Inweekly Sept. 29 Issue

"SÉANCE"

SHANNON TAGGART exploring the synchronicities of with photography by

Oh, man, it's a grind for sure.

Rick Outzen

creative director

graphic designer Tim Bednarczyk

co ntributing writers

Gina Castro, Savannah Evanoff, Jennifer Leigh , Jeremy Morrison, Sydney Robinson, C.S. Satterwhite, Tom St. Myer contact us info@inweekly.net

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.

Delezen

Monday-Thursday

Friday-Saturday

winners & losers

winners losers

PEN AIR FEDERAL CREDIT UNION Pen Air donated $100,000 in support of the Naval Avi ation Museum Foundation's NW Florida STEM Center of Excellence. Funds will directly support the National Flight Academy, Flight Adventure Deck and DoD STARBASE programs. The Na tional Flight Academy provides STEM education to students in seventh-12th grades using their state-of-the-art aircraft carrier-themed school house, Ambition. Its immersive simulated envi ronment, coupled with revolutionary methods in instruction, helps foster cooperative learning and inspire young people to pursue math, science and engineering degrees.

UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA INSIGHT into Diversity magazine awarded UWF the 2022 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award for the fifth consecutive year and seventh time overall. Two initiatives recognized by HEED are the Inside-Out Prison Exchange course and the Sexuality and Gender Resource Center. The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program® is an inter national initiative that encourages dialogue and education among incarcerated individuals and university students. UWF's Sexuality and Gen der Resource Center fosters and promotes eq uity, access and inclusion for all genders and sexualities through education, resources, sup port and programming.

THE NISSI PROJECT The Network of Immedi ate Services for Survivors International (NISSI) received $435,000 in state appropriations to es tablish Northwest Florida's first short-term, im mediate care facility for survivors of human traf ficking and sexual exploitation. Alex Andrade sponsored the appropriations request for the NIS SI Service Center. Sen. Doug Broxson joined An drade to help get the request over the finish line. The organization plans to host an open house and dedication in the near future.

EDDIE STEWART Gov. Ron DeSantis reap pointed Stewart to the Barbers' Board. He is a barber at the Navy Exchange at Sherman Field. He previously served in the Florida Army Nation al Guard and has been a barber for over 50 years. Stewart earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from Faulkner University.

ESCAMBIA COUNTY REPUBLICAN

PARTY

The local GOP wants School Superin tendent Tim Smith ousted, describing him as "a liberal superintendent who has tried to intro duce CRT, a mask mandate, and now has sent out a disturbing social test which sexualizes fe male students." Secretary Pueschel Schneier sent out an email to party volunteers asking them to attend the school board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 20. She wrote, "In 2018, Es cambia County voted to go from an elected to an appointed superintendent. Many are ex periencing voter's remorse and are calling for a referendum to put it back on the ballot." The board voted 3-2 not to consider an addon agenda item to discuss terminating Smith's contract. However, the topic can be brought forward at a future meeting. Escambia County voters approved the referendum that made the school superintendent a position appointed by the school board in 2018 by 910 votes, 62,418-61,508.

ASCENSION The St. Louis-based parent com pany of Ascension Sacred Heart in Pensaco la reported a net loss of $1.8 billion for the 12 months ended June 30. The 144-hospital sys tem had a net income of $5.7 billion the pre vious year—a $7.5 billion reversal. Becker's Healthcare reports that 53% of the hospitals across the country are projected to have nega tive margins for the rest of the year.

JOHN DAVIS The former executive director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services has pled guilty to redirecting $77 million of feder al funds away from welfare programs to alleged ly help line the pockets of state officials and their associates. Former Gov. Phil Bryant and NFL quarterback Brett Favre have been mentioned in the scandal. The newly released texts show that Bryant, Favre, Davis and others worked together to channel at least $5 million of the state's wel fare funds to build a new volleyball stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi, where Fa vre's daughter played the sport. Favre is not fac ing charges and has maintained he didn't know where the money came from. Davis faces up to 10 years in prison. Stay tuned.

Photo by diy13 / shutterstock.com

outtakes

By Rick Outzen

I see Pensacola's past two decades as two distinct waves, each with unique challeng es and opportunities, and I am excited to see where the next wave that propels us through this decade carries us.

The 2000s had the Disruption Wave. We were hit with the 9/11 attacks, Hurricane Ivan and a re cession that pulled back the veneer and exposed the area's weaknesses that had been ignored for decades. The leaders that influenced the area pol itics for the previous two decades—icons such as Vince Whibbs Sr, M.J. Menge and Jack Fetter man—passed, and the baby boomers that fol lowed in their footsteps began to lose their grip on the reins of power. The dai ly newspaper controlled the media, captured all the ad dollars and decided the winners and losers.

Inweekly challenged the status quo. We did so imperfectly at times, but our weekly newspaper tapped into the community's pent-up frustrations. We survived threats that resulted when we report ed on the lack of transparency of the rebuild efforts after Ivan, the insider deals at the county and the brutal tactics of local law enforcement.

spend on diversifying Northwest Florida's econo my. Florida Senate President Don Gaetz got funds to build a new Pensacola Bay bridge. And the area's unemployment dropped, the economy flourished, and new construction soared.

Meanwhile, the daily newspaper went through a significant upheaval, selling its print ing press and headquarters and losing much of its institutional knowledge of the commu nity with the losses of editors Ginny Graybiel and Tom Ninestine, columnists Mark O'Brien, Carl Wernicke, Shannon Nickinson and Reggie Dogan, and a string of government reporters.

I don’t know what will be the name of this third wave, but I pray 2020s will build on our successes without repeating our past mistakes.

We championed the Community Maritime Park, Pensacola Young Professionals, the Strong Mayor charter and a new generation of candi dates like Grover Robinson, David Morgan, Mar en DeWeese, Larry Johnson, Diane Mack, Megan Pratt, Lumon May and Ashton Hayward. And we saw Pensacola begin to change.

The 2010s had the Renaissance Wave. The decade had its challenges—an ice storm, sever al 100-year flood events and a jail explosion— but we also saw several projects started in the previous decade completed—the Community Maritime Park, Blue Wahoos Stadium, Navy Federal Credit Union campus, the renovation of the downtown public library and the expansion of the Pensacola International Airport.

Mayor Ashton Hayward and FloridaWest came on the scene as Gov. Rick Scott took office with the promise to create 700,000 new jobs in Florida.

Navy Federal and ST Engineering benefited from Scott's focus on new jobs and Triumph Gulf Coast, which had $1.5 billion in BP settlement dollars to

Quint Studer picked up Nickinson and Dogan, sports editor Bill Vilona and design er Ron Stallcup and brought back to Pensacola former publisher Terry Horne, ex ecutive editor Randy Ham mer and sports reporter D.C. Reeves. He created the Stud er Community Institute, tried his hand at the news with BLAB and Pensacola Today, and partnered with the daily newspaper to create CivicCon. His development projects—Five Sisters, SoGo District, DeVilliers Square, Southtowne, Urban Core, Mari time Place, Savoy and SCI Building—spurred even more new construction in downtown Pensacola.

Inweekly adapted to the changes in the me dia industry and got leaner and more agile. But we didn't lose our aggressiveness, which result ed in a new series of attacks when we questioned local officials' decisions. Editor Joani Delezen took our creativity to new levels and broadened our coverage with the help of a stable of talented writers. Our investigative reporting became fea tured in several documentaries.

Those two waves brought us to the 2020s. We have a new young mayor trained in Studer's "Hardwiring Excellence" culture and with an en trepreneurial bent, an appointed superinten dent struggling to close the achievement gaps in our school system and a community that's finally ready to discuss the difficult topics of race, pov erty, homelessness and mental health.

I don't know what will be the name of this third wave, but I pray 2020s will build on our successes without repeating our past mistakes. {in} rick@inweekly.net

SEC SOCCER COMES TO TOWN

was an open question. After getting Escambia County to commit to upgrades at its Ashton J. Brosnaham Soccer Complex, the SEC selected Pensacola as the tournament's home through 2024 and possibly 2026, making it only the sec ond location in Florida to host the finals, follow ing Gainesville's turn as host city in 1997.

In addition to bringing a high level of soc cer to the area, the SEC tournament should also prove to be an economic boost to the area. Palmer estimated that around $75,000 was expended in the bid to lure the SEC to town, but he expects the financial payoff to be much bigger. The tournament games will be broadcast on the SEC Network, and Visit Pensacola is also counting on the publicity to attract tourists to Escambia County.

"When a competition like the SEC Women's Soccer Tournament is hosted in our county, it generates visitor spending from the teams, boosters, vendors and fans," noted Visit Pen sacola CEO Darien Schaefer. "That spending supports small businesses, employs residents, supports the favorite restaurants and activities that residents enjoy, and generates taxes that help pay for county services/programs so resi dents can pay less."

Ray Palmer was playing golf last year when he got the phone call about soccer. The call came from the Southeastern Conference, and suddenly his game of golf faded into the background.

"I was, like, 'Alright, guys, y'all play on. I've gotta take a phone call.' You don't not take that phone call," laughed Palmer, who serves as Pen sacola Sports' president.

The caller wanted to know if Pensacola was serious about its bid to host the SEC Women's Soccer Tournament. This was big. Really big.

"Huge. In our world, it's huge," emphasized Palmer. "These are our Super Bowls."

After working out the details, the SEC an nounced last February that the women's soccer finals would be held in Pensacola this fall. Tick ets went on sale this month, with a week's worth of games kicking off at the end of October.

Hosting an SEC tournament is pretty much as good as it gets in the sports-tourism indus try. Not only will top-end collegiate soccer be on display in the local area, but visitors flowing in for the games will inject money into the re gional economy.

"I think it's a big deal for a community like Pensacola," Palmer said.

"IT'S GOING TO BE WILD"

Coach Karen Hoppa has been at Auburn University for more than two decades. She is intimately familiar with the landscape of SEC women's soccer. This season, her team's sched ule is packed with conference teams, and she knows she's running a gauntlet from now until the finals.

"Oh, man, it's a grind for sure," Hoppa said. "I'll tell you what—every game is like a playoff game. Every game's a high-level game."

program, established in the early 1990s, regu larly fields teams on the national stage, with 75 NCAA tournament bids over years, including at least one appearance from each of the 14 teams in the conference.

Coach Hoppa knows that there's enough talent in SEC that any given team can win any given game. She explained, "The unique thing about our conference compared to some of the other big conferences is every team is good. Our bottom team could beat our top team on a given day, so it is exciting. It's going to be wild."

versity of Arkansas, University of South Caro lina, Auburn University and, maybe surprisingly, the University of Alabama.

"I'll tell you what," Hoppa said, "Alabama, as much as it hurts me to say, being an Auburn person, Alabama's had an unbelievable nonconference. I think they are a sleeper if you will. They are really, really good this year."

And what about the University of Florida? While the Gators dominated SEC women's soccer with a string of consecutive wins begin ning in the mid-1990s and stretching into the turn of the century, the program hasn't had a conference win since 2016. Still, Florida does boast the SEC's only national title with a 1998 win under Coach Becky Burleigh, so we'll see.

Right now, Hoppa is just focused on making sure Auburn makes it to Pensacola. "Any team you play has got to be the team to beat is how you got to approach the league."

Schaefer added that such a high-profile event gives the Pensacola area some free pub licity, opening it up to a new audience who may think to visit later. He said, "Hosting an SEC college sports event is a major accomplish ment. It can lead to bringing other SEC compe titions/programming to the Pensacola area and other college conferences looking at Pensacola as a host site."

It's this intense level of competition, the coach contends, that's going to make the con ference's upcoming finals tournament a sports spectacle to keep an eye on.

"It's going to be wild," Hoppa said. "One goal is going to separate team number three from team number seven. That's how close it gets in our league, so it's definitely a grind, but it's also really fun."

It's not yet known which SEC teams will be traveling to Pensacola for the finals series, slat ed for Oct. 30-Nov. 6. The top 10 teams in the division will be playing in the tournament.

Last year, the University of Tennessee won the SEC tournament, and a preseason coach's

Regardless of which teams make the tour nament's cut, Palmer is confident the final will attract fans. He said, "While we don't have an SEC institution here, everywhere you go, there's SEC fans here."

"EVERY GAME IS EXCITING"

For nearly 20 years, the SEC Women's Soc cer Tournament was hosted in Orange Beach, Ala., and quite frankly, Palmer assumed it would stay that way. When Pensacola Sports put in bids to host the games, he recalled, it was al most an exercise in formality.

"We'd submit a bid, put our hand up and say, 'We'd love for you to come to Pensacola,' kind of knowing they're never coming; they're happy in Orange Beach," Palmer said.

But then Orange Beach's field logistics changed, and suddenly, the tournament's locale

Palmer is hopeful that local fans of the vari ous SEC teams will make an impressive showing at these upcoming matches. An energized en vironment, he said, would ensure that the SEC returns to Pensacola in the future.

"Our community needs to prove itself," Palmer said. "It's essential that we show up and show the SEC that we value them being here; that's how we keep them coming back for a long time."

Fans who make it out to some games, as sured Coach Hoppa, wouldn't be disappointed. Any teams they choose to follow will likely of fer up a display worth watching.

"Every game is exciting for the fans, and hopefully, we'll get a lot of fans out down there in Pensacola at tournament time because every game is exciting, and every game is highlevel soccer," Coach Hoppa said. {in}

For more information on SEC Women's soccer and the championship tournament, visit pen sacolasports.org/sec-soccer-tournament.

Photo Courtesy of SEC Staff

"The unique thing about our conference compared to some of the other big conferences is every team is good. Our bottom team could beat our top team on a given day, so it is exciting." Karen Hoppa

"It's essential that we show up and show the SEC that we value them being here; that's how we keep them coming back for a long time." Ray Palmer

REEVES REVS UP

pal governance and compile a report full of rec ommendations for the new mayor to consider when determining his administration's priorities and approach. During the team's initial gathering Wednesday, Sept. 21, the mayor-elect stressed the importance of the team's work.

"After the election, I said we want no days wasted," Reeves said. "We've got this three months of runway to be as prepared as possible as an administration and understand that you guys play an enormous role in that."

The mayor-elect is fairly familiar with the transition-team process. Reeves and DIB exec utive director Walker Wilson served as admin istrative support for Mayor Grover Robinson's transition team.

"Uniquely, I have some experience doing this. I was at that table four years ago for Mayor Rob inson's transition team, so I know the ask," Reeves told. "Maybe I know the ask a little bit better than all of you guys do, so thank you in advance for all of your time and commitment to the city."

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Capt. Tim "Lucky" Kinsella, USN (Ret.), helms the transition team. The former Naval Air Station Pensacola commanding officer directed the mem

able performance, military relations, public safe ty and strategic planning. At least two team mem bers have been assigned to each area of focus.

Throughout this process, members will dive into their respective focus areas, meeting with rel evant parties both inside and outside city govern ment and holding meetings with the public. Chair man Kinsella instructed them to think of their final recommendations and report as a guidebook for Reeves. His to-the-point formula for their even tual final reports was to describe the issue, discuss the issue and make recommendations concern ing the issue.

"Real simple—issue, discussion, recommen dation," Kinsella reiterated, asking members to limit their personal recommendations to three. "Otherwise, we'll get mired."

Finally, Kinsella requested they strive to "be bold" but also "be useful." He advised them to approach the recommendations with a ques tion—is this something Reeves will actually be able to work with?

"Or is he just going to look at it and say, 'Well, it's a great idea, but it ain't gonna happen'?" the chairman asked.

Once team members complete their work, their individual reports will be synthesized into a more extensive, final report for Reeves to di

fellow environmental advocate Kelly Hagen.

"The last time, with Robinson's team, I wrote every word of that," Wagley noted. "I don't look to have the staff write the report for me. I want those to be my own words and the words of Kelly."

After all, Wagley pointed out that he and Ha gen will be immersing themselves in the focus area, and it seems like Reeves would want to hear directly from the folks he tapped for the transi tion team. He shared, "It just doesn't make sense for anyone else to write that."

TWO OR MORE HEADS

Reeves' transition team is different from his predecessor's in one striking sense—it's much bigger. Mayor Robinson's team fit nicely on the dais within city council chambers, whereas Reeves has commandeered a spacious secondfloor meeting room at city hall where his team sprawls across its expanse.

The team's size is not an accident. It allows multiple team members to jump on a single area of focus. As Reeves explained during the team's initial meeting, this model allows for various perspectives.

"I don't think there's an expectation that you come back with one joint recommenda

tion," Reeves told his team. "We wanted vary ing perspectives, and I think that is how we best

"Even it means individual focus members di verge. He's welcoming that, encouraging that to give him the greatest diversity," said Wagley, de scribing the approach as a "different and refresh ing take on how to do it."

"It's a little bit of a different take on it," agreed team member David Peaden, "which I'm excited about."

Peaden, who is focusing on development, ex pects that once team members submit their re spective recommendations, that "cream will rise to the top." Rachael Gillette, who will focus on employee engagement and culture, said she's also reasonably confident about this approach.

"The old saying 'two (or more) heads are better than one applies because you multiply the experience and the expertise to optimize the outcome," Gillette noted.

ENERGY, NOT DUST

Gillette, who serves as president of the Stud er Community Institute, is pretty familiar with Reeves since the mayor-elect served as Quint Studer's chief of staff and later chief entrepre neurial office. She feels sure that experience, coupled with his small business start-up and philanthropic history, has laid a solid foundation.

For instance, even this whole transition team process is classic Quint. Gillette said, '''Diagnose before treatment' is a phrase we have learned from Quint, and D.C. knows it well."

She thinks that Reeves has assembled "a large and diverse group" to serve on his transi tion team and that the forthcoming process will provide the mayor-elect with the foundation he needs heading into office.

"I know he wants to make positive changes for our city, and he is wise enough to do the diagnosis and listen to the voices of the people before com ing up with a treatment plan," she said.

Reflecting after their first meeting, Peaden said he is optimistic—"I think it's going to be fascinating to see what comes out of it"—as did Wagley, who said it appeared that Reeves was intent on getting input from all corners of the community.

"I was very impressed with the quality and di versity of people that were there," Wagley said.

Once this whole transition team process wraps up, Wagley added, it would also be nice if Reeves kept in touch with team members. That's what Mayor Robinson has done, he said, letting his transition team know how their work was contributing to his tenure.

"He kept me informed on my recommenda tions," Wagley said. "It really made me feel like my work was valued and taken seriously."

As Reeves told his transition team during its first meeting, he does intend to take their work seriously.

"This is not energy wasted; this is not collect ing dust on a report; this is truly going to be our navigational beacon to get us to where we know Pensacola can be," the mayor-elect said. {in}

Photo Credit: Phocus

Photo Credit: Meg Burke

AWKO CENTER FOR LEADERSHIP The University of West Florida recently announced a $2.5 million gift from the Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz law firm to name the UWF Center for Leadership and enhance its initiatives.

The gift will support the Center for Leader ship's mission to develop effective leaders with a sense of personal authenticity and character, social and civic awareness, and the ethical cour age required to make positive change in the modern world.

"The importance of strong leadership in the civic setting—in schools, local government and other institutions—as well as in private sector businesses has never been greater," said Justin Witkin, founding partner of Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz. "We could not be more excit ed about what the Center for Leadership will do to develop leaders in these challenging times and what those leaders, in turn, will do for Pensacola and all of Northwest Florida."

The gift will also support the development of the center's two flagship programs—the Execu tive MBA with a focus in leadership, tentatively scheduled to launch in fall 2023, and high-impact executive leadership development seminars.

Tim Kinsella, director of the Center for Lead ership, told Inweekly, "Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz is a bold firm that is unafraid to go into the world and make a positive difference. They take up cases where they're fighting for the small people in this country that don't have a voice. They are people of character and principle."

He continued, "That is the type of leadership we want to teach. We want to develop leaders with character and courage to go out and make a positive difference in the world today. That's what it's all about. That's what leadership is about. And that law firm, they do it daily."

Bryan Aylstock, also a founding partner of

the firm, shared with Inweekly, "One of the things that we've noticed really in the last 10 or 15 years is how this community has responded to the lead ership that we have had. You look at downtown Pensacola; it's completely different than it was. Good leadership will absolutely transform and lift everybody in this community."

He added, "We are going to be able, through the University of West Florida, to bring and devel op leaders here. We look forward to the next 20, 30 years in this community because we're going to have great leaders to go with the great people and resources we have in Northwest Florida.

For more information about UWF's Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz Center for Leadership, visit uwf.edu/cfl.

SMITH SURVIVES A late addition to the Escam bia County School Board agenda to discuss the ter mination of Superintendent Tim Smith was struck down before last week's meeting even started.

School board members Laura Edler, Patty Hightower and Bill Slayton questioned why board chairman Kevin Adams added the item to the agenda less than 24 hours before the meeting. Adams defended the decision, saying that a board member asked to add the item. Inweekly later learned it was Paul Fetsko who made the request.

Slayton complained that he learned of the addition second-hand and then motioned for the agenda to be approved without a discussion to terminate Smith's contract. Edler seconded his motion, which passed 3-2, with Adams and Fetsko on the losing side.

Smith has drawn his share of criticism in the past few weeks. Parents recently complained about a "Rights and Responsibilities" handbook quiz for middle and high school students that in cluded a question about exchanging nude photos, revenge porn and a student committing suicide.

How the school district reacted to a massive brawl among spectators at a varsity football game between visiting Pensacola High and host Washington on Aug. 26 upset a significant num ber in the PHS community. The school district changed the date and location of PHS football games without community input, even though the brawl occurred at Washington High, and waited nearly a week to release a statement.

Smith spoke to Inweekly on Wednesday, Sept. 21, the morning after the school board meeting. He wasn't discouraged about the attempt to have his contract placed on the school board agenda.

"This is a school district that is the school district of all the residents in Escambia Count, and that's a very critical element to the concept of our public school system, to the framework of our district," said Dr. Smith. "And so, it's im perative that we have opportunities for people to be heard and for concerns or celebrations to be lifted."

He pointed out the challenges of having dif ferent viewpoints. "As we debate issues, some times they're difficult topics. Sometimes they're tough conversations," Smith said, "The key is be ing unified in that, finding common ground, being respectful to each other and understanding that every person matters. And so, we're all about uni ty for every student to succeed. That's our vision statement, and every student is so important, and we try to do the best we can."

The superintendent hopes to learn from re cent incidents. "Are we perfect? No. We're people, so we're not perfect. And when we're not, we need to reflect, we need to analyze and we need to im prove. That's part of our nation's fiber—struggling and fighting through tough situations but doing it as a united people."

Later in the week, Adams explained to In weekly publisher Rick Outzen on WCOA 1370AM why he voted to have the add-on item discussed.

"You know I advocated for us to have a strong board," said Adams. "I'm never going to be afraid to discuss the superintendent's performance. I have told the superintendent I am expecting for us at the end of this year to be pre-COVID or better on our school grades. I want to see a stop in the decline in enrollment. I want to see good order and discipline in our schools. I want to keep pushing for that. The only way we can have these discussions is in that boardroom."

REAP REPRIEVE Following the Pensacola City Council's decision to audit a local organization serving the homeless community, Mayor Grover Robinson said that it looked like Re-entry Alliance Pensacola (REAP) was addressing issues raised by city officials.

"They had totally complied with all the code enforcement issues brought to their attention," Robinson said during his weekly press confer ence on Sept. 19.

City Councilman Delarian Wiggins had voiced concerns about conditions at the REAP-operated homeless camp on West Blount Street. With $42,000 of federal funds directed toward the

organization by the city, council members decided to conduct an audit of the funds. REAP, mean while, has changed management at the camp.

Mayor Robinson told the media that he felt the camp had been operating smoothly and was not sure what happened in August, during a time frame in which it has been alleged that the camp was not kept in a sanitary condition.

He said the camp's former manager, Melissa Johnson, had been "incredibly helpful" in the city's mission to work with the local homeless community but that perhaps she wasn't the right fit for the REAP site. "I don't know; maybe her talents lay in a different place other than camp management."

Robinson also felt that REAP's camp should host a limited population. "I think the camp can function well. The camp needs to function with a lot fewer people and REAP also agrees that the number of people they should be handling is smaller."

Mayor Robinson also said that the city's code enforcement department would be a regular visi tor to the REAP homeless camp, which he thinks will help ensure that conditions at the camp remain up to snuff. However, the code enforce ment visits, the mayor said, will not be serving as the additional oversight that the city council re quested last week. The oversight of operations, he clarified, falls to REAP.

"REAP needs to provide the oversight; they need to do something like that," the mayor said. "I think what code enforcement does is to make sure that there are no violations that we know that are there and perhaps not being addressed."

THE IMPORTANCE OF HOPE While Re-Entry Alliance of Pensacola struggles to clean up the management mess at its city-funded homeless camp on Blount Street, Alfred Washburn Center Director Mike Kimberl has run the Satoshi Forest camp since 2013.

Inweekly asked him about the challenges of running a successful homeless camp.

"The basic theory behind it is that we're trying to get people out of the tyranny of the moment, or survival mode, as some people call it, and so we're trying to help provide them with a safe place to be, a good night's sleep, a place they can store their belongings and have basically a base camp to work out of. Instead of focusing on survival, focusing on what it takes to get them out of the situation they find them selves in," said Kimberl.

For years, Kimberl had to fight the county to keep the Satoshi Forest open. Attorney Will Dun away helped them win the legal battles.

"I think our biggest challenge was perception. What is it going to look like? Who are we going to allow out there?" he shared. "And so, there was a lot of fear of what it would look like. And our biggest concern was the concern of the neighbor hood as well in the surrounding areas, that we're putting our name behind this, and we don't want the reputation of creating a pirate den inside of our community."

Photo Courtesy of UWF

Kimberl continued, "I think a lot of that per ception has been alleviated over the years as they have seen what we've done and who we have out there and heard success stories of people getting back on their feet. I want to believe that we've gone through the gauntlet, gotten beat up and come out the other end, and now, we're able to use this as a good working model for moving for ward in our community in the future."

Mayor Grover Robinson has talked about a three-tiered solution to deal with homeless ness. The first step is the REAP camp, then its Max-Well Center, followed by a transition to more permanent housing.

Kimbrel recommended a multi-faceted ap proach. "I've always been a diversity of tactics per son, and so I think we need all of that and more, and I would like to see it as a distributed network across our community to lessen the impact."

He added, "I feel like if we put too many facili ties in one area or too large of a facility, it'll have a massive impact on that community, especially with things like campgrounds and things like that. When you have a facility that has a lot of coming and going or releasing people in the morning, that has an impact on a community, and we need to consider that when we're making these plans on where this infrastructure should go."

Kimberl is hopeful the recent focus on homelessness will bring about positive changes. "I still have my concerns, but I'm very hopeful. I think out here, one of the biggest things that we combat in homelessness is apathy, so we need to instill hope, not only in the people we serve but in each other. This is very discouraging work. We see more losses than we see wins, and so hope is very important for us."

NEW CHALLENGE COIN National POW/ MIA Recognition Day was Friday, Sept. 16. Na val Aviation Museum Foundation CEO RADM Kyle Cozad, USN (ret), discusses the unique way the foundation is honoring those missing, those Prisoners of War and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.

"Because the spring of next year marks the 50th anniversary of Operation Homecoming, which was the repatriation of nearly 600 pris oners of war who returned home from honor from North Korea after many, many years of inhumane treatment and physical torture at the hands of the enemy," Cozad told Inweekly, "we really want to put something together that, number one, allows us to raise funds for a great cause but also gives each one of the folks who donate something as a keepsake."

Donors of $25 or more will receive a serialized challenge coin commemorating the anniversary.

The foundation has partnered with the American Heritage Museum to create a new exhibit to honor Operation Homecoming's 50th anniversary.

"It's raising funds to be able to take those stories and preserve them for your kids, for my kids, for our grandkids into the future, so people never forget," said Cozad. "I had an opportunity

to sit down with Commander Everett Alvarez, the Navy's first prisoner of war shot down. He spent nearly eight-and-a-half years in captiv ity. And during our time together, just getting to know him, the toughness, the resiliency and then the success these guys had when they got back when they were repatriated, it's just an amazing story."

He added, "We want to make sure that we save those stories in some sort of recorded fash ion so that everybody has an opportunity to sit and listen and learn."

CITY STAFF SATISFIED The city of Pensacola completed its fourth annual city employee en gagement and satisfaction survey. Employee engagement rose from the 39th percentile in 2019 to the 67th percentile in 2022 compared to other organizations nationwide. The 2022 sur vey showed that 69% of employees are satisfied to work for the city, and 60% of employees are highly engaged in their work.

"Taking care of City of Pensacola employees has been one of my top priorities since I took office, and I am excited to see those efforts posi tively reflected in our employee engagement sur vey," Mayor Robinson said.

Conducting an employee engagement survey was one of the recommendations that Mayor Robinson's transition team chairman Quint Studer identified as an important action item to help improve employee performance and morale.

Using a series of questions with a five-point scale, the survey measured employee attitudes on 13 factors, including city image, recognition and development, compensation and benefits, work pressure, progress and job security. Some strengths employees identified included satisfac tion with benefits, recognition, opportunities for development and feeling like their supervisor treats people fairly and cares about them as peo ple. Other factors where the city scored above the norm were satisfaction with coworkers, treatment and work pressure.

OUT-OF-SCHOOL PROPOSALS

The Es cambia Children's Trust issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking programs that provide out-of-school programs for students in Escam bia County. The RFP seeks to fulfill needs iden tified in ECT's 2022 needs assessment—in par ticular, the academic and attendance indicators addressed in Theme 2: Children are Ready to Succeed in School and Life and the indicators on youth mental health, addiction and violence addressed in Theme 4: Children Have Supports to Help Them Avoid Risky Behaviors.

ECT seeks to offer low-income and under served families a range of high-quality programs that meet a demonstrated need for positive youth development during afterschool hours, summer breaks, and other times when school is not in session. Submissions are due by 3 p.m. on Nov. 4. For more information, contact ECT at info@escambiachildrenstrust.org. {in}

"SÉANCE"

Whether or not you believe in ghosts, Shan non Taggart is not out to convince you one way or another. For the past 20 years, Taggart has photographed Spiritualist practices in the United States, England and Europe, document ing séance circles, mediumship and devices used to aid communication with spirits. As a partici pant, observer and researcher, her evocative im ages honor the rich history of Spiritualism and its community of practitioners while embracing am biguity—leaving the interpretation of orbs, oth erworldly blurs and glowing colors within her im ages up to the viewer to decipher.

Pensacola Museum of Art is currently display ing a selection of Taggart's images in an exhibition called "Séance: Photographs by Shannon Taggart."

Spiritualism is an American-born religion that believes in communication with spirits of the dead. Taggart was first introduced to the religion as a teenager when her cousin received a mes

sage from a medium at Lily Dale, a hamlet in New York state that is home to the world's largest Spiritualist community. Uncovering this strange family secret inspired Taggart to document this community and led to her career examining the connection of Spiritualism to art, science, tech nology and its intrinsic bond with photography.

Both Spiritualism and photography emerged in the mid-19th century and quickly became inter twined as the religion attempted to use the new technology to reveal the existence of spirits. This connection can also be seen in Taggart's work with red hues overcasting images as dark room sé ances typically contain red lights, a tradition con nected to film photography and light sensitivity— though many also believe this soft red glow is the only light suitable for contact with spirits.

"There was a real belief that you could com pletely reveal the unseen with photography and witness the spirit world in photographs, just like X-

TAGGART

rays and microscopes," Taggart explained. "Spir itualism and photography expose each other's complicated relationship with physical reality. I've met Spiritualists who believe that one day we will prove the spirit world through photography. I don't know if that's true, but I do think photography ab solutely has metaphysical possibilities. But it has a complicated relationship with being pure evi dence because there is a magic to photography. You're always getting something other than what you see with the naked eye—playing with light and freezing time."

These metaphysical qualities of photogra phy led Taggart to experiment with the mechan ical functionality of her camera, leaning into ac cidental motion blurs, long exposure, flares and synchronicities between her subjects and the final product in her photographs. During one session in Lily Dale, for example, Taggart photographed a medium holding a red flashlight while everyone

in the room observed a second face, like hers but different, floating next to her. Some claimed it was her doppelgänger, the spirit of her grandmother or maybe even the Voodoo queen Marie Laveau.

"I only saw a woman holding a flashlight," Taggart said. "I tried to take a straight expo sure shot, but later, on the film negative, I saw a blurred second face just like everyone was clair voyantly describing. When I first began docu menting mediums, I struggled with the problem of capturing a veiled presence in a visible body, but by using the mechanisms of the camera and leaning into these synchronicities, I began to capture the invisible part of the story."

As Taggart continued to document Spiritu alist communities and reference its artistic ico nography in her own work, she began to take on the role of a researcher, constantly demystifying the history and practices of Spiritualism along side her own work.

Table-tipping workshop with mediums Reverend Jane and Chris Howarth. Erie, Pennsylvania, 2014 / Photos by Shannon Taggart

of with photography by by dakota parks

"I became inspired by Spiritualist art, and I was trying to reference it in my own work, but people didn't know what I was talking about. People had never seen ectoplasm pictures or spirit photographs before," Taggart said. "My artist talks were always frontloaded by historical background before I could even show the audi ence my own work."

Out of this necessity to contextualize her im ages, Taggart published her first photobook, "Sé ance," in 2019, which synthesizes Spiritualist his tory, research and art alongside her own images. Taggart's photography exhibition that's current ly on view at PMA invites viewers inside Taggart's book—into a world of floating trumpets, apport ation, ectoplasm and dimly lit séances.

pursuit of trying to communicate with the dead," PMA Chief Curator Anna Wall said. "Whether or not you believe in the paranormal, I think many of us can relate to the desire to reach those that we've lost. For me, it's this grief, and the commu nity that forms around this longing, that lies at the heart of Taggart's beautiful images." Although Hollywood blockbusters may paint Spiritualist practices in a negative light, lump ing the religion in with the occult, witchcraft and general spooky happenings to scare the masses, Taggart explained that this intimate community is often misunderstood or feared by secular so ciety. This community of individuals, united by grief, deeply held beliefs and the desire to con vene with their departed loved ones, is nothing like popular culture depicts.

"Spiritualism is very different than what most people picture in their head. Honestly, the vibe at a Spiritualist church or a séance is very loving and grandmotherly," Taggart said. "No one is trying to summon spirits to change the world or do their bidding. The whole point is to prove there is an other side and that we can contact it—that death is not the end of the transi tion. Many of these people never thought they would come to places like these, but a personal experience or death of a loved one drew them to a medium, to a séance, to these enchant ed places like Lily Dale."

Taggart's images cap ture these intimate mo ments and enchanted do mestic spaces, filled with makeshift medium cabi nets and sacred objects like tables for table-tip ping, séance trumpets, handkerchiefs, coins and transcommunication de vices. "Séance" intertwines and juxtaposes these ma terial objects like bent spoons and séance props alongside immaterial and whimsical images of trail ing colors, halos, mediums falling in and out of tranc es and ectoplasm spilling from mouths.

Over the years, Taggart has participated in hun dreds of readings, healings

and séances, quietly finding her seat around séance circles and integrating herself in these spaces like an anthro pologist with her camera. Often, she is not the only photographer in the room, as many mediums actively ex periment with photography and doc umenting themselves in trances. Al though Taggart explained that there is nothing inherently scary about these practices, the unexplainable phenom ena can still be unsettling to some.

"There is one story in the book that some people might consider scary," Taggart said. "I was sitting with a medium I've worked with many times, named Sylvia Howarth, and she said to me, 'I never sit in the dark, because every time I sit in the dark, something strange hap pens in the kitchen the next day.' I didn't think anything of that, and later that evening, she did a sitting in the dark. The next day, I was in the kitchen and went to get a tea cup out of her cupboard, and when I grabbed the cupboard, the ceram ic knob to her cupboard exploded in my hand and cut my hand open. That could be very scary because if what she was saying is true, there was an unpredictable energy left over in her home."

If you ask Taggart today whether or not she believes in spirits, the answer is complicated and ever-changing, seeped in ambiguity—just like her photographs. More than anything, she is interested in harnessing this ambiguity and exploring time, consciousness and the human psyche within her images.

"I'm very interested in how our conscious ness embeds itself in photographs," she ex plained. "When you look at the works of great photographers, you're seeing the world through their eyes, their thoughts and consciousness. Even more, once you photograph somebody, it becomes a spirit photograph, because it will live on after that person dies. My approach is not to prove anything, which does confuse some Spir itualists because their great tradition of art and photography was all in hopes of proving spirits exist to nonbelievers. My goal has always been to honestly report on what I observe and to draw attention to this very serious, intellectual and important history—both in terms of innovation and creativity." {in}

"SÉANCE: PHOTOGRAPHS BY SHANNON TAGGART"

WHAT: An exhibition featuring the photography of Shannon Taggart

WHEN: On view now-Dec. 4

WHERE: Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St.

DETAILS: pensacolamuseum.org, shannontaggart.com

AN EVENING WITH SHANNON TAGGART

WHAT: A book signing and artist talk WHEN: 6-8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30

WHERE: Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St.

COST AND DETAILS: The event is free and open to the public, but seating may be lim ited. You can register in advance at uwf.edu/ downtownlectures.

Bent spoon apport gift from medium Anders Åkesson. England, 2013

Medium Sylvia Howarth enters a trance. England, 2013

a&e happenings

NONPROFITS & FUNDRAISERS

BIG JERK & FRIENDS PRESENTS: KARATE DAVE'S KICKBACK FOR A CAUSE Join Odd Colony Brewing Co., 260 N. Palafox, on Thurs day, Sept 29, from 7-9 p.m., to celebrate a spe cial one-time-only release from Big Jerk Soda. All proceeds raised from the release will benefit the Blue's Angel Foundation, which aims to make a positive impact on the Pensacola area through the promotion of music education, instruction and therapy throughout the lifespan of any and every individual it touches. Lensea Film, End of the Line Cafe, Blue Jay's Bakery, MI SU Street Food and Odd Colony will all be joining in the fun with live music from Panzacola. Visit facebook. com/oddcolony for details.

SIXTH ANNUAL DANETOBERFEST North west Florida Great Dane Rescue's (NWFLGDR) lovable, gentle giants are back to take over Se ville Square in downtown Pensacola on Satur day, Oct. 1, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Sixth An nual Danetoberfest celebration and fundraising event. "Highway to the Dane-Ger Zone" is this year's event theme. NWFLGDR will have more than two dozen adoptable Great Danes onsite to meet and give treats to. In addition, there will be dozens of NWFLGDR alumni Danes in at tendance, too. All two-legged and four-legged friends are invited to join. Visit facebook.com/ nwflgdr for details.

ANIMAL ALLIES BINGO Animal Allies Flor ida is hosting Bingo at two locations. Dates are 7 p.m., Oct. 4 and 18, Nov. 1 and 22, and Dec. 6 and 20, at Scenic Hills Country Club, located at 8891 Burning Tree Road. $10 for 30 cards. At The 5 Barrel Brewery, 121 S. Palafox, dates are 6 p.m. Sept. 27, Oct. 11 and 25, Nov. 15 and 29, and Dec. 13 and 27. $10 for $10 rounds. Proceeds go to help local animals. You must be 18 years old to play. Visit aaflorida.org for details.

ARTS & CULTURE

SURVIVING THE WILDS OF THE PANHAN DLE OPENING RECEPTION The Art Gallery at the University of West Florida presents "Surviv ing the Wilds of the Panhandle" by artist Justin Quaid Grubb, from Sept. 29-Nov. 11. An open ing reception will be held at TAG on Thursday, Sept. 29, from 5-8 p.m. Artwork will be on display  at TAG, located in the Center for Fine and Per forming Arts, Bldg. 82, 11000 University Parkway.

YIKES! COMEDY SHOW YIKES! Comedy showcase is Saturday, Oct. 1, at 7:30 p.m., at Vi nyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox, with Chris Cope, Tam Taylor and more. Tickets are $15-$30. De tails at vinylmusichall.com.

THE CAT'S MEOW Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson, presents "The Cat's Meow" which follows the story of a mysterious Holly wood death during the Jazz Era. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Fridays Sept. 30, Saturday, Oct. 1 and Thursday, Sept. 29; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2. Tickets are $8-31. Thursday shows are half-price. Purchase yours at pensacolalittletheatre.com.

DAVID MORRIS ARTIST RECEPTION Artist

David Morris Artist reception at Easy Going Gal lery, 701 N. V St., Thursday, Sept. 29, from 6-8 p.m.

PENSACOLA OPERA AL FRESCO Listen to Pensacola Opera Artists in Residence at a spe cial pop-up concert 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, at H.K. Matthews Park, 1201 E. Anderson St. No ticket needed.

AN EVENING WITH SHANNON TAGGART

Join photographer Shannon Taggart for a special book signing and artist talk in celebration of her exhibition "Séance "on Friday, Sept. 30, at Pensac ola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. This pro gram is free and open to the public, though seat ing may be limited. A PMA members preview is from 5:30-6 p.m., and reception begins at 6 p.m. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for more information.

PETE KELLY CLOSING EXHIBITION Artist

Pete Kelly's work is on view at 309 Punk House, 309 N. Sixth Ave. A closing exhibition will be 6-9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, at the punk house. Visit face book.com/309punkproject for more information.

CINEMAS IN THE SAND

Pack up your beach chairs and a blanket and enjoy family movies on Pensacola Beach this fall. Movies will start at sun set on a giant inflatable screen at the Gulfside Pa vilion. Free to the public. Dates are Fridays, Sept. 30 ("Luca"), Oct. 7 ("Hotel Transylvania 3: Sum mer Vacation") and Oct. 14 ("Hocus Pocus").

STRONG STREET STUDIO PUMPKIN PAR TIES

This year, Strong Street Studio is offering a mix of shopping options for your convenience with multiple sales online and in studio. New in ventory will be released for sale online as well as in the studio. The online sale will be 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 1, and studio sales 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays, Oct. 15 and 29, located at 109 N. A St., Unit B. De tails at strongstreetstudioglass.com.

CRAFT AND VINTAGE FALL MARKET Join Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox on Sunday, Oct. 2, from noon-5 p.m., for its Craft & Vintage Fall Mar ket. Details at facebook.com/oddcolony.

WHAT'S SHOWING AT PENSACOLA CINE

MA ART PCA is located at the Studer Communi ty Institute, 220 W. Garden St. Watch "Where the Crawdads Sing" at 1 p.m. and "The Automat" at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 29. Next month is "Elvis," with showings at 1 p.m. on Oct. 14 and 15 and "The Watcher" at 1 p.m. on Oct. 22. Classic films are available for free through the PCA website. Vis it pensacolacinemaart.com for more information and the latest showtimes.

TIANA HUX & MALEVITUS Immersive live performance, poster art and sculpture, and vid eo installation at 309 Punk House, 309 N. Sixth St., Friday, Oct. 7, at 6 p.m.

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 Oct. 19 with Monica Tapper, who will give a culi nary tour through Alabama history.

BALLET PENSACOLA'S "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" "The Phantom of the Opera," Ballet Pensacola's 2022-2023 season opener, tells the story of a masked figure lurking below in the catacombs of the Paris Opera House, exercising a reign of terror on all the inhabit it. The masked fig ure falls madly in love with a young ballerina and devotes himself to creating a new star by nurtur ing her extraordinary talents and by employing his devious methods. Showtimes are 7 p.m. Fri days, Oct. 7 and 14, and Saturdays, Oct. 8 and 15, and 2:30 p.m. Sundays, Oct. 9 and 16, at Pensaco la Cultural Center, 400 S. Jefferson St. Details at balletpensacola.org.

MOVIE NIGHT AT ALGA BEER CO. Visit Alga Beer Co., 2435 N. 12th Ave., every Monday at 7 p.m. for movie night. Follow @movie_night_at_ alga_ on Instagram to find out which movies will be featured each week.

LIFE DRAWING GROUP AT ARTEL Artel's life drawing group meets every Monday, except holi 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.

EASY GOING GALLERY ART MARKET

Every Sunday, Easy Going Gallery and Carter J Studios present a weekly art market Sundays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Easy Going Gallery, lo cated at 701 N. V St. Enjoy art, espresso, vintage goods, baked treats, handcrafted unique gifts and more. Vendors can participate for a $20 fee. For more information, contact easygoinggal leryart@gmail.com.

GALLERY 1060 JURIED SHOW View works in all media from local artists Sept. 12-Oct. 21 at First City Art's Gallery 1060, 1060 N. Guillemard St. Show will feature work from members and nonmembers. Visit firstcityart.org for details.

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, on view through Dec. 4. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for details.

GREETINGS FROM PENSACOLA Postcards were one of the ultimate promoters of person, place and thing during the first half of the 20th century. Journey through the development of the postcard and Pensacola's postcard past while be coming acquainted with Curt Teich, the world's most successful postcard publisher. On view through September 2022 at Pensacola Museum of History. Visit historicpensacola.org for details.

SUDDENLY AMERICAN: A MEETING OF HERITAGE AND COUNTRY This exhibit looks at the transition of Florida from a Spanish territo ry to an American region, which formally occurred in 1821. Florida's embattled history dates back much farther than 1821. From refusing indepen dence during the American Revolution to wanting their own freedom in 1810, Florida loved to cause problems. The United States eyed the region ear ly on, using the Seminole Wars as an excuse to seize territory before turning to diplomatic means to acquire Florida. The Adams-Onis Treaty, de bated and initially agreed upon in 1819, resulted in Spain ceding control of East Florida to the United States. At the same time, Spain also agreed to give up all claims on West Florida, in essence giving the entire Florida territory over to the United States. Ratified in 1821, the treaty was cause for celebra tion in Pensacola, the capital of West Florida, as it officially became part of America. On view at Pensacola Museum of History through Dec. 23. Visit historicpensacola.org for details.

CAPTURING SHADOWS: EXPLORING THE MAGIC OF CAMERAS This exhibit looks at a brief history of the technology behind photog raphy, from the camera obscura used during the Renaissance to modern digital cameras. In this interactive space, visitors will be able to experi ence capturing the magic of light through differ ent means. The gallery also displays a wide ar ray of camera technology from the UWF Historic Trust collection, including rare images from our archives. On view through Dec. 2022.

CELEBRATE! 50 YEARS OF THE GREAT GULF COAST ARTS FESTIVAL This exhibit ex plores the incredible story of the volunteers who keep the festival alive. Through the past five de cades, little has made a larger impact on the city than the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival and those who dedicate their time to ensuring it remains a vibrant affair in the heart of Pensacola. On view at the Pensacola Museum of History through February 2023.

TEXTILES OF THE TIMES: REGENCY ERA DRESS MAKING The period between 18111820 is historically defined as the Regency Pe riod. This exhibit at the Pensacola Museum of History looks at a day in the life of a Regencyera Pensacolian through fashion and garment use. Drawing on historical documentation of stores known to have operated on Palafox, in side this recreation of a seamstress shop visitors will be able to explore the dress of yesteryear. On view at the Pensacola Museum of History through June 2023. Visit historicpensacola.org for details.

SIT AND SPIN Meet other knitters and spin your yarn on the first Saturday of the month at Studio South Yarn Co., 955 E. Nine Mile Road, Unit 101. Visit studiosouthyarnco.com for details.

for more listings visit inweekly.net

inweekly.net

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 29

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): Poet Susan Howe describes poetry as an "amorous search under the sign of love for a remembered time at the pitch-dark fringes of evening when we gath ered together to bless and believe." I'd like to use that lyrical assessment to describe your life in the coming days—or at least what I hope will be your life. In my astrological opinion, it's a favorable time to intensify your quest for interesting adventures in intimacy; to seek out new ways to imagine and create togetherness; to collaborate with allies in creating brave excursions into synergy.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): Social re former Frederick Douglass (1817-1895) had a growlery. It was a one-room stone cabin where he escaped to think deep thoughts, work on his books and literally growl. As a genius who es caped enslavement and spent the rest of his life fighting for the rights of his fellow Black people, he had lots of reasons to snarl, howl and bellow as well as growl. The coming weeks would be an excellent time for you to find or create your own growlery, Taurus. The anger you feel will be espe cially likely to lead to constructive changes. The same is true about the deep thoughts you sum mon in your growlery—they will be extra potent in helping you reach wise practical decisions.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): "Conduct your blooming in the noise and whip of the whirl wind," wrote Gemini poet Gwendolyn Brooks. I love that advice! The whirlwind is her metaphor for the chaos of everyday life. She was telling us that we shouldn't wait to ripen ourselves until the daily rhythm is calm and smooth. Live wild and free right now! That's always good advice, in my opinion, but it will be especially apropos for you in the coming weeks. Now is your time to "endorse the splendor splashes" and "sway in wicked grace," as Brooks would say.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): "Don't look away," advised novelist Henry Miller in a letter to his lover. "Look straight at everything. Look it all in the eye, good and bad." While that advice is appealing, I don't endorse it unconditionally. I'm a Cancerian, and I sometimes find value in gazing at things sideways, or catching reflections in mirrors, or even turning my attention away for a while. In

By Rob Brezsny

my view, we Crabs have a special need to be selfprotective and self-nurturing. And to accomplish that, we may need to be evasive and elusive. In my astrological opinion, the next two weeks will be one of these times. I urge you to gaze directly and engage point-blank only with what's good for you.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): Tips to get the most out of the next three weeks—1. Play at least as hard as you work. 2. Give yourself permission to do anything that has integrity and is fueled by compassion. 3. Assume there is no limit to how much generous joie de vivre you can summon and express. 4. Fondle and nuzzle with eager partners as much as possible. And tell them EX ACTLY where and how it feels good. 5. Be mag nanimous in every gesture, no matter how large or small. 6. Even if you don't regard yourself as a skillful singer, use singing to transform yourself out of any mood you don't want to stay in.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): In the com ing weeks, you should refrain from wrestling with problems that resist your solutions. Be discerning about how you use your superior analytical abilities. Devote yourself solely to manageable dilemmas that are truly responsive to your intelligent probing. P.S. I feel sorry for people who aren't receptive to your input, but you can't force them to give up their ignorance or suffering. Go where you're wanted. Take power where it's offered. Meditate on the wis dom of Anaïs Nin—"You cannot save people. You can only love them."

trological reckoning, you will have a much higher chance than usual to be like one of these Buddhas yourself in the coming weeks. Waking up will be your specialty. You will have an extraordinary ca pacity to burst free of dreamy illusions and murky misapprehensions. I hope you take full advantage. Deeper understandings are nigh.

quietly toiling here behind the scenes to make the magic happen." A few days or a few weeks later, your efforts have been successful. The problem is resolved or the situation has improved. But then you hear the people involved say, "Wow, I wonder what happened? It's like things got fixed all by themselves." If a scenario like this happens, Cap ricorn, I urge you to speak up and tell everyone what actually transpired.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh was born under the sign of Libra. He said, "The root-word 'Buddha' means to wake up, to know, to understand; and he or she who wakes up and understands is called a Bud dha." So according to him, the spiritual teacher Siddhartha Gautama who lived in ancient India was just one of many Buddhas. And by my as

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): I invite you to be the sexiest, most intriguing, most mysterious Scorpio you can be in the coming weeks. Here are ideas to get you started. 1. Sprinkle the phrase "in accordance with prophecy" into your conversa tions. 2. Find an image that symbolizes rebirth and revitalization arising out of disruption. Meditate on it daily until you actually experience rebirth and re vitalization arising out of disruption. 3. Be kind and merciful to the young souls you know who are liv ing their first lifetimes. 4. Collect deep, dark secrets from the interesting people you know. Employ this information to plan how you will avoid the trouble they endured. 5. Buy two deluxe squirt guns and two knives made of foam rubber. Use them to wage playful fights with those you love.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21):

There's an ancient Greek saying, "I seek the truth, by which no one ever was truly harmed." I regard that as a fine motto for you Sagittarians. When you are at your best and brightest, you are in quest of the truth. And while your quests may sometimes disturb the status quo, they often bring healthy transformations. The truths you discover may rattle routines and disturb habits, but they ultimately lead to greater clar ity and authenticity. Now is an excellent time to emphasize this aspect of your nature.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): Let's imag ine you are in your office or on the job or sitting at your kitchen table. With focused diligence, you're working on solving a problem or improving a situ ation that involves a number of people. You think to yourself, "No one seems to be aware that I am

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): To honor your entrance into the most expansive phase of your astrological cycle, I'm calling on the counsel of an intuitive guide named Nensi the Mercury Priestess. She offers the following advice. 1. Cultivate a mindset where you expect something unexpected to happen. 2. Fantasize about the possibility of a surprising blessing or unplanned-for miracle. 3. Imagine that a beguil ing breakthrough will erupt into your rhythm. 4. Shed a few preconceptions about how your life story will unfold in the next two years. 5. Boost your trust in your deep self's innate wisdom. 6. Open yourself more to receiving help and gifts.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): Author Colin Wilson describes sex as "a craving for the mingling of consciousness, whose symbol is the mingling of bodies. Every time partners slake their thirst in the strange waters of the other's identity, they glimpse the immensity of their freedom." I love this way of understanding the erotic urge, and recommend you try it out for a while. You're entering a phase when you will have extra power to refine and ex pand the way you experience blending and merg ing. If you're fuzzy about the meaning of the words "synergy" and "symbiosis," I suggest you look them up in the dictionary. They should be featured themes for you in the coming weeks.

THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK: What's the best change you could make that would be fairly easy to accomplish? newsletter.freewillastrology.com {in}

news of the weird

AWESOME! Adele Hankey of Park River, North Dakota, was born on April 21, 1926. As such, she shared her birthday with Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away two weeks ago. But she shared more than the date, KFYR-TV reported. When Elizabeth was crowned in 1952, Hankey wrote her a letter—and the queen responded by send ing Hankey a birthday card. "I could have jumped out of my shoes," Hankey said of the unexpect ed greeting. Over the past 70 years, the two have exchanged handwritten cards every year. Hankey said she'll miss the regular communication: "Oh, absolutely. You miss your pen pals."

NEWS THAT SOUNDS LIKE A JOKE Beyond Meat COO Doug Ramsey is in the soup after a re cent incident at a University of Arkansas vs. Mis souri State football game, the Associated Press reported. On Sept. 17, as fans jockeyed their cars out of the parking lot following the game, Ramsey, 53, became enraged when another car made con tact with his SUV's wheel. According to police, Ramsey left his car and "punched through the back windshield" of the other car; when the driv er jumped out, Ramsey "pulled him in close and started punching his body," then "bit the own er's nose, ripping the flesh on the tip of the nose." Ramsey was also heard threatening to kill the oth er driver. He was charged with felony battery and making a terroristic threat.

NOT THE REASON I WAS EXPECTING On June 6, Kylynn Chambers, 32, used bright red spray paint to deface a bronze statue of the character Samantha from the 1960s TV show "Bewitched" in Salem, Massachusetts. On Sept. 20, he was sentenced to 18 months' probation in the incident, which oddly had nothing to do with witchcraft. Rather, Chambers, who is currently homeless, told prosecutors he "wanted to do something to get arrested," The Salem News reported. The statue was erected in 2005 by the TV Land cable chan nel in the city famous for the witch trials of 1692.

OH, THERE IT IS One morning five years ago, Cincinnati resident Joey Lykins, then 30, woke up and realized his septum (nose) ring was miss ing. He searched through his bed but never locat ed the small item, and eventually he gave up and got another one, the New York Post reported. "I thought maybe I'd swallowed it," he said. But a few weeks ago, Lykins, now 35, developed a violent cough and thought he was sick. An X-ray revealed otherwise: Lykins' nose ring was lodged in his left lung: "The doctor ... said, 'Does this look familiar?' I was like, 'You've got to be kidding me! I've been looking for that!'" Lykins underwent a bronchos copy, in which they retrieved the invader using a tube fed down his throat and into his lungs. The surgeon returned the ring to Lykins, who said he won't be wearing it again: "I kept it as a souvenir."

WAIT, WHAT? Neighbors of Mercedes New (aka Shawty Dred) in Atlanta have taken to walking in front of their building with umbrel las raised, rain or shine. Why? Because New was allegedly in the habit of strolling around on his

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

high-rise balcony naked and urinating through the bars onto the street below. New, who sports distinctive yellow dreadlocks, was arrested on Sept. 21; neighbors shared video of him in the act with WSB-TV. But New insisted it wasn't him: "I'm famous! I'm on TV, bruh. I didn't do this, man. No. I'm innocent. I promise I didn't do this." He was held at the Fulton County jail.

GOVERNMENT IN ACTION Take note: In Al ameda County, California, you may no longer en gage in wild cow milking, CBS News reported. As of Sept. 20, the event often seen at rodeos in the area is illegal. In case you're not a rodeo fan, wild cow milking involves two people who try to cor ral a loose cow and then extract milk from her udders. The event is not sanctioned by the Pro fessional Rodeo Cowboys Association. "(Ani mals) don't get a chance to speak. Who speaks for them?" asked county supervisor Richard Val le, who introduced the ordinance. Another su pervisor thought the state or federal government should regulate wild cow milking.

CRIME REPORT You've heard of Jack the Rip per and the Taco Bell Strangler (or not?). Now Gresham, Oregon, is dealing with its own serial criminal: the Gresham Lumberjack. Someone is cutting down trees along the Springwater Corri dor Trail—to the tune of 750 trees since August 2021, KATU-TV reported. But they're not poach ing firewood; the Lumberjack leaves the trees where they fall. The cutting seems to happen at night and with a hand saw (likely because it's quieter). The city has installed cameras along the trail, and police have a person of interest, but in the meantime, they're asking for the public's help in nabbing the culprit.

HAVEN'T HAD MY COFFEE YET On a Sept. 21 flight from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, to Los Angeles International airport, passengers got a ringside seat (and video!) as Alexander Tung Cuu Le of Westminster, California, lost his cool over coffee service. Shortly after takeoff, as flight attendants were serving drinks, Le ap proached an attendant and grabbed his shoul der while asking for coffee, KTLA-TV report ed. Then Le walked to the front of the plane and sat down in a seat near first class. When a flight attendant asked him to return to his own seat, he "assumed a fighting stance toward the flight attendant by making closed fists with both hands," according to court documents. When the attendant turned away from him, Le slugged him in the back of the head. Le then ran to the back of the plane, where passengers detained him; his hands and ankles were cuffed, and he was restrained with seatbelt extenders. If con victed of the felony charge of interfering with flight crew members and attendants, Le could face a maximum of 20 years in federal prison. All for coffee. {in}

From Andrews McMeel