Inweekly October 8 2026 Issue by Inweekly

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THE LINDA LINDAS

Independent News | October 8, 2026 | Volume 27 | Number 40 | The Linda Lindas / Photo by Jaxon Whittington

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winners & losers

outtakes

news 6

We were just in awe.

buzz

feature

publisher Rick Outzen

graphic designer Tim Bednarczyk

editor & creative director Joani Delezen

contributing writers Joshua Encinias, Savannah Evanoff, Jennifer Leigh, Dakota Parks, C.S. Satterwhite, Tom St. Myer

happenings 14

Independent News is published by Inweekly Media, Inc., P.O. Box 12082, Pensacola, FL 32591. (850)438-8115. All materials published in Independent News are copyrighted. © 2026 Inweekly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

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October 8, 2026

winners & losers

Rick Metzger / Photo Courtesy of Ascension Sacred Heart

Ron DeSantis / Photo Courtesy of flgov.com

winners

losers

RICK METZGER The healthcare executive has been named president and CEO of Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola, effective Oct. 12. Metzger, a registered nurse, most recently led USA Health Providence Hospital in Mobile, where he oversaw an electronic medical record transition, achieved more than $10 million in operational savings and helped raise the hospital's Leapfrog Safety Grade from a C to a B. He previously served as chief operating officer at Ascension Providence from 2016 to 2023. He succeeds Will Condon, recently named CEO of Ascension Sacred Heart Health System. Metzger said, "My primary focus will be building upon the strong foundation Will Condon established, expanding access to care and earning the trust of our dedicated physicians, associates and community."

HOPE FLORIDA Disabled Floridians who turned to Hope Florida say the program, a signature initiative of Gov. Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis, left them with little more than lists of links. The Tampa Bay Times spoke with 10 people in the disability community who said they were let down. A mother, whose 17-year-old autistic son needs constant supervision, received names of nonprofits and churches she already knew couldn't help. She eventually moved to North Carolina to find support. Hope Florida has handled referrals for people in need for the Agency for Persons with Disabilities since 2021. The agency did not answer the Times' questions.

MARGARET STOPP During the State of the College luncheon, the Pensacola State College Association of Governors Emeriti inducted the Pensacola attorney as its newest member. Stopp served 23 combined years as a Foundation Governor and supporter of the College. She also chairs the Baptist Health Care Foundation, where she and her husband Harry have been major donors to Baptist Health Care's new campus. In total, members of the Association of Governors Emeriti have a combined 736 years of service to PSC and have contributed $1.34 million to support its mission. PENSACOLA BEACH AIR SHOW The sum-

mer event featuring the U.S. Navy Blue Angels generated an estimated $38.8 million in economic impact in 2026, up from $31.5 million in 2025, according to a study by Downs & St. Germain Research for Visit Pensacola. The air show grew from 124,000 unique attendees last year to 133,500 in 2026. Of those, out-of-county visitors numbered 73,500 (55%). The visitors spent $25.42 million directly and booked 41,300 paid lodging nights. Seventy percent said the show was their main reason for visiting. The typical out-of-county party had 3.4 people, stayed 2.3 nights and spent $1,180. Santa Rosa Island Authority Executive Director Mike Burns said, "This air show is an economic driver that reaches far beyond the beach."

FLORIDA DETENTION CENTERS A new

federal audit says ICE relied on Florida's "Alligator Alcatraz" without ever signing a contract or agreement authorizing it. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) never negotiated costs for the Everglades facility, which held an average of 1,386 detainees in FY2026. Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded Florida $608.4 million, with a bed rate of $249 per day, about 171 percent above ICE's $92 median. A January 2026 Department of Homeland Security inspector general review found the facility missed several detention standards, including living space and recreation time. Florida closed it in June. GAO says Baker Correctional Institution in Sanderson, Fla. operates under a similar arrangement, with no authorizing agreement and the same $249 rate.

ERIC SCHMITT The Republican U.S. sena-

tor from Missouri tried to catch former special counsel Jack Smith in a lie last week during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Smith's Trump investigations, but the effort backfired. Schmitt accused Smith of attending a 2024 Atlanta Hawks game, citing text messages. He called Smith a "dirtbag" and said the former special counsel had perjured himself. Smith denied ever attending a Hawks game. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) suggested Schmitt had confused the Hawks with the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, whose game featured Caitlin Clark. Schmitt later said his job was to "be aggressive." inweekly.net

outtakes

By Rick Outzen

CENTERS OF HOPE Last week at the Rafferty Center ribbon-cutting, NFL Super Bowl champion Doug Baldwin stood and talked about love; not the sentiment, but what he believes community centers actually deliver. Baldwin grew up playing sports at the Southern Youth Sports Association. He named his coaches one by one from the podium. He talked about a coach who picked up kids who couldn't get to practice and bought cleats and pads for those who couldn't afford them. The result, he said, was that kids had "a place to go," "a sense of belonging" and hope. Since the shooting in downtown Pensacola during the Fourth of July weekend, at-risk teenagers, curfews and more programs for teens have been discussed in our community. We need to move from talk to action.

kids up to about age 12. Once kids hit 14 to 17, they fall out of the programs. May has asked the Children's Trust to set aside money for a teen program. He started with $1 million and is now talking about $2 million. The Trust has shown some resistance, but the door remains open. The mayor told me money won't be the issue. Getting the right pilot program started will be. The Rafferty Center is a roughly $3 million facility next to the Theophalis May Community Center. It was built with no tax dollars. Donors like Troy Rafferty, Baldwin, the Studers, Cronleys and others funded it and then partnered with the city so it would last. The new facility is a reminder that Pensacola can do this. The city abandoned Legion Field 20 years ago. SYSA helped bring it back, and now the city and the private sector are investing in it.

A curfew may help keep kids safer, but it only works if there's somewhere for them to go.

NOT-SO-SECRET SAUCE Commissioner Lu-

mon May's grandmother was a custodian at the Fricker Center for 33 years, but she also tutored, coached, refereed and organized leagues. He told me about Terrell Hankins, a young man who now works for him. Hankins told him the only time he got a hot shower was at the community center, and the best meals he ever ate were served there. Mayor D.C. Reeves said the simple view is that a center offers a "positive distraction," a place to be instead of finding trouble. But the more accurate view, he said, is what Baldwin described. Kids who may not feel hope at home find coaches who are mentors. "I can accomplish something," the mayor said, summing up what those kids start to feel. Reeves called mentorship and confidence building the "not-so-secret sauce" of youth sports and community centers. May told me Escambia County has one of the highest numbers of juveniles on probation in the state, and one of the highest civil citation rates. Meanwhile, the Children's Trust has spent $18 million to $20 million on after-school programs for October 8, 2026

RIGHT-SIZE PROGRAMS The mayor and Po-

lice Chief Eric Winstrom recently attended the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Police Chiefs Task Force Meeting. The mayor said the organization is compiling a best practices report based on the meeting. He wants to sit down with Commissioner May and decide what's the "right size" for Pensacola. A quick win is already in the works. Police will notify schools when a serious crime happens at a student's home so teachers know that child may need support. The ideas aren't the hard part. As Reeves said, the work takes intentionality between the city, county, school district and nonprofits. A curfew may help keep kids safer, but it only works if there's somewhere for them to go. Baldwin challenged the crowd. He said, "Let's not just walk out of these walls, celebrate this building, and knowing the impact it's going to have, just continue to go on with our day." Pensacola has the leaders, the money and the models. A building with four walls doesn't change a child's life. The people inside do, and we should fund them accordingly. {in} rick@inweekly.net

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LIBRARY BOARD SHOWDOWN RESIDENTS: BOARD HAS BEEN SHUT OUT

Photo Courtesy of myescambia.com

By Rick Outzen At the Oct. 1 commission meeting, Escambia County Administrator Wes Moreno told county commissioners that he had not heard from the West Florida Public Library Board of Governance in more than five years, that its meetings had been paused to fill vacancies and that the board's role in selecting a library director was "a foreign concept" to him. His remarks followed 17 speakers, nearly all urging commissioners to restore the volunteer board, which has not met since April. Commissioners then voted 5-0 to open a two-week application period for the board's two countyappointed vacancies, and to return the names at the Nov. 5 meeting.

MORENO: "I DON'T WANT TO BE AT ODDS"

Moreno said that in a little over five years as administrator, he has not heard from the board and has never seen a budget presentation from it. "We've done five budgets," he said. "I've not seen a budget presentation from a board of governance." He also said he heard nothing from the board when the previous library director left. The county administrator conveniently failed to mention that the board was notified of Library Director Todd Humble's resignation only days before its August 2025 meeting, when Interim Director Crystal Bell-Rivera told them that Moreno had put her in charge. She also asked for their support in being named the new director. Moreno didn't tell the commissioners that he received a letter from Board Chair Dr. Blaine Wall, who emailed him on Aug. 29, 2025. Dr. Wall invited the county administrator to the board's September meeting. He also asked for clarification on the hiring process for the new director and the anticipated timeline. Moreno sent Assistant Administrator Wesley Hall to the meeting. County departments, Moreno said on Oct. 1, are governed by county policies and procedures covering personnel, procurement and other matters. He said he was surprised by the controversy 66

over who would become the next library director because he is accustomed to writing the job description, conducting interviews and hiring directors, as he does for the jail, public safety and public works. That a board would choose the director was "a foreign concept to me," he said, though he acknowledged the board's bylaws specify that is how it is done. Moreno didn't research how the previous hiring process was conducted by then-County Administrator Jack Brown in 2015. Brown and his HR director worked closely with the board and hired a new director in about four months. The county tried to handle the vacancy collaboratively, Moreno said, "but it didn't work out" because he and the board had different mindsets. He warned that the county could end up in the same position again. Moreno didn't mention that he called Mayor D.C. Reeves to remove longtime board member Lori NeSmith after she challenged him at the board's meeting in October 2025. The county administrator attributed the halted meetings to the vacancies. The county "took a break for the summer" in hopes of filling the seats, he said. He has received letters of interest, including one he called "very interesting," and expects to discuss it with someone in the coming weeks. The departure of another library director then left things "in limbo," so no meeting was scheduled. Board Chair Wall twice requested special meetings, one in June and another after BellRivera resigned in August. Moreno didn't respond. Also, the library board has held meetings during the summer months since its formation. Moreno said he is willing to schedule meetings whenever the board wants them. He asked commissioners either to amend the bylaws or to direct that he not be involved in hiring the library director. Otherwise, he said, "We wind up right back in the same position." "I don't want to be at odds. I really don't," Moreno added. He said the library is "doing fantastic" and that he is "happy to do whatever" the commissioners' will is. Moreno didn't respond to many of the public's questions.

Karen Emmanuel said the 2013 resolution establishing the board, along with its bylaws, requires the board to meet at least monthly. She said nothing in those documents authorizes the county administrator or any commissioner to cancel its meetings. Because the board must operate under the Sunshine Law, she said, blocking meetings hampers its work, and the county has given the public no explanation for the cancellations or the vacancies. She began to suggest retaliation as a possible explanation before Chair Ashlee Hofberger thanked her and moved to the next speaker. Kevin Wade said he watched a video of the Jan. 22, 2013 commission meeting, at which the board was created. He recalled then-Commissioner Gene Valentino opening by saying the board would do something "historic" and that the goals discussed that day were lofty. Wade asked that older meeting videos be posted so residents don't have to come "hat in hand" to obtain them. Before the chair called the next speaker, Wade urged "the three good commissioners" to act. Dr. Wall said the board has "effectively been prevented from functioning" for months. Though Moreno would later blame the board for a lack of communication, Wall pointed out that the county administrator hadn't answered his emails and never officially notified the board of Bell-Rivera's resignation or the cancellation of the September meeting. Dr. Wall called the treatment of unpaid citizen volunteers "disrespectful and unprofessional." He asked whether commissioners would restore the board's meetings or "remain silent" while an "unelected administrator" exercises powers not granted by the resolution or the agreement. NeSmith, the board's former chair, said the item came to commissioners "with no recommendations, no timeline and no names." She said the board has not met since April, with five consecutive meetings canceled, and that two seats have been open since January. At least five qualified people applied on time, she said, but none of their names has come before commissioners. She reminded Commissioners Steve Barry and Lumon May that they voted for the board in 2013. May responded from the dais that he intended to make a motion to fill the seats.

COMMISSIONERS: "APPOINT TWO PEOPLE"

Commissioner Steve Stroberger opened the discussion, saying he supports the library board meeting again. He described its role as setting book-selection policy, evaluating the director annually, recommending a director's removal and making budget recommendations, but not hiring. He said he had been told the library is running well, so he doesn't consider the matter urgent, but he wants the board to meet and asked why it wasn't. Moreno's answer led Stroberger to learn

that the vacancies are the commission's to fill. Stroberger said he had never appointed anyone to the board during his time on the commission. Commissioner Mike Kohler said the bylaws are outdated, noting they don't list the correct libraries, and that they should be reviewed annually and updated every three years. He suggested the board's makeup be re-examined and that Article 8, Section 1 be read, which says the board "shall recommend" a director to the county administrator or designee. Kohler, the lone "no" vote on the previous director's hiring, said he would not back hiring another director without clear qualifications. "We're here because of it," he said. He also complained that the commission's agenda backup lacked the interlocal agreement and the current bylaws. Commissioner May said the matter is simple. "Appoint two people," he said. He argued that the commission can reject the board's recommendations or later work with the city to dissolve the interlocal, but that appointing members shouldn't be tied up in questions about hiring, operations or finances. He said he supports Moreno's authority to hire and fire but did not agree with his decision for the new director. May criticized letting a committee rank candidates and then not following the ranking. He also said it would be "shame on us" if the commission's attorneys had not kept its interlocals and policies reviewed, and that a volunteer board without staff or counsel can't be expected to maintain its own bylaws. Commissioner Steven Barry, Moreno's staunchest supporter among the commissioners, said he wanted a public notice seeking applicants rather than a "closed circuit application process," and suggested names could be ready for the Nov. 5 agenda. He said a volunteer board cannot be handed authority to appoint high-paying public employees and that an administrator can't abdicate that authority. Barry said he still supported Moreno on the director hire and that anyone can make a mistake. County Attorney Alison Rogers told commissioners that a 2024 review of the board's bylaws was signed off in her office but never reached the commission. She said the library director would have been responsible for placing the bylaws on an agenda for approval. She said most of the bylaws track the 2013 resolution and the interlocal agreement. Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger said she favors filling the seats and was concerned applications had been emailed "willy-nilly." She called for an online portal, publicized so residents know the positions are open. After the seats are filled, she said, commissioners should hold a collaborative meeting with the full board on the bylaws. Barry then moved to open the portal and accept applications for two weeks, with all names brought back at the Nov. 5 meeting. The motion passed 5-0. After the vote, May asked for confirmation that once the two members are seated, the board will set its own meeting schedule and the commission will not. Hofberger said that is correct. {in} inweekly.net

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Doug Baldwin / Photo by Phil Nickinson

JUST SPREAD LOVE Former Seattle Seahawks

receiver Doug Baldwin used the ribbon-cutting for the Rafferty Community Center to challenge Northwest Florida's leaders to put aside their differences and "spread love." The Southern Youth Sports Association (SYSA) honored Baldwin and the Rafferty family as major contributors to the new facility. The basketball courts were dedicated to Junius Boling, Baldwin's grandfather. Baldwin, 38, said he doesn't like the spotlight, then spent much of his speech thanking the people who shaped him. He named a long list of SYSA coaches and said the building is just four walls without the culture they created. He said, "I wouldn't be here standing before you if it wasn't for them." The Super Bowl LVIII champion, who grew up in Gulf Breeze and joined SYSA at age 5, said the program taught young men they had value "more than what the world had told us." He said SYSA is founded on hope, but love is the foundation beneath it. He credited his family's tradition of service. Both grandfathers served in the military, one in the Air Force and one in the Navy. His father spent 35 years with the Pensacola Police Department, which Baldwin said took courage, bravery and integrity. His mother worked in the medical field and volunteered with SYSA, prepping game pamphlets and working the concession stand. Baldwin said his maternal grandfather attended every game. After a hurricane destroyed the press box, bleachers and part of the concession stand at the old community center, he rebuilt them by hand. Baldwin says they are still standing. 88

"They didn't see themselves as the saviors," Baldwin said. "They saw themselves as the service." Turning to the leaders in the crowd, and addressing the mayor directly, Baldwin said they still hold influence and authority. He asked them to "put all the b------- aside and just spread love," apologized for his language and recited the definition of love as patient, kind and not demanding its own way. Baldwin, who now lives in Seattle, is raising three daughters, ages 7, 6 and 4. He said he has watched two generations come through SYSA and wants the next to inherit a stronger community. He urged the crowd not to celebrate the building and then "just continue to go on with our day and not do anything different." He closed by saying some young person will walk through the doors and be changed by a decision someone in the room made to step up, someone that person may never know. "It's just love," Baldwin said.

NOT GOING AWAY Ray Palmer ended his tenure as CEO of Pensacola Sports on Wednesday, Sept. 30, with a final interview on "Rick's Blog Live." He said he plans to stay close to the community he helped build. Palmer led the organization as it grew from a golf-focused association into a regional sports tourism driver. Shirley Cronley began that shift as Palmer's predecessor, launching the Double Bridge Run and adding soccer, water skiing and other events. Palmer expanded it further, reconnecting with high school sports and landing major college events.

Those include an SEC women's soccer championship, with visiting teams asking to return for exhibition games, and a Sun Belt Conference basketball tournament that began during COVID and is staying. Palmer said he chased the conference for years, making repeated trips to New Orleans. Palmer said sports tourism has grown steadily through economic swings and was the first sector to rebound after the pandemic, because people were willing to play outdoors. Visiting teams care more about quality fields and good officiating than hotel prices, he said, and will book in January when beach season slows. He pointed to the John R. Jones Park expansion, which will add 22 new turf fields, as a sign of demand. Organizers are already asking to reserve the site for three weeks next July. Asked about his proudest achievement, Palmer cited changed attitudes about what sports can mean for the community and strong working relationships with Visit Pensacola, the Tourist Development Council and the Board of County Commissioners. Agencies in many communities fight over dollars, he said. "I'm stepping aside, but I'm not going away," Palmer said. Watch the full interview at ricksblog.biz.

SAZAC CONFUSION The Student Attendance

Zone Advisory Committee (SAZAC), formed by the Escambia County School Board in July, held its first meeting Sept. 24 and chose Walker Wilson as chairman. Its mission is to right-size a district that lost 799 students since last school year to vouchers, homeschooling, private schools and families leaving the area. At about $9,100 per student, the losses cost the district nearly $7.3 million in state funding this school year. Wilson, a former school board candidate and product of Escambia public schools, said he expected a broad review that could include consolidations, K-8 programs or magnet schools. Instead, Shawn E. Dennis, assistant superintendent of operations, told the committee that the district had already decided to close Warrington Elementary and Lincoln Park Elementary, each with fewer than 300 students. A third, smaller special-needs school, Hope Horizon, is also in the mix. The district administration wants SAZAC to redistrict its students.

"I guess I thought in my head maybe there would be more to the committee than us just rezoning," Wilson told Inweekly. The panel has eight citizens and three district administrators. It meets every other week and must deliver recommendations to the school board by December. Wilson plans to meet with principals at the affected schools and the schools that would absorb their students. The timeline contrasts sharply with the 2006 committee led by then-Superintendent Jim Paul. That 13-member panel met for eight months and recommended closing Woodham High School and Brentwood, Brownsville and Wedgewood middle schools.

LUMPY'S BILL PASSES The U.S. Senate voted 77-22 Monday night to pass the Protect College Sports Act, a bill aimed at reshaping how college athletics are governed at the federal level. The legislation now heads to the House, which is not scheduled to vote on bills until after the November midterms. UWF senior Lumpy DeWeese was among the athletes who traveled to Washington earlier this month to support the bill, joining coaches including Kelvin Sampson and John Calipari at a press conference organized around the legislation. DeWeese has said the bill's transfer restrictions and antitrust protections are critical for mid-major programs like UWF, which has seen dozens of roster turnovers each year under the current transfer portal system. The bill grants the NCAA an antitrust exemption to help enforce athlete pay caps, limits players to one free transfer during their college career and establishes a five-year eligibility window. It also raises the cap on how much schools can pay athletes directly, from roughly $21.5 million to about $49 million annually, and caps power conference membership at 20 schools. Florida's two U.S. senators, Rick Scott and Ashley Moody, both voted against the bill, objecting to provisions restricting how easily schools such as Florida State and the University of Miami could switch conferences. Moody did negotiate a last-minute amendment raising the conference membership cap from 19 to 20 schools before casting her no vote. An amendment capping coaching salaries at $5 million failed 52-47, and a proposal to double a fund for former athletes' medical care fell one vote short. The bill must clear the House during a lameduck session before year's end, or the process starts over in the new Congress. Supporters say President Trump is expected to sign it if it reaches his desk. FAIR'S GROWTH PLAN Gil Clark Jr., the newly

appointed CEO of the Pensacola Interstate Fair, is laying out a multi-year vision for the 91-yearold nonprofit organization ahead of this year's fair, which opens Oct. 22. Clark, who spent 28 years in the Navy—including a stint as commandant of midshipmen at the Naval Academy, and a command post inweekly.net

ELECTION DAY IS NOVEMBER 3, 2026

WHERE TO VOTE EARLY in San Diego—stepped recently into the newly created CEO role. The fair's longtime general manager, Jamie McDonald, who has held the position for 41 years, will continue overseeing day-to-day operations. Clark's top priority is rebuilding the fairgrounds' livestock barn, which sustained damage in recent storms. Beyond restoring space for livestock auctions and shows, Clark wants to add classroom space dedicated to agricultural education, teaching local kids about farming and ranching. The fair currently awards about $30,000 in scholarships annually to participating students, with roughly $1.6 million distributed over the years. Clark said he hopes to grow that figure through new partnerships with local schools and universities. The fair's 11-member board has also charged Clark with developing a second, spring event to activate the property beyond the fall fair. Early plans call for something other than a second carnival. However, Clark said feasibility conversations with longtime midway partner Reithoffer Shows suggest a spring carnival may not be practical. Instead, organizers are considering an agricultural festival centered on strawberries or blueberries, or a music festival that would use the open midway space without rides. A firm date has not been set, though Clark said the board is narrowing in on one. For information on 2026 Pensacola Interstate Fair, visit pensacolafair.com.

WHAT WORRIES HOMEOWNERS Near-

ly two-thirds of Florida homeowners are more concerned about property insurance than property taxes, according to a recent poll from the University of North Florida's Public Opinion Research Lab, complicating Gov. Ron DeSantis' yearlong push to eliminate homestead property taxes. The survey of 1,511 Florida homeowners, conducted July 16-31, found 63% named insurance their bigger worry, compared with 36% who pointed to taxes. The concern crossed party lines, with majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents all naming insurance as the more pressing issue. DeSantis has repeatedly argued that eliminating property taxes is the best way to address Florida's affordability crisis. In his March State of the State address, he said rising property values have "come at a cost to taxpayers squeezed by increasing local government property taxes." He later called a June special session to pursue a constitutional amendment on property tax relief. But the poll suggests homeowners are more focused on insurance instability. More than half of respondents, 54%, said they changed insurers at least once in the past five years, and 33% switched two or more times. Among those who switched, 47% said they were dropped—25% by Citizens Property Insurance, 12% by a private insurer and 10% because their insurer left the state altogether. Overall, a quarter of all respondents said they'd been dropped at least once in five years. Premiums have climbed too: 47% of homeOctober 8, 2026

owners who've lived in their homes at least five years said their annual premium rose by 50% or more over that span. On the state of the market, 55% see no improvement, 26% say it's getting worse and only 18% believe it's improving. Meanwhile, 69% believe insurers, not consumers, have benefited most from recent insurance reforms. The poll carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.18 percentage points.

CULTURAL CORRIDOR Dr. Nashid Madyun,

executive director of Florida Humanities, called for community radio stations from New Orleans to Miami to form a shared "cultural corridor" for exchanging oral histories, in a keynote address at the 2026 Grassroots Radio Conference. Pensacola's newest station, 107.7 WPNX hosted the event. Madyun proposed a weekly program in which WPNX and other nonprofit community stations would air oral histories from their own communities—a retired dockworker in Pensacola one week, a New Orleans tradition-bearer the next. He argued that Gulf Coast cities, including Pensacola, Mobile, New Orleans and Tampa Bay, and Miami on Florida's east coast have been linked for generations by music, food and shared history that rarely gets told as one story. "Culture does not travel according to state lines. Culture travels with the people," Madyun told the audience. He described archives and museums as rich with stories that rarely reach a public audience. He cited Galveston Island's role as an alternate U.S. entry point for Jewish immigrants from 1907 to 1914, and later for Vietnamese immigrants, as an example of history that stays buried without a platform to tell it. Community radio stations can provide that platform.

VOTE EARLY AT 10 AREA LOCATIONS! Monday, October 19 through Saturday, October 31

Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office, 213 Palafox Place, Second Floor, Pensacola Pensacola Library, 239 Spring Street, Pensacola Molino Community Center, 6450 Highway 95A, Molino Asbury Place, 750 College Blvd, Pensacola Southwest Library, 12248 Gulf Beach Highway, Pensacola

ALL EARLY VOTING LOCATIONS OPEN

8:00 A.M. TO 6:00 P.M.

Bellview Library, 6425 Mobile Highway, Pensacola Escambia County Extension Services, 3740 Stefani Road, Cantonment Brownsville Community Center, 3200 W De Soto Street, Pensacola Billy G. Ward Century Courthouse, 7500 N Century Blvd, Century UWF Center for Fine and Performing Arts, Building 82, 11000 University Parkway, Pensacola Sample ballots are available online at EscambiaVotes.gov/sample-ballots.

Robert D. Bender, Supervisor of Elections Phone: (850) 595-3900 Fax: (850) 595-3914 Email: soe@escambiavotes.gov

EscambiaVotes.gov

SAVE THE DATE CareerSource Escarosa is teaming up with the UWF Center for Cybersecurity & AI to host the Cyber Coast Apprenticeship Launchpad from 9 a.m.-noon on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the SCI Building, 220 W. Garden St. Sign-in begins at 8:30 a.m. in the Community Room on the first floor. The event targets local employers looking to build out cybersecurity talent through Registered Apprenticeship Programs. Attendees will learn how the apprenticeship model works, what's involved in employer participation, what resources are available and how organizations can take concrete next steps toward launching or joining a cybersecurity apprenticeship program. CareerSource Escarosa CEO Dr. Marcus McBride said the goal is twofold: helping participants understand how Registered Apprenticeship works while building a local cybersecurity talent pipeline, and making sure employers know how to access the resources and support needed to get a program off the ground. The launchpad is aimed at employers, business leaders, HR professionals, cybersecurity and IT managers and workforce development partners—no prior apprenticeship experience is required to attend. {in} 9

EXPLORE THE BEST OF PENSACOLA 010 1

inweekly.net

GOTTA GET OUT THERE By Savannah Evanoff

The Linda Lindas / Photo by Jaxon Whittington

If you saw The Linda Lindas at Universal Studios' Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights, no you didn't. They were too busy hiding behind Hayley Williams, their recent song collaborator, which Mila de la Garza (drums) finds extra humorous because Williams is "so tiny." The punk band went there to celebrate after recording "Closer" for their latest album, "Gotta Get Out." Collaborating with Williams was "like a dream," Mila said. Leaving high school early to do it? Even better. Lucia de la Garza (guitar) felt Williams was a particularly good fit for the song. "We wrote this song about not wanting to get older and not feeling ready to grow up, and here she is, this girl who's been in a band since she was 14 or something, and she's still doing music and she's still killing it, and she's been able to try so many things and take so many creative risks," Lucia said. "She speaks up for what she believes in, and I think that's so awesome." Despite leaving school early to spend the day with Williams or opening for major artists like Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins, The Linda Lindas are, in fact, still growing up. Lucia and Mila have a collection of fluffy clouds sitting on their counter (no explanation needed) and a puzzle behind them that Lucia is determined to finish before they head to tech rehearsal. Eloise Wong (bass guitar), who just rolled out of bed for press, teases that it's still the emptiest space in Lucia and Mila's house. Lucia was only in fifth or sixth grade when The Linda Lindas started. She graduated from high school just two years ago. She recalls playing cover songs at shows before they'd even reOctober 8, 2026

ally learned their instruments—most notably Bikini Kill's "Rebel Girl" at a benefit show for the school board. Somehow, the video found its way to Bikini Kill frontwoman Kathleen Hanna. "She was like, 'Hey, do you want to open for Bikini Kill at the Palladium or something?'" Eloise said. "And we're all like, 'What?' I think we even emailed her back, and we're like, 'Are you sure? Like, this is a kid cover band.'" That wasn't the last time the right person stumbled across their sound. Comedian Amy Poehler later tapped The Linda Lindas to record the soundtrack for her 2021 movie "Moxie," and that same year, their performance of "Racist, Sexist Boy" at the L.A. Public Library went viral. They never expected to take music this far— and neither did their parents, Lucia said. "It seems like from the very beginning, other people have had more confidence in us than we did," Lucia said. "But now we've really taken the time to prove our worth, and we've made some music that we're really proud of and played some shows that we're really proud of." After their critically acclaimed albums "Growing Up" and "No Obligation," they wanted their third to be a true collaboration, Lucia said. They took a staycation to start "Gotta Get Out" sans distractions—aka no phones in the writing room. And it worked. They wrote 10 songs in that week alone, continued writing in short bursts and ultimately dropped their 12-track album in August. "We knew that we wanted it to be the four of us and our music and what we are capable of doing together, which is different than the four of us separately writing in our own spaces," Lucia said.

Often, it started with what Bela Salazar (guitar) simply called "a vibe," and they'd build from there. Following that energy led them into new territory, including one of their heaviest songs, "Blood On Our Hands." The song came from frustration about how everyday spending can ultimately fund "evil things," like violence, war and destruction, Eloise said. "Such a heavy topic lends itself to a heavier sound," Eloise continued. "There's nothing like seeing heavy music live, and everyone is sweating and dancing together, and somehow a subject so heavy becomes a little more hopeful when it's in a room full of people who are shouting the same thing." "Music is a great vehicle for that, just breathing hope into heavier things," Eloise said. "Nothing Left" sounds upbeat, but the subject matter isn't. The track is about how convenience and money are prioritized above the health of the planet. "We all live on this planet; we all gotta take care of it," Eloise said. "Just being able to play these songs or put them out into the world to an audience that will hopefully start thinking about these things or feel validated in their concerns. Music communicates something that just reading an article or looking at a picture can't really do, and we're really lucky to have it as an outlet to put all our frustrations into. Hopefully something good comes out of it." As they head back on tour, they'll have Green Day's example fresh in their minds; they opened for the band on the Saviors Tour. It was one of the "craziest and best experiences" of their career, Lucia said.

"It was absolutely insane that we got to see them play their two-and-a-half-hour set all the time … and go 110% every night, and us playing our little 20-minute set at 5 p.m. or whatever," Lucia said. "We were just in awe. In a stadium … the audience, it's hard to feel them, especially during the day when there's not as many people in the crowd. But you learn to play off of what is there, and you learn to play off of each other. If you can do that, then when you go into a 500- or 600-cap room, the energy is explosive. It's crazy." "It's like, 'Come on, Green Day's running around for two and a half hours, I can sure do that for 20 minutes,'" Eloise added. Tour is the only thing on their minds. The Linda Lindas are excited to "see the world," Lucia said. And where are they most excited to go? "I mean, we've never gone to Florida," Mila answered with a smile. {in}

THE LINDA LINDAS thelindalindas.com

HALLOZINE FEST OFFICIAL AFTERPARTY

WHAT: Presented by 309 Punk Project and Foo Foo Fest, featuring The Linda Lindas WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29 WHERE: The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. COST: $20 (plus a $6.98 service fee) DETAILS: 309punkproject.org, foofoofest.com, handlebar850.com 11

new season, new music Recently Released

Thao "Show Me"

A roundup of records dropping this fall

Fontaines D.C. "Dopamine Chamber"

Stevie Wonder "Songs in the Key of Life: The EP" beabadoobee "Pylon"

XO "Need to Know"

Oct. 23

Julia Jacklin "The Gem"

Anderson .Paak and Cordae "Heavy Is

Victoria Monét "Frequency of Love"

the Crown"

M83 "I Wrote You A Letter"

John Legend "Muse"

Tinashe "Popstar"

Shabazz Palaces "It's a Style Sport"

Orville Peck "Mule" Wishy "Nature's Pill"

Oct. 30 Thao "Show Me"

Oct. 9 Cameron Winter "Live at Carnegie Hall" Remi Wolf "Mud"

Caroline Rose "Gentling the Horse at the Walt Whitman Mall" Queens of the Stone Age "Perfecth"

Dawn Richard "Creole Culture" Troye Sivan "She's the Best" Teenage Fanclub "Do Not Dare to Dream" Dominic Fike "How To Quit Smoking"

Nov. 6 Shygirl "Swallow!" La Roux "Old Flames" Kings of Leon "O My Beloved"

Oct. 16 Rachel Chinouriri "I think I spoke too soon"

Sufjan Stevens "Worst Christmas Ever!"

The Avalanches "No Bad Memories"

Lucky

show offs

A local fall concert calendar

Pensacola Songwriter Rounds Series Oct. 18 thehandlebar850.com 26

Jacquees, DeJ Loaf and TK Kravitz Oct. 18 vinylmusichall.com

Punk-or-Treat-III Oct. 9 @bettys_on_belmont

Oct. 29 thehandlebar850.com

Nov. 14 thehandlebar850.com

The Revivalists

Nov. 22 thehandlebar850.com

Upcoming musical performances by local arts organizations

Voices of Sea and Sky

Opera After Dark

Symphony & Song

Pours & Encores

Hauntcert: A Family-Friendly Halloween Concert

Mozart & Bizet

Oct. 16 choralsocietyofpensacola.org

Oct. 18 pensacolaopera.com

Brown Bag Opera Oct. 20 and Nov. 17 pensacolaopera.com 212 1

Chrissy Chlapecka

With Motion City Soundtrack, Colony House, Lucky, AJJ and more Oct. 30-Nov. 2 and Nov. 7-8 nightmovesfest.com

cultural sounds

Lupe Fiasco

Nov. 10 vinylmusichall.com

The Linda Lindas

Night Moves Fest

Nov. 5-15 frankbrownsongwriters.com

Hawthorne Heights

Oct. 27 thehandlebar850.com

Oct. 9 vinylmusichall.com

Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival

Nov. 6 vinylmusichall.com

Still Allice

Black Flag

Rachel Chinouriri "I think I spoke too soon"

Oct. 23 pensacolaopera.com

Oct. 26-27 pensacolasings.org

Oct. 30 pensacolasymphony.com Nov. 7 pensacolasymphony.com

PSO Youth Orchestra: Radiant Spirit Nov. 15 pensacolasymphony.com

inweekly.net

NOVEMBER 12 & 13

BUSINESS + LEADERSHIP

CONFERENCE

En tre

n2 02 6!

INVEST

Julian MacQueen

Founder of SCI, Co-Founder & Partner of HealthCare Plus Solutions Group

the

Innisfree Hotels Chairman & Founder

Quint Studer

Jake Poore

Former Disney & Franklin-Covey Executive Customer Experience and Healthcare Patient Experience Speaker

Bert Thornton

Retired President/COO Vice Chairman Emeritus Waffle House

SCAN FOR TICKETS

Jean Marie Richardson

Presented by

Founder and CEO iFolio

October 8, 2026

a&e happenings NONPROFITS & FUNDRAISERS

PYRAMID FALL MARKET FUNDRAISER

Flea market, student artwork and more to benefit Pyramid Pensacola. Market is 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10 at Pyramid, 7309 W. Highway 98. Visit pyramidinc.org/pensacola for details.

WILDFEST The 44th Annual WILDFest Anni-

versary Event and Supply Drive for The Wildlife Sanctuary is 12-3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10 at The Sanctuary, 105 N. S St. Details available at pensacolawildlife.com.

SEA NO LIMITS FREE FISHING CLINIC Arc Gateway is hosting a free fishing clinic for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10 at Vince J. Whibbs Sr. Community Maritime Park, 351 W. Cedar St. Registration is required. Sign up at seanolimits.com. EVENING FOR THE ESTUARIES GALA Ben-

DANIEL TOSH: MY FIRST FAREWELL TOUR Comedy show is 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9 at Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. Details and tickets available at pensacolasaenger.com.

FESTA ITALIANA! Festival is Friday, Oct. 9 and Saturday, Oct. 10 at Seville Square with vendors, live music, demonstrations and food. Details available at buonafortunalodge.org/festa-italiana. 20TH ANNUAL GLASS & CERAMIC PUMPKIN PATCH The preview party is 5-8

p.m. Friday, Oct. 9 at First City Art Center, 1060 N. Guillemard St. The general admission sale is 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. Prices begin at $20. Tickets to the preview party available on eventbrite.com.

efit for Pensacola & Perdido Bays Estuary Program 6-9:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16 at the Pensacola Yacht Club, 1897 Cypress St. Admission is $125 per person or $200 per couple. Tickets can be purchased at ppbep.givesmart.com.

Oct. 10 at Mathieson Brewing Company, 500 E. Heinberg. Listen to book excerpts from 12 local authors. Details at mathiesonbrewing.com.

ANIMAL ALLIES FLORIDA BINGO Ani-

IMPROVABLE CAUSE The next improv show

mal Allies Florida hosts bingo twice monthly at Beef 'O' Brady's, 1 New Market St., Cantonment (on Nine Mile Road near Pine Forest Road). The cost is 10 rounds of bingo for $10, with cash prizes for winners. For more information, visit facebook.com/animalalliesflorida.

ANIMAL ALLIES CAT AND KITTEN ADOPTION Visit Pet Supermarket 11 a.m.-3 p.m. every

BOOKTOBERFEST Event is 4-7 p.m. Saturday,

is 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10 at Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. Cost is $15. Details and tickets at pensacolalittletheatre.com.

RODNEY CARRINGTON Show is 7 p.m. Sat-

urday, Oct. 10 at Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. Details and tickets available at pensacolasaenger.com.

first and third Saturday of the month at 6857 N. Ninth Ave. to meet your furever friend. Visit aaflorida.org for details.

ANNUAL CRAFT & VINTAGE MARKET

CARING & SHARING MINISTRY FOOD DRIVE The Gloria Green Caring & Sharing Min-

MUSIC HALL ARTIST SERIES: CHERYL STAR UWF School of Music Artist Series wel-

istry is attached to the Historic St. Joseph Catholic Church, 140 W. Government St. The ministry feeds the homeless 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays. The ministry's food pantry opens 10 a.m. and also 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.

ARTS & CULTURE

36TH ANNUAL HAUNTED HOUSE WALKING TOURS Visit Historic Pensacola properties to learn the haunted history of Pensacola. Choose between the Haunted History Walking Tour or the Macabre Museum Walking Tour. Tours are 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. Fridays, Oct. 9 and 23 and Saturdays Oct. 10 and 24. Tickets are $15-$20 per person and available at historicpensacola.org.

MOSS ART WORKSHOP WITH JADE TREE SUCCULENTS Workshop is 6-8 p.m. Thursday,

Oct. 8 at 514 N. Baylen St. Details available at celestinebedandbreakfast.com. 414 1

UWF SINGERS: COLLABORATIONS Performance is 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8 at Rolfs Music Hall at Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 11000 University Parkway. Events are free, but tickets required. Visit uwf.edu/cfpa for details.

Event is 12 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11 at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox St. Details at facebook.com/oddcolony.

comes Cheryl Star on flute. Performance is 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12 at Rolfs Music Hall at Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 11000 University Parkway. Visit uwf.edu/cfpa for details.

PENSACOLA ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY LECTURE SERIES The next lecture is on the first

250 years of the Spanish Colony of Florida. Event is 7-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13 at Florida Public Archaeology Network, 207 E. Main St. Meetings are free. For more information, visit pasfl.org.

PUMPKIN PAINTING WITH CATS Painting class at Coastal Cat Café, 1508 W. Garden St. 5-6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14. Cost is $25. Register at coastalcatpcola.com. THE GULF COAST SOLITARY BEE Presenta-

tion from Joran Wingate for the Audubon Society. Event is 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15 at 3740 Stefani Road. Details available at fmwaudubon.org/fwmevents-calendar.

BIG TIME MACA Comedy show is 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Detail and tickets available at thehandlebar850.com.

VOICES OF SEA AND SKY Choral Society of

Pensacola performances on the local naval history. Event is 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16 at the Sanders Beach–Corrinne Jones Community Center, 913 S. I St. Details and tickets available at choralsocietyofpensacola.org.

ALI SIDDIQ: THE CUSTOM FIT TOUR Com-

edy show is 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17 at Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. Details available at pensacolasaenger.com.

GIRLS IN AVIATION: A SKY FULL OF OPPORTUNITIES Designed for ages 8-18, the

event invites participants to explore careers in aviation, meet women working throughout the industry, learn about local aviation programs, enjoy hands-on STEM activities and flight simulator experiences. Event is 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17. Registration is required. Visit naval-aviation-museum-foundation.idloom.events/gulf-coast-girlsin-aviation-day2026.

FIGHT NIGHT DRAG SHOW Show is 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Detail and tickets available at thehandlebar850.com. INDIOS AMIGOS This traveling exhibit high-

lights the overlooked contributions of Aztec artisans and warriors who accompanied Tristán de Luna's 1559 expedition to establish the first permanent Spanish settlement in Pensacola. The exhibit runs through Oct. 17 at panhandle libraires. See where it's heading next at fpan.us/ events/indios-amigos.

READ PENSACOLA The next Read Pensacola Book Club meetings are 5-6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20 with a discussion of "Grim Tidings" by B.K. Borison. Meetings held at Café Single Fin, 380 N. Ninth Ave. Details on Instagram @readpensacola. CINCO BANDERAS Artel Gallery's contemporary art show Cinco Banderas is on view through Oct. 23. Also present are exhibits by featured artists Diane Brim, Wendy Emeny, Michael Curri and Ronson Stewart. Located at 223 S. Palafox St. For details visit. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Entrance is free. HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS Home is Where the Art Is, featuring Jasmin Busbee's Accommodations, is a temporary exhibit co-hosted by FPAN and The Art Gallery (TAG). The exhibit is on view at Destination Archaeology, 207 E. Main St. through Nov. 2026. Learn more at fpan.us/ events/home-is-where-the-art. MAKE IT LAST AT TAG Six artists ranging

in both medium and imagery come together in The Art Gallery (TAG), 11000 University Parkway, to form a unified statement of resistance through mindfulness and rest. Exhibit is on view through Nov. 12. Details about the exhibit available at uwf.edu/cassh/departments/art-anddesign/art-gallery.

HOUSE SHOW: 309 ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE This exhibition features artists from the

2025 cohort of the 309 Punk Project Artist in Residence Program. Curated by Valerie George and inweekly.net

a&e happenings Christopher Satterwhite, the exhibition brings together works made during each artist's residency alongside select pieces gifted to the 309 Punk Archive, preserving their contributions as part of our community's living history. The exhibit is on view through Nov. 29 at Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St.

ROAD TO REVOLUTION EXHIBIT AT PENSACOLA MUSEUM OF HISTORY "Road to

Revolution: Commemorating the 250th Anniversary of the American War for Independence" highlights how Pensacola helped shape the outcome of the American Revolution. Developed in partnership with America250, the exhibit explores how a Gulf Coast port played a pivotal role in a global conflict. The exhibit is on display through May 2027. The museum is located at 330 S. Jefferson St. For more information about the UWF Historic Trust, visit historicpensacola.org.

THE 72ND ANNUAL MEMBERS SHOW The

annual juried exhibition is open to all PMA members. On view through Jan. 3. The museum is located at 407 S. Jefferson St. Details available at pensacolamuseum.org.

STEAM2026 STEAM2026 highlights themes of exploration and wonder through investigative contemporary art, interdisciplinary fields of study and unique collaborations. This national exhibition is a community-centered experience that integrates multifaceted art practices with science, new technologies and thought-provoking re-

October 8, 2026

search. On view at Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. through Jan. 17. For details, visit pensacolamuseum.org.

HUMANISTS OF WEST FLORIDA MONTHLY MEETING The Humanists of West Florida

meet at the Ever'man Education Center, 327 W. Garden St. 10:15 a.m. every second Sunday of the month. For more information, visit facebook.com/ humanistsofwestflorida.

WEST FLORIDA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY MEETINGS Monthly meetings start at 10:30

a.m. the first Saturday of every month (except March and July) at the Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St. Informative lectures and resources to begin your ancestry research. Visit wfgs.org for more information.

WEST GARDEN DISTRICT ARTISAN MARKET Shop local vendors and artisans 1-6

p.m. Fridays at Del Mar Plaza, 1617 W. Garden St. For more information, contact info@ubpensacola.com.

TALK TO THE MOON COMEDY CLUB OPEN MIC Weekly comedy open mic is 7 p.m. Wednes-

days at Mathison Brewing Co., 500 E. Heinberg St. Signup starts at 6:30 p.m. Hosted by Adam Bowles and Russell Douglas. Details available at talktothemooncomedyclub.com.

FIRST FRIDAY AT BLUE MORNING GALLERY Visit Blue Morning Gallery, 21 S. Palafox St.,

5:30 p.m. every first Friday of the month for a reception with wine, live music and occasional artist demonstrations. Visit bluemorninggallery.com for details.

MOVIE NIGHTS AT MUGS & JUGS Mugs & Jugs, 12080 Scenic Highway, hosts monthly movie nights. Watch their website for dates and movie announcements at mugsjugsbar.com. All movies are screened 9 p.m. on select Saturdays. CLUB 27 COMEDY SHOW Visit Lili Marlene's at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. on the first and third Sundays of the month for a night of comedy. Doors open at 6 p.m. show starts at 7 p.m. Visit sevillequarter.com for details. PENSACOLA HERITAGE FOUNDATION LECTURES Learn Pensacola and Northwest

Florida history through interesting, informal lectures every other Tuesday at The Wright Place, 80 E. Wright St. Doors open at 11 a.m., and lunch is served at 11:30 a.m. The lecture starts at noon and lasts one hour. Lecture cost is $5 for nonmembers and is free to members. Lunches are $12. For reservations, call (850) 380-7759.

PENSACOLA CINEMA ART FILM SCREENINGS Pensacola Cinema Art will screen films

select weekends during the summer season at 220 W. Garden St. Tickets are $10 and payment is cash only. Visit pensacolacinemaart.com for their complete schedule.

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 stand-up comedy in open mic style 7 p.m. Mondays at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox St. Follow BTB Comedy on Facebook for updates. STAND UP COMEDY WITH PENSACOLA COMEDY CLUB Join the Pensacola Comedy

Club 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturday at Betty's on Belmont, 506 W. Belmont St. Tickets are $10. For more information, visit Eventbrite.

SCRIPTEASERS Join writers at Pensacola Little

Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St., for Scripteasers every second Saturday of the month. Visit pensacolalittletheatre.com for details.

PALAFOX MARKET Palafox Market is 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays. The event features local farmers, artists and crafters on North and South Palafox Streets at Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza and Plaza Ferdinand. For updates, visit facebook.com/ downtownpensacola. SUNDAY MARKET ON PALAFOX Rain-orshine market is Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Located in downtown Pensacola, between Chase and Gregory Streets in the MLK Plaza. Market features handmade crafts, art, baked

a&e happenings goods, international cuisine and fresh produce. Visit smopalafox.com for details.

LIVE MUSIC

CABARET DRAG SHOWCASE AT AMERICAN LEGION POST #193 Don't miss Cabaret

cert series takes place 7-9 p.m. every Tuesday through Oct. 27 at the Gulfside Pavilion on Pensacola Beach. Free to attend. Upcoming dates: SheAndTheIts on Oct. 13 and The Oliver's Twist on Oct. 20. For more information, call the SRIA at (850) 932-2257 or go to visitpensacolabeach. com for the latest updates.

Drag Showcase every second and fourth Saturday at the American Legion Post #193, 2708 N. 12th Ave. Doors open 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 Pensac-

ola'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 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 real 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. After 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.

616 1

BANDS ON THE BEACH The weekly con-

LIVE MUSIC AT FIVE SISTERS BLUES CAFÉ

Enjoy live music Thursdays through Sundays at Five Sisters, 421 W. Belmont St. Upcoming dates: Cat Daddy Duo 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8; Me & the Misfits 6-10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9; The Glen Parker Band 6-10 p.m. Saturdays; Curt Bol Band 11 a.m.3 p.m. Sundays; John Wheeler 6-8 p.m. Tuesdays.

BANDS ON THE BLACKWATER Enjoy live music along the Blackwater River in downtown Milton 7-9 p.m. The last two dates are Fridays Oct. 23 is Blackwater Country and Oct. 30 with The Modern Elderados. Visit facebook.com/ bandsontheblackwater for details. PENSACOLA BEACH SONGWRITER'S FESTIVAL Listen to songs by the people who

wrote them at various venues across Pensacola and Pensacola Beach Oct. 1-11. Details available at pensacolabeachsongwritersfestival.com.

SCOTT BRADLEE'S POSTMODERN JUKEBOX: THE FUTURE IS VINTAGE Show

is 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8 at Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. Details and tickets at pensacolasaenger.com.

FORSAKEN PROFITS Show is 7 p.m. Thursday,

Oct. 8 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Detail and tickets available at thehandlebar850.com.

GRAHAM BARHAM Show is 7 p.m. Friday, Oct.

9 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Detail and tickets available at thehandlebar850.com.

SILENT THEORY Show is 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct.

10 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Details and tickets available at thehandlebar850.com.

HOUSE PARTY: A SWEATY LOVE LETTER TO 2010S RAGER Show is 9 p.m. Saturday,

Oct. 10 at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. Details and tickets available at vinylmusichall.com.

CARRY THE TORCH Show is 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Detail and tickets available at thehandlebar850.com.

MACHINE GIRL Show is 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15 at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. Details and tickets available at vinylmusichall.com. NIRVANNA–TRIBUTE TO NIRVANA Show is 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16 at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. Details and tickets available at vinylmusichall.com.

PENSACOLA SONGWRITER ROUNDS SERIES Show is 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Detail and tickets available at thehandlebar850.com.

THE BILLY JOEL LEGACY: A TRIBUTE PERFORMANCE Show is 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18 at Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. Details and tickets available at pensacolasaenger.com.

OPEN MIC AT ALGA BEER CO. Country

Club is hosted by Brett Patterson of Snake and the Rabbit every Monday night. Sign-ups start at 6 p.m. and music starts at 6:30 p.m. All ages welcome. Visit facebook.com/algabeerco for more details.

MONDAY NIGHT BLUES AT SEVILLE QUARTER The Blues Society of Northwest Florida brings blues to Florida 7 p.m. Mondays at Lili Marlene's in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Food and drink specials start at 8 p.m. Details are at sevillequarter.com.

PENSACOLA PICK NIGHT AT ODD COLONY Music pickers of all levels are invited to play

7-9 p.m. every last Monday of the month at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox St. Bring your acoustic instrument and jam. Visit facebook.com/oddcolony for details.

LIVE MUSIC NIGHTLY AT THE DISTRICT

Enjoy music and fine dining at The District: Seville Steak & Seafood, 123 E. Government St.,

inweekly.net

Every day, 50 new people reach out for help Mental health challenges affect adults, children and families across Northwest Florida, but help is available. Lakeview Center provides counseling, psychiatry and crisis care when it matters most. No one should have to navigate mental health challenges alone. Our team connects individuals and families to compassionate, evidence-based care every step of the way.

Help a neighbor get mental health care today. Donate now at GiveLakeview.org. October 8, 2026

a&e happenings every Tuesday through Thursday starting at 6 p.m. The regular weekly schedule is Tuesday Night Jazz with Love Brynnevere, Wednesdays with Platinum Bones and Thursdays Dan Lovelock on the piano. There is also live music on Fridays and Saturdays during happy hour starting at 4 p.m. Visit facebook.com/districtsteaks for details and updates.

MUSIC RX: JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED Jazz Pensacola and Escambia County

Medical Society present free concerts on the first Wednesday of the month in the cafeteria of Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola, 5151 N. Ninth Ave. from 1:30-3:30 p.m. For more information, visit jazzpensacola.com.

ROSIE O'GRADY'S DUELING PIANO SHOW Watch the famous dueling piano show 8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at Rosie O' Grady's at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Doors open at 7 p.m.

NOCHE TROPICAL: LATIN NIGHT AT SEVILLE QUARTER Presented by Latin Flavor En-

tertainment every Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Phineas Phogg's in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Visit sevillequarter.com for more information.

OPEN MIC NIGHT AT GARY'S BREWERY

Open mic night is hosted by Renee Amelia 6 p.m. every other Wednesday at Gary's Brewery, 208 Newman Ave. Visit facebook.com/garysbrew for details.

LIVE MUSIC AT WISTERIA Watch live music

7-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at Wisteria Tavern, 3808 N. 12th Ave. Visit wisteriatavern.com for more information.

VIBE IRIE REGGAE: LIVE IN THE COURTYARD Enjoy Vibe Irie Reggae band 4-10 p.m.

Sundays at the End O' the Alley Courtyard at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St.

LIVE MUSIC AT CALVERT'S Listen to live music 5-8 p.m. Sundays at Calvert's in the Heights, 670 Scenic Highway. Visit facebook.com/calvertsintheheights for details.

FOOD + DRINKS

BOOS, BREWS, AND CHEWS: A PROGRESSIVE HAUNTED DINNER Join the UWF His-

toric Trust, the Pensacola Bay Brewery, Juan's Flying Burrito and Lucy's In the Square for a ghostly progressive dinner 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8. Limited to 10 people. Tickets are $75. Visit historicpensacola.org for details.

SUPPER CLUB AT THE WELL The next Sup-

per Club is 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11 at The Well, 42 E. Garden St. Cost is $100 per person. Tickets available at ticketsilver.com/perfectplain/tcevents/2026-supper-club-series.

PASTA MAKING Cooking class is 2-5 p.m. Sun-

day, Oct. 11 at Pensacola Cooks Classroom, 4051 Barrancas Avenue, Unit C. Sign up at pensacolacooks.com/cooking-classes.

SCONE MAKING CLASS Class is 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 14 at Olde English Creamery, 818 1

221 E. Zaragoza St. Details at theoldeenglishcreamery.com/event-details/scone-making-11am-class-reservation.

SUSHI SKILLS Cooking class is 6-9 p.m. Friday,

Oct. 16 at Pensacola Cooks, 4051 Barrancas Ave. Ste. C. Tickets at pensacolacooks.com.

CAJUN TAILGATING Cooking class is 58 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17 at Pensacola Cooks, 4051 Barrancas Ave. Ste. C. Tickets at pensacolacooks.com. CAKE DECORATING: PUMPKIN Class is

2-6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18 at Pensacola Cooks, 4051 Barrancas Ave. Ste. C. Tickets at pensacolacooks.com.

DOWNTOWN HAPPY HOUR AT SEVILLE QUARTER Drink specials and laid-back vibes are 11 a.m.-7 p.m. every weekday throughout the entire Seville Quarter complex with $2 off all liquor drinks and $1 off all beer and wine. Must be 21 or older. Visit sevillequarter.com for details.

MARTINI MONDAYS AT DOROTHY'S

Martini menu with specialty prices at Dorothy's, 309 S. Reus St. Visit dorothyspensacola.com for details.

BAR BINGO AT SEVILLE QUARTER Bar

Bingo is 8 p.m. Mondays at Apple Annie's at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Bingo is free to play with prizes, giveaways and bar tabs up for grabs for winners. Visit sevillequarter.com for details.

FIGHTER GAME 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.

MONDAY NIGHT SPAGHETTI SESSIONS

Visit V. Paul's Italian Ristorante, 29 S. Palafox St., 5-9 p.m. Mondays for live music and spaghetti and meatballs from the Monday night menu.

MARTINI NIGHT AT THE KENNEDY Every

Tuesday, The Kennedy, 1 S. Palafox St., hosts Martini Night, featuring all martinis from the menu for $10 from open to close (4-11 p.m.).

TRIVIA AT DOROTHY'S Play trivia 8 p.m. Tuesdays at Dorothy's, 309 S. Reus St. It's free to play, and prizes are up for grabs. Visit dorothyspensacola.com for details. MUSIC BINGO Test your music knowledge 7 p.m. Tuesdays hosted by team trivia at Wisteria, 3808 N. 12th Ave. Visit wisteriatavern.com for details. POKER NIGHT AND BINGO AT O'RILEY'S Visit O'Riley's Irish Pub for poker at 6:30 p.m. and bar bingo 8-10 p.m. Tacos are on special

inweekly.net

Building Vibrant Cities Across America Back for a second year in partnership between the Center for Civic Engagement and Strong Towns, the Civic Leader Summit is a conference for those who believe in the power of place. It equips leaders, public officials, business owners, and active residents with the tools to create communities that are vibrant, resilient, and thriving.

What to Expect

5 Inspiring Keynotes

20 Engaging Breakout Sessions 3 Stunning Downtown Venues Actionable Civic Strategies Meaningful Connections

Oct. 6-8, 2026 | Pensacola, FL

The Center for Civic Engagement, Inc. is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization. Strong Towns is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. October 8, 2026

a&e happenings COLLEGE NIGHT AT O'RILEY'S Specials with

TAVERN TRIVIA Trivia is 9 p.m. Thursdays at

LUNCH AT THE DISTRICT The District Steakhouse, 130 E. Government St., is open for special lunch seatings the third Friday of the month. Enjoy a $5 martini or house wine. Seatings are 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Reservations are accepted but not necessary. Details are available at districtsteaks.com.

KARAOKE THURSDAY AT SIR RICHARD'S

WEEKLY SINGO AT PERFECT PLAIN BREWING CO. Music Bingo Thursdays is 7-9

TUESDAY TRIVIA AT PERFECT PLAIN Vis-

TRIVIA AT CALVERT'S IN THE HEIGHTS

Tuesdays at 321 S. Palafox St. Visit orileyspub.com for details.

it Perfect Plain Brewing Co. for trivia nights 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays at 50 E. Garden St. Visit perfectplain.com/upcoming-events for details.

SERVICE INDUSTRY NIGHT AT DOROTHY'S Reverse happy hour from 9 p.m.-mid-

night with other specials Wednesdays at Dorothy's, 309 S. Reus St. Visit dorothyspensacola.com for details.

LATIN NIGHT AT SEVILLE QUARTER Get

on your feet with a social Latin dance—no partner required—and Latin music 7-9 p.m. Wednesdays at Phineas Phogg's in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Drink specials and music from DJ DavidC continue after the dancing. Details are at sevillequarter.com.

TRIVIA WITH JAY 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.

your college ID and music from live DJs. 8 p.m.midnight Thursdays at O'Riley's Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox St. Visit orileyspub.com for details.

Karaoke is 9 p.m. Thursdays at Sir Richard's Public House, 2719 E. Cervantes St. Visit sirrichardslounge.com for details.

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

TRIVIA NIGHT Test your knowledge 6 p.m.

Thursdays at Wisteria Tavern, 3808 N. 12th Ave. Visit wisteriatavern.com for more information.

KARAOKE AT DOROTHY'S Karaoke begins 8 p.m. Thursdays at Dorothy's, 309 S. Reus St. Visit dorothyspensacola.com for details.

COLLEGE NIGHT AT SEVILLE QUARTER

College night is 8 p.m. Thursdays at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Ages 18 and older are welcome. Free beer pong tournament begins at 10 p.m. Drink specials include $2 bar drinks, $3.50 Fireball shots for ages 21 and older. Cover is $5 for ages 21 and older and $10 for ages 18-20. Details are at sevillequarter.com.

O'Riley's Tavern, 3728 Creighton Road. Visit orileystavern.com for details.

p.m. at Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. Details are at facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco.

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

SEVILLE QUARTER'S FLIP MY QUARTER

Seville Quarter is flipping the script—and a few quarters—with its brand-new happy hour promotion, Flip My Quarter, 6-8 p.m. Fridays throughout the Seville Quarter entertainment complex. When you order a domestic draft beer, well liquor cocktail or house wine, tell the bartender to "flip my quarter." When they flip it, call it in the air. If you call it right, your drink is free.

FISH FRY FRIDAYS Fish and chips featured 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Fridays at Sir Richard's Public House, 2719 E. Cervantes St. Visit sirrichardslounge.com for details.

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

JAMESON SPECIAL Enjoy $5 Jameson Irish

THEMED DANCE PARTIES Visit Dorothy's,

urdays, members enjoy $3.50 Crown & Drown cocktails at Phineas Phogg's inside Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Details are at sevillequarter.com.

309 S. Reus St. Fridays for themed dance parties with DJ Brody P 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Visit dorothyspensacola.com for details.

FRIDAY HAPPY HOUR AT SEVILLE QUARTER Visit Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St., on Fridays for cold drinks, hot food and great vibes in the End O' the Alley Courtyard at Seville Quarter. Happy hour begins 11 a.m. Fridays with drink and food specials.

Whiskey all night Saturdays at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St.

MEMBERSHIP APPRECIATION NIGHT AT SEVILLE QUARTER From 8 p.m.-midnight Sat-

WEEKLY SATURDAY BRUNCH Brunch is 10

a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays at O'Riley's Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox St. Enjoy a $10 bottle of champagne with food purchase. Visit orileyspub.com for details. for more listings visit inweekly.net

November in Pensacola means art — over 200 juried artists, live music, delicious food, and kids’ activities. And it’s all free.

Nov. 6, 7 & 8 Details at

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inweekly.net

••••Dream. Inspire. Remember.••••

Visit Your

NATIONAL NAVAL AVIATION Museum • More than 150 beautifully restored aircraft • Hangar Bay One with an expanded Apollo Space exhibit, Marine One helicopter and F/A-18 Hornet • Giant 4K Screen Digital Theater, cafe’, simulators, museum store and more!

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: • Access to the museum is through the West Gate on Blue Angel Pkwy. • A REAL ID or valid passport is required for base access • A clear bag policy is in effect.

See free Blue Angels practices most Tuesday and Wednesdays. Scan the QR code for all the details and premium seating options.

NavalAviationMuseum.org

October 8, 2026

FREE ADMISSION

free will astrology WEEK OF OCTOBER 8 ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): "Dear Oracle:

My secret terror is being ordinary. I need to be special, and lately I'm worried I'm just average and unremarkable. That thought is repugnant to me! Can you offer any advice? —Afraid of Average." Dear Afraid: The pressure to be extraordinary is exhausting because it's the wrong goal. Your birthright and your life assignment aren't about being special in the sense of better-than. You're simply meant to be vividly, generously, amazingly yourself. In the coming weeks, I invite you to trade the anxious hunt for superiority for the warm, throbbing joy of full self-expression. Shine because it feels fantastic, not to outrank anyone.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): Ravens

sometimes hide food while pretending to conceal it elsewhere, especially if another raven is observing. They're strategic and imaginative and aware of how they're perceived. With their social intelligence as inspiration, I will encourage you to think more consciously about the stories you're broadcasting. Which precious projects will flourish better if protected from premature scrutiny? Do you have any in-progress blooms that really should continue to incubate before being revealed? Discernment isn't deception. PS: Conversely, there may be a part of you that deserves greater visibility.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): The Taurus philosopher Søren Kierkegaard wrote that life must be lived forward but can only be understood backward. You Geminis are naturally inclined to resist that advice. Many of you analyze experiences while they're still unfolding. Can I coax you to try a different approach in the coming weeks? As usual, you may be tempted to figure everything out immediately. But the most useful clarity won't arrive until later, as you survey what has occurred and recognize patterns you couldn't see in real time. So try to stay curious rather than overly diagnostic. Keep gathering impressions, stories and clues. Allow events to transpire like chapters in a book whose ending you haven't reached yet. CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): The Ger-

mans have a word, "Sehnsucht," for a feeling that my English language can't quite convey: a deep,

By Rob Brezsny

sweet, aching longing for something you can't name. It may be a faraway home you've never visited or a wholeness you seem to remember without ever having had it. Most people treat this yearning as a problem to be fixed or numbed. But I think it's sacred information, Cancerian, and you're especially fluent in it right now. Don't rush to resolve the ache or explain it away. Instead, follow it like a scent. What is your Sehnsucht pointing toward? Let it lead you toward the beauty and meaning your soul is homesick for.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): Botanists know that

climbing vines have a simple approach. They keep extending their sensitive tendrils until they discover something sturdy enough to support upward growth. Their progress depends on continual experimentation. I love it when you imitate this style of intelligence, Leo, which I think will be especially useful and successful during the coming weeks. So instead of demanding guarantees before beginning a new endeavor, offer exploratory feelers. Ask friendly questions. Test prototypes. The right support system probably already exists, but may not reveal itself until you reach toward it.

Shine because it feels fantastic, not to outrank anyone. VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): One of my favorite Virgos works in a museum cleaning centuriesold paintings with exquisite patience. She uses tiny swabs and gentle solvents to lift away layers of darkened varnish and grime. She's an expert at making the original colors emerge so vividly that the painting looks newly made. But her work demands artful restraint. If she presses too hard or applies the wrong solvent, she could destroy the very thing she means to reveal. This approach can be your specialty in the coming weeks, Virgo. I hope you will attend to valuables that have been obscured by accumulated grime, like old habits, stale assumptions and other people's projections. Your task is to gently lift it all away and let the true colors shine. LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): Periodically, you have the cosmic right to receive precisely what

you need. Life is duty-bound to deliver a close approximation of full satisfaction. I believe now is one of those times. So please be bold and articulate about naming the specific blessings you require. Write them down, speak them aloud and pray for them—not as a demand, but as a hearty invitation. Then, for a while, live as if all of creation is indeed honor-bound to respond accordingly, adjusting its behavior so it's in harmony with the gifts you've asked for.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): Every Thursday night, I haul my trash bin out to the street so the collectors can empty it the following morning. Most weeks it's three-quarters full. But now and then I produce an unusually large haul of debris. On those occasions, I have to turn into a one-person compaction crew: I grab a lowhanging branch of the persimmon tree, hoist myself up, drop down feet-first into the can and bounce around to squash everything enough to squeeze in the overflow. Consider this my audition to be your role model, Scorpio. According to my reading of the celestial weather, it's time for you to consolidate and discard at least half a year's accumulation of obsolete clutter—both the invisible emotional kind and the tangible stuff filling your space. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): An-

cient navigators sometimes crossed vast stretches of sea by studying the swells beneath their boats. Their bodies were instruments of perception that enabled them to feel the subtle wave patterns generated by winds and distant islands. Your intuition has a similar sensitivity these days, Sagittarius. I hope you will trust it: what your whole being senses before your rational mind assembles the evidence. I call this fully embodied intelligence. It deserves a key role in your decision-making.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): I've nev-

er been a fan of Capricorn poet Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931). The ideas he expressed seem commonplace and sentimental to me. But his book "The Prophet" is an all-time bestseller translated into over 100 languages. Millions of readers have adored and benefited from his words, and he's acclaimed as a literary hero in his native Lebanon. So who cares what I think! I'll just shut up and appreciate the fact that he worked hard and published

a lot. His disciplined, painstaking efforts have been widely inspirational. Let's make him your role model for the coming months. I think you're primed to create enduring offerings that nourish people's souls.

I think you're primed to create enduring offerings that nourish people's souls. AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): Think of an aspect of your life that you have always wished you could change but have assumed or feared you could never change. What if, sometime soon, you try to change it, but this time you do it with playful lightheartedness? You resolve to feel zero stress and have as much fun as possible as you try to shift how this problem works. You decide you will use your imagination to dream up unprecedented and even outrageous ways to break your trance and invite sweet liberation to swoop in. PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): Geologists

tell us that over time, rocks really do get transformed under sustained pressure. Their material gets reorganized into denser, more stable stuff. This is an apt metaphor for you, dear Pisces. You're under pressure right now, and it may feel intense. But what if it's actually reconfiguring you? Maybe the constraints are what you need to make you more focused, more essential and more real. Not all pressure is bad, and this is proof. Ask yourself: what is this pressure making possible that freedom couldn't create? Let yourself be reorganized. HERE'S THE HOMEWORK: Do you know how to turn one of your so-called liabilities into an asset? tinyurl.com/y8y8y8y {in}

freewillastrology.com

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news of the weird HOLY HANDBAG THIEF, BATMAN! Perhaps the city of Norwich in England should change its name to Gotham City. The Guardian reported on Sept. 25 that Sonni Mason, 25, was celebrating a friend's birthday when he witnessed someone stealing a handbag from a woman who was in line to enter a nightclub. Dressed as Batman for the party he was attending, Sonni and two of his friends—dressed as Poison Ivy, also from the Batman franchise, and Mister Fantastic from the Fantastic Four—ran after the thief, recruiting police officers for help as they gave chase. The heroes stopped the thief, who by then had conveniently ditched the bag, but it was found nearby, atop a high wall surrounding Norwich Cathedral. After multiple failed attempts to retrieve it, the Caped Crusader himself climbed the wall, grabbed the bag and returned it to its owner, with all her belongings still inside. [The Guardian, 9/25/26] JUMPING TO THE RESCUE In a case of "right place, right time," a group of experienced skydivers were in their plane, preparing to jump, when they witnessed a small plane crash in a cornfield in East Troy, Michigan, on Sunday, Sept. 27, WISN reported. "[The pilot of the other plane] kind of banked up and then he disappeared behind the trees, and we were all waiting for him to show back up. We all looked at each other and said, 'Did we just see a plane crash?'" skydiver John Bechtel said. The group had their pilot fly them to a safe place, then literally jumped from their plane to the accident site. One of the skydivers happened to be a former paramedic, and administered aid to someone with a serious head injury while they waited for EMS personnel to arrive. All four people aboard the crashed plane survived; the crash is under investigation with the NTSB. [WISN, 9/28/26] EMU DOWN, EMU DOWN! An emu attempted to evade capture by butting a captor in Salcombe, England, The Telegraph reported on Sept. 25. The emu, called Side Neck due to the wobbly nature of its head when it runs, slipped through an open gate at a farm where it keeps foxes away from ducks and chickens. A man tackled the emu in the middle of the road, whereupon a passerby began filming. For nearly 20 seconds, the bird and man tussled. The man, whose pants had begun to fall down during the struggle, is heard shouting, "Emu down, emu down!" at one point. Side Neck proceeded to finally knock the man over and run back to the farm it had escaped from, leaving a trail of feathers—and its would-be captor—behind. The gate was then closed with Side Neck safely inside. [The Telegraph, 9/25/26] LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINALS Police in Seattle are looking for two suspects who could have singed hair or eyebrows or other heat-related types of injuries, KIRO 7 reported. Seattle police and firefighters responded to calls of box trucks on fire on Sept. 25. When Arson and Bomb Squad detectives looked at video footage of the crime, they saw two suspects arrive at the scene in a vehicle and appear to attempt to steal fuel from the box trucks. A fire ignited, engulfing the vehicle

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

and the suspects. The suspects then got into their vehicle and drove out of the fire. Now Seattle law enforcement is in search of the two people in the video who were on fire. Total damage to the rental trucks was nearly $150,000. [KIRO 7, 9/27/26] EYEWITNESS NEWS A shark swam the flooded streets of Surf City, New Jersey, a suburb on Long Island Beach, after a recent nor'easter pummeled the coast, Smithsonian Magazine reported. In a video captured by homeowner Drew Procaccino on Saturday, Sept. 26, the shark's fin can be seen poking above the water as it cruises up the driveway before swimming away. The shark was identified as a smooth dogfish, a harmless shark that grows 3 to 5 feet long. [Smithsonian Magazine, 9/30/26] GOTTA GO, GOTTA GO Anxious to heed nature's call, a man in Rosenberg, Texas, crashed his car into a Kroger on purpose, KVUE reported. In the wee morning hours of Sunday, Sept. 27, the unidentified man, who police later learned was upset that the store was locked, drove his car through the pharmacy doors in order to use the restroom. No injuries were reported, and police have not released the man's identity. [KVUE, 9/29/26] •A New York resident, known only as Donny, was appalled after his Ring camera footage showed an Amazon delivery driver relieving himself in the hall outside Donny's apartment, peeing all over the floor and furniture, the New York Post reported on Sept. 27. "He walked straight back there as if he'd done it a hundred times, like second nature," Donny said. "I had shoes in the hallway, a chair in the hallway, a table in the hallway and he was peeing and splashing everywhere." Donny complained to Amazon, who offered him a whopping $50 coupon as consolation, which Donny declined. The driver, who remains unidentified, was not employed directly by Amazon, but with what Amazon calls one of its "Delivery Service Partners," and the company says the driver is no longer delivering Amazon packages. A local attorney is considering taking legal action against Amazon on Donny's behalf. [NY Post, 9/27/26] CARRIED AWAY After a non-injury car collision in India, a man held on to the hood of a car as it drove away from the accident, Gulf News reported on Sept. 29. As one of the cars tried to leave the scene, someone in the other car jumped onto the fleeing car's hood in an attempt to stop the driver from getting away. Instead, the driver kept going, leaving the man hanging on for just over a mile and yelling for the driver to stop. Police intervened after witnesses called the emergency line, and took the driver into custody. [Gulf News, 9/29/26] {in}

Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com October 8, 2026

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