Inweekly Sept. 15 2022 Issue

FREE ▶Independent News | September 15, 2022 | Volume 23 | Number 37 Fe st s Pa rt 2 FA LL G UID E

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Independent News is published by Inweekly Media, Inc., P.O. Box 12082, Pensacola, FL 32591. (850)438-8115. All materi als published in Independent News are copyrighted. © 2022 Inweekly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

now to

graphic designer Tim Bednarczyk

appointment

publisher Rick Outzen

2 inweekly.net2 winners & losers 4 outtakes 5 news 6, 7

the

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

3September 15, 2022

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AETNA BETTER HEALTH OF FLORIDA The CVS Health® company has launched a partner ship with Gulf Coast Kid's House to combat child abuse and human trafficking. Aetna is making a $50,000 commitment to the non profit, jumpstarting a partnership to expand our school-based program into the Pensacola com munity and the surrounding areas. Gulf Coast Kid's House creates an educational curriculum to raise awareness of the signs of child abuse and human trafficking.

The committee chaired by Florida Sen. Rick Scott boasted that it had collected a record $181 million by the end of July, according to The New York Times, but has spent more than 95% of what it brought in. As the midterm elections heat up, NRSC had about $23.2 million on hand entering Au gust, which is less than half of its Democratic counterpart had in the bank. Republicans may have to thank Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for bailing them out. A super PAC aligned with him booked more than $160 mil lion in television reservations after Labor Day. Scott defended the spending, "We did the right thing. Here's the problem. If you wait until the last month, there's too much static; there's too much noise out there."

losers

In Feb ruary 2021, Achieve Escambia announced that it had received an $85,000 grant from StriveTo gether Challenge Fund to build a racial inequity dashboard from data accumulated from area hospitals, Community Health Northwest Flori da, Early Learning Coalition, Escambia County School District, local chambers of commerce, the Children's Home Society and other organi zations. Achieve Escambia executive director Kim Krupa said, "This is going to be a window into the soul of our community." The window has disappeared from the Achieve Escambia website. When a user clicks on the page with the Equity Dashboard, they see, "We couldn't find the page you were looking for." Where did the $85,000 go?

nating commissions of the First District Court of Appeal, the Second District Court of Appeal and the Fifth District Court of Appeal were ter minated to account for the change in boundaries caused by the creation of the Sixth District Court of Appeal. Fleming has served more than 12 years on the nominating commission. He is reappointed for a term ending July 1, 2023.

NATIONAL REPUBLICAN SENATORIAL

MELISSA JOHNSON The manager of ReEntry Alliance Pensacola's outdoor camp at the former Pathways for Change facility on West Moreno Street was terminated by her boss, REAP Executive Director Vinnie Whibbs Jr., after a former volunteer, Candy Alcott, told the Escambia County Commission that people staying at the camp were living in unhealthy conditions, surrendered their food stamp EBT cards to stay there and were subjected to random drug testing. Johnson denied the al legations when she was interviewed by WKRG News 5.

RACIAL DISPARITY DASHBOARD

FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT The electric util ity continues to dole out checks. Recently, Flor ida Power & Light Company donated $50,000 to DoD STARBASE Pensacola, which offers fifth-grade students at Title 1 schools through out Escambia County the opportunity to attend five-day, 25-hour STEM classes that focus on various science, technology, engineering and mathematic topics. Rear Admiral Kyle Cozad, USN (Ret), Naval Aviation Museum Foundation CEO, said, "This gift from FPL personifies the strength of partnerships that STARBASE and the National Flight Academy, under the um brella of the Northwest Florida STEM Center of Excellence, has within our local community."

Meanwhile, homelessness, public educa tion, access to health care and poverty still hold this area back, even though we have dozens of nonprofits that raise money to combat these issues. And every time federal, state and local funds become available for an issue, such as homelessness, new organizations pop up and rush to the trough.

John Johnson, head of Opening Doors Northwest Florida and co-chair of the home less reduction task force, believes the number is in the seven hundreds. Community Health Northwest Florida has taken care of over 7,000 homeless individuals this year. The United Way's 2-1-1 service helped over 10,000 people who were homeless or in imminent danger of losing shelter last year.

I have a goal for this decade. Really, it's more of a plea. Please, let's cut the crap—no more hollow motivational speeches with made-up facts, no more catchy slogans with snazzy shirts, no more seeking donations for organizations that provide no accounting of what they accomplish.

We head into this de cade with a new player, the Escambia Children's Trust, which will have $10-15 million annually to fund programs that will improve the lives of children and close the achievement gaps. However, it shot blanks with its first two re quests for proposals.

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Navyemployers—Gulfcade.secondbecameAchievecity.EscambiatherageinthehalfofthelastdeThecounty'sbiggestPower,FederalCreditUnion,

how it doles out funds to help the homeless. They want to understand how large of a problem we have in Escambia County.

Habitat for Humanity was all the craze 20 years ago. The nonprofit became the area's larg est homebuilder for a period, but it fell short of its goals. Several homes became rental proper ties. Habitat had to foreclose on others. In 2015, it bundled 21 foreclosed properties and unloaded them. This year, it sold the former Kirksey El ementary property to a developer rather than building affordable homes inside the

Baptist Hospital and Ascension Sacred Heart—banded together to turn around public education. Viewpoints were published in the daily newspaper. Long meetings were held with icebreakers and PowerPoint pre sentations. Bold, audacious goals were set, and a dashboard was created.

And Achieve Escambia has made no mea surable difference, except for some of its leaders finding better-paying jobs elsewhere. Today, it flounders, waiting for its financial backers to fig ure out how to pull the plug without losing face.

I appreciate the approach the Escambia Board of County Commissioners is taking on

The proposal to fund a summer program to help children prepare for kindergarten only connected with 17 kids. No one bid on its request for a water safety publicity campaign. The trust staff recruited the Studer Communi ty Institute to submit a request for a $444,000 public awareness campaign on early learning. Fortunately, SCI withdrew it when it became clear very little of the money was going to helpPleasechildren.let's keep an eye on the real problems and not get distracted by slogans, logos and social media campaigns. At Inweekly, we will continue to ask the tough questions and do the follow-up to make sure we don't blow this de cade. {in} rick@inweekly.net

By Rick Outzen

Pensacola has a history of loving ribbon cut tings and declaring victory early without achiev ing anything. It probably started when Tristan de Luna sailed into Pensacola Bay in 1559 and threw a keg party after he planted the Span ish flag, only to have a hurricane wipe out the settlement days later.

outtakes

5September 15, 2022

Our reporter Jeremy Morrison found that the number of homeless is fluid as people's circum stances change, but the number is much higher than 750. Real solutions will require real numbers and honest conversations about what our expec tations should Kindergartenbe.readiness is a hot topic for sev eral nonprofits. To date, no goal set to increase the percentage of children ready to start school or improve reading scores sig nificantly has been met. I believe addressing reading without also dealing with health care access, hunger and shelter is doomed to fail.

"This didn't happen overnight, and here we are on the brink of a crisis," said Community Health CEO Chandra Smiley. "And regardless of how we got here, we're here, and we need to work together to address what I would call the tsunami that's about to hit."

Andradecan."said one major issue for treating Baker and Marchman Act patients in Florida is its refusal to expand Medicaid coverage. Florida pays about 40% of the costs for its Medicaid program, with the Federal government han dling the remaining 60%. When states expand Medicaid to provide coverage for low-income adults, the federal government pays 90% of the cost. A disproportionately high percentage of Baker and Marchman Act patients are consid eredLastlow-income.session,the Florida Legislature appropri

By Tom St. Myer

If no one else steps up by mid-November, Baptist will be the county's sole receiving facili ty—a recipe for disaster.

The Baker Act is a Florida law that enables families and loved ones to provide emergency mental health services and temporary detention for people who are impaired due to mental illness and unable to determine their treatment needs. The act allows the court, doctors or law enforce ment officials to involuntarily commit the patient for a minimum of 72 hours for a mental health evaluation. The Marchman Act specifically deals with substance abuse and allows a person to be involuntarily committed for up to five days.

ensure pediatric patients are transported di rectly to a facility that has pediatric behavioral health

Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said his department handled 1,600 Baker Act calls in 2021 and is on pace for a higher total this year. A shortage of beds in Escambia could lead to depu ties driving to receiving centers in other counties and adding hours to the time they already invest in Baker Act patients.

Dr. David Josephs, a clinical director at Lakeview, said 40-50% of patients evaluated for the Baker Act do not need a bed and that proper early diagnoses would ease some of the burden on the county.

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"We're doing what we can to prepare for that volume, and that means facilities, staff and patient flow," Faulkner said. "We are seeing a significant escalation in behavioral health needs, not just in our community but virtually all com munities in the U.S. Now more than ever, we need capacity and resources and not us going the other way, which is what we're potentially doing as a community."

Lakeview CEO Allison Hill said Baker Act patients require heavily staffed units that can be a drain on a facility's funds. She said, "What we are paying for labor and staffing is unlike what we've seen forever."

cension Sacred Heart Pensacola, Lakeview Center and Community Health Northwest Florida, local and state elected officials, EMS, Escambia County Sheriff's Office, Pensacola Police Department, and the Department of Children and Families.

A central receiving facility and changes in the evaluation process are long-term solutions. Andrade said the immediate focus is convincing another health care provider to increase bed ca pacity for Baker Act patients.

"I just don't believe the citizens of Escambia County want their deputies to be waiting in line for hours at a time or driving a couple counties over for a Baker Act patient." Chip Simmons

Andradeservices."credited

State Sen. Doug Broxson for convincing the hospital to agree to the 90day reprieve for adults. The state representa tive has encouraged the for-profit hospital to remain a receiving center and has championed Baptist's efforts.

"I just don't believe the citizens of Escambia County want their deputies to be waiting in line for hours at a time or driving a couple counties over for a Baker Act patient," Simmons said. "That's going to take a lot of our manpower off the streets, out of the patrol."

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Photo Courtesy of Baptist Health Care

The number of Baker Act patients is rising in Escambia County, which only has two receiving centers to meet the growing demand. Baptist sees an average of 100 Baker Act patients a week and HCA Florida West about 70. Losing either facility would put the county in crisis mode and force law enforcement and EMS to transport patients out side the county to receiving facilities elsewhere.

"How that filters through Tallahassee and who controls that is really going to be the big question for 2023," Broxson said. "Mental health is defi nitely a major-ticket item that is much worse in other states than it is in Florida, but Florida has a real problem with trying to tackle it, and hopefully, we can find a better way to do it."

"Patients are screened, and not everybody needs a bed," said Shawn Salamida, Lakeview Behavioral Health Services president. "They basi cally get a full picture of what the patient needs. One of our questions is, if we only have one facil ity, what's the benefit of a sorting system?"

Lakeview used to be a receiving center but has opted for a short-term residential treatment service for Baker Act patients requiring longer treatment lasting anywhere from 30-90 days.

of what unfolded explains why stakeholders have been urgently searching for answers to prevent a looming mental health treat ment crisis after HCA Florida West Hospital an nounced it would no longer receive Baker Act and Marchman Act patients.

ated an unprecedented $101 million in recurring annual funds for community mental health and substance abuse services. Sen. Broxson pointed out that the American Rescue Plan has set aside $4 billion for programs that support the preven tion and treatment of mental health and sub stance use disorders.

Over the course of 24 hours his month, Bap tist Health Care admitted eight children and six adults through the Baker Act. CEO Mark Faulkner said earlier that same week, Baptist diverted one Baker Act patient due to a short age of Thebeds.snapshot

State Rep. Alex Andrade said hospitals face a choice—shut down the treatment of Baker Act and Marchman Act patients or lose money. Faulkner is choosing the latter with the treatment of pediatric patients. Baptist is now the county's only receiving center for adolescent Baker Act pa tients. He said, "I can't stomach a situation where a child in crisis gets pulled out of the community."

AVOIDING BAKER ACT CRISIS

Stakeholders are meeting multiple times weekly to figure out how to address Baker Act pa tients in the short term and ultimately implement a long-term solution. The decision-makers in clude executives from Baptist, Florida Health, As

"For the same reasons HCA Florida West is pulling out, Baptist could just as easily pull out, but Baptist is committed to doing it," Andrade said. "I'm here to make sure they aren't bullied by any politicians, have all the resources they need that I can get them, and there are no barri ers at the state level to prevent them from doing what they

The sheriff is confident they will come up with an answer. Baptist and Lakeview each sent repre sentatives to Tallahassee, where a central receiv ing facility evaluates patients and disperses them to the proper facility.

The potential crisis arose for myriad reasons, but as usual, money is the No. 1 culprit. Treating Baker Act patients is a money-losing venture for the health care industry.

THE MONEY PROBLEM

Treatment and transportation for Baker and Marchman Act patients strain emergency service units. Law enforcement officers and ambulance crews must stay until mental health or substance abuse professionals screen the patients.

LOOKING FOR OPTIONS

HCA Florida West CEO Gabe Bullaro turned down Inweekly's request for an interview. In a written statement, the hospital said, "We're changing our Baker Act receiving status to help

September 15, 2022

SEARCHING FOR A TRUE NUMBER

Smiley assured Escambia's commissioners that the health clinic numbers were pretty square, explaining that they were based on "pretty sophis ticated reporting." She said,

"We know that's a true number."

It's a big variance, an elephant in the room, and one that rears its head most awkwardly during discussions about funding, which hap pened recently as the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners stumbled upon the terrain when trying to decide how best to spend $4.1 million in federal funds aimed to address the issue of homelessness.

Walter Arrington, a homeless health naviga tor for CHNWFL who serves on the local CoC board of directors, participated in this year's of ficial PIT count.

"I think that it's very important that we get clarity of the numbers. If we're not on the same page, we're wasting our time."

Lumon May

In Escambia and Santa Rosa's CoC, the count in conducted by Opening Doors. The organization is held to HUD's strict protocol, surveying the area homeless population on one day during the last 10 days of January.

Meanwhile, Community Health of North west Florida (CHNWFL), a health organization serving the area's homeless population, has is sued a much larger number, pegging the region's homeless population at around 7,600. This not only represents a dramatic schism with the of

But the restrictions of the one-day count coupled with the approach taken by the local CoC, Arrington contends, compounds the low ball count. For example, he said, only individuals present at area shelters typically make the count.

Whatever that figure might be at any point in time, Arrington boils down a simple goal with an eye toward funding opportunities—count every one you possibly can.

When the federal or state government doles out funding to address the issue of homeless ness, such as the U.S. Housing and Urban De velopment money currently on the table, the region's official homeless population count is consulted. In each region, a designated Contin uum of Care (CoC)—a consortium of relevant parties led by a lead agency —is tasked with collecting and providing this official count.

CONSTANT FLUX

By Jeremy Morrison

"It's all over the place," said Commission Chairman Jeff Bergosh. "I think the county was wise to take a step back, really reevaluate and wait before we start spending this money."

Johnson contends that this drop is part of a wider trend. He said, "Our homeless numbers are consistent with the other 26 CoCs. As a state, reporting declines in homelessness is very real."

"We need to start months out with the plan ning process," he said. "It's long-term, forwardthinking planning with an eye toward. You know,

"I think there is a bit of a middle ground there," said Mike Kimberl, local homeless advocate and director for the Alfred-Washburn Center.

There's currently a meaningful amount of money being thrown around to address the issue of homelessness. Some is meant to provide shel ter; some is meant to address substance abuse and mental health issues.

"So we've definitely seen an increase," Com munity Health of Northwest Florida CEO Chan dra Smiley told county commissioners. "And of that 7,600, year to date, 36% are children."

our goal is to get as many people counted as pos sible. That's not a bad thing."

Unsure what data to use when deciding how best to use its federal homeless funds, county officials have momentarily hit the pause button to allow time to assess the situation.

"I actually counted more than anyone in the Point-in-Time Count," Arrington said. "I counted more than 50 in one day."

ficial count but also a notable jump from the health organization's own historic data.

They live across our community. In shelters. On the streets. In cars. In the woods. In camps. Maybe on a friend's couch. They're the homeless. But just how many people are homeless in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties is an open question. Officially speaking, there are just more than 700 individuals considered to be liv ing without a permanent source of housing. On the other end of the estimate spectrum, that number is greater than 7,000.

With the exception of a slight rise in 2019, numbers have been dropping since 2015. This year, the region's so-called Point-in-Time (PIT) Count reflected 727 homeless individuals, with about half living unsheltered.

"I think that it's very important that we get clarity of the numbers," pointed out Commis sioner Lumon May. "If we're not on the same page, we're wasting our time."

"About three to six thousand at any given time," Kimberl Communityestimated.Health,the advocate explained, tallies data collected throughout the year, count ing people who are experiencing homelessness at any given point in that year. The official Pointin-Time Count, conversely, is restricted to a one-day count and relegated to near irrelevance. Homelessness, meanwhile, is slippery to survey using any methodology, with the demographics always"Howfluid.we get a definitive number is very dif ficult because it's a moving target," Kimberl said. "The numbers are in constant flux. It does make it difficult to nail down an exact figure."

In order to get a count that more accurately reflects the area's homeless population, Arrington said there needs to be more resources and effort put into the process.

"When it comes to that Point-in-Time Count, I want to throw everything I've got to make sure we've got everyone we've got," he said. "If our numbers go up, it's not a bad thing. Because you're getting a more accurate count." {in}

"There's pockets along the state where it's going up," he said. "Overall, we're going down, but there's still pockets where it's going up. We're in a pocket."

Has the local population been dropping, like the area's official Point-in-Time counts indicate? That would be in line with some other areas of Florida, but Arrington argues that Northwest Florida falls outside the bounds of this trend.

As Escambia officials mull over how best to spend last year's round of $4 million HUD fund ing, the Escambia and Santa Rosa CoC will meet at the end of this month to discuss an application for additional funding from the agency. At the crux of all these funding conversations is the local homeless population count.

And while Kimberl said he felt that Communi ty Health of Northwest Florida's numbers offered a "much better portrayal" of a realistic count, he guessed the number would be a bit lower and would swing wildly.

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But is Community Health's high-end number, that 7,600, truly accurate?

Locally, the official homeless count has been falling in recent years. This trend tracks, says John Johnson, executive director of Opening Doors of Northwest"Really,Florida.across the state of Florida, we are seeing declines; we are seeing a decline in homelessness," Johnson recently told the Homeless Task Force of Northwest Florida.

If that's the case, why is an organization like Community Health of Northwest Florida report ing such dramatically higher numbers? Well, for starters, the agency collects data throughout the year and without HUD's restrictive criteria.

"The way to get a real meaningful count, anywhere you see a stand of woods in a com munity, you're going in there, you're doing al most a sweep," Arrington said. It's a very laborintensive process. You're doing a lot of walking."

"I think we've been saying for over a decade that the PIT number is grossly underestimated," Kimberl said, pointing out that homeless indi viduals living in the outer area of the counties are rarely included in the counts.

"Overall, we're going down, but there's still pockets where it's going up. We're in a pocket." Walter Arrington CONUNDRUM

THE COUNT

"I talked to county staff yesterday, and it's really just sitting there waiting to be used at this point," said Ronnie Rivera, community relations neighborhood specialist for the Escambia Coun ty Sheriff's Office.

Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May said he appreciated funds dedicated to drug treatment and overdose responses but contended that more focus should be put into proactive measures.

"Unfortunately, because of our numbers, we have been identified as number one," Torsell said, explaining that the area leads the state in fatal overdoses due to fentanyl and opioids, as well as those related to heroin and cocaine.

VOTER REGISTRATION A "We Won't Go Back" Rally and Voter Registration Action will be held Saturday, Oct. 1, from 10 a.m.-noon at Plaza Ferdinand, located on Palafox Street between Government and Zaragoza streets in downtown Pensacola.

So far, Escambia County Emergency Man agement Services Chief David Torsell told Escambia County commissioners during a Com mittee of the Whole workshop on Sept. 9 that the area has logged more than 1,400 overdoses this year, already surpassing last year's total, with that number expected to keep climbing.

ter—From Hatchlings to Adults, Come Join Us on Our Journey; and YMCA of Northwest Florida—Aerial Adventure.

CORE FUNDS With more than a million dollars expected to flow into Escambia County from the state of Florida to deal with local overdose deaths, local officials are starting to talk about how best to spend the funds.

Members of the arts community, arts and cul ture stakeholders, cultural and historical organiza tions, and all members of the public are encour aged to complete the Cultural Affairs Community Input Survey online now through Friday, Sept. 23.

"So many people are infuriated at the over turning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court and the appalling steps being taken by states to restrict abortion, even without exceptions for rape or incest. However, some concerned citizens have not been engaged in voting or are not registered to vote. We want everyone to understand why it is important to make sure their voices are heard at the polls as well as in the streets," said Rachel Bly, organizer of the event.

Escambia County partnered with ECSO ear lier this summer to create an online shelter dash board in coordination with state Rep. Michelle Salzman. At the time, the lawmaker painted the dashboard as essential to providing service to the homeless community, asking, "How do we even

"We are missing the wraparound, the case management," Torsell stressed the importance of following through with individuals until they are securely on the road to recovery from sub stance abuse. The EMS chief described this focus on longer-term case management as practicing "community paramedicine" and said it was integral to improving the local rehabilita tion success rates.

"The stick is, our funded partners, we could require that they participate," Johnson said. "That would be the stick to make sure that they participate."

The ECSO Blazer Academy is unique and was named the "Outstanding Program of the Year" for crime prevention by the Florida Crime Prevention Association in 2021.

This is the 19th year that IMPACT 100 will award grants to local nonprofit organizations. Af ter Oct. 16, IMPACT 100 will have awarded 142 grants totaling $15,092,020 to the Pensacola Bay Area communities.

take care of these people if we don't know where to sendWhenthem?"asked how providers might be incentiv ized to make use of the dashboard, John John son, the executive director for Opening Doors of Northwest Florida, suggested that access to public funding could be tied to plugging into the dashboard; providers, he said, have already been sent "soft letters" urging participation.

"Since it's guaranteed cash that's coming back to us," Underhill said.

"This is a stabilization program after the fact, and that's great," May said. "But if we don't take the money and put it into a preventative program, you'll be doing this forever. The prob lem is more complex than locking somebody up or giving somebody NARCAN. We have a societal problem."

This summer, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis launched the Coordinated Opioid Recovery (CORE) program with the idea of providing dedi cated funding to address the growing number of overdoses related to illegal drugs such as fentan yl and opioids. The program is being rolled out in about a dozen counties, including Escambia.

ARTS & CULTURE PRIORITIES The city of Pensacola is seeking the public's input on arts and culture in the Pensacola community in order to help identify and shape the priorities of the newly created Cultural Affairs Program.

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Rivera was bemoaning the languishing dash board during a Sept. 7 meeting of the Northwest Florida Homeless Reduction Task Force. The information that should be available on the new dashboard, he explained, is key when law enforcement encounters homeless individuals needing shelter.

"It's sort of a challenge if you can't get your hands wrapped around what beds are available where," Rivera said.

"It may be one of the best things that we've done at the sheriff's office," said the sheriff. "There's not another one like it. Some classes offer mentorship or a piece of what we do, but we wrap it all together and immerse them in life lessons."

The finalists for each category are as follows: •ARTS, CULTURE & HISTORY: Pensacola Little Theatre—It Starts with Art; Santa Rosa Community Theatre—Provide a State-ofthe-Art Theatre for Santa Rosa County; and Pensacola Museum of Art—PMA Courtyard Renovation and Repairs.

•FAMILY: Escambia County Public Schools Foundation for Excellence—Parent University; Pensacola Habitat for Humanity—Community Land Trust, Affordable Housing in Perpetu ity; and Studer Community Institute—Building America's First Early Learning City.

•EDUCATION: Central Gulf Coast CDF Free dom Schools—Something Inside So Strong; General Daniel Chappie James Flight Acad emy—Outfit New Facility with Equipment and Other Furnishings; and Santa Rosa County 4-H Association—4-H Field Education Facility.

"That's a huge problem if I need that much NARCAN in this community," Torsell told com missioners.Whenavailable, the funds will be split be tween local hospitals, which provide services in the instances of overdoses, and Escambia EMS.

DASHBOARD SITS IDLE A comprehensive online dashboard tracking the availability of local shelter beds is ready to go but stalling out due to the lack of participation from local service provid ers that work with the homeless community.

GRANT FINALISTS IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area has announced the 15 grant finalists selected for 2022. Eleven of the 15 nonprofit finalists will each receive a grant of $103,820 at the IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area Annual Meeting on Oct. 16.

The purpose of the event is to express col lective outrage at the assault on reproductive rights and bodily autonomy while emphasizing the importance of turning anger into action at the ballot box. Groups will be on-site to assist attendees with registering to vote in advance of the midterm elections.

Commissioner Doug Underhill said the county would likely be all right with fronting the money out of the reserve fund once the Florida Department of Health has officially signed off on a specific dollar amount and the money is headed to Escambia.

•HEALTH & WELLNESS: District One Medical Examiner Support—Family Advocacy Repre sentative; Feeding the Gulf Coast—Feeding the Future; and Healing Paws for Warriors—Save a Veteran, Rescue a Dog: Mobile Unit.

"I could not be more pleased with how it worked out and with the quality of our future," Sheriff Chip Simmons told Inweekly publisher Rick Outzen on WCOA 1370AM. "I told the au dience last night thank you for giving us the op portunity to mentor and to teach and to com municate with your loved ones. And thank you for giving us that peek into our future because if you listen to these young ladies talk, you know that they have goals and plans. And there's no doubt that the future's in good hands with some of the young people coming up."

the Saenger Theatre. Following the ceremony, the 20 high school students were treated to a dinner at Global Grill and given a pendant marking their accomplishment.

The CORE funding will also support the con tinued purchase of such practical tools as the an ti-overdose drug NARCAN. Torsell reported that local responders treating overdoses go through about 300 units of NARCAN each month, with the drug sometimes difficult to procure.

The local "We Won't Go Back" Rally and Voter Registration Action is one of many similar actions being held around the country in partner ship with Women's March, Planned Parenthood, Move On, ACLU, Ultraviolet, Liberate Abortion, NARAL Pro-Choice America and the Service Employees International Union. To register for the Pensacola action and find other similar efforts across the nation, visit wewontgoback.com.

"Why is that?" wondered Commission Chair man Jeff Bergosh. "Why is our community af flicted with Regardlessthis?"of the why, the state's CORE pro gram could be directing about $1.4 million in dedi cated funding to the Escambia area. The money would be used for addiction services, with a focus on expanding services to include more impactful long-term care.

The reporter must have turned in his story the previous Thursday or Friday because Padden announced on Facebook on Sunday, Sept. 4, that she was endorsing Patton.

COMPATIBLE LAND USE On Thursday, Sept. 22, Escambia County will hold a joint public meeting with NAS Pensacola to discuss the NAS Pensacola Compatible Use Study. The meeting will take place from 6-8 p.m. at the Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 W. Park Place, Room 104. The public is invited to attend and learn more about the study. Attendees will also have the chance to learn more about NAS Pensacola's impact on the community and what the project will bring to the region.

9September 15, 2022

"We are very excited to continue our part nership with Waste Management and help renovate a local ballfield," Blue Wahoos Com munity Relations Manager Lauren Scott said. "Our mission is to improve the quality of life in our community, and helping provide children a great place to play sports locally will benefit families across our community."

The Compatible Use Study addresses land use and other activities incompatible with NAS Pensacola's mission and effective environmental stewardship while fostering community growth and economic vitality. For more about the project, visit naspcus.com.

OOPS, THEY DID IT AGAIN In its Tuesday, Sept. 6, edition, the News Journal profiled the Pensacola City Council runoff between incum bent Ann Hill and Allison Patton. The article covered how both candidates are trying to at tract third-place finisher Mo Padden's voters.

In 2013, Florida's Office of Economic and Demographic Research stated it based estimates for future inmate populations on historical trends using the state crime rate and the number of ar rests and convictions. EDR director Amy Baker told Politifact, "Educational attainment is not one of them."PolitiFact gave the link of jail cells to elemen tary school reading scores the "Pants on Fire!" label.

Users who have not updated to the latest app version may experience issues with process ing transactions or accessing certain app fea tures. To learn more about the City of Pensacola Parking Management, visit the city website or parkpensacola.com. {in}

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She continued, "Following our discussions, I have decided to endorse her in her bid for City Council in the fall general election, as I was convinced that her vision for these issues was consistent with mine. I believe she is ready to do the hard work and research necessary to find solutions to the many problems facing our city and that she will listen to all opinions in her quest for solutions."

The Blue Wahoos will be accepting nomina tions to choose a field to receive a makeover until Tuesday, Sept. 20. Any local citizen or orga nization can submit a field by emailing Scott at lscott@bluewahoos.com with photos or video of the field and a short explanation of why the field should be considered. Fields must be within 40 miles of Blue Wahoos Stadium to be selected.

All input is welcome, and you do not have to be a City of Pensacola resident to complete the survey. The survey will gather input from the commu nity about their priorities and ideas for enhancing arts and culture in the City of Pensacola. The link is bit.ly/3KVtfQG.

For decades, writers and politicians have used various versions of this urban legend. PolitiFact, Washington Post and others have repeatedly dis proved that decision-makers build jails based on reading scores.

"I spent some time with Allison Patton this weekend, and we discussed a myriad of issues, from homelessness, haphazard development, af fordable housing, parking, support of the Veterans Park and efforts to place a permanent restroom at that site," wrote Padden.

PANTS ON FIRE Some urban legends never die and still pop up in speeches in Pensacola. When BeReadyKids! held its annual breakfast seeking volunteers and donations before Labor Day, a speaker stressed the importance of help ing children by saying that the number of jail cells built in the future is determined by how many children are not reading on grade level by thirdAngrade.impressive statistic, if it were true. It's not. When Escambia County approved plans for its new jail, no one stood before the Board of County Commissioners with a chart of the county's third grade reading scores to argue how many cells the facility would have.

UPDATE PARKING APP City of Pensacola parking users who pay through the ParkPensacola app are asked to please ensure their app is updat ed to the latest version by updating to version 1.2.3 in the Apple App Store or Google Play.

THE LONG GOODBYE On Friday, Sept. 2, car toonist and weekly columnist Andy Marlette an nounced that he was leaving the Pensacola News Journal to focus on his family and cartoon strip. He will also produce syndicated editorial cartoons and promised to continue "insulting the sanctimo nious sensitivities of folks who take themselves far too seriously."Marlettemay have had little choice. Ac cording to the website "The Daily Cartoonist," he was the last staff editorial cartoonist for a Gannett newspaper. With the News Journal no longer writing editorials and running its opinion page only on Sundays, Marlette's role at the once-daily newspaper had been diminishing over the summer. Inweekly wishes him well in his new endeavors.

FIELD RENOVATION For the 11th consecutive year, the Blue Wahoos and Waste Management have partnered to renovate an area youth athletic field and are accepting nominations from the community to select the field to be restored.

G ary's Brewery & Biergarten Oktoberfest

local chefs as well as music and dancing. Ticket purchases help fund PBS programs and other learning resources for children and families. This year, there will also be brunch with Ale jandra Ramos, host of "The Great American Recipe," on Sunday.

October

Now that Labor Day weekend has come and gone, it's time to settle into the fall season.

Sept. 24, perfectplain.com

Oct. 1, facebook.com/garysbrew

Oct. 5-9, pensacolabeachsongwritersfestival.com

Pensacola Dragon Boat Festival

Each year, thousands of spectators line the shore to watch 40 boats race for bragging rights. This is the Pensacola Dragon Boat Festival's eighth event. The Northeast Pensacola Sertoma Club Inc. hosts this race to raise money for local community ser vice projects. The boats race on Bayou Texar and can be seen from downtown.

September

To kick off Hispanic Heritage Month, Sanders Beach-Corinne Jones Resource Center is hosting a Latin dance event. All ages can participate at this free event. Be prepared to dance Salsa, Ba chata, Tango, Cha Cha, Rumba and more. There will be plenty of food vendors, too.

Sept. 23-25, pensacolaseafoodfestival.com

WSRE Wine & Food Classic

Oct. 20-30, pensacolafair.com

November

To help you make the most of the upcoming season, here's your annual guide to some of the local and regional can't-miss fall fests.

Want to enjoy good eats while giving back? The WSRE Wine & Food Classic features cuisine from

Foo Foo Festival

A huge perk about living on the Gulf Coast has got to be the endless supply of seafood. Come support the local fishing industry and the many creatives it inspires at the three-day Pensacola Seafood Festi val. There are dozens of vendors serving up shrimp, oysters, scallops and even alligator. But if seafood isn't your thing, there are other food options, too.

This 12-day celebration is jam-packed with jazz,

Nov. 3-14, foofoofest.com

Calling all music fanatics—the Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival is a hit you won't want to miss. This event features dozens of performances, but it takes the fun one step further by giving the artists the opportunity to explain the inspiration behind their lyrics.

Barktoberfest

Pensacola Seafood Festival

Pensacola Interstate Fair

Perfect Plain Oktoberfest

Oct. 14-15, tasteofpensacolabeach.com

L atin Dance at "The Den"

This annual event is giving all the Pensacola pups something to bark about. The Pensacola Hu mane Society hosts this event each year at the Community Maritime Park. The Humane Ex press will feature current adoptable animals. There will be food trucks and local businesses hosting giveaways, too. Think your pet is a star? Sign them up for the pet costume contest for a chance to win a prize.

10 inweekly.net10

Taste of the Beach

By Gina Castro

It's time for Perfect Plain's fifth annual Okto berfest. This all-day festival will have tons of hearty German food, and the brewery will be releasing some new frothy beers, too. If you're feeling up for a challenge, then get your game face on. There will be some competitions in cluding the Lederhosen & Dirndl competition and a stein-hoisting competition.

Oct. 8, pensacoladragonboatfestival.com

Sept. 16, facebook.com/mysandersbeach

Calling all foodies—clear your plate because Pen sacola Beach's largest culinary event of the year is officially back this fall. The weekend kicks off Fri day night with a special progressive VIP dinner. Then Saturday, it's an outdoor tasting extravagan za with local chefs, live music and crab racing. The day is filled with 18 participating restaurants serv ing signature dishes for $8 each.

Whether you're looking for a fun date night, somewhere to hang with friends or a place to let the kids run wild, the fair is the place to be. There are rides for all ages to enjoy, a petting zoo, art galleries, car showings, contests and live music. Pro-tip—take some Dramamine be fore you arrive so you can enjoy the rides and hold down the food, because the food is the real star of the show, after all.

Ready for another Oktoberfest? Well, get your tickets fast because Oktoberfest at Gary's Brew ery & Biergarten has limited tickets. Come enjoy live music, games, food and lots of great beer in this brewery's cozy old barn setting. If you buy a $35 advance ticket, you get a souvenir glass stein, two beer fills, one German-style bratwurst with potato salad or chips, and two tickets into a draw ing. Gary's Oktoberfest beers will be on tap, and Hofbrau, Weihenstephaner and Ayinger German beers are available, too.

Pensacola SongwritersBeachFestival

Oddtoberfest at Odd Colony Sept. 24, oddcolony.com

Oct. 15-16, wsre.org

Odd Colony is putting their own spin on the tra ditional German fall festival with a day of lager slugging, pretzel eating and stein hoisting. Event highlights will include the release of Oddtober fest—which is an open fermented Marzen style lager—and a special themed burger from MI SU Street Food.

Oct. 30, pensacolahumane.org

Fe st s Pa rt 2 FA LL G UID E

Obviously, fall in Pensacola is a little different. There isn't much cool weather or leaves chang ing colors—but we make up for it with a hefty list of fall festivals and events. There's the annual Foo Foo Festival, which packs so much arts and cul ture into 12 days every November that it's almost hard to keep up. There are also quite a few Ok toberfests, the adorable Barktoberfest, and, of course, the Pensacola Interstate Fair.

Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival

Attendees who are 21 and up and arrive early can get a free beer or stein upon entry (while supplies last). You'll have another opportunity to score a free stein during the Samuel Adams stein-hosting contest. There will also be live music from the pol ka band The Brats.

This film festival celebrates Oscar-qualifying films from filmmakers in the South and beyond. You'll have the opportunity to watch more than 170+ films. You can experience the film fest in person at venues across the city on Nov. 3-8. Now you can experience the festival globally, too. From Nov. 3-13, the festival will be available online. {in}

Nov. 19, mobileinternationalfestival.org

Nov. 10-13, fairhopefilmfestival.org

M obile International Festival

The festival has specific dates where the mascot, Mify, takes students from elementary school to high school around the world in just one day. Go explore a little bit of the world one fall afternoon.

Oct. 7-8, baytownebeerfestival.com

Nov. 13, wine-festivalpensacolabeachchamber.com/art-

Nov. 4-6, ggaf.org

Fairhope Fairhope Film Festival

This year marks the 38th annual Frank Brown In ternational Songwriters' Festival. It will feature locally and nationally acclaimed songwriters at venues sprinkled throughout the Gulf Coast. Guests will have the opportunity to inquire about the meaning behind the music, too.

Oct. 7-9, destinseafoodfest.com

Regional Mobile

This event is focused on encouraging healing and peace. What's a more perfect venue than the beach? The four-day process takes place at the Margaritaville Beach Hotel and starts off with a special ceremony. The event will feature vegan food, meditation, yoga and oneness with nature. For a weekend filled with peace and healing, this is the spot to be.

F lora-Bama Oktoberfest

Oct. 9, florabama.com/oktoberfest

Are you a movie buff? This event may be a fit for you. In just four days, attendees have the oppor tunity to watch more than 20 short films and an other 40 or so feature films. There will be na

Baytowne Wharf Beer Fest

This festival offers the opportunity to experience the languages, food, history and culture of more than 70 countries. The Mobile International Fes tival originated in 1983, and it's funded by do nations and sponsorships from the community.

This year marks the 50th year of the Great Gulf coast Arts Festival, and they are celebrating the milestone with a free concert from bluegrass sing er Bela Fleck on Nov. 5. As always, there will be showcases from local dance groups and schools throughout the festival weekend. A complete list of performances will be published in October. Festival judges selected about 200 artists from a pool of more than 600 applications for a chance to win $25,000. Artists range in ceramics, draw ing, fiber/leather, glass, jewelry, mixed media, oil/acrylic, photography, printmaking/graphics, sculpture, watercolor and wood. And, of course, you can expect a broad selection of food ven dors and the always-popular Children's Arts Fes tival, where kids are encouraged to get creative with hands-on activities.

Mahabhuta Yoga VegFest

Frank Brown International Songwriters' Festival

11September 15, 2022

Nov. 3-13, frankbrownsongwriters.com

Nov. 10-13, mahabhutayogavegfest.com

Destin/30A/Seaside

Beer enthusiasts, raise your glass. Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort's 14th Annual Baytowne Wharf Beer Fest is the cure for what ails you. American specialty brews from around the nation will be available to sample and savor at the event. It will feature more than 200 domestic and international craft beers, offering an opportunity to learn about the different types of lagers and ales as you listen to live music.

Seeing Red Wine Festival

Wine connoisseurs—and foodies, too—should head to Seaside for the 30th annual Seeing Red Wine Festival this November. On Saturday of the festival, Seaside's Central Square hosts the Grand Tasting, and Sunday is all about champagne with a Celebration of Bubbles event.

New Orleans Fried Chicken Festival

Perdido Key/ Orange Beach

Oct. 1-2, friedchickenfestival.com

Pensacola Beach Art & Wine Festival

D estin Seafood Festival

Nov. 10-13, seeingredwinefestival.com

New Orleans Film Festival

tional and international films as well as some documentaries. Some films are available for on line viewing, too.

Nov. 3-8 (in person); Nov. 3-13 (virtual)

art and culture from the region's most creative people. The same folks who brought the Um brella Sky Project to Pensacola are yet again bringing a vibrant aerial public art display. The Choral Society of Pensacola wants to hear you sing at Born to Hand Jive: A "Grease" Sing-Along. For a complete list of this year's exciting events, check out the Foo Foo Fest website, and make sure you follow them @foofoofest.

Fried chicken is an undeniable Southern staple. In New Orleans, chicken is juicy and fried to perfec tion. This is the festival's fifth year, and it's located on the New Orleans lakefront. You can expect to try chicken from more than 30 restaurants.

SEASON 13 ROYAL HORSES 9/26 LEX AND THE LUTHORS 9/27 JESSIE RITTER 10/3 STORMFOLK 10/5 PENSACOLA SONGWRITERSBEACHFESTIVAL SHOW 10/7 DONNA BRITTON BUKEVICZ DANI PETERCARROLLKEYS wsre.org/StudioAmped #studioamped Shows are being recorded by WSRE PBS for broadcast and streaming. No other photos or recording allowed during performances. FREE CONCERT SERIES Original music, performed live. Come join the studio audience! Doors Open at 6 | Shows Start at 7 WSRE Amos Studio | Pensacola State College 2,9,29, SPONSORED IN PART BY BRING A FOOD DONATION FOR 62870-0922 StudioAmped Inweekly ad.indd 1 9/9/22 2:08 PM ggallerynightpensacola.org allerynightpensacola.org Gallery GNight allery NightC E L E B R A T E B L U E A N G E L CS E L E B R A T E B L U E A N G E L S PUBLIX PPRESENTS UBLIX PRESENTS September S16th eptember 16th 5-9 5PM -9 PM

The Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce is hosting this event that encourages attendees to sip, stroll and shop your way around the Pen sacola Beach Boardwalk. The one-day event will feature about 20 local artists and more than 30 wine selections.

This festival marks the beginning of the monthlong Destin Fishing Rodeo. Dating back to 1978, this event has featured some of the tastiest sea food the region has to offer, music from all over the U.S. and a broad range of art. You can pre-or der your 44th annual Destin Seafood Festival Tshirt now.

1212 Get Tickets Get Tickets THIS FALL AT PENSACOLA LITTLE THEATRE

Arts & Entertainment

And fitting for Florida, the format is totally un conventional, incorporating poems, essays, lists,

In a seemingly perfect conclusion to her in terview, Calise and her boyfriend have finally captured a lizard that's been trapped in their house for the past week.

"One is people who are new here, because there's so many new people, and I want to show them their new home," Calise said. "And two is people who grew up here, are nostalgic and love

Keep up with Gabrielle Calise: @gabriellecalise, gabriellecalise.com and Ashira Morris: @ashiramorris, ashiramorris.com

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 15-21

"I was born and raised in Tallahassee, so it was special to write about the environment that shaped me. I approached the chapter how I'd approach a visiting friend—like I'm eager to show off all the beautiful and unique things I love about the Panhandle," Morris told Inweekly.

Gabriele Calise / Courtesy Photo

"It was a really cool full-circle mo ment," Calise said. "It aligned very much with the approach I take with my report ing, really wanting to celebrate and shine a light on what makes the state so special. A lot of national me dia paints Florida as one picture, as a flat note. I liked that they [A24] were willing to get hyper-local with it. I hope what comes across in the book is just all the care I have for the Floridatorswriterschapters,vidingitingbreaksofwork,didn'tBecausestate."Calisetaketimeoffshespentayearmornings,lunchandnightsedthebook—dithestateintohandpickingandillustraandexperiencingfirsthand.

Buy a copy of the book: shop.a24films.com/products/florida

Sectionsfantastic."featuring illustrated guides to "Flor ida skills" also run through the book, and the leg endary Flora-Bama mullet toss is one of them.

Other topics in the Panhandle chapter in clude an airbrush store in Panama City Beach, the swim actors in "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," how to prepare a Gulf Coast oyster, Tupelo honey and Florida A&M University's band"There'shistory.so much flashy stuff—mermaids and the Cuban sandwich history—but I want people, when they actually get it and flip through it, to re ally be motivated to go out and see more of their state," Calise said. "There's certainly stuff in here I am so excited, as soon as the weather gets cool er, to go to. I hope people who read the book have the same Calisefeeling."wantsthe writing voice to sound like "your friend who loves Florida just as much as you do and cannot wait to share with you some secrets," she said.

ming holes and places to jump in the river. My fa vorite thing is talking about worm grunting and the Worm Gruntin' festival and the family that keeps that tradition alive. The interstate mullet toss is also

There are two buckets of people who can ap preciate a Calise story, she said.

"If you're trying to plan a trip, you could use this and flip through it and get a bunch of ideas," Calise said. "But I hope you can feel like you're going on a trip to Florida even if you nev er leaveCalisehome."celebrated its completion, as well as her 27th birthday, on Sept. 4 with a long week end in Orlando visiting some of the places in the book. And it should come as no surprise she has some spooky articles planned for October, as well as crossing swimming with manatees off her bucket list.

where they live and also give them the distrac tion. All news is really important news, and peo ple should absolutely be involved in what's going on, but sometimes it's just nice to give people a break from thinking about things that are scary."

For example, when Calise wanted to write about Gasparilla's Parade of Pirates, she went to Pirate Fashions, a high-end pirate apparel bou tique, and tried on $1,200 worth of pirate garb. The book features the prices of each item she

Morris is a freelance writer, editor and art director based between Tallahassee and Sofia, Bulgaria. Calise said Morris wrote most of what appears in the Panhandle chapter and was an invaluable resource in creating the map that ac companies it, too.

"It's all very on-brand," Calise said with a laugh. {in}

Like a lot of people, Calise has fond memo ries of watching A24 films, especially the ones set in Florida. She saw the set of "Spring Break ers" in person while attending high school in Pi nellas County.

Strangely enough, Calise's odd gumbo of clips, combined with her recent work on a Gulf Coast field guide for Wildsam, was the perfect resume to edit A24's book concept.

art,

While Calise loves all the chapters, she has a special place in her heart for the Panhandle chap ter, featuring contributing writer Ashira Morris.

"FLORIDA!"—A24'S 547-PAGE HYPERLOCAL GUIDE TO THE MOST FAR-OUT STATE IN AMERICA

duction company A24 at all, you know this isn't your average Florida book. And the job of putting it together was perfect for Calise because she isn't your average Florida writer.

"There's stuff in the Panhandle you will not see in the rest of the state," Calise said. "There's a section on coastal dune lakes, oyster bakes, swim

"We have six steps to figure out how to fling your fish as far as you can over the sand to win the mullet toss," Calise said.

13September 15, 2022

Calise is something of an expert on all things weird in Florida, though her official title at the Tampa Bay Times is "culture and nostalgia report er," she said (realizing it sounds made up).

A Hyper-local Trip Through Florida film, music, stage, books and other signs of civilization...

TUESDAY NIGHT JAZZ AT SEVILLE

LIVE MUSIC AT RED FISH BLUE FISH PEN SACOLA BEACH Head to Red Fish Blue Fish for live performances from local bands all day on Fri days and Saturdays. For musician lineups, facebook.com/redfishbluefishpensacolabeach.visit

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

BUILT TO SPILL Built to Spill will be perform ing at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox, Thursday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25. Visit vinylmu sichall.com for more information.

RAY COLEY AT CAZADORES MEXICAN RESTAURANT Ray Coley performs oldies mix with jazz and blues every weekend with keyboard, horn and flute. Fridays and Saturdays from 6-9 p.m. and a jazz set on Sundays from 12-3 p.m. on the patio at Cazadores Mexican restaurant, locat ed at 8183 W. Fairfield Dr. Weather permitting.

TYLER LIVINGSTON & THE ABSOLUTES, DISCO LEMONADE AND WILD CHARGE Ty ler Livingston & The Absolutes will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tar ragona. Show is free. More information at face book.com/thehandlebar850.

KARAOKE AT MUGS AND JUGS Sing your heart out Sundays at Mugs & Jugs, 12080 Sce nic Highway, or just enjoy drinks friends with $4 Smirnoff and $6.50 domestic pitcher drink deals from 7 p.m.-3 a.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/mugsjugs.

ARTS & CULTURE

OPEN JAM AT ARTEL GALLERY Artel Gal lery is open from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays for open jam with Pensacola Folk Mu sic Society. Feel free to visit and listen to music. Artel Gallery is located at 223 S. Palafox.

BATHE-INS Support Pensacola Humane So ciety and get your pup squeaky clean. PHS will host a bathe-in Saturday, Sept. 17, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., at the shelter, 5 N. Q St. $10 bath and flea dips, $10 nail trims. Bring your own towel.

Spring St., every Tuesday from 1-3 p.m. for clas sic jazz favorites.

MAGIC CITY HIPPIES Magic City Hippies will be performing at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox, Friday, Sept. 16, at 9 p.m. Tickets are $20. Visit vi nylmusichall.com for more information.

SAENGER BRINGS SUMMER MOVIES SE RIES BACK TO THE BIG SCREEN The Grand Dame of Palafox will once again open her doors to the community with a selection of seven films this summer. Tickets for the Saenger Classic Mov ie Series will go sale on the night of each movie beginning at 6 p.m. Prices for admission remain at $5 per person for general admission seating. Tick ets are only available for purchase at the Saenger Theatre Box Office. The next date is

SAXOPHONIST JIM ANDREWS AT ALICE'S RESTAURANT Saxophonist Jim Andrews will be performing at Alice's Restaurant, located at 1504 W. Intendencia St., on the first Friday of every month from 6-9:30 p.m.

QUARTER Enjoy smooth jazz with Melodious Allen and The Funk Heads every Tuesday night at Lili Marlene's in Seville Quarter, located at 130 E. Government St. Show starts at 6:30 p.m. Visit sevillequarter.com for more information.

JAZZ BY THE BOOK Join Joe Occhipinti and the Jazzabouts at the Pensacola Library, 239 N.

JAZZ GUMBO The next Jazz Gumbo is Monday, Sept. 19, 6:30-9 p.m., at Phineas Phogg's, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Guest artist is Jo anna Robbins Hayes. Cost is $10 for Jazz Pensac ola members and guests, $12 for non-members, and free for students with ID and military in uni form. Visit jazzpensacola.com for details.

Built To Spill / Courtesy Photo

LIVE MUSIC SATURDAYS AT THE WELL Visit The Well, 42 E. Garden St., on Saturdays from 4-7 p.m. for live music. Visit facebook. com/thewellpensacola for more information.

DEATHCRUISER AT ODD COLONY Death cruiser will play at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox, 7-9 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 17. No cover. Visit face book.com/oddcolony for details.

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

HEAVY KID AT THE HANDLEBAR Heavy Kidwith Feed Lemon and Marshall Trotter will be performing Saturday, Sept. 17, at 8 p.m. Show is $5 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Details at facebook.com/thehandlebar850.

Stormfolk | Sept 20 A ternative and Folk Karli Ryan | Sept 27 Country FIRST TIME HOME BUYER SPECIALIST Voted Best Real Estate Agent SIMONE SANDS, Realtor cell 850-293-2292 o ffice 850-434-2244 ©

14 inweekly.net14

KNITTING 201: THE TOP-DOWN PULLOVER Learn to knit a beautiful pullover with Studio South Yarn Co., 955 E. Nine Mile Road, Unit 101. The next class is Sept. 21. Visit studio southyarnco.com for details.

MONDAY NIGHT BLUES AT SEVILLE

FURY IN FEW See Fury in Few with Lovelight, Chat Holley and Nobodies on Saturday, Sept. 17 Easy Going Gallery, 701 N. V St. Details at face book.com/easygoinggallery.

MONDAY NIGHT BLUES AT SEVILLE QUARTER Blues Society of Northwest Florida and Seville Quarter present Monday Night Blues, the longest running weekly Blues Jam in Florida, starting at 7 p.m. with an opening and followed by the Blues Jam at 9 p.m. Seville Quarter is lo cated at 130 E. Government St. For more infor mation, visit sevillequarter.com.

QUARTER Seville Quarter and the Blues Soci ety of Northwest Florida bring the "Blues" back to the Seville Quarter Entertainment District, located at 130 E. Government St. every Monday night in End O' the Alley starting at 7 p.m. For more information, visit sevillequarter.com.

ANIMAL ALLIES BINGO Animal Allies Florida is hosting Bingo at Scenic Hills Country Club, lo cated at 8891 Burning Tree Road, twice a month. Dates are Sept. 20, Oct. 4 and 18, Nov. 8 and 22, and Dec. 6 and 20. Proceeds go to help local an imals. The fun starts at 7 p.m. $10 gets you 30 cards. Winners share the pot. Food and drink will be available for purchase. You must be 18 years old to play.

NONPROFITS & FUNDRAISERS

CURT BOL JAZZ QUARTET Visit Five Sis ters Blues Café, located at 421 W. Belmont St., Sundays from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and listen to Curt Bol Jazz Quartet. Visit curtbolband.com for more information.

LIVE MUSIC

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES AT PERFECT PLAIN Head to Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St., on Thursdays from 7-10 p.m. through September. Visit facebook.com/per fectplainbrewingco for more information.

LIVE MUSIC AT HUB STACEY'S Sit back with good food and live music at Hub Stacey's, locat ed at 312 E. Government St. For a full calendar of bands, check hubstaceys.com.

15

WHAT IS "BANNED BOOKS WEEK"? Books

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

Unite Us; Censorship Divides Us. Stop by Pen sacola Library during Banned Books Week to cel ebrate Freedom to Read. Learn about the histo ry of book banning and censorship in the United States and check out a "banned book" Monday, Sept. 19-Saturday, Sept. 24, at Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St.

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THE MAROON MARINES: ARCHAEOL OGY AT PROSPECT BLUFF

During the War of 1812, a fort was built by Black British Colonial Marines and Indigenous people along the Apalachicola River. Called "Negro Fort" by American officials, it eventually became the center of the largest free Black set tlement in what is now the United States. When the war ended, the U.S. believed the fort threat ened the institution of slavery and must be de stroyed. To the Maroon people who lived there, however, the fort at Prospect Bluff was a bea con of freedom worth fighting for.

“ R E M E M B E R I N G E L L A & F R A N K " T H U R S D A Y , S E P T E M B E R 2 2 5 P . M . A N D 7 : 3 0 P . M . W I T H E L L E N V I N S O N , B O B B Y V A N D E U S E N , A N D S T E V E G I L M O R E F O R R E S E R V A T I O N S C A L L 8 5 0 - 4 6 9 - 9 8 9 8 | 4 0 0 S . P A L A F O X S T R E E T

days, from 6-9 p.m. in Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. For more information, contact Melvin at (850) 549-8783 or visit artelgallery.org.

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

IST Photographer Clyde Butcher will have an artist talk and book signing at the Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St., on Friday, Sept. 16, from 6-8 p.m. A reception and exhibi tion viewing will be from 6-6:30 p.m., and the artist talk will be from 6:30-7:30 p.m., with the book signing following the talk. Register for the event at pensacolamuseum.org.

The Art Gallery at the University of West Florida presents "In Between," an open stu

A new tempo rary exhibit at The Destination Archaeolo gy Resource Center, located at 207 E. Main St., features the story of the largest free black set tlement in what is now the United States.

a&e happenings

"Anxious People" is an ingeniously constructed story about the enduring power of friendship, for giveness and hope—the things that save us, even

WFPL BOOK CLUB: "ANXIOUS PEOPLE"

WHAT'S SHOWING AT PENSACOLA CIN EMA ART PCA is located at the Studer Com munity Institute, 220 W. Garden St. This month, see "Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris" at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, and Saturday, Sept. 17. Next month's movie is "Elvis." Classic films are available for free through the PCA website. Visit pensaco lacinemaart.com for more information and the latest showtimes.

AN EVENING WITH CLYDE BUTCHER, PHOTOGRAPHER AND CONSERVATION -

GALLERY NIGHT: CELEBRATE THE BLUE ANGELS On Friday, Sept. 16, 5–9 p.m., Gallery Night Pensacola's theme is "Celebrate the Blue Angels." The featured artist will be Katie Bod den. Visit local galleries, enjoy live music and performances, and get the opportunity to meet the Blue Angels from 6-8 p.m. and take flight in a Blue Angel cockpit experience simulator. Visit gallernightpensacola.org for details.

TABLE TALKS AT THE TRUST Join the His toric Trust for a monthly lunch and learn series on the third Wednesday of the month at the Voices of Pensacola Multicultural Center, located at 117 E. Government St., from noon-1 p.m. The program is free—just bring your lunch and enjoy a casual opportunity to learn about a variety of topics. For more information, please email hparchives@uwf. edu or call (850) 595-5985, ext. 125. The next date is Sept. 21 with Krystal Brown, with Keep Pensac ola Beautiful.

SÉANCE: PHOTOGRAPHS BY SHANNON TAGGART A collection of photographs that ex plore the communities and phenomena associat ed with spiritualism, séance circles, mediumship and the devices used for communication with the spirits. On view at Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson, from Sept. 16-Dec. 4. Visit pensaco lamuseum.org for details.

IN BETWEEN: OPEN STUDIO AND RESI DENCY EXHIBITION BY MARZIA RAN -

dio residency and exhibition by Marzia Ransom. The public is also invited to visit her open stu dio hours on Fridays throughout the summer from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at TAG, 11000 University Parkway, Bldg. 82. A gallery talk will take place on Thursday, Sept. 15, from 5-8 p.m., with live music and refreshments. All events are free and open to the public.

For more information, visit fpan.us.

for more listings visit inweekly.net

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

in the most anxious times. The WFPL book club will discuss the book 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, at Pensacola Public Library, 239 N. Spring St.

17September 15, 2022 LAST HOMESTAND! PLAYOFF GAMES SEPT. 22 & 23 GAME TIMES Mon.-Fri. 6:35 pm | Sat. 6:05 pm | Sun. 4:05 pm All pre-game activities start 45 minutes prior to game time. PLAYOFFS! SEPTEMBER 22 & 23 TUNE IN TO CATCH THE GAMES ON ShuckersBiloxi SEPTEMBER 13-18 TuesdaySept. 13 • 6:35 pm AYCE: FAT AYCE Buffet (90-min.) + Game Ticket for ONLY $27! ThursdaySept. 15 • 6:35 pm MULLET Enjoy Drink Specials Including $2 Drafts & $4 DomesticONECansPRICE Wednesday Sept. 14 • 6:35 pm All tickets include a hot dog, chips, & soda FOR JUST $18! TICKET DOUBLE-A AFFILIATES FridaySept. 16 • 6:35 pm WatsonGIVEAWAY&WatsonBobbleheadGiveaway —first 2,000 fans! FIREWORKS SaturdaySept. 17 • 6:05 pm Pensacola’sBESTFireworks SundaySept. 18 • 4:05 pm MILITARY FAMILY DiamondDig Kids Run the Bases & Family Toss BW0661 Homestand 12 vs Biloxi_IN-Half-Page.indd 1 9/6/22 2:55 PM

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): Now and then, you slip into phases when you're poised on the brink of either self-damage or self-dis covery. You wobble and lurch on the borderline where self-undoing vies with self-creation. Whenever this situation arises, here are key questions to ask yourself: Is there a strategy you can implement to ensure that you glide into self-discovery and self-creation? Is there a homing thought that will lure you away from the perverse temptations of self-damage and self-undoing? The answers to these queries are always yes—if you regard love as your top priority and if you serve the cause of love over every other consideration.

HERE'S THE HOMEWORK: I invite you to send a blessing to someone you regard as challenging to bless. Testify—newsletter.freewillastrology.com. {in}

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 15

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PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): "I am lonely, yet not everybody will do," observed Piscean author Anaïs Nin. "Some people fill the gaps, and others emphasize my loneliness," she con cluded. According to my reading of the astro logical omens, Pisces, it's your task right now to identify which people intensify your loneli ness and which really do fill the gaps. And then devote yourself with extra care to cultivating your connections with the gap-fillers. Loneli ness is sometimes a good thing—a state that helps you renew and deepen your communion with your deep self. But I don't belief that's your assignment these days. Instead, you'll be wise to experience intimacy that enriches your sense of feeling at home in the world. You'll thrive by consorting with allies who sweeten your love of life.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): Aquarian author Richard Ford has advice for writers— "Find what causes a commotion in your heart. Find a way to write about that." I will amend his counsel to apply to all of you non-writers, as well. By my reckoning, the coming weeks will be prime time to be gleefully honest as you identify what causes commotions in your heart. Why should you do that? Because it will lead you to the good decisions you need to make in the coming months. As you attend to this holy homework, I suggest you direct the following invitation to the universe—"Beguile me, mystify me, delight me, fascinate me, and rouse me to feel deep, delicious feelings."

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): Tips to get the most out of the next six weeks—1. Be the cautiously optimistic voice of reason. Be the methodical motivator who prods and inspires. Organize as you uplift. Encourage others as you build efficiency. 2. Don't take other people's apparent stupidity or rudeness as personal af fronts. Try to understand how the suffering they have endured may have led to their behavior. 3. Be your own father. Guide yourself as a wise and benevolent male elder would. 4. Seek new

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): My reader Monica Ballard has this advice for you Aries folks—"If you don't vividly ask for and eagerly welcome the gifts the Universe has in store for you, you may have to settle for trinkets and baubles. So never settle." That's always use ful counsel for you Rams. And in the coming weeks, you will be wise to heed it with extra intensity. Here's a good metaphor to spur you on: Don't fill up on junk snacks or glitzy hors d'oeuvres. Instead, hold out for gourmet feasts featuring healthy, delectable entrées.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): I will remind you about a potential superpower that is your birthright to develop: You can help people to act in service to the deepest truths and stron gest love. You can even teach them how to do it. Have you been ripening this talent in 2022? Have you been bringing it more to the forefront of your relationships? I hope so. The coming months will stir you to go further than ever before in expressing this gift. For best results, take a vow to nurture the deepest truths and strongest love in all your thoughts and dealings with others.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): It's impossible to be perfect. It's neither healthy nor produc tive to obsess on perfectionism. You know these things. You understand you can't afford to get bogged down in overthinking and over reaching and overpolishing. And when you are at your best, you sublimate such manic urges. You transform them into the elegant intention to clarify and refine and refresh. With grace and care, you express useful beauty instead of aim ing for hyper-immaculate precision. I believe that in the coming weeks, dear Virgo, you will be a master of these services—skilled at perform ing them for yourself and others.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): According to Libran poet T. S. Eliot, "What we call the be ginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from." Those are your guiding thoughts

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): Please promise me you will respect and revere your glorious star power in the coming weeks. I feel it's important, both to you and those whose lives you touch, that you exalt and exult in your access to your magnificence. For everyone's benefit, you should play freely with the art of being majestic and regal and sovereign. To do this right, you must refrain from indulging in trivial wishes, passing fancies and minor attractions. You must give yourself to what's stellar. You must serve your holiest longings, your riveting dreams and your thrilling hopes.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): "Poetry is a life-cherishing force," said Pulitzer Prize-win ner Mary Oliver, who published 33 volumes of poetry and read hundreds of other poets. Her statement isn't true for everyone, of course. To reach the point where reading poetry provides our souls with nourishment, we may have to

work hard to learn how to appreciate it. Some of us don't have the leisure or temperament to do so. In any case, Cancerian, what are your life-cherishing forces? What influences inspire you to know and feel all that's most precious about your time on earth? Now would be an excellent time to ruminate on those trea sures—and take steps to nurture them with tender ingenuity.

"Sometimes serendipity is just intention un masked," said Sagittarian author Elizabeth Berg. I suspect her theory will be true for you in the coming weeks. You have done an adroit job of formulating your intentions and collecting the information you need to carry out your inten tions. What may be best now is to relax your focus as you make room for life to respond to your diligent preparations. "I'm a great believer in luck," said my Uncle Ned. "I've found that the harder I work, the more luck I have." He was correct, but it's also true that luck sometimes surges your way when you've taken a break from your hard work.

for the coming days, Libra. You're almost ready to start fresh; you're on the verge of being able to start planning your launch date or grand opening. Now all you have to do is create a big crisp emptiness where the next phase will have plenty of room to germinate. The best way to do that is to finish the old process as com pletely as possible.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21):

ways to experience euphoria and enchantment, with an emphasis on what pleasures will also make you healthier.

By Rob Brezsny

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): Your mind is sometimes a lush and beautiful maze that you get lost in. Is that a problem? Now and then it is, yes. But just as often, it's an entertaining blessing. As you wander around amidst the lavish finery, not quite sure of where you are or where you're going, you often make discoveries that rouse your half-dormant potentials. You luckily stumble into unforeseen insights you didn't realize you needed to know. I believe the description I just articulated fits your current ramble through the amazing maze. My ad vice—Don't be in a mad rush to escape. Allow this dizzying but dazzling expedition to offer you all its rich teachings.

freewillastrology.com freewillastrology@freewillastrology.comRobBrezsny©Copyright2022 With grace and care, you express useful beauty instead of aiming for hyper-immaculate precision.

free will astrology

BRIGHT IDEA Ryan Boria and Amy Schaner were really hoping for a slow night at the Wen dy's where they both worked on Aug. 26. So as they drove to the restaurant in Tilden Town ship, Pennsylvania, they made a short stop, WFMZ-TV reported. Along the train cross ing at Industrial Drive, Boria "placed a shunt on the track. He got back in the car with (Schan er) and they proceeded to Wendy's," Officer Frank Cataldi of the Tilden Township Police Department said. "They told us that their in tentions were that if the gates could malfunc tion and they could somehow block traffic, then that would prevent people from getting to Wendy's, and they could have a slow night at work." Both were arrested on multiple charges, including causing or risking a catastrophe.

FLY THE FRIENDLY SKIES A Chinese man in his 40s, identified only as Hu, and his part ner were picking pine nuts in a forest park in Heilongjiang province in northeastern Chi na on Sept. 4 using an unconventional meth od: They were perched in the basket of a teth ered hydrogen balloon. Which might have been fine, but the balloon became untethered, CBS News reported. The second person jumped to the ground, but Hu was aloft in the balloon for two days and traveled more than 200 miles be fore rescuers reached him by cellphone and in structed him about how to slowly deflate the balloon and land safely. By that time, he was close to the border with Russia. Hu was report edly in good health aside from having back pain from standing so long. {in}

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT Elizabeth Leon, 18, was hired to babysit a 4-year-old in Aventura, Florida, from 1:45 p.m. until mid night on Aug. 15, Local10 reported. When the child's mother texted Leon at 11:14 p.m. to say she was headed home, Leon texted back that she was "heading out ... because her moth er paid for an Uber to take her back home and it arrived ahead of time," an arrest report said. Leon told the mother she had locked the door, and requested her $168 payment. The mother checked her Ring doorbell recording and saw that Leon had actually left at 9:45 p.m., leaving the child alone for more than two hours. On Aug. 22, Leon was charged with child neglect and transferred to jail, where she's unlikely to be able to leave early.

news of the weird

GREAT ART! Comic book creator Dale Keown has launched a YouTube channel to talk about his own career and that of other cartoonists, Bleeding Cool reported. But on Sept. 8, Keown's livestream got a little less lively when he fell asleep and the camera kept rolling—for more than five hours. The beginning of the video in cludes Keown expounding on Marvel, Disney, the Hulk and his own drunkenness—and then he seems to just drop off into dreamland. Jour nalist and Bleeding Cool founder Rich John ston, who was watching the stream, called it "so transfixing and mellowing."

Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.comFromAndrewsMcMeel Syndication News Of The Weird © 2022 Andrews McMeel

19September 15, 2022

ODD JOB Kindt Clinics in Amsterdam, which treats anxiety, phobias and PTSD, posted a job opening for someone who is able to vomit at will, NL Times reported on Sept. 4. The per son who fills the part-time position will help pa tients who have a fear of vomiting, replacing a previous employee who retired. Psychologist Maartje Kroesse, who posted the position, said the response has been overwhelming: "There are many more applications than expected. Our new transmitter is certainly among them." (Transmit ter?) One hopeful applicant gushed: "Now I can finally share my art: vomit on command!"

POLICE REPORT In Fort Myers, Florida, Lee County deputies stopped to investigate a Nis

PRICEY POTTY BREAK Sailboat pilot Steve Strickland was headed to Chesapeake Bay from Queens, New York, early on Labor Day when nature called, NBC Philadelphia reported. He set the boat on autopilot and stepped away, but "the autopilot shut off," he said. The boat, which he'd bought only three weeks before, hit a rock jetty and became stuck in the sand at a beach in Ocean City, New Jersey, around 4 a.m. Strick land had to wait until afternoon to get a tow. For him, Labor Day amounted to "a lot of headache and a lot of money."

san Altima that was parked blocking a bicycle lane on Sept. 3, NBC2-TV reported. Officers found a man reclining in the driver's seat; after giving them a false name, he was asked to exit the vehicle. That's when Randy Austerman, 34, reached into the console and removed a 3-footlong steel sword, then paused to attach a drag on-shaped handle to the blade. Police backed off as Austerman poked the sword out the car's window at them. As he tried to escape through the passenger door, Austerman was subdued and arrested; officers found methamphetamine, marijuana and a glass pipe in the car.

PDH: PUBLIC DISPLAY OF HYGIENE Dur ing the U.S. Open tennis tournament on Sept. 6, as a match unfolded between Nick Kyrgios of Australia and Karen Khachanov of Russia at Arthur Ashe Stadium, two men in the stands stole the show for a few minutes, the Associ ated Press reported. YouTube prankster JiDi on donned a barber's cape while a second man gave him a trim with clippers—at least un til tournament security arrived. "They were escorted out of their seats and then off the grounds for disruption of play," USTA's Bren dan McIntyre said. "There's a first time for anything." However, it wasn't the first for JiDi on: He got a trim at a Timberwolves vs. Maver icks game in March, and in July, he was banned for life from Wimbledon for blowing an air horn during a match between Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner.

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