Inweekly March 7 2024 Issue

We are worldbuilders. We develop great minds and inspired leaders. We help children write their own story. Gulf Coast Freedom Schools nurtures the world within through a free, six-week summer literacy and cultural enrichment program for students K-8th grade who reside in Escambia County.

Apply online by May 31, 2024 at gcfreedomschools.com

Pensacola

Destin

Santa Rosa Beach

Clark

celebrates

Attorneys pictured from L to R: Rachel I. Adams, Meredith D. Bush, Sara N. Davis, Megan F. Fry, Mary Grace Gatewood, Kia M. Goldsmith & Amy P. Slaman

Leading the way in ER care

When you need care quickly, doctors and care teams at Ascension Sacred Heart listen to quickly understand and care for your needs. Our ERs are open 24/7 and backed by leading heart, stroke, surgical and trauma specialists that are always ready to deliver expedited care for your symptoms and injuries. And before you leave, our ER care navigators connect you to follow-up care, including specialist appointments, labs, imaging and your preferred pharmacy.

The ER at Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola is a Level II trauma center, delivering advanced care for life-threatening and traumatic injury such as complex fractures, spine injury, brain injury, uncontrolled hemorrhages, and blood vessel injuries. And when your child needs immediate, advanced emergency care, the ER at Studer Family Children’s Hospital is a pediatric trauma center — specially designed and staffed for children with serious illness and injury.

To find your nearest Ascension Sacred Heart ER or chat with us, visit us at ascension.org/SacredHeartCare

If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, go directly to the ER or dial 911.

winners & losers winners losers

PENSACOLA FIGURE SKATERS Ten skaters from the Greater Pensacola Figure Skating Club competed at the Ice Sports Industry's National 2024 Winter Classic, which was held at the Orlando Ice Den. Competing against over 500 skaters from as far away as British Columbia, New York and California, Pensacola was well represented with skaters bringing home 36 medals in a variety of categories. Representing GPFSC were Kassia Albarran, Lucy Beam, Mary Thomas Beam, Lindsay Carbone, Kristen Gaubert, Derek Markulin, Mila Markulin, Carter Murray, Norah Ortlieb and Cecelia Prevost.

CHERI BONE WSRE PBS, a service of Pensacola State College, has a new program operations manager upon the retirement of longtime traffic manager Brent Burton. Originally from Galveston, Texas, and a graduate of the Art Institute of Houston, Bone has worked 22 years in the broadcast operations industry for television networks in Houston, Los Angeles and Pensacola. Burton first joined WSRE PBS in 1985 and served the station for 25 years altogether, retiring from Pensacola State College on Jan. 5.

NAS WHITING Commander of Navy Installations Command, Vice Adm. Scott Gray, recently announced that Naval Air Station Whiting Field was the Navy's top pick in the small installation category for the CNIC 2024 Installation Excellence Award program. The award lauds the top Navy commands at shore for their installation management, program excellence and community outreach. Installations are graded across several key areas, including facilities management, quality of life, environment, energy, property stewardship, communication, safety, and health, as well as many other categories.

SHOPS OF PALAFOX The Downtown Improvement Board approved a $5,000 grant to support a series of special events aimed at driving visitors downtown and raising the downtown district's profile as a shopping destination. Rusted Arrow, Indigeaux and more recently, Shops of Palafox, a consortium of Palafox Street retail shops from Garden to Main Street, have produced successful quarterly events attracting visitors for the past seven years. The grant supplements the overall budget to help Shops of Palafox increase the economic impact of its events this year.

COMMANDER President Joe Biden's pooch has been moved out of the White House after biting Secret Service agents more than two dozen times. The German Shepherd's biting history generated the need for an internal memo warning agents of the workplace hazard. In a written statement to CNN, Elizabeth Alexander, First Lady Jill Biden's communications director, said, "Despite additional dog training, leashing, working with veterinarians, and consulting with animal behaviorists, the White House environment simply proved too much for Commander. Since the fall, he has lived with other family members."

SAVE MALCOLM YONGE GYM The group hoping to force a referendum on the demolition of the gym on East Jackson Street suffered another setback when Judge J.J. Frydrychowicz granted the City of Pensacola's request to dismiss Jonathan Green's request for a temporary restraining order. Green wanted to give the group time to collect the required 4,138 signatures for a referendum by mid-April. He has 14 days to refile.

NEW COLLEGE OF FLORIDA American Association of University Professors voted unanimously to add the college to the Association's list of institutions sanctioned for substantial noncompliance with widely accepted standards of academic government. A special committee report found the New College board of trustees and its administration thoroughly restructured the college's academic offerings without meaningful faculty involvement and denied academic due process to multiple faculty members during their tenure applications and renewals. The report described Gov. Ron DeSantis' takeover of the college as "one of the most egregious and extensive violations of AAUP principles and standards at a single institution in recent memory."

ALABAMA PUBLIC LIBRARY SERVICE

In January, the state library service voted to end its American Library Association ( ALA) membership after Gov. Kay Ivey threatened to cut funding to state libraries. The Alabama Library Association president called the objection to national members "a bit of manufactured outrage." The Alabama Public Library Service is floating a policy change mandating local library boards approve ALA membership in public meetings to qualify for state aid.

Photo Courtesy of Greater Pensacola Figure Skating Club Commander / Tariq Iqbal03 / shutterstock.com

© Ascension 2023. All rights reserved.

outtakes

By Rick Outzen

A DIFFICULT JOB

School superintendents have a difficult job. Escambia's superintendent, Keith Leonard, told WEAR-TV in a recent interview his aspirations for his district's 37,214 students.

"I want all the schools to be an A, have great customer support, for people to know we care about them and we're doing everything we can for them every day," he told reporter Tanner Stewart. "I wouldn't want any kids to get in trouble. Maybe that's living in a dream world; why not?"

Leonard would like to see parents get more engaged in their children's education, which he believes would improve attendance. Last week, four juveniles, ages 12-15, were arrested for stealing cars in Escambia County.

The superintendent said, "We've got to have you in school. Do you think those four juveniles in a car at 3 a.m. were ready to go to school the next morning?"

Leonard isn't alone in dealing with issues that are more complicated and challenging than teaching reading, math and science. The School Superintendent's Association, AASA, led its annual conference in February, drawing 4,000 superintendents and assistant superintendents. School safety was a hot topic, not surprising, as the number of school shootings with casualties hit a new record in the 2021-2022 school year and more than doubled from the previous school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

AASA announced it would launch Superintendents Recovery Network in a few months. The network will provide support for superintendents who may have experienced a school shooting or other violent act in one of their buildings. The initiative will be modeled after a similar program started by the National Association of Secondary School Principals for its members in 2019, with current and former principals of Columbine High School, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and Sandy Hook Elementary providing guidance.

Actor Matthew McConaughey and AASA announced the Greenlights Grant Initiative, a first-of-its-kind, non-partisan program that helps school districts apply for federal school safety grants. McConaughey, a Ulvade, Texas native, helped found the Greenlights Grant Initiative to ensure the full utilization of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was passed after the school shooting in his hometown.

Axios reported that vendors hawking school safety systems were out in force in the exhibit hall. Centegix promoted its CrisisAlert,™ a wearable panic button that can serve as teachers' ID badges. The teacher presses it three times for a medical emergency, five for classroom disruptions and eight for a campus-wide lockdown. The alerts go directly to first responders and administrators, notifying them who needs help and where they are located on campus.

Superintendents also discussed mental health services. AASA announced grants to bring to more schools a Hope Squad, a school-based, peer-to-peer, suicide prevention program that empowers trained and mentored students nominated by their peers to perform acts of intentional outreach.

The Mental Health Task Force, created by Rep. Michelle Salzman in August 2021, produced a strategic plan that was released last May. The plan included the expansion of school-based prevention services in schools. The task force should provide an update on the strategic plan's implementation this spring. It may want to consider the Hope Squad program.

The superintendents' other pressing concerns included academic freedom and artificial intelligence (AI).

When ChatGPT was released for free public use last November, a few school districts immediately blocked its use of school laptops and servers. However, AI isn't going away, and educators are experimenting with harnessing its use as an academic tool, particularly in creating individualized lesson plans. Superintendents need figure out how AI will be used in their classrooms.

The academic freedom concerns involve the removal of books from classrooms, fairness for minority and LGBTQ+ students and the creation of laws threatening teachers with criminal penalties for not teaching in accordance with state lawmakers' mandates. In other words, superintendents are worried their state may become the next Florida.

Superintendent Leonard must deal with these issues on top of chronic student absenteeism, teacher shortages and budget shortfall as COVID relief money runs out. All make his dream world harder to achieve. {in} rick@inweekly.net

HOW WE BECAME THE U.S. SAILING CAPITAL

On Feb. 26, Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves and American Magic Skipper Terry Hutchinson signed a lease agreement, making the Port of Pensacola the home of American Magic. The ceremony was held in the shell of Warehouse #10.

"When completed, the building you're in right now will be a 60,000-plus square foot Center for Maritime Excellence," Mayor Reeves said. "This is Warehouse #10, and it will now be, in just a few minutes, a home of American Magic for at least the next decade. It'll stand in plain view as a symbol of what our city's prosperity can be, as well as the central compass of what's in store in Pensacola."

Local businessman Collier Merrill championed the cause and helped American Magic navigate Pensacola, Escambia County and Florida politics. He told the crowd, "We had no playbook. We knew that there's going to be a boat here, and we'll do some other stuff."

Merrill helped secure early funding from the Tourist Development Council (TDC) and the Escambia County Commission. Reeves got an $8.5 million grant from Triumph Gulf Coast and another $5 million for the state.

In a press release, American Magic CEO Mike Cazer said, "American Magic is dedicated to building a premier high-performance sailing franchise in the United States, with a dual mandate to secure victory in the America's Cup and to elevate the prominence of sailing across America. This facility will not only serve as a

Pensacola region."

THE BACKSTORY

Significant accomplishments often have backstories. The American Magic deal is no different.

In his remarks, Escambia County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh said the sailing team's migration to Pensacola began with a phone call from Dr. Jim Andrews calling then-Mayor Ashton Hayward, and the mayor convincing Hutchinson to visit Pensacola.

Later, Hayward talked with Inweekly about the phone conversation. "Dr. Andrews, I have the pleasure of working with him now, but I've known him for 20-plus years," he said. "People know about Dr. Andrews being a famous orthopedic surgeon, but Jim sailed in the America's Cup in 2000. He would do surgeries in Birmingham and then fly to Maui, where they were building the Abracadabra."

Hayward said Andrews created the Andrews Institute in Gulf Breeze partly because of his love for sailing and area waters. In 2018, he called Mayor Hayward and shared that American Magic was training in the Florida Keys and might be looking to move elsewhere.

The former mayor recalled, "And I said, 'Well, they need to get up here to Pensacola, Florida. We have an incredible bay.' And so, we got into that conversation, and the rest is history."

Merrill admits he knows nothing about sailing, but his office on the top floor of Seville Tower overlooks Pensacola Bay.

TALBOT WILSON'S VISION

Tom Pace credited the late Talbot Wilson with having the vision that brought American Magic to Pensacola. Pace, Wilson and Hal Smith of the Pensacola Yacht Club put on the 2018 National Championship that brought 300 young sailors from 12 countries to Pensacola. At the Gala Opening Ceremony, American Magic's team greeted the competitors via a live stream, announcing they were partnering with the New York Yacht Club to challenge for the America's Cup.

Pace said the announcement was Wilson's idea. "That was the first time it occurred to us that we really could use sailing, not just because we liked it, but as a legitimate economic driver. We can do these things in our community."

Pace and Wilson began to court Dr. Jim Andrews because he had competed for the America's Cup and knew Doug DeVos, owner of the Orlando Magic and a principal of American Magic.

"Talbot was a long-time sailor, good marketer in Pensacola and a really, really good media guy," Pace said. "We would go over to Andrew's and hang out with him for a little bit. He would tolerate us when we'd talk about sailing, and Jim would tell us these great stories, which centered around him beating New York Yacht Club and the America's Cup Round Robin series."

"Real News with Rick Outzen" the day after the signing. "We don't need a bunch of smokestack industry and concrete crushing plants, but it's nice having the ships coming in and out. That's how we started with its natural deepwater port."

Six years ago, childhood friend Tom Pace invited him to a meeting about how to raise money for American Magic to train in Pensacola. "I talked to my two Ricks, you and Rick Harper, and asked if it was a stupid idea. Harper, the economist for Triumph, said operational money didn't fit Triumph, but it did make sense for the city to help if we were trying to advertise our bay around the world."

Merrill and Pace went to the TDC, which approved $500,000 annually for three years. Merrill said, "Every one of them just liked the idea."

Their next stop was Mayor Grover Robinson, who said he didn't have money for operations but offered land at the port. "Skipper Terry Hutchinson and I were leaving the mayor's office, and I looked at him in the elevator. I said, 'I think we could get Triumph money for a capital outlay at the port if you want to look at it.' We began talking about putting their headquarters there."

Merrill added that many people made the deal happen and that any misstep could have derailed it. He shared, "When Terry and I pulled up to the port yesterday, he grabbed my arm and just said, 'We did it.' I'm glad he did that because it made me stop for a minute and think. We really did."

Pace sent Andrews a seven-page letter about how to convince DeVos and Hutchinson to train in Pensacola Bay. He highlighted Pensacola's strengths and pointed out Pensacola Bay resembled the next America's Cup venue in New Zealand.

He said, "And of course, Dr. Andrews, in his inimitable style, honed that down to calling and saying, 'Y'all just need to come on over again.' He cut through the fluff, and it started from there."

Pace and Wilson set up a meeting for Hutchinson with Merrill, Ellis Bullock, James Simkins and Clark Merritt and Amy Miller from the Port of Pensacola. Hutchinson asked why Merrill was included.

Pace replied, "Well, if we're going to do anything with the team and there's any financial component, there's nobody better who could figure out all the pieces to the puzzle, create the patchwork quilt of the funding of so many different sources to make it work."

At the first meeting, Merrill piped up, "I don't know a single thing about sailing, and I'm probably more confused about it than ever, but this financial component of it to get Pensacola representation on the sail at the pinnacle of the sailing event around the world, that's not a hard lift. You handle the sailing. I'll try to figure out the money, and we'll go from there."

And they did. At the lease signing, Mayor Reeves said of American Magic, "We are honored to welcome them with open arms as permanent Pensacolians who will live, work and play right here. Welcome to the Sailing Capital of the United States of America."

To learn more about American Magic, visit americanmagic.americascup.com. {in}

Photo Courtesy of American Magic

By Tom St. Myer

FLORIDAWEST SEEKS PARTNERS

"We should continue to expect growth in industry, meaning manufacturing as we typically know it, but I'm especially excited about possibilities in technology," he said. "We should all expect more of that, but we've got to align it with our best assets. We have a lot of responsibility there. It's a very competitive process with other states."

MORE PRIVATE PARTNERS

Hilson inherited what he described as a "well thought out" five-year strategic plan that began in 2022. The strategic plan emphasizes three main strategic goals: business recruitment, business retention and expansion, and the facilitation of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Hilson oversees an agency dependent primarily on public funding. According to the audited statements for the last fiscal year, local governments provided the organization with $825,000 annually, while the private sector only chipped in $250,000.

Contributions from local governments come with strings attached, but private sector dollars create possibilities for FloridaWest to turn its strategic plan into reality.

FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance faces an identity crisis. Few in Escambia County understand the role of the economic development authority. Results from a survey of area leaders revealed just how few.

Nearly 50% of respondents said they had no understanding of FloridaWest's success and impact; 46% said they had limited knowledge, and only 5% stated they had a solid understanding.

"I guess it goes without saying if a community and especially community leaders don't have a good understanding of what its lead economic development agency is doing, then something's wrong," said Brian Hilson, the FloridaWest CEO.

Funding Solutions, Inc. conducted the survey. Funding Solutions is a capital campaign funding service that delivers comprehensive analysis, develops fundraising strategies and implementation plans. Hilson contracted with Funding Solutions in previous positions and recommended the funding service to the FloridaWest board of directors.

Operating behind the scenes without telling the story is a significant issue for an agency seeking to increase contributions from private sector partners. More private sector funds are needed to fully implement the strategic plan the agency developed two years ago.

"I don't think we've tried too hard to tell the story; we've just been trying to attract the businesses," said David Bear, the FloridaWest board president. "Rather than just try to talk about the benefits, we just did the work. We didn't reach out to other businesses to grow the membership."

FLORIDAWEST'S STORY

FloridaWest is a public-private partnership with the mission to build, grow and sustain economic potential and prosperity in Escambia.

attracting, retaining, and expanding businesses by connecting the assets, resources and skilled workforce. The entrepreneurial development is composed of the CO:LAB incubator space that 19 companies occupy with about 50 employees.

Notable triumphs for FloridaWest include helping secure $250 million in funding for ST Engineering to build an aircraft maintenance hangar. ST Engineering officially opened Hangar 2 at the airport last year.

Enticements from FloridaWest in recent years spurred technological advancements. ActiGraph, CIRCULOGENE, Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems and Pegasus Laboratories rapidly expanded their footprint in the county. Its CyberCoast campaign helped attract techsavvy remote workers and entrepreneurs to the Pensacola area during the pandemic.

Escambia County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh credited FloridaWest for closing an extremely intricate deal with Pegasus, and he noted the CIRCULOGENE expansion brought jobs to the county that pay $100,000-plus. Bergosh dismissed the idea that FloridaWest faces an identity crisis regardless of what the survey indicated.

"They've done a lot, and a lot of folks don't know about it," Bergosh said. "A lot of people don't pay attention to these kinds of things. It's just not on a lot of people's radar."

Those triumphs occurred with Scott Luth as CEO. Luth served as the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce's senior vice president for economic development for three years until economic development spun off and FloridaWest was created in October 2014. Last spring, he resigned to become the vice president of economic development and capital programs for Space Florida, a state agency focusing on the aerospace industry.

Under his leadership, FloridaWest began the planning and infrastructure design for Outlying

and The Bluffs, 2,500 acres north of the University of West Florida near Florida Power & Light's Crist Power Plant and Emerald Coast Utility Authority's wastewater treatment facility.

FloridaWest replaced Luth with the seasoned Hilson, who stepped into the role last August and brought with him 40-plus years of experience in leading programs focused on economic growth. He previously served as president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County, president and CEO of the Birmingham Business Alliance and executive director of the Japan-America Society of Alabama.

Hilson described economic development as both a sprint and a marathon. His job is to identify near-term opportunities with sights on long-term needs.

FloridaWest has yet to announce any major economic development deals since Hilson assumed the position, but he indicated that will soon change.

"There are several that I'm really, really excited about and are further evidence of the importance of diversification," Hilson said. "Industry, technology and office employment are involved."

"We have a lot of responsibility there. It's a very competitive process with other states." Brian Hilson

Hilson considers Greater Pensacola a midsized metropolitan area with untapped economic potential. He named Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Mobile, Ala., Biloxi, Miss., New Orleans, Savannah, Ga. and Norfolk, Va. as cities Pensacola should be able to compete with and beat for economic projects and workforce talent.

"Public money is very strict in what it can be used for," Bergosh said. "With private money, there's not so many strings attached. It gives them a lot more flexibility to do things. If you want maximum functionality, you need both private and public money."

The Funding Solutions survey found the prospect of increased private sector investment and involvement in FloridaWest was "embraced enthusiastically by interviewees—with the caveat that a solid plan providing ROI and a 'real' measurement and reporting process will be required to build and maintain relationships, involvement and funding."

The goal of the Funding Solutions campaign is to increase the private sector investment by $500,000 annually so the agency brings in $3.75 million over the next five years.

Bear initially questioned the viability of such a lofty goal, but he said the study by Funding Solutions showed enough interest from potential investors to set the bar that high.

"We need other community businesses who have skin in the game to get involved and invest," Bear said. "We want to have more people at the table. We want to have 100 investors in FloridaWest that we can choose board members from."

Bear believes in FloridaWest. That is why the Lewis Bear Co. annually contributes to the agency. He is convinced if FloridaWest tells its story right, prospective investors will write the checks necessary for the agency to fulfill its potential.

"We invest because we believe in economic development and trying to build our community," Bear said. "It's time for us to become FloridaWest 2.0 and tell the story. We have these resources, and so we have to do a better job telling people what we're doing."

To learn about FloridaWest, visit floridawesteda.com. Funding Solutions' report can be found in the Jan. 9 board agenda packet. {in}

ST Engineering Ribbon-cutting / Photo Courtesy of City Pensacola

they review the legal implications.

Bryant Liggett and Erin Attaway, co-founders of The Fertility Resort in Pensacola, have already seen an impact on their clients because Mobile, Ala., has been a large provider of IVF treatments along the Gulf Coast.

"What's happening in Alabama is affecting people from lots of other states who might be traveling to Mobile, Birmingham or Huntsville for treatment," Attaway said. "So, what happens in Alabama doesn't stay in Alabama."

She explained the IVF treatment in layperson terms. "Anybody who's having a hard time conceiving naturally can go to an IVF clinic, and those doctors are going to take eggs from a female and sperm from a male. They're going to put it together and generate embryos."

Attaway continued, "The necessity of freezing those embryos, that's just part of it. There's no way to store or keep them alive unless you put them on this. So, to say that they are people now and can't be cryopreserved, or all the other implications we're discussing, essentially destroys the process. It makes it so that you would only be able to use what's viable in the moment, and the time and expense and the whole system of how IVF works would make it unattainable for most people."

Liggett said, "For me personally, I went through three rounds of IVF, and we made 15 total embryos, and I've had zero live births from those embryos. If that kind of puts this in perspective, embryos do not equal baby. They just don't. We have tried and tried and tried."

ference between a potential person and an actual person that has rights. IVF clinics are not nurseries. It's unfair to try to put those kinds of regulations on them when they're doing their absolute best to help bring babies into the world."

The Fertility Resort was created to help women navigate fertility issues. Liggett said, "One of the things that people don't really talk about when it comes to IVF infertility is you just don't know what you don't know until you're in it. And then when you're thrown in it, it's a lot. We provide tools and resources to help you optimize your journey, whether that's fertility coaching or nutrition coaching or all of those types of things— like how to adjust your lifestyle— to make your fertility journey as impactful as possible."

She added, "We have our licensed mental health providers who have been through infertility journeys themselves, who help guide our members to having a holistic, healthy and happy journey, which is really hard to attain."

On Wednesday, Feb. 28, Attaway traveled to Montgomery, Ala., to rally with in vitro fertilization patients, fertility doctors and other advocates to save access to IVF in Alabama. The lawmakers listened. Two days later, the Republican-led Alabama House and Senate overwhelmingly voted to approve legal protections to health care entities that provide in vitro fertilization services.

THE MAYOR'S WISH Mayor D.C. Reeves has received pushback on social media over the

recent Wall Street Journal article concerning the increase of million-dollar homes sold in the greater Pensacola area. He has repeatedly said that more housing helps ease the affordable housing crisis regardless of price.

"If I had one wish of the information that I could just magically convey to 55,000 people in this city right now, it's a two- or three-minute education on just that fact more housing helps the community because there is such an us-versusthem mentality about housing," he said.

"It's unfortunate because if we snapped our fingers and had 500 market-rate units, like you've heard me talk about before, all that does is open up the additional opportunity for affordability for someone else," Reeves said. "But we somehow fall into this trap of you're either doing one or the other. If you see if it goes across ARB (Architectural Review Board) or city council that a market rate building's coming up, you can rest assured that everyone on social media or Facebook comments will say, 'Well, you don't care about people who don't make less money.'"

He added, "And it's that term I use with you all the time—we pat our head, rub our belly. We can do these both, and we have to."

The mayor said it would be irresponsible to ban market-rate housing until developers build more affordable housing.

"That would be such a poor strategic decision for the city," Reeves said. "And so, there's a big disconnect with folks that don't follow that as closely that I wish I could convey … When I've been in a Rotary Club or gotten a couple minutes to explain why we need both of these things, people tend to understand it. But I think folks who'd maybe not follow it as closely think I see people building $800,000 houses or 2 million condos, and then that must mean that you don't care about people who are in a more vulnerable state."

He asserted that building $800,000 homes or $2 million condominiums doesn't mean one doesn't care about "people who are in a more vulnerable state." Mayor Reeves described the city's efforts to sell the former Pensacola Sports site to provide the most tax revenue and the solicitation of proposals to convert Pensacola Motor Lodge into temporary housing as a "perfect microcosm."

He said, "We're working on both these things at the exact same time."

PENSACOLA'S NEO-NAZI TEENS

Last month, Raw Story published an investigative report by Jordan Green into the 2119 Blood and Soil Crew, a nationwide network of teenage neoNazis. Green found a connection between 2119 and the four teens arrested last August for allegedly committing a series of acts of antisemitic and racist vandalism in downtown Pensacola and East Hill, including bricks being thrown through windows at Jewish places of worship.

Green said one of the Pensacola teens, Waylon Fowler, has become a 2119 leader, and the Pensacola group had communicated with other 2119 members before the incidents last summer.

"Well before the attacks in Pensacola, they

were networked online through Telegram, and they have members across the country and basically take these crimes and collect footage of it, and then incorporate it into propaganda videos, which they use to try to recruit and encourage other teenagers to commit similar acts across the country," Green told Inweekly in a phone interview.

He continued, "Other members of the national leadership cadre have had run-ins with the FBI … They are really young teenagers who talk about and admire people who carry out mass shootings and industrial sabotage, but the kind of bread-and-butter criminal activity is vandalism targeting to intimidate Jews, African Americans and LGBTQ+ people. But their online rhetoric and aesthetic shows they aspire to more extreme violence for sure."

Green was surprised 2119 didn't maintain a low profile after the Pensacola arrests. "They really capitalized on it to use it as a recruitment pitch. They kind of positioned Waylon Fowler as a so-called martyr for their cause of white power, and they incorporated literally a cutout of the photograph of the brick from news accounts and spread it online. It became their kind of icon of action, which they would use it to build clout within the larger white supremacist network."

The reporter began tracking 2119 after a shooter knocked out two electrical substations in Moore County, North Carolina in December 2022. The power outage lasted four days, and an elderly woman who was dependent on an oxygen machine died. The shooter was never found. Green began perusing the more extremely violent Telegram channels.

"I came across a user who talked about being a member of 2119 Blood and Soil Crew, and through another source in the spring of last year, we just started tracking these various vandalism incidents," Green shared.

He noticed 2119, or the initials of the group's early name, "RWB" (Revolutionary White Brotherhood), being used. "With the help of some people in the background, we pieced it together that there's a group of people involved with this group, and their tag kept coming up in these criminal vandalism incidents. And after that, the Pensacola attacks happened and immediately put it together with this other pattern of activity."

Green admitted he has struggled with reporting on some of the teens tied to vandalism around the country. "Their brains are not fully formed. They make mistakes, and people do need second chances, and I think in some instances, especially young white boys will do dumb things like do a Nazi salute or say, 'white power,' and maybe they don't really mean it. They're just trying to get attention, and I think those kind of kids should have a runway for redemption."

However, the reporter views the 2119 teen differently. "These kids really mean it, and they have been marinating in this violent online internet culture, some since they were 13 years old. A lot of, at least a handful I mentioned, have been inter-

Dr. Erin Taliaferro-Attaway and Bryant Liggett / Photo Courtesy of The Fertility Resort

viewed by the FBI, and they've had opportunities to leave to put that aside, and they have not taken it. So, I think it is much more serious than just a youthful prank."

PROBABLE CAUSE On Friday, March 8, the Florida Commission on Ethics will consider the probable cause finding regarding a complaint filed by Escambia County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh against former County Commissioner Doug Underhill's aide, Jonathan Owens.

Last summer, the county learned Owens had given the attorneys for Dr. Laura Edler, who is in litigation against the county, Bergosh's cell phone records that had been stolen off the county's server. In February 2022, Bergosh had asked county staff to download the records off his cell phone so he could preserve them.

In early August 2023, Owens said on the radio that an anonymous source had left a thumb drive in his county office. He left the county in November 2022 and kept the drive. Somehow, the records also ended up in the hands of the Pensacola News Journal, which has selectively published some of them.

The FBI is reportedly investigating the theft. Owens refused to give a statement to ethics investigators.

Elizabeth Miller, the attorney advocate for the Ethics Commission, determined the personal information contained on the thumb drive was not a public record, was unavailable to the general public, and would not be produced by a public agency in response to a public records request.

Owen was a public employee when he gained information by reason of his official position, the information was not available to members of the general public, and such information was disclosed or used with an intent to secure a personal gain or benefit for himself and/or Dr. Edler and her attorneys.

In her report, she wrote, "All the elements to prove a violation have been met. Therefore, based on the evidence before the Commission, I recommend that the Commission find probable cause to believe that Respondent (Owens) violated Section 112.313(8) Florida Statutes."

Owens' boss, Doug Underhill, was also found guilty of a series of ethics violations, unrelated to Owens' case. The board voted 6-1 for Gov. DeSantis to remove the commissioner from office in October 2022. DeSantis chose not to act on the removal. Underhill had already announced he would not run for reelection. He left office the following month at the end of his term.

ENGAGING GEN Z A recent Axios and Generation Lab poll found that 58% of voters between Gen Z and younger millennials aren't sure if they'll vote in November. Jayden D'Onofrio, the president of the Florida chapter of Voters of Tomorrow, wants to change that statistic and have young voters make a difference in the 2024 election cycle.

"Time and time again, we see youth turnout, and unfortunately, we haven't seen that youth turnout that we've seen in other battleground

states like here in Florida," D'Onofrio said. "Much of my work is centered on making sure that we are turning out youth for this coming election here in Florida because it's historically an untapped demographic for voting."

He continued, "My work, along with all the amazing people that work alongside me every single day, is to make sure that we are getting a seat at the table for young people on matters of policy and that we're elevating candidates that either a) support the values of Gen Z and young voters or b) are young themselves and understand the issues that we are going through each and every day."

What are the issues that will get Gen Z to the polls?

"We've seen affordability and cost of living as massive issues in this state, and we haven't seen our legislature really confront this issue, whether it be with the insurance crisis, the ability to own a home in this state," D'Onofrio said. "These are things that really are important for youth voters because we are going to be the people that are about to own homes right out of college or having to rent houses and apartments. And if we can't afford to do that, what are we going to do? We're going to have to move to a different state, and a lot of us love the Sunshine State."

Two other important issues for his generation that will likely be on the ballot as constitutional amendments are the right to choose and recreational marijuana. If the Florida Supreme Court approves their language, voters will see them on the November ballot.

"That's going to provide quite the jump to youth voter turnout here in the state of Florida," he said. "We estimate it to be well over 70% for the right to choose among youth voters. That is one of the larger issues that we've seen turn out voters that are young all across the country."

D'Onofrio will be the guest speaker at Emerald Coast Equality's general membership meeting 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 20 at the Tyron Library, 1200 Langley Ave.

SUMMER EMPLOYMENT Applications for the Escambia County Summer Youth Employment Program are open through 3 p.m. Friday, March 22. Online applications and the requirements can be found at myescambia.com/ youthemployment.

The program is for Escambia County youth, ages 16-24, interested in paid work experience this summer. Qualified youth may work up to 30 hours a week, with positions available in various county departments, along with the Escambia County School District, Property Appraiser, Tax Collector and Supervisor of Elections.

Last summer, more than 200 youths participated. Limited positions are available. Physical applications are not available. Incomplete applications or applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

For additional information, please call Neighborhood and Human Services at (850) 595-4094 or (850) 595-1620. {in}

Going NoLo

Changing the Way We Drink

By Sydney Robinson

Have you ever skipped a night out because you didn't feel like drinking?

water because you assumed the only non-boozy option at any given bar was sugary cranberry juice? Luckily, today there's a whole new world of low and no-alcohol drinks out there, many of which can be found in the same places as spe cialty cocktails and hoppy IPAs.

shift toward respecting dietary concerns and lifestyle choices like veganism and the glutenfree movement, the bland mocktail has mostly become a thing of the past. No longer are you rel egated to a dusty bottle of O'Doul's or a tall glass of juice. Lots of bars and restaurants now have no-alcohol concoctions to dazzle and delight.

promise to replicate even the most complicated flavors—from smokey and confronting to herbal and botanic. Many mainstream alcohol brands are also getting in on the game, such as White Claw with its new zero-percent seltzer.

our lives—yoga classes hosted at breweries, book clubs with more wine than pages read, 5k races with a real goal of downing as much free beer as you can. With so many opportunities to drink, it's no wonder some of us are a bit sober curious.

drinking or want to cut it out entirely, the grow ing market of mocktails and nonalcoholic (NA) spirits offers endless options.

ous movement and zero-proof booze scene, Inweekly spoke with two Pensacola residents who have made some major changes to the way they consume alcohol, plus one of the area's best bartenders for the scoop on mocktails from the other side of the bar.

"Within the last two years, the incidence of someone coming in and specifically asking me for a nonalcoholic cocktail has gone up incredibly." Conor Wahl

The Kids Are Alright

You've probably seen headlines or videos about the decline of drinking among the younger generations, but what's the reality?

A report from Berenberg Research found that Gen Z drinks 20% less per capita than millennials at the same age. Pair that with the fact that millennials already were drinking less than Gen X and you can see this trend is likely to have a pretty big impact on the alcohol industry.

At 24, Pensacola barber Al Armin says once they got a bit of partying out of their system while underage, alcohol just wasn't worth the trouble.

"I just don't like how it feels in my body," Ar-

ing turned into a dangerous hobby during the height of quarantine in 2020.

"It really spiked during the pandemic when drinking was kind of like the thing to do," Clancy said. "We would make little cocktails for our friends and leave them on the porch. So like, it was kind of fun."

"But then I found myself—through the sadness of the pandemic and seeing everything that was going on in the world—I just started to drink."

That day in May two years ago, Clancy realized something had to change.

"I was just like, 'No, this isn't healthy. I want

its. Then, Wahl was skeptical.

"At the time, I thought it was a little bit ridiculous," Wahl said.

Sure, he was happy to make a customer whatever they asked for, but did they need to put it on the menu?

"[Rushing] was very adamant and said that it makes people feel more comfortable if they do see an option explicitly listed on the menu, like you've gone out of your way to include them," Wahl said.

Since then, the idea has slowly gained steam locally, and Wahl has become a true believer. Today, he is general manager of

never stand up on their own, like as a one-to-one

your space. That's something that we've always tried to focus on."

"You don't have to give me a reason. You don't have to tell me that you're pregnant. You don't have to tell me anything, any part of your life story if you don't feel comfortable. If you just come up to the bar and you say, 'Hey, I'm not drinking tonight,' or 'I'm drinking less, what do you have for me?' I and all of my staff would be more than welcoming and very comfortable trying to help you find an option, and I think that every bartender and every server across the board should be as well."

Booze-Free Around Town

alcoholic (NA) drink in Pensacola. you can always request your bartender whip up something special for you, it's nice to know ahead of time what you can expect.

Here's a selection of some of the best handcrafted mocktails we've spotted recently on local menus.

UNION PUBLIC HOUSE

36 E. Garden St, unionpensacola.com

Basically the Pensacola OG for alcohol-free drinks, UPH has an entire separate menu of zeroproof cocktails to enjoy. Erin Clancy's favorite is the Dry 75, which uses NA gin.

THE KENNEDY

1 S. Palafox St., thekennedy.bar

Visit Conor Wahl and crew and grab an 'A' is for Alibi, a tasty sipper featuring flavors of zero-proof rum, apple, raspberry and barley.

555 Scenic Highway, myagapi.com

The always inclusive Agapi has an impressive NA list, including the Berry Mule made with fresh berries, house thyme simple, ginger beer and fresh lime juice.

GEORGE BISTRO + BAR

6205 N. 9th Ave, georgebistroandbar.com

Adding to their impressive cocktail list, George features NA wine selections, plus a zero-proof espresso martini.

PEARL & HORN

1504 W. Intendencia St, pearlandhorn.com

A knockout refresher, you'll want to try the Zero Proof Spritz at Pearl & Horn. This drink features NA sparkling wine and Lyre's Italian Orange, a NA aperitivo.

iplaypensacola.com

Enjoy a game of air hockey while sipping on a Strawberry Fojito, which is currently one of the seasonal mocktail selections at Play.

GARDEN & GRAIN

50 E. Garden St., Suite B, perfectplain.com/garden-and-grain

This fun outdoor bar has a limited mocktail selection, including a Pineapple Collins.

SISTER HEN

415 N. Alcaniz St., brotherfoxsisterhen.com/sister-hen

Of course this swanky speakeasy has a few swanky NA options on their menu, including a zero-proof Gin Tonic.

And At Home

Prefer to be your own bartender? Try this booze-free recipe crafted by sommelier and owner of Green Thumb Wines Justine Gudmundson-McCain. And if you like your drinks a little more grab-and-go style, fear not. Green Thumb Wines stocks plenty of NA options, including canned cocktails and wine.

GRINGO MARGARITA

Ingredients:

1 part Trejo's Spirits Tequila Alternative

1 part fresh lime juice

1/2 part simple syrup

Top with Lime LaCroix

Directions: Combine Trejo's, lime and simple syrup in a shaker with ice. After shaking, serve with fresh ice in a rocks glass, topping with the LaCroix. Bonus points if you rub the glass with a lime and dip in salt (or sugar) before. {in}

Selection of NA options at Green Thumb Wines / Courtesy Photo

Conor Wahl / Photo Courtesy of The Kennedy

Arts & Entertainment

Living the Dream

By Savannah Evanoff

Bassist Kourosh "Roach" Poursalehi said Bikini Trill is going with the flow and letting the universe guide them.

It's hard to argue with that logic after hearing the "cosmic" surf-pop band's origins—which do in fact seem in alignment with the universe.

"I tell people, I'm like, 'This is not a Craigslist band; there's no Craigslist ad,'" Roach said. "Like, we were friends who were hanging out, 'You play guitar?' We're just jamming in the living room. This wasn't about, 'I want to enter the music industry, and I want to be famous, and I want to make money.' We've had to adapt to all of that, too. It's just difficult at times when you're in it for the love of the music, but everybody around you is in it for money and fame."

Bikini Trill members met in early adulthood around San Antonio, Texas. Roach went to high school with guitarist Tony Stern, and they later met their vocalist Lauren "LJ" Johnson while performing as a duo in Austin, Texas. She was working as a radio station's promotion director and started managing the band.

LJ had never even been in a band, he said.

"Me and him have been in bands forever— that's really how we got the chops down for live

(performances); we understand how to put on a performance, and she's been killing it," Roach said. "She stepped up to the occasion, like a boss. It's the first time she's ever been the lead singer in a band, and it's fascinating."

A lot of people don't realize LJ also draws all the artwork for the band, Roach said, referencing the trippy psychedelic style featured on just about everything they put out.

"I kind of have to remind myself, and we have to remind ourselves at times, that we're living our dreams."

Kourosh "Roach" Poursalehi

"It's rare," Roach said. "She writes all the lyrics. We have our own studio. She draws every single [artwork]—all the album covers, all the flyer art and does all the merchandise for the band."

It's all DIY. They even make their own eclectic clothes seen at performances—which was therapeutic during the pandemic, Roach said.

The three of them had actually given up on

performing music in Texas, but they somehow all stumbled their way to L.A.—LJ to pursue marketing for a record label, Stern for filmmaking and Roach for sound engineering rap music.

"When we all three reunite in L.A., we write a song called 'Sticky Treez,' and we're like, 'Damn, this sounds pretty good,'" Roach said.

At the time, LJ was drawing artwork under the moniker Bikini Trill.

"Trill is a Texas word—it's the combination of true and real," Roach said. "It's a word originally (from) a rapper, famous in Texas, and it just made sense. We're from Texas, she's making this dope art, we don't give a fuck, we're making the music, you know; it's totally DIY. Our main goal is to have fun and make timeless music, and that's really it."

The best part, though, of their rather serendipitous inception is that they're best friends. What brought them together over a decade ago was a shared love for the same type of music.

"We were going to the same type of shows; we were going to South by Southwest together and discovering this rapper or that rock band or this EDM DJ—we were all over the place,"

Roach said. "We had crazy, great taste, and we respected each other's tastes. And we have respect for each other. I think we just really enjoyed hanging out with each other … It's all so fucking magical. It's weird saying this stuff out loud because it's all 100% true."

Another thing that makes them work is their high standard for music and art, he said.

"When all three of us really like something, we're like, 'OK, we've got something special right here, because we've got three out of three saying yes,'" Roach said.

Bikini Trill's big break came in L.A., while Roach was working as an assistant engineer on a Kanye West studio session. They invited management for the band Dirty Heads to their performance at the famous venue Troubadour.

They killed it, Roach said, and the rest is history.

"We love this shit," Roach said. "We're just grateful. As a kid, you think about touring. I kind of have to remind myself, and we have to remind ourselves at times, that we're living our dreams. Even though we're struggling, it is a lot of hard work at times, it's still, we're living the dream and working toward it."

The band dropped multiple "pandemic singles," as Roach calls them, and has several EPs. Their cover of a cover, "Scarlet Begonias," is their most popular song on Spotify, along with their earliest track "Sticky Treez."

"Everybody has their favorite song, like everybody has a favorite color, favorite gummy bear, favorite topping of pizza," Roach said. "It's like one person likes pepperoni, the other one doesn't like mushrooms. The latest EP, 'Hello, welcome!' really showcases the direction we're going, what we're capable of."

The release of Bikini Trill's debut album is set for later this year, but they're performing some of their unreleased songs now.

"There's no big producer working on it; there's no big label backing it up," Roach said. "There's no famous cosign, but I can tell you, it's gonna be the best music out there, like guaranteed, because everything has led up to this moment." {in}

BIKINI TRILL AT THE HANDLEBAR

WHAT: Bikini Trill with JARV, Nervous Pulp and Momma Bear

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday, March 8

WHERE: The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St.

COST: $12 advance, $15 at the door

DETAILS: bikinitrill.com, thehandlebar850.com

Bikini Trill / Courtesy Photo

ST. PATRICK'S DAY

MCGUIRE'S ST. PATRICK'S DAY PREDIC TION RUN 5K

prediction run in the country. Registration fee includes run T-shirt and post-race party. The run is 9 a.m. Saturday, March 9 at McGuire's 600 E. Gregory St. Registration is $45. Sign up at runsignup.com.

O'RILEY'S IRISH PUB CELEBRATES ST. PATRICK'S DAY

have drink specials and green beer. O'Riley's downtown, 321 S. Palafox St., will have Green Eggs and Kegs brunch Saturday and Sunday, March 16 and 17. O'Riley's Uptown, 3728 Creigh ton Road, will have bar games and a late-night DJ. There will be a $5 cover charge. For more details, visit orileyspub.com.

GO IRISH ON THE ISLAND PENSACOLA BEACH ST. PADDY'S DAY PUB CRAWL

Imbibe at 17 participating Pensacola Beach bars, restaurants and hotels offering up a pot of gold filled with Irish drink specials, live music and fun at the Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce's 37th annual St. Paddy's Day Pub Crawl on Sunday, March 17 on Pensacola Beach. The pub crawl kicks off at 9 a.m. with two different routes. Download the Pub Crawl Pensacola Beach app. Register for the event at pensacolabeachchamber.com/go-irish-on-the-island.

FOURTH ANNUAL SHAMROCK STROLL

This 5K fun run/walk, costume contest and pet

prizes for winners. Food and drinks are also avail able for purchase. The full bar and restaurant offer special adult beverages just for bingo nights. You must be 18 to play. For more information, visit facebook.com/animalalliesflorida.

ANIMAL ALLIES CAT AND KITTEN

ADOPTION Visit Pet Supermarket 11 a.m.-3 p.m. every first and third Saturday of the month at 6857 N. Ninth Ave. to meet your furever friend. Visit aaflorida.org for details.

CARING & SHARING MINISTRY FOOD

DRIVE The Gloria Green Caring & Sharing Ministry is attached to the Historic St. Joseph Catholic Church, 140 W. Government St. The ministry feeds the homeless at 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays. The ministry's food pantry opens at 10

a.m. and has clothing. Food donations needed are pop-top canned goods, Beanie Weenies, Vienna sausage, potted meat, cans of tuna and chicken and soups. Clothing donations needed include tennis shoes for men and women as well as sweatshirts and new underwear for men in sizes small, medium and large. Call DeeDee Green at (850) 723-3390 for details.

CALL TO ARTISTS

SECOND ANNUAL SEEN PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION & JULIA GORTON

AWARD 309 Punk Project invites emerging photographers based in Pensacola to submit to SEEN, a juried online exhibition that celebrates the work of emerging DIY/punk photographers. SEEN will be juried by former 309 artist in residence Julia Gorton. All photographic media will be considered. The selected photographer will receive a $1,000 cash award and a solo exhibition at 309 Punk Project in 2025. All submissions will be exhibited on the 309 website. Submission deadline is March 20. Award announcement is April 1.

Emerging Artist Definition: Must be in their first five years of practice.

Directions: Send up to five images (yourname1.jpg, yourname2.jpg) and the corresponding titling information (Name | Title | Date | Size | Medium) to 309punkproject@gmail.com, with the subject line SEEN.

Media: All photographic media are welcome.

Bio/statement: An artist bio is a sentence or two describing biographical information about who you are and where you are from. The statement should explain the artist's intentions for their body of work. A strong artist statement supplements the visual information in a portfolio or exhibition so the reader and/or viewer can better understand it. This should be 200 words or less. Need help? Check out this site: gyst-ink. com/artist-statement-guidelines.

ARTS & CULTURE

13 This Pensacola Little Theatre production has showtimes 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, March 9, 16, 23, Fridays, March 8,15, 22, Thursdays, March 14, 21 and 2:30 p.m. Sundays, March 10, 17 and 24. Tickets are $30 for adults, $15 for children and students and $2 discounts for seniors and military. Thursday performances are half off. Performances are at 400 S. Jefferson St. Get your tickets at pensacolalittletheatre.com.

DECISION HEIGHT Enjoy a PenArts performance about Women Air Force Service Pilots from PenArts, 306 N. DeVilliers St. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 7, Friday, March 8, Saturday, March 9 and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10. Tickets are $5$19. More information is at penarts.org.

DEATH OF A SALESMAN This Pensacola State College (PSC) Performing Arts production is 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 7, Friday, March 8, Saturday, March 9 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 10 at Ashmore Auditorium, 1000 College Blvd. Tickets are $7-$11 and free to PSC students.

PMA MEMBERS SHOW RECEPTION The 70th annual Members Show is on view March 8-May 25 at Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. A reception is 5-7 p.m. Friday, March 8. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for details.

CHORAL SOCIETY OF PENSACOLA

PRESENTS: CARMINA BURANA Choral Society of Pensacola will present Carl Orff's masterpiece with a chorus of 160 voices including the University of West Florida Singers. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 8 and 2 p.m. Saturday, March 9 at University of West Florida Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 11000 University Parkway, Building 82. Tickets starts at $10. Admission for children is $5. Get tickets at choralsocietyofpensacola.org.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY LEADERSHIP LUNCHEON Luncheon is 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, March 8 at Grand Lagoon Yacht Club, 10653 Gulf Beach Highway with keynote speaker Commander Brandy McNabb. Register at business.visitperdido.com.

HOT GLASS COLD BREW: ART IN BLOOM First City Art Center monthly event is 5-9 p.m. Friday, March 8 at 1040 N. Guillemard St. Tickets are $25 for members and $35 for non-members and includes a handmade ceramic glass to fill with two complimentary beers. For more information, visit firstcityart.org.

PUNKDEMIC: THE SOUND THAT SAVED US A photo show from Andrew Velasco is on view 5 p.m. Saturday, March 9 at 309 Punk House, 309 N. Sixth Ave. Visit facebook. com/309punkproject for details.

McGuire's Prediction Run 5K / Photo by Tim Bednarczyk

Photo by Matthew Coughlin, 850 Magazine

a&e happenings

GAME DAY AT GULF BREEZE LIBRARY Enjoy playing card games and board games? Bring the family or a friend and stop by the Gulf Breeze Library for Game Day noon-3 p.m. Saturday, March 9 at Gulf Breeze Library, 1060 Shoreline Drive. A variety of board games are available for use at the library, or feel free to bring your own. Gaming groups are also welcome.

"STAREMASTER" FILM SCREENING Local filmmaker Sean Linezo will screen his film "StareMaster" and have a live demonstration 9 p.m. Saturday, March 9 at Calliope Film Studios, 501 E. Gadsden St. The film will feature many local and international talents as they stare each other down in a battle to see who is the "Staremaster." This event is free of charge. For more information, please contact Sean Linezo at ahahasean@ gmail.com or 309punkproject@gmail.com.

PENSACOLA ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY LECTURE The next lecture will feature Dr. Ramie Gougeon, Dr. Greg Cook and Dr. John Worth about the UWF 2023 Field School Review and goals for 2024. Lecture is 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 12 at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3400 Bayou Blvd. Visit pasfl.org for details.

SPRING SUCCULENT ARRANGING WORKSHOP Jade Tree Succulents shows you how to arrange your spring succulents in this workshop 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, March 13 at Rusted Arrow Mercantile, 130 S. Palafox St. Cost is $70. Register at rustedarrowmercantile.com.

TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY GOLDEN VOICES CONCERT CHOIR Performance is 3 p.m. Saturday, March 9 at Jean and Paul Amos Performance Studio, 1000 College Blvd. Learn more at tuskegee.edu/student-life/studentorganizations/choir.

STAMPED OSCAR PARTY Join the Stamped board and volunteers to watch the 2024 Academy Awards 6 p.m. Sunday, March 10 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Tickets for the watch party is $10 and available at thehandlebar850.com.

COFFEE TALK AT GULF BREEZE LIBRARY

Coffee Talk, a non-fiction book club, meets noon the second Thursday of every other month beginning in January. The next date is noon Thursday, March 14 at Gulf Breeze Library, 1060 Shoreline Drive. Come listen and share your thoughts about this month's book, "We Share the Same Sky" by Rachel Cerrotti. Anyone ages 18 and older who has read the book is welcome to attend. Refreshments are provided by the Friends of the Gulf Breeze Library.

PENSACOLA OPERA'S DIE FLEDERMAUS

Pensacola Opera showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 15 and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 17 at Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. Tickets are available at pensacolasaenger.com.

GALLERY NIGHT The next Gallery Night is 5-9 p.m. Friday, March 15 on South Palafox Street.

The March theme is "Dancin' in the Streets" with artists and performers along the street. Visit gallerynightpensacola.org for details.

CINEMAS IN THE SAND "Shrek" kicks off the 2024 Cinemas in the Sand event Friday, March 15 on Pensacola Beach. Movie starts at sunset at the Gulfside Pavilion stage on Casino Beach. All movies are free to the public. For more information, and weather updates, visit facebook.com/ visitpensacolabeach.

HERSTORY EXHIBIT OPENING RECEPTION Herstory focuses on accomplishments, challenges and boundaries women have overcome throughout history. Opening reception is 6-9 p.m. Friday, March 15 at Icon Modern Art Gallery, 213 S. Alcaniz St. Details are at iconmodernartgallery.com.

SILKSCREEN WORKSHOP Discover how to create vibrant prints in this hands-on silkscreen workshop noon-3 p.m. Saturday, March 16 at Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. No prior experience is necessary. Register online at pensacolamuseum.org.

CUBED 2024 Watch artists transform the cube canvases 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, March 16 at the Museum Plaza, 300 S. Tarragona St. Featured artists include Lilly Stark, Dylan Nadsady, Sasha Suey-Stoler, Hannah Leggs, Katie Romano, Jaime Diffee, Lindsey Hampton, Sean Bush and Aidan Garcia. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for details.

JIM GAFFIGAN Comedian Jim Gaffigan makes a Pensacola stop on his "Barely Alive Tour" at 5 p.m. Sunday, March 17 at Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. Tickets and information are available at pensacolabaycenter.com.

GOLDEN GIRLS: THE LAUGHS CONTINUE

Performance is 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 19 at Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. Tickets are available at pensacolasaenger.com.

SILENT BOOK CLUB AT BODACIOUS

Sundays are for quietly reading at Bodacious Bookstore & Café, 110 E. Intendencia St. Join the Silent Book Club 10-11 a.m. every Sunday. Details are at facebook.com/bodaciousbookstore.

PENSACOLA ROSE SOCIETY Monthly meetings are normally 6 p.m. the second Monday of the month at the Pensacola Garden Center, 1850 N. Ninth Ave. Visit pensacolarosesociety.org for more information.

BTB COMEDY Watch live standup comedy in open mic style 7 p.m. Mondays at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox. Follow BTB Comedy on Facebook for updates.

COMEDY SHOWCASE AT SUBCULTURE

BTB Comedy presents a comedy showcase the first Thursday monthly at Subculture Art Gallery, 701 N. V St. Follow facebook.com/pensacolasubculture for updates.

a&e happenings

SCRIPTEASERS Join writers at Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St., for Scripteasers every month. Visit pensacolalittletheatre.com for details.

THE MARKET AT GARY'S BREWERY Market

Perdido Key vendors will sell fresh produce, art, baked goods and more noon-5 p.m. the second Sunday of the month through May at Gary's Brewery, 208 Newman Ave. The next date is Sunday, March 10. Visit facebook.com/garysbrew for details.

PALAFOX MARKET Enjoy Palafox Market 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays. The event features local farmers, artists and crafters on North and South Palafox Street at Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza and Plaza Ferdinand. For updates, visit facebook.com/ downtownpensacola.

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

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

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

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

BODY, MIND, SPIRIT MARKET AT EVER'MAN Local vendors, artisans, holistic practitioners, speakers and more come together 10 a.m.-4 p.m. the first Saturday of the month at Ever'man Downtown, 315 W. Garden St. This is a free indoor and outdoor event with door prizes,

entertainment and children's activities. For a vendor table, call (850) 941-4321 or go to empowermentschoolhouse.com.

BIRDS AND HABITATS RECEPTION Quayside Art Gallery reception of the all-member exhibit is on view through March 30. The gallery is located at 17 E. Zaragoza St.

UNTETHERED OPENING RECEPTION

"Untethered" is a contemporary abstract art exhibition from local artist Lindsay Keeling on view through April 2 at Jaco's Bayfront Bar & Grille, 997 S. Palafox St.

FIESTA PENSACOLA 75TH ANNIVERSARY RETROSPECTIVE A collection of costumes, dresses and ephemera from the Fiesta events dating back to the 1950s is on view through April 7 at Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for details.

FIRE IN THE EVENING Enjoy a debut show from Louisiana-based painter Dan Charbonnet. Exhibition is on view at the Switzer Gallery at Pensacola State College, 1000 College Blvd., through March 8.

THE FLUIDITY OF PERCEPTION Enjoy an exhibit from Chris Gustin and Nancy Train Smith in collaboration with the Gulf Coast Kiln Walk Society. The show is on view at the Switzer Gallery at Pensacola State College, 1000 College Blvd., through May 17.

FOOD + DRINKS

ATLAS BEVERAGE CLASS: BEACH DRINKS CANNED COCKTAILS The next Atlas Beverage Class is 5 and 7 p.m. Thursday, March 7 at Atlas Oyster House, 600 S. Barracks St. Cost is $30 per person. Reservations are required and can be made at (850) 287-0200 or email taylor@goodgrits.com.

JACKSON'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY Celebrate 25 years at Jackson's Steakhouse, 400 S. Palafox, with a special five-course food and wine event 5 p.m. Thursday, March 7. Cost is $125. For reservations, call (850) 469-9898 or visit jacksonsrestaurant.com.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY POPUP AT BODACIOUS Pop-up event with local wine expert Kathy Kellett for a complimentary wine tasting, shopping discount, and giftwrapping service 5-7 p.m. Friday, March 8 at Bodacious, 407-D S. Palafox St. Visit facebook. com/bodaciousshops.

ITALIAN DEMONSTRATION CLASS Enjoy an Italian demonstration class with Chef Laura Bernardi Piovesana. Event is 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 12 at Bodacious, 407-D S. Palafox. Tickets are $85. Find a link to register at facebook. com/bodaciousshops.

SPRING SIP AND SHOP AT PERFECT

PLAIN This evening market with more than 20 vendors is 4-8 p.m. Thursday, March 14 at Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. Details are at facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco.

a&e happenings

JAZZ AT JACKSON'S Ellen Vinson and Bobby Van Deusen will perform at Jackson's Steakhouse, 400 S. Palafox St. Seatings are 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday, March 14 with a specially prepared menu. For reservations, call (850) 469-9898.

PENSACOLA MESS HALL HOSTS PI DAY

PIE TASTING Taste test pie for Pi Day 6 p.m.

Thursday, March 14 at Pensacola MESS Hall, 418 E. Wright St. There will be pizza and dessert pies from restaurants including J's Pastry, Craft Bakery, Bubba's Pizza, Lost Pizza and more. Tickets are $31.42 and includes pie samplings and wine. Event is for those ages 21 and older. For more information and tickets, visit pensacolamesshall.org/pi-day-2024.

ANGELENA'S SUPPER CLUB: PRIMAVERA SULLA COSTA, FEATURING SOUS CHEF IAN GILLETTE

From Positano to Amalfi, experience a spring evening on the Italian coast from Chef Ian Gilette, with wine pairings by Wine Director Brooke Parkhurst. The evening will start with crisp whites and move to lighter reds. Event cost is $150 per person (plus tax & gratuity). Event is 6 p.m. Thursday, March 14 at Angelena's, 101 E. Intendencia St. Visit angelenaspensacola.com for details.

of your choice. For more information and tickets, visit greenthumbwines.com/collections/events.

SUNDAY BRUNCH AT CAFÉ SINGLE FIN

Partake in brunch specials, full café menu, espressos and bottomless mimosas until 1 p.m. Sundays at Café Single Fin, 380 N. Ninth Ave. Live music begins at 10 a.m. Visit cafesinglefin.com for details.

SIPPIN' IN SUNDRESSES LADIES' NIGHT

AT FELIX'S Pop-up shops, pink drink specials and live music is 5-8 p.m. Thursdays at Felix's Restaurant and Oyster Bar, 400 Quietwater Beach Drive.

GAMER/JACKBOX NIGHT AT O'RILEY'S

Gamers unite 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Mondays at O'Riley's Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox St. Visit orileyspub.com for details.

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

75 CENT OYSTERS AT ATLAS Enjoy 75cent oysters 5-9 p.m. Tuesdays at Atlas Oyster House, 600 S. Barracks St. For more information, visit greatsouthernrestaurants.com.

SECOND TUESDAY THEMED TRIVIA

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

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

TRIVIA AT CALVERT'S IN THE HEIGHTS

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

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

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

THURSDAY BIERGARTEN TRIVIA NIGHT

Public House, 2719 E. Cervantes St. Visit sirrichardslounge.com for details.

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

LIVE MUSIC

JOE BONAMASSA Show is 8 p.m. Thursday, March 7 at Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. Tickets are available at pensacolasaenger.com.

LIVING COLOUR Show is 7 p.m. Thursday, March 7 at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. Tickets are $28 and available at vinylmusichall.com.

BIKINI TRILL, JARV, NERVOUS PULP, MOMMA BEAR Show is 7 p.m. Friday, March 8 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Tickets are $12 and available at thehandlebar850.com.

LITTLE RIVER BAND Show is 8 p.m. Saturday, March 9 at Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. Tickets are available at pensacolasaenger.com.

GREEN THUMB WINE TASTINGS Join Green Thumb Wines for a wine tasting 6-8 p.m. every first Friday of the month at 9 E. Gregory St. Cost is $15 which can be applied to a bottle purchase

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

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

TRIVIA AT SIR RICHARD'S Flex your trivia knowledge 8-10 p.m. Fridays at Sir Richard's

HOPOUT, AFTERDUSK, NO COMPLICATIONS Show is 7 p.m. Saturday, March 9 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Tickets are $10 and available at thehandlebar850.com.

for more listings visit inweekly.net

By C. Scott Satterwhite

Tuskegee University Choir Returns to Pensacola

The world-famous "Golden Voices" Concert Choir from one of the most preeminent HBCUs in the nation is coming to Pensacola for a rare visit. Founded by Booker T. Washington, the Tuskegee University choir has been a mainstay within the university choir circuit for years, and will soon visit Pensacola for a onenight only performance.

Long viewed as one of the most respected institutions of higher learning in the country, Tuskegee University has held a special place in Black history since its inception. With an alumni list featuring such luminaries as Lionel Richie, Betty Shabazz, Iceberg Slim, Teddy Wilson and Pensacola's very own Chappie James—as well as distinguished faculty including George Washington Carver—few universities in the region could boast such prestigious names.

Well known for its graduates and faculty, the role of the choir and the history of the institution are inseparable. Founded by Washington himself, the famed educator wanted the students to have the choir be a part of their scholastic lives. From the beginning, Washington was active with the choir and asked the director to play African-American spirituals at

the chapel's weekly services to build pride in the student's Black culture.

In his 1902 book "Character Building," a collection of addresses given to the students and faculty of Tuskegee, Washington wrote "There is no part of our chapel exercises that gives me more pleasure than the beautiful Negro melodies which you sing today."

"Wherever you go, after you leave this school, I hope you will never give up the singing of these songs," wrote Washington.

Since the choir's formation in 1886, its reputation has only grown over the years. Having sung for presidents and other historical figures, the choir has released several recordings and toured the world. From "The Ed Sullivan show" to Selma, Ala.'s infamous Edmund Pettus Bridge, the Tuskegee University Choir has lived up to Washington's calling to teach people "to see the beauty that dwells in these songs."

The tradition continues to this day.

The choir Washington helped found will return to Pensacola to an eager audience of members, including many alumni living in the area.

As with most HBCUs, the history of the college plays a prominent role in the way most students and alumni see their college. Tuskegee is no exception. For Dr. LuSharon Wiley, a 1973 graduate of Tuskegee, the history was her motivating factor in attending.

Wiley credited reading about the history of Washington and Carver's role in the school as her main reason for attending. "Tuskegee seemed like a magical place," Wiley said. "Thinking about [Washington and Carver] as a child made me think I would like to go there."

As a young student going to school during a turbulent time, Tuskegee offered a safe space for her to grow intellectually and culturally. She described her first moment entering the gates of Tuskegee as a "magical experience," and later seeing the statue of Washington "lifting the veil of ignorance" as experiences permanently etched in her mind.

Wiley said she always loved the choir, even if she wasn't musically inclined herself.

"I certainly listened to the choir," Wiley said. "Unfortunately, I'm not a person who could be part of the choir. Quite frankly, I don't sing that well."

For Wiley, however, Tuskegee offered much more than academics. "It offered me a sense of belonging," Wiley said. Describing a common HBCU experience, "I know that when I entered that campus that there were other people just like me, and I belonged there."

Wiley said the choir and the chapel where the members sang, played a prominent role in her Tuskegee experience. Wiley stated that while institutions of higher education were being integrated by the time she went to college, "they weren't fully so, and Tuskegee gave us a sense of belonging."

"It's an honor to be leading an ensemble like this, knowing that what we do showcases Tuskegee University and like institutions." Dr. Wayne Barr

"The level of comfort and the level of acceptance helped us to build a bond that cannot be broken [between alumni] because we knew our history."

After graduating from Tuskegee, Wiley went on to earn advanced degrees at the University of Illinois at Chicago and later the University of West Florida. Wiley credits her HBCU experience at Tuskegee as preparing her for a life in academia and human relations.

Despite being years out of college, Wiley and the Greater Pensacola Tuskegee Alumni Club actively give back to the community—especially students who want to go to Tuskegee. The upcoming

concert, organized by the alumni and the Equity Project Alliance, benefits the club's efforts to give scholarships to Tuskegee-bound students.

Bringing the choir to Pensacola is choir director Dr. Wayne Barr.

"It's an honor to be leading an ensemble like this, knowing that what we do showcases Tuskegee University and like institutions," Barr said. "Highlighting the work of African-American composers who aren't normally highlighted, we consider it a special privilege."

Barr said the Pensacola program will consist primarily of work by these African-American composers, including a former director. "It's a mix of both classical, spiritual and gospel selections," he said.

Though Barr said he was "filling the shoes" of many great directors who preceded him, he was especially proud of the students in the choir.

"For most of the students in this choir in particular, they were not musically trained [prior to coming to Tuskegee], so they get that experience and education being a part of this ensemble," he said.

"They're able to produce at a high level," said Barr of his students. "These students work hard to hone their craft and when you see them up there you see the product of that hard work. Beginning so far behind the starting line, and here they are. That's the pride that they take on that I would like to highlight, the skills of our choir members."

For those who haven't seen this choir, Barr said the audience will be in for a great event.

"You will get passion, and hopefully you will get a sense of the joy we share," Barr said. "Also, what you'll get is a sense of our pride in Tuskegee University, the heritage and our culture." {in}

"GOLDEN VOICES" CHOIR

WHAT: A concert featuring the Tuskegee University Concert Choir

WHEN: 3-5 p.m. Saturday, March 9

WHERE: Jean & Paul Amos Performance Studio, 1000 College Blvd.

COST: $30

DETAILS: equityprojectalliance.com

WINNER BEST LATE NIGHT EATS

Runner Up Best Bar–West Pensacola/Perdido Key, Best Bar Ambiance, Best Bar for Games

Best Bar Food, Best Hot Dog and Best Restaurant for a Birthday Dinner

free will astrology

WEEK OF MARCH 7

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): "Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow talent to the dark place where it leads." So wrote Aries author Erica Jong. Is that true? Is it hard to access the fullness of our talents? Must we summon rare courage and explore dark places? Sometimes, yes. To overcome obstacles that interfere with ripening our talents, there may be tough work to do. I suspect the coming weeks and months will be one of those phases for you, Aries. But here's the good news: I predict you will succeed.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): In October 1879, Thomas Edison and his research team produced the first electric light bulb that was viable enough to be of practical use. In September 1882, Edison opened the first power plant on the planet, enabling people to light their homes with the new invention. That was a revolutionary advance in a very short time. Dear Taurus, the innovations you have been making—and I hope will continue to make—are not as monumental as Edison's. But I suspect they rank high among the best and brightest in your personal life history. Don't slack off now. There's more work to be done—interesting, exciting work.

To overcome obstacles that interfere with ripening our talents, there may be tough work to do.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): I watched as the Thai snake charmer kissed a poisonous cobra, taming the beast's danger with her dancing hands. I beheld the paramedic dangle precariously from a helicopter to snag the woman and child stranded on a rooftop during a flood. And in my dream, I witnessed three of my Gemini friends singing a dragon to sleep, enabling them to ramble freely across the bridge the creature had previously forbidden them to traverse.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): The horoscopes you are reading have been syndicated

By Rob Brezsny

in publications all over the world: the U.S., Italy, France, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Netherlands, Russia, Cambodia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Venezuela, Ireland and Finland. Yet it has never appeared in a publication in the U.K., where there are more than 52 million people whose first language is English—the same as mine. But I predict that will change in the coming months: I bet a British newspaper or website will finally print Free Will Astrology. I prophesy comparable expansions in your life, too, fellow Cancerian. What new audiences or influences or communities do you want to be part of? Make it happen!

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): Author Jean-Dominique Bauby wrote, "Today it seems to me that my whole life was nothing but a string of small near misses." If you have endured anything resembling that frustration, Leo, I have good news: The coming months won't bring you a string of small near misses. Indeed, the number of small near misses will be very few, maybe even zero. Instead, I predict you will gather an array of big, satisfying completions. Life will honor you with bull's eyes, direct hits and master strokes. Here's the best way you can respond to your good fortune and ensure the arrival of even more good fortune: Share your wealth!

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): Virgo advice expert Cheryl Strayed wrote some rather pushy directions I will borrow and use for your horoscope. She and I say, "You will never have my permission to close yourself off to love and give up. Never. You must do everything you can to get what you want and need, to find 'that type of love.' It's there for you." I especially want you to hear and meditate on this guidance right now, Virgo. Why? Because I believe you are in urgent need of rededicating yourself to your heart's desire. You have a sacred duty to intensify your imagination and deepen your willpower as you define what kind of love and tenderness and togetherness you want most.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): Author Adam Alter writes, "Perfect success is boring and uninspiring, and abject failure is exhausting and demoralizing. Somewhere between these extremes is a sweet spot that maximizes longterm progress." And what is the magic formula?

Alter says it's when you make mistakes an average of 16% of the time and are successful 84%. Mistakes can be good because they help you learn and grow. Judging from your current astrological omens, Libra, I'm guessing you're in a phase when your mistake rate is higher than usual—about 30%. Although you're still 70% successful, that means you are experiencing expanded opportunities to learn all you can from studying what doesn't work well. Adam Alter's book is "Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most."

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): Sometimes you Scorpios are indeed secretive, as traditional astrologers assert. You understand knowledge is power, and you build your potency by gathering information other people don't have the savvy or resources to access. But it's also true that you may appear to be secretive, when in fact you have simply perceived and intuited more than everyone else wants to know. They might be overwhelmed by the deep, rich intelligence you have acquired—and would actually prefer to be ignorant of it. So you're basically hiding stuff they want you to hide. Anyway, Scorpio, I suspect now is a time when you are loading up even more than usual with juicy gossip, inside scoops, tantalizing mysteries, taboo news and practical wisdom few others would be capable of managing. Please use your superpowers with kindness and wisdom.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): Here's a little-known fact about me: I am the priest, wizard, rabbi and pope of Parish #31025 in the Universal Life Church. One of my privileges in this role is to perform legal marriages. It has been a few years since I presided over anyone's wedding, but I am coming out of semi-retirement to consecrate an unprecedented union. It's between two aspects of yourself that have not been blended but should be blended. Do you know what I'm referring to? Before you read further, please identify these two aspects. Ready? I now pronounce you husband and wife, or husband and husband, or wife and wife, or spouse and spouse—or whatever you want to be pronounced.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): "You don't have to suffer to be a poet," said poet

John Ciardi. "Adolescence is enough suffering for anyone." I will add that adolescence is enough suffering for everyone, even if they're not a poet. For most of us, our teenage years brought us streams of angst, self-doubt, confusion and fear—sufficient to last a lifetime. That's the bad news, Capricorn. The good news is that the coming months will be one of the best times ever for you to heal the wounds left over from your adolescence. You may not be able to get a total cure, but 65% is very possible. Seventy-five percent isn't out of the question. Get started!

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): A psychic once predicted I would win a Grammy award for my music. She said my dad and mom would be in the audience, smiling proudly. Well, my dad died four years ago, and I haven't produced a new album of songs for over 10 years. So that Grammy prophecy is looking less and less likely. I should probably give up hope it will come to pass. What about you, Aquarius? Is there any dream or fantasy you should consider abandoning? The coming weeks would be a good time to do so. It could open your mind and heart to a bright future possibility now hovering on the horizon.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): I invite you to entertain the following theory: Certain environments, companions and influences enhance your intelligence, health and ability to love— while others either do the opposite or have a neutral effect. If that's true, it makes good sense for you to put yourself in the presence of environments, companions and influences that enhance you. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to test this theory. I hope you will do extensive research and then initiate changes that implement your findings.

HERE'S THE HOMEWORK: What's one way you wish you were different from who you are? {in}

freewillastrology.com

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freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com

© 2024 Rob Brezsny

news of the weird

EXPECTATIONS: UNMANAGED At an event billed as "Willy's Chocolate Experience" on Feb. 24 in Glasgow, Scotland, children and parents were so underwhelmed that police were called, The New York Times reported. The event, which promised Willy Wonka-themed chocolate fountains, performances by Oompa Loompas and "optical marvels," turned out to offer just a few jelly beans and a nearly empty warehouse. Stuart Sinclair, who paid about $44 per ticket to bring his kids to the show, said it amounted to "maybe 20 chairs, a couple of tables and a half-inflated bouncy castle." Jenny Fogarty, who was hired to play an Oompa Loompa, said she was given a 15-page script the night before and that "the wigs were very cheap." The organizer canceled the event on Saturday afternoon; it was unclear who had called police. The event organizer, House of Illuminati, said ticket purchases would be refunded.

BRIGHT IDEAS

On Feb. 19, neighbors in an apartment building in Wejherowo, Poland, became alarmed as a 19-year-old man tried to lead a full-grown horse up the stairs to his third-floor home, Radio Gdansk reported. Police were called to the building and determined that the mare, worth about $3,800, had been stolen. She was returned to the owner, and the horse thief was charged with theft; he faces five years in prison.

•Details have recently emerged about an incident in Willow Springs, Missouri, in November, the Springfield News-Leader reported. The Howell County Sheriff's Office had investigated after a man in his 60s, who was a paraplegic, lost his feet while brush-hogging. "It was a poorly executed plan," said Lt. Torey Thompson. He said it was clear almost immediately that the accident had been staged: The cuts were very clean, the feet were nowhere to be found, and tourniquets had been applied to both legs. Allegedly, the victim had help from a man from Florida, who cut off the feet with a hatchet to help him commit insurance fraud. However, since the unnamed man never filed the claim and he was so severely injured, the sheriff's office declined to charge him. And the missing feet? "A couple of days later, we got a call that a relative found them in a bucket obscured by tires, so we went and got them," Thompson said. Mystery solved.

THE GOLDEN AGE OF AIR TRAVEL On Feb.

13, as a Delta flight soared from Amsterdam to Detroit, maggots began falling from an overhead compartment onto passengers below, The Guardian reported. Philip Schotte, who was on the flight, said attendants traced the source to a bag stowed above and found a rotten fish wrapped in newspaper. They removed the offending item, and the pilot announced that the plane would be returning to Amsterdam. Apologizing, Delta said the passengers were placed on another flight and the plane was removed from service for cleaning. Passengers were also given 8,000 air miles, hotel room compensation and a $30 meal ticket. But who's hungry?

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

SAW THAT COMING You might have missed the first-ever Florida Man Games in St. Augustine on Feb. 24, but it's never too early to plan for next year. United Press International reported that hundreds of people paid $55 each for a ticket to watch Floridians compete in a mullet contest and a "Florida sumo" event where competitors tried to spill each other's beers. Other events included a pork butt eating contest, a race that simulated stealing a bike, and an "evading arrest obstacle course." One winning team walked away with the $5,000 prize. "We understand that Florida is weird," said Pete Melfi, organizer of the event. "We embrace it."

TRY THE DECAF Brandie Gotch, 30, of Peoria, Arizona, told police that her children were being bullied by other kids, and she had reported it to the school and law enforcement, but nothing happened. So on Feb. 27, she took matters into her own hands, CBS5-TV reported. With her four children in her Silverado, Gotch drove to a local park, where she allegedly approached a group of kids and started yelling at them. Police said Gotch grabbed a 14-year-old boy by the hair and yanked his head back and forth as she yelled at him, then grabbed a stick from her truck and chased him, yelling, "I am going to kill you and run you over!" She then jumped back into her truck and drove it toward the group of kids, running over a girl's ankle in the process, although she told police she didn't think she hit the girl.

"I hope I didn't," she said. Her own children told police they were bouncing all over the truck during her jaunt through the park. Gotch was charged with six counts of endangerment, four counts of aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of attempted first-degree murder.

NEWS YOU CAN USE Legend says that if the seven ravens who protect the Tower of London (six, plus one spare, as decreed by King Charles II) ever leave the landmark, the tower will crumble and the Kingdom of England will fall. So it's no surprise that the tower has a ravenmaster, and 56-year-old Michael "Barney" Chandler has just been installed in the job, the Associated Press reported. Chandler is a former Royal Marine who said, "We don't know if (the prophecy is) true or not, because we've never let the number drop below six—and it's not going to happen while I'm here." As the sixth holder of the post, Chandler will be in charge of four other Beefeaters who look after the ravens. "You never know what they're going to do," he said. "They're all totally different, personality-wise." His favorite is Poppy, who hops up to him to accept a treat of a dead mouse now and again. Spoiler alert: The birds' feathers are trimmed so they can't fly away. {in}

From Andrews McMeel Syndication News Of The Weird

© 2024 Andrews McMeel