola and is represented by Ann Hill—has had the biggest shift, going from 48.1 percent black in 2006 to 36.9 percent currently. District 7—which covers west Pensacola and is represented by Jewel CannadaWynn—has seen its African-American voters drop from 57.4 percent to 46.4 percent. If Pensacola votes strictly along racial lines next year, the Pensacola City Council might not have any African-American representation after the 2020 election. Overall, the city has picked up 2,941 voters since June 2006—the majority in District 6, 1166 voters. Only District 3—represented by Andy Terhaar—has lost voters, 17.

WHERE TO HIDE $18.7 MILLION In

June 2018, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission asked the City of Pensacola to terminate its lease to build an $18.7 million fish hatchery on Bruce Beach. A year later, the money is still sitting in an FWC bank account, as it has since 2015. When the agency made its request, FWC officials said, "Going forward, FWC will work other state and federal trustees on the Florida Trustee Implementation Group to seek an alternative site for this $18.7 million project as currently designed." Gov. Rick Scott, who was running for the U.S. Senate, told reporters that the funds would stay in Escambia County. The funds are part of the settlement with BP regarding the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. Inweekly asked State Rep. Alex Andrade for his help in finding out what has happened to the fish hatchery money. FWC Deputy Legislative Affairs Director Lance Watson replied, "We are evaluating options, including the potential to site the hatchery at an alternative location. If the project does not go forward, the remaining funds would be available for Florida trustees to apply to other recreational use projects."

MILLER'S ZOMBIE CAMPAIGN Florida Politics' Noah Pransky investigated how our former Congressman Jeff Miller has used his campaign account that he never shut down. Miller, who chaired the House Veterans Affairs subcommittee before he left Congress in 2016, now lobbies the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on behalf of his clients, who stand to make billions of dollars through the privatization of veterans' care. "To help subsidize his new lobbying career, Miller has tapped his old campaign war chest— about $180,000 in leftover funds from when he left the House in January 2017—to cut checks to powerful members of Congress, including at least 10 checks to members of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, according to federal campaign disclosures," wrote Pransky. Federal Election Commission (FEC) rules prohibit any personal gain from campaign donations. The agency suggests campaigns take no more than six months to wind down once a member leaves public office, but there is nothing to prevent Miller from spending thousands of campaign dollars on meals, hotels and undisclosed self-reimbursements as he was picking up new clients and starting to lobby the Trump administration. "Zombie Campaigns" have been in the news. NPR, Newsweek, POLITICO and the Tampa Bay Times have reported on how former lawmakers have used campaign funds long after they have left office. The investigations have prompted the FEC to review former lawmakers' campaign filings for the first time, but the agency has been slow to take any action against politicians using campaign donations to lobby their former colleagues. Washington watchdogs say the FEC and Congress need to protect the American people and put an end to the abuse of lawmakers-turned-lobbyists. POLITICO detailed how Miller helped turn the VA's $180 billion budget into a "massive feeding trough for the lobbying industry," while the Center for Investigative Reporting reported the former Congressman "facilitated a gravy train of government largesse to his clients—a

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CITY LEGAL DEPARTMENT At the June

24 city press conference, City Administrator Chris Holley said the attorney's office was now completely staffed. However, when asked what a fully-staffed legal department was costing the taxpayers, Holley couldn't answer the question, and neither City CFO Dick Barker nor City Attorney Susan Woolf would tell the media what her budget was. Fortunately, PIO Kaycee Lagarde got the information and shared the data two hours later. The personal services budget for the City Attorney's department will jump to $896,700 in FY 2020, which is a 125 percent increase over what was spent in 2018, $399,615. The overall budget for the department will increase from $594,882 spent in FY 2018 to $1,070,100 budgeted for the next fiscal year. Had this information been made available at the press conference, the follow-up questions would have been—what will be the savings to the taxpayers? The Hayward was spending annually over $1.4 million on outside law firms. How much will the "completely staffed" legal department reduce that figure?

RISE IN HEPATITIS A The News Service of Florida reports that with 77 cases added last week, Florida has reported nearly three times as many cases of hepatitis A in 2019 as it did in all of last year. As of June 22, the outbreak had resulted in 1,636 reported cases this year, up from 548 in 2018, according to information posted on the Florida Department of Health website. In the four previous years, the highest total was 276 cases in 2017. Pasco County continued to report the most cases in the state with 314, while Pinellas County had 287. Orange County had 129 cases, Volusia County had 128 cases, Hillsborough County had 103 cases and Marion County had 93 cases, the numbers show. While Escambia County has had only two cases reported this year, the county had zero cases last year. Santa Rosa County had only three cases in 2018 but has had nine reported this year. Hepatitis A, which can cause liver damage, can be spread through such things as food or drinks that have been contaminated with fecal matter from people with the disease. Health officials have urged Floridians to get vaccinated against the disease. July 4, 2019

MOST POLICED SCHOOLS IN FLORIDA

The ACLU of Florida reviewed discipline data provided by the Florida Departments of Education and Juvenile Justice. The ACLU found that among the largest school districts in Florida, Escambia School District ranked third for highest student arrest rate, six arrests per 1,000 students versus the state average of 2.6 arrests; first for highest student arrest rate for disorderly conduct, 1.6 arrests per 1,000 students versus the state average of 0.4 arrests; and third for highest student arrest rate for first-time, non-serious misdemeanors, 1.6 arrests per 1,000 students versus the state average of 0.5 arrests. The ACLU report included recommendations for policymakers to reduce racial disparities through training, to support youth through investing in school-based mental health providers and appropriate training for all staff and to limit police overreach in schools through training and negotiating clear roles and policies for school police. A copy of the report and letters to school districts is available at aclufl.org/safetolearn.

MOBI-MATS DEPLOYED The Santa

Rosa Island Authority (SRIA) has deployed the use of Mobi-Mats on Pensacola Beach. A Mobi-Mat is a portable rollout, non-slip matting that is temporarily or permanently laid down on the ground to provide grip and easy access for all wheelchairs, strollers and pedestrians on mobility-resistant sand, grass or other soft and unstable surfaces. Funded by the SRIA and deployed by Escambia County Public Works, the mats will be located on five beaches along the island— Casino Beach, Park West North Beach, Moms Beach, Boardwalk Beach and Baby Beach. An additional feature, a MobiChair, will be found at Casino Beach and Moms Beach. A Mobi-Chair is an amphibious wheelchair that will provide the user easy access to the Gulf or the Sound when conditions allow its safe use.

ABIGAIL DOWD

list that includes a disgraced hedge fund magnate pushing unproven treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder and a trade group for proton beam therapy, an expensive radiation application. Miller also lobbied on behalf of a troubled disability evaluation company as it secured a $205 million contract to evaluate veterans' benefits claims." Other former Florida politicians using leftover campaign funds to lobby their former colleagues include George LeMieux and Mike Haridopolos.

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS DIB Finance

Committee meets at 4:30 p.m. on July 9 at Bowden Building, Room #2, 120 Church St. State Rep. Alex Andrade will hold a town hall with school board member Paul Fetsko and ECUA member Lois Benson at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 9, at Escambia High School's Library. AAF Pensacola will installed its officers— President Diane Farris, Vice President Sean Sullivan, Treasurer Sean Chivers and Secretary Ashley Darby—at its Fourth Annual AAF Bowling Fundraiser at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, July 11, at Cordova Lanes, 2111 Airport Blvd. District 1 County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh will hold a town hall at 6 p.m. on Monday, July 15, at Beulah Middle School, 6001 W. Nine Mile Road. {in} 9

010 1

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Want to send us a birthday message? Add it here! Mail to: PO Box 12082, Pensacola, FL 32591

Inweekly is no longer a troublesome teen. We're celebrating our 20th anniversary this month. Rather than attempting to cram two decades of highlights into one week, we've decided to break it up and use all four July issues to cover the key moments from each five years of our history. We start this week with the reporting that established our journalistic chops—the fall of the powerful W.D. Childers. In the upcoming weeks, we will reprise the inside story of the maritime park referendum, how Inweekly garnered a national reputation and our reconnection to our roots as a community advocate. We'll also highlight some of the other important issues we've created like Best of the Coast and Rising Stars. We hope you enjoy this journey down memory lane.

THE EARLY YEARS & THE STORY THAT PUT US ON THE MAP

By Rick Outzen

Few businesses could have been more dysfunctional than this newspaper was during its first three years. The Pensacola Independent published its first issue on July 1, 1999, and Congressman Joe Scarborough launched his Florida Sun a few months later, which creJuly 4, 2019

ated a bare-knuckled battle over readers and advertisers and led to the merger of the two weekly pubs and creation of the Independent Florida Sun in January 2001. The name would continue to evolve over the succeeding years—Independent Sun, Independent News, IN and now Inweekly—but that's a story for another issue. Let's go back to 2001.

The merger of the newspaper didn't go smoothly. Scarborough ran the show for about five months before he decided that neither the newspaper nor Congress were suited for him. In May 2001, he announced his resignation from the U.S. House and that he would join the Levin Papantonio law firm. While he maintained a hand in the paper's editorial coverage, I reassumed the role of publisher.

While we didn't agree on many things, Joe and I agreed that the newspaper's future would be built on investigative reporting. Fortunately, we had Duwayne Escobedo as news editor and UNC grad Steve Mraz to do the digging. However, we underestimated the backlash the paper

would receive when we began shining light in the dark corners of local government.

On Aug. 31, 2001, we published "Crazy Like a Fox, Or Just Crazy," which pulled back the curtain on what was happening at the old Escambia County Courthouse on Palafox. While he insisted that he autographed hundreds of issues, Childers wasn't happy. He told Escobedo, "That paper is crap. Maybe I'd read it if it had more stories about Elvis."

W.D. & INWEEKLY

In June 2001, a man, who for 30 years had been one of Florida's most powerful lawmakers, took over the chairmanship of the Escambia County Commission. W. D. Childers had lost his Florida Senate seat due to term limits in 2000 and had come home to Pensacola and successfully won the District 1 commission seat after convincing incumbent Mike Whitehead to step aside. Many initially marveled at how Chairman Childers was revolutionizing county government. The daily newspaper wrote about his leadership style and how effective he was at getting things done. However, we began hearing stories of backroom deals and vendors' arms being twisted. People were afraid to come forward because no one crossed the "Banty Rooster," Childers' Tallahassee nickname. We put Escobedo on it.

Scarborough didn't help the relationship the following week when he wrote a satirical column comparing the handwriting of the 5-foot 6-inch Childers to Napoleon's signature. Childers told PNJ opinion editor Carl Wernicke, "Well, the only thing that stopped Napoleon was Russia and the snow. This ain't Russia, and it ain't snowing.'' The following months, this newspaper was slammed by all sides. Threats, both to the business and us personally, came our way daily. Advertisers were warned of dire consequences if they did business with our newspaper. A smart publisher would have backed off and tried to make amends with the chairman, but few people have accused me of being smart. In November and December

2002, County Administrator Tom Forrest, County Engineer Cindy Anderson, Assistant Administrator Bill Neron and acting County Administrator Gregg Welstead resigned. The board was having trouble finding anyone to serve as county administrator. Childers told Escobedo that heading the county wasn't rocket science. "Just because someone knows Chapter 15 of the 'Good Government 101' textbook, doesn't mean he'll do a good job," said Childers ("Crowning Moment," 11/9/01).

SMELLING A RAT

Then we began to hear of million-dollar land deals being approved during late night commission meetings. Again, we assigned Escobedo to the story ("Mine, Mine, Mine: Critics Bash County Land Grabs," 1/25/02). On Nov. 1, 2001, the commission had voted 3-2 to use $3.9 million in local option sales tax funds to buy the 48-acre former Pensacola Soccer Complex, near the corner of W Street and U.S. Highway 29, from Elliott Properties. The deal was closed three weeks laterâ€”a record for county land deals. Then on Jan. 10, 2002, Junior made another add-on motion to purchase the former Stalnaker Mazda site on U.S. 29 for $2.3 million, which was approved 3-2. In both votes, Childers and Commissioner Mike Bass affirmed Commissioner Willie Junior's motion while Commissioners Tom Banjanin and Terry Smith opposed. After the votes, Banjanin emailed his constituents, "I smell a rat. I've been fighting buying these lands. There's absolutely no need for them." Childers defended the votes to Escobedo, saying that Brent Park on W Street would be relocated to the soccer site. The car dealership land would be a place to service its fleet of cars and a spot to launch Sheriff Ron McNesby's two helicopters. He argued that the youth sports association and McNesby came to commissioners asking for the lands. "We made a good buy," Childers said. "Nothing we bought since I've been here are things that we can't turn around and make a profit on. We really bought some crap over the years."

He went after his critics. "You'll always have whiners, criers, squawkers. They couldn't balance their checkbooks if you held it up for them. They wanted to make money off it and got pissed when they didn't." Two weeks later, State Attorney Curtis Golden announced a special grand jury to investigate the land deals. Sources at the courthouse shared with us that bribes, kickbacks and corrupt business deals may lead to four commissioners being indicted. Golden said, "I'm confident we'll determine if anyone was unjustly enriched by any transactions made by the Board of County Commissioners." Businessmen came forward to share with our newspaper how they were shook down by Commissioner Junior ("Axis of Evil?," 2/15/02). Developer Mike Green said, "Before I could get out of the commission door, he wanted $5,000. He said, 'I want cash; I want it by Friday.' I didn't take it to him, and he called me asking, 'Where's my money?'" Commissioner Bass told us his only mistake was trusting Junior on the land deals. He said, "I tried to accommodate Willie. Unfortunately, not enough information was given or just wasn't known. We should have slowed down the process." He added, "It certainly lends itself to suspicion that deals were cut. That's embarrassing to me, and I don't want it to happen again." Childers seemed to be unfazed by Golden's announcement. "I don't know of any real criminal wrongdoing. I don't think you'll find any evidence of payoffs. Who's doing the payoffs? It's not that simple. If somebody looks rotten to the core, then somebody needs proof something happened. I don't believe it did." He said he welcomed the scrutiny. "Hopefully, they'll turn over some logs and some rats will run out."

INDICTMENTS

On March 25, 2002, the state grand jury returned five sealed indictments. After about two months of rumors flying around the courthouse, Childers was fed up and asked for Escobedo to come visit him ("Childers on the

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Warpath," 4/5/02). He blasted Bass, Smith and Junior and shared his responses to questions from the grand jury. He acted as if the investigation was about everything but him. "I just hope (the grand jury) clears up a lot of these questions. We need to clean up the way business has been conducted at the county courthouse … I have nothing to hide. I haven't taken any kickbacks, stole any money or taken any bribes." The chairman said of his fellow commissioners, "I had one chance to purge my soul. These bastards will probably take me and hang me, skin me, freeze dry me and everything else. I figure this stuff will come out anyway sooner or later." He said he was willing to help the state and was pondering buying airtime on TV to get some information out to the public. Childers shared that he had loaned Junior $90,000 in seven payments made from May 31, 2001, to Feb. 21, 2002. He provided Inweekly records of his checks and a handwritten contract written on Feb. 16, 2002, that stated Childers would get the Junior Funeral Home building if Junior failed to repay the loan by June. He supplied his checkbook records to prove he had received no kickbacks on the land deals. "I have no outside source of income. There's no money from a soccer complex. All the money I let Junior have is mine. Some people have got some leisure time, not me. I'm working my fingers to the bone. It's all my money; I made it." He defended the loan as a sound business investment. "Some might think I'm ruthless, heartless and mean, but if I'm not paid back, I'll take the whole kit and caboodle. It's especially a good investment if I can get the vacant property adjacent to it." On May 1, 2002, Golden announced that the grand jury returned nine indictments. Commissioners Childers, Bass, Junior and Smith were arrested and removed from office. Joe Elliott and his wife, Georgann Elliott, of Elliott Properties,

which sold the land to the county, were also arrested ("Busted," 5/3/02). The charges were as follows: •Mike Bass: Three counts of violating the state Sunshine Law, two counts bribery, principal to money laundering and racketeering •W.D. Childers: Five counts of violating the state Sunshine Law •Willie Junior: Four counts bribery, four counts extortion, two counts of violating the Sunshine Law, racketeering and grand theft •Terry Smith: Three counts of violating the state Sunshine Law •Georgann Elliott: Structuring transactions to evade reporting requirements •Joe Elliott: Racketeering, bribery and money laundering

Congratulations Rick & Team Inweekly!

On June 17, 2002, Childers was charged with two counts of bribery and one of money laundering after Junior pleaded no contest to one Sunshine violation and 10 felonies, including bribery, racketeering and extortion, and agreed to testify against other defendants. Prosecutors in exchange promised a prison term of no more than 18 months instead of a possible 125 years. Eleven days later, Childers was convicted on one count of violating Sunshine Law over a call he and Commissioner Smith made to Supervisor of Elections Bonnie Jones over country redistricting. The Pensacola jurors acquitted him on two other sunshine violation counts and hung on a fourth. We saw the indictment of Childers as a vindication of our reporting. Maybe our little band of reporters did know how to shake up the status quo. Readers learned that they could trust our reporting. On the third anniversary of our newspaper (Inweekly, "Willie Junior: The Devil Made Me Do It," 6/28/02), I wrote, "We are a small band of writers, editors, graphic artists and business people struggling to make a difference in this community we love. Count on us to be the community newspaper that fearlessly tackles the hard questions and tells the story behind the story." And we have continued to strive to live up to that commitment.

AFTERMATH On April 9, 2003, W.D. Childers was found guilty of two charges of bribery and unlawful compensation. The trial was moved to the Okaloosa County Courthouse in Crestview because of heavy news coverage in Pensacola. He was sentenced to 42 months in state prison, ordered to complete 250 hours of community service and 18 months of probation after he finished the sentence. Childers served nearly three years of his prison sentence in West Palm Beach and was released on June 17, 2009. Mike Bass pleaded no contest to two Sunshine violations, and prosecutors dropped bribery and other felony counts. Terry Smith was convicted on two Sunshine counts and sentenced to 250 July 4, 2019

hours of community service and ordered to pay $4,987 in fines and court cost. Jurors cleared Joe Elliott in December 2002 and his wife, Georgann, in April 2004 of any wrongdoing in the land deals. Willie Junior testified in Childers' trial that the chairman had given him a collard green cooking pot filled with cash and passed him a note with "100" written on it twice, claiming Childers told him it meant each would get $100,000. In November 2004, while Pensacola was still recovering from Hurricane Ivan, Junior disappeared the day before his sentence hearing. His body was found in the crawl space under the East Strong Street home of Benjamin Dudley. Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrea Minyard later ruled Junior took his own life by drinking antifreeze.

—NY Nick is proud to have been there every step of the way—

Here's To 20 More Years! 23 Palafox Pl. | 850-43-BRUCE Facebook/NYN'sBADLANDS | NYNBADLANDS.COM

FOLLOWING THE FACTS MORE KEY INVESTIGATIVE STORIES: 1999-2004 improvements, the plant continued to stink up downtown Pensacola.

es (47th) to number of volumes on shelves (49th), the city council had failed users in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

and the brother were mocked and followed by the hate-mongering locals.

By Duwayne Escobedo, 3/8/02 The newspaper uncovered government documents that indicated utility officials knew of possible radium 226 and radium 228 contamination in the drinking water but failed to alert potentially affected Pensacola residents. The documents tied a former ConocoPhillips/Agricola fertilizer plant to polluted water as early as 1957.

"Caught Red-Handed,"

By Duwayne Escobedo and Mollye Barrows, 12/2/04 The newspaper partnered with WEAR TV reporter Mollye Barrows on the story of Rebecca Ramirez who came back to Victory Christian Academy to conduct a one-person protest, claiming that the founder of the all-girls boarding school had raped her when she was a 16-year-old student in 1992. {in}

"Swim at Your Own Risk,"

By Duwayne Escobedo, 7/30/04 FavorHouse's Sue Hand told us that domestic violence-related murders for the two-county area had hit an all-time high. Checking out the story, sources told us law enforcement officials refused to thoroughly report or aggressively prosecute such cases. We wanted to change that.

"Meltdown at the ECUA,"

"Doodoo Voodoo on Main Street,"

By Duwayne Escobedo, 11/2/01 Inweekly began to push for ECUA to relocate its Main Street Sewage Treatment Plant, whose odor made even walking down Palafox a challenge. The plant was built in 1937 and pumped 15-20 million gallons a day of treated sewage into Pensacola Bay. We believed that it was stifling any growth on the western edge of downtown. Even after spending more than $30 million on

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By Duwayne Escobedo, 7/26/02 Pensacola Beach had 11 drownings in 2001; another half dozen drownings had already occurred in 2002. By comparison, an average of only 20 people drown annually on all of Florida's beaches. Instead of beefing up beach safety, the SRIA fired all but four of its 18 lifeguards and boarded up many of its lifeguard towers.

"Overdue,"

By Jason Whited, 1/31/03 The city of Pensacola had run the West Florida Regional Library System into the ground. The system ranked at or near the bottom of Florida's 50 library systems. From spending per capital on library servic-

By Duwayne Escobedo, 6/27/03 Escambia County School Board member John DeWitt's income for education software companies doubled over his nine years on the board, while those companies sold $1,041,740 to the school district over that period. Our investigation found he had blocked votes regarding products sold by competitors.

"Secrets in the Schoolhouse,"

"Ugly Face of Domestic Violence,"

"Hate and Murder in Dixie,"

By Sam Baltrusis, 8/20/04 Our reporter Sam Baltrusis interviewed the older brother of Scotty Weaver, a gay teenager who had been beaten, strangled and stabbed numerous times, partially decapitated and his body set on fire a month earlier. During the daylong interview, Sam

inweekly.net

STUDER COMMUNITY INSTITUTE

Surround yourself with forward-thinking leaders at EntreCon® 2019.

Featuring Forbes “30 Under 30” and Bestselling Author, Tiffany Pham

If you’re ready to soak in the latest leadership trends, feel inspired, and propel results to the next level, you belong in downtown Pensacola, November 13-14.

EntreCon® is a business and leadership conference with a community-centric twist, offering leaders from across all industries an opportunity to grow together. Experience captivating keynotes and actionable breakout sessions on leadership, growth, marketing, mindfulness, social media, innovation, and so much more. Whether you’re an aspiring or established leader, EntreCon® is here to help you be the best you, you can be. Be a part of the movment: Let’s create great places to work together.

Tiffany Pham, Founder & CEO of Mogul, will grace the EntreCon® stage as a “2019 keynote speaker. Among many other awards, Pham has been named Business Insider “30 Most Important Women Under 30” in Tech, ELLE Magazine “30 Women Under 30 Who Are Changing the World, and “Good Housekeeping “Awesome Women Award” Winner.

Questions?

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Rachael Gillette, rgillette@studeri.org

The Studer Community Institute is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. July 4, 2019

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WEEK OF JULY 4-10

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

A Musical Bond By C. Scott Satterwhite

Greg Bond / Courtesy Photo

Every song Greg Bond played at PensacolaPRIDE came straight from the heart. As his eyes closed, Bond gripped the guitar and pulled the neck closer to his mouth. The songs, pensive and thoughtful, seemed to come from somewhere deep inside, with little space between words. Verses floated on the breeze as the next line came and tried to catch up, bouncing along with chords. Maybe it was the heat of the day, or more likely, it was the gifted artist in Seville Square's gazebo, but the crowd looked mesmerized with the guitarist in front of them. "I'd buy everything he had if he had something for sale," remarked Brian Heike, an organizer of PensacolaPRIDE. "I just loved his bluesy vibe and his sound."

As of now, Bond has nothing for sale, so the experience is all the audience has to take from each show. He does have a growing YouTube presence, but still, listeners are just as likely to encounter him while out and about in Pensacola. Anyone who has been around the city's music scene much, especially lately, has probably seen Bond more than once. With his distinctive white acoustic guitar and Freddie Mercury mustache, he's become a fixture in just about any venue that has a space for him to stand and perform. From the skate shops to the bars, he really gets around. However, it wasn't the music scene that brought him to town. Like many Pensacolians, Bond came to our shores thanks to the military. The child of two Navy veterans, the budding artist lived in Texas and overseas before his family settled in Pensacola, where he attended Catholic High School. During this period, music seeped into his life. "I picked up the guitar when I was about 17 years old," said Bond. "I was in this bluegrass and gospel revue at the Pensacola Little Theatre. The actors had to play their own instruments. Doug Holsworth played the guitar in the show, so in between our scenes, or any downtime, I'd ask him to teach me a couple of chords."

easy to see where Stanton's influence fits, not That Christmas, Bond received the gift he only in style but in hustle. wanted—his first guitar. "I admire how hard he's getting it out Soon after, he played his first show at there," said Stanton. "He is passionate and Sluggo's when it was located on Cervantes sincere. [That's] all I ask for in a punk, artist or Street. musician. He got soul." While his musical style clearly draws from That soul Stanton mentioned comes the Elliott Smith and Aimee Mann school of through during Bond's live shows. songwriting, his performance and vocal style is A veteran of the stage, he admits to loving a cross between Erykah Badu and Tom Waits. the theatricality of live performance. The result of this unlikely pairing is hypnotic. "I've been involved with theatre or The prospect of a tour is on the horisinging ever since I can remember. I love zon, probably when he has an LP or EP to performing in straight plays and musicals sell. But for now, Bond is happy regularly alike. Getting to perform at the Tennessee giving around town. Williams Theatre Festival in Provincetown Playing Pensacola isn't easy, though, he [Massachusetts] last summer was like a told Inweekly. dream come true," said Bond. "Remaining positive when trying to get With regular bookings all over town, notoriety in a smaller area can be taxing," Bond's career seems to be taking an upsaid Bond, "keeping focused on what it is that ward turn. His ultimate goal, however, is makes you stand out and makes you special, like that of most artists. even if you're playing covers to folks who may "I just want to sing the music I like to not necessarily be there to watch you." write or just sing. I want to live comfortably "I've played some pretty great sets with just performing the music I love." me, the sound guy and a bartender," he said. Until that day comes, Bond continues As with many singer-songwriters, Bond his hustle and plays what he describes as often is thrown into the Folk/Americana his "somber, downcast, bluesy" music for category. But just one listen shows his style is anyone who'll listen. {in} more complex. One of his influences is the legendary local musician Kent Stanton, former lead singer of '80s punk band The Unemployed. These days, Stanton is just as likely to WHAT: Greg Bond with Jonathan Puzan be playing a house show with the WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday, July 5 younger punks as to be singing on WHERE: Open Books, 1040 N. Guillemard St. the street during the Palafox Market COST: $5-7 on Saturday afternoon. DETAILS: facebook.com/gregbondmusic Listening to Bond perform, it's

GREG BOND

It’s Pet Pic Time! Inweekly is working on our 8th annual Pet Issue and we want to include your pets. Please send pictures of your furry, scaly &/or feathered friends to joani@inweekly.net by Friday, July 19 for a chance to be featured in the issue. Make sure you include the pet and owner(s) names.

July 4, 2019

Bella / Owner Brandi Rodriguez 17

calendar who are up for adoption. You can also bring shower gifts. Purina One Kitten dry food, clumping cat litter, Friskies wet food and kitty toys are all on the wishlist. Alyssa's, 4586 Chumuckla Highway, Pace. facebook. com/shopalyssas WALKING CEMETERY TOURS 5:30 p.m. $12 plus tax. St. John's Historic Cemetery, 301 N. G St. goretro.us SHOOT TO THRILL: ALL-FEMALE AC/DC TRIBUTE 7 p.m. $10. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S.

Palafox. vinylmusichall.com

JONATHAN PUZAN AND GREG BOND 7-10

p.m. $5-$7. Open Books, 1040 N. Guillemard St. facebook.com/openbooksbookstore IMPROVABLE CAUSE 10:30 p.m. $11. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. vinylmusichall.com

SUNDAY 7.7

THEMED BRUNCH AT PERFECT PLAIN 10 a.m.

Improvable Cause / Courtesy Photo

THURSDAY 7.4

INDEPENDENCE DAY RIDE 6:30-9:30 a.m.

Veterans Memorial Park, 200 S. 10th Ave. facebook.com/bikepensacola JULY FOURTH INDEPENDENCE DAY FESTIVAL 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Free. Belmont-DeV-

illiers Cultural Heritage Museum, 500 W. Belmont St. july4thfestival.com

SERTOMA'S INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION

Events start at 11 a.m. Fireworks at 9 p.m. Free. Seville Square Park. pensacolafireworks.com 4TH OF JULY AT PERFECT PLAIN Noon-until. First 100 people in the doors get a free hot dog. Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco 4TH OF JULY AT THE LEE HOUSE 6 p.m. Lee House Boutique Hotel and Events, 400 Bayfront Parkway. Contact for pricing. leehousepensacola.com 4TH OF JULY NIGHT PADDLE 6:30-9 p.m. Hosted by Pensacola PaddleSport Rentals. Call to make reservations, 255-5423. facebook.com/pensacolapaddlesportrentals FOURTH OF JULY FIVE-COURSE MEAL AT FISH HOUSE 7 p.m. $100 per person. Unob-

structed view of fireworks show. Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. For reservations, call 433-9450 or email melissa@goodgrits.com. greatsouthernrestaurants.com INDEPENDENCE DAY ON THE BAY 7 p.m. gates open, 9:05 p.m. Wahoos fireworks. Free, $35 for the party deck, $55 VIP. Watch the fireworks and the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra performance on the video screens. Community Maritime Park, 351 W. Cedar St. SYMPHONY, SPARKS AND STARS 7:30 p.m. Free. Performance from Pensacola Symphony Orchestra. Community Maritime Park, 351 W. Cedar St. Watch live on BlabTV. PENSACOLA BEACH FIREWORKS 8:30 p.m. Casino Beach, 7 Casino Beach Blvd.

FRIDAY 7.5

ONE-ON-ONE TECH HELP 10 a.m. Pensacola

Library, 239 N. Spring St. mywfpl.com

GULF COAST CREOLE & CAJUN FESTIVAL 10

a.m.-10 p.m. $10 for adults, $5 for kids. Blue 818 1

Wahoos Stadium, 351 W. Cedar St. creolecajunfest.com GARDEN AND GRAIN CRAFT COCKTAIL LAB 5 p.m. Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco HAPPY HOUR COOKOUTS 5 p.m. Drink specials, free cookout. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com DATE NIGHT DANCE CLASSES 6:30-8 p.m. $8. Learn several romantic ballroom dance styles in unique group classes. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. dancecraftstudios.com OPEN MIC 7-11 p.m. Café Single Fin, 380 N. 9th Ave. facebook.com/cafesinglefin BIG DEAL BURLESQUE 8 p.m. $12-$45. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox vinylmusichall.com

SATURDAY 7.6

PARKRUN/WALK MEETUP 7:30 a.m. University

of West Florida, Rec Plex North Field, 11000 University Parkway. parkrun.us/recplexnorth ANIMAL ALLIES PET FOOD DRIVE 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Winn Dixie, 4751 Bayou Blvd. SANTA ROSA FARMERS MARKET 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Fresh local produce, honey, baked goods and live music. Pace Presbyterian Church, Woodbine Road. PALAFOX MARKET 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Fresh produce, live plants, baked goods, fine art and antiques. Items originate directly from participating vendors, including dozens of local farmers, home gardeners and area artists. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza, N. Palafox. palafoxmarket.com YOU SELL IT HERE FARMER'S MARKET 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Free admission. Every Saturday. 8600 Pensacola Blvd., facebook.com/yousellithere OCEAN HOUR CLEAN-UPS 9-10 a.m. National Seashore at Naval Live Oaks, 1801 Gulf Breeze Parkway. South end of the Bob Sikes Bridge at the Grand Marlin parking lot, 400 Pensacola Beach Blvd. oceanhourfl.com GULF COAST CREOLE & CAJUN FESTIVAL 10 a.m.-10 p.m. $10 for adults, $5 for kids. Blue Wahoos Stadium, 351 W. Cedar St. creolecajunfest.com ANIMAL ALLIES KITTEN SHOWER 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Come spend some time with kittens

Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco BRUNCH WITH LIVE MUSIC 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Café Single Fin, 380 N. 9th Ave. facebook. com/cafesinglefin TRANSMISSION GROUP WORLD SERVICE MEDITATION 10:30 a.m. Free. Ever'man

Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org VEGAN BRUNCH 11 a.m.-2 p.m. End of the Line Café, 610 E. Wright St. Sign up for the newsletter for menu. eotlcafe.com SUNDAY BRUNCH AT H20 11 a.m. $28.95 for adults. Free valet parking and 15 percent off with local ID. H20 Hilton, 12 Via de Luna Drive. facebook.com/hiltonpensacolabeach MANIFESTO 2-4 p.m. $33. Workshop on intention. Asher & Bee Apothecary and Tea House, 7 E. Gregory St. facebook.com/ asherandbee SWING DANCE CLASSES 4-7 p.m. $10. Professional West Coast swing instruction for all levels. No partner required. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. dancecraftstudios.com BLUES ON THE BAY 6 p.m. Free. The Truth Feat. Cat Rhodes. Community Maritime Park, 351 W. Cedar St. cityofpensacola.com

MONDAY 7.8

RESUME HELP 11 a.m. Molino Branch Li-

brary, 6450-A Highway 95A. mywfpl.com PILATES MAT 1:30 p.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org SEVILLE QUARTER MILERS 6 p.m. Runners meet in front of Seville Quarter for a run around downtown Pensacola. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com EARTH ETHICS 6 p.m. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org HIP-HOP & CONTEMPORARY DANCE CLASSES 8-9 p.m. $5. Learn amazing moves from

professional instructors. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. dancecraftstudios.com

TUESDAY 7.9

YOGA WITHIN REACH 9-10 a.m. Free. Commu-

nity Health Northwest Florida, 2315 W. Jackson St., Room A. healthcarewithinreach.org JOHN APPLEYARD TALK: NAVY HOUSING

9 a.m. Free. Pensacola Visitor Information Center, 1401 E. Gregory St. GARDENING ON THE GULF COAST 1-2 p.m.

Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org TRYON FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT 4 p.m. Tryon Branch Library, 1200 Langley Ave. mywfpl.com COMPLIMENTARY WINE TASTING 4-6 p.m. So Gourmet, 407-D S. Palafox. sogourmetpensacola.com VINO MAGNIFICO 5:30 p.m. $12 per person. V. Paul's Italian Ristorante, 29 S. Palafox. vpauls.com WALKING CEMETERY TOURS 5:30 p.m. $12 plus tax. St. John's Historic Cemetery, 301 N. G St. goretro.us FUNKY YOGA 6 p.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org ZUMBA WITH SHANNON AND FRIENDS 6-7 p.m. $4. Homestead Community Center, 7830 Pine Forest Road. COUNTRY DANCE CLASSES 6:30 p.m. $10. Country two-step, East Coast swing, competition choreography and more. No partner required. World championship dance instruction for all skill levels. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. dancecraftstudios.com BANDS ON THE BEACH 7-9 p.m. Free. Modern Eldorados. Gulfside Pavilion at Casino Beach. visitpensacolabeach.com COMEDY NIGHT 7 p.m. Swan Neck Meadery, 2115 W. Nine Mile Road. swanneckwinery.com

WEDNESDAY 7.10

RED, WHITE AND BLUES WEEK 8 a.m. Through July 13. Pensacola Beach. visitpensacolabeach.com PILATES FUSION 10:30 a.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org ONE-ON-ONE TECH HELP 3 p.m. Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St. mywfpl.com WAGGY WEDNESDAYS WITH PENSACOLA HUMANE SOCIETY 4-7 p.m. Pet themed

games and prizes. Island Culture Tiki Bar, 17 Via De Luna Drive. $1 from every Tito's Vodka sale benefits Pensacola Humane Society. pensacolahumane.org VEGAN AND VINO SUNDAYS 4-7 p.m. Skopelos at New World, 600 S. Palafox COOKING WITH CHEF IRV MILLER: BURGERS, BRATS AND BARBACOA 5 and 7:30 p.m.

$45 per person. Jackson's Steakhouse, 400 S. Palafox. jacksonsrestaurant.com AFRICAN DANCE FITNESS 5:30 p.m. Every Wednesday. Henny Penny's Patisserie, 4412 W. Jackson. facebook.com/ facebook.com/ hennypennyspatisserie YOGA FLOW 6-7 p.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org SWING DANCE CLASSES AND PARTY 6:3010 p.m. $10 lesson, $5 party. Professional West Coast swing instruction for all levels followed by fun and friendly social dancing on the best wood dance floor in the area. No partner required. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. dancecraftstudios.com TRANSMISSION GROUP WORLD SERVICE MEDITATION 7:15 p.m. Free. Ever'man

Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org FREE DANCE LESSONS 8-8:30 p.m. Free. Beginner West Coast swing dance lesson. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola S. Blvd. dancecraftfl.com inweekly.net

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Arts & Culture

≥Events

PMA GALLERY TOURS

2:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Free with museum admission. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. pensacolamuseum.org

≥Current Exhibits HAPPINESS IS... On July 4, 2019

view through July 25. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. artelgallery.org PUNKSACOLA: REFLECTIONS OF A SUBCULTURE On

view through July. T.T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum, 330 S. Jefferson St. historicpensacola.org

VALERIE GEORGE: WELCOME TO MY PARTY On view

through Aug. 2. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. pensacolamuseum.org WORN IN/WORN OUT On view

through Aug. 16. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. pensacolamuseum.org EXPOSURE On view through Oct. 4. Luna Fine Art Gallery at the Hilton Pensacola

Beach, 12 Via De Luna Drive. lunafineartgallery.com COTTON FIELDS TO CONGRESS: THE LIFE AND CAREER OF EARL HUTTO On

view at the T.T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum, 330 S. Jefferson St. historicpensacola.org GALLERY DAYS

Noon-4 p.m. Saturdays. Featuring local artists. To be

featured, contact Angel at 941-7354586 or call the restaurant at 4770035. TGI Fridays, 1240 Airport Blvd.

≥Workshops & Classes

POTTERY ON THE WHEEL Six-week

workshops are held Tuesdays from 6-9 p.m., Wednesdays from 9 a.m.-noon, Thursdays from 6-9

p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m.-noon at First City Art Center, 1060 N. Guillemard St. Cost is $157.25 for members and $185 for non-members. For more information, visit firstcityart.org. INTRODUCTION TO POTTERY ON THE WHEEL Every Mon-

day from 6-8:30 p.m. at First City Art Center. Classes

are $40. For more information, visit firstcityart.org. CLAY HAND BUILDING Six-week

workshops are held Tuesdays from 6-9 p.m. and Thursday from 9 a.m.-noon at First City Art Center. Cost is $157.25 for members and $185 for nonmembers. For more information, visit firstcityart.org.

CLAY SCULPTURE

Six-week workshops held Saturdays from 9 a.m.-noon at First City Art Center. Cost is $157.25 for members and $185 for non-members. For more information, visit firstcityart.org.

≥Call for Artists GREAT GULFCOAST ARTS FESTIVAL LOOKING FOR

calendar EMERGING ARTISTS

Applications are open for the GGAF Emerging Artists program. This program, developed in partnership with Artel Gallery, gives new artists a chance to be a part of the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival and offers them guidance in what is involved in being in an arts festival. Applications are open to artists who have limited experience participating in arts festivals and are residents of Escambia or Santa Rosa Counties. Two artists will be chosen to participate in this year's festival. GGAF will waive fees for the two artists and will provide a booth and mentor to help guide them through the process. For

more information and an application, visit ggaf.org. The GGAF is Nov. 1, 2 and 3, 2019, in Seville Square.

Bars & Nightlife

≥Live Music

THURSDAY 7.4 CHRIS BEVERLY

4:30-8:30 p.m. Hub Stacey's 312 E. Government St. hubstaceys.com LIVE MUSIC 6 p.m. Peg Leg Pete's, 1010 Fort Pickens Road. peglegpetes.com MICHAEL MAGAZZENI AND GREG LYONS 7 p.m. Red

Fish Blue Fish, 5 Via De Luna Drive. Unit B. facebook.com/ redfishbluefishpensacolabeach OPEN COLLEGE JAM WITH MIKE BOCCIA

7:30 p.m. Goat Lips Chew and Brew-

LIVE MUSIC Perfect

house, 2811 Copter Road. DUELING PIANOS

8 p.m. Rosie O' Grady's Dueling Piano Show. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

OPEN MIC/JAM

8-11 p.m. Goat Lips Brewhouse, 2811 Copter Road. Use our instruments or bring your own. LIVE MUSIC 8 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker.com SCENIC HEIGHTS BAND 9 p.m. End

O' the Alley, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

FRIDAY 7.5

LIVE JAZZ WITH JOE OCCHIPINTI 12 p.m.

The Drowsy Poet Coffee Co., 655 Pensacola Beach Blvd.

Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco LIVE MUSIC 6 p.m. Peg Leg Pete's, 1010 Fort Pickens Road. peglegpetes.com LIVE MUSIC 6 p.m. The Deck Bar, 600 S. Barracks St. LIVE MUSIC 6:30 p.m. The District, 123 E. Government St. districtsteaks.com AL MARTIN 6:30 p.m. Doc's Courtyard and Cafe, 5198 Willing St., Milton. JON PUZAN 7 p.m. Red Fish Blue Fish, 5 Via De Luna Drive. Unit B. facebook.com/ redfishbluefishpensacolabeach JOHN RIPLEY 7-10 p.m. Skopelos at New World, 600 S. Palafox. LIVE MUSIC 7:30 p.m. Swan Neck Meadery, 2115 W. Nine Mile

Road. swanneckwinery.com MIKE BOCCIA 7:45 p.m. Goat Lips Chew and Brewhouse, 2811 Copter Road. DUELING PIANOS

8 p.m. Rosie O' Grady's Dueling Piano Show. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com MIKE & FRIENDS 8 p.m.-midnight. Goat Lips Brewhouse, 2811 Copter Road. OLIVER TWIST 8 p.m. Hub Stacey's 312 E. Government St. hubstaceys.com LIVE MUSIC 9 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker.com LIVE MUSIC 9 p.m. Lili Marlene's, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com LIVE MUSIC 9 p.m. End O' the Alley,

Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com LIVE DJ: MR. LAO 10 p.m. Phineas Phogg's, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com LIVE MUSIC p.m. Apple Annie's, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

SATURDAY 7.6

LIVE JAZZ WITH JOE OCCHIPINTI 10 a.m.

The Drowsy Poet Coffee Co., 655 Pensacola Beach Blvd. LIVE MUSIC 12-4 p.m. Peg Leg Pete's, 1010 Fort Pickens Road. peglegpetes.com CAT DADDY AND CADILLAC ATTACK

3 p.m. Red Fish Blue Fish, 5 Via De Luna Drive, Unit B. facebook.com/redfishbluefishpensacolabeach LIVE MUSIC 6 p.m. The Deck Bar, 600 S.

Barracks St. fishhousepensacola.com AL MARTIN 6-11 p.m. The Piano Bar, Quality Inn, 7601 Scenic Highway. LIVE MUSIC 6 p.m. Peg Leg Pete's, 1010 Fort Pickens Road. peglegpetes.com LIVE MUSIC 6:30 p.m. The District Steakhouse, 123 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com MIKE BOCCIA 7:45 p.m. Goat Lips Chew and Brewhouse, 2811 Copter Road. OPEN MIC/JAM

8 p.m.-midnight. Goat Lips Brewhouse, 2811 Copter Road. Use our instruments or bring your own. LIVE MUSIC 9 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker.com COLM KELLY 9 p.m. McGuire's Irish Pub,

600 E. Gregory St. mcguiresirishpub.com LIVE MUSIC 9 p.m. Lili Marlene's, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com LIVE MUSIC 9 p.m. End O' the Alley, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com LIVE DJ: MR. LAO

10 p.m. Phineas Phogg's, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com LIVE MUSIC 10 p.m. Apple Annie's, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

SUNDAY 7.7

LIVE MUSIC 10:30

a.m. Apple Annie's Sunday Brunch, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com CURT BOL JAZZ QUARTET 11 a.m. Five

Sisters Blues Café,

served fast & fresh daily with soundside views

beach

BRUNCH

on the

EVERY SATURDAY & SUNDAY

·8AM to 2PM·

BOTTOMLESS MIMOSAS & BLOODY MARYS

jellyspensacolabeach.com 5 Via de Luna Dr, Pensacola Beach, FL 32561 020 2

inweekly.net

ON THE WATER AND

OFF THE CHARTS! Fresh off the dock seafood. Spectacular waterfront view. Live entertainment and our legendary Southern hospitality. Year after year, the Fish House is rated one of the top restaurants in Pensacola. Chart a course to our house and see why. FISHHOUSEPENSACOLA.COM

OPEN DAILY AT 11 A.M. · (850) 470-0003 · 600 S. BARRACKS ST.

July 4, 2019

calendar 421 W. Belmont St. JAZZ BRUNCH WITH AL ALVARADO 11

a.m.-2 p.m. McGuire's Irish Pub, 600 E. Gregory St. jazzpensacola.com MICHAEL MAGAZZENI AND HIPPY JIM

12 p.m. Red Fish Blue Fish, 5 Via De Luna Drive, Unit B. LIVE MUSIC 12-4 p.m. Peg Leg Pete's, 1010 Fort Pickens Road. peglegpetes.com GOSPEL AT GOAT LIPS WITH HOST CLINT DAVIS 12:45-3:15

p.m. Goat Lips Chew and Brewhouse, 11 Copter Road. LIVE MUSIC 4-8 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker.com OPEN MIC/JAM

4-10 p.m. Goat Lips Brewhouse, 2811 Copter Road. Use our instruments or bring your own. OPEN JAM WITH MIKE BOCCIA 5 p.m.

Goat Lips Chew and Brewhouse, 2811 Copter Road. LIVE MUSIC 6 p.m. Peg Leg Pete's, 1010 Fort Pickens Road. peglegpetes.com LIVE MUSIC 9 p.m. End O' the Alley, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

MONDAY 7.8

JOE OCCHIPINTI'S JAZZABOUTS 11 a.m.-

1 p.m. The Drowsy Poet Coffee Company, 86 Brent Ln. LIVE MUSIC 6 p.m. Peg Leg Pete's, 1010 Fort Pickens Road. peglegpetes.com MONDAY NIGHT BLUES 7 p.m. Blues

Society of Northwest Florida presents an open jam at Lili Marlene's. Featuring: Cat Daddy Blues Band. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com JEREMY & BRIAN 9

p.m. End O' the Alley, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

TUESDAY 7.9

LIVE MUSIC 6 p.m.

Peg Leg Pete's, 1010 Fort Pickens Road. peglegpetes.com

GINO ROSARIA'S JAZZ NIGHT 6:30

p.m. Lili Marlene's, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com DJ TONEY 7 p.m. The Deck Bar, 600 S. Barracks St. fishhousepensacola.com COLM KELLY 9 p.m. McGuire's Irish Pub, 600 E. Gregory St. mcguiresirishpub.com

WEDNESDAY 7.10 GREG LYON 4-8 p.m.

Hemingway's Island Grill, 400 Quietwater Beach Road.

MY FAVORITE JAZZ NIGHT 5 p.m. My

Favorite Things, 2813

Cervantes St. jazzpensacola.com LIVE MUSIC 6-10 p.m. Peg Leg Pete's, 1010 Fort Pickens Road. peglegpetes.com LIVE MUSIC 6:30 p.m. The District Steakhouse, 123 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com SANDY ROOTS 7 p.m. Portofino Island Resort, 10 Portofino Drive. LIVE MUSIC 8 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker.com DUELING PIANO SHOW 8 p.m. Rosie

O' Grady's, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com JORDAN RICHARDS 8 p.m. End O' the Alley, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com COLM KELLY 9 p.m. McGuire's Irish Pub, 600 E. Gregory St. mcguiresirishpub.com

≥Bar Games Thursdays

HAPPY HOUR 4:30-6 p.m. Half-off house wine, bar drinks and domestic beer. V. Paul's Italian Ristorante, 29 S. Palafox. vpauls.com LADIES NIGHT 5 p.m. V. Paul's Italian Ristorante, 29 S. Palafox. vpauls.com BREW IQ TRIVIA NIGHT WITH JERRELL HENDRIX 7-9 p.m.

Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco POKER 8 p.m. The Ticket 1, 7250 Plantation Road. ticketsportsbar.com

POOL TOURNAMENT

8 p.m. The Ticket 2, 2115 W. Nine Mile Road. ticketsportsbar.com COLLEGE NIGHT 10 p.m. Drink specials, beer pong tournament starts at 10 p.m. Seville Quarter, 130

E. Government St. sevillequarter.com. Fridays HAPPY HOUR 4:30-6 p.m. Half-off house wine, bar drinks and domestic beer. V. Paul's Italian Ristorante, 29 S. Palafox. vpauls.com WINE TASTING

5-7 p.m. Informative wine tasting in Seville Quarter Wine and Gift Shop. No charge for the tasting. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com POOL TOURNAMENT

8 p.m. The Ticket 1, 7250 Plantation Road. ticketsportsbar.com Saturdays

MEMBERSHIP APPRECIATION NIGHT 8

p.m. Seville Quarter Membership Card Holder Appreciation Night at Phineas Phogg's. 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com Sundays

BAR AND RESTAURANT EMPLOYEE (B.A.R.E. NIGHT) 7

p.m. Special prices for B.A.R.E. Card membership holders. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com Mondays PINT NIGHT 4-10 p.m. Purchase any 16oz brew and take home a limited edition Perfect Plain glass. (limit two per customer). Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco TEXAS HOLD 'EM

7 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker.com TRIVIA NIGHT 7-9 p.m. World of Beer, 200 S. Palafox. wobusa.com/locations/ palafox

B.A.R.E All day. Culverts, 3102 E. Cervantes. calvertsintheheights.com BAR BINGO 8 p.m. Apple Annie's at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com MONDAY NIGHT TRIVIA 9:30-10:30

p.m. Mugs and Jugs, 12080 Scenic Highway. facebook.com/ mugsjugs Tuesdays CROWLER NIGHT

4-10 p.m. Buy three crowlers get one free. Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco HAPPY HOUR 4:30-6 p.m. Half-off house wine, bar drinks and domestic beer. V. Paul's Italian Ristorante, 29 S. Palafox. vpauls.com

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DIFFERENCE MAKERS UNITED WAY OF WEST FLORIA AWARDS $850,000 IN GRANTS United Way of West Florida last month announced the 29 nonprofit agencies receiving $850,000 in grant awards through the organization’s Community Investment Process. Programs operated by these agencies provide critical services to individuals and families across Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in the areas of health, education, and financial stability. “We are excited to announce the programs and agencies that will receive grant funding for the 20192020 year through our Community Investment Process,” said President and CEO, Laura Gilliam. “Through this process, volunteers, who are also donors, carefully vet the applicants to ensure that we’re being responsible stewards of our donor’s gifts, as well as making the strongest measured impact possible for our community.” The undesignated gifts of hundreds of businesses, companies, and institutions, in addition to roughly 7,000 individual donors, create this Community Investment Fund. In 2019-20, 23 programs will receive new oneyear grants, while 19 programs are in either the second or third year of two-three-year grant cycles. United Way of West Florida also announced their Top 5 Workplace Campaigns, as well as the winner of a new KIA Soul, John J. Tria, Jr., of Ascend Performance Materials. This is the fifth year KIA Autosport of Pensacola has partnered with United Way to give away a new KIA Soul. TOP 5 WORKPLACE CAMPAIGNS Gulf Power Company Publix Super Markets Ascend Performance Materials Navy Federal Credit Union Armstrong World Industries

Girls Earning Diplomas (GED) Program – PACE Center for Girls, Inc. Kids for Camp Summer Learning Lab – Autism Pensacola, Inc. ReadingPals – Every Child a Reader in Escambia County School to Work – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida, Inc.

HEALTH AWARDS - $377,686 Ashley Offerdahl Counseling Program – Children’s Home Society of Florida Access to Care – Health and Hope Clinic, Inc. Family Advocacy – Gulf Coast Kid’s House, Inc. Healthy Seniors Food Program – Manna Food Bank, Inc. Tummy Bundles – Manna Food Bank, Inc. Healthy Start, Century Program – Escambia County Healthy Start Coalition, Inc. Mobile Outreach Program – OASIS Florida PUMCM Hot Meal Service – Pensacola United Methodist Community Ministries 2-3 YEAR COMMITTED AWARDS Child Abuse Prevention Education – Gulf Coast Kid’s House Epilepsy Services – Epilepsy Florida Essential Life Skills – Capstone Adaptive Learning and Therapy Centers, Inc. Healthy Lifestyles – Boys and Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast Nutrition Program – Council on Aging of West Florida Pearl Nelson Child Development Center, Pediatric Therapy – The ARC Gateway, Inc. Senior Companion Program – Council on Aging of West Florida Sexual/Physical Abuse Treatment Program – Lutheran Services of Florida Victim Services – Lakeview Center Youth Development – YMCA of Northwest Florida

2-3 YEAR COMMITTED AWARDS Academic Success – Boys and Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast Community Based Mentoring – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida, Inc. Heritage Oaks Affordable Housing – Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies Independence for Dependent and Homeless Youth – Legal Services of North Flroida Pearl Nelson Child Development Center, Early Intervention Services – The ARC Gateway, Inc. School Readiness Program – Early Learning Coalition of Escambia County Service Learning and Leadership Development – Chain Reaction Teenspace – Children’s Home Society of Florida Veteran’s Legal Assistance – Legal Services of North Florida FINANCIAL STABILITY AWARDS - $95,306 Chadwick House – Pensacola United Methodist Community Ministries Child Care – YMCA of Northwest Florida Domestic Violence Shelter – FavorHouse of Northwest Florida, Inc. Emergency Assistance – Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida Every Adult Achieves Self-Sufficiency – Pathways for Change, Inc. Feeding Stability – Manna Food Bank, Inc. His Place Shelter – Pensacola United Methodist Community Ministries The Mobile Pantry Program – Feeding the Gulf Coast Recovery and Career Development Program: A Path to Self-Sufficiency – Waterfront Rescue Mission, Inc.

EDUCATION AWARDS - $377,008 AMI Pensacola GED and Vocational Program – AMIkids Pensacola, Inc. Capstone Academy – Capstone Adaptive Learning and Therapy Centers, Inc.

Sponsored by The Studer Family July 4, 2019

Forget cheap imitations. There's only one BEST OF list you need to know: This one. So, find a pen that actually works and fill this baby out.

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•Only one ballot per envelope. •No photocopies or faxes will be accepted. •Vote in at least 25 categories. Ballots with fewer than 25 will not be counted. •Ballots must be postmarked by July 31, 2019.

▶mail your ballot to

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Or vote online at inweekly.net now-July 31 community, media & culture

services

Best Non-Profit Best Charity Event Best Place to Work Best Boss Best Community Leader Best Rising Leader Best Politician Best Person to Have on Your Side Best Place to Take Out-of-Town Guests Best Day Trip Best Annual Event Best Pub Crawl Best Food Event Best Parade Best Regular/Reoccurring Event Best Free Event Best Neighborhood Best Pensacola Landmark Best Public Park Best Pet-Friendly Park Best Playground Best Outdoor Market Best Palafox Market Vendor Best Makers/Craft Market Best Reason to Attend a Blue Wahoos Game Best Reason to Attend an Ice Flyers Game Best Youth Sports/Rec Program Best After-School Activity Best Summer Camp Best Place for a Birthday Party Best TV Station Best TV/Video Personality Best Radio Station Best Radio Personality Best Morning Radio Show Best Podcast Best Reason to Pick up Inweekly Best Website/Blog Best Scandal Best Person or Business to Follow on Instagram Best Business to "Like" on Facebook Best Way To Get Cultured Best Art Gallery/Museum Best Artist Best Music Venue Best Band Best Concert Best Place to Hear Free Music Best Theatre Production Best Comedian

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Best Green Business Best New Business

health & wellness Best Gym Best Personal Trainer Best Boutique Fitness Studio Best Yoga Best Yoga Instructor Best Pilates Best Fitness Classes Best Free/Community Fitness Classes Best Fitness Instructor Best Bootcamp Best Weight Loss Program Best Running Club Best 5K Best Place to Walk/Run Best Place to Ride Your Bike Best Hospital Best General Care Physician Best Chiropractor Best Dentist Best Orthodontist Best Pediatrician Best Psychiatrist/Therapist Best OB/GYN Best Optometrist Best Dermatologist Best Plastic Surgeon Best Physical Therapy Best Pharmacy Best Walk-In Clinic

retail Best New Car Dealership Best Used Car Dealership Best Motorcycle Shop Best Bicycle Shop Best Boutique Best Men's Apparel Best Women's Apparel Best Children's Apparel & Gifts Best Accessories Best Consignment Store Best Thrift Store Best Athletic/Outdoor Store Best Furniture Store Best Home Décor & Accessories Best Antiques Best Vintage Shop/Seller Best Gift Shop inweekly.net

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weddings Best Place to Propose Best Place to Buy an Engagement Ring Best Ceremony Venue Best Reception Venue Best Officiant Best Bridal Store Best Place to Rent a Tux Best Bridal Make-up Artist Best Wedding Hair Salon Best Wedding Hair Stylist Best Wedding Planner/Coordinator Best Wedding Photography Best Photobooth Best Wedding Videography Best Wedding Band Best Wedding DJ Best Wedding Caterer Best Wedding Cake Best Wedding Florist Best Wedding Rentals Best Wedding Party Transportation Best Place to Buy a Wedding Gift Best Place to Buy Bridesmaid Gifts Best Place for a Rehearsal Dinner Best Place for Out-of-Town Guests to Stay

restaurants Best Restaurant Overall Best Restaurant–Downtown Best Restaurant–Cordova Area Best Restaurant–East Hill Best Restaurant–North Pensacola/Nine Mile/UWF Best Restaurant–West Pensacola/Perdido Key Best Restaurant–East Pensacola Heights Best Restaurant–Gulf Breeze Best Restaurant–Pensacola Beach Best Restaurant–Pace/Milton Best New Restaurant Best Bakery Best Breakfast Best Brunch Best Lunch Best Food Truck Best Greek Cuisine Best Mexican Cuisine Best Italian Cuisine July 4, 2019

Best Chinese Cuisine Best Japanese Cuisine Best Thai Cuisine Best Indian Cuisine Best Cajun Cuisine Best Vietnamese Cuisine Best Vegetarian/Vegan Cuisine Best Sushi Best Gluten Free Options Best Hibachi Best Seafood Best Steakhouse Best BBQ Best Soul Food Best Original Menu Best Chef Best Up-and-Coming Chef Best Wait Staff Best Waiter Best Waitress Best Coffee Shop Best Barista Best Outdoor Dining Best Place to Splurge Best Place to Eat Healthy Best Place to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth Best Romantic Dining Best Place for a First Date Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant Best Pet-Friendly Restaurant Best Salad Bar Best Take Out/To Go Best Food Delivery Best Restaurant for a Birthday Dinner Best Restaurant for Sports Fans Best Late Night Eats Best Restaurant to Take Out-of-Town Guests Best Gone-But-Not-Forgotten Restaurant

food *List the specific menu item if applicable Best Uniquely Pensacola Dish Best Bagels Best Cup of Coffee Best Iced Coffee Best Latte Best Iced Tea Best Juices/Smoothies Best Pizza Best Steak Best Burrito Best Taco Best Nachos Best Soup Best Deli Best Bread Best Sandwich Best Chicken Salad Best Cheeseburger Best Hot Dog Best Cheese Plate Best Appetizers Best Mac-n-Cheese Best Pastries Best Omelette Best Grits Best Donuts

Best French Fries Best Fried Chicken Best Wings Best Sushi Roll Best Oysters Best Pasta Dish Best Seafood Dish Best Avocado Dish Best International Dish Best Salads Best Place to Buy Local Produce Best Vegetarian/Vegan Dish Best Desserts Best Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt Best Cakes/Cupcakes Best King Cake Best Milkshakes Best Original Menu Item Best Lunch Special Best Weekly Special

bars, drinks & nightlife Best Bar Overall Best Night Club Best Bar–Downtown Best Bar–Cordova Area Best Bar–North Pensacola/Nine Mile Road/UWF Best Bar–West Pensacola/Perdido Key Best Bar–Pensacola Beach Best Bar–Milton/Pace Best New Bar Best Happy Hour Best Drink Specials Best Ladies' Night Best Cover Charge Worth Paying Best Day Drinking Best Drink Menu Best Specialty Cocktail Best Daiquiris/Frozen Drinks Best Bushwacker Best Bloody Mary Best Mimosa Best Martini Best Margarita Best Shots Best Signature Drink Best Selection of Beer on Tap Best Selection of Bottled/Canned Beer Best Brewery Best Local Beer Best Bartender Best DJ Best Drag Queen Best Selection of Wine by the Glass Best Selection of Wine by the Bottle Best Sports Bar Best Sports Team Club Headquarters Best Neighborhood Bar Best Pet-Friendly Bar Best Hotel Bar Best Bar With a View Best Bar Ambiance Best Bar for Games Best Trivia Night Best Karaoke Night Best Bar for Live Music Best Bar Food 25

free will astrology WEEK OF JULY 4 ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): When the

EATS, DRINKS & SMILES BIG ASS SMILES @THEMAGNOLIAEPH

universe began 13.8 billion years ago, there were only four elements—mostly hydrogen and helium, plus tiny amounts of lithium and beryllium. Now, there are 118 elements, including five that are key components of your body—oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus. All of those were created by nuclear reactions blazing on the insides of stars that later died. So it's literally true to say that much of your flesh and blood and bones and nerves originated at the hearts of stars. I invite you to meditate on that amazing fact. It's a favorable time to muse on your origins and your ancestry; to ruminate about all the events that led to you being here today—including more recent decades as well as the past 13.8 billion years.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): Most American women couldn't vote until 100 years ago. Women in Japan, France and Italy couldn't vote until the 1940s. Universal suffrage has been a fundamental change in how society is structured. Similarly, same-sex marriage was opposed by vast majorities in most countries until 15 years ago but has since become widely accepted. African-American slavery lasted for hundreds of years before being delegitimized all over the Western world in the 19th century. Brazil, which hosted 40 percent of all kidnapped Africans, didn't free its slaves until 1888. What would be the equivalent of such revolutionary transformations in your own personal life? According to my reading of the astrological omens, you have the power to make that happen during the next 12 months.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): Gemini

musician Paul Weller is famous in the UK, though not so much elsewhere. According to the BBC, he is one of Britain's "most revered music writers and performers." To which I say, revered? Maybe. But mentally healthy? Not so much. He bragged that he broke up his marriage with his wife Dee C. Lee because "things were going too well. We were too happy, too comfortable. Everything seemed too nice." He was afraid that "as a writer and an artist, I might lose my edge." Don't you dare allow yourself to get infected with that perverse way of thinking, my dear Gemini. Please capitalize on your current comfort and happiness. Use them to build your strength and resilience for the months and years to come.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): Cancerian voice actor Tom Kenny has played the roles of over 1,500 cartoon characters, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Spyro the Dragon, Jake Spidermonkey, Commander Peepers and Doctor Octopus. I propose that we make him your role model in the coming weeks. It will be a favorable time for you to show your versatility; to demonstrate how multifaceted you can be; to express various sides of your soulful personality. LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): Leo author Don-

ald Miller reminds us that fear can have two

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By Rob Brezsny

very different purposes. On the one hand, it may be "a guide to keep us safe," alerting us to situations that could be dangerous or abusive. On the other hand, fear may work as "a manipulative emotion that can trick us into living a boring life." After studying your astrological indicators for the coming weeks, Leo, I have come to the conclusion that fear may serve both of those functions for you. Your challenge will be to discern between them; to know which situations are genuinely risky and which situations are daunting but promising. Here's a hint that might help—trust your gut feelings more than your swirling fantasies.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): Why do flocks of geese fly in a V-formation? Because to do so enhances the collective efficiency of their travel. Each bird generates a current that supports the bird behind it. Let's make this phenomenon one of your power metaphors for the coming weeks. What would be the equivalent strategy for you and your tribe or group as you seek to make your collaborative efforts more dynamic and productive? Unforeseen help will augment any actions you take in this regard. LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): "A conversa-

tion is a dialogue, not a monologue," mused Libra author Truman Capote. "That's why there are so few good conversations—due to scarcity, two intelligent talkers seldom meet." That cynical formulation has more than a few grains of truth in it, I must admit. But I'm pleased to tell you that I suspect your experience in the coming weeks will be an exception to Capote's rule. I think you have the potential to embark on a virtual binge of rich discussion and intriguing interplay with people who stimulate and educate and entertain you. Rise to the challenge!

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): In ac-

cordance with astrological rhythms, you are authorized to make the following declarations in the next two weeks—1. "I refuse to participate further in this situation on the grounds that it might impinge on the expansiveness of my imagination." 2. "I abstain from dealing with your skepticism on the grounds that doing so might discourage the flights of my imagination." 3. "I reject these ideas, theories and beliefs on the grounds that they might pinch, squash, or deflate my imagination." What I'm trying to tell you, Scorpio, is that it's crucial for you to emancipate your imagination and authorize it to play uninhibitedly in the frontiers of possibilities.

candor and abundant generosity. If you need help in sparking your enthusiasm or galvanizing your drive to see the big picture, call on the expansive skills of this jaunty puzzle-solver."

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): Life will conspire to bring you a surge of love in the coming weeks—if you can handle it. Can you? Will you be able to deal adeptly with rumbling love and icy hot love and mostly sweet but also a bit sour love? Do you possess the resourcefulness and curiosity necessary to have fun with funny spiritual love and running-through-thelabyrinth love and unexpectedly catalytic love? Are you open-minded and openhearted enough to make the most of brilliant shadowy love and unruly sensitive love and toughly graceful love? AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): I don't

endlessly champion the "no pain, no gain" theory of personal growth. My philosophy holds that we are at least as likely to learn valuable lessons from pleasurable and joyful experiences as we are from difficult and taxing struggles. Having said that, I also think it's true that our suffering may lead us to treasure if we know how to work with it. According to my assessment, the coming weeks will bring one such opening for you. To help you cultivate the proper spirit, keep in mind the teaching of Aquarian theologian and author Henri Nouwen. He said that life's gifts may be "hidden in the places that hurt most."

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): The Japanese word "wabi-sabi" refers to an interesting or evocative imperfection in a work of art that makes it more beautiful than if it were merely perfect. "Duende" is a Spanish word referring to a work of art that gives its viewers the chills because it's so emotionally rich and unpredictably soulful. In the coming weeks, I think that you yourself will be a work of art with an abundance of these qualities. Your wabi-sabi will give you the power to free yourself from the oppressive pressures of seeking too much precision and purity. Your duende can give you the courage you need to go further than you've ever dared in your quest for the love you really want. THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK: "Know thyself—or else! Follow your dreams—or else!" Please comment. Truthrooster@gmail.com.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21):

Dear Sagittarius, I invite you to make a copy of the testimonial below and give it to anyone who is in a position to support your Noble Experiment. "To Whom It May Concern, I endorse this Soulful Sagittarius for the roles of monster-tamer, fun-locator, boredom-transcender, elation-inciter and mountaintop visionary. This adroit explorer is endowed with charming zeal, disarming

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news of the weird ALABAMA IS THE NEW FLORIDA The Limestone County (Alabama) Sheriff's Office is on the lookout for Mickey Paulk, 35, after executing a search warrant at an Athens apartment where he was believed to be living on June 17. While Paulk was not at the apartment at the time, officers did find meth, drug paraphernalia, ammunition and body armor, along with DeezNutz, Paulk's "attack squirrel," in a cage in the apartment. Sheriff's deputy Stephen Young told The News Courier officers were told Paulk feeds the squirrel meth to keep it aggressive, which Paulk denied in a Facebook video. Officers released the squirrel into the wild, but Paulk (still on the run) later told news outlets he went back to the apartment and whistled, and DeezNutz returned to him. A GoFundMe page established to help Paulk pay his legal fees includes a post saying the squirrel has been "safely gotten ... out of Alabama and it is being boarded until his owner's legal issues can be settled." The Limestone sheriff's office took to Twitter to warn locals to be wary of Paulk: "Mickey Paulk is a fleeing felon with felony warrants unrelated to his squirrel." (UPDATE: Shortly before press time, the Limestone County Sheriff's Office announced on Twitter that Paulk had been arrested Thursday night, June 27.) THE CONTINUING CRISIS Early-bird travelers at Detroit Metropolitan Airport got a rude awakening on June 21 when an unnamed man tried to pass through a TSA checkpoint entirely naked. According to WXYZ, the man approached the checkpoint and removed all his clothing, then removed a barrier and approached a metal detector. Officers didn't allow him through the metal detector, so he ran around it, where he was caught and covered with plastic trash bags. A bystander said he was calm and compliant while being detained. Law enforcement determined he was not a threat and took him to a local hospital. HITCHCOCKIAN Roy and Brenda Pickard of Knotts End, Lancashire, England, lived in a 1960s horror film for a week in June as a pair of nesting herring gulls terrorized them each time they emerged from their home. "If I try to go out of the door, the two adult birds are right there, and I've got no chance," Roy told the Mirror. At one point, Roy was attacked so viciously on the back of the head that he had to go to the hospital for treatment. Roy contacted animal organizations, but they offered no remedies for the violent birds: It's breeding season, and herring gulls are protected when nesting. "The whole thing has been terrible," Roy lamented. NEWS YOU CAN USE Equality got a boost in Argentina in June when that country's National Appeal Court ordered a man to pay his ex-wife 8 million pesos (about $178,000) for 27 years of housework. Newsweek reported Judge Victoria

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

Fama reasoned that the wife, who holds a degree in economics, put her career aside for the entirety of their marriage to keep house and raise children, and by the time her husband left her in 2009, she was too old to compete in the job market. "The economic dependence of wives on their husbands is one of the central mechanisms through which women are subordinated in society," the judge stated. Meanwhile, the husband was living "a good life." AWESOME! A 26-year-old man identified only as Chang from Guangdong, China, went out for a Friday night of drinking with friends on June 7 and returned home to find that his keys were missing. Someone inside let him in, and he went to bed to sleep it off. The next morning, the Chinese news site Sohu reported, Chang awoke with a sharp pain in his chest and went to Dongguan Hospital, where an X-ray revealed the missing house keys lodged deep in his esophagus. Doctors first thought emergency surgery would be necessary to retrieve the keys, but with the help of a muscle-relaxing drug, a gastroenterologist was able to pull them out through his mouth.

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COMPELLING EXPLANATION The Behney House Hotel in Myerstown, Pennsylvania, was evacuated after police responded to a reported bomb threat there on June 23, reported WPMT. When officers arrived, they found David Oxenreider, 28, who lives at the hotel, and the homemade bomb he claimed to have made next to a dumpster outside the building. Oxenreider told police he made the bomb to get their attention because he was frustrated that his attempts to warn officials about aliens hadn't been taken seriously. According to the criminal complaint, Oxenreider said he encountered a UFO and aliens in 2014, who told him "humans need to start being good people, or else they were going to destroy the Earth with a nuclear laser beam." Police disarmed the device and arrested Oxenreider. OOPS! Holmes Beach (Florida) police posted a query on their Facebook page on June 15 regarding an unusual item that had washed up on the shore and was turned in by a local resident: a prosthetic ear. Social media did its magic, and the ear and its owner were reunited five days later. The Associated Press reported that a Beaufort, South Carolina, couple had been vacationing in the Tampa Bay area, and the man was putting the rubber ear in his pocket for safekeeping when a wave knocked it out of his hand. Police Sgt. Brian Hall said he would mail the ear back to its owner, as prosthetic ears can be very pricey. {in}

From Andrews McMeel Syndication News Of The Weird ÂŠ 2019 Andrews McMeel

Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com July 4, 2019

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