Independent News | March 14, 2019 | Volume 20 | Number 11
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winners & losers
outtakes
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Independent News is published by Inweekly Media, Inc., P.O. Box 12082, Pensacola, FL 32591. (850)438-8115. All materials published in Independent News are copyrighted. © 2018 Inweekly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
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DELTA AIR LINES The National Flight Academy announced that Delta Air Lines is offering 80 tuition scholarships, totaling $100,000, to children of active duty or retired military service members to attend a six-day overnight deployment program during Summer 2019. Applicants must be between 11-17 years old, entering the 7th-12th grade, and must be an active duty or retired military dependent. Eligible students must participate in a video contest or submit a 500-word essay for a chance to win a scholarship seat. The video and essay contest submission deadline is 11:59 p.m. Friday, March 15. Parents must submit their child's entry at tinyurl.com/ybrzhba3. CIERRA BURNS State Attorney Bill Eddins
announced that the Florida Animal Control Association, a statewide nonprofit association that assists local agencies with animal control issues, has presented Assistant State Attorney Cierra Burns with the Sentinel Award for her outstanding work on animal cruelty prosecutions. The Sentinel Award recognizes achievements by an individual or organization who has advanced the humane treatment of animals by compassionately working in their defense.
TEAM ANGELENA'S J. Collier Merrill, Jean Pierre N'Dione, Executive Chef James Briscione and Wine Director Brooke Parkhurst hosted guests for a taste of Angelena's at a preview dinner in the James Beard House in New York City. According to the James Beard Foundation, chefs are honored with an invitation to host a dinner by Izabela Wojcik, director of programming, based on national or regional reputation, as evidenced by press, resume' and biography.
losers
UNITED WAY OF SANTA ROSA The
nonprofit, formerly led by Milton Mayor Guy Thompson, had its charter jerked by United Way US Board of Trustees based on a review by the Membership Accountability Committee. Effective March 6, the Santa Rosa County chapter can no longer use the United Way name or its logo.
HOUSE PREK-12 QUALITY SUBCOMMITTEE Once again, state lawmakers want
to tinker with the curriculum of our public schools. The House panel last week approved a bill that would require public high schools to offer elective classes on religion and the Bible. Bill sponsor Rep. Kimberly Daniels, D-Jacksonville, said the classes would be objective and that students would not be forced to take them. Florida law allows school districts to offer such courses, but the new bill would make it mandatory. It would require courses on the study of religion and on the Old Testament, New Testament and the Hebrew scriptures. Why didn't Rep. Mike Hill think of this?
HENRY HAWKINS The Town of Century finally turned over Century Mayor Henry Hawkins' airline ticket receipts to NorthEscambia.com after sitting on the public record request for two months. The receipts were handed over a day after an Escambia County Grand Jury recommended the state and Escambia County audit the town for mishandling funds. Hawkins claimed confidentiality and redacted the name of the traveler who flew from Los Angeles to Pensacola twice and stayed at the luxurious LaQuinta Inn. Sounds like a storyline for the next "City of Grudges" novel.
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outtakes
By Rick Outzen
A TRUE CONNECTION Since his election, Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson has talked quite a bit about connecting with the city's neighborhoods. Before he was sworn into office, he told our reporter Jeremy Morrison, "One of the things that came out of the campaign loud and clear is the city must do a better job of working with our neighborhoods." He planned to hold neighborhood meetings because he felt connecting more with residents where they live will provide the city with a better roadmap. The mayor said, "I think if you engage your citizens, your citizens will tell you a lot of ways to improve your city." However, connecting with a neighborhood is more than telling residents what the city wants to do. It involves listening and realizing your ideas and initiatives might not be what the neighborhood wants. When former Mayor Ashton Hayward started to get pushback, he stopped holding town hall meetings, choosing to "connect" from the safer distance of Instagram. Fortunately, Mayor Robinson hasn't shut down meeting with neighborhoods, but he has yet to prove he's listening to them. The proposed changes to Hitzman Park on Langley Avenue that would add two more regulation soccer fields has received opposition from the Scenic Heights neighborhood. Youth soccer's recent growth has put a strain on the city's parks. Additional fields are needed. The mayor's response has been that Scenic Heights must acquiesce to the greater
needs of the entire city. Or in other words, thank you for your input, but I'm going to do what I need to do. The mayor can point to several meetings that he, his staff and the YMCA have had with residents since the first of the year as doing a "better job of working with our neighborhoods" but the result is the same as it was under the Hayward administration. The soccer complex apparently will be built. However, the mayor doesn't have much support city-wide for his project, according to our recent poll. Only a third of the 500 likely Pensacola voters surveyed supported adding the additional fields on Langley Avenue, while a third opposed the project and the remaining third was undecided or needed more information. The districts closest to Hitzman Park had the least support–with only 27.4 percent of District 1 and 26.9 percent of District 2 favoring adding the additional soccer fields. To be fair, Mayor Robinson inherited this project from his predecessor who paid for engineers to design the soccer complex adjacent to Hitzman Park while hiding it from the Scenic Heights neighborhood. Robinson started off in a hole dig by Hayward. However, connecting with a neighborhood is more than holding meetings. It requires acting on their input. Otherwise, people will stop listening to city hall. {in} rick@inweekly.net
However, connecting with a neighborhood is more than holding meetings.
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MCMILLAN PRE-K UPROAR
By Duwayne Escobedo Escambia County Superintendent of Schools Malcolm Thomas last month got the school board to approve the closure of the successful McMillan Pre-K Center. He believed Head Start would lose its federal funding. The office of Congressman Matt Gaetz disputes Thomas' claim, and parents and residents in District 3 are upset that yet another public school is abandoning their neighborhood. Unlike his previous closures of academically-struggling elementary schoolsSpencer-Bibbs, Allie Yniestra and HallmarkMcMillan Pre-K is one of the top performing pre-kindergartens in the district. Some hope Thomas will change his mind, but he rarely has, especially when it involves the AfricanAmerican community.
HEAD START FUNDING
Community Action Program Committee Inc. has partnered with the Escambia County School District since President Lyndon Johnson rolled out the Head Start program in 1965. Head Start's mission now, as it was then, is to break the cycle of poverty by providing early learning to preschool children. Every year without fail for the past 54 years, the Community Action Program, at 1380 N. Palafox Street, receives a notice of award by April from the Congressional Budget Office that tells the agency the exact amount it can count on for the upcoming school year. For the past couple of years, that appropriation has totaled roughly $667,000. That's enough to fund 185 preschool-aged students in the Escambia County school system. "We've always operated this way," said Doug Brown, Community Action's executive director. "There is nothing unusual about where we are." But Superintendent Thomas convinced his school board that the school system would lose $500,000 in funding for its Pre-K program. 66
Thomas blamed the shortfall on Community Action. That's why the Escambia County School Board voted 4-1 at its Feb. 19 meeting to close the McMillan Pre-Kindergarten Center. Thomas said the move would save 135 slots for Pre-K students in the upcoming 2019-2020 school year. "We're trying to protect services for 135 families and students," Thomas said at the board meeting. "If we do nothing, they will lose those services. This is a way to salvage 135 of those spots." Later, Inweekly interviewed Thomas, who said that the Head Start contract renewal with Community Action was uncertain. "We've never had this with them before. We don't want to start (students) in April and then in November tell them, 'You have to go home.' We need a Plan B for the moment." However, U.S. Rep. Gaetz's press secretary, Luke Ball, said funding is not in question. Ball expected the Head Start "funding level to increase or, at the very least, stay the same" in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives once it finalizes the budget. Although "uncertain" of the specific dollar amount earmarked for Escambia County, in FY 2019, Head Start received $10.1 billiona $250 million increase over the previous year. The House appropriates funding to the Head Start program, not to specific school districts.
AGAINST SCHOOL CLOSURE
Newly-elected District 3 school board member Dr. Laura Dortch Edler attended a program that the 4-year-olds at McMillan PreK performed recently. It brought tears to the eyes of the University of West Florida assistant professor. Parents, relatives and friends filled every seat in the school's auditorium. "It was packed with parents," Edler said. "I felt like, 'Why?' It was truly an unbelievable program. It would have been good for the superintendent to have been there to see how engaged the community is in supporting these little children." She was the only board member to reject the closing of the roughly 60-year-old McMillan school in her district. Edler said the closure was in the interest of the budget, not the best interest of the children. "I like to be optimistic," Edler said. "The community is still in an uproar about it. I'm not convinced it's over." Parents and community leaders have spoken out against shuttering McMillan, which once served as Goulding Elementary School. Rev. Lonnie Wesley III of Greater Little Rock Baptist Church grew up in Shanty Town, which local black residents call it, or Ebonwood,
as others have labeled it, and attended the elementary school. "When I was a boy, I grew up in Shanty Town, and it was one of the strongest and most beloved communities in all of Pensacola," the pastor said. "My heart goes out to that community. Schools are often the hub of a neighborhood. When it's subtracted, it impacts the whole community." Jerry McIntosh, the president of Movement for Change and longtime civil rights activist, agreed with Wesley."There seems to be total disrespect for our community," McIntosh told Thomas and the school board. "You always make excuses that you can't find funds...but build million-dollar schools outside of our district. This brings significant psychological despair within our communities. We are going to continue to resist this." Walter Wallace, who resides near McMillan, also expressed anger about the closure. He said, "You can build a neighborhood, or you can destroy a neighborhood. As the school goes, the neighborhood goes." Larry Williams, another resident, added, "You take the school out and take out a vital link from that community. We should be making McMillan a success right where it is."
BUILDING A COMMUNITY
McMillan is located in a neighborhood with rundown houses; trash piled on the sides of narrow streets that lack sidewalks and surrounded by closed shops. Just above the trees, you can view the new $140 million Escambia County Jail going up. Escambia County Commission Chairman Lumon May sits on the Community Action board of directors. He has worked hard to bring job training and businesses to District 3. May is looking to expand the Community Redevelopment Agency in the area that has little funding and wants to redevelop a Superfund site that has sat empty for nearly two decades. May points out that schools can be economic generators. He told Inweekly, "Schools are the lifeline to any neighborhood. Infusion of public dollars is critical to economic growth." Despite his efforts, the school board has closed five schools in District 3 over the past five years, six if you include A.A. Dixon. District 3 has the fewest number of public schools with nine, while District 4 and 5 boast 13. Meanwhile, District 1 has 12 and District 2 includes 11. Thomas argued that McMillan totals 86 children, and students from 21 other schools send their 4-year-olds there instead of nearby public schools that operate Pre-K programs. Four buses haul the children to McMillan. The district enrolls more than 3,750 children in early childhood education across the county. "Far too many coming into kindergarten are not ready," Thomas said.
The three-term superintendent also justifies the move because no teachers or staff at McMillan will lose their jobs and be placed in other schools with Pre-K classrooms. And Thomas pointed out that all 86 students will move on to kindergarten. That doesn't console Cierra Sanders, whose son and nephew attend McMillan. She planned to send another son to McMillan, which is in her neighborhood, too. She heard about the closure two days before the board meeting Feb. 19. "I'm so sad," Sanders said. "I don't know how or why they planned on closing it." Her 4-year-old once had a speech delay. Now with improved speech, she can't get him to stop talking. "The teachers are wonderful," Sanders said. "He loves that school. And they love and look after their children." Ebrie Griffin held back tears as she talked about the importance of the Pre-K program to her son and the community that she has lived in all her life. "It's like a family to my son," Griffin said. "He wakes up excited to go to that school. It needs to stay open. I know if it is, it will put our more and more children that will have brighter futures." Educators in early childhood learning gave the McMillan Pre-K Center high marks, but Thomas disputed that. "They don't have the highest scores in the district," he said. "They work with tough kids." State readiness rates from the Florida Office of Early Learning told a different story. Snapshots both in the 2012-2013 and the 2016-2017 school years show McMillan Pre-K Center had readiness rates that ranked in the top 3 in the Escambia County School District. In 2012-2013, its students' readiness rates were 92, only behind Jim Allen and Lincoln Park, which both scored 100, and Global Learning Academy, which earned a 94. In the latest school year, 2016-2017, online at the state early learning office, McMillan Pre-K had a 61, tying with West Pensacola for the second highest readiness rate in the district. Only Bratt had a higher rate at 69. The McMillan principal, Dr. Patrice Moody, politely declined to comment on her school's closure and told the Inweekly reporter he could try to speak to the teachers off campus. Lincoln Park first grade teacher Jamila Richardson said McMillan regularly sends her first-rate students. "The children who come from that program do fairly well," she said. "They are a great help to those students and give them a head start to be ready for first grade." Achieve Escambia Director Kimberly Krupa concurred. Her agency supports students from "cradle to career." She told Inweekly, "They are making a difference in children's lives. McMillan is one of the top performers for our school district." {in} inweekly.net
Artist Delita Martin hosts an engaging discussion on the duality of the women in her work and how they project the spirit and its connection to the physical world.
MARCH 16TH 1PM - 3PM|Free Event RSVP at themaskwewear.eventbrite.com
March 14, 2019
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A TOWN ON THE EDGE By Jeremy Morrison Tucked in the northeast corner of Escambia County sits the Town of Century. The town's rather small—with a population below 1,700—but issues outlined in a recent grand jury report are plenty big. After hearing testimony from 18 witnesses and diving into the town's financials throughout the months-long investigation, the grand jurors find themselves "deeply concerned" about Century. The report stops short of declaring any criminal activity. "There's no evidence that anybody was engaging in any sort of criminal behavior at this time," said State Attorney Greg Marcille, whose office requested the grand jury report. "It appears it was simply a lack of management and not having appropriate individuals in charge of various departments." While the grand jury report doesn't reflect any criminal intent, it does detail a town in financial shambles, officials with little grasp on public records law and a general atmosphere of mind-boggling sloppiness. In short, it paints a portrait of a town with an uncertain future living on the edge of its existence.
DEEPLY CONCERNED
According to Marcille, multiple concerns triggered the grand jury investigation. The report verifies those concerns, finding deep levels of dysfunction and incompetence in the town. The report concludes that town officials have mismanaged town finances, at times in conflict with the law, to a point possibly beyond repair and have a utility on their hands that hemorrhages both money and natural gas. It also confirmed the town's dismal history with public records. Century's operation of its natural gas utility is as good a place to start as any. At its peak, the town serviced around 1,000 customers, but that number has declined in recent years to below 600 customers. The utility's largest customer, as well as the area's largest
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employer, is the Department of Corrections, which operates a prison in the area. Over the past few years, Century's natural gas utility has suffered substantial losses. According to audits cited in the grand jury report, the operation lost $303,427 in 2017 and $224,311 the year before that. "We anticipate that the loss for 2018 may be substantially greater," the report states. "The reasons for these losses are many." Among the reasons listed in the report are an antiquated infrastructure and insufficient maintenance of that aging system. That's typical. What's not typical are the other reasons, "Employees responsible for reading the meters have failed to do so properly or have not read them at all. Between 20 and 50 customers have received gas services without ever having been billed. The prison and other commercial customers have had either inadequate or faulty meters, which have resulted in substantial undercharging." The town's percentage of unaccounted for natural gas—the amount of gas coming into the system minus the amount sold to customers—is traditionally high, hovering between 12 and 14 percent in recent years. In 2018, however, the rate jumped to an alarming 41.9 percent. "Which means that half the gas that went into their system was unaccounted for," Marcille said. "There are no good answers." In addition to massive losses for its natural gas utility, the grand jury report found reason for concern with the town's water and sewer fund, too. Over the course of 2016 and 2017, the fund dropped nearly a half million dollars. Unfortunately, the town's money problems are much more expansive than just its utilities. For starters, the grand jury report found that payroll checks were written on an account with insufficient funds, and routine bills, such as utility or phone bills, regularly go unpaid due to the funds not being available. But such sloppiness is apparently the tip of the financial iceberg for Century. The grand jury report found that Century recently dipped into funds from gas taxes and
Local Option Sales Tax revenues, which have restricted uses, to make up budgetary shortfalls. The town allegedly improperly borrowed $306,134 from such sources in 2017. The report also found that Century had borrowed from these restricted funds in the past. As of 2017, the town's Special Revenue Funds was owed about $2.7 million. In 2018, the town council approved a repayment plan of a laughable $300 a month. "At this rate," the report notes, "it would take 750 years to pay back these funds." The grand jury report also points to instances where Century made loans—in three cases to individuals who currently serve as town officials—that went unreported on audits. Adherence to public records law is another subject on which the grand jury report touches. It cites an apparent "lack of understanding" of Florida Sunshine laws among town officials. The report found the town is months behind in maintaining minutes of its public meetings and that numerous public records requests were ignored. A recording of at least one meeting has been lost, while others were recovered from an employee's house. The grand jury did not find criminal intent in such instances, and the state attorney has filed noncriminal violations of Sunshine Law against several council members. But, Marcille said, investigations are ongoing in this area.
PURELY SUGGESTIVE
The grand jury report is a pretty damning read for Century. But because it found no criminal wrongdoing, the town isn't required to act upon it in any way. "These recommendations are not binding. They are purely suggestive," Marcille said. "There are no requirements that they do anything." The report does, however, make many pointed recommendations. Typically, Marcille said, such recommendations are taken "very serious." "I believe they will take some action," he said. "They have indicated they will take some action."
Recommendations include divesting of Century's utilities and using that money to pay back money borrowed from restricted funds. This would leave the town responsible for only roads, parks and land use programs. The report also recommends that the town perform an operational audit to ensure qualified individuals are employed and also engage a consulting firm to develop a set of standards and procedures. Additional public records training is also suggested, among other recommendations. In a signal that Century's time of scrutiny may not be over, the grand jury also recommends that the State Auditor General's Office perform a forensic audit on the town for the past five years. Any irregularities, it states, should be referred to the appropriate agencies. Councilmember Brooks said she agreed with much of the grand jury report, including the need for an audit and selling off the gas utility. "The council will attempt to develop a plan to address these recommendations at our next meeting," Brooks said in an email, pointing towards the council's March 18 meeting. Century Mayor Henry Hawkins, however, takes issue with the report, calling portions of it "not factual." "Well," Hawkins said, "I got some mixed emotions about it." The mayor noted that some issues listed in the report have been addressed already. And as for the rest of it, he said the town would "rectify some things to make it right." Hawkins has zero appetite for the grand jury's most significant recommendation, selling off the natural gas utility. "Might as well dissolve the town if you're going to do that," he said. "That's your income." In short, the mayor said he intends to help the town of Century crawl out of its current circumstances. "I was handed this bad deck," Mayor Hawkins said. "I was dealt a bad hand; I'll play it, and I'll win." {in}
inweekly.net
Pensacola’s waterfront What would you like to experience?
The Center for Civic Engagement is hosting SCAPE Landscape Architecture for the next five months to create a proposed “Pensacola waterfront framework plan,” essentially a masterplan for the development of the shoreline between the Pensacola Bay Bridge and Bayou Chico. Project Green Shores
What is SCAPE?
Pensacola Joe Patti’s Seafood
Pensacola Bay
Bruce Beach Bayou Chico
Sanders BeachCorinne Jones Resource Center
Maritime Park
STUDY AREAS Plaza De Luna
Port of Pensacola
Funded by CivicCon Funded by the City of Pensacola
1,000 feet
SCAPE, a nationally renowned landscape architecture firm, began its five-month study of Pensacola’s downtown waterfront. Through two days, the five-person team led by SCAPE design principal Gena Wirth and project manager Lee Altman, met with more than 300 citizens during their visit to gather as much information as possible about our waterfront’s past, present and hopes for its future use.
Gena Wirth
Lee Altman
WEB: scapestudio.com
Who is JAMES LIMA? The SCAPE team was joined by placemaking economist James Lima, who is also contracted on the project to show economic impacts and and values of waterfront changes against the cost of improvements. PNJ PHOTOS: Gregg Pachkowski, Jody Link and SCAPE
WHAT’S NEXT? The SCAPE Team will visit again on April 22-23 to show its study results, then move into Phase II, the design and specific study of projects along the waterfront.
LEARN MORE VISIT CIVICCON ONLINE pnj.com/topic/CivicCon/
James Lima
WEB: jameslimadevelopment.com
What’s happening during the first phase? SCAPE has begun the first phase of its study – the two month framework plan of the entire waterfront. Initially paid for privately by Quint Studer and the Center for Civic Engagement, the City of Pensacola has invested $50,000 in the project to extend the study west from Joe Patti’s Seafood to Bayou Chico. Citizens were able to share ideas, interact with maps and 3D models of our waterfront and more. Groups included environmentalists and technical waterfront experts, business and city government leaders, high school students from West Florida Tech and neighborhood stakeholders from key areas around the city’s waterfront.
SIGN UP FOR CIVICCON EMAILS studeri.org/Newsletter-Signup QUESTIONS? Terry Horne: thorne@civicconversations.org D.C. Reeves: dcreeves@quintstuder.com The Center for Civic Engagement is an arm of CivicCon, a joint partnership between the Pensacola News Journal and Studer Community Institute. March 14, 2019
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HUBBS-SEAWORLD STILL INTERESTED
Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute CEO Don Kent last week wrote Inweekly to say the institute didn't fall out of the fish hatchery project proposed for Pensacola by its choice. Kent pointed out the institute had successfully worked in California with its Department of Fish and Wildlife and the recreational and commercial fishing communities to develop a hatchery replenishment program for several species of marine fish vital to the economy of the state and the quality of life of its citizens. "Researchers from around the nation have recognized this multi-decadal-long effort as a model for how marine fisheries replenishment programs should be conducted," he said. He said that members of the Florida chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association and former Mayor Ashton Hayward visited their replenishment hatchery. The HSWRI attended numerous meetings and conferences in Florida and dedicated space at its Brevard County laboratory for use in collecting brood fish from the wild to support future hatchery work. Kent visited Pensacola at least five times to meet with city staff and members of the community to begin planning the hatchery operation. He also developed a collaborative research agreement with the University of Western Florida to facilitate the use of the proposed laboratory by university faculty and students. "HSWRI was never formally dismissed from the program," he said. However, the institute was not allowed to be involved in planning or designing of the facility and were only shown diagrams of the proposed facility many months after others had developed them. Kent added, "I feel it is important to let you know that HSWRI's lack of involvement in the Pensacola hatchery project was outside our control and not what we wanted." He said that the HSWRI is still willing to assist Florida with the development of marine hatchery facilities but not without
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assurances "that our involvement would not be dismissed out of hand after so much effort had been expended."
ST SCHOLARSHIPS ST Engineering has
established a scholarship fund to promote aviation-related post-secondary education. "The Pensacola Mayor's Scholarship reflects ST Engineering's long-term commitment to grow with the community that we operate in," said Lim Serh Ghee, President of ST Engineering's Aerospace sector. "Since we started setting up our presence in Pensacola in mid-2018, we have been dedicated to nurturing the local community such as by supporting young talents and helping them to secure a rewarding career in an industry that is set to grow robustly in tandem with rising air travel." The program will support outstanding individuals accepted into an aviation-related post-secondary educational program. Starting in 2020, scholarships will be awarded to four applicants annually from the Escambia County School District based on criteria including academic performance and financial needs. Successful applicants will each receive a scholarship amount of $2,500. "ST Engineering continues to prove they want to positively impact our community and be part of it," said Mayor Grover Robinson. "This scholarship shows ST Engineering's commitment to providing educational resources to our citizens to grow in the aviation industry."
NEW FERRY OPERATOR The National
Park Service and HMS Ferries, Inc. have signed a 10-year concessions contract for the operation of Pensacola Bay Cruises. HMS Ferries is the company that runs the ferry service that connects Fort Morgan and Dauphin Island in Mobile Bay. HMS will immediately begin preparing for the 2019 season. Service startup date, schedule, prices and other details will be announced as soon as they are available. Tickets for regular service will be all-day hop-on, hop-off, and discounts may be offered for children, military,
seniors, groups and frequent riders. Park entrance fees are waived for visitors arriving at Fort Pickens via Pensacola Bay Cruises. "We're excited to start working with HMS Ferries, Inc. and to see this wonderful opportunity return to Gulf Islands National Seashore this spring," said Superintendent Dan Brown. Pensacola Bay Cruises' 150 passenger boats, named Turtle Runner and Pelican Perch, were built with funds received via a post-Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement reached with BP. HMS (Hornblower Maritime Services) has over 25 years of experience in the maritime industry, and currently operates boat cruises and ferries at locations across the country, including the Mobile Bay and Gees Bend ferries in Alabama and St. Johns River ferry in Jacksonville. They bring an experienced and capable team to the operation at Gulf Islands National Seashore and its community partners.
WESTSIDE FEEDBACK The City of Pensacola's Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is seeking feedback on streetscape improvements to A, Reus and DeVilliers streets. The upgrades may include sidewalks, lighting, aesthetic and cultural enhancements, street trees, landscaping and bicycle facilities. CRA will host a public workshop to receive input on plans and concepts at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 19, at Pensacola City Hall in the Hagler Mason Conference Room on the second floor. A public comment period will open Tuesday, March 19, and will run for 30 days. Written comments may be emailed to hgibson@cityofpensacola.com. Comments for consideration must be received by Friday, April 19. ASPHALT REMOVAL WRAPS UP Year three of the beach enhancement and asphalt removal project at Gulf Islands National Seashore has been completed. This year's work began at Perdido Key in September 2018 and returned to Santa Rosa in mid-October.
Approximately 520 cubic yards of asphalt fragments and road base material debris were removed this year from over 126 acres of the Santa Rosa Area. This year's work included multiple treatments of high visitor use areas where wind exposed additional debris. Onsite work wrapped up on Feb. 28 in time for shorebird nesting season. Demobilization of equipment and vehicles from Opal Beach will be completed by March 15. The ongoing project, which also includes the Fort Pickens Area, removes asphalt pieces ranging from the size of large slabs to as small as a quarter of an inch in diameter and other road base materials. Work is only performed in the offseason while shorebirds and sea turtles are not nesting. Native vegetation damaged during the asphalt removal process is replaced, limiting the impact of removal activities on the park's natural resources. "Removing the broken asphalt and road base material from park beaches makes a huge visual impact for our visitors and helps restore the delicate beach habitat," says Superintendent Dan Brown. "Once it is no longer part of the road, the broken, scattered asphalt it is much like litter and does not belong on our beautiful beaches. So, we're doing our best to clean it up." Roadway debris has accumulated for more than 20 years following hurricanes and storms that destroyed and scattered portions of the park's asphalt roads. The Beach Enhancement and Asphalt Removal project is a Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Early Restoration project. The work is being paid for with funds provided by BP as part of a 2016 settlement agreement with federal and state governments to compensate the public for injuries to natural resources and recreational use caused by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. More information about other Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Early Restoration Projects can be found at gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov.
inweekly.net
NEW CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL Sacred Heart will celebrate the opening of the new four-story Studer Family Children's Hospital later this month with a Community Open House from noon-4 p.m. Saturday, March 30. Guests are invited to tour the new building. Children will receive free customfitted bicycle helmets, and parents can take advantage of free car seat safety checks. Additional activities for kids include a bounce house, games, character greetings and a visit from Children's Hospital facility dog Sprout. Guests can also get an inside look at one of the Children's Hospital's specially-equipped pediatric ambulances. Local food trucks will be available. Sacred Heart will commemorate the 50th anniversary since the founding of the Children's Hospital with a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony for the new facility at 10 a.m. Monday, April 1. Refreshments and tours will follow. The new children's hospital is located at 1 Bubba Watson Dr., part of Sacred Heart's Ninth Avenue campus in Pensacola. Guests are advised to park in the Ninth Avenue parking garage. The new children's hospital will increase access to specialized pediatric care and consolidate inpatient pediatric services in one convenient location on Sacred Heart's Pensacola campus. It will include a pediatric emergency department, 72-bed neonatal intensive care unit, medical/surgical beds, pediatric imaging department, pediatric satellite pharmacy, pediatric inpatient rehabilitation gym, child life playrooms and a new family-friendly dining venue. For more information, visit studerfamilychildrenshospital.com. ALZHEIMER'S SYMPOSIUM On Wednesday, March 20, the Central and North Florida Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association will host a free educational and supportive event for caregivers, people with early-stage dementia, professionals and the community. Featuring keynote speaker Keith N. Fargo, Ph.D., the Research and Caregiver Symposium will be held at the Sanders Beach-Corinne Jones Resources Center, 913 S I St. Sponsored in part by VITAS Healthcare, the program will begin at 9 a.m. and is expected to run through 3:30 p.m., with lunch being provided. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. Please call 800-272-3900 to register. ANIMAL WELFARE SUMMIT Pensacola Humane Society will host a Regional Animal Welfare Summit in cooperation with Best Friends Animal Society and Jacksonville Humane Society at Skopelos at New World, 600 S. Palafox. The summit will bring together leaders of animal welfare in Escambia, Santa Rosa, March 14, 2019
Okaloosa, Walton and Bay counties. Its purpose is to identify the unique needs and efforts within each community to increase life-saving outcomes. Under the leadership of Best Friends Animal Society and Jacksonville Humane Society Training Center, discussions will focus on county-specific data and present opportunities to develop potential partnerships, funding opportunities and community coalitions. Attendees are asked to bring their county-specific data for 2018. The summit will take place on Wednesday, March 20, from 1-5 p.m. and Thursday, March 21, from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. with lunch provided. All local rescue groups are invited to attend a Town Hall meeting from 5-5:45 p.m. following Wednesday's summit. A reception open to the community will take place from 6-7 p.m. For details, visit pensacolahumane.org.
READERS ENSEMBLE The African American Heritage Society and the Delta Iota Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority will present "An Evening with The Readers Ensemble," on Saturday, March 23, at Voices of Pensacola Multicultural Center, 117 E. Government St. This program will feature readings from "When Black Folks Was Colored" and a special tribute to the Harlem Renaissance. Tributes will be paid to Pensacola literary legend Ms. Ora Wills and the phenomenal Grammarian Ms. Mamie Hixon, who were both editors of African American Heritage Society publications "When Black Folks Was Colored" and "Images in Black." There will be a reception that will begin at 4 p.m. followed by the program that will start at 5 p.m. A suggested donation of $10 is appreciated to support this and other African American Heritage Society programs. MARK YOUR CALENDAR The City of Pensacola will host the grand opening of Fire Station No. 3 at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 14, 750 Summit Blvd. IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area will announce its annual membership and reveal the total number of grants and amount of each grant to be awarded in 2019 at 4:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14, at Pensacola Yacht Club, 1897 Cypress St. The announcement will be made at 5:30 p.m. League of Women Voters Pensacola Bay Area will host a discussion titled "Preventing Gun Violence in Our Area" at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 16, at Tryon Branch Library, 1200 Langley Ave. The panelists will be Rodney Jones, NAACP; Malcolm Thomas, Escambia County Schools; and Joshua Timo, Escambia County Sheriff Office. Coffee will be available at 10:15 a.m. The City of Pensacola Parks and Recreation Department will celebrate the opening of the new inclusive playground at Hitzman-Optimist Park, 3221 Langley Ave. at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 16. {in}
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THE UNRELIABLE NARRATOR Ted Bundy, Pensacola and Stories We All Wish Didn't Happen By C.S. Satterwhite Ted Bundy was not the first serial killer, but he was the first of his kind. This January marked the 30th anniversary of his execution and, thanks to a new Netflix series and our cultural fascination with anniversaries in general, Bundy is once again having a pop culture "moment." Due to the historical moment of his arrest, his trials became the first real "True Crime" case to go live. With the advent of video and satellite technology, and intense public interest in the case, Florida courtrooms allowed cameras to enter for the first time, and the world came face-to-face with a serial killer in a way it never had before. The "Ted Bundy Show" became a gripping spectacle, and the main character gave the public what they wanted. March 14, 2019
The underlying cost of this spectacle, however, was the lives of possibly over 30 women.
THIS CHARMING MAN Bundy was a young and charismatic white man from the Pacific Northwest. He came from a Christian household. He was in the Boy Scouts, went to college, studied psychology and law. He was active in the Republican Party and worked with various political campaigns. According to prison interviews, he labeled himself a conservative, and most of his public history says as much. He opposed the public protests of the 1960s, held traditional white conservative values and was active in the GOP political campaigns of the early 1970s. In many ways, he
was stereotypical of the white majority who put Richard Nixon back into office in 1972. He also brutally attacked, raped and murdered women. Investigators have trouble finding his earliest victims, as even until his last days he gave conflicting information. To use a term from literature, Bundy is the classic unreliable narrator. He only revealed information he wanted people to know, often receiving a sick pleasure out of retelling stories to investigators, reporters and the court. Building off circumstantial evidence, pieces of his early life emerge. Beginning possibly as early as 1962, when he was a young teenager, Bundy's thought to have killed his first victim. She was an 8-year-old girl who befriended him when he was a 15-year-old paperboy. His
urge to kill grew over the years, reading true crime magazines, specifically for sexual-type killings. Sadly for many families, he honed his techniques. His first confirmed victims in Washington State started disappearing in 1974. Ironically, he was working for the Seattle Crime Prevention Advisory Council at the time, where he was the assistant director and authored a pamphlet on rape prevention. He was so bold and brazen with his earliest attacks that he sought them out in the daylight hours and used his real name when approaching potential victims in Washington State. Wearing no disguise and driving his beloved VW Beetle, police sketches of a man named "Ted" circulated with an image that looked so strikingly like the man himself his friends joked with him over the supposed coincidence. 13
However, this was no coincidence. This seemingly charming man, liked by his friends and hardly the stereotypical loner, was a killer perfecting his craft. Bundy's killing spree started in Washington State, leaving a trail of dismembered, mutilated and violated bodies of young women throughout the nearby states. It lasted until the end of the 1970s, with dozens of women ultimately falling victim to him. Only a few women survived to tell of the horror. By the time federal investigators realized what they had on their hands, the FBI put Bundy on their 10 Most Wanted list. While on the run, police captured Bundy at least twice before he came to Florida. The first time that authorities captured Bundy was in Colorado, where he charmed the media and publicly proclaimed his innocence. While doing legal research in the county courthouse in Aspen, Colo., Bundy escaped out of a window and evaded capture until apprehended six days later. After his first escape, Bundy's case drew more media attention. Colorado authorities transferred him to several prisons and decided upon Colorado Springs because of its higher prosecutorial record. Having escaped once, Bundy worked to recreate his feat. After losing 35 pounds in prison, Bundy took advantage of holiday staffing shortage, put books on his bed and covered them with a blanket, and the skinny man escaped through a ventilation shaft on December 30, 1977. This escape allowed Bundy eventually to end up in Florida, where he infamously continued his grisly killing spree in Tallahassee. In what police suspect was a 15-minute wave of violence, Bundy attacked and sexually assaulted four women, killing Lisa Levy and Margaret Bowman. Days later, he drove to Lake City, where he abducted 12-year-old Kimberly Leach from her middle school and murdered her. After Leach's murder, Bundy drove his stolen car to the Panhandle. His murderous rampage ended when he reached Pensacola. Stopped by Pensacola police officer David Lee on February 15, 1978, in Brownsville, behind the former Oscar's "The Hot Cake King" Restaurant, a routine late-night stop showed
Bundy's VW Beetle as stolen. Bundy resisted arrest and fled, with Officer Lee firing a warning shot. After a brief chase and violent scuffle, Officer Lee subdued Bundy, found several different IDs and credit cards in his possession and took him to jail. At that time, Pensacola Police didn't know whom they captured. Media accounts referred to him as a "Mystery Man" giving conflicting stories of his identity. In the days prior to fax machines and photo IDs, it took several days for the Pensacola Police Department to realize whom Officer Lee actually captured.
OBSESSION WITH A SERIAL KILLER Pensacola punk band This Bike is a Pipe Bomb's song "Board of Tourism" proudly gives a snapshot of its hometown pride. In a brief few minutes, the band wraps up Pensacola's selling points as the abortion doctor murders, albino squirrels, religious revivals, sports heroes and the late Willie Junior's drive-thru funeral home. The last lines of the song are the trivia so many people learn about Pensacola when they first move to the City of Five Flags, "Ted Bundy was caught behind The Hot Cake King. He had a busted headlight behind The Hot Cake King." Even if the details are a bit off, the sentiment is clear—Pensacola has a slight obsession with Bundy that borders on pride. This pride is currently on display near the corner of W and Cervantes Streets. A driver unfamiliar with Pensacola's connection to Bundy might be a bit surprised, if not horrified, by a series of murals on the outside wall of the former Oscar's Restaurant. The mural shows the arrest of a man beside a VW Beetle, a mugshot and someone strapped into an electric chair. The first images are from Pensacola, but the execution of Ted Bundy took place in Raiford, Fla. When the State of Florida executed Bundy in 1989, the scene outside Florida State Prison in Raiford was nothing short of a carnival. Video footage from the day show screaming people, some with Confederate hats, holding signs which read "Burn Bundy Burn," "File Another Appeal in Hell," and "It's Fryday." Men sold
T-shirts and souvenir pins of "Old Sparky," the macabre nickname for Florida's electric chair. Media reported live from outside the prison grounds and crowds cheered when officials pronounced Bundy dead and officials took his body out of the prison by hearse. Bundy ended the 1970s as a media sensation—a sensation that continued until his last days and beyond. This fascination lends to somewhat apocryphal, but possible, local sightings and run-ins with Bundy. After his Pensacola arrest, several locals believed they had close encounters with the serial killer. Terry Johnson, member of This Bike is a Pipe Bomb, said when she was a freshman at the University of Montevallo in Central Alabama, for years she thought she had a "creepy" meeting with Ted Bundy. As it turns out, the timeline didn't match. While Johnson's potential meeting was not likely with Bundy, her initial belief that the meeting was with the serial killer speaks to fear and fascination with this case. Researching this story, several locals spoke about family members and friends with confidence that their encounter was with the man himself, none of which could be verified but are certainly possible. Patricia Bint, a retired postal employee, said that shortly before Bundy's arrest, she and a friend went out for drinks at a popular bar near Cordova Mall named Big Daddy's. "My friend was very pretty with long, wavy, light brown hair parted in the middle," said Bint, describing the standard look for the women Bundy most chose to attack.
"A very good-looking, welldressed young man asked her to dance, and they really seemed to hit it off." Patricia Bint "A very good-looking, well-dressed young man asked her to dance, and they really seemed to hit it off," said Bint. "After several dances together, she brought him over to our table, and we all made small talk for a few minutes. Then she asked me to go to the ladies' room with her so we could talk."
Bint continued, "She said that she really liked this guy and he wanted them to leave the club and go out together." Bint refused, telling her friend she didn't like to be left to fend for herself since her friend drove. The two friends went back to the table, told the man she couldn't leave with him and "he moved on to asking other women to dance." Bint said her friend was "quite angry" with her, but soon they saw the same man on television under arrest. When they discovered whom "the mystery man" was, "our shock turned to horror when we realized that I very well might have saved her [friend's] life that night." Other testimonies corroborated this story, which points to very real danger Bundy posed to these women, ending with the Pensacola arrest. Yet despite the horrific murders of over two dozen women, most dying in the most unimaginably grisly ways possible, a strange attraction exists not unlike the desire to rubberneck at a horrific accident. Nonetheless, hearing people speak of Bundy in Pensacola sounds closer to admiration or troubled romance. At times, it's as if Bundy seduced another victim with his charming smile, but this time it's an entire population. Although he's an odd claim-to-fame, the Ted Bundy Fan Club is not just a Pensacola phenomenon. On Facebook, a fan page named "Understanding Ted Bundy" recently celebrated his birthday with a photo of him with a birthday hat added. The page is "dedicated to the individuals who would like to expand their minds and learn more about a man who has made an impact on everyone!" Some of the birthday comments included, "Happy belated ted…loved ur work." Reading various posts and comments, it's hard to tell if the people posting are genuine in their admiration or joking. Prior to her work for the post office, Bint was the editor of an underground newspaper known as The Gulf Coast Fish Cheer. Her paper, published in the years following the Charles Manson murders, often described as the end of '60s idealism, casting a long shadow over the 1970s. As
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For the first time in Pensacola, PenArts presents the Manson story continues to captivate people, Bundy's story combined the macabre elements of Manson with the early phases of round-the-clock news coverage to create an early version of the docuseries for Americans to binge watch. For those who saw it live, or even in documentaries, there's little doubt that it was compelling television. Bundy was a star. Reflecting on her own brush with the serial killer, Bint said. "I'm not surprised by the fascination so many people have with Ted Bundy." "It's chilling to think of how likely it is that we have unknowingly crossed paths with a depraved killer in the course of our daily lives," she said. Before Bundy, there was little psychological research devoted to learning the characteristics and traits of a serial killer. Ironically, Bundy's later interviews with criminologists helped investigators develop profiles for killers. Like all people, however, each killer is different, and few fit evenly into the same box. One factor often cited about Bundy was his magnetic personality. To most people, especially his victims, he likely didn't present himself as a threat until it was too late. "I got a glimpse of his charm and charisma that night," said Bint. "It gives me chills to try to imagine what it would be like to ever experience the flip side of that."
BROWNSVILLE REVIVAL Over the past few years, Brownsville has gone through a major revitalization. Whether residents like the association or not, Bundy is an undeniable part of the neighborhood's history. "People would tell me about it when I mentioned we lived around the corner from Oscar's," said Mike Kilmer, referring to Bundy's arrest. As president of the Brownsville Neighborhood Association, Kilmer and his neighbors work to improve Brownsville and tell its story. While Bundy is part of that history, Kilmer said the perception takes away from the work they're doing to revitalize Brownsville's public image.
"It would be more useful if we were remembering the officer who apprehended him, but instead we remember the mess of a person that Ted Bundy was." Mike Kilmer "The Ted Bundy thing seems like one of those useless viruses of information," said Kilmer. "It would be more useful if we were remembering the officer who apprehended him, but instead we remember the mess of a person that Ted Bundy was. I don't know why we want to associate that with our town." March 14, 2019
painting/marker, and they wanted to know "It doesn't say anything about Oscar's if they could have the painting to put inside or Brownsville," Kilmer added. the Pensacola Police Department for all the "I guess I see it as tying in with that weird attraction to dark and negative things officers to enjoy and to encourage them. I told the captain that [the] painting/marker that we seem to have for some reason," is long gone, but I'd be honored to make said Kilmer. them another one as well as a painting of "The fact that we're even still talking the Pensacola Police officer who arrested about Ted Bundy almost seems like there's Ted Bundy." something wrong with us. We could be Officer Lee took his job seriously that talking about human trafficking, which is night, and countless unknown women are still going on here and is relevant and more likely alive today who have him to thank for worth talking about," he said. ending a murderer's rampage. As a gift to Kilmer prefers to focus less on the "dark, the Pensacola Police Department, Stanton relatively unimportant trivia" of the neighboris working on his tribute painting now. hood and more on what Brownsville currently With the current Netflix docuseries needs, such as better sewage in the area. He and the upcoming feature film starring Zac also pointed to what Brownsville contributes Efron, as well as a new book and surely to the city's culture. newer material to come out after that, Crediting a handful of old-time the seemingly endless fascination with Brownsville businesses, specifically the Ted Bundy continues. For locals who may African-American and Vietnamese busihave mixed emotions about his case, the nesses, they "have really carried Brownsapproach suggested by Kilmer and Stanton ville through this decades-long period of offers a means to find the good in a horror economic and cultural struggle." story. For many, remembering the person For years, one of the local mainstays who stopped the killing spree, Officer Dawas Oscar's. For those lucky enough to eat vid Lee, while taking time to remember his there, the memories of a good Southern numerous victims is a much more fulfilling breakfast and service linger. Pictures of way to keep this story alive. World War II naval vessels and old record covers lined one wall, and a giant mural of an average day on the bayou covered the next wall. Customers could get biscuits and tomato gravy, After years of denial, Ted Bundy confessed hash browns, grits and a cup of coffee to close to 30 homicides. Here are their for around $5 until its last days. names, ages and the year he murdered them: Nothing inside or out would let the public know what happened near Anna Marie Burr, 8 years old, 1962 Oscar's, even though it was a comRita Lorraine Jolly, 17 years old, 1973 monly known fact. Vicki Lynn Hollar, 24 years old, 1973 Karen Sparks (aka Joni Lenz), 18 years old, 1974 REMEMBRANCES Lynda Ann Healey, 21 years old, 1974 Donna Gail Manson, 19 years old, 1974 A world-renown artist with local roots, Panhandle Slim (aka Scott Susan Elaine Rancourt, 18 years old, 1974 Stanton) painted one of his characterBrenda Baker, 15 years old, 1974 istic works to commemorate the officer Roberta Kathleen Parks, 20 years old, 1974 who captured Bundy. He quietly left the Brenda Carrol Ball, 22 years old, 1974 painting outside Oscar's, took a picture Georgann Hawkins, 18 years old, 1974 of it, posted the picture on social media Janice Ott, 23 years old, 1974 and left it for whoever was the first to Denise Naslund, 19 years old, 1974 find the free work of art. Nancy Wilcox, 16 years old, 1974 Recently, Stanton posted an Melissa Smith, 17 years old, 1974 interesting footnote to the continuing Laura Aime, 17 years old, 1974 local fascination with Ted Bundy on Debra Kent, 17 years old, 1975 Facebook. Stanton wrote, "Years ago, I made a painting/homemade historical Nancy Baird, 23 years old, 1975 marker and nailed it to a telephone Sue Curtis, 15 years old, 1975 pole in Pensacola. It marked the spot Caryn Campbell, 23 years old, 1975 where the Pensacola Police DepartJulie Cunningham, 26 years old, 1975 ment captured Ted Bundy." Denise Lynn Oliverson, 25 years old, 1975 Stanton continued that since "this Melanie Cooley, 18 years old, 1975 was not a legit sign and I had no perShelly Robertson, 24 years old, 1975 mission to do such a thing, I had some Lynette Culver, 12 years old, 1975 concerns the police themselves might Debbie Smith, 17 years old, 1976 frown on my DIY adventures," blaming Lisa Levy, 20 years old, 1978 his worries on his inner skateboarder. Margaret Bowman, 21 years old, 1978 The Pensacola Police Department, however, took a different approach. Kimberly Leach, 12 years old, 1978 According to Stanton, "I got a message the other day from a PenThe true number of Bundy's victims is unsacola Police captain asking about my known and possibly higher.
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"MY NAME IS THEODORE ROBERT BUNDY" The Story Behind PPD's Most Infamous Arrest By Duwayne Escobedo
The Pensacola Police Department thought they arrested Kenneth Miser for stealing an orange Volkswagen Bug. Officer David G. Lee thought something fishy was going on when he saw the car pull away from the Oscar's Restaurant parking lot at 1:30 a.m. He pulled the car over. The suspect ran, and Lee shot at him twice before tackling him to the ground. The two wrestled before Lee cuffed him and secured him in the police car. Lee discovered 21 stolen credit cards in the Bug. Ted Bundy whispered to Lee, "I wished you'd killed me. If I run at the jail, will you kill me then?" It was Feb. 15, 1978. Bundy finally revealed his true identity after 5:30 p.m. Feb. 16—more than 41 hours later—after lawyers and law enforcement offered him two hours on the phone to talk to anyone he wanted. Bundy, young, handsome and charming, often found his victims on college campuses. He killed Margaret Bowman and Lisa Levy at the Chi Omega sorority at Florida State University. He assaulted and battered Karen Chandler and Kathy Kleiner there. He then headed two miles down the road and battered Cheryl Thomas. His Jan. 15, 1978, rampage in Tallahassee ended with two murders and three attempted murders. Witnesses said around that time that Bundy bragged that he "could get by with anything he wanted to because he knew his way around the law." Pensacola Police Officer Norman N. Chapman Jr. met with Bundy at 3 a.m. on the night of his arrest and took over the investigation. Chapman claimed in media reports that he spent 40 hours talking to Bundy and learned things Bundy said he never told anyone else. Inweekly tried to interview Chapman. The newspaper called Pensacola Police Department public information officer Mike Wood. He relayed the inquiry to Chapman, who did not call back this newspaper. Wood said a Los Angeles TV crew doing a documentary on Bundy also was unsuccessful in talking with Chapman, who has enjoyed a taste of local and national fame from the Bundy case. Wood said he did not know how to contact former officer Lee. 616 1
Additionally, Wood admitted interestingly that the PPD has no public records from the Bundy arrest and are unsure what happened to them. In one of his last interviews with the media, Chapman spoke to the WEAR-TV news station in February 2018—the 40-year mark of his Pensacola arrest. "He says, 'My name is Theodore Robert Bundy,' and I had no idea who he was," Chapman told WEAR. He said Bundy told him he was on his way to Mobile to kill again. Plus, Bundy confessed he had no one to talk to about his "addiction to killing." Chapman said Bundy told him, "'I couldn't go to anybody with my problem' because his problem was killing people. 'I couldn't go to a psychiatrist and talk to them about that.'" The day after the arrest, Tallahassee Police Department investigator Donald Patchen and Leon County Sheriff's Office investigator Steven Bodiford arrived in Pensacola and met with Bundy, who still maintained his false identity. Asked if Bundy had confessed to any crimes, Chapman told the Tallahassee officers at the time, "Yes, that he had admitted to taking the car and credit cards." In the early evening of Feb. 16, Bundy finally relented and gave authorities his name. Shortly after that, a Washington newspaper called asking about Bundy. The FBI soon followed after the PPD confirmed Bundy's identity with the FBI's 10 Most Wanted flyer. Finally, Chapman organized a press conference at 9 a.m. Feb. 17, by the flagpole in front of the police station. Meanwhile, a priest Bundy requested stayed with him well after midnight. Bundy returned to Tallahassee on Feb. 19, 1978, and stayed there until being indicted on July 27, 1978. Bundy, who earned a degree in psychology from the University of Washington, took some law classes at the University of Utah. He served on a few political campaigns in Washington. Plus, he was a gourmet cook. A recent 20/20 news special quoted Bundy saying, "I intended to be a lawyer and be a damn good lawyer." Bundy died in the electric chair at the Florida State Prison at 7:16 a.m. Jan. 24, 1989. He was 42 years old. {in} inweekly.net
March 14, 2019
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WEEK OF MARCH 14-20
Arts & Entertainment art, film, music, stage, books and other signs of civilization...
Getting Weird at the Opera By Jeremy Morrison
With its performance of "Florencia in the Amazon," Pensacola Opera plans to fully immerse its audience. The experience is intended to overwhelm. "The visual spectacle in combination with the rich aural offerings is almost a sensory overload," Jerome Shannon, the company's artistic director, described the production. Loosely based on the work of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, particularly the novel "Love in the Time of Cholera," "Florencia in the Amazon" was composed by Daniel Catan and premiered in 1996. Pensacola Opera will present an incarnation of the work that Shannon describes as a technical tour de force, combining music and a dual visual display of choreography and video projections to convey the "magical realism" style Garcia Marquez was noted for. "The music is as lush as the Amazon forest itself," the artistic director said, "filled with exotic color and opulent orchestrations. The voices combine with this river of sound to transport us into a dimension of magical realism."
REALLY MAGICAL
"Florencia" tells the story of Florencia Grimaldi, who boards the ship El Dorado to travel down the Amazon River toward her home of Manaus, Brazil, in pursuit of long-lost love Cristobal. The opera's entirety takes place on the top deck of the El Dorado. "The actual, physical production is very simple," Shannon said of the set. However, as "Florencia's" story unfolds
March 14, 2019
on the deck of the El Dorado, a large screen set up behind that scene will display video—of the river, the forest, a storm—for the entirety of the production.
"The visual spectacle in combination with the rich aural offerings is almost a sensory overload." Jerome Shannon "It is a character within itself," Shannon said of the video element. In addition to the video, the opera will feature performers serving as the Amazon River. Positioned in front of the El Dorado and balancing the projected video, a choreographed river becomes yet another of the opera's characters. "Choristers in white spandex bodysuits bringing the Amazon to life while embodying the spirit of magical realism," Shannon explained. In order to pull off such an elaborate and technical interpretive production, Pensacola Opera had to procure 20,000 projectors and reams of cable, as well as ensure the production's power needs could be accommodated. "The challenge has been to create the environment which allows us to recreate this production on the Saenger stage," Shannon said. This particular production of "Florencia" is a result of the partnership between director John Hoomes and video and lighting director Barry Steele. Pensacola Opera Executive Di-
era, Arizona Opera and Des Moines Metro rector Chandra McKern first saw it while servOpera, among others. ing as director of education for the Nashville Opera, where Hoomes serves as general and artistic director. "The power of its musical storytellThe creative partnership between ing combined with the visual spectacle Hoomes and Steele has produced more put this opera at the top of her must-presthan 20 productions during the pair's run. ent bucket list," Shannon said. Their production of "Florencia" represents Both McKern and Shannon have the third of the duo's works to incorporate worked with Hoomes previously—at the video and projection technology as a domiNashville Opera and elsewhere—though nant element. this will be the director's first time working There will soon be a fourth such collabwith the Pensacola Opera. oration between the director and designer. "John is well known throughout the Pensacola Opera has asked the team to operatic industry for productions which create a new production specifically for the engage and delight," Shannon said. local company. "Florencia" will also introduce to the "Pensacola Opera is thrilled," Shannon said. Pensacola audience baritone Luis Alejandro The title of the new Hoomes-and-Steel Orozco in the role of Riolobo. The character production will be announced during the of Riolobo is key to conveying the opera's company's "Florencia" run. Each night, prior magical realism style, serving both as deckto the performance, the audience will be hand on the El Dorado as well as a river god informed of the new work. who exists under the Amazon's surface. And then they will be invited into the The production's leading lady, Elizabeth magical realism of "Florencia." Caballero, will be familiar to Pensacola opera "The audience can expect to be overfans. She played Violetta in Pensacola Opera's whelmed," Shannon said. {in} production of "Travita" in 2016 and the title role in "Madame Butterfly" in 2018. The singer has also performed with the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Opera, and this is her WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 15, and 2 p.m. fifth time performing in "Florencia." Sunday, March 17 Cody Martin, Pensacola Opera's WHERE: Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox director of Education and Artists COST: $25-$115 in Residence Program, will serve as DETAILS: pensacolaopera.com conductor for "Florencia." Martin
THE BIRTH OF AN OPERA
"FLORENCIA IN THE AMAZON"
has conducted for the Virginia Op-
19
calendar
Go Irish on the Island Pub Crawl
THURSDAY 3.14
YOGA WITHIN REACH 9-10 a.m. Free. Commu-
nity Health Northwest Florida, 2315 W. Jackson St., Room A. healthcarewithinreach.org PILATES MAT 12:30 p.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org AWM WINE TASTING 5-7 p.m. Free. Aragon Wine Market, 27 S. 9th Ave. facebook.com/ aragonwine ITALIAN WINE DINNER 6 p.m. $86. So Gourmet, 407-D S. Palafox. sogourmetpensacola.com MEDITATION AND ENERGY HEALING 6 p.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org LATIN DANCE CLASSES 6:30-9 p.m. $10. Salsa, Bachata, Cha Cha and more. Professional dance instruction for all skill levels. No partner required. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. dancecraftstudios.com END OF THE LINE THURSDAY DINNER 6-9 p.m. End of the Line Café, 610 E. Wright St. Sign up for the newsletter for menu. eotlcafe.com MOVIES UNDER THE STARS: RATATOUILLE 7:15 p.m. Free. From the Ground Up Community Garden, 501 N. Hayne St. eventbrite.com THE VELVETEEN RABBIT 7:30 p.m. $16. Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. pensacolalittletheatre.com PARANORMAL CIRQUE 7:30 p.m. $10. Cordova Mall, 5100 N. 9th Ave. paranormalcirque.com
FRIDAY 3.15
ONE-ON-ONE TECH HELP 10 a.m. Pensacola
Library, 239 N. Spring St. mywfpl.com
EVER'MAN COOKS 11 a.m. Free. Ever'man Edu-
cational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org 10TH ANNUAL SMOKIN' IN THE SQUARE Noon10 p.m. Free admission. Vince J. Whibbs Sr. Community Maritime Park, 351 W. Cedar St. smokininthesquare.com GREEN BOOK 1 p.m. $5. (cash only). Pensacola Cinema Art, 120 Church St. pensacolacinemaart.com 020 2
GARDEN AND GRAIN CRAFT CLUB 5 p.m.
Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco GALLERY NIGHT 5 p.m. South Palafox. Theme: Luck O' the Irish. gallerynightpensacola.org HAPPY HOUR COOKOUTS 5 p.m. Drink specials, free cookout. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com GIRLS NIGHT OUT PILATES AND POP UP HAIR + CO 5:30 p.m. $25. Hair + Co., 1627 W.
Garden St. beawildlemon.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 ZENITH SUNN 7 p.m. $20. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. vinylmusichall.com OPEN MIC 7-11 p.m. Café Single Fin, 380 N. 9th Ave. facebook.com/cafesinglefin THE VELVETEEN RABBIT 7:30 p.m. $31. Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. pensacolalittletheatre.com PARANORMAL CIRQUE 7:30 p.m. $10. Cordova Mall, 5100 N. 9th Ave. paranormalcirque.com PENSACOLA OPERA PRESENTS: FLORENCIA IN THE AMAZON 7:30 p.m. $24 and up. Saenger
Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. pensacolaopera.com ICE FLYERS VS. KNOXVILLE ICE BEARS 7:35 p.m. $15 and up. Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. pensacolabaycenter.com PUBLIC ICE SKATE 10 p.m. $9-$12. Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. pensacolabaycenter.com
SATURDAY 3.16
PARKRUN/WALK MEETUP 7:30 a.m. University
of West Florida, Rec Plex North Field, 11000 University Parkway. parkrun.us/recplexnorth 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 SANTA ROSA FARMERS MARKET 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Fresh local produce, honey, baked goods and live music. Pace Presbyterian Church, Woodbine Road. OCEAN HOUR CLEAN-UPS 9-10 a.m. Wayside Park/Graffiti Bridge, meet at Pensacola Visitor Center, 1401 E. Gregory St. Bartram Park on 211 Bayfront Parkway. Memorial Park at junction of East Romana Street and Bayfront Parkway. oceanhourfl.com TREE PRUNING AND GRAFTING CLINIC 9 a.m.-noon. From the Ground Up Community Garden, 501 N. Hayne St. eventbrite.com LEAPS 10 a.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org 10TH ANNUAL SMOKIN' IN THE SQUARE 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Free admission. Vince J. Whibbs Sr. Community Maritime Park, 351 W. Cedar St. smokininthesquare.com AFRICAN DANCE PRACTICE 11 a.m. Henny Penny's Patisserie, 4412 W. Jackson. facebook. com/hennypennyspatisserie GREEN BOOK 1 p.m. $5. (cash only). Pensacola Cinema Art, 120 Church St. pensacolacinemaart.com THE MASK WE WEAR 1-3 p.m. Free. Hilton Pensacola Beach, 12 Via De Luna Drive. EVER'MAN COOKS WITH CHEF MARGARET EDWARDS Free. Ever'man Educational Center,
327 W. Garden St. everman.org THE VELVETEEN RABBIT 3 p.m. $31. Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. pensacolalittletheatre.com BIKE PENSACOLA SLOW RIDE 4:30 p.m. Powell Entertainment, 502 E. Wright St. WALKING CEMETERY TOURS 5:30 p.m. $12 plus tax. St. John's Historic Cemetery, 301 N. G St. goretro.us BREW BATTLE IN THE SQUARE 6 p.m. $25-$35. Community Maritime Park, 351 W. Cedar St. PARANORMAL CIRQUE 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. $10. Cordova Mall, 5100 N. 9th Ave. paranormalcirque.com JOHN HART PROJECT 7 p.m. $10. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. vinylmusichall.com
COUPLES COOK: TASTE OF THE EMERALD ISLES
GO IRISH ON THE ISLAND PUB CRAWL 9:15
a.m.-6 p.m. Start at Crabs We Got 'Em, 6 Casino Beach Boardwalk. pensacolabeachchamber.com/event/go-irish-on-the-island 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 ST. PATRICK'S DAY BASH 11 a.m. Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. facebook.com/ perfectplainbrewingco 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 PUBLIC ICE SKATE 1:30, 3 and 4:30 p.m. $9$12. Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. pensacolabaycenter.com AN IRISH AFTERNOON TEA 2-4 p.m. $34.99. Asher and Bee Apothecary & Teahouse, 7 E. Gregory St. facebook.com/asherandbee PENSACOLA OPERA PRESENTS: FLORENCIA IN THE AMAZON 2 p.m. $24 and up. Saenger
Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. pensacolaopera.com THE VELVETEEN RABBIT 3 p.m. $31. Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. pensacolalittletheatre.com 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 O'RILEY'S IRISH PUB GROG 4-10 p.m. Donations accepted. O'Riley's Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox. orileyspub.com PARANORMAL CIRQUE 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. $10. Cordova Mall, 5100 N. 9th Ave. paranormalcirque.com
MONDAY 3.18
RESUME HELP 11 a.m. Molino Branch Li-
brary, 6450-A Highway 95A. mywfpl.com
PILATES MAT 1:30 p.m. Free. Ever'man
Belmont St. facebook.com/chizukopensacola PUBLIC ICE SKATE 9:30 p.m. $9-$12. Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. pensacolabaycenter.com
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 CROHN'S AND COLITIS SUPPORT GROUP 6 p.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org BEATLES VS. STONES 7 p.m. $33.50 and up. Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. pensacolasaenger.com
SUNDAY 3.17
HIP-HOP & CONTEMPORARY DANCE CLASSES 8-9 p.m. $5. Learn amazing moves from
7 p.m. $60. Pensacola Cooks Kitchen, 3670 Barrancas Ave. pensacolacooks.rezclick.com ICE FLYERS VS. KNOXVILLE ICE BEARS 7:05 p.m. $15 and up. Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. pensacolabaycenter.com
JAMAL STEELE, JOHNNY PANIC, ETERNITI, TY DELPRA, JAMES DANIEL 8 p.m. chizuko, 506 W.
WAKE UP HIKE 7 a.m. Meet at Bay Bluffs Park, Scenic Highway at Summit Ave., for a brisk one to two-hour walk with brunch to follow at an area restaurant. 10TH ANNUAL SMOKIN' IN THE SQUARE 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Free admission. Vince J. Whibbs Sr. Community Maritime Park, 351 W. Cedar St. smokininthesquare.com O'RILEY'S IRISH PUB ST. PATRICK'S DAY CELEBRATION 9 a.m.-3 a.m. O'Riley's Irish Pub
321 S. Palafox. orileyspub.com
professional instructors. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. dancecraftstudios.com
TUESDAY 3.19
YOGA WITHIN REACH 9-10 a.m. Free. Community Health Northwest Florida, 2315 W. Jackson St., Room A. healthcarewithinreach.org THE DIRT ON HISTORIC ARCADIA TOUR 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. Through March 19. Arcadia Mill Archaeological Site, 5709 Mill Pond Lane. historicpensacola.org/explore-arcadia-mill inweekly.net
calendar 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 TOUR OF TABLES PREVIEW NIGHT 5-7 p.m. $10. Pensacola Garden Center, 1850 N. 9th Ave. pensacolagardencenter.com GREYHOUND HAPPY HOUR 5-7 p.m. Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. facebook. com/perfectplainbrewingco WALKING CEMETERY TOURS 5:30 p.m. $12 plus tax. St. John's Historic Cemetery, 301 N. G St. goretro.us PASTA TUESDAY 6 p.m. $10. So Gourmet, 407D S. Palafox. sogourmetpensacola.com POT ROAST & PINOT AND LOUIS XIII 6-9 p.m. $300 per person. Pot Roast & Pinot, 11-B S. Palafox. potroastpinot.com FUNKY YOGA 6 p.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org 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 WEST FLORIDA LITERARY FEDERATION OPEN MIC 7 p.m. Free. Pensacola Cultural
Center, 400 S. Jefferson St. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD 7 p.m. $5. (cash only). Rex Theatre, 18 N. Palafox. pensacolacinemaart.com COMEDY NIGHT 7 p.m. Swan Neck Meadery, 2115 W. Nine Mile Road. swanneckwinery.com
WEDNESDAY 3.20
ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION RESEARCH AND CAREGIVER SYMPOSIUM 9 a.m. Free.
Sanders Beach-Corinne Jones Resource Center, 913 South I St. POPULAR LITERARY BOOK CLUB 10:30 a.m. Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St. mywfpl.com TOUR OF TABLES PREVIEW NIGHT 11 a.m. $10. Pensacola Garden Center, 1850 N. 9th Ave. pensacolagardencenter.com ONE-ON-ONE TECH HELP 3 p.m. Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St. mywfpl.com VEGAN AND VINO SUNDAYS 4-7 p.m. Skopelos at New World, 600 S. Palafox COOKING WITH CHEF IRV MILLER: COOKING LIGHT 5 and 7:30 p.m. $45 per person.
Jackson's Steakhouse, 400 S. Palafox. jacksonsrestaurant.com AMERICAN GIRL LIVE 6 p.m. $43-$113. Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. pensacolasaenger.com YOGA FLOW 6-7 p.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org SKOPELOS WINE DINNER 6:30 p.m. Skopelos at New World, 600 S. Palafox. skopelosatnewworld.com SWING DANCE CLASSES AND PARTY 6:30-10 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 FREE DANCE LESSONS 8-8:30 p.m. Free. Beginner West Coast swing dance lesson. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola S. Blvd. dancecraftfl.com
March 14, 2019
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
ABOUT FACE RECEPTION 6-9 p.m. Friday,
March 15. First City Art Center, 1060 N. Guillemard St. firstcityart.com
HOT GLASS COLD BREW '80S EDITION
6-9 p.m. Friday, March 15. $20-$30. First City Art Center, 1060 N. Guillemard St. firstcityart.com
PENSACOLA ART STUDY CLUB 2019 MEMBERS SPRING SHOW RECEPTION 1-3
p.m. Sunday, March 17. Free. First United Methodist Church, 80 E. Wright St.
≥Current Exhibits INSIDE OUT: THE PEOPLE'S ART PROJECT At Jefferson St.
and Main St. pensacolamuseum.org
ARCHITECTURE FOR TRAVELERS On view
through March. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. pensacolamuseum.org CASITA On view through March. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. pensacolamuseum.org
GESCHE WÜRFEL: WHAT REMAINS OF THE DAY- MEMORIES OF WORLD WAR II
On view through March 17. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. pensacolamuseum.org ADORN On view through March 23. Blue Morning Gallery, 21 S. Palafox. bluemorninggallery. com
PENSACOLA ART STUDY CLUB 2019 MEMBERS SPRING SHOW On view
through April 7. Free. First United Methodist Church, 80 E. Wright St. ABOUT FACE RECEPTION On view
through April 14. First City Art Center, 1060 N. Guillemard St. firstcityart.com CYBERPUNK On view through April 25. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. artelgallery.org AUBREY BEARDSLEY
On view through May 5. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. pensacolamuseum.org
ART BY DIANE BRIM AND KATHY BREAZEALE On view
through May 12. Luna Fine Art Gallery, Hilton Pensacola Beach, 12 Via de Luna Drive. lunafineartgallery.com
DOCUFLORIDA II
On view through May 17. T.T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum, 330 S. Jefferson St. historicpensacola.org BEAUTY IN USE: CELEBRATING JAPANESE CULTURAL TRADITIONS On
view through June 27. Lamar Studio Switzer Center, Pensacola State College, 1000 College Blvd. pensacolastate.edu PUNKSACOLA: REFLECTIONS OF A SUBCULTURE On
view through July 2019. T.T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum, 330 S. Jefferson St. historicpensacola.org
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
for more listings visit inweekly.net 21
free will astrology Week of March 14 ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): The coming weeks might be a good time to acquire a flamethrower. It would come in handy if you felt the urge to go to a beach and incinerate mementoes from an ex-ally. It would also be useful if you wanted to burn stuff that reminds you of who you used to be and don't want to be any more or if you got in the mood to set ablaze symbols of questionable ideas you used to believe in but can't afford to believe in anymore. If you don't want to spend $1,600-plus on a flamethrower, just close your eyes for 10 minutes and visualize yourself performing acts of creative destruction like those I mentioned. TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): Taurus
aphorist Olivia Dresher writes that she would like to be "a force of nature," but "not causing any suffering." The way I interpret her longing is that she wants to be wild, elemental, uninhibited, primal, raw, pure—all the while without inflicting any hurt or damage on herself or anyone else. In accordance with your astrological omens, Taurus, that's a state I encourage you to embody in the coming weeks. If you're feeling extra smart—which I suspect you will—you could go even further. You may be able to heal yourself and others with your wild, elemental, uninhibited, primal, raw, pure energy.
GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): In some major
cities, the buttons you push at a crosswalk don't actually work to make the traffic light turn green faster. The same is true about the "Close Door" buttons in many elevators. Pushing them doesn't have any effect on the door. Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer says these buttons are like placebos that give you "the illusion of control." I bring this phenomenon to your attention, Gemini, in hope of inspiring you to scout around for comparable things in your life. Is there any situation where you imagine you have power or influence but probably don't? If so, now is an excellent time to find out—and remedy that problem.
CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): Philip Boit was born and raised in Kenya, where it never snows except on the very top of Mount Kenya. Yet he represented his country in the crosscountry skiing events at the Winter Olympics in 2002 and 2006. How did he do it? He trained up north in snowy Finland. Meanwhile, Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong competed for Ghana in the slalom in the 2010 Winter Olympics. Since there was no snow in his homeland, he practiced his skills in the French Alps. These two are your role models for the coming months, Cancerian. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you'll have the potential to achieve success in tasks and activities that may not seem like a natural fit. LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): In the process of
casting for his movie "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," director David Fincher considered selecting A-list actress Scarlet Johansson to play the heroine. But ultimately, he decided she was too sexy and radiant. He wanted a pale, thin, tougher-looking actress, whom he found
222 2
By Rob Brezsny
in Rooney Mara. I suspect that in a somewhat similar way, you may be perceived as being too much something for a role you would actually perform quite well. But in my astrological opinion, you're not at all too much. In fact, you're just right. Is there anything you can do— with full integrity—to adjust how people see you and understand you without diluting your brightness and strength?
VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): In 1993, an
English gardener named Eric Lawes used his metal detector to look for a hammer that his farmer friend had lost in a field. Instead of the hammer, he found the unexpected—a buried box containing 15,234 old Roman silver and gold worth more than $4 million today. I bring this to your attention, Virgo, because I suspect that you, too, will soon discover something different from what you're searching for. Like the treasure Lawes located, it might even be more valuable than what you thought you wanted.
LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): "The role of
the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover," wrote author James Baldwin. "If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don't see." To fully endorse that statement, I'd need to add two adverbs. My version would be, "The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to kindly and compassionately make you conscious of the things you don't see." In accordance with current astrological omens, I recommend that you Libras enthusiastically adopt that mission during the coming weeks. With tenderness and care, help those you care about to become aware of what they've been missing—and ask for the same from them toward you.
SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): For
thousands of generations, our early ancestors were able to get some of the food they needed through a practice known as persistence hunting. They usually couldn't run as fast as the animals they chased. But they had a distinct advantage—they could keep moving relentlessly until their prey grew exhausted. In part, that's because they had far less hair than the animals and thus could cool off better. I propose that we adopt this theme as a metaphor for your life in the coming weeks and months. You won't need to be extra fast or super ferocious or impossibly clever to get what you want. All you have to do is be persistent and dogged and disciplined.
"change as the individual changes." If you have been thinking about transforming the way you express and present yourself, you might want to consider such a shift. 2019 will be a favorable time to at least add a new nickname or title. And I suspect you'll have maximum inspiration to do so in the coming weeks.
CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): For
many of us, smell is our most neglected sense. We see, hear, taste and feel with vividness and eagerness, but allow our olfactory powers to go underused. In accordance with astrological omens, I hope you will compensate for that dearth in the coming weeks. There is subtle information you can obtain—and in my opinion, need quite strongly—that will come your way only with the help of your nose. Trust the guidance provided by scent.
AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): Essayist
Nassim Nicholas Taleb says humans come in three types—fragile, robust or antifragile. Those who are fragile work hard to shield themselves from life's messiness. The downside? They are deprived of experiences that might spur them to grow smarter. As for robust people, Taleb believes they are firm in the face of messiness. They remain who they are even when they're disrupted. The potential problem? They may be too strong to surrender to necessary transformations. If you're the third type, antifragile, you engage with the messiness and use it as motivation to become more creative and resilient. The downside? None. In accordance with the astrological omens, Aquarius, I urge you to adopt the antifragile approach in the coming weeks.
PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): In 2014, NASA managed to place its MAVEN spacecraft into orbit around Mars. The cost of the mission was $671 million. Soon thereafter, the Indian government put its own vehicle, the Mangalyaan, into orbit around the Red Planet. It spent $74 million. As you plan your own big project, Pisces, I recommend you emulate the Mangalyaan rather than the MAVEN. I suspect you can do great things—maybe even your personal equivalent of sending a spacecraft to Mars—on a relatively modest budget. THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK: Upon waking up for the next seven mornings, sing a song that fills you with feisty, glorious hope.
SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21):
Wompsi'kuk Skeesucks Brooke is a Native American woman of the Mohegan tribe. According to her description of Mohegan naming traditions and reported by author Elisabeth Pearson Waugaman, "Children receive names that are descriptive. They may be given new names at adolescence and again as they go through life according to what their life experiences and accomplishments are." She concludes that names
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news of the weird WHAT'S IN A NAME? Unfortunately named Johna Martinez-Meth, 46, of Clearlake, California, was sentenced on Feb. 21 for involuntary manslaughter stemming from a delivery she made to Adrian Sepulveda, an inmate at California Medical Facility in Vacaville, in May 2018. Sepulveda, who died on May 28, 2018, was serving a life sentence for second-degree murder when Martinez-Meth visited him; an autopsy showed that shortly after her visit, Sepulveda had swallowed multiple balloons filled with methamphetamine, Fox News reported. A subsequent search of Martinez-Meth's home uncovered meth and balloons. She pleaded guilty to the charges and will serve two years. LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINAL In the category of Unnecessarily Calling Attention to Your Criminal Self, Trinidad J. Garcia, 26, of Forest Lake, Minnesota, wins the gold. On March 1, as Garcia motored his BMW north on snow-slick I-35, police say he fired a stolen gun, without provocation, into the passenger door of a pickup truck that was passing him on the left. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported he then veered into the median ditch. Luckily for him, a state trooper was close by and stopped. Garcia, who had stuffed the loaded gun in his front pocket, was arrested; in his car, officers found a shoebox with $11, 481 in cash. He was charged with second-degree assault, drive-by shooting and being a felon in possession of a firearm. THE CONTINUING CRISIS Attorneys in Maryville, Tennessee, are debating the merits of a felony case brought against Howard Matthew Webb, 31, after he—proceed with caution here—dipped his testicles in a takeout container of salsa that his companion was delivering along with Mexican food. As the two ferried the food on Jan. 12, Webb took his boys for a swim while he recorded the act, and the driver laughed and said, "This is what you get when you give an 89-cent tip for an almost 30-minute drive." Webb is heard saying, "Oh, oh, it feels so good." The video made it to Facebook, and Webb was arrested on Feb. 22 for "adulteration of foods, liquids or pharmaceuticals," a Class C felony. But three local attorneys told the Knoxville News Sentinel that they don't think the charge holds up. "It's doubtful under these facts, no matter how outrageous, that this criminal offense could be proven," said attorney Gregory P. Isaacs. "It appears salsa man may have committed an act for which the legislature has not yet contemplated the absurdity of." BRIGHT IDEAS The long, harsh winter must be getting to folks in Muskego, Wisconsin, to wit: Police were called to a home on Feb. 22 after "a big teddy bear" was reported to be at a neighbor's front door. As it turned out, the human-sized panda—not native to the Badger
By the Editors at Andrews McMeel
State—was a 48-year-old man who had been asked to check on the dogs and thought it would be funny to prank his neighbors through their security system. "I knew my neighbors had cameras, and I thought I was going to make the ordinary extraordinary and dress up in the panda suit," the unnamed man told CBS 58. Apparently he has also picked his daughter up at school and met her at the bus stop in the suit (pandas are her favorite animal). •Neighbors of Michal Prasek, 33, of Zdechov, Czech Republic, were rightly concerned about the animals living on his property. In 2016, Prasek bought a full-grown lion, and two years later added a lioness, for breeding purposes. He built enclosures for them, defying government regulations, and would not allow authorities onto his property to investigate. BBC News reported on March 5 that Prasek's project had met a tragic end: He was discovered by his father in the lion's cage, mauled to death. The father said the cage had been locked from the inside. Police who were called to the scene killed the two lions in order to reach Prasek's body. Presumably grasping for a silver lining, Zdechov Mayor Tomas Kocourek commented: "Today's incident will perhaps finally help to resolve this long-term problem." Cold, dude. •Judith Streng and her son, Rod, traveled to Iceland in February, where they visited Diamond Beach, in Jokulsarlon. The tourist attraction features huge chunks of ice that have broken off a nearby glacier. The Texas grandma saw other visitors having their pictures taken on a beached iceberg that was shaped like a throne, so she climbed aboard for her turn. That's when a "sneaker wave" swept in and took Streng out into the lagoon. "A very large wave came in and kind of made the throne kind of rock," she told ABC News. Streng was rescued by a boater, Randy Lacount of Florida, who happened to be nearby when she drifted away from shore. "You know I always wanted to be queen," Streng said. "That was my chance." RECURRING THEME Mark Anthony Jones, 46, of Marion, Indiana, is probably in the market for a nice holster after his experience on Feb. 28. Jones told police he was walking along a riverside trail in Marion early that morning when his firearm began to slip from his waistband. As he reached to adjust it, the gun discharged and, according to the police report, "The bullet entered just above his penis and exited his scrotum." WISH-TV reported that Jones did not have a license for the Hi-Point 9mm weapon. Grant County prosecutors were considering whether to charge him with any crimes. {in}
From Andrews McMeel Syndication News Of The Weird © 2019 Andrews McMeel
Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com March 14, 2019
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Independent News | March 14, 2019 | inweekly.net
3/11/19 9:10 AM