Lagniappe: September 12 - September 18, 2018 by Lagniappe

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LAGNIAPPE

SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 - SEPTEMBER 18, 2018 | www.lagniappemobile.com ASHLEY TRICE Co-publisher/Editor atrice@lagniappemobile.com ROB HOLBERT Co-publisher/Managing Editor rholbert@lagniappemobile.com GABRIEL TYNES Assistant Managing Editor gabe@lagniappemobile.com DALE LIESCH Reporter dale@lagniappemobile.com JASON JOHNSON Reporter jason@lagniappemobile.com KEVIN LEE Associate Editor/Arts Editor klee@lagniappemobile.com ANDY MACDONALD Cuisine Editor fatmansqueeze@comcast.net STEPHEN CENTANNI Music Editor scentanni@lagniappemobile.com STEPHANIE POE Copy Editor copy@lagniappemobile.com DANIEL ANDERSON Chief Photographer dan@danandersonphoto.com LAURA MATTEI Art Director www.laurarasmussen.com BROOKE O’DONNELL Advertising Sales Executive brooke@lagniappemobile.com BETH WOOLSEY Advertising Sales Executive bwilliams@lagniappemobile.com ALEEN MOMBERGER Advertising Sales Executive aleen@lagniappemobile.com DAVID GRAYSON Advertising Sales Executive david@lagniappemobile.com STAN ANDERSON Distribution Manager delivery@lagniappemobile.com JACKIE CRUTHIRDS Office Manager legals@lagniappemobile.com CONTRIBUTORS: J. Mark Bryant, Asia Frey, Brian Holbert, Randy Kennedy, Hannah Legg, John Mullen, Jeff Poor, Marguerite Powers, Ron Sivak, Tom Ward, Greer Wilhelm ON THE COVER: FORGIVE ME FATHER BY DAN ANDERSON POSTMASTER: Send address changes to P.O. Box 3003 Mobile, AL 36652. Editorial, advertising and production offices are located at 704 Government St., Mobile, AL 36602. Mailing address is P.O. Box 3003 Mobile, AL 36652. Phone: 251.450.4466 Email: ashleytoland@lagniappemobile.com or rholbert@ lagniappemobile.com LAGNIAPPE is printed at Walton Press. All letters sent to Lagniappe are considered to be intended for publication. Member: Association of Alternative Newsweeklies and Alternative Weeklies Network All rights reserved. Something Extra Publishing, Inc. Nothing may be reprinted, photocopied or in any way reproduced without the expressed permission of the publishers. Individuals may take one copy of the paper free of charge from area businesses, racks or boxes. After that, papers are $3 per issue. Removal of more than one copy from these points constitutes theft. Violators are subject to prosecution.

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BAY BRIEFS

State mental health officials say it’s not financially feasible to reopen the former Searcy Hospital.

COMMENTARY

State officials say Searcy’s infrastructure issues make it too costly to renovate back into a psychiatric facility.

BUSINESS

Pittsburgh-based Matthews International Corp., a national manufacturer of cemetery products, acquired a property on Georgia Pacific Avenue in Mobile.

CUISINE

A public service announcement on pumpkin spice lattes.

BEER

On Sept. 22, Serda Brewing and Fleet Feet Sports will combine their love of both running and beer at the Beer Mile Mini.

COVER

Despite calls for greater transparency, details of child sex abuse in the Archdiocese of Mobile remain guarded.

ARTS

What can we learn about cultural success from Birmingham’s thriving Sidewalk Film Festival?

MUSIC

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Music editor Stephen Centanni speaks with Coffeeville native Ashton Shepherd ahead of her Sept. 19 gig at The Steeple, when she opens for country music singer and songwriter Lee Ann Womack.

FILM

“How to Talk to Girls at Parties” is based on slender source material and fails to blossom into a cohesive film.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

The 31st annual Alabama Coastal Cleanup, the 3rd annual Massacre Island Pirate Event, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and The Wharf Uncorked highlights the Calendar of Events.

SPORTS

A quick glance at local collegiate volleyball squads as they compete for postseason honors.

GARDENING

Plant collections composing the Mobile Botanical Gardens form a living museum and contain some specimens found nowhere else on earth.

BOOZIE

Saggy panty sighting on the Causeway and Zuck loves Gulf Seafood.

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GOING POSTAL

Story hour controversy drags on... Editor: Thank you so much for addressing the issue of Mobile’s first Drag Queen Story Hour in the August 29 issue. In my opinion, Rainbow Mobile demonstrated great courage and foresight in bringing this program to our little corner of the world. Sure, they could have gone about it differently but, at least, they made the attempt to broaden our city’s worldview. I certainly appreciate you pointing out that this is a nation-wide program and that attendance is optional. I have to agree with your statement that many of those who are upset about it haven’t set foot in a public library in quite some time. But, it would be foolish of us to presume that the basis of their discomfort is in a perceived waste of public funding or lack of institutional control by the Mobile Public Library System. Oh no, the real basis of their objections more likely lies in their own narrow-mindedness and intolerance. It is ironic that these same people enjoy a bit of gender-bending if it is cached in a popular movie like Mrs. Doubtfire where Robin Williams’ character READS to children while dressed in drag. Those Christian groups who oppose the event seem to want to pick and choose where they are willing to welcome the “other.” It is shameful that they opt to teach their children to follow in their footsteps rather than to reach out in love to those who are different from themselves as Jesus did. Like you, I object to children being used as pawns in anyone’s agenda. I have been reluctant to throw my support behind this event for this very reason. But, my concern for the welfare of those families that choose to participate has moved me to act. I will be standing in silent support for them on the day of the event. If my presence spares them from being subjected to hateful words or actions by those who oppose the message of tolerance and inclusion, it will have been a worthwhile effort. I would also like to take issue with your declaration that it is unlikely that a “drag queen is going to pop into church next Sunday and start reading passages from Romans or belting out ‘Just As I Am’.” At Cornerstone MCC, we preach what Jesus preached. That is a message of God’s unconditional love for ALL people. So, if you are a drag queen, do WE have a church for YOU! For 50 years, MCC has been open to ALL people, and we welcome drag queens, female impersonators, LGBTQ people of all walks of life to join us “just as you are.” You will find a place of affirmation where you can participate in all aspects of worship. Rev. Sara Sills Cornerstone MCC

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Dear Editor: With regard to the controversy surrounding the “Drag Queen Story Hour” event, please note the following about the statement posted by the Mobile Public Library on its Facebook page. The first two sentences of the statement are all that needed to have been said and the statement should have stopped there. “The Drag Queen Story Time is not a Mobile Public Library sponsored event, and neither the Mobile Public Library nor the Friends of the Library have provided any monetary funds toward the program. Rainbow Mobile is sponsoring the Drag Queen Story Hour.” The next sentence of the statement constitutes an endorsement of the event. “As with all outside organizations’ programs, we hope their event is well attended helpful and entertaining to those in attendance.” Such a “program” certainly does not need to be “well attended,” is considered harmful rather than “helpful,” and such a program does not constitute “entertainment” appropriate for children. The last portion of the statement is defensive and an in-your-face insult to the taxpayers and citizens. “This event, like many others, is open to all. MPL has nine other branch libraries you can visit if you prefer not to visit the Ben May Main Library on September 8.” The statement reveals that the MPL appears to be oblivious to the fact that this event is not like “many others” and completely misses the point that it is the harmfulness of the event to children that is the focus of the objection. Being legally required to allow use of the room in understandable. But endorsing the event, being insensitive to the community standards of Mobile, adopting elitist standards which are apparently believed to be superior, and showing contempt for the objectors (if you don’t like it just don’t attend) disqualifies for service to the citizens of Mobile. Each City Council member should reassess his appointment to the Library Board and replace his appointment with someone knowledgeable and respectful of community standards in Mobile – not San Francisco. The manner in which the controversy was handled by the MPL is an outrage to the citizens whose taxes support the library system and bring to mind the words of Thomas Paine in “Common Sense,” “…….our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer.” G. Smith

BAYBRIEF | MOBILE COUNTY

Fixer-upper

STATE OFFICIALS: REOPENING SEARCY TOO EXPENSIVE BY JASON JOHNSON

ontrary to rumors over the past few years, the Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH) says it has no plans to utilize the former campus of Searcy Hospital, the state-owned psychiatric facility in Mount Vernon abandoned six years ago. Searcy and two other state hospitals shut down in 2012 as part of a larger shift in Alabama’s approach to serving the mentally ill. Just before the doors closed for good, there were 291 employees and 193 patients at Searcy, but since then the state hasn’t found a viable use for the 118-year-old facility. In 2016, former ADMH Commissioner Jim Perdue cited “reopening Searcy” among his top priorities, but he was removed from his post by Gov. Kay Ivey as part of a larger administrative shakeup in the last year. Another thing Purdue had focused on was helping improve mental health care services in Alabama prisons. In 2017, a federal judge ruled the Alabama Department of Corrections’ (ADOC) mental health system to be “horrendously inadequate” as part of a lawsuit that also identified problems with overcrowding in state prisons. As a result, the state has been forced to evaluate solutions that could ultimately cost millions. Earlier this year, ADOC began the process of “developing a master plan for long-term capital investments” to address the “myriad of issues surrounding the conditions of ADOC facilities.” While no firm estimate has come out of those efforts, a remedy proposed by former Gov. Robert Bentley sought $800 million for new prisons. However, for more than a year now, Mobile County Health Officer Bernard Eichold has tried to sell current ADMH Commissioner Lynn Beshear and Ivey on his idea to utilize the old Searcy campus as a correctional facility for state inmates in need of mental health services.

Eichold believes the move could kill two birds with one stone. “We already own Searcy, and there’s probably room for a couple hundred beds there,” Eichold told Lagniappe. “If a large percentage of the population in Alabama prisons have mental health, alcohol or substance abuse problems, then let’s actually treat those underlying medical problems.” While there would no doubt be steep costs associated with bringing Searcy back to operational status, Eichold believes they would ultimately be less than the cost of building new facilities or upgrading multiple existing state prisons. ADMH spokeswoman Malissa Valdes-Hubert said there have been discussions over the past year about finding some kind of use for “some of the newer buildings ‘outside the walls’ of the historic area of Searcy Hospital,” but reopening the entire facility isn’t something state officials are currently considering. “While the Alabama Department of Mental Health is supportive of the effort to bring business back to Mt. Vernon, the biggest challenge is the lack of infrastructure,” Valdes-Hubert said. “To make the buildings [at Searcy] operational, millions of dollars would be needed to address infrastructure issues.” Currently, the Searcy property is inaccessible to the public, and ADMH Land Manager Bryan Penn declined Lagniappe’s recent request to visit the site due to the “unsafe condition of the campus,” though Penn did say ADMH has recently been working to improve those conditions. Not everyone agrees that reopening Searcy is the cure-all for the state’s mental health system, though. AltaPointe CEO Tuerk Schlesinger told Lagniappe last month he believes Alabama could get more bang for its buck by investing in its community mental health system directly or by funding the expansion of Medicaid eligibility.

“There is some need there, but Searcy was put up there for committed patients, and we don’t have a backload of committed patients in the South Alabama region with nowhere to go,” Schlesinger said. “What we need are enough acute care beds for voluntary psychiatric stabilization.” Acute care beds are needed when stabilizing patients having temporary mental episodes, and it’s a service fewer and fewer providers have offered over time. Just last year, Mobile Infirmary announced the end of its inpatient psychiatric treatment for adults under age 65 — the age threshold to qualify for Medicare. Schlesinger said expanding Medicaid eligibility would make providing that type of acute mental health service to Alabamians more sustainable for hospitals because it would allow them to be reimbursed through the program. But Alabama is one of 14 states that haven’t expanded Medicaid pursuant to passage of the Affordable Care Act. This year, the Alabama Hospital Association is making a strong effort to change that, in part to help support rural hospitals serving predominantly lowincome populations without adequate health insurance. Schlesinger said those same problems make it difficult for most hospitals to offer inpatient psychiatric services, too. “People with serious mental health problems are often disabled or unable to sustain employment with good insurance. They fall back on the public system, and our state has chosen to serve the regular Medicaid population, which is very limited,” he said. “[Hospitals] have the responsibility to take all comers, so it’s very difficult to serve acute mental health patients when a disproportionate amount have no insurance at all.” Expanding Medicaid has been a contentious political topic in recent years, though. An expansion would mean more assistance from the federal government, but Alabama would have to pay more for its share of the annual Medicaid costs — something the state Legislature has struggled to find funding for in recent years. Bentley once estimated the increased cost for Alabama would be $170 million over a six-year period. Ivey, whose campaign did not respond to requests for comment on the subject, hasn’t taken a strong stance on whether she would support expanding Medicaid. Instead, she’s formed a committee to meet with members of the medical community across the state to determine the best course of action for Alabama. Across the aisle, though, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Walt Maddox has made Medicaid expansion a cornerstone of his platform and has said it’s an issue he’d tackle on his first day in office. This week, campaign communications director Chip Hill said an expansion could improve mental health services as well. “Medicaid is the number one payer for mental health services in the U.S., and almost a third of Medicaid recipients have a mental health or substance abuse disorder, or both,” Hill wrote via email. “Medicaid expansion will allow more mental health patients to receive treatment, including less expensive outpatient treatment.”

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BAYBRIEF | MOBILE

A penny saved …

COUNCIL PRESIDENT LAWSUIT COSTS CITY THOUSANDS

BY DALE LIESCH

he city spent more than $4,000 defending a lawsuit over the council’s failure to elect a president. Records from City Clerk Lisa CarrollLambert’s office show that council attorney Wanda Cochran was paid $4,005 defending the suit. A letter from Cochran to Carroll-Lambert shows the attorney worked almost 27 hours on the case, at a rate of $150 per hour. The funds for the legal defense came from a line item in the council’s budget, Carroll-Lambert wrote in an email. The suit, brought by tattoo shop owner Chassity Ebbole, argued that she — as a business owner and taxpayer — was harmed by the council’s failure to name Councilman Fred Richardson as council president. Instead, the council elected Levon Manzie as vice president and have left the presidency vacant for almost a year. Circuit Court Judge Robert Wood threw out the suit last month for lack of legal standing. A vote for president was taken during a public organizational meeting following the 2017 elections. During the vote, Richardson received four votes and Councilwoman Gina Gregory received three. At the time attorney Jim Rossler and, later, Cochran, argued that state law requires five votes for the City Council to elect a president.

In the suit and during a brief hearing, Ebbole argued that five votes had never been required before in the selection of a president. She also argued that the supermajority rule listed in the Zoghby Act only applies to council business meetings and not organizational meetings. Mary Zoghby, a co-author of her namesake bill, has previously said the supermajority rule applies to council president elections. In previous years, councilors have held a “straw poll” vote in a private meeting to select a president before the public organizational meeting. Councilors would then vote unanimously for the candidate receiving a simple majority, or four of seven votes. There have been questions about the legality of those “straw poll” meetings. Last year, the council did not hold a private meeting and a president wasn’t selected before the open, organizational meeting. While councilors hope the issue can be resolved, there is fading hope among some that it will be handled before the end of the calendar year. Meanwhile, Richardson has said he has been talking to attorneys and could be planning to bring a class-action lawsuit against his colleagues. Richardson said unlike Ebbole, he has standing to bring that type of suit. He said the residents of Mobile would join him in the class.

BAYBRIEF | MOBILE

Economy of football IMPACT OF DOLLAR GENERAL BOWL EXAMINED BY DALE LIESCH The city’s contribution to the Dollar General Bowl has increased since Mobile first reached an agreement to host the game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, but some question if the game featuring participants from the Mid America Conference and Sun Belt Conference is a good return on investment. The agreement stipulates that the city give the bowl $1.15 million per year, but the city is to be reimbursed with sponsorship money, city spokeswoman Laura Byrne wrote in an email. Because of those terms, the city’s contribution to the game has increased steadily since the current contract was signed in 2006. “Sponsorship money has declined from $900,000 during the early years of GMAC sponsorship to $600,000 for GoDaddy to $200,000 for Dollar General,” Byrne wrote. “The city is paying $1,150,000 per year and receiving $200,000 in sponsorship money, or a net of $950,000.” Byrne added the contract runs through 2020 and has no early-termination clause. The city has not performed an economic impact study of the game, but Chris Keshock, Ph.D., a University of South Alabama associate professor in the Department of Health Kinesiology and Sport, performed a meta-analysis for bowl game organizers in 2010.

Keshock said the study, which is different from an economic impact study, used data from 14 to 15 other events and bowl games, as well as information from the organizers, to develop the study. The analysis is a mixed bag. “When people take a look at these things there are so many perspectives,” Keshock said. “When a politician says we give them all this money, I tend to take it with a grain of salt.” In the analysis, Keshock estimates the fiscal impact of the game to Mobile at between $255,445 and $292,506. When the city was contributing only about $150,000, the return on investment was 70 percent to 95 percent, according to the analysis. However, the direct spending generated by travelers to the game was estimated to be between $8.6 million and $9.5 million. New spending generated from the bowl game is about $1.5 million annually and the overall impact to the local economy was estimated at between a conservative $18.2 million and an optimistic $19.9 million. The increase in additional spending led to between 119 and 130 jobs. Approximately $405,445 to $442,506 is generated in city and state tax revenue, and $101,626 is generated in county tax revenue from the bowl game and tourism-related spending each year, according to the analysis.

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BAYBRIEF | BALDWIN COUNTY

‘Not in my backyard’

SOUTH BALDWIN RESIDENTS TOLD FLYOVER BRIDGE PLANS CHANGED

BY JOHN MULLEN

esidents who are opposed to a flyover bridge a half mile from their neighborhood at the beginning of a controversial new roadway and bridge project may have gotten some relief. “They’re finally going to let the citizens in on this and they are supposed to let everyone know what’s going on,” resident Mike Powell said. Powell lives in Craft Farms and says he has met with state officials who now say the bridge has been taken off the table. Preliminary work is still being done for the project and at least seven land condemnations are headed to Baldwin County Circuit Court. “Right now, there is a proposal to take that damn flyover out of our backyard,” Powell said. “Supposedly they are going to move the road further east closer to the Foley Beach Express. I don’t have anything set in stone they’re going to totally do away with the flyover.” Powell has been in contact with state officials including Southwest Region Engineer Vince Calametti and Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) Director John Cooper about the project. He said a meeting is planned for November between state officials and residents. Early next year residents in the South Baldwin County area should begin to see signs of activity along a corridor for a new road and bridge project. “We’re finalizing design, right-of-way relocation, environmental documents and utility coordination,” ALDOT Southwest Region Pre-Construction Engineer Edwin Perry said. “It

will be two-lane initially but with ability to go to four in the future once traffic need dictates.” The project completion date is still 2020, Perry said, but some of the cases on condemnation of private land for the roadway may still be in court during construction. “The state can proceed with the construction of the project if they pay into court the amount the probate court land commissioners award,” attorney Warren Herlong said. He initially represented owners of seven tracts, three of which have been resolved. His unresolved cases include an offer of $3.8 million to owners Laura Almaroad, Wanda Dickman and Joy Sprunger. Others include Doyce and Shirley Ellenberg, who were offered $1.2 million for 21.25 acres; the Williams Joseph Evans Revocable Trust, which was offered $737,150 for 3.09 acres; and Anthony and Patricia Diliberto, who were offered $405,000 for 8.38 acres. Attorney Richard Davis has two cases in circuit court including the owners of Pandion Ridge, who have land on the south side of the Intracoastal Waterway. ALDOT initially offered them $3.7 million for 49.75 acres. On the north side of the waterway, where the bridge footing is planned, the state offered Coastal Resort Properties of North Carolina $943,150 for 29 acres. The Baldwin County Bridge Co., a subsidiary of the company that owns the Foley Beach Express, was offered $9,750 for .13 acres and is also awaiting a court date.

BAYBRIEF | BALDWIN COUNTY

No vacancy

WILL GULF SHORES SITE PLAN REVIEW MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

BY JOHN MULLEN ulf Shores officials thoroughly vetted each and every aspect of a proposed new apartment complex that is being vehemently opposed by nearby neighbors. But will it really make a difference? In the end, the architect for the 206-unit Regency Place said he still has the site plan approval in hand, even as residents asked the planning commission when or if there would be another vote on the site plan. “It’s not a reapplication,” Stuart Povall said. “This is a by-right development so we are doing everything that ordinance tells us to do and we are not asking for anything outside of the ordinance. We are simply voluntarily pausing while we assist the city and the residents to working through this clarification of the record.” But residents presented their own findings with 16 points, including the second one on the list saying “the term ‘by-right’ is not absolute.” It cited section 6-1a of the city’s zoning ordinance, which says “these uses shall be permitted by right in accord with any limitations within the applicable district and subject to site plan review where applicable.” Residents believe the commission, in their reading of the ordinance, can put limitations on byright buildings to match the current neighborhood. While there are no apartments in the Regency Road area, 451 housing units surround the 10-acre site and only 48 of those are occupied by renters, or 11 percent. Putting in 206 rental units would raise neighborhood rental units to 39 percent. Among other complaints in the document

presented by residents Rex Lawson and Bob Scidmore, Enclave board members, were the new apartments were not in the public interest and violate rules in the ordinance pertaining to landscape and open space rules, management of common open spaces, and facilities rules and city traffic regulations. Additionally, the paper said the project does not “promote and improve the public health, safety, convenience, order, prosperity and general welfare of the residents” as called for in the zoning ordinance and would lower the quality of life and property values for residents in the area. “We know this is going to be developed, we just want it to be in the character of the local community here right now,” resident Pete Sims said. “Putting a high-density apartment here doesn’t fit.” At the end of the 90-minute meeting, Povall asked for clarification on the question of another vote on the site plan. “If a re-vote is to happen, could you sort of go through the order of process of how that would occur given that we already have a previous approval?” Povall asked. Planning Commission Chairman Robert Steiskal said the board is still weighing information from city staff and residents and has yet to determine if a new vote is needed. “We haven’t decided anything along those lines because we haven’t decided where this is going to take us,” Steiskal said. “I have a personal feeling about it but I don’t know if that’s germane until we find out what some of the others think.” S e p t e m b e r 1 2 , 2 0 1 8 - S e p t e m b e r 1 8 , 2 0 1 8 | L AG N I A P P E | 7

BAYBRIEF | MOBILE

Read all about it

LIBRARY SYSTEM FEARS PERSONNEL SHAKEUP WITH PROPOSED BUDGET CUT

BY DALE LIESCH

$500,000 cut to the Mobile Public Library (MPL) system’s budget could mean a reduction in force and a change in operating hours at area branches, an MPL spokeswoman said. Amber Guy, MPL public relations officer, said library officials are hopeful the Mobile City Council can move money around in Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s proposed budget and restore the library system to level funding. The library joins a long list of groups asking the council to make adjustments to the fiscal year 2019 budget document. The administration has defended the library cuts as a way to bring its funding of the facilities inside the city limits more in line with what Montgomery spends on its system. Mobile currently provides $7 million to the system, the county gives $1.5 million and the rest of its $9.5 million budget comes from state aid and federal grant dollars, Guy said. While Montgomery does give less funding to its libraries, Guy said Mobile’s system has a larger population within its service area than its neighbor to the north. The Mobile Public Library’s “legal service area” has a population of 372,882. The Montgomery City-County Public Library has a service-area population of 226,519 and an operating income of $4.9 million. Montgomery’s libraries are also open fewer days and have reduced hours compared to Mobile. “Montgomery has only three libraries that are open on Saturdays and those hours are 9 [a.m.] to 1 [p.m.],” Guy said. “All others are closed on Saturdays and are only open from 9 [a.m.] to 6 [p.m.] during the week. Only three have Saturday or weekend hours.” In contrast, every branch in the Mobile Public Library

system is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays. Hours vary by branch during the week, but many are open until 6 p.m. or later in Mobile. “All of our libraries are open at least two evenings a week plus Saturday,” Guy said. The Trinity Gardens Community Library is the only exception to this. It’s open at special times and is stocked only with books on area elementary schools’ reading lists, Guy said. A cut of $500,000 to the libraries would have a substantial impact on services, Guy said, though the library’s board would have the final say on what cuts would be made. Making a bad situation worse, Guy said, is that state funding is tied to local funding. About 30 percent of MPL users live in the county, but most work in the city and almost all do their shopping in Mobile, Guy said. Funds from the city budget only fund the library branches within the city limits, she said. Other libraries are funded completely by the county, except for the branch in Saraland, which is funded by that city’s budget. The council will consider this and other requests at a meeting of the budget task force scheduled for 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 18, in the conference room on the ninth floor of Government Plaza. “Since the mayor recently released his budget, council members have received a large amount of feedback from citizens concerned with the proposed cuts to cost centers and performance contract programs which receive crucial funding from the city,” a statement announcing the task force reads. “Many of these proposed cuts were the subject of comments at last week’s public hearing on the budget.”

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The task force, which is different from the council’s finance committee, includes Councilman Fred Richardson, Councilman John Williams and Councilwoman Bess Rich. The group is working to address concerns with the budget and has requested key information from the administration, according to the statement. “Given this is very basic information and they have just completed the budget process, I’m hopeful it will be passed along quickly,” Richardson said in the statement. “With that said, if for some reason they do not produce it in a timely manner and we are forced to delay passing the budget by the end of the month, it will in no way disrupt city operations.” If the budget is not approved by the City Council by the start of the new fiscal year Oct. 1, the law that established the city’s current form of government, known as the Zoghby Act, allows for the city to operate under the previous year’s budget. The council voted down a $149,750 contract with Found Design for a wayfinding signage program and streetscape design initiative. Councilman John Williams told his colleagues that with the proliferation of GPS devices, signage is not as important as it once was. Rich and Manzie each said they wanted to use the resources on other budget items. The council approved a $700,000 agreement with the Alabama Department of Transportation to begin the engineering phase of a widening project of Dauphin Street from Sage Avenue to Springhill Memorial Hospital. The council delayed a vote for two weeks on a number of noise ordinance waiver requests for O’Daly’s Irish Pub, which is hosting an upcoming wiffle ball tournament and other events in the fall. The requests range in times, but some waivers are set to last until 1 a.m. A downtown resident and a developer spoke to councilors Tuesday in hopes of finding a resolution. John Peebles is a local developer involved in the Temple Lodge Lofts property downtown. With a complex of 16 apartments expected to come online soon, Peebles said he hoped to encourage O’Daly’s ownership to not use amplified music at the events. “They do not have to have amplifiers the size of Volkswagens,” Peebles said. “I feel like we can get this resolved. I think if we can all get in the same room we can work it out.” Council Vice President Levon Manzie, who represents the downtown area, said he will try to schedule a meeting between the parties. Councilman Joel Daves said the request seems to be “extreme in the number of days and in the lateness of hour.” “I hope they can work something out,” Daves said.

BAYBRIEF | MOBILE COUNTY

‘A foregone conclusion’

CITY REDUCES PLANNING ZONE DESPITE REQUEST FOR DELAY BY JASON JOHNSON

he Mobile County Commission is exploring ways to mount a legal challenge to the city of Mobile’s recent decision to roll back a five-mile planning jurisdiction bordering its city limits. This comes after the Mobile Planning Commission voted last week to end its zoning and planning authority over the area and leave it under the responsibility of the county despite a request from county officials to delay the vote until their staff could adequately prepare for the transition. Matthew Barclift, a county engineering manager, previously told county commissioners a significant chunk of the planning commission’s subdivision applications come from the five-mile area. To take on the extra responsibility, the county’s engineering department will need to hire additional staff, and the commission will need to update its subdivision and stormwater regulations, which take time to draft, advertise and implement. Barclift said it’s also possible new developments in the area that have already had their plans approved may have to go back through the permitting process under the county’s authority once the change is official. He expressed those concerns at a Sept. 6 meeting but said the commission “elected to move forward anyway.” “Their attorney indicated that, because of the state statutes, if they did not adopt the plan by Oct. 1, they would not be able to implement it for a full year,” Barclift said. “I’m not an attorney, but there are other parts of the statute that talk about agreements between the county and the city planning commission, which I think could have been used to implement a six-month [delay].” However, Douglas Anderson, who represents the plan-

ning commission, disagrees. He said state law governing changes to planning jurisdiction require a significant amount of notice, and the planning commission wouldn’t be able to execute the rollback until January 2020 if were to have delayed the vote past Oct. 1, 2018. “There’s no gray area or wiggle room for the planning commission. It was all or nothing,” Anderson told Lagniappe. “If we could have delayed it six months to appease the county or to help them out, we would have certainly considered it, but we did not have that option.”

IT’S NOT THAT WE’RE TRYING TO OPPOSE THEM ROLLING BACK THIS JURISDICTION … IT’S JUST CREATING A HARDSHIP ON THE COUNTY AND THE PEOPLE WHO’VE ALREADY GOT PROJECTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT PHASE TO RUSH THIS THROUGH SO SOON.” Anderson didn’t speak to why the change had to be implemented before 2019, but the decision is in line with Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s other efforts to reduce city services provided outside of Mobile’s corporate limits. Fire

and emergency medical services within the three-mile police jurisdiction were rolled back earlier this year. A 2017 proposal to halve the size of that police jurisdiction failed due to resistance from the Mobile City Council. “This was a proposed resolution submitted by the administration,” Anderson said of the rollback. “They made the presentation, and the planning commission approved it because they agreed with the advantages it provides.” As it stands today, the city should start seeing those advantages as of Jan. 1, 2019, but the county is still trying to find ways to reduce the burden it will be shouldering after that transition of responsibility. During a public meeting Sept. 10, Mobile County Commission President Connie Hudson asked the county’s legal staff to evaluate what options it might have to challenge the planning commission’s decision to move forward with the rollback. Hudson said she hopes to see it at least temporarily delayed. “It’s not that we’re trying to oppose them rolling back this jurisdiction, because I think that’s going to happen regardless,” Hudson said. “It’s just creating a hardship on the county and the people who’ve already got projects in the development phase to rush this through so soon.” Ross said state statutes governing this particular area of the law are “ambiguous on a good day,” but agreed to look into what, if any, options the county might have moving forward. Like Hudson, Commissioner Merceria Ludgood said she doesn’t believe the city has any plans to hit the brakes unless it’s required to. She told Barclift to proceed as if the change was finalized by incorporating any increased staffing needs into the department’s budget proposal and by moving forward with any additional ordinances or regulations the county will need to implement in order to supervise the increased area. “I don’t have any problem exploring other options, but I want to give you the authority to move forward. I don’t want to lose any time,” Ludgood told Barclift. “When this came to us, it was a foregone conclusion. It’s going to happen. If we can negotiate some time, great, but I think we should prepare to move forward as well.”

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BAYBRIEF | ELECTION 2018

Prisons

In general...

AG CANDIDATES DISCUSS ISSUES AS NOVEMBER ELECTION APPROACHES BY DALE LIESCH

he Democratic candidate for attorney general believes Alabamians “don’t have confidence” in the state’s leadership following the investigation into former Gov. Robert Bentley. Joseph Siegelman said the investigation was “problematic” given former Attorney General Luther Strange was appointed by Bentley to a U.S. Senate seat. “The fact that there is even some suspicion over whether a deal was struck tells you it never should have happened,” Siegelman said. “There never should have been the need to ask these questions.” GOP incumbent Steve Marshall believes the investigation was handled correctly once he was appointed, noting he recused himself from the case, a prosecutor was appointed and six weeks later Bentley resigned. Yet Marshall admitted the people of Alabama would probably never get a full accounting of what happened because of grand jury secrecy laws. “I don’t know that people will ever know,” Marshall said. While he said he can’t speak to someone else’s suspicion, he said everything he did was aboveboard and he can only “control what I did.” “I wasn’t offered anything to take the job and I didn’t get anything to take the job,” Marshall said. As for Strange, Marshall said there is no evidence the former senator did anything criminal. Asked if he thought what Strange did was ethical, Marshall said given the results of the special Senate election last December, even Strange might question that. The son of former Gov. Don Siegelman is running on the slogan “people not politics” and hopes to make the office nonpartisan. “In my view the attorney general’s office is a nonpoliti-

cal office,” he said. “The No. 1 responsibility is to apply the laws of the state and the country fairly and impartially.” Marshall said he’s running in his first election for the office after his appointment because as a former district attorney, he has a passion for the work. “When the opportunity came, I expressed an interest in the appointment,” he said. “I’ve had the job for 18 months and it’s a fascinating place to practice.”

Body cameras

Last month, a judge ordered the city of Mobile to release body camera footage captured during a 2016 incident where several teenagers were pepper-sprayed by a Mobile police officer. The ruling was the result of a lawsuit filed by local Fox affiliate WALA. The lawsuit led to debate among city leaders over the future release of police body camera footage. Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s office asked for an attorney general’s opinion on the matter. Siegelman said everything should be reviewed on a “case-by-case basis.” He said he believes the cameras help build trust between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve. Marshall said he sees no distinction between the Mobile case, which received heavy media interest, and a random murder in Mobile that is still under investigation. He believes it “makes sense” to have the Legislature look into the issue. Marshall said there have been “very positive reviews” of body cameras so far among the state’s law enforcement agencies. Not only are they helpful in collecting evidence, but he said agencies feel they’ve helped cut down on citizen complaints.

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While prison overcrowding has been a constant discussion in the state’s political circles, Marshall said diversion programs and other initiatives have helped reduce the number of inmates. “We were at — right before I took office — the 190 [percent mark],” he said. “Now it’s 150 [percent]. I’m not saying that we’ve made it to where it needs to be.” Marshall credits diversion programs such as drug courts, veterans’ courts and others for the reduction in the percentage of inmates. Also, Marshall added, state prisons are not full of inmates charged with nonviolent drug offenses. He said possession is now a Class D felony. Offenders are sent to diversion courts, he said. The incumbent also took some credit for helping to improve conditions at the state’s prisons. Siegelman acknowledged prison overcrowding would not be solved by the attorney general’s office alone. However, he does believe diversion programs could be expanded in some cases. “There are people in prison who need to stay in prison,” he said. “In other circumstances, we need to see whether diversion programs can be used. We also need to provide rehabilitation services.” A lack of those services leads to recidivism, which further strains the state’s resources, Siegelman said. Without rehabilitation services, prisons are “warehousing drug addicts” and those suffering from mental health issues. While Siegelman said an expansion of the state’s mental health courts would help keep patients out of jails, Marshall said he is looking to broaden the role of the attorney general and become involved in litigation over the mental health side of the prison system. He acknowledged the Department of Corrections is probably the state’s largest mental health care provider.

Fundraising

Both candidates said they are working hard and are buoyed by feedback on the campaign trail. In July, Marshall raised $7,400 in cash contributions and $41,543 on hand. Following his mid-July defeat of Troy King in the GOP runoff, Marshall raised $105,725 in August. He finished the month with $119,417 cash on hand. Siegelman accused Marshall of accepting “dark money” contributions in the form of a PAC-to-PAC transfer. He mentioned an ethics complaint had been filed against the incumbent. Marshall said the transfer was made by the Republican Attorneys General Association and he believes they fully complied with the law. Siegelman took in $78,410 in July and finished the month with $147,990 cash on hand. In August, his campaign took in $70,599 in contributions and ended the month with $162,121. Siegelman and Marshall will face off on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

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COMMENTARY | DAMN THE TORPEDOES

What’s worth pursuing? ROB HOLBERT/MANAGING EDITOR/RHOLBERT@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

I’M NOT SAYING MARSHALL CAN’T BE A QUALITY ATTORNEY GENERAL, BUT BY NOT DIGGING INTO THE VERY SCANDAL THAT PUT HIM IN OFFICE, MARSHALL WILL NEVER DISTANCE HIMSELF FROM IT.”

they’re motivated. It’s also amazing what they won’t do when they’re not. It probably doesn’t help that Martin is suing everyone he believes was involved in improperly putting him behind bars for 15 years. It’s hard not to like Steve Marshall. He’s bright, easygoing and friendly. And he’s making his way through horrible personal tragedy. But the Alabama Attorney General still struggles to scrape the mud of the Robert Bentley scandal off his shoes as he runs for election. We’ve had a number of attorney general candidates come through the office, and a couple of them very bluntly said one of their first priorities if elected would be to reopen the Bentley and Big Luther saga. That’s clearly not part of Marshall’s agenda. Marshall will face Democratic nominee Joseph Siegelman in the general election this November, and all signs point to him retaining his job as Alabama’s top law enforcement official. Siegelman has run a good campaign, but it’s tough enough being a Democrat in Alabama, much less the son of a disgraced governor. And I’m not saying Marshall can’t be a quality attorney general, but by not digging into the very scandal that put him in office, Marshall will never distance himself from it. There will always be those who think he was in on the “deal,” despite his firm admonitions that he never promised Bentley or Strange anything. In the meantime, taking one more shot at George Martin may serve to distract from the investigation that never was.

THEGADFLY

I suppose the desire to keep going after Martin stands in stark contrast to Marshall’s professed helplessness when it comes to ever actually being able to dig into the Bentley/Strange mess and finally give the public a full accounting of what happened during one of the biggest scandals in state history. Marshall is a prosecutor, and prosecutors love to see themselves as being unrelenting when it comes to meting out justice. So that’s probably appealing about firing up the state’s judicial apparatus to go after a guy who’s already served 15 years åon Death Row for his wife’s 1995 death, only to have it uncovered that the state’s star witness misidentified Martin in a lineup and prosecutors hid that, as well as other evidence beneficial to Martin, from the defense. But the state’s top law enforcement officer is hardly as hard charging when it comes to pulling back the curtain on the slimy dealings engaged in by his predecessor and the man who lifted him from a district attorney’s position in Marshall County to statewide office. To be fair, Marshall is legitimately handicapped in some respect by being appointed by a governor running headlong for a jail cell. Marshall immediately recused himself from any involvement in investigating Bentley and appointed Montgomery County District Attorney Ellen Brooks special prosecutor to handle the deed. We all know the rest. Brooks essentially came back blaming a lack of applicable law for not being able to go after Bentley for what to the layman looked like a clear misuse of

public resources and abuse of power. Cynics might point out the fact that Brooks used the same tactic before in not going after former Gov. Bob Riley and thenSpeaker of the House Mike Hubbard for PAC-to-PAC transfers. Was Marshall counting on that? The world may never know. But while Bentley has at least been through some kind of investigation, Big Luther has not — as far as we know. Marshall told us that for all he knows, Brooks may in fact have investigated whether there was any quid pro quo for Strange when Bentley appointed him to the state’s open U.S. Senate seat even as the AG’s office was investigating the governor. Marshall says we can’t know and will never know because grand jury secrecy is sacred and he can’t ask the prosecutor because he recused himself. It’s kind of a neat box. So the guy who wants to be attorney general for four more years essentially has said with him in office there’s really no way to investigate what to many in this state looked like raw bribery that landed Strange a U.S. Senate seat and Bentley a sweet, painless slide from handcuffs to a new career in CoolSculpting. We’ll never know if any deal was made. We’ll never have an investigation into AG Strange writing letters to the EPA supporting Drummond Co.’s efforts to avoid a Superfund cleanup in north Birmingham, then getting $25,000 campaign contributions from the company after each one was sent. Sure, it’s probably easier to go after George Martin again, and it’s certainly not as messy. True, the case looks wobbly, but it’s amazing what prosecutors can do when

Cartoon/Marguerite Powers | Hannah Legg

If Steve Marshall is put back in office as Alabama’s Attorney General, he plans to put George Martin back on Death Row. Conversely, he also has no intention of looking into anything more regarding whether his predecessor, Luther Strange, illegally interfered in the Luv Guv investigation, or drilling into the dark-money account Robert Bentley used to pay his girlfriend. It’s a stark juxtaposition that may say a lot about a man still trying to scrape the Bentley mud off his shoes as he seeks to keep his job as AG. Marshall was in our office earlier this week talking about the issues surrounding his effort to be put back in office for a full term as Alabama’s Attorney General. Though we talked about many things, one of the things that stood out was that his office will be retrying Martin after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled last month that a 2016 decision by Mobile County Circuit Court Judge Robert Smith dismissing the capital murder indictment against Martin had gone too far. The AG’s office appealed Smith’s ruling, which was upheld by the appeals court but flipped by the supremes.

COUNCILMAN FRED RICHARDSON STILL BELIEVES HE WILL BE COUNCIL PRESIDENT, NO MATTER THE COST.

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COMMENTARY | THE HIDDEN AGENDA

Please bring it back ASHLEY TRICE/EDITOR/ASHLEYTOLAND@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

Photo | Ashley Trice

ast Friday, I had the opportunity to attend the dedication of the new federal courthouse for the Southern District in downtown Mobile. The new 158,000-square-foot limestone-clad building on St. Joseph Street is just stunning and a very welcome addition to the area. Somehow the architect was able to make anyone who sets foot in it feel like they are standing in a shiny, brand-new, state-of-the-art structure that also feels timeless and majestic, like it may have been there a couple of hundred years or so. Like any project of this magnitude, it took many years of hard work before the ground was even broken, and the doors were officially opened to the public last week. And many of the Sen. Doug Jones, AG Jeff Sessions and Sen. Richard players that put in all that work were Shelby cut the ribbon at the new federal courthouse. there beaming like proud parents, including Judge Kristi DuBose, lead bites back? Even if you aren’t a dog person. OK, architect Lee Becker, Sen. Richard Shelby and maybe I’ve taken this dog analogy too far, but you U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, among othknow what I mean. ers. The new senator on the block, Doug Jones, There was none of that, and I should have joked in his remarks that he was the only one known better. But what did occur was so much speaking who had nothing to do with the opening better anyway. And much more uplifting. And reof the courthouse, but he was also on hand for the freshing! I had forgotten just how much I liked it! event. It was completely nice. And boring and unOf course, the star of the show was AG Seseventful. And I truly mean that as a compliment. sions, as President Trump had just stated hours Sens. Jones and Shelby and AG Sessions all sat before he wanted Sessions to investigate who by each other and whispered to each other, made authored the now-infamous anonymous op-ed in friendly jokes, smiled and looked like they truly The New York Times, which basically states the enjoyed being in each other’s company. And they president is unhinged and has no idea what he is probably do. Why wouldn’t they? doing and senior staffers (aka “the steady state”) But I guess in this volatile, super-partisan poare there protecting us all from him really going litical climate where all we see on a regular basis off the rails. Comforting? Terrifying? Both? are clips of Trump being angry and lashing out at A reporter from CNN made the trip down to people at rallies, and “panels” of Republicans and question Sessions about this, but Sessions did not Democrats attacking each other on cable news, answer his question or any from the assembled lo- it’s easy to forget civility still has a place in our cal media either, other than his spokesman telling national discourse. one reporter they didn’t comment on such matters. And it was so nice to see it in person! More, The CNN guy went and interviewed folks at please! the Dew Drop Inn who were happy to speak on I mean, I don’t want to get crazy here or anysaid matters. There were a couple of folks there thing, but it was almost like they could have actuwho said they didn’t really care what the president ally sat down together and maybe even worked said about Sessions and they felt “Jeff’ probably together across the aisle on something, like, I didn’t care either. But most everyone else seemed don’t know, a piece of legislation. pretty defensive of their hometown guy. For some I know, I know, that’s cuckoo talk. We all reason, that viral video of the guy crying when know in this day and age, you have to pick a side/ Britney Spears had her meltdown came to mind. tribe and you can’t even question or disagree in “Leave Britney alone!” “Leave Jeff alone!” any way with even one small part of your tribe’s Sessions and his spokesfolks are used to tenets or you will be eviscerated by the people staying mum on these things. They have to NOT who are supposed to be your people. In addition to comment all the time. As the president’s favorite blindly subscribing to whatever your tribal leaders person to deride/criticize/emasculate on Twitter have decided is acceptable or unacceptable, you (and allegedly also to his top advisers, according must also HATE your enemy. If someone disto reports), the AG is asked to respond to all of agrees with you on policy, they are evil and subhuthe demeaning “presidential” social media tirades man and you don’t care if they die a slow death in directed at him. a fire ant bed. That’s just the way it is. He rarely does. There is no place for respectful debate anymore I’ll admit, while I wanted to see the new on any issue. You better be all in, all out or keep courthouse, I also really wanted to see Sessions, your mouth shut or you’ll be kicked off your side in the train wreck kind of way (I do feel guilty of the field. It’s just ridiculous. And intellectually for that). I thought there was maybe a 1 percent lazy. chance he would say something about the op-ed or Though it would be disingenuous for me to Trump’s trolling. Maybe it wouldn’t be overt, but say I don’t rubberneck at all of these political perhaps he would throw some thinly veiled shade train wrecks as much as the next guy, I do miss the president’s way since he was in front of the passionate-but-friendly discussions. I miss civility. hometown crowd. I miss standing up for what you believe in but doHe didn’t. ing so with kindness. And I miss boring! If Justin Even if you don’t agree with his policies, I Timberlake can bring sexy back in 2006, someone think it’s only human nature to want to see a viccan certainly bring boring back in 2020. Come on! tim fight back. It’s like watching someone abuse Your nation is counting on you! a dog. Don’t we all rejoice when the dog finally

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COMMENTARY | THE BELTWAY BEAT

2018: It’s not about you BY JEFF POOR/COLUMNIST/JEFFREYPOOR@GMAIL.COM

ASHINGTON — The “Blue Wave” is coming, so we’re told. Alabama will miss the brunt of it. The state is reliably red, and the Alabama Democratic Party is currently squandering whatever progress it made with Sen. Doug Jones’ 2017 long-shot win over a flawed GOP candidate. Nonetheless, nationally we hear there are too many headwinds for Republicans to overcome, all of which are tied to President Donald Trump: Russia (!), anonymous op-eds, leaks in Bob Woodward’s bestseller, Russia (!!), a West Wing and a Deep State working against him, Mueller indictments and Russia (!!!). If we go back to 2016, the Washington power structure warned us of the disastrous consequences of a Trump presidency. The New York Times economics columnist Paul Krugman forecast a depression of 1930s magnitude. Deportation squads intercepting innocent people! Journalists jailed as if this were Putin’s Russia! Men grabbing women by their … ! Oh, the humanity.

who had held Capitol Hill for 12 years. In 2010, it was about you and the Tea Party and a statement about the growth of government and the idea of taking from the haves who worked for it and giving it to the have-nots, who were either duped in the subprime mortgage crisis or lacked health insurance. Republicans recaptured the House of Representatives, which, as we know now, marginalized the last threequarters of Obama’s presidency. In 2014, it was still about you and the consequences of Obama’s presidency, but not quite as much as it was four years earlier. The economy still wasn’t recovering, despite the so-called shovel-ready stimulus enacted five years earlier. Republicans took the U.S. Senate. This midterm election cycle doesn’t have any of those broader elements. Instead of a strategy outlining a direct impact of presidential leadership on the lives of individuals, the approach is about what might ultimately impact your lives because of the perceived unpresidential antics on display from this president. It’s about him and not about you. Democrats didn’t learn from 2016. They made it about him. “We’re with Hillary Clinton. Frankly, Donald ON ELECTION DAY, WE’LL Trump’s dangerous,” an AL.com editorial headline proclaimed. BE NEARLY TWO YEARS Clinton and her most rabid supporters made INTO A TRUMP PRESIDENCY. NETit about the dangers of Trump. Oops, they lost. NET, THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR Our society is all about “me.” People love MOST AMERICANS HAS GOTTEN to talk about themselves — their victories, their BETTER. defeats, their hardships, their successes. Whether or not this is good or bad, it’s the reality. You don’t win elections dwelling on the Since none of that has come true, the “loyal” hypothetical. And if Trump can get around the opposition is grappling with its inability to scare day-to-day bombshells and make it a referendum on this, Republicans will fare well: “If people away from Republican leadership and President Trump. Instead, they are now dabbling you’re better off than you were two years ago, vote GOP. If you’re not, vote Democrat.” in the art of armchair psychology, questioning Apparently, the Democratic opposition in Trump’s fitness to be president. America seems to think that “how does Donald On Election Day, we’ll be nearly two years Trump make you feel” is the winning approach. into a Trump presidency. Net-net, the quality If you believe the polling, it is working of life for most Americans has gotten better. to some extent. Republicans trail Democrats Unemployment is down across the board. Conon generic ballots. Trump has low approval sumer confidence is at its highest since 2000. On average, we have a better economic situation numbers. Unfortunately for Democrats, a lot of that than we did pre-Trump presidency. sentiment is in the wrong places. If you live in But, these midterms are not about you. The media and opposition (at times, the media oppo- the Northeast or on the West Coast, you really sition) have effectively made this election cycle don’t like Donald Trump. You didn’t like him about Trump, and that’s why Republicans won’t in 2016, but you really don’t like him now. He’s just so uncouth! weather these midterms as well as they could. Republicans were never going to do well in Historically, the opposition party does well those precincts anyway. Where the real battle in midterms after presidential elections. This lies is in the same places Trump won in 2016, was especially the case with President Barack the Rust Belt states. It was a razor-thin win Obama, who led Democrats to two midterm then for Trump, but he wrestled victory from defeats in his eight years in office. the jaws of defeat because he went in there and However, 2018 doesn’t feel like any of the made it about them — in other words, he made last three midterms. it about you, the voters. In 2006, it was about us, as in all of us. It Don’t underestimate that idea on Election was about a bungled response to Hurricane Day. That is not to say Republicans will do well, Katrina. It was about war in the Middle East and a Democratic Party with the political savvy but they won’t do as badly as they might have had Democrats fully thought this through. to make it about the war and those casualties. Democrats triumphed big over Republicans, S e p t e m b e r 1 2 , 2 0 1 8 - S e p t e m b e r 1 8 , 2 0 1 8 | L AG N I A P P E | 15

BUSINESS | THE REAL DEAL

National cemetery products manufacturer coming to area

BY RON SIVAK/COLUMNIST/BUSINESS@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

eremy Milling with Milling Commercial Realty reported that an 8,000-square-foot site at 3450 Georgia Pacific Ave. in Mobile, formerly the home of Harrington Industrial Plastics, has been acquired by Pittsburgh-based Matthews International Corp., a national manufacturer of cemetery products. Allen Garstecki and Guy Oswalt with JLL worked for the tenant. Milling represented Harrington Industrial Plastics in the sublease transaction. • Robert Cook with Vallas Realty Inc. reported the sale of a 5,515-square-foot property at 11 Midtown Park E. to local investors for $595,000. The buyers plan to lease the space to Saybolt, a subsidiary of Core Laboratories, and will move into the space in early November. Saybolt services the energy industry with laboratory analyses, independent field inspections, and monitoring and verification programs. • Pratt Thomas with Merrill P. Thomas Co. Inc. reported Carfinders Auto Outlet sold its lot at 85 N. Schillinger Road in Mobile to another local auto dealer for $617,500, and relocated to 4280 Industrial Parkway in Saraland. Thomas worked for the seller; Shabbir Hossain with Nexthome Star Real Estate represented the buyer in the transaction. • Local investors purchased a two-acre commercial lot in front of Winged Foot subdivision on County Road 64 in Daphne for $250,000. The buyers plan to develop the property into offices, including the future office home of Elite Real Estate Solutions. Geoff Lane of Katapult Properties represented the sellers; Angie Fagan and Rachel Romash of Elite Real Estate Solutions worked for the buyers.

• Pete Riehm with NAI Mobile reported that Riverview, Florida-based Reliable Transmission Service has acquired a 14,500-square-foot property on 2.1 acres for $687,000. The site is situated at 5565 Todd Acres Drive near the Tillman’s Corner area of West Mobile. This will be the company’s first foray into the local area, with an expected opening this month. • Ameriprise Financial Services Inc. is leasing a 1,737-square-foot office space at 4332 Boulevard Park S. in Mobile. Jill Meeks with Stirling Properties represented the landlord; Joey Betbeze with Betbeze Realty worked for the tenant in the transaction. • Mattress by Appointment is leasing a 2,500-squarefoot retail space in Plaza North Shopping Center, at 3 West Nine Mile Road in Pensacola, with plans to open by the first week of October. Jack Conger and Jason Scott with Stirling Properties in Mobile managed the transaction on behalf of the landlord. • Some 5,500 square feet of office space and a 6,000-square-foot workshop on 2.3 acres at 5975 Rangeline Road in Mobile were recently leased to Houston-based U.S. Environmental Services. The industrial services company plans to open by early October. Pete Riehm with NAI Mobile managed the transaction for the landlord.

Bellator announces promotion, new hires

Bellator Real Estate & Development has announced the promotion of David Horn as Eastern Shore agent manager. The office employs 50 agents handling the purchase and sale of properties along the Eastern Shore.

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Horn brings nearly 10 years of real estate experience in both Mobile and Baldwin counties, ranging from residential and land sales to new construction neighborhood sales. He transitioned into real estate over eight years ago from careers in lending, financial sales and sales management. Horn joined Bellator in 2013 as an agent and has worked as its relocation director for the past year. He will continue to serve in a relocation capacity as well as manage the day-to-day operations of the Eastern Shore office in his new role. “We were fortunate to already have this caliber of an individual on our leadership team. We are glad to see him continue to grow within our company,” Troy Wilson, president of Bellator, said. Bellator also hired nine new agents during July and August: Lauren Barker (Eastern Shore), Leigh Enzer (Eastern Shore), Mary Faust (Eastern Shore), Darla Scott (Eastern Shore), Gwen Brown (Fairhope), James Dean (Orange Beach), Mary Fran Hershiser (Orange Beach), Lisa Johnson (Orange Beach) and Gena Jayne (Orange Beach). “As we continue to grow, we expand our reach with each new addition to the Bellator team,” Wilson said.

Wilkins Miller adding staff

Wilkins Miller LLC, an accounting and advisory firm with offices in Mobile and Fairhope, recently announced that Ben Murray, Mitchell Wolfe and Kate Welch have joined the professional staff. Additionally, Jamie Carag and Mackensie Coarsey have joined the firm’s administrative staff. Murray graduated with a bachelor’s in accountancy from the University of Mississippi in 2016 and obtained a master’s in accounting from the University of South Alabama in 2017. He works primarily with the audit team. Wolfe earned a bachelor’s in accounting from The University of Alabama with a specialization in professional accounting. He joins the accounting staff, working primarily with the tax group. Welch graduated with a bachelor’s in sports management from the University of South Alabama and joins the firm as a consultant. Carag received a bachelor’s in biology from Northwestern State University, while Coarsey earned a bachelor’s in psychology from Auburn. Carag and Coarsey will provide support to various areas of the firm. Locally founded and owned, Wilkins Miller has practiced in the Mobile Bay region more than 50 years. The company has specialties in financial reporting, tax, litigation, valuation, cost segregation, outsourced accounting, business consulting and information technology consulting. More information about the firm can be found on its website.

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COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE ALL SPORTS BAR & GRILL ($) 3408 Pleasant Valley Rd. • 345-9338

AL’S HOTDOGS ($)

CLASSIC HOTDOGS, GYROS & MILKSHAKES 4701 Airport Blvd. • 342-3243

ATLANTA BREAD COMPANY ($-$$) SANDWICHES, SALADS & MORE. 3680 Dauphin St. • 380-0444

BAKE MY DAY ($)

OLD-FASHIONED SOUTHERN BAKE SHOP 156 N. McGregor Ave. • 219-7261

BOB’S DINER ($)

GOOD OLD AMERICAN COOKING 263 St. Francis St. • 405-1497

BIG WHITE WINGS ($)

405 S Wilson Ave. • Prichard• 301-7880

BRICK & SPOON ($)

3662 Airport Blvd. Suite A • 378-8378

CAFE 219 ($)

SALADS, SANDWICHES & POTATO SALAD 219 Conti St. • 438-5234

CAMELLIA CAFÉ ($-$$$)

CONTEMPORARY SOUTHERN FARE 61 Section St. • Fairhope • 928-4321

CAMMIE’S OLD DUTCH ($) MOBILE’S CLASSIC ICE CREAM SPOT 2511 Old Shell Rd. • 471-1710

CARPE DIEM ($)

DELI FOODS, PASTRIES & SPECIALTY DRINKS 4072 Old Shell Rd. • 304-0448

CLARK’S KITCHEN ($-$$) CATERING 5817 Old Shell Rd. • 622-0869

CLEAN EATZ ($)

7335 Airport Blvd. • 654-1575

CHICK-FIL-A ($)

12 N Royal St • 415-1700 107 St. Francis St. • 415-1700 3244 Dauphin St. • 476-0320 3215 Bel Air Mall • 476-8361 4707 Airport Blvd. • 461-9933 435 Schillinger Rd. • 639-1163 1682 US HWY 98 • Daphne • 621-3215 30500 AL 181 • Spanish Fort • 621-3020

CHICKEN SALAD CHICK ($)

CHICKEN SALAD, SALAD & SOUP 2370 S. Hillcrest Rd. Unit R • 660-0501 5753 Old Shell Rd. • 408-3236 1802 US Hwy 98 Suite F• 625-1092

CHI-TOWN DAWGZ ($) CHICAGO STYLE EATERY 1222 Hillcrest Rd. • 461-6599

DAUPHIN ST. CAFE ($)

HOT LUNCH, DAILY MENU (INSIDE VIA) 1717 Dauphin St. • 470-5231

D’ MICHAEL’S ($)

PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS, GYROS & MORE 7101-A Theodore Dawes Rd. • 653-2979

D NU SPOT ($)

HOT SUBS, COLD SALADS & CATERING 3694 Airport Blvd • 342-2352 5300-C Halls Mill Rd • 660-0995 3075 Government Blvd B105 • 461-6080 6300 Grelot Rd. • 631-3730 6890 US-90 #6 • Daphne • 625-8723 9912 Dimitrios Blvd • Daphne • 626-7827 113 S Greeno Rd • Fairhope • 990-3970

FIVE GUYS BURGERS & FRIES ($) BURGERS, MILKSHAKES & FRIES 4401 Old Shell Rd. • 447-2394 4663 Airport Blvd. • 300-8425 5319 Hwy 90 • 661-0071 1225 Satchel Page Dr.• 378-8768 6860 US-90 • Daphne • 626-4278

FOOSACKLY’S ($)

FAMOUS CHICKEN FINGERS 29181 US Hwy 98 • Daphne • 375-1104 7843 Moffett Rd. • 607-6196 1109 Shelton Beach Rd. • 287-1423 310 S. University Blvd. • 343-0047 2250 Airport Blvd. • 479-2922 7641 Airport Blvd. • 607-7667 2558 Schillinger Rd. • 219-7761 3249 Dauphin St. • 479-2000

FOY SUPERFOODS ($) 119 Dauphin St.• 307-8997

GULF COAST EXPLOREUM CAFE ($) HOMEMADE SOUPS & SANDWICHES 65 Government St. • 208-6815

HOOTERS ($)

3869 Airport Blvd. • 345-9544 5470 Inn Rd. • 661-9117 28975 US 98 • Daphne • 625-3910

JAMAICAN VIBE ($)

MIND-BLOWING ISLAND FOOD 3700 Gov’t Blvd. • 602-1973

JERSEY MIKE’S ($)

AUTHENTIC SUB SANDWICHES 29660 AL-181 • Daphne • 626-3161 3151 Daupin St• 525-9917 7449 Airport Blvd. • 375-1820

JIMMY JOHN’S ($)

SANDWICHES, CATERING & DELIVERY TOO 6920 Airport Blvd. • 414-5444 9 Du Rhu Dr. • 340-8694 62 S Royal St. • 432-0360

JOE CAIN CAFÉ ($)

SLAP YOUR MAMA GOOD HOME COOKING 220 Dauphin St. • 432-6262

BREAKFAST, HOT LUNCH & GREAT DESSERTS 23 Upham St. • 473-6115

MARY’S SOUTHERN COOKING ($)

CLASSIC BURGERS, HOTDOGS & SETTING 1808 Old Shell Rd. • 473-7872

DUNKIN DONUTS ($)

DONUTS, COFFEE & SANDWICHES 5701 Old Shell Rd Ste 100 • 442-4846 29160 US Hwy 98 • Daphne •621-2228

E WING HOUSE ($)

1956 S University Blvd. Suite H • 662-1829

OVEN-BAKED SANDWICHES & MORE 1335 Satchel Page Dr. Suite C. • 287-7356 7440 Airport Blvd. • 633-0096 Eastern Shore Center • Spanish Fort • 625-6544

GREAT SANDWICHES, COFFEE & MORE 1087 Downtowner Blvd. • 643-1611 3011 Springhill Ave. • 476-2232

MICHELI’S CAFE ($)

6358 Cottage Hill Rd. • 725-6917

MCSHARRY’S ($-$$)

AUTHENTIC IRISH PUB 101 N. Bancroft St.• 990-5100

MOMMA GOLDBERG’S DELI ($) SANDWICHES & MOMMA’S LOVE 3696 Airport Blvd. • 344-9500

THE PIGEON HOLE ($)

SEAFOOD AND SUSHI 551 Dauphin St.• 219-7051

THE SUNFLOWER CAFE ($)

HIGH QUALITY FOOD & DRINKS 251 Government St • 432-8000

THYME BY THE BAY ($-$$)

HIGH QUALITY FOOD WITH A VIEW 107 St. Francis St/RSA Building • 444-0200

O’DALYS HOLE IN THE WALL ($) 562 Dauphin St.• 725-6429

PANINI PETE’S ($)

ORIGINAL SANDWICH AND BAKE SHOP 42 ½ Section St. • Fairhope • 929-0122 102 Dauphin St. • 405-0031

PAT’S DOWNTOWN GRILL ($) BAR FOOD 271 Dauphin St • 438-9585

POLLMAN’S BAKERY ($)

BAKERY, SANDWICHES & MORE 750 S. Broad St. • 438-1511 4464 Old Shell Rd. • 342-8546 107 St. Francis St. Suite 102 • 438-2261

PUNTA CLARA KITCHEN ($)

MEDITERRANEAN SANDWICH COMPANY ($)

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE ($)

LAUNCH ($-$$)

DUMBWAITER ($$-$$$) 9 Du Rhu Dr. Suite 201 167 Dauphin St. • 445-3802

GREAT FOOD AND COCKTAILS 609 Dauphin St. • 308-3105

LIGHT LUNCH WITH SOUTHERN FLAIR. 226 Dauphin St. • 433-1689

CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN FOOD 351A George & Savannah St. • 436-8890

GREAT SMOOTHIES, WRAPS & SANDWICHES. 9 Du Rhu Dr. • 378-5648 7450 Airport Blvd. A • 634-3454 570 Schillinger Rd. • 634-3454 29740 Urgent Care Dr.• 626-1160

HIGH QUALITY FOOD & DRINKS 251 Government St. • 432-8000

WAREHOUSE BAKERY & DONUTS ($) COFFEE AND DONUTS 759 Nichols Avenue, Fairhope • 928-7223

WILD WING STATION ($)

1500 Government St. • 287-1526

THE WINDMILL MARKET ($)

85 N. Bancroft St. • Fairhope • 990.8883

YAK THE KATHMANDU KITCHEN ($-$$)

334 Fairhope Ave • Fairhope • 928-2399

‘CUE

SANDWICHES, SUBS & SOUPS 2056 Gov’t St. • 476-2777

MOBILE’S OLDEST MIDDLE EASTERN CUISINE 4715 Airport Blvd/Regency Square • 304-1155

GREAT MEDITERRANEAN FOOD. 5951 Old Shell Rd. • 460-9191

FUDGE, PRALINES & MORE 17111 Scenic Hwy 98 • Fairhope • 928-8477

REGINA’S KITCHEN ($-$$)

JERUSALEM CAFE ($-$$)

KITCHEN ON GEORGE ($-$$)

AMERICAN RESTAURANT & BAR 250 Dauphin St. • 476-1890

AUTHENTIC FOODS FROM HIMALAYAN REGION 3210 Dauphin St. • 287-0115 400 Eastern Shore Center • Fairhope •990-6192

R BISTRO ($-$$)

4861 Bit & Spur Rd. • 340-6464

THREE GEORGES CANDY SHOP ($)

DOWN-HOME COUNTRY COOKIN 7351 Theodore Dawes Rd. • 654-0228

NOURISH CAFE ($)

HEALTHY WHOLE FOODS & MORE 101 N Water St. (Moorer YMCA)• 458-8572

ABBA’S MEDITERRANEAN CAFE ($-$$)

FIVE ($$)

TIME TO EAT CAFE ($) TP CROCKMIERS ($)

7070 Bruns Drive• 776-6570

7 SPICE ($-$$)

GREAT & QUICK. 2502 Schillinger Rd. Ste. 2 • 725-0126 3702 Airport Blvd. • 308-2131 6890 US-90 • Daphne • 621-2271 274 Dauphin St. • 545-3161

33 N Section St. • Fairhope • 990-5635

NEXUS CINEMA DINING ($$)

BACKYARD CAFE & BBQ ($) HOME COOKIN’ LIKE MOMMA MADE 3211 Moffett Rd • 473-4739

MAGHEE’S GRILL ON THE HILL ($-$$)

MINT HOOKAH BISTRO ($)

OLLIE’S MEDITERRANEAN GRILL ($-$$) MEDITERRANEAN RESTAURANT & HOOKAH 1248 Hillcrest St • 634-9820

TAZIKI’S ($-$$)

GREAT LUNCH & DINNER 3607 Old Shell Rd. • 445-8700

MEDITERRANEAN CAFE 9 Du Rhu Dr Suite 300 • 378-2678 1539 US HWY 98•Daphne • 273-3337

LOCAL INGREDIENTS 203 Dauphin St. • 690-6824

FAR EASTERN FARE

NOBLE SOUTH ($$) NOJA ($$-$$$)

INVENTIVE & VERY FRESH CUISINE 6 N. Jackson St. • 433-0377

ANG BAHAY KUBO ($$)

4513 Old Shell Rd. D• 473-0007

AROY THAI ($$)

OSMAN’S RESTAURANT ($$)

966 Government St.• 408-9001

ROYAL SCAM ($$)

TRADITIONAL JAPANESE WITH HIBACHI GRILLS 650 Cody Rd. S • 300-8383

SUPREME EUROPEAN CUISINE 2579 Halls Mill Rd. • 479-0006

BAMBOO STEAKHOUSE & SUSHI BAR ($$)

GUMBO, ANGUS BEEF & BAR 72. S. Royal St. • 432-SCAM (7226)

BANGKOK THAI ($-$$)

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE ($$$) EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE & TASTE 2058 Airport Blvd • 476-0516

DELICIOUS, TRADITIONAL THAI CUISINE 28600 US 98 • Daphne • 626-5286 3821 Airport Blvd. • 344-9995

ROLY POLY ($)

BAR-B-QUING WITH MY HONEY ($$)

SAGE RESTAURANT ($$)

BANZAI JAPANESE RESTAURANT ($$)

ROSHELL’S CAFE ($)

BAY BARBECUE ($)

SOUTHERN NATIONAL ($$-$$$)

BENJAS ($)

ROYAL KNIGHT ($)

COTTON STATE BBQ ($)

WRAPS & SALADS 3220 Dauphin St. • 479-2480

BBQ, BURGERS, WINGS & SEAFOOD 19170 Hwy 43 Mt. Vernon. • 829-9227

2904 Springhill Ave. • 479-4614

THE TASTE OF MOBILE 59 N Florida St. • 408-9997

LUNCH & DINNER 3004 Gov’t Blvd. • 287-1220

COFFEE, SMOOTHIES, LUNCH & BEERS. 5460 Old Shell Rd. • 344-4575

MARS HILL CAFE ($)

DEW DROP INN ($)

NEWK’S EXPRESS CAFE ($)

JUDY’S PLACE ($-$$)

MAMA’S ($)

113 Dauphin St.• 436-0989

DAUPHIN’S ($$-$$$)

SATORI COFFEEHOUSE ($)

PUB FOOD AND DRAFT BEERS 251 Dauphin St. • 287-6871

HEALTHY, DELICIOUS MEDITERRANEAN FOOD. 3762 Airport Blvd. • 725-1177

MUFFINS, COFFEE & WRAPS 105 Dauphin St. • 433-9855

A VARIETY COMFORT F00D. BREAKFAST ALL DAY. 6882 US-90 • Daphne • (251) 621-3749

LODA BIER GARTEN ($)

CHUCK’S FISH ($$)

320 Eastern Shore Shopping Center •Fairhope • 929-0055 3055 A Dauphin St. • 479-3200

MOSTLY MUFFINS ($)

JUBILEE DINER ($-$$)

3915 Gov’t Blvd. • 219-7922 3226 Dauphin St. • 471-2590

THE HARBERDASHER ($)

107 St Francis St #115 • RSA Bank Trust Building

BAKERY 5638 Three Notch Rd.• 219-6379

LICKIN’ GOOD DONUTS ($)

FALAFEL? TRY SOME HUMMUS

CLASSIC STEAKHOUSE + FRESH FISH 17107 Tennis Club Dr. • Fairhope • 517-7700

CORNER 251 ($-$$)

SALLY’S PIECE-A-CAKE ($)

HOME COOKING 4054 Government Blvd. • 665-4547

CHAR 32 ($$$)

OPEN FOR LUNCH, INSIDE GULFQUEST 155 S. Water St • 436-8901

SOUTHERN COOKING & THEN SOME 1716 Main St. • Daphne • 222-4120

PIZZAS, SANDWICHES, COCKTAILS 26 N. Royal St. • 338-4334

2159 Halls Mill Rd. . • 648-6522

DELISH BAKERY AND EATERY ($)

MOON PIE GENERAL STORE ($)

THE GALLEY ($)

SERDA’S COFFEEHOUSE ($)

COFFEE, LUNCHES, LIVE MUSIC & GELATO 3 Royal St. S. • 415-3000 1539 US-98 • Daphne • 517-3963

SIMPLY SWEET ($)

CUPCAKE BOUTIQUE 6207 Cottage Hill Rd. Suite B • 665-3003

STEVIE’S KITCHEN ($)

SANDWICHES, SOUPS, SALADS & MORE 41 West I-65 Service Rd. N Suite 150. • 287-2793

DOWNTOWN LUNCH 101 N. Conception St. • 545-4682

DICKEY’S BARBECUE PIT ($-$$)

BBQ AND MORE 6882 US-90 G2/Jubilee Square •Daphne• 210-2151 1390 W D6 Tingle Circle East/McGowin Park• 471-1050 7721 Airport Blvd. E100/Westwood Plaza • 380-8957

THE BLIND MULE ($)

DAILY SPECIALS MADE FROM SCRATCH 57 N. Claiborne St. • 694-6853

18 | L AG N I A P P E | S e p t e m b e r 1 2 , 2 0 1 8 - S e p t e m b e r 1 8 , 2 0 1 8

TAMARA’S DOWNTOWN ($$)

960 Schillinger Rd. S • 660-4470

SEAFOOD, ASIAN & AMERICAN CUISINE 69 St. Michael St • 375-1113

CHARM THAI KITCHEN & SUSHI BAR ($-$$)

CASUAL FINE DINING 104 N. Section St. • Fairhope • 929-2219

CHINA DOLL SEAFOOD RESTAURANT($)

THE TRELLIS ROOM ($$$)

CONTEMPORARY SOUTHERN CUISINE Battle House Hotel, Royal St. • 338-5493

3966 Airport Blvd.• 343-5530

CHEF 181 ($)

A LITTLE VINO

THAI FARE AND SUSHI 2000 Airport Blvd. • 478-9888

MOE’S ORIGINAL BAR B QUE ($)

WINE, BEER, GOURMET FOODS, & MORE. 720 Schillinger Rd. S. Unit 8 • 287-1851

5401 Cottage Hill Rd. • 591-4842

BARBEQUE & MUSIC 4672 Airport Blvd. • 410-6377 701 Springhill Ave. • 410-7427 3385 Schillinger Rd N #1 • 410-7428 6423 Bayfront Park Dr. • Daphne • 625-7427

SAUCY Q BARBQUE ($)

TRADITIONAL TEXAS BARBEQUE 212.5 Fairhope Ave. • 270-7250

SPECIALTY GROCER/DELI 650 St. Louis St. • 251-308-8488

THAI & SUSHI 5369 US-90 • 661-5100

MEAT BOSS ($)

SUNSET POINTE ($-$$)

THE CHEESE COTTAGE ($$)

VON’S BISTRO ($-$$)

ASIAN FUSION RESTAURANT 10179 Eastern Shore D • Spanish Fort • 621-2104

RIBS, SANDWICHES & GREAT SIDES 3314 Old Shell Rd. • 479-9898

SUGAR RUSH DONUT CO. ($) AT FLY CREEK 831 N Section St. • Fairhope • 990-7766

360 Dauphin St • 308-2387

TRADITIONAL SUSHI & LUNCH. 312 Schillinger Rd./Ambassador Plaza• 633-9077

THE WASH HOUSE ($$)

DREAMLAND BBQ ($)

AWARD-WINNING BARBQUE 1111 Gov’t Blvd. • 433-7427

4701 Airport Blvd. • 408-3379

INSIDE THE MOBILE MARRIOTT 3101 Airport Blvd. • 476-6400

TEXARBAMA BBQ($)

DROP DEAD GOURMET BAY GOURMET ($$)

A PREMIER CATERER & COOKING CLASSES 1880-A Airport Blvd. • 450-9051

BRIQUETTES STEAKHOUSE ($-$$) GRILLED STEAKS, CHICKEN & SEAFOOD 312 Schillinger Rd • 607-7200 901 Montlimar Dr • 408-3133

17111 Scenic HWY 98 • Point Clear • 928-4838

DOMKE MARKET

FOOD PAK INTERNATIONAL FOODS FOOD, WINE & MORE 5150 Old Shell Rd. • 341-1497

FUJI SAN ($)

HALAL CUISINE OF INDIA ($$) LUNCH BUFFET 3674 Airport Blvd. • 341-6171

HIBACHI 1 ($-$$)

2370 Hillcrest Rd.• 380-6062

POUR BABY

ICHIBAN ($)

FIREHOUSE WINE BAR & SHOP

KAI JAPANESE RESTAURANT ($-$$)

WINE BAR, CRAFT BEERS & BISTRO 6808 Airport Blvd. • 343-3555 216 St Francis St. • 421-2022

RED OR WHITE

JAPANESE & CHINESE CUISINE 3959 Cottage Hill Rd • 666-6266 QUALITY FOOD, EXCELLENT SERVICE 5045 Cottage Hill Rd. • 607-6454

323A De La Mare Ave, Fairhope • 990-0003 1104 Dauphin St.. • 478-9494

LIQUID SUSHI LOUNGE ($$)

LIVE MUSIC, MARTINIS & DINNER MENU. 26 N. Royal St. • 338-2000

RICE ASIAN GRILL & SUSHI BAR ($)

ROYAL STREET TAVERN SOUTHERN NAPA

BISTRO PLATES, CRAFT BEERS & PANTRY 2304 Main St. • 375-2800

AMAZING SUSHI & ASSORTMENT OF ROLLS. 661 Dauphin St. • 432-0109 3964 Government Blvd. • 378-8083

ROCK N ROLL SUSHI ($$) 273 S. McGregor Ave • 287-0445 6345 Airport Blvd. • 287-0555

940 Industrial Pkwy • 308-2158 6850 US HWY 98 • Daphne • 753-4367 2601 S McKenzie St •Foley • 943-4648

SHO GUN ($$)

JAPANESE ENTREES, SUSHI & HIBACHI TABLES 7038 Airport Blvd • 304-0021

SIAM THAI CUISINE & SUSHI BAR ($$) 915 Hillcrest Rd. Suite C • 380-9111

STIX ($$)

10240 Eastern Shore Blvd • 621-9088

CAJUN KITCHEN & SEAFOOD MARKET 2005 Government St. • 478-9897

OFF THE HOOK MARINA & GRILL ($) CAJUN INSPIRED/FRESH SEAFOOD & MORE 621 N Craft Hwy • Chickasaw • 422-3412

RALPH & KACOO’S ($-$$) THE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT 1595 Battleship Pkwy. • 626-0045

R&R SEAFOOD ($-$$)

SUSHI 9 THAI & JAPANESE ($$)

LAID-BACK EATERY & FISH MARKET 1477 Battleship Pkwy. • 621-8366

TASTE OF THAI ($$)

SEAFOOD, BURGERS & STEAKS 6120 Marina Dr. • Dog River • 443-7318

720 Schillinger Rd • 607-7073

9091 US-90 • Irvington • 957-1414

TEAK HOUSE

RIVER SHACK ($-$$)

THE GRAND MARINER ($-$$)

1703 US-98 • Daphne • 625-8680

LOCAL SEAFOOD & PRODUCE 6036 Rock Point Rd. • 443-7540

JAPANESE CUISINE 3654 Airport Blvd • 725-6078

UNIQUE SEAFOOD 64 S. Water St. • 438-4000

WASABI SUSHI ($$)

FROM THE DEPTHS BAUDEAN’S ($$)

FRIED, GRILLED, STEAMED & ALWAYS FRESH 3300 River Rd. • 973-9070

THE BLUEGILL ($-$$)

A HISTORIC SEAFOOD DIVE W/ LIVE MUSIC 3775 Battleship Pkwy • 625-1998

BONEFISH GRILL ($$)

ECLECTIC DINING & SPACE 6955 Airport Blvd. • 633-7196

BOUDREAUX’S CAJUN GRILL ($-$$) QUALITY CAJUN & NEW ORLEANS CUISINE 29249 US Highway 98 Daphne. • 621-1991

CRAVIN CAJUN/ MUDBUGS DIP SEAFOOD ($)

PO-BOYS, SALADS & SEAFOOD 1870 Dauphin Island Pkwy • 287-1168 • 479-0123

ED’S SEAFOOD SHED ($$)

FRIED SEAFOOD SERVED IN HEFTY PORTIONS 3382 Battleship Pkwy • 625-1947

FELIX’S FISH CAMP ($$) UPSCALE DINING WITH A VIEW 1530 Battleship Pkwy • 626-6710

FISHERMAN’S LEGACY ($) DELI, MARKET AND CATERING. 4380 Halls Mill Rd. • 665-2200

HALF SHELL OYSTER HOUSE ($) 30500 AL-181 • Spanish Fort • 206-8768 3654 Airport Blvd. • 338-9350

LULU’S ($$)

LIVE MUSIC & GREAT SEAFOOD 200 E. 25th Ave. • Gulf Shores • 967-5858

MUDBUGS AT THE LOOP ($)

THE HARBOR ROOM ($-$$)

ISLAND WING CO ($)

EVERYTHING BAKED OR GRILLED 2617 Dauphin St. • 476-9464 3947 AL-59 Suite 100 • Gulf Shores • 970-1337

MANCIS ($)

OLD 27 GRILL ($)

LUCKY IRISH PUB ($)

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN DISHES 312 Fairhope Ave. • Fairhope • 990-5535

BRILLIANT REUBENS & FISH-N-CHIPS. 101 N. Brancroft St. Fairhope • 990-5100 BAR & GRILL 6255 Airport Blvd. • 447-2514 BURGERS, DOGS & 27 BEERS & WINES. 19992 Alabama 181 • Fairhope• 281-2663 IRISH PUB FARE & MORE 1108 Shelton Beach Rd •Saraland • 473-0757 3692 Airport Blvd • 414-3000

TAMARA’S DOWNTOWN ($)

WINGS, TENDERS, HOTDOGS & SANDWICHES 312 Schillinger Rd. • 633-5877

FRESH SEAFOOD FOR OVER 75 YEARS 805 S Mobile St • Fairhope • 929-2322 605 Dauphin St. • 432-4605 6700 Airport Blvd. • 341-1111 1208 Shelton Beach Rd. • Saraland • 442-3335

IS THE GAME ON?

ASHLAND MIDTOWN PUB ($-$$)

WEMOS ($)

MAMA MIA!

BUCK’S PIZZA ($$)

DELIVERY 350 Dauphin St. • 431-9444

BUSTER’S BRICK OVEN ($-$$)

FAMOUS BURGERS, SANDWICHES & WINGS 60 N. Florida St. • 450-0690

CALLAGHAN’S IRISH SOCIAL CLUB ($) BURGERS & BEER 916 Charleston St. • 433-9374

HEROES SPORTS BAR & GRILLE ($) SANDWICHES & COLD BEER 273 Dauphin St. • 433-4376 36 Hillcrest Rd • 341-9464

HURRICANE GRILL & WINGS ($-$$)

WINGS, SEAFOOD, BURGERS & BEER 7721 Airport Blvd. Suite E-180 • 639-6832 25755 Perdido Beach Blvd •Orange Beach • 981-3041

PIZZA, PASTA, SALAD & MORE 102 N. Section St. •Fairhope• 929-2525

PIZZERIA DELFINA ($)

ITALIAN, STEAKS & SEAFOOD 18 Laurel Ave. • Fairhope • 990-0995 FRESH CUISINE NIGHTLY ON MENU 1709 Main St. • Daphne • 626-6082

SEMMES HOUSE OF PIZZA ($) 3958 Snow Rd C. • Semmes • 645-3400

MARCO’S PIZZA ($)

5055 Cottage Hill Rd. • 308-4888 2394 Dawes Rr. • 639-3535 2004 US 98 • Daphne • 625-6550

MELLOW MUSHROOM ($)

PIES & AWESOME BEER SELECTION 2032 Airport Blvd. • 471-4700 5660 Old Shell Rd. • 380-1500 2409 Schillinger Rd S • 525-8431 29698 Frederick Blvd.• Daphne • 621-3911 2303 S McKenzie St •Foley • 970-1414

MIRKO ($$)

PASTA & MORE 9 Du Rhu Dr. • 340-6611

QUAINT MEXICAN RESTAURANT 5556 Old Shell Rd. • 345-7484

ROMA CAFE ($-$$)

TRATTORIA PIZZA & ITALIAN ($$)

ITALIAN FOOD & PIZZAS 11311 US HIghway 31 • Spanish Fort• 375-0076

VIA EMILIA ($$)

850 Bayview Ave. Bilox • 888-946-2847

THIRTY-TWO ($$$) SEAFOOD, STEAKS, WINE

TIEN ($-$$)

MAYA LUNA ($-$$)

ISLAND VIEW:

POOR MEXICAN ($)

BEACH BLVD STEAMER ($) CARTER GREEN STEAKHOUSE ($$-$$$)

MEXICAN CUISINE 3977 Gov’t Blvd. • 660-4970

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN RESTAURANT 4523 St. Stephens Rd. • 725-0627 30500 AL-181 • Spanish Fort • 621-7433

ROOSTER’S ($)

LATIN AMERICAN FOOD 211 Dauphin St. • 375-1076

TAQUERIA CANCUN ($)

3172 International Dr. • 476-9967

TAQUERIA MEXICO ($-$$)

NO GAMBLING CASINO FARE

PASTA, SALAD AND SANDWICHES 7143 Airport Blvd. • 341-7217

IP CASINO:

MARIA BONITA AGAVE BAR & GRILL ($-$$)

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FLAVOR 3733 Airport Blvd. • 414-4496

PIZZA & PASTA 107 Dauphin St. • 375-1644

BEAU RIVAGE:

875 Beach Blvd. Biloxi • 888-952-2582

BR PRIME ($$-$$$)

INTERACTIVE ASIAN DINING

HIGH TIDE CAFÉ ($)

CASUAL & RELAXING, EXTENSIVE MENU

3300 W. Beach Blvd. Biloxi • 877-774-8439

RICH TRADITIONS, STEAK, SEAFOOD

C&G GRILLE ($)

LARGE BREAKFAST, LUNCH OR DINNER MENU

PALACE CASINO:

158 Howard Ave. Biloxi • 800-725-2239

MIGNON’S ($$$)

STEAKS, SEAFOOD, FINE WINE

PLACE BUFFET ($-$$) INTERACTIVE ASIAN DINING

STACKED GRILL ($-$$)

BURGERS AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

TREASURE BAY:

1980 Beach Blvd. Biloxi • 800-747-2839

FINE DINING ESTABLISHMENT.

THE DEN ($-$$)

AMAZING ARRAY OF MOUTH-WATERING FOOD.

CQ ($$-$$$)

LOCAL SEAFOOD AND 40+ BEERS

BLU ($)

STALLA ($$)

EXOTIC CUISINE AND SUSHI

WIND CREEK CASINO:

MOUTH WATERING MEXICAN FOOD 1175 Battleship Pkwy • 625-2722

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ENCHILADAS, TACOS, & AUTHENTIC FARE Ok Bicycle Shop • 661 Dauphin St. • 432-2453

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HOMEMADE PASTAS & PIZZAS MADE DAILY 5901 Old Shell Rd. • 342-3677

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WINGS, BURGERS & PUB GRUB 3206 Joe Treadwell Dr • 378-2444 6880 US-90/Jubilee Square • Daphne • 625-4695 BEST WINGS & SPORTING EVENTS 6341 Airport Blvd. • 378-5955

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1715 Main St. (Next to Manci’s) Daphne. • 264-2520

PIZZAS, PASTAS, & CALZONES 2453 Old Shell Rd • 479-3278

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A TASTE OF ITALY. BYOB. 28691 U.S. Highway 98 • 626-1999

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SEAFOOD, STEAKS, & EXTENSIVE WINE LIST 6232 Bon Secour Hwy • 949-5086

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PIZZA, SUBS & PASTA 1368 Navco Rd.• 479-0066 TAKE ‘N’ BAKE PIZZA 3992 Government • 287-2345 7820 Moffett Rd. • Semmes • 586-8473 2370 Hillcrest Rd • 661-4003 3764 Airport Blvd • 338-9903 705 Highway 43 • Saraland •308-2929 27955 US 98 • Daphne • 621-8666

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VIETNAMESE SANDWICHES, PHO, AND APPETIZERS.

SCARLET’S STEAKS & SEAFOOD ($$$) SAVORY STEAKS AND SEAFOOD

BUTLER’S BAR & LOUNGE ($$) EXTRAORDINARY DRINK MENU, COCKTAILS

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CUISINE THE DISH

Fall spice, everything nice: pumpkin spice lattes and pomegranates

BY ANDY MACDONALD/CUISINE EDITOR | FATMANSQUEEZE@COMCAST.NET t is no great secret that fall is my favorite holiday. My friends and family know that as much as I love the cold weather, as much as I love Mardi Gras and as much as I love bikini season, there is no time of year that holds a candle to the tapering off of lawn mowing, the welcomed departure (albeit slowly) of mosquitoes, the dawn of football and the smell of autumn kitchens as mulled cider precedes hot soups and root vegetables. I don’t care what the fashionistas see in their little crystal balls. I shamelessly predict a little corduroy and flannel with buzzard boots and Woodford Reserve in my future. I gave up smoking years ago, but the darker scents of tobacco and leather trigger something in me that makes me keep my hair long and my beard thin, enough to catch the scent of fall on the Mobile wind that can turn a hot fall day into a cool front porch social over the course of an hour. The old adage is, “If you don’t like the weather in Mobile, just wait a minute.” That goes for early evening temperatures almost as much as rain. Fall will officially begin Sunday, Sept. 23, and although I don’t expect it to be very cool yet, I can say I’ve noticed a little drop in the morning heat as I get in my post-carpool/pre-work walk. The thought of plunging thermometers has me yearning for coffee tables with oranges and lemons studded with cloves, cinnamon sticks stirring some fruity concoction resting over low heat and the first batch of Texas Trash. So, to celebrate the upcoming seasonal change, I decided to do a little research slightly out of my comfort zone and explore some trends.

A PSA on PSL

It is upon us. The Pumpkin Spice Latte, or PSL, has seen its share of attention over the past couple of years and is still a trend,

WORD OF MOUTH

BY ANDY MACDONALD 5th annual Wharf Uncorked Sept. 13-15

As if you needed another reason to celebrate wine, the 5th annual Wharf Uncorked Food and Wine Festival will be coming to Orange Beach Thursday, Sept. 13, through Saturday, Sept. 15. Local talent meets more than 100 wine labels, book signings by James Briscione and Brooke Pankhurst, and a luxury yacht walk as well as silent auctions benefiting Make-A-Wish Alabama. Thursday begins with a VIP kickoff and Chef Showdown with high-end wine tastings, small plates and an open bar with a signature cocktail from Opelika’s John Emerald Distillery. A fight for the best Alabama Gulf seafood begins when Chef Chris Kelley puts

but with all the jokes about it I feel that some of you take it very seriously. Of the people I know who wait for Starbucks to post the PSL sign in the window, fully prepared to sit in a drive-thru for 30 minutes, I would say 100 percent of them are women. I’m not saying men don’t drink them, I’m just saying I don’t know any men who drink them. I can’t talk any degree of smack about the PSL without trying one myself, so I ventured out on a cool 81 F. morning in search of what drives the women wild. I figure Starbucks is responsible for this craze so I’d better give that one a shot. With an extra long drive-thru line, I had to risk being seen ordering something as ridiculous as this and entered the business to grab two little samples for Katie and myself. “I’ll have two of the smallest pumpkin spice lattes you have.” “Do you want the small or the short? The small is 8 ounces and the short is 6 ounces,” asks the server. “Which of those is smaller?” I playfully replied. Let’s pretend she liked my comment. I still have trouble figuring out how I can order two of anything and it comes out to $9.35. A minute or two later my name is yelled for everyone to hear. It was as if they were trying to let the world know that a grown man was ordering not one, but two pumpkin spice lattes, the shame of which should send me to the car covering my face and scrambling to get home. Not me, though. I’ll accept any ridicule and therefore held my head high as I waded through people on my way out the door, hell-bent on keeping an open mind and enjoying this suburbia fad. My first sip was an eye opener. It was mega sweet. You can taste layers of nutmeg and cloves, and though the pumpkin flavor is present, it begins to have a bit of a chemical taste the further in you get. The one thing I couldn’t taste was coffee. The whole

his title on the line against three local chefs. Tickets for this event are $45. Friday night is an evening of wine dinners as several of The Wharf’s on-property venues offer curated menus with wine pairings. Make a reservation with the restaurant of your choosing. The full list is available at www.thewharfuncorked.com. Sept. 15 wraps up the festival with a Saturday night Grand Tasting presented by Rouses Markets. Main Street and Wharf Parkway will be the official entertainment district as vendors line the area with offerings of wine, beer and spirits. Expect small bites from more than 12 local restaurants in the culinary competition. Guests have their chance to cast votes for their favorite dish for the People’s Choice Award while taking

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experience can be likened to drinking the candle section of my sister’s antique mall. So I am out. I’m no fan of pumpkin ales, either. It’s no slight on any of these businesses, I’m just surprised people buy it. Make hay while the sun shines, Starbucks and microbreweries. If people are buying, sell it to them. I’ll stand in the other line.

Shake your pompoms

Pomegranate juice is everywhere, but not so far back a lot of you never touched the fruit. I grew up with them every fall so I’m glad to see them on the trendy list of autumn foods. We see them from September through Mardi Gras and know of their many health benefits, such as being high in antioxidants and having natural anti-inflammatory properties. This “Jewel of Autumn” is sometimes referred to as the Chinese apple and promotes inner peace as you open the thick skin to find a treasure of delicious seeds, known as arils. Last year pomegranates were employed in a lot of drinks and desserts. Expect to see them this year in more appetizers and main courses. The slightly sweet but dry fruit (seeds and juice) work really well in sauces with garlic, thyme and good olive oil. As a marinade pomegranate juice can really give pork or lamb an interesting flavor. As much as I love seeing their popularity in restaurants I mostly enjoy eating them alone. By that I mean by myself. Not sharing. To avoid making a mess, open the pomegranate underwater in a large mixing bowl. This is the best way to keep the seeds from scattering. Put them in smoothies with yogurt and nuts or serve them with brie. Try to incorporate them with as much savory stuff as you do sweet. Keep the trends alive!

in chef and mixology demonstrations at the Rouses Markets Culinary Experience Stage. Grand Tasting event tickets are $70. Combination Grand Tasting/VIP/Chef Showdown tickets are available for $100. Tickets can be purchased online at www. ticketmaster.com or at The Wharf box office. For more information about the festival visit thewharfuncorked.com; to learn more about the venue go to alwharf.com.

Anheuser-Busch pokes fun at PSL with gimmick logo Let me say my father was a Busch man and with this stunt I may become one myself. With the latest release of fall’s most “basic” trend of pumpkin spice latte (PSL) buzzing the crowd, Anheuser-Busch threw

their hat in the game with the release of “Busch Latte.” Don’t be misled. It’s too good to be true, but their new ad campaign shows pics of redesigned Busch Light cans sporting the new name. It is highly unlikely these cans will ever see the fluorescent light of a minimart or grocery shelf, but if this campaign takes off (and I hope it does) the fine folks at Busch should rethink their strategy and release a collector’s edition. Though the new cans aren’t available you can still purchase plenty of Busch Latte merchandise, including T-shirts, hats and beer huggers. Busch got the idea for this marketing scheme from fans who already refer to their beer as Busch Latte on Twitter, so I’d say this is the better option to the most

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CUISINE | THE BEER PROFESSOR

Beer run!

BY TOM WARD/THE BEER PROFESSOR Now that we’re getting into fall and the air is becoming cooler (ha!), it’s racing season around the Gulf Coast. Almost every weekend there is a 5K or 10K going on somewhere, providing opportunities to get outside in the fresh air, exercise and support a good cause. Most races have beer afterward, so you have a legitimate excuse to start drinking at 9 a.m. without looking like a raving alcoholic. On Sept. 22, Serda Brewing and Fleet Feet Sports will combine their love of both running and beer. But instead of just beer after the race, there will be beer during the race as well, with the Beer Mile Mini at Serda Brewing on Government Street. For those of you who are unfamiliar with a beer mile, it is a real thing, with sanctioned events. Official beer mile rules mandate that competitors must consume four 12-ounce beers, at least 5 percent alcohol by volume, while running four 400 meter laps. One beer must be consumed before each of the four laps; any participant who throws up is assessed a penalty lap (but not a penalty beer!). The current beer mile record is held by a Canadian (of course), Corey Bellemore, of 4 minutes, 33 seconds. You can’t even drive that fast on the Bayway most weekends (and, of course, you shouldn’t after four beers anyway). Bellemore currently holds five of the world’s fastest beer mile times. Fortunately for the racers, he’s not expected to be in Mobile for the Beer Mile Mini. The event at Serda Brewing will be a bit different, as it will not be held on a track, but with participants running a .75 mile course through

downtown instead of the full mile, and having to consume four 8-ounce beers during the race instead of the full 12 ounces. Still, that’s 32 ounces of beer in less than a mile. Other than that, most rules apply — if you puke, you’re assessed a penalty lap. The beer runners will have to down Serda’s Hook, Line and Lager, a light pilsner with some real nice flavor that is certainly a perfect post-run brew. We’ll see how well it holds up — or stays down — mid-run. Anyone interested in running/drinking can sign up online for $15 through the Fleet Feet website (fleetfeetmobile.com). The event begins at 4 p.m. and participants will be grouped in heats with 10-15 other runners. All participants will receive a commemorative pint glass for their efforts (and probably a stomachache). Prizes for the winners will include growlers, gift cards and T-shirts. The Beer Mile Mini is part of an all-day event at Serda Brewing to celebrate the tapping of its seasonal Oktoberfest brew, which John Serda describes as “a tawny golden Autumn lager with a medium-full body and a lingering malty sweetness,” made with “German Saphir hops and aromatic malts … for a delicate balance of festive session-ability.” Along with the keg tapping and beer run, there will also be a stein hoisting contest, a lederhosen and dirndl competition, schnitzel and brats to eat, and live music from Blue Eyed Bandit. I’m not so sure it’s a great idea, but I’m already signed up and doing my training. Hope to see you there!

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COVER STORY

Details of local abuse in Catholic Church remain guarded BY GABRIEL TYNES/ ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR

s a wave of new revelations concerning sexual abuse by priests in other parts of the country has come to light, questions about the Archdiocese of Mobile’s past remain mostly in the shadows. Whether churchwide calls for openness and even confession will be heeded here remains to be seen, but there is little doubt there is newfound interest worldwide in how the Catholic Church has handled sexual abuse over the years. It’s been 16 years since reports of child sex abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston peeled back the curtains on a much broader problem in the Catholic Church, exposing abusive priests and complicit senior church officials nationwide. In response, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) adopted the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which, among other things, recommends immediately removing any accused priest from ministry pending an investigation and reporting all allegations of abuse involving clergy to civil authorities. Subsequent reports commissioned by the same organization determined allegations of abuse in the church have fallen since peaking in the early 1970s. Its most recent numbers implicate 6,721 church officials in allegations of abuse from 1950-2016, representing at least 18,565 victims. Still, new cases are frequently reported. According to the USCCB, during a 12-month period between 2016 and 2017, 654 adults came forward with 695 new allegations. Twentyfour new allegations came from minors. But as last month’s sprawling Pennsylvania grand jury report demonstrates, much of the abuse, whether protected by statutes of limitation or not, remains hidden in church archives. The report, which documents more than 1,000 child victims of 300 abusive priests, concludes “priests were raping little boys and girls, and the men of God who were responsible for them not only did nothing; they hid it all. For decades.” The report prompted responses from Catholic leaders around the country and even sparked discord within the hierarchy. The attorneys general of New York, Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri, New Mexico and Kentucky have since announced their own independent investigations, but Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall told Lagniappe this week his own office would only convene a grand jury if new allegations were made to local authorities. “Technically we don’t have the authority to issue a criminal subpoena absent a grand jury,” Marshall said. “Really, what is important, to the extent there have been criminal acts, for those to be disclosed through notification of law enforcement, which then allows that grand jury process to be activated. The real impetus for us to be engaged in a broader investigation will be if there are disclosures that have otherwise not been investigated in the past.” Roughly 170,000 Alabamians identify as Catholic, according to the U.S. Census.

In 2004, two years after the sex abuse scandal broke, the Archdiocese of Mobile released its first and last comprehensive report on allegations within its own network, acknowledging 13 of its priests had been accused of sexual abuse of minors since 1950, with a total of 18 victims. The archdiocese also reported more than $700,000 had been paid in legal settlements, fees, victim assistance and other related expenses. But only one person — Nicholas Paul “Brother Vic” Bendillo — has ever been prosecuted for sex abuse crimes in the archdiocese. A second, deacon Robert Nouwen, was convicted of possession of child pornography in 2013 but was not charged for the rapes of two children, which he admitted to federal prosecutors. Late last week, Archbishop Thomas Rodi said at least three accusations against local priests have been made since he became archbishop in 2008, two of which were deemed credible. One was Nouwen, the other was Father James Havens, who resigned from St. Vincent de Paul in 2013 after being accused of an improper relationship with a female minor in 1989. Havens was removed from active ministry and died earlier this year. In a statement recognizing the Pennsylvania grand jury report, Rodi said he has been “faithful to the zero tolerance called for in the 2002 Charter,” noting “priests and deacons who have credible accusations of abuse of minors are not re-assigned elsewhere and are not allowed to exercise any ministry.” While he pledged to continue to “cooperate fully” with legal authorities on new cases, Rodi didn’t say the church would open its records to past abuse as some are demanding.

Call to confession

In an email to members, national Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson wrote the Catholic fraternal service organization should work for “repentance, reform and rebuilding the church.” Anderson states further that the clerical sexual abuse issue should be dealt with at the highest levels of the church and priests who “refuse to live according to their promises of celibacy should be removed from public ministry.” “Reform must include many good ideas that have been proposed, such as a full and complete investigation of sexual abuse led by an independent commission that includes laity; complete transparency by the Catholic hierarchy into all matters of criminal sexual misconduct, past or future; an expansion of the zero tolerance policy to include sexual activity, or misconduct by clerics including bishops and by seminarians; and a call for faithfulness by all members of the clergy, including bishops,” Anderson wrote. “There must also be an independent ethics hotline for the reporting of criminal

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and other conduct at odds with Catholic teaching on the clerical state of life and there must be protections against retaliation.” But Tim Lennon, president of the Survivors’ Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), said those moves may not go far enough. In fact, Lennon said, the group is calling for two actions. First, the group would like each state’s attorney general to investigate each diocese and produce a grand jury report similar to the one released recently in Pennsylvania, Lennon said. He believes this action could reveal thousands more victims. “The scope of the problem is mind-boggling,’ he said. “We can’t trust the church to investigate itself. It takes a whole community, or legal action.” Lennon said SNAP would also like the U.S. Department of Justice to initiate a national investigation. As a victim of clergy sex abuse himself, Lennon knows firsthand what it can do and why investigating the church is so important. “It kills childhoods,” Lennon said of clerical sex abuse. “I struggle with my abuse every day.” Bendillo was a longtime teacher and academic adviser at McGillToolen High School when he was charged with two counts of sexual abuse with former students in the 1990s. Bendillo convinced students they had a sexual disorder and encouraged them to submit to him for treatment. Multiple plaintiffs eventually came forward with accusations dating to the late 1960s, and Bendillo was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison. At the same time, then-District Attorney John Tyson Jr. was investigating several priests in the archdiocese. He admitted to local media that, based on tips, he was specifically targeting Eugene Smith, Arthur Schrenger, Barry Ryan and J. Alexander Sherlock. The archdiocese corroborated the reports and admitted it was cooperating. In 2003, then Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb announced he had removed Schrenger from the priesthood after Schrenger confirmed two instances of misconduct with minors prior to 1985. Between 1975 and 1987, Schrenger had served at several Mobile-area parishes including Little Flower, St. Dominic, McGill-Toolen, St. Vincent de Paul and St. Agatha Catholic Church in Bay Minette. Parishioners of St. Peter Catholic Church in Montgomery were shocked when Lipscomb traveled there in February 2003 to announce Sherlock had been placed on leave. Lipscomb said he first heard a complaint about Sherlock in 1997 regarding abuse that took place in the 1970s. Sherlock later admitted to at least three incidents of sexually abusing male minors. According to news accounts at the time, some parishioners were outraged to find out Sherlock had been moved to their church by Lipscomb, who told them that day about three long past instances of abuse admitted to by Sherlock. Lipscomb said a fourth more recent accusation had come to his attention, prompting him to remove Sherlock. As an active priest, Sherlock accepted assignments at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, taught at McGill-Toolen High School, was later assigned to St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Chickasaw, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Mobile, Saint Pius X and finally to St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Montgomery in the summer of 1997. He died in 2005. Barry Ryan and Eugene Smith were never charged, according to sources, although neither is listed in the archdiocese’s current

COVER STORY

directories. Tyson did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Today, only one of the accused priests acknowledged by the Archdiocese of Mobile continues to minister. In 2013 Father Johnny Savoie, a pastor at St. Pius X Catholic Church, was accused of having an improper relationship with a male minor. Rodi noted that Savoie self-reported and denied the allegation. The Baldwin County District Attorney’s office said no charges were filed due to the age of the alleged victim and the “nature of the allegations.” Still others have been implicated. Timothy Wayne Evans was placed on administrative leave amid accusations of abuse at Christ the King in Daphne in 2000. He was subsequently moved to Monroeville and St. Margaret’s in Bayou La Batre. Patrick L. Nicholson, who served in the archdiocese in the 1970s, was alleged to have abused a 15-year-old girl. Father Norman Rogge spent three years in the archdiocese at St. Ignatius from 1979 to 1981. Afterward, Rogge was bounced around the Southeastern U.S. and twice convicted of crimes involving a minor — once in 1967 in Florida for touching a 14-year-old boy’s penis, and again in 1985 in Louisiana for mastubating in front of an 11-year-old boy and attempting to have the boy perform oral sex on him. Civil lawsuits named Father Cordell Lang of McGill-Toolen and Father Nelson B. Ziter as abusers. Both cases were subsequently dismissed citing statutes of limitations, but Archie Lamb, an attorney who represented both plaintiffs, said it wasn’t for lack of evidence. “I’m not happy with the outcomes,” Lamb said, noting that minors claiming negligence at the time only had a two-year window to file complaints after becoming adults. “It’s like you’re banging your head against a brick wall,” he said. But for criminal cases, the statute of limitations was eliminated in 1987 for certain felonies involving the use of violence or threat to use violence, sex offenses if the victim is under 16 or if serious physical injury was caused. Lamb said he didn’t have immediate access to records in the lawsuits, but according to a deposition obtained by the Mobile Press-Register in 2003, Lipscomb said he “could count on one hand” the times he had dealt with sex abuse allegations during his time as archbishop: “Where I have found cause, I have removed priests from a pastoral assignment,” he said in 1995, while also defending the accused. “If I were investigating this from scratch, I would want to know something of what the 14-yearold brought to the situation prior to that,” Lipscomb said. “Is he totally innocent, unspoiled and pure, or is he somebody who in his own way may have invited or even initiated these kind of … I would not know those things until I knew more of the characteristics.” But Lipscomb also admitted he had received earlier complaints of abuse about one clergyman years before taking action. Further data from the USCCB indicates 5.8 percent of all priests nationwide from 1950-2016 have been accused of abuse. The Archdiocese of Mobile reported having 126 priests in its 2017 annual report, but there are no readily available records to determine how many priests have served in the archdiocese over a 66-year span. In his statement about the Pennsylvania report, Rodi used far more favorable figures from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, which state only four credible allegations of abuse were reported nationwide last year. “Four credible accusations against priests in 2017 is four too many,” Rodi wrote, but “these statistics, however encouraging, excuse nothing.” Rodi went on to call for answers to the unanswered questions in the Pennsylvania report, including accusations against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, and the implications of omitting bishops from the 2002 Charter. Noting “we seek good and wholesome guys to be our future priests,” Rodi also admitted “our clergy will not be perfect … So let us keep one another in prayer that the action which is taken, and action must be taken, will address the sin in our midst which has so deeply harmed its victims and all of us.” Mobile County District Attorney Ashley Rich encouraged all victims of abuse to report it to local law enforcement agencies or her office, regardless of when it took place. She said she could not comment on whether any investigations of the Catholic Church were currently underway, but “if there is a member of the public that in any way, shape or form is aware of any illegal conduct in the Catholic Church or any church, we urge you to please come forward.” Dale Liesch contributed to this report.

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ART ARTIFICE

Upstate success reveals local missteps BY KEVIN LEE/ARTS EDITOR/KLEE@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

uccess was apparent. The metropolitan area’s urban core buzzed with film fans who flocked in for the weekend-long festival. Area corporations and educational institutions were on board. Audiences snaked into numerous venues, art museums, the educational science center and other cooperating locales. The hub was an exquisitely restored 1927 theater, built in grand opera-house style. Energy was fantastic. Money changed hands. Folks fell in love with the city center.

Downtown Mobile? Regretfully not.

Birmingham’s 20th annual Sidewalk Film Festival continued its upward trajectory with panache in late August. Artifice wasn’t there but knows others who were. The festival’s success provides good comparison for similar efforts here in Alabama’s second-largest metro area. Mobile’s South Alabama (SoAL) Film Festival premiered in 2009, spurred on chiefly through the efforts of Charles and Hailee Kuntz and a small crew of board members eager to add a jewel to Mobile’s cultural crown. Like similar arts endeavors, their efforts were valiant but primarily limited by manpower and capital. They operated under the umbrella of Mobile Arts Council and cobbled together what they could, utilizing the Crescent Theater, the downtown library’s Bernheim Hall, the Gulf Coast Exploreum and Five Rivers Delta Resource Center. Despite their diligence, SoAL struggled. They changed the title to the Hurricane Film Festival and moved it away from football season, but could only manage one last hurrah in 2015 before the demands of careers and family finally took their toll. SoAL was SOL. Like SoAL, Sidewalk started with a handful of organizers. How have they ended up with an audience reach of

14,000 and an annual economic impact of $1.4 million? How have they just announced a new, permanent home in downtown Birmingham with multiple theaters, an education space, a lounge and upscale concessions? Sidewalk’s organizers have a couple of innate advantages. First, their location in the region is an easy draw for attendees from every compass point. It is within a few hours’ driving distance from the Gulf Coast, Nashville, Atlanta and Memphis. Conversely, Mobile’s abutment to

A FORMER SoAL ORGANIZER TOLD ARTIFICE, ‘EVERY YEAR WE SENT INVITATIONS TO THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR’S OFFICE AND NEVER GOT ANY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OR PARTICIPATION.” the Gulf means SoAL can only draw from the west, north and east. Draw a wide circle around Mobile and half of what you see is unpopulated water. Birmingham’s metropolitan area has more than twice Mobile’s population. That’s a lot of potential attendees. Even more vital, it makes for a lot of potential volunteers. One Artifice contact boasting a long relationship with Sidewalk said they use close to 750 volunteers. They described the force as organized and informed. Sidewalk stays engaged with those volunteers throughout the entire

MMoA design class starts this fall

Community photo show at Archaeology Museum

A group of photographers who collaborated with University of South Alabama Writer in Residence Frye Gaillard have joined talents for a new show at the USA Archaeology Museum (6052

USA Drive, S.). “In Search of Community” features the work of Byron Baldwin, Carolyn DeMeritt, Sheila Hagler, Rachel Smook and Carrie Wagner. Gaillard’s books have explored issues of community, shared identity and the search for common ground that endures in the human story. Some communities pictured are a specific place — an African village, a fishing town on the Alabama coast — while others share a common experience: preservation of Native American identity, semipro baseball in the rural South, a coalition of youngsters in tragedy’s aftermath or working to reduce threats of gun violence in America. Gaillard curated the exhibition in cooperation with the photographers and Archaeology Museum Assistant Director Candice Cravins. For more information, call 251-460-6106 or email ccravins@ southalabama.edu.

MTG goes gothic for laughs

If there’s something Mobile knows, it’s Southern Gothic. It’s as much a part of the Azalea City as moonpies and hurricanes.

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Mobile Theatre Guild (14 N. Lafayette St.) will skewer the genre with a pair of one-act plays set to run Sept. 14-23. Christopher Durang’s “Desire, Desire, Desire” is a sendup of Tennessee Williams’ sultry storylines. It features noted characters from such works as Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and Eugene O’Neill’s “The Iceman Cometh.” Blanche DuBois is still enduring brutish Stanley Kowalski. The faded belle tries to seduce a young census-taker when Big Daddy and Maggie interrupt from another play. When one of O’Neill’s ne’er-do-wells appears with blunt talk of “pipe dreams,” will it be more than Blanche can take? T.K. Lee’s “Paper Thin” follows Lucrece and Gerald’s bipolar marriage in North Mississippi, winding toward a stereotypically whiskey-soaked summary of life’s illusions in a rural setting. Friday and Saturday curtain is 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinee is 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20, $15 for seniors, students and military. For more information, call 251-433-7513 or go to mobiletheatreguild.org.

ARTSGALLERY

The Mobile Museum of Art (MMoA) continues learning opportunities with a weekly class to change the way we view modern accouterments. Matilde Tellaetxe is teaching elements and principles of two-dimensional design utilized in drawing, painting, photography and other art forms. Each session will feature a short lecture with hands-on activities and examples in the MMoA (4850 Museum Drive) galleries. Students may take as many classes as they want. Supplies are included. Register for individual weeks at a rate of $25 per week, $15 for members. Classes run Thursdays, 5:30-8:30 p.m., through Oct. 11. For more information, call 251-208-5205 or go to mobilemuseumofart.com.

calendar year, throwing parties, providing swag, making sure they feel engaged and invested. What makes all that possible is sponsorship. The website for Sidewalk listed nearly 100 sponsors, including Regions Bank, Books-A-Million, Spire, Birmingham Business Journal, Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Birmingham-Southern College, the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham Museum of Art, Coca-Cola Bottling, Golden Flake, Alabama State Council on the Arts, plus numerous local businesses, organizations and nonprofits. That makes for a decent budget to pay staffers, 16 of them according to the festival’s website. That makes a gigantic difference. One enormous symbolic difference comes from city hall. Birmingham’s mayor spoke at the Alabama Theatre before the first screening to “kick off the festival proper.” It reflected appreciation and bestowed the city government’s blessing. A former SoAL organizer told Artifice, “Every year we sent invitations to the City Council and the mayor’s office and never got any acknowledgement or participation.” Color Artifice unsurprised. A Fairhope group started its own film festival in 2013, a four-screen November event that’s lasted five years now. Owing to vagaries that helped Fairhope’s arts and crafts festival survive 60-plus years, it has a good shot at perseverance. There are lessons in the SoAL-Sidewalk comparison for all nonprofits, especially of the cultural variety. While the end product and accomplishment can be fulfilling, keeping them going is nonglamorous work. It takes a lot of paperwork and time. Without sponsorships and capital to hire professionals, too much depends on the sacrifices of too few. Volunteers should be courted and cultivated. They need to feel as if they are fulfilling an important and fun role. They need to know they’re appreciated. Most importantly — especially in a place again dealing with withering public sector support for cultural pursuits — city leaders need to show the inherent value of these pursuits. If they treat their constituents’ hard work as a frivolity not worth a modicum of recognition, it’s not flattering, in any regard or from any perspective.

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MUSIC

BY STEPHEN CENTANNI/MUSIC EDITOR/SCENTANNI@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

FEATURE

Coffeeville native Ashton Shepherd comes to The Steeple BAND: LEE ANN WOMACK, ASHTON SHEPHERD DATE: WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19, WITH DOORS AT 6:30 P.M. VENUE: THE STEEPLE, 251 ST. FRANCIS ST., WWW.THESTEEPLEMOBILE.COM TICKETS: $28-$45, AVAILABLE THROUGH VENUE WEBSITE have ambition, because it takes a lot of it. I had to learn it on my own. I had to learn how to distribute my records and how to get them on iTunes and even something as simple as creating a flyer. I had to learn every little piece of what I do. Centanni: You’re one of the few artists that run their own social media. What benefits have you seen to running it yourself? Shepherd: The fact that how much the fans appreciate it. I don’t even know if the benefit in that is their loyalty to me and being interchangeable to my loyalty to them. They know I’m going to be the one to answer them or respond, and I’m reading their comments. I can see where some artists can see themselves as being too busy that they don’t feel like that’s part of their job. They want to put their efforts to choreographing a show or something. I feel like putting it towards my fans is number one. I still don’t think that I’ve found my niche to grow organically like I want it to, but it allows me to connect on a personal level. I think that’s more sellable. It’s like taking a product with a guaranteed sell to a thousand people as opposed to pitching to ten thousand people, and you don’t even know if a thousand are going to buy it. I can almost pitch to a certain Ashton Shepherd crew of people, and it makes it very special interaction. Centanni: The Pickin’ Shed is the name of your label. It’s also the name of a part of your house where you write your songs. What’s it like putting together a song in The Pickin’ Shed? Shepherd: I feel like the environment makes it a little more laid back and special to write there. I always feel like I have this mindset that I get in as a writer. It’s like painting a box around yourself when you start to write. It’s automatic. When I write there, it’s extra special. It’s like home to me. It’s been such a part of starting out playing music. It’s a close-to-home thing. It makes it more special to write there. I think writing is always special, but it makes it a big plus to write there. Centanni: I mentioned your social media earlier. I was checking out your Facebook and got the impression that there may be some new music in the works from you. Was I reading into that right? Shepherd: You were, and that makes me feel great that you picked up on that and thank the Lord for it. I don’t have a marketing degree and have never been to college. I homeschooled the last two years of high school and got my diploma. It’s really neat to be able to tease something in an underneath fashion of marketing and promotion, and someone like yourself be able to tell that Ashton is brewing something else.

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Photo | Submitted

efore Lee Ann Womack takes the stage at The Steeple Sept. 19, singersongwriter and Coffeeville native Ashton Shepherd will set the mood. Since an early age, Shepherd has made country music her passion. MCA Nashville signed her after falling in love with her poignant songs and sugary delivery shaped by classic country. After she and the label parted ways, Shepherd created the indie label Pickin’ Shed Records. As Tropical Storm Gordon began to roll past the Azalea City last week, Lagniappe caught up with Shepherd to discuss life and her upcoming album. Stephen Centanni: From balancing career and motherhood to parting ways with MCA Nashville to starting your own label, your career path has been filled with challenges, but you’ve managed to stay focused and continue bringing your music to the people. When you get onstage these days and see all of those fans, what do you think about all has happened over the past decade? Ashton Shepherd: For me, I think my primary focus that has grown to be more special when I step onstage is the true, loyal involvement of my fans. If they aren’t already my fans, then it’s an involvement that spreads in a good way. It lifts my spirits. It keeps me growing what I do in the challenging country music involvement. It’s ever-changing, there’s always something new happening [in country music]. Entertaining the fans keeps me passionate. Centanni: You made the shift from a major label into the indie world back when it was still rare in the country music world. What was it like making that shift? Shepherd: This may sound like a little bit of a strange answer, but I like to be as honest as I can. I can teach my fans and teach anyone that’s learning about me now that it was literally like going back to school or college inside an industry that I hadn’t taken on entirely by myself. I had such a large team doing it for me through Universal. They connected the dots with the manager and the booking agents and business management and different publicists inside the label. The good news is that I paid attention to all of it through my career, but I never had to hands-on do it. That was a big transition for me. It was learning, but the good news is the good Lord blessed me to want to learn and

Coffeeville native Ashton Shepherd is working on her fifth studio album. She’ll open for Lee Ann Womack Sept. 19 at The Steeple. I like the fact that fans can tell that. When I announce it, everybody’s brain connects the dots at the same time. I absolutely am. I’m really excited. Like this last past week with this show I did in Ponce De Leon, I’ve been trying out some very new music on my audiences, but I’ve also been pulling a handful of special songs that I love that I’ve written over the past couple of years. A lot of artists take a couple of years in between albums to write. A song written two or three years ago isn’t really considered old. I’ve got a good, probably 15-20 songs that I’m focusing on. I’ve been going through and picking out what really resonates the best. I want to go in and cut four or five of them and pick something for a single. I’m going all in with it. I’m super hopeful too. I don’t know if it means another major deal or that I’ll grow extra legs in the independent market. I know it means something special, and I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me about it and express to my fans that Ashton hasn’t gone anywhere. Centanni: When are you getting into the studio? Shepherd: I don’t know about you, but I’m sitting here wondering where August went! It don’t seem like two days ago that I was getting the children’s stuff to go back to school. I’m in September all of a sudden. I’ve got a photoshoot in Nashville this weekend. We’re going to get that accomplished. That will be our first piece for promotion for the new album. We’re looking at cutting three or four songs by the end of September, and we’ll have new imaging and promotion to go along with it. I know we’re in a different market, and everybody wants to put out singles. I know my audience, and I feel like it would disappoint people to not have a good amount of Ashton material. I realize that people aren’t buying music like they used to, but I want them to hear it. I’m that passionate about my music. My goal is to get those four or five recorded and maybe end up recording a full record before the end of September. By the end of October, I want 10 or 11 songs recorded. I might even do a backto-back, special release album if people want a physical album or release it to iTunes for a little while. It would be the work tapes of the material that I wrote, so they can hear both. They can see what it was like when Ashton wrote it and after it was produced.

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Ten65 returns in October

BY STEPHEN CENTANNI/MUSIC EDITOR/SCENTANNI@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM Hawthorne will add a little new school soul to the mix. Rebirth Brass Band will keep the party going with its New Orleans brass sound. Hiphop artist J. Simon is using Ten65 as a reason to return to his Azalea City fans. Boneyafterparty will bring its Panhandle rap style. Johnny Hayes & the Loveseats will provide a little rock and soul before The Marlow Boys bring their downhome vibe to the stage. Vocalist Symone French will perform solo, and Paw Paw’s Medicine Cabinet’s Americana alt. rock is sure to please. Armadillo Club will open the day. Jernigan says Ten65 organizers wanted to take the festival beyond the street party status it has maintained since the beginning. With this in mind, Ten65 will feature art and tech components. As far as the artistic aspect, Ryan Park will be the site of live art demonstrations, vendors and live art installations. A collaboration between Ten65 and the Mobile Arts Council will bring an art market to Cathedral Square. Jernigan says the tech component will have the air of a conference/expo, complete with sessions with notable CEOs in the tech industry, including Reddit CEO Steve Huffman. The tech sessions will conclude with a drone race in Mardi Gras Park. Ten65 will feature a few other subtle changes. Those familiar with the festival will notice that the main stage will be pushed back to make room for the art features in Ryan Park. The main stage will also be joined by a smaller second stage. Jernigan says the stages’ schedules will be coordinated to prevent any “dead time” between bands.

A concert for Penelope House

BY STEPHEN CENTANNI/MUSIC EDITOR/SCENTANNI@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

Band: Sounds of Purple: A Concert for Penelope House Date: Friday, Sept. 14, with doors at 5:30 p.m. Venue: Saenger Theatre, 6 S. Joachim St., www.mobilesaenger.com Tickets: $35, available through Ticketmaster

Photo | Saenger Theatre | Raheem DeVaughn

ince its birth in the weeks after BayFest, Ten65 has continued to expand its audience, with two days of free live music in the streets of downtown Mobile. This year’s installment will take place Oct. 4-5. Once again, this music festival/street party will fill downtown Mobile with the sounds of regional and national music acts from all walks. Festival organizers/Outsider Presents rep Ben Jernigan hopes this year’s lineup will draw a versatile crowd of music enthusiasts. “We were attempting to make it more about the community than it has been in the past,” Jernigan said. “There is a pretty stark contrast with the lineup this year than in years past. That was superintentional and supercalculated. It was more along the lines with what we [Outsider Presents] did with Celebrate the City this year.” Country star Walker Hayes will headline the first night of the festival. Longtime Ten65 vets Wet Willie will return to give the crowd another serving of classic Azalea City jams. Mainstream rockers Top of the Orange will be using Ten65 as a chance to reunite. Molly Thomas will make her solo debut and Skate Mountain Records’ Red Clay Strays will be making their first appearance at the festival. “With the exception of Walker Hayes, everybody playing Friday is a local band,” explained Jernigan. “There hasn’t been a lot of local representation in the past. This is something that we wanted to change.” On Saturday, Big Boi’s innovative hiphop flow will accent his headlining set. Mayer

MUSIC BRIEFS

Since 1979, Penelope House has offered sanctuary, counseling and support to victims of “intimate partner violence” across Mobile, Washington, Choctaw and Clarke counties. Along the way, Penelope House educates the public concerning the dangers of domestic violence. This benevolent organization will be collaborating with Cumulus Media for Sounds of Purple: A Concert for Penelope House. The Sept. 14 concert will have a little something for everyone. Eastern Shore singer-songwriter Madison Grace will bring her repertoire of jazz-minded pop. Ike Johnson will use his saxophone to lend a smooth vibe. MOB Music Fest alumnus Tyler Emerson will entertain the crowd with his acoustic guitar. As an “avid supporter” of Penelope House, headliner Raheem DeVaughn’s (pictured) dreamy R&B vocal work completes the lineup. DeVaughn’s sophomore effort “Love Behind the Melody” was his breakout album, earning a BET J Virtual Award for Male Artist of the Year and Album of the Year. In the years that followed, DeVaughn also earned Grammy nominations for Best R&B Song (“Customer”), Best R&B Vocal Performance (“Woman”) and Best R&B Album (“The Love & War Masterpiece”). The crowd can expect to groove to his latest single, “Don’t Come Easy.”

Redneck Riviera Band: Will Thompson Date: Friday, Sept. 14, 7 p.m. Venue: Manci’s Antique Club, 1715 Main St. (Daphne), www.mancisantiqueclub.com Tickets: Call 251-375-0543 for more info Will Thompson’s music career continues a musical legacy that has stretched across five generations of his family. While this versatile multi-instrumentalist from Panama City has explored a variety of musical styles, he has dedicated his art to country. With his musical focus set, this up-and-coming artist has been promoting his debut album, “Turn It Up,” and looks to gather new fans in the Mobile Bay area through his performance at Manci’s. “Turn It Up” is a collection of pop country anthems evocative of such artists as Jason Aldean and Brantley Gilbert. Throughout this album, Thompson injects mainstream rock and pop into each song. All the while, his backwoods soul vocals and twang-filled eclectic arrangements tend to keep his music firmly planted in the country world.

NOLA’s Roadside Glorious Band: Roadside Glorious Date: Friday, Sept. 14, 6 p.m. Venue: Big Beach Brewing Co., 300 E. 24th Ave. (Gulf Shores), www.bigbeachbrewing.com Tickets: Free New Orleans-based quartet Roadside Glorious is returning to Big Beach Brewing Co. for a very special event. The band will be using a “pre-release party” at Big Beach to give its Gulf Shores audience a taste of its debut album, “Brawn & Bone.” Roadside Glorious traveled from the Big Easy to Muscle Shoals to lay down the album’s tracks at the iconic FAME Studios. While recording in the Shoals, the band recruited John Gifford III (Phish, Alicia Keys) and Don Syrgley to handle mixing and mastering. If “Gone Girl,” the lead single from “Brawn & Bone,” is representative, the crowd can expect a collection of new school, Crescent City blue-eyed soul in the key of The Revivalists. Mellow rhythms usher plucky guitar grooves mingled with a suave wave of soulful vocals. Those craving more of Roadside Glorious before its debut release will want to take advantage of this event.

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AREAMUSIC LISTINGS | September 12 - September 18 Please send upcoming music to listings@ lagniappemobile.com by MONDAY before Wednesday’s paper.

WED. SEPT 12 Bluegill— Matt Neese Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— Ryan Balthrop, 6p Brickyard— Delta Smoke Callaghan’s— Phil & Foster, 7p Felix’s— Matt Bush Duo Flora Bama— Neil Dover, 2p / Rhonda Hart Duo, 6p // Mason Henderson, 8p /// Bruce Smelley, 10:15p LuLu’s— Adam Holt, 5p

THURS. SEPT 13 Bluegill— Al & Cathy, 6p Blues Tavern— Johnny Barbato Duo Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— David Chastang, 6p Brickyard— Yellowhammer w/Special Guests Callaghan’s— Will Thompson, 7p Cortlandt’s Pizza Pub— Marcus Elizondo, 8p Dauphins— Mark Pipas, 5p Felix’s— Soulshine Flora-Bama— Delta Donnie Mathis, 2p / Bruce Smelley, 5p // Dueling Pianos, 5:30 /// Destiny Brown, 6p //// Mark Sherrill, 6p ///// Red Clay Strays, 6p ////// Brandon White Duo, 10:15p LuLu’s— Alvarado Road Show, 5p Manci’s— Delta Smoke Original Oyster House — Phil Proctor, 6p

Flora-Bama— Dustin Bogue, 1p / J Hawkins Duo, 2p // The Jack Robertson Show, 5:30p /// Big Muddy, 6p //// Mason Henderson, 6p ///// Mike Diamond, 6p ////// Scott Koehn Duo, 6p /////// Brian Hill Band, 10p //////// Bruce Smelley Duo, 10:15 ///////// Yeah, Probably, 10:30p Hard Rock (Center Bar) — Perkins Road, 9p IP Casino (Studio A)— Wayne Newton, 8p Listening Room— The Jason Eady Band, 8p LuLu’s— Alvarado Road Show, 5p M&R Lounge— Funkhouse Fever Trio, 9p Manci’s— Will Thompson Moe’s BBQ (Daphne) — East LA Fadeaway, 8p Moe’s BBQ (Mobile) — Lefty Collins, 6:30p Moe’s BBQ (Semmes) — Dunaway Brothers, 6:30p Original Oyster House — Drew Bentley, 6p Soul Kitchen— Bad Color ft. Loaded Gunn, Guesswho, 10p Wind Creek Casino (Center Bar)— Platinum Cafe, 8p

SAT. SEPT 15

Bluegill— Jimmy Lumpkin, 12p / Bruce Smelley, 6p Blues Tavern— Soul River Levee Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— Adam Holt, 6p Brickyard— Ryan Dyer Band Dauphins— Mark Pipas, 5p Felix’s— Blind Dog Mike Flora-Bama—Jay Williams Band, 10:30a/ J Hawkins Trio, 1p // Sugarcane Jane, 2p /// FRI. SEPT 14 Tailgate in the Tent, 2p //// The Jack Robertson Show, Beau Rivage— Bret 5:30p ///// Al and Cathy, 6p Michaels, 8p ////// Kyle Brady, 6p /////// Bluegill— Lee Yankie 12p Steve McCann and the / Blind Dog Mike, 6p New Age Outlaws, 10p Blues Tavern— Fat //////// Brandon White Duo, Lincoln 10:15 ///////// Lee Yankie Boudreaux’s Cajun and the Hellz Yeah, 10:30 Grill— David Chastang, Hard Rock (Center 6p Bar) — Perkins Road, 9p Brickyard— Josh Ewing Hard Rock (Live) — Callaghan’s— Flow Grand Funk Railroad, 8p Tribe, 7p IP Casino (Studio Cockeyed Charlie’s— A)— Clint Black, 8p Chad Davidson Band, 10p Listening Room— Dauphins— Mark Pipas, Justin Jeansonne, 8p 5p LuLu’s— Stan Foster Felix’s— Grits N Pieces Duo, 5p 32 | L AG N I A P P E | S e p t e m b e r 1 2 , 2 0 1 8 - S e p t e m b e r 1 8 , 2 0 1 8

Original Oyster House — Bobby Butchka, 6p Pirates Cove— Scott Bryan Trio Pour Nelsons— Pearls of Trinity, 10p Waves DI— The Sideliners, 8p Wind Creek Casino (Center Bar)— Platinum Cafe, 8p

SUN. SEPT 16 Big Beach Brewing— Chase Brown, 4p Bluegill— Quintin Berry 12p / Tip Tops, 6p Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— Elise Taylor, 6p Brickyard— Jake Burford Callaghan’s— The Krickets (Sold Out) Dauphins— Roland Cobbs, 11am Felix’s— Joseph Turlington Flora-Bama— Shea White Duo, 12p / Songs of Rusty, 1:30p // Mason Henderson, 2p /// Mike Diamond, 5p //// Perdido Brothers, 6p ///// Jonathan Newton, 9p ////// Brian Hill Duo, 10:15p LuLu’s— Light Travelers, 5p Tacky Jacks (Gulf Shores)— Lisa Christian, 2p

MON. SEPT 17 Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— Blind Dog Mike, 6p Callaghan’s— Justin Townes Earle, 7p Felix’s— Rodger Fleshman Flora-Bama— Gove Scrivenor, 2p / Open Mic w/ Cathy Pace, 6p // Alexa Burroughs, 8p /// Petty and Pace, 10:15p LuLu’s— Brent Burns, 5p Original Oyster House — Phil Proctor, 6p

TUES. SEPT 18 Bluegill— Mobile Big Band Society Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— Matt Neese, 6p Butch Cassidy’s— Jerry Powell Felix’s— Matt Bush Flora-Bama— T-Bone Montgomery, 2p / Perdido Brothers, 6p // Mason Henderson, 8p /// Dustin Bogue Duo, 10:15p LuLu’s— Kyle Brady

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How to make a film that falls flat

FILMTHE REEL WORLD

BY ASIA FREY/FILM CRITIC/AFREY@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

AREA THEATERS AMC MOBILE 16 785 Schillinger Road South Mobile, AL (251)639-1748 CRESCENT THEATER 208 Dauphin St Mobile, AL (251) 438-2005 REGAL MOBILE STADIUM 18 1250 Satchel Paige Drive Mobile, AL (844) 462-7342 AMC JUBILEE Square 12 6898 Highway 90 Daphne, AL (251) 626-5766

ohn Cameron Mitchell is the talented visionary who created the incredible, indelible musical “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” starring in the brilliant off-Broadway cult classic before making it into a film in 2001. That kind of creation is clearly a deeply personal labor of love, and that kind of lightning rarely strikes twice. So, even though a project that combines the 1970s British punk scene with aliens and teen love sounds entirely promising, Mitchell fails to generate magic with these narrative elements in “How to Talk to Girls at Parties.” Broadway actor Alex Sharp plays Enn, a vivacious and sincere young man living in a London suburb, going to punk shows and generally being a young human male. Elle Fanning plays a young, nonhuman female, part of a wandering group of aliens who tour the galaxy gathering experiences in part of a ritual in which the elders eventually eat their young. If you think that’s a particularly heavy-handed metaphor for attitudes between generations, teen

rebellion, punk and whatnot, you would be quite right. It is a bit too on-the-nose, like much of this film. For example, for an actress portraying a space girl to wear her hair in two Princess Leia buns does not seem the most original choice to me. Fanning is adorable as the wide-eyed alien girl, and her eventual rock performance is a highlight of the film, but even the considerable onscreen appeal of the two young leads eventually buckled under the weight of the surrounding silliness. I found the weird alien syntax and special vocabulary tedious, and the tone strained between comic, science fiction and a romantic coming-of-age story. Worst of all is Nicole Kidman as a punk rock high priestess, a supposed badass music club owner and promoter dressed almost exactly like David Bowie in “Labyrinth.” Never has an actress been more miscast then the stately Kidman as a punk. It is, quite simply, impossible to believe. Alien babes sprouting a second person while engaged in sexual congress was more

convincing than Kidman as a hardcore punk. She can’t not be elegant. “How to Talk to Girls at Parties” is based on a short story by no less than Neil Gaiman, but that slender source material, which I have not read, fails to blossom into a cohesive film. There is something so routine about the whole thing, which is insane considering how unusual the plot really is. The quirkiness is forced, and the imaginativeness is sterile, which is the complete opposite of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” which is gloriously out of control, wild and authentic. This concept seems like a match made in heaven for someone like John Cameron Mitchell, who has made such unforgettable art out of themes of self-invention, sexuality and music. Unfortunately, and despite some nifty latex costuming, “How to Talk to Girls at Parties” is less than the sum of its promising parts. “How to Talk to Girls at Parties” is currently available to rent.

NEXUS CINEMA DINING 7070 Bruns Dr. Mobile, AL (251) 776-6570 AMC CLASSIC WHARF 23151 Wharf Lane Orange Beach, AL (251) 981-4444 COBB PINNACLE 14 3780 Gulf Shores Pkwy Gulf Shores (251) 923-0785

Photos | A24 / From left: Columbia Pictures Corp.

From left: In “How to Talk to Girls at Parties,” Elle Fanning plays a young, nonhuman female, part of a wandering group of aliens who tour the galaxy gathering experiences in part of a ritual in which the elders eventually eat their young. “White Boy Rick” is the true story of teenager Richard Wershe Jr., who became an undercover informant for the FBI during the 1980s and was ultimately arrested for drug trafficking and sentenced to life in prison. NEW THIS WEEK A SIMPLE FAVOR

EASTERN SHORE PREMIERE CINEMA 14 30500 State Hwy 181 Spanish Fort, AL (251) 626-0352

Paul Feig (“Bridesmaids”) directs this story of Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), a mommy vlogger who seeks to uncover the truth behind her best friend Emily’s (Blake Lively) sudden disappearance from their small town. Regal Mobile Stadium 18, AMC Mobile 16, Crescent Theater

Information accurate at press time; please call theaters for showtimes.

THE PREDATOR

Shane Black directs this update of the horror action franchise in which a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled science teacher

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must prevent the end of the human race at the hands of the universe’s most lethal hunters, who are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before, having genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species. All listed multiplex theaters.

WHITE BOY RICK

Based on the true story of a blue-collar father (Matthew McConaughey) and his teenage son, who became an undercover police informant and later a drug dealer before he was abandoned by his handlers and sentenced to life in prison.

NOW PLAYING

SUPPORT THE GIRLS Crescent Theater SEARCHING AMC Mobile 16 KIN AMC Mobile 16 GOD BLESS THE BROKEN ROAD AMC Mobile 16 THE NUN All listed multiplex theaters. PEPPERMINT Regal Mobile Stadium 18, Nexus Cinema Dining OPERATION FINALE AMC Mobile 16, AMC Classic Jubilee Square 12, Nexus Cinema Dining THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS All listed multiplex theaters. A-X-L All listed multiplex theaters. BLACKKKLANSMAN Regal Mobile 18, Cobb Pinnacle 14, AMC Mobile 16

CRAZY RICH ASIANS All listed multiplex theaters. ALPHA All listed multiplex theaters. MILE 22 Regal Mobile Stadium 18 THE MEG All listed multiplex theaters, Nexus Cinema Dining. SLENDER MAN All listed multiplex theaters. CHRISTOPHER ROBIN All listed multiplex theaters. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT All listed multiplex theaters. HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3: SUMMER VACATION All listed multiplex theaters. ANT-MAN AND THE WASP All listed multiplex theaters. JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM All listed multiplex theaters. INCREDIBLES 2 All listed multiplex theaters.

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 - SEPTEMBER 18, 2018

Dill Lecture Series

Photo | Submitted by Kimi Oaks

GENERAL INTEREST Archaeology after hours On Wednesday, Sept. 12, beginning at 4 p.m., USA Archaeology Museum will offer 20-minute introductory guided tours at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Admission is free. For more information call 251-460-6106. Meditation lecture and dinner “Meditation & Decision Making for the Dilemmas of Life” with meditation instructor Venerable Dr. Nicholas. Wednesday, Sept, 12, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at USA Marx Library Auditorium. Meditation introduction, guided meditation and wisdom lecture, with dinner to follow. Free, RSVP requested at meditationcenterofalabama.weebly.com. Roxane Gay reading, book signing Free reading by Roxane Gay, author of “Bad Feminist” and “Hunger,” Wednesday, Sept. 12, at 6 p.m. at the University of South Alabama Student Center, 350 Campus Drive in Mobile. For more information, email cpence@ southalabama.edu. GulfQuest educator preview night Teachers are invited to explore GulfQuest at a private, educator-only event on Thursday, Sept. 13. Preview exhibits, complimentary refreshments and register for a free field trip. Call Amy Raley, 251202-6311. State Pilotage Commission The Alabama State Pilotage Commission will hold a public meeting at 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13, at 201 N. Jackson St., Mobile. Call 251-471-1393. Downtown Mobile Alliance annual luncheon The Downtown Mobile Alliance will hold its annual luncheon Friday, Sept. 14, 12:30 p.m. at the Battle House Hotel. Featuring keynote speaker Jeff Speck, noted urban planner and thinker. Find tickets at dmaannualluncheon. brownpapertickets.com. Sisterhood Conference South Coast Church will host “Sisterhood Conference 2018” Sept. 14-15 at 1000 S. Cody Road. Sisterhood is a growing movement of women who want to make a difference in their local and global communities. Visit southcoastmobile.com for tickets. Meditation retreat at The Grand Calm your mind, learn to live mindfully and relax your soul at The Grand Hotel Mindfulness Meditation Retreat Sept. 14-16. Sessions are Friday, 5:30-9 p.m.; Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday,

Mark your calendars for Sept. 23-24, as we welcome Jim Wallis — bestselling author, public theologian, national preacher and international commentator on ethics and public life — as the keynote speaker for the 2018 Dill Lecture Series at Dauphin Way United Methodist Church. He will deliver the message during morning worship at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 23, and give a lecture at 5:30 p.m. Sunday evening, which will be followed by a book signing and reception. All events are free and open to the public. On Monday morning at 9 a.m. he will give a lecture on public discipleship, which will be followed by a response from community leaders including Mayor

8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Special nightly rates for retreat participants. Visit grandhotelretreat. weebly.com for full details. 3rd annual Massacre Island Pirate Event The 6th Alabama Cavalry Buccaneers and Historic Fort Gaines will host the 3rd annual Massacre Island Pirate Event Sept. 15-16 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Events include flintlock pistol duels, pirate tug-o-war, swashbuckling sword play and treasure hunt for kids ages 12 and under. Ages 13 and up $8, ages 5-12 $4.00, children under 4 free. Call 251-861-6992 for more information. Alabama Coastal Cleanup The 31st Alabama Coastal Cleanup is Saturday, Sept. 15, 8 a.m. to noon. Cleanup supplies are provided, and volunteers who arrive early will receive a free T-shirt. There are almost 20 cleanup zones in Baldwin County alone, including Fairhope Pier, May Day Park and 5 Rivers Delta. To see each zone, visit www. AlabamaCoastalCleanup.com. Inagural Recovery Festival Recovery Fest 2018 celebrating National Recovery Month will be Saturday, Sept. 15, 9 a.m. to noon at Battleship Memorial Park. A day filled with fellowship, food, music, kids’ activities, inspiring stories of recovery and more. Contact South Alabama Mental Wellness Conference, 251-404-3924. Abba Shrine Craft Show Come see crafts, vendors, antiques and attic items for sale at the Abba Shriners Craft & Attic Show, Sept. 15-16 at the Abba Shrine Center. Bring a new toy for a chance at a door prize. Concessions available (cash only for admission and concessions). Contact Elsie Davis, 251895-3821. “Sherlock Holmes and the Haunted Theatre” Commedia del Arte performs Saturday, Sept. 15, 5 p.m. at Copper Kettle Tea Bar (106 N. Chicago St., Foley). Admission is $10, children under 5 admitted free. Seating limited, reservations encouraged. Call 251-510-0654, visit www.commediadelarte.org or find us on Facebook at Commedia del Arte of Mobile. The Power of a Sista’s Story Join us for an afternoon of women’s fellowship, networking, food, fun and special guests Kenyetta Burrell and Pastor Pamela Bell. Felix’s Fish Camp, Saturday, Sept. 15, noon to 2:30 p.m. Register today, limited seating. Tickets are available via Eventbrite. Writing group meets Saturday Dr. Philip L. Levin will be the guest

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Sandy Stimpson, County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood, Chamber of Commerce President Bill Sisson and the Rev. Michael Pierce, executive director of MLK Avenue Redevelopment Corporation. All events will be held at Dauphin Way and are offered without charge to the entire community. The Dill Lecture Series was established in 2013 by Dauphin Way United Methodist Church Foundation to honor Dr. Stephen Dill and his wife, Ruth, for their 40 years of service to the church and to the community. The Lecture Series brings to Mobile esteemed speakers to offer their insights and inspiration to the Dauphin Way congregation and to the community at large. For additional information, please contact Dauphin Way United Methodist Church, 1507 Dauphin St., at 251-471-1511, or visit dauphinwayumc.org.

speaker at the Baldwin Writers Group on Sept. 15, 10 a.m., at the Daphne Library. Dr. Levin will advise writers on self-publishing and promoting their works of fiction and nonfiction. Contact Nolan White at kudzu2cactus@yahoo.com or 251-459-3022. History Museum Educator Preview Day Teachers, media specialists, administrators, counselors and school support staff are invited to a free preview of the History Museum of Mobile’s fall/ winter 2018 exhibition, “Mystery of the Mayan Medallion,” on Sunday, Sept. 16, at 1 p.m. Free refreshments. Professional development credit. Make a reservation at 251-301-0270. Indoor Market at Central Every Saturday morning during September from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m., an indoor market will be held at Central Presbyterian Church (corner of Dauphin and Ann streets). Come shop indoors in air conditioning and #supportlocal artisans, bakers and craftsmen. Email eventsatcentral@gmail.com. Coffee with the Chamber Come by the SouthWest Mobile County Chamber on Tuesday, Sept. 18, at 7 a.m. for coffee and networking. Held at the Tillman’s Corner Community Center (5055 Carol Plantation Road), attendees are asked to give a short introduction about their business and bring business cards. Free. RSVP 251-666-2488 or info@ swmcchamber.com. 68th annual Baldwin County Cattle & Fair The fair begins Tuesday, Sept. 18, and runs through Sept. 23, opening daily at 4 p.m. at the Baldwin County Coliseum (19477 Fairground Road, Robertsdale). Pay once ($12) for admission Tuesday through Thursday; and $7 per day Friday and Saturday (includes free parking). Visit baldwincofair.com or call 251-947-3247.

FUNDRAISERS

delicious food and tantalizing wines, live entertainment, a pinch of southern flare and a dash of Gulf Coast hospitality. This event will raise funds for Make-A-Wish Alabama. Visit thewharfuncorked.com. Jubilee Race for Life Saturday, Sept. 15, at Christ the King in Daphne. The event benefits Bayside Medical Missions to provide corrective surgeries for persons of limited financial resources. Day of Race registration opens at 6:30 a.m. The 5K starts at 8 a.m. and Fun Run follows at 9 a.m. Visit: BaysideMedicalMissions.org or call 251928-4248. 11th annual GO Run On Saturday, Sept. 15, the USA Mitchell Cancer Institute will host the 11th annual GO Run presented by the Catranis Family Charitable Foundation at the University of South Alabama on the Mitchell Center Lawn. The 5K is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. directly in front of the Moulton Tower, and the 1-mile Fun Run will follow at 9 a.m. All proceeds from the GO Run will be used to support cutting-edge research at Mitchell Cancer Center. Contact Carol McPhail at 251-445-9610.

ARTS Penelope House benefit Saenger Theatre presents “Sounds of Purple — A Concert for Penelope House” on Friday, Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Purple represents domestic violence awareness. The event will partner awareness for this cause with music. Doors open at 5 p.m. For ticket information visit mobilesaenger. com. MCM 58th season The Mobile Chamber Music 58th season begins, Sunday, Sept. 16, at 3 p.m. at Laidlaw Auditorium on the USA Campus with The Argus String Quartet. To see the entire season and purchase tickets visit mobilechambermusic.org.

12th annual “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” Benefitting the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Mobile on Thursday, Sept. 13, 5:30-9 p.m. at Mobile Government Plaza. An evening for women 21 and up, complete with heavy hors d’oeuvres from local chefs and restaurants. Visit rmhcmobile.org/girls or call Ronald McDonald House, 251-694-6873.

Rebecca Mindock faculty oboe recital The University of South Alabama Department of Music will present a faculty oboe recital featuring Dr. Rebecca Mindock, Dr. Thomas Rowell and Dr. Doreen Lee on Tuesday, Sept. 18, at 7:30 p.m. in the Laidlaw Performing Arts Center Recital Hall. Tickets will be sold at the door only. Admission is $8 general and $5 for USA faculty and staff, USA students, youths under 18 and all senior citizens.

The Wharf Uncorked Join us for the fifth annual The Wharf Uncorked Food & Drinks Festival, Sept. 13-15, at The Wharf in Orange Beach. The three-day event combines tastings of

“The Faces of India” University of South Alabama Libraries announce the opening of a new exhibit, “The Faces of India” by Jelena Kryschun, in the Mary Elizabeth and Charles Bernard

C A L E N D A R O F E V E N T S SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 - SEPTEMBER 18, 2018 Rodning Gallery of Art on the third floor of the Marx Library. Through Sept. 30. Contact Paula Webb, 251-461-1993. Garden sketch club Visit Mobile Botanical Gardens every Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., for a relaxing time sketching in the gardens. All levels of experience welcome. General admission is $5 for nonmembers.

MUSEUMS “Mystery of the Mayan Medallion” The secrets of an ancient world await at the History Museum of Mobile beginning Friday, Sept.14, through Dec. 30. Visit historymuseumofmobile.com. “Madagascar: Island of Lemurs” at Exploreum Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman narrates the IMAX® 3D documentary “Madagascar: Island of Lemurs,” the incredible true story of nature’s greatest explorers — lemurs. Visit www. exploreum.com. “National Parks Adventure” at Exploreum A trio of adventurers’ quest to experience America’s wildest, most historic and most naturally beautiful places becomes the ultimate off-trail adventure in MacGillivray Freeman Films’ “National Parks Adventure” narrated by Robert Redford. Visit www. exploreum.com. Thursdays at MMoA Every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., the Mobile Museum of Art offers free admission to all Mobile County residents. No reservations are necessary. MMoA is at 4850 Museum Drive. Call 251-208-5200.

SPORTING EVENTS/ACTIVITIES

more information.

Baldwin County Golf Classic The sixth annual Baldwin County Education Coalition Golf Classic tees off Sept. 13 at Rock Creek Golf Club in Fairhope. Presented by Baldwin County Sewer Service, this premier golf tournament is the coalition’s sole fundraiser and additional sponsorship is sought, as well as team players. This year’s tournament festivities will include a complimentary lunch, dinner and beverages. Registration and lunch begin at 11:30 a.m., with a shotgun start at 1 p.m.

Keep your brain sharp The Mobile Bridge Center (1510 S. University Blvd.) will offer free bridge lessons weekly, 2:30-4:30 p.m. Contact mobilebridgeclub@comcast.net or Mickey Groggel at 251-377-0322.

Mobile H.O.G. meeting Harley-Davidson H.O.G. Club meets the third Saturday at 9 a.m. every month at Mobile Bay Harley-Davidson, 3260 Pleasant Valley Road, Mobile. The next meeting will be Sept. 15 at 9 a.m. Adult Soccer South Alabama Adult Soccer starts their fall season on Sunday, Sept. 16. Games are played at Sage Park on Sundays. For adults over 18. Call 251-458-3530 or visit sasasoccer.com. MRD fall classes Mobile Recreation Department is starting fall classes the week of Sept. 10. Activities include: Pound, a new exercise class fusing cardio interval training and drumming; Lessons in Guitar, Piano & Strings; Candlelit Yoga, Piyo Tone; and Small Group Personal Fitness Training. And don’t forget the Table Club. Call 251-208-1662. Run-ish at FIVE Run-ish, walk-ish, bike-ish, drink-ish. Choose your -ish and join us every Wednesday evening at 6-ish at FIVE, 609 Dauphin St. in Mobile, followed by drink and food specials. Call 251-308-3105 for

Bingo at Via! Every Tuesday and Thursday, 1-3 p.m., at Via! Health, Fitness & Enrichment Center, 1717 Dauphin St., 251-478-3311. Open to the public.

WORKSHOPS Lunch and learn Monday, Sept. 17, Realtalk Lunch & Learn topic will be “Community Engagement” with Dr. Raoul Richardson, Baheth R&D Laboratories at Goodwill Easter Seals, 2440 Gordon Smith Drive. Contact realtalkmwal@ gmail.com or call 251-404-3924. Stop the Bleed Learning to control bleeding is an essential skill that anyone can apply to save lives, just like CPR. The University Hospital Division of Acute Care Surgery will be offering free Stop the Bleed courses to members of the community Tuesday, Sept. 18, at 1 p.m. at USA Health University Hospital. Space is limited. To pre-register, visit usahealthsystem.com/enroll. Orphan care ministries Come and learn about foster care and adoption ministries at a full-day seminar, “Everyone Can Do Something,” on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 9 a.m. at Mars Hill Church. The cost is $15 with lunch and and a copy of “Everyone Can Do Something” included. Visit lifelinechild.org for registration information.

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GOING HEAD TO HEAD

BY TOM MCCOY / EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ ACROSS 1 Group of trees 6 Potential queens 11 Word that looks like its meaning when written in lowercase 14 Harmless weapons maker 18 Strong suit? 19 “Continue” 20 “Foucault’s Pendulum” author, 1988 21 Like the Gregorian calendar 22 Showdown in Greek mythology 25 A couple of times 26 Word of confirmation on a messaging app 27 Couple 28 Showdown in classic video games 30 Quickened paces 32 Wasn’t struck down 33 Realm 34 Tours can be seen on it 35 Triumph 37 Not in any way 39 Showdown in American history 43 Hot ____ 44 One of four in a grand slam 47 Univs., e.g. 48 Bent over backward, in a way 50 Bit of P.R. 53 Like baseball’s Durham Bulls 54 Speaker of Welsh or Breton 56 Actor Elba 58 One of the o’s in “o/o” 59 Rank above maj. 61 Showdown in cinema 65 Mork’s planet 66 Brightly colored blazer 67 Obie-winning playwright Will 68 “What is it?” 69 Showdown in the funnies 74 Not use cursive 77 University in Des Moines 78 Greenish-brown hue 79 Neighbor of China 81 What’s used to row, row, row your boat 83 Leave fulfilled 85 Less than perfect 88 Geometric prefix 89 Italian “il” or French “le” 90 Prattle 92 Showdown in the Bible 95 Protein shell of a virus 98 Like sauvignon blanc 99 Traditional Christmas decoration 100 Jump to conclusions 103 Some petting-zoo animals 106 Word with wonder or world

107 Showdown in comic books 109 Lead-in to boy or girl 111 Simple plant 114 Ostentation 115 Showdown in literature 118 Businesswoman Lauder 119 Apt name for a Braille instructor 120 TD Garden athlete 121 Knock over 122 Cowardly Lion portrayer 123 ____ bit 124 Overjoy 125 Bone: Prefix

16 Fast one 17 “____ Jacques” 21 Conductors’ announcements 23 “____ where it hurts!” 24 Uncle, in Argentina 29 Under half of 45? 31 Brother of Dori and Nori in “The Hobbit” 32 Surprising lack of Oscar recognition 34 Suitable for a dieter, informally 35 Body of water connected by canal to the Baltic DOWN 36 Watson’s company 1 What “Talk to the hand!” is 38 Defeat an example of 39 Govt. org. based in Ft. 2 Unswerving Meade, Md. 3 “I couldn’t agree more!” 40 Word before right or rise 4 They’re found under a bridge 41 Move turbulently 5 Beats by ____ (head42 Increasingly ripe, say phones brand) 45 Wedding need … or 6 Short strokes booking 7 “Alas!” 46 Stereotypical therapist’s 8 Sudden impulse response 9 Sister 49 Pipe cleaner 10 “Try me” 51 Enthusiasts 11 Be relevant to 52 Go wrong 12 Country named for its 54 Part of the eye latitude 55 Wapitis 13 College student’s assign57 British Bulldog : Churchill :: ment ____ : Thatcher 14 Words after an interruption 60 Undistinguished, as many 15 Stefanik who is the a subdivision house youngest woman ever elected 62 Rapidly spreading vine to Congress 63 Get straight

64 Prefix with allergenic 69 Football units: Abbr. 70 Idiot, in Britspeak 71 Vow 72 Relatives of emus 73 Et ____ 75 Numbers to avoid 76 Ragged 80 North African land: Abbr. 82 Cry of school spirit 84 Laid-back 86 Data-storage items on the decline 87 Organ in the leg of a katydid, bizarrely 88 Frontier lights 91 Unit of explosive power 93 “That sounds awful” 94 Mauna ____ 96 Wow 97 Territory name until 1889 100 Brat’s opposite 101 Popular dip 102 Skilled laborer 104 Tex-____ 105 Bit of corruption 106 Author of the “Fear Street” series for young readers 108 Some saber wielders 109 Bluish-green 110 Ninny 112 TV show set in William McKinley High School 113 Prefix with stratus 116 It’s used to cite a site 117 Bonnie and Clyde, e.g.

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ANSWERS ON PAGE 44

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SPORTS UPON FURTHER REVIEW

Several volleyball teams take aim at postseason berths BY J. MARK BRYANT/SPORTS WRITER/SPORTS@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM/TWITTER @GOULAGUY

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Photo | University of Mobile

olleyball can trace its history back to the 1890s, when a ting percentage (.321). In league matches, Hartman finished tied for YMCA director needed an indoor sport to offer during second in blocks per set (1.15), ranked third in hitting percentage the winter months. It has now grown into one of the most (.367) and fourth in service aces per set (0.26). popular games across the globe. Hartman earned an all-Southeast honorable mention from the Fans of volleyball are fortunate in that our three local colleges American Volleyball Coaches Association last season. She recorded have teams competing for postseason honors. Here is a quick 124 total blocks, which ranks sixth on the Jaguar single-season glance at the squads: record list. Hartman led South Alabama in kills (245), kills per set • The University of Mobile (UM) is coming off the greatest (2.55), hitting percentage (.319), solo blocks (35), block assists campaign in school history. The Rams finished with a 38-4 record, (89), total blocks (124) and blocks per set (1.29). winning a school-record 27 consecutive matches before falling in USA returns 11 letter-winners from last year’s squad, which the NAIA national tournament. They also went undefeated in the won a program-record 12 SBC matches. South’s 17 wins were the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) regular season and most by a Jag team since 1994. Middle blocker Morgan Stalcup won the SSAC Tournament. tied for second in blocks per set (1.15) in conference matches and Despite losing several key players to graduation, another great finished sixth in the league in blocks per set (1.06) in all matches. season is expected. UM has been picked to repeat as conference • These are exciting times at Spring Hill College (SHC), as the champs, according to the SSAC Volleyball Coaches’ preseason Badgers are now eligible for NCAA Division II postseason action. poll. The Rams got all nine first-place votes Since they were still in the transitional phase for a total of 81 points. Next were William last year, they remained home despite a perfect Carey with 62 and Faulkner with 58. 18-0 record in conference play and the West “We are excited to start another season Division title. ranked first in the SSAC, but competition Going into this season, the SHC volleyball will determine the rankings as the season team has been picked to finish second in the VOLLEYBALL CAN TRACE gets rolling,” head coach Jon Campbell said. seven-team Southern Intercollegiate Athletic ITS HISTORY BACK TO THE “We plan to train and prepare to earn our Conference (SIAC) West Division. position in the conference.” Junior Cassidi Sterrett has also been named 1890S, WHEN A YMCA DIThe top returner for UM is junior outside the preseason Defensive Player of the Year. hitter Mirella Gatterdam, who earned HonorThe 5-foot-7 junior led the SIAC in digs, RECTOR NEEDED AN INDOOR able Mention All-American, Northeast recording 491 on the season and averaging SPORT TO OFFER DURING Region Player of the Year and Conference 4.63 digs per game. She also ranked seventh in Player of the Year honors. She collected 521 service aces, recording 44 on the season. THE WINTER MONTHS. IT kills (third all-time for a single season at UM The Badgers put two players on the preand sixth in the NAIA), with a .293 hitting season all-conference second-team in senior HAS NOW GROWN INTO ONE percentage. Randi De’Armitt and junior Emmarose NeibOF THE MOST POPULAR Jocelyn Mahayag, a senior libero, was ert. De’Armitt served up a team-high 65 aces first-team all-conference. She shattered the in 2017 with 230 digs, while Neibert issued GAMES ACROSS THE GLOBE. single-season record for digs with 668 and 636 assists with 19 aces. had only 19 reception errors in 44 matches. The Rams have two other players who Foley wins volleyball award were named to the SSAC’s second-team unit Foley Sports Tourism (FST) has worked to — junior Samantha Nichols and sophomore make Baldwin County a premier sports destiCarley Hamric, both middle blockers. nation. Those efforts have been recognized by the USA Volleyball • In the Sun Belt Conference Coaches’ preseason poll, the Gulf Coast Region with the presentation of the Robert L. Lindsay University of South Alabama (USA) received four first-place votes Meritorious Service Award. on the way to finishing second in the East Division behind Coastal Lindsay was president of USA Volleyball from 1981 to 1984. Carolina. Texas State was picked to win the SBC West Division Prior to his tenure, the U.S. had never medaled in Olympic volleywith 10 of 12 first-place votes. ball. He was instrumental in creating the USA Volleyball National The Jaguars’ middle blocker, Kelley Hartman, was named to the Team Center in California. The work paid off and in 1984 the preseason all-conference roster. She was a 2017 first-team All-SBC men’s national volleyball team earned a gold medal and the women selection after leading the league in blocks per set (1.29), which took silver at the Los Angeles Olympics. ranked 36th nationally, while also finishing tied for second in hitCoach Phillip Bryant, now in his 22nd year as the Commis-

LAST YEAR, UM JUNIOR OUTSIDE HITTER MIRELLA GATTERDAM COLLECTED 521 KILLS (THIRD ALLTIME FOR A SINGLE SEASON AT UM AND SIXTH IN THE NAIA), WITH A .293 HITTING PERCENTAGE. sioner of the Gulf Coast Region for USA Volleyball, said there are a number of parallels between Lindsay and the city of Foley. “The partnership with the city of Foley, Foley Sports Tourism and the Foley Event Center allow us as an organization with our home office in Baldwin County the dynamic opportunity to grow,” Bryant said. “It partners our volleyball families with a premier facility and allows us to host larger tournaments, invite more teams and have everyone in one location; older players get a chance to watch younger players and younger players get a chance to watch older players.” Bryant and 1964 U.S. National Volleyball team member and Olympian Barbara Harwerth presented the award to Foley Mayor John Koniar and the Foley City Council during a council meeting. “We truly value our relationship,” Foley Director of Sports Tourism David Thompson said of USA Volleyball. “With a home office in south Baldwin County, they understand how things work here and the importance of bringing visitors to our area. We’ve been lucky enough to host eight tournaments with them over the last year and have another 10 on the books for the future. We hope to continue this relationship well into the future.”

SPORTS FROM BEHIND THE MIC

Reality, good and bad, setting in for college football fans BY RANDY KENNEDY/CONTRIBUTING WRITER

For all the legitimate talk of Alabama being the center of college football excellence, only three of the 64 head coaches at the Power 5 schools are Alabama natives. Last weekend, those three coaches — Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, Tennessee’s Jeremy Pruitt and Arizona’s Kevin Sumlin — represented the full spectrum of emotions that make college football special. Swinney, a native of Pelham, won yet another big game. The Tigers stopped a 2-point conversion attempt by Texas A&M to preserve a 28-26 victory. Swinney is one of only four active coaches who have won a national championship (joining Nick Saban, Urban Meyer and Jimbo Fisher). He has Clemson ranked second in the country and a favorite again to make the playoffs. Pruitt, raised the son of a coach in Rainsville, experienced the first win of his head coaching career by beating East Tennessee State. It may not sound like much, but it was the Volunteers’ first win in more than 10 months. There may not be many more wins this season, but this one means the Volunteers will at least be able to play for the state when they visit Vanderbilt to end the season. On the other end of the spectrum from Swinney’s consistent success are Sumlin’s Arizona Wildcats. Sumlin, who was born in Brewton, landed at Arizona after being fired at Texas A&M. He inherited a team led by Heisman Trophy candidate Khalil Tate, then somehow managed to transform Tate from the best dualthreat quarterback in the country to a subpar pocket passer. Arizona has managed to lose to BYU and Houston by a combined score of 73-41. In the loss at Houston the Wildcats trailed 38-0 three minutes into the third quarter.

Not only does Arizona look terrible, but rival Arizona State is off to a surprisingly strong 2-0 start after upsetting Michigan State in Herm Edwards’ first season. Those two factors earn the Wildcat fan base the title of Most Miserable Fans in the country through two weeks. It’s a close competition with North Carolina, Florida State, Florida and UCLA. But it can’t be worse than a home loss, a blowout on the road to a Group of 5 team and having to live with the giddy fans of your in-state rival. None of those teams are going to be in the conversation for a national championship any time soon. That distinction is reserved for the blue bloods of college football. This season, it’s becoming increasingly obvious Auburn should be included in that list. After two weeks of play, here are the five teams with the best chance to win the national championship, according to Las Vegas odds: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia and Auburn. For Auburn to actually win the national championship the Tigers would probably have to beat all four of the other teams on the above list, all away from home. In fact, they might have to beat Georgia twice in order to reach the playoff. But after beating Washington (which is still tied for sixth on the list of national championship favorites) and demolishing an overmatched Alabama State, the Tigers are looking the part of legitimate contenders. Auburn is about a 10-point favorite to beat LSU this week at Jordan-Hare Stadium, but I believe Auburn is just as likely to win this week, as is Alabama, which is more than a three-touchdown favorite over Ole Miss. And I don’t think there’s much chance Alabama is going to lose.

Auburn is on a different level from LSU, and everyone will quickly realize that Saturday. Alabama seems to have settled on its quarterback rotation, with Jalen Hurts playing and acting like one of the best backup quarterbacks in the country. If Hurts has decided to graciously accept his role with the Tide, then he will go down as one of the greatest teammates and most popular players in Alabama history. Hurts could still decide to play only four games to preserve a redshirt season before transferring. But for now, let’s commend him for how he’s handled a difficult situation. At the top of the Alabama depth chart is Tua Tagovailoa. It’s possible that three of the best quarterbacks in college football are all from Hawaii. Central Florida’s McKenzie Milton has led his team to the longest current winning streak in the country. In Oxford, Mississippi, on Saturday, Tagovailoa will face off with Ole Miss’ Jordan Ta’amu, who has already thrown for 784 yards in two games. Could this be the first time Tagovailoa is called on to play a full game for the Tide? If so, the sophomore may match the 784 yards of Ta’amu in this game alone. Ole Miss can score, but it’s hard to imagine a team that gave up 38 points in the first half to Southern Illinois last week is going to make many stops against an Alabama offense that is on pace to become the best in school history. Randy Kennedy writes a weekly column for Lagniappe and is co-host of “Sports Drive” every weekday from 3-6 p.m. on WNSP 105.5 FM, the country’s first all-sports FM station.

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STYLE FEATURE

Three centuries of ‘South Mobile’ BY ASIA FREY/FILM CRITIC/AFREY@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

Photos | Submitted

Susan Roullier’s “South Mobile: 1699-2018” is a richly researched, locally focused, oral and photographic history of the area from the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley to Dog River.

ocal photographer Susan Roullier spent six years on a paperback labor of love titled, simply, “South Mobile: 1699-2018.” This straightforward title encompasses a photographic volume that is charming, moving and incredibly detailed. It is like a photo album for a part of the city people don’t focus on as much as downtown, but that means a great deal to a great many. For these folks and anyone interested in local history, “South Mobile: 1699-2018” captures a quaint and richly storied area in an idiosyncratic, anecdotal way that is truly extraordinary. The book is organized by history, places, events and people, and you can read it straight through or browse for topics of particular interest. Maybe, like me, you had a grandparent who worked at Brookley Field; this extensive chapter will shed light and give context to a fascinating time in a deeply local story, brimming, as in virtually every page of the book, with historical photos. Other highlights include a number of nightclubs, bars and yacht clubs, from Radio Ranch and Elvis, The Beachcomber and Happy Landing to The Buccaneer Yacht Club and Alba Club. It’s so richly evocative you can’t help but wish you had been there, and if you actually were there, I can’t imagine what a goldmine this book would be.

All of this work begs the question, how did Roullier capture these stories? The process took six years of extensive and hands-on research and, according to Roullier, “We would spend every Wednesday together for years tracking down information. We spent days in the USA McCall Archives, the History Museum of Mobile, Mobile Public Library’s Local History and Genealogy Library, Mobile Municipal Archives, public school libraries and churches. We dug through old Press-Register articles, and combed through old maps looking for anything interesting … Sometimes casual conversations would bring gold. Then deciding what to include was difficult. I struggled with the question ‘Who am I to decide what is important?’” This humble question clearly informed a meaningful experience for the author and now for readers. Says Roullier, “I met Harriet Dykes at a community meeting. She has lived here since 1949 and took me to some of the people who lived here longest. We talked to a lot of people. We would listen, take notes and check out the things they said. Sometimes I would literally find myself crying while typing the stories. There is a sadness, but a sweetness to them, and they are worth remembering, I believe.” Spend some time in these carefully transcribed pages and you will find them worth remembering, too. I think any region in the world would richly benefit from such a locally focused,

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oral and photographic history such as this one, and we are so lucky that South Mobile, defined here as the land area from the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley, south of Mobile, to Dog River, was the subject of so much love and hard work. This book is fascinating, valuable and an absolutely unmissable gift for anyone. This 265-page paperback book is available to order from Amazon for $18.95 and, ironically, it is those who might not necessarily know how to use the internet who would most love it. You owe it to them to get a copy. Copies are also available at Page & Palette, 32 S. Section St. in Fairhope, and Chez Giselle Hair Studio, 54 Upham St. in Mobile.

STYLE GARDENING

Mobile Botanical Gardens offers history infused with beauty BY GREER WILHELM, MOBILE MASTER GARDENER | COASTALALABAMAGARDENING@GMAIL.COM

Photos | Jenni Krchak

Annual fall and spring plant sales as well as Gallery of Gardens tours are recognized favorite events. Plants sold in the MBG MarketPlace or online catalog allow anyone to achieve the unique ReBloom “look of Mobile” with garden color all year long, instilling a true sense of place. A new gift shop, The Artful Garden, focuses on items made in the U.S. and available locally only at MBG, including kitchen tools, jewelry, fine art, melodic wind chimes and edibles. Opportunities abound to meet, learn from and engage with critically acclaimed artists, authors and experts. Renowned botanical artist Derek Norman leads botanical art classes in his delightfully civilized British way. Alabama’s Poet Laureate Emerita Sue Walker and award-winning writer Gail Gehlken inspire and encourage during Writers in Nature classes. The new Marion Deane Drummond lecture series is designed to bring in some of the best minds from across the country and help us all learn more about gardening. A festive inaugural event Sept. 22 will feature two speakers, delicious food, libations, dessert and a silent auction of special plants. On Oct. 9, internationally acclaimed author Andrea Wulf will discuss her New York Times best seller, “The Invention of Nature,” a biography of Alexander Von Humboldt. Widely praised as engaging, funny, intellectually exhilarating and not to be missed, Wulf’s visit is highly anticipated It’s all here. For you. Dig in!

The entrance to Mobile Botanical Garden’s Aromi Garden is pictured with a native azalea in foreground. Also, a nymphaea “Star of Siam” is among the extensive plant collection.

estled against the shoulder of Spring Hill, just above the lake in Municipal Park, lies a portal to opportunity. The 100-acre parcel of ground, located five minutes from both the University of South Alabama and Interstate 65, remains unknown to many of its neighbors — more often visited by out-of-towners — and finds itself frequently confused with a large home and garden located in south Mobile County on Fowl River. Let us pull back the veil and reintroduce the extraordinary Mobile Botanical Gardens (MBG). Because Mobile rests in the middle of the most biologically diverse part of North America, people from around the world have been drawn here for hundreds of years to explore and work. As progress paved its way across the landscape, MBG has recognized its unique position and, through persistent resourcefulness and foresight, took on the challenge of collecting and making accessible a wealth of resources. Plant collections composing the various gardens within MBG form a living museum and contain some specimens found nowhere else on earth. Executive Director Robin Krchak announced Seth Allen, former curator at historic Magnolia Plantation & Garden in Charleston, South Carolina, will

join the MBG staff as horticultural curator this month. The Sawada Winter Garden, one of seven gardens in the United States designated a Garden of Excellence by the International Camellia Society, stuns with bountiful blossoms in the dead of winter. The McConnell Rhododendron Garden contains more than a thousand evergreen azaleas — the most comprehensive collection along the Gulf Coast — and the largest collection of Satsuki azaleas in the U.S. The recently installed Aromi Hybrid Azalea Garden houses a rare and beautiful portion of the nationally recognized work of Dr. Eugene Aromi, some of which is also found in the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. The John Allen Smith Japanese Maple Garden showcases the stunning architecture of individual trees and a jaw-dropping riot of color in late autumn. Herbs often encountered as dried bits in glass jars flourish in their fresh state in the Sybil Burnett Herb Garden. Butterflies and hummingbirds merrily make their way to the Pollinator Garden. Guests in strollers and wheelchairs will find easy access to many parts of the gardens along paved pathways.

Gardeners, check this out: For more info on MBG events and opportunities, including: • Botanical art and writing classes • Season or individual tickets to Marion Deane Drummond lecture series • Special events, such as Poetry by Moonlight on Oct. 24 • Membership information, plant sales and other events Visit MobileBotanicalGardens.org or call 251-342-0555. What: Lunch & Learn with Mobile Master Gardeners (free) When: Monday, Sept. 17, noon to 1 p.m. Where: Jon Archer Ag Center, 1070 N. Schillinger Road, Mobile Topic: Sustainable Hydroponic Farming Speaker: Dale Speetjans Master Gardener Helpline: 877-252-4769, or send gardening questions to coastalalabamagardening@gmail.com.

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STYLE HOROSCOPES GET THE TRASH OUT OF THE SPLASH

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VIRGO (8/24-9/22) — Since Drag Queen Story Hour remained nonviolent and your doomsday provisions went unused, consider donating them to victims of Hurricane Florence. Your lucky piece of garbage at the Alabama Coastal Cleanup is a MoonPie wrapper. LIBRA (9/23-10/22) — You’ll create controversy where none previously existed when you go to the “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” fundraiser to prove that guys also are interested in having a good time occasionally. Your lucky piece of garbage at the Alabama Coastal Cleanup is a styrofoam cooler. SCORPIO (10/23-11/21) — For the next six weeks, you will submit to the pumpkin spice gods and purchase no food or household goods which do not contain the seasonal flavor or fragrance. Your lucky piece of garbage at the Alabama Coastal Cleanup is rope. SAGITTARIUS (11/22-12/22) — Attempting to reassure Alabama’s secondstring quarterback Jalen Hurts, you remind him that no matter what his legacy is in Tuscaloosa, he can always sell vehicles for Mullinax Ford. Your lucky piece of garbage at the Alabama Coastal Cleanup is Black & Mild mouthpieces. CAPRICORN (12/23-1/19) — Daydreaming of cooler weather, you’ll spend time this weekend taking your wool to the cleaners and sweeping last year’s ash from your chiminea. Your lucky piece of garbage at the Alabama Coastal Cleanup is a Crimson Tide automotive flag. AQUARIUS (1/20-2/18) — Disappointed Jeff Sessions didn’t resign and return to Mobile to be a prosecutor last week, you remind him that no matter what his legacy is in Washington, D.C., he can always sell vehicles for Mullinax Ford. Your lucky piece of garbage at the Alabama Coastal Cleanup is a Slurpee cup. PISCES (2/19-3/20) — You will take a break from baking for a while after a simple discussion about air pressure and dough temperature turns into a debate about Brett Kavanaugh. Your lucky piece of garbage at the Alabama Coastal Cleanup is Mardi Gras beads. ARIES (3/21-4/19) — Preparing for a potential rollback of library hours due to the city budget, you advise the city’s homeless to consider public bathing and napping opportunities elsewhere. Your lucky piece of garbage at the Alabama Coastal Cleanup is a cheap sandal. TAURUS (4/20-5/20) — You’ll commandeer the 3rd annual Massacre Island Pirate Event and pillage the spoils, taking your booty to the carrrrrrgh. Your lucky piece of garbage at the Alabama Coastal Cleanup is some fishing tackle. GEMINI (5/21-6/21) — You’ll take home top honors at the Baldwin County Fair after becoming the first human to knock down all the bottles with the balls. Your lucky piece of garbage at the Alabama Coastal Cleanup is a pool noodle. CANCER (6/22-7/22) — You will awake from a common minor surgery to find that all the Halloween decorations have sold out for the next eight years. Your lucky piece of garbage at the Alabama Coastal Cleanup is the fender of an RV. LEO (7/23-8/23) — Preparing for the “blue wave” allegedly coming in November, you build a massive ark for your Republican friends to take refuge on during the flood. Your lucky piece of garbage at the Alabama Coastal Cleanup is a folding camp chair.

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LAGNIAPPE LEGALS | 251.450-4466 | legals@lagniappemobile.com FORECLOSURES FORECLOSURE NOTICE Default having been made in the payment of the indebtedness described in and secured by that certain Vendor’s Lien retained in Deed from David F. Pruitt and Linda M. Pruitt, husband and wife to Michael Sharpe and Meridith Sharpe dated July 30, 2015, and Recorded in Book LR7289, Page 1459 of the records in the Office of the Judge of Probate, Mobile County, Alabama, notice is hereby given that the undersigned as holder of said Vendor’s Lien will under power of sale contained in said Vendor’s Lien, sell at public outcry for cash to the highest bidder, during legal hours of sale on the October 3, 2018 at the front door of the Courthouse of Mobile County, Alabama, 205 Government Street, Mobile, AL 36602, the following described real property in the County of Mobile, State of Alabama, being the same property described in the above referred to mortgage: LOT 2, UNIT ONE OF DEER RUN ESTATES SUBDIVISION, AS RECORDED IN MAP BOOK 44, PAGE 30, OF THE RECORDS IN THE OFFICE OF THE JUDGE OF PROBATE, MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA. TOGETHER WITH A 30 FOOT NON EXCLUSIVE EASEMENT FOR INGRESS AND EGRESS OVER, ACROSS AND UPON A 30 FOOT WIDE STRIP OF LAND LYING IMMEDIATELY EAST OF THE ALABAMA-MISSISSIPPI STATE LINE AND RUNNING FROM THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF LOT 2, TOWNSHIP 5 SOUTH, RANGE 4 WEST, SOUTWARDLY ALONG THE ALABAMA-MISSISSIPPI STATE LINE TO THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE PARCEL OF LAND CONVEYED HEREBY. ALABAMA LAW GIVES SOME PERSONS WHO HAVE AN INTEREST IN PROPERTY THE RIGHT TO REDEEM THE PROPERTY UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES. PROGRAMS MAY ALSO EXIST THAT HELP PERSONS AVOID OR DELAY THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS. AN ATTORNEY SHOULD BE CONSULTED TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THESE RIGHTS AND PROGRAMS AS A PART OF THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS. THIS PROPERTY WILL BE SOLD ON AN “AS IS, WHERE IS” BASIS, SUBJECT TO ANY EASEMENTS, ENCUMBRANCES AND EXCEPTIONS REFLECTED IN THE MORTGAGE AND THOSE CONTAINED IN THE RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF THE JUDGE OF THE PROBATE WHERE THE ABOVE-DESCRIBED PROPERTY IS SITUATED. THIS PROPERTY WILL BE SOLD WITHOUT WARRANTY OR RECOURSE, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED AS TO TITLE, USE AND/OR ENJOYMENT AND WILL BE SOLD SUBJECT TO THE RIGHT OF REDEMPTION OF ALL PARTIES ENTITLED THERETO. Said sale is made for the purpose of paying the said indebtedness and the expenses incident to this sale, including a reasonable attorney’s fee. The sale will be conducted subject (1) to confirmation that the sale is not prohibited under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and (2) to final confirmation and audit of the status of the loan with the mortgagee. David F. Pruitt and Linda M. Pruitt Mortgagee John T. Bender, Attorney McFadden, Lyon & Rouse, L.L.C. 718 Downtowner Blvd. Mobile, AL 36609 Lagniappe HD September 12, 19, 26, 2018

MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE SALE POSTPONEMENT Default having been made in the payment of the indebtedness secured by that certain mortgage executed by Leona A. Driggers, an unmarried person and Johnny M. Driggers Jr., an unmarried person, originally in favor of Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as nominee for PHH Mortgage Corporation, on the 30th day of August, 2007, said mortgage recorded in the Office of the Judge of Probate of Mobile County, Alabama, in Book 6251 Page 1262; the undersigned Nationstar Mortgage LLC d/b/a Mr. Cooper, as Mortgagee/Transferee, under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in said mortgage, will sell at public outcry to the highest bidder for cash, in front of the main entrance of the Courthouse at Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama, on April 26, 2018, during the legal hours of sale, all of its right, title, and interest in and to the following described real estate, situated in Mobile County, Alabama, to-wit: Lot 25, Yancey Glen Subdivision (Revised), according to the Plat thereof recorded in Map Book 104, Page 102 of the records in the Office of the Judge of Probate, Mobile County, Alabama. Property street address for informational purposes: 12218 Yancey Glen Dr, Mobile, AL 36695. THIS PROPERTY WILL BE SOLD ON AN “AS IS, WHERE IS” BASIS, SUBJECT TO ANY EASEMENTS, ENCUMBRANCES, AND EXCEPTIONS REFLECTED IN THE MORTGAGE AND THOSE CONTAINED IN THE RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF THE JUDGE OF PROBATE OF THE COUNTY WHERE THE ABOVEDESCRIBED PROPERTY IS SITUATED. THIS PROPERTY WILL BE SOLD WITHOUT WARRANTY OR RECOURSE, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED AS TO TITLE, USE AND/OR ENJOYMENT AND WILL BE SOLD SUBJECT TO THE RIGHT OF REDEMPTION OF ALL PARTIES ENTITLED THERETO. Alabama law gives some persons who have an interest in property the right to redeem the property under certain circumstances. Programs may also exist that help persons avoid or delay the foreclosure process. An attorney should be consulted to help you understand these rights and programs as a part of the foreclosure process. This sale is made for the purpose of paying the indebtedness secured

by said mortgage, as well as the expenses of foreclosure. The successful bidder must tender a non-refundable deposit of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) in certified funds made payable to Sirote & Permutt, P.C. at the time and place of the sale. The balance of the purchase price must be paid in certified funds by noon the next business day at the Law Office of Sirote & Permutt, P.C. at the address indicated below. Sirote & Permutt, P.C. reserves the right to award the bid to the next highest bidder should the highest bidder fail to timely tender the total amount due. The Mortgagee/Transferee reserves the right to bid for and purchase the real estate and to credit its purchase price against the expenses of sale and the indebtedness secured by the real estate. This sale is subject to postponement or cancellation. Nationstar Mortgage LLC d/b/a Mr. Cooper, Mortgagee/ Transferee The above mortgage foreclosure sale has been postponed until 06/28/2018 during the legal hours of sale in front of the main entrance of the courthouse in the City of Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama. The above mortgage foreclosure sale has been postponed until 08/31/2018 during the legal hours of sale in front of the main entrance of the courthouse in the City of Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama. The above mortgage foreclosure sale has been postponed until 11/09/2018 during the legal hours of sale in front of the main entrance of the courthouse in the City of Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama. Rebecca Redmond SIROTE & PERMUTT, P.C. P. O. Box 55727 Birmingham, AL 35255-5727 Attorney for Mortgagee/Transferee www.sirote.com/foreclosures 429247 Lagniappe HD September 12, 2018

FORECLOSURE NOTICE Default having been made in the payment of the indebtedness secured by that certain Vendor’s Lien deed executed by Clark Lunt as managing member of Emerald Coast Real Estate Investors, LLC {“Grantor”) on the 25th day of October, 2017, said Vendor’s Lien deed recorded in the office of the Judge of Probate of Mobile County, Alabama at Book LR7578, Page 1568; Grantor, under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in said Vendor’s Lien deed, will sell at public outcry to the highest bidder for cash, in front of the main entrance of the courthouse in Mobile County, Alabama on September 19, 2018, at 12 PM, all of its right, title and interest in and to the following described real estate, situated in Mobile County, Alabama, to-wit: Lot 105 of Tonsmeire’s addition to Whistler according to plat thereof recorded in Deed Book 122 N.S page 601 of the records in the Office of the Judge of Probate, Mobile County, Alabama. Property address is 3421 Stovall Street, Whistler, AL 36612. This property will be sold on an “as is, where is” basis subject to any easements, encumbrances and exceptions reflected in the Vendor’s Lien deed and those contained in the records in the office of the Judge of Probate of the county where the abovedescribed property is situated. This property will be sold without warranty or recourse, expressed or implied, as to title, use and/or enjoyment and will be sold subject to the right of redemption of all parties entitled thereto. This sale is made for the purpose of paying the indebtedness secured by said Vendor’s Lien deed as well as the expenses of foreclosure. The Grantor reserves the right to bid for and purchase the real estate and to credit its purchase price against the expenses of sale in the indebtedness secured by the real estate. This sale is subject postponement or cancellation. John R. Parker, Esq. 182 St. Francis Street Suite 101 Mobile, Alabama 36602 (251) 621-2216 (251) 281-2580 (Fax) John@jparkerlaw.net Lagniappe HD August 29, Sept. 5, 12, 2018

PROBATE NOTICE OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of: MARY VERN NELSON, Deceased Case No. 2018-1058 Take notice that Letters Testamentary have been granted to the below named party on the 4th day of September, 2018 by the Honorable Don Davis, Judge of Probate of Mobile County Probate Court, Alabama and that all parties having claims against said estate should file the same with the Probate Court of said county within the time allowed by law, or they will be barred. CHRISTINE TAYLOR GROVE as Executrix under the last will and testament of MARY VERN NELSON, Deceased. Attorney of Record: MELISSA WETZEL Lagniappe HD September 12, 19, 26, 2018

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NOTICE OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of: CHARLES VERNON WATERS, Deceased Case No. 2018-0362 Take notice that Letters Testamentary have been granted to the below named party on the 23rd day of August, 2018 by the Honorable Don Davis, Judge of Probate of Mobile County Probate Court, Alabama and that all parties having claims against said estate should file the same with the Probate Court of said county within the time allowed by law, or they will be barred. MARTHA BROWN WATERS as Executrix under the last will and testament of CHARLES VERNON WATERS, Deceased. Attorney of Record: NANCY J. BUSEY Lagniappe HD August 29, September 5, 12, 2018

NOTICE OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of: BARBARA H. DORGAN, Deceased Case No. 2018-1654 Take notice that Letters Testamentary have been granted to the below named party on the 23rd day of August, 2018 by the Honorable Don Davis, Judge of Probate of Mobile County Probate Court, Alabama and that all parties having claims against said estate should file the same with the Probate Court of said county within the time allowed by law, or they will be barred. DEENA R. TYLER as Executrix under the last will and testament of BARBARA H. DORGAN, Deceased. Attorney of Record: DEENA R. TYLER Lagniappe HD August 29, September 5, 12, 2018

NOTICE OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of: JOYCE ANN TAYLOR Case No. 2018-1327 Take notice that Letters of Administration have been granted to the below named party on the 20th day of August, 2018 by the Honorable Don Davis, Judge of Probate of Mobile County Probate Court, Alabama and that all parties having claims against said estate should file the same with the Probate Court of said county within the time allowed by law, or they will be barred. PATRICIA JARVIS as Administratrix of the estate of JOYCE ANN TAYLOR, deceased. Attorney of Record: HENDRIK S. SNOW, Esq. Lagniappe HD August 29, September 5, 12, 2018

NOTICE OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of: JAMES ALLEN HAVENS, Deceased Case No. 2018-1648 Take notice that Letters Testamentary have been granted to the below named party on the 17th day of August, 2018 by the Honorable Don Davis, Judge of Probate of Mobile County Probate Court, Alabama and that all parties having claims against said estate should file the same with the Probate Court of said county within the time allowed by law, or they will be barred. BRIAN HAVENS as Executor under the last will and testament of JAMES ALLEN HAVENS, Deceased. Attorney of Record: R. MARK KIRKPATRICK Lagniappe HD August 29, September 5, 12, 2018

NOTICE OF COURT PROCEEDING August 30, 2018 Case No. 2016-2151-2 In the Probate Court of Mobile County, Alabama Estate of BETTY O. BIGHAM, Deceased On to-wit the 8th day of October, 2018 at 2:00 PM in COURTROOM 1, THIRD FLOOR, Mobile County Government Center Annex, 151 Government Street the court will proceed to consider the FINAL SETTLEMENT AND REPORT OF INSOLVENCY as filed by JAMES K WELBORN. NOTICE is hereby given to all parties in interest, specifically LAUREN SCHULTZ, ZACK SCHULTZ, who may appear and contest same or file a proper responsive pleading thereto if they then think proper. Don Davis, Judge of Probate Attorney Name and Address: JON A. GREEN 711 DAUPHIN ST. MOBILE, AL 36602 Lagniappe HD September 5, 12, 19, 26, 2018

NOTICE OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of: MARIE THERESA PORTER AKA MARIE D. PORTER, Deceased Case No. 2018-1372 Take notice that Letters Testamentary have been granted to the below named parties on the 4th day of September,

2018 by the Honorable Don Davis, Judge of Probate of Mobile County Probate Court, Alabama and that all parties having claims against said estate should file the same with the Probate Court of said county within the time allowed by law, or they will be barred. REGIONS BANK and GRACE REID as Co-Executors under the last will and testament of MARIE THERESA PORTER AKA MARIE D. PORTER, Deceased. Attorney of Record: LESLIE G. WEEKS Lagniappe HD September 12, 19, 26, 2018

NOTICE OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of: THOMAS ALLEN HOFFMAN, Deceased Case No. 2018-1435 Take notice that Letters Testamentary have been granted to the below named party on the 6th day of September, 2018 by the Honorable Don Davis, Judge of Probate of Mobile County Probate Court, Alabama and that all parties having claims against said estate should file the same with the Probate Court of said county within the time allowed by law, or they will be barred. ANGELA FERGUSON AKA ANGELA SAVELL as Executrix under the last will and testament of THOMAS ALLEN HOFFMAN, Deceased. Attorney of Record: PRO SE Lagniappe HD September 12, 19, 26, 2018

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE OF COMPLETION STATE OF ALABAMA COUNTY OF MOBILE In accordance with Chapter 1, Title 39, Code of Alabama, 1975, NOTICE IS HEREBY given that Robert J. Baggett, Inc., has completed the contract for Cooper Riverside Park – Floating Dock, PR-004-18, 1 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama 36602. All persons having any claims for labor, material or otherwise in connection with this project should immediately notify the Architectural Engineering Department, City of Mobile, PO Box 1827, Mobile, Alabama 36633-1827. Robert J. Baggett, Inc. 759 Holcombe Avenue Mobile, AL 36606 Lagniappe HD August 29, September 5, 12, 19, 2018

NOTICE OF COMPLETION In accordance with Chapter 1, Title 39, Code of Alabama, 1975, notice is hereby given that Dobson Sheet Metal & Roofing Specialties, Inc. has completed the contract for Fort Conde – Roof Repairs, Project No. FC-239-17 for the City of Mobile, P.O. Box 1827, Mobile, AL 36633 and have made request for final settlement of said contract. All persons having any claim for labor, materials, or otherwise in connection with this project should immediately notify Dobson Sheet Metal & Roofing Specialties, Inc. 2911 Mill Street, Mobile, Alabama 36607. Lagniappe HD September 12, 2018

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT MOBILE, ALABAMA PURSUANT TO THE ZONING ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF MOBILE, adopted the 16th day of May 1967, as amended, the City of Mobile’s Board of Zoning Adjustment will hold a Public Hearing on October 1, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. to consider a request at 5440 U.S. Highway 90 West (West side of U.S. Highway 90 W, 600’± South of Three Notch Road, extending to the East side of Old Pascagoula Road) for a Sign Variance to allow a two (2) informational signs greater than 20 square feet in a B-3, Community Business District; the Zoning Ordinance limits informational signs to 20 square feet in a B-3, Community Business District. The meeting will be held in the Auditorium at 205 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama. This notice is to advise you of the public hearing so that you may attend the meeting and present your views to the Board concerning this request. Dated this 10th day of September, 2018. BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT Lagniappe HD September 12, 19, 2018

ness District. The meeting will be held in the Auditorium at 205 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama. This notice is to advise you of the public hearing so that you may attend the meeting and present your views to the Board concerning this request.Dated this 10th day of September, 2018. BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT Lagniappe HD September 12, 19, 2018

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT MOBILE, ALABAMA PURSUANT TO THE ZONING ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF MOBILE, adopted the 16th day of May 1967, as amended, the City of Mobile’s Board of Zoning Adjustment will hold a Public Hearing on October 1, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. to consider a request at 453 Williams Street (East side of Williams Street, 100’± South of Granger Street) for a Use Variance to allow a secondary structure on a residential lot to be used for a garage apartment in an R-1, Single Family Residential District; the Zoning Ordinance allows one (1) dwelling per lot in an R-1, Single Family Residential District. The meeting will be held in the Auditorium at 205 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama. This notice is to advise you of the public hearing so that you may attend the meeting and present your views to the Board concerning this request. Dated this 10th day of September, 2018. BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT Lagniappe HD September 12, 19, 2018

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT MOBILE, ALABAMA PURSUANT TO THE ZONING ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF MOBILE, adopted the 16th day of May 1967, as amended, the City of Mobile’s Board of Zoning Adjustment will hold a Public Hearing on October 1, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. to consider a request at 111 Levert Avenue (West side of Levert Avenue, 40’± South of Deleon Avenue) for a Swimming Pool Setback Variance to allow a 6’-deep swimming pool to be constructed 2.0’ from a rear property line in an R-1, Single-Family Residential District; the Zoning Ordinance requires swimming pools be constructed a distance equal to at least one (1) foot greater than the maximum depth of the swimming pool from any side or rear property line in an R-1, Single-Family Residential District. The meeting will be held in the Auditorium at 205 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama. This notice is to advise you of the public hearing so that you may attend the meeting and present your views to the Board concerning this request. Dated this 10th day of September, 2018. BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT Lagniappe HD September 12, 19, 2018

ABANDONED VEHICLES NOTICE OF SALE The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on October 12, 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 1050 N Hickory St., Loxley, AL 36551. 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 2GCEC19WX11157390 2009 Nissan Rogue JN8AS58T39W049668 2007 Chevrolet Impala 2G1WB58K579380517

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The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on October 12, 2018 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 1419 E. I-65 Service Rd. S., Mobile, AL 36606. 2005 Cadillac CTS 1G6DC67A650200711 2005 Cadillac CTS 1G6DP567450184822

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The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on October 12, 2018 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 7960 Two Mile Rd., Irvington, AL 36544. 2008 Ford Fusion 3FAHP07Z18R275414

Lagniappe HD September 5, 12, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on October 12, 2018 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 261 Bishop AG Ayers St., Mobile, AL 36617. 2008 VW Jetta 3VWRM71K68M073920 Lagniappe HD September 5, 12, 2018

LAGNIAPPE LEGALS | 251.450-4466 | legals@lagniappemobile.com The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on October 12, 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 1037 St Stephens Rd., Prichard, AL 36610.

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on October 19, 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 2808 Barefork Rd., Eight Mile, AL 36613.

2010 Nissan Frontier 1N6BD0CT6AC415436 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2GCEC19X131347591 1998 Toyota Camry JT2BG28K1W0142509 2008 Ford Mustang 1ZVHT80N085165675

1996 Dodge Ram 1500 3B7HC13Z2TG116763

Lagniappe HD September 5, 12, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on October 12, 2018 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 19645 Road St., Citronelle, AL 36522. 2002 Nissan Maxima JN1DA31D92T418241

Lagniappe HD September 5, 12, 2018

2002 Dodge Ram 1D7HA18N42J158494

Lagniappe HD September 5, 12, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on October 12, 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 1015 E. I-65 Service Rd. S., Mobile, AL 36606.

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on October 19, 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 2301 Wagner St., Mobile, AL 36605. 2014 Chrysler 200 1C3CCBBB1EN190971

Lagniappe HD September 12, 19, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on October 19, 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 8050 Earle Dr., Citronelle, AL 36522. 1999 Toyota Tacoma 4TANL42N4XZ414090

Lagniappe HD September 12, 19, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on October 19, 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 23391 County Rd 38, Summerdale, AL 36580. 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe 5NMSG3AB4AH383125 2007 Nissan Frontier 1N6AD07UX7C437267

Lagniappe HD September 12, 19, 2018

2000 Nissan Maxima JN1CA31D0YT549983

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on October 19, 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 7960 Two Mile Rd., Irvington, AL 36544.

he following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on October 19, 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 4669 Kirkwell Dr., Mobile, AL 36619.

2006 Pontiac G6 1G2ZF55BX64226775 1993 Chevrolet Camaro 2G1FP22SXP2123581

Lagniappe HD September 5, 12, 2018

2002 Suzuki VS800GLP JS1VS52A922101557

Lagniappe HD September 12, 19, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on October 19, 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 2821 Government Blvd., Mobile, AL 36606. 2006 Chevrolet Colorado 1GCCS148968242146

Lagniappe HD September 12, 19, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on October 19, 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 164 Eleventh Ave., Chickasaw, AL 36611. 2004 Dodge Ram 1D7HA18D54J198271

Lagniappe HD September 12, 19, 2018

Saggy panties and seafood lovin’

BY BOOZIE BEER NUES/SOCIAL BUTTERFLY

It’s been a busy, busy week for the Boozester. Lots of things coming across the gossip wire. Lots! So I’m not going to waste your time or mine with a meaningless introduction. Nope, we are just going to dive right on in headfirst on this one. Won’t you join me?

Always wear the good pair

Whenever one decides to “Get Geodesic” out on the Causeway, strange things are bound to happen. A couple of Boozie’s spies had an exciting experience at Traders this past Friday evening that just goes to show it ALWAYS pays to wear your good panties. My spies said as they were enjoying the ‘70s jams being provided by the band Small Zoo, a woman in her 60s was reliving her 20s. Dancing wildly and swinging her hair around, she was a one-woman party. Unfortunately as the evening wore on, the alcohol got the best of her. Soon she was arguing with the lead singer, wandering around the bar making incoherent statements and, at one point, even charging through a closed office door and falling flat. She and her large, tank-topsporting bohunk were eventually asked to leave. As my spies left the crazy dome, they noticed a couple of people wrestling around in the dirt driveway near the highway. “It was them,” one spy said. “And he was trying to get her up off the ground.” By the time my spies drove by, the couple was staggering through a ditch near the road, with the man holding up his lovely lady. For her part, she was “Pooh Bearin’” hard, wearing nothing but her shirt and a pair of the saddest, saggiest light blue panties in existence, and no shoes. My spies said the two (thankfully) appeared to have no vehicle and were on foot. No doubt a treat for all the Causeway motorists.

He Zuckin’ loves it

On Sunday, Facebook founder and bijillionaire Mark Zuckerberg posted a photo of him and his wife, Priscilla, on his Instagram account. The two were attending a San Francisco Giants game at AT&T Park. This would usually mean absolutely nothing to us, as I am sure the Zuck posts to his many social media platforms every day and they have nothing to do with the Gulf Coast. But the reason this particular post caught the Boozester’s eye is because he was sporting an Alabama Gulf Seafood ball cap. #thanksmark #cool #itisthebestseafood Presumably, he picked it up when he was here on his tour of America back in February 2017. Hey, we’ll take all the press we can get for the world’s best seafood.

Gor-dud

Tropical Storm Gordon came and went. And luckily for Mobile, it was pretty much a non-event, except for the school kids and

Photo | Instagram

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on October 12, 2018 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 154 Ogden Ave., Mobile, AL 36607.

Lagniappe HD September 12, 19, 2018

STYLE BOOZIE

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg sported an Alabama Gulf Seafood hat to a Giants game. teachers who managed to get 1.5 days of school off for some reason — lucky!). Anyway, as we watch the monster that is Hurricane Florence barreling toward our coastal friends in the Carolinas, I think we are all pretty thankful Gordo was a bit of a dud. But he did manage to bring The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore to the area. Cantore stayed on the Mississippi Gulf Coast but that didn’t stop photos of him at the Gulfport airport and on the beach from going viral with folks in our area. But we don’t need no stinkin’ Cantore, as we have our own awesome weather folks right here in Mobile — with Alan Sealls, Jason Smith and Greg Peterson and their weather teams. One person captured this sentiment by creating a meme of Alan Sealls that read “Jim Cantore? Never heard of her,” which made its way around the interwebs as Mobilians were halfheartedly buying bread and bottled water they knew they probably wouldn’t need. It made the ol’ Boozester chuckle.

In case you didn’t know …

The opera singer Renée Fleming, who is performing with the Mobile Symphony at the Saenger Theatre this week (as this issue is being distributed on Sept. 12), was the singer who brought many to tears with her rendition of “Danny Boy” at Sen. John McCain’s funeral. She has many other accomplishments in her long, storied career, including currently starring in “Carousel” on Broadway, but since this performance at the funeral was recently in the news, just wanted to pass it along in case you had not connected the dots, as I hadn’t until one of my spies told me. So there you go! Hope she has a great crowd! Well kids, that’s all I got this time. Just remember, whether rain or shine, dramatic or scandalous or some plain ol’ saggy blue panty lovin’, I will be there. Ciao!

F U T U R E S H O C K S e p t e m b e r 1 2 , 2 0 1 8 - S e p t e m b e r 1 8 , 2 0 1 8 | L AG N I A P P E | 47