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APRIL 07, 2011 | Volume 12 | Number 13 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET  

Tarnished

Turnaround

Warrington Middle Puts Malcolm In The Middle cover illustration by Samantha Crooke

IN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE REPORT | PAGE 7

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columns

3 Winners & Losers 4 OUttakes

24 news of the weird 27 LAST WORD

news/features/arts

7 COVER Story: TARNISHED TURNAROUND 16 A&E: The Problem with Monsters 17 Culture: Fantasy Takes Center Stage 21 Music: It Ain’t Easy Being a Star 23 Music: The Music Box

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Bradley “B.J.” Davis, Jr., Joani Delezen, Hana Frenette, Ashley Hardaway, Rob “Bubbs” Harris, Catrina, Hebert, Erica House, Brett Hutchins, Chelsa Jillard, Jennie McKeon, Kate Peterson, Scott, Satterwhite, Chuck Shepard, Will Strickland, Trevor Webb production manager Joani Delezen ART DIRECTor Samantha Crooke Sales Director Jennifer Passeretti

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Pensacola, FL

• Featuring over 120 andover national •regional Featuring 120artists. regional

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Contents

Join us this spring at beautiful historic Seville Join us this spring at Square in downtown beautiful historic Seville Pensacola, FL Square in downtown

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Standard postage paid at Pensacola, Fla. All stories are compiled from press releases, submissions, news wires or assignments. Comments and opinions expressed in this newspaper represent the personal views of the individuals to whom they are attributed and are not necessarily those of INDEPENDENT NEWS or the publisher. Neither the advertiser nor the publisher is responsible or liable for misinformation, misprints, typographical errors, etc., contained in INDEPENDENT NEWS. The publisher reserves the right to edit all manuscripts. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher.

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dent, CR Academy member and Booker T. Washington High senior, was selected as one of 12 students into the highly competitive 2011 Service Scholar Program at Florida State University. Through this honor, Bouchard has been awarded a four-year renewable scholarship. Students are selected based upon their leadership, advocacy skills, outstanding civic engagement as well as their academic standing.

BOBBY LIKIS The host of “Bobby Likis Car

Clinic” has been recognized nationally in the 2011 “Talkers 250,” the prestigious industry listing of top talk-show hosts in America. This award distinguishes excellence in broadcasting, based on courage, effort, longevity, potential, ratings, recognition, revenue, service, talent and uniqueness. Likis is the only commercial radio car-talk host included for the 4th consecutive year.

RON KAYE’S MUSIC INSTRUCTION For the third consecutive year, Ron Kaye’s Music Instruction has been selected for the 2011 Best of Pensacola Award in the Musical Instrument Lessons category by the U.S. Commerce Association. The USCA “Best of Local Business” Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USCA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These local companies enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Nationwide, only one in 120 2011 award recipients qualified as three-time award winners.

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MICHELLE RHEE The former chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools has been advising Gov. Rick Scott on how to fight the teachers’ unions. Her “rep” has been built on lifting up test scores in the low-performing public schools in her former district. That credibility has been challenged by a USA Today report that more than half the public schools in D.C. were found to have an unusual number of erasures on standardized tests.

PHILIP MONIER The State of Florida wants

the Horn Lake, Miss. man accused of shooting three Escambia County sheriff ’s deputies to pay more than $300,000 in restitution. The claims include $296,983.17 in workers compensation for Deputy Jeremy Cassady, who spent more than a month in Sacred Heart Hospital and lost his kidneys; $8,956.85 in property damage to the Baywind Circle home owned by Francisco Lenox where the standoff took place; and $1,303.09 in workers compensation for Deputy Sam Parker, $2,559.40 for Deputy Chad Brown and $3,643.07 for Deputy Dawn Goodwin.

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KANEATHA SHERI HARRIS The ex-girlfriend

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incident isn’t properly reported, then what is happening to the lesser ones?

Less than 40 percent of the crime and violence that is reported to the state is reported to law enforcement, according to Florida Department of Education reports. Across the state, other school districts are reporting 84 percent of the same type of incidents to their local law enforcement. Only 18 percent of the sex offenses at Escambia County schools are reported to law enforcement.

The School District has focused on drugs on campus, using drug dogs to sweep the schools daily. The School Board has approved a new drug testing policy for students that will be implemented next year.

However, two of the high schools with the most reported drug possessions in the 200910 school year, Tate and Escambia, reported only six of their 36 drug possession incidents to the law. Had more been reported would we need the drug dogs?

Superintendent Malcolm Thomas has no explanation for the huge gap between his district and the rest of the state in reporting campus crime and violence. He says that his deans have been properly trained, and he isn’t aware of any underreporting.

That answer isn’t good enough, especially when the statistics are so overwhelmingly bad. We can’t deal with the school safety issue unless we have accurate information on what is happening in the classrooms. Parents have a right to know what the real crime and violence statistics are for the public schools.

Children have a right to safe schools.

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FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT Children have the fundamental right to attend a school that is safe.

Unfortunately, the Florida primary and secondary education system is myopically focused on test scores.

Good scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test set the benchmark for whether a school is considered a good school.

Crime and violence in schools don’t get the same recognition. In fact, a parent can’t find those statistics on Escambia County Public School District’s website. You can see a school’s FCAT scores, its holiday schedule and the school lunch menu, but not how many fights, assaults or sex offenses. Florida law lets you transfer your child out of a school with failing FCAT scores, but not because the school leads the district in battery.

To make matters worse, the schools aren’t all accurately reporting the crime and violence on their campuses, as I discovered when working on this week’s cover story, “Tarnished Turnaround.”

Teachers are discouraged from writing referrals on students. Students who commit crimes or act violently aren’t always disciplined and are sent back to their classes.

The teachers and school resource officers are blamed for the misconduct.

At Warrington Middle School, teachers complained that the principal and her staff were destroying referrals and not entering them in the state’s school safety database. We know of an incident of sexual misconduct on a school bus that involved several students and was investigated for weeks by the School District that didn’t get reported to the state. If such a major

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Mayor Hayward picks Port Advisory Committee.

ONE MORE TIME WITH FEELING The City of Pensacola is doing another study of the Port of Pensacola, which is the third or fourth since 2003. This one has some hope since it’s being run by Mayor Ashton Hayward and not city staff or the Pensacola City Council.

Hayward is appointing a Port Advisory Group comprised of local business and policy leaders to advise him on future opportunities for the Port and the Port property.

“Pensacola is fortunate to have a wellmanaged deep-water Port, but we need to increase our marketing efforts and utilize port space in the most effective way for the taxpayers and businesses that support it,” said the Mayor. “This advisory group will work with me to identify the best way to make our community’s waterfront and waterways a more profitable part of our city.”

Hayward stated that he planned to help the Port by increasing budgets for marketing and advertising, while at the same time exploring options for development. He cautioned that this advisory panel would not be another study group, noting the numerous City-sponsored studies of the Port over the past two decades.

“We’ve had plenty of studies of the Port.

We now need specific actions. It’s clear that we have two great assets on the Port property. First is the working Port itself, which

I’m hoping can become a more profitable enterprise with additional marketing dollars,” said Hayward, noting that he would be submitting a budget to City Council with expanded marketing funds for the Port.

“Second, we also have significant unused property on the Port, adjacent to our historic district, which is available for other uses.

I’m not one to just stick money in a mattress, so I’m hoping this advisory group can present innovative ideas for using underutilized property at the Port that will generate revenue for the City and provide a greater return on investment,” said Hayward.

Members of the Port Advisory Group are: Blaise Adams - RBC Bank, member of Hayward Transition Team Debbie Calder - President, Navy Federal Credit Union Bill Greenhut - President, Greenhut Construction Rick Harper - Director, UWF Office of Economic Development and Engagement John Myslak - Suncoast Building Components Wes Reeder - Attorney, Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon Hayward said the advisory group would be convened in a few weeks, with final recommendations to be submitted by October.

TO BE THE FOOL Actress, poet and artist Grace Zabriskie recently spent a week on the University of West Florida campus as an artist-in-residence. On Sunday, April 3, she fielded questions on her career and her professions at a special event held on the UWF campus.

Zabriskie debuted in “Norma Rae” and has played several memorable roles in film and on television, including “An Officer and Gentlemen,” “Wild at Heart,” “Twin Peaks,” “Seinfeld” and “Big Love.” She grew up half a block away from her father’s Bourbon Street bar and knew Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote. She joked that she was

“insufficiently discouraged” from acting and art when she was a child.

She talked about aspiring to be the fool.

“There are kings and their courts, filled with ladies, nobles and advisors. Then there is that unique one—the fool—whose job is not just to advise, but to tell the truth. He must know the king well enough to somehow tell him the truth.

“I do aspire to be that fool, trying to figure out somehow to say the truth,” said Zabriskie, “to spend time watching, listening, paying attention and trying to see things as they really are.”

She said, “There is a price you pay for that. If you aspire to tell the truth–to watch, listen and think and tell the truth in some form, you can’t aspire to be like the lords and ladies.”

Zabriskie said that Capote may have been the greatest fool ever, except he wanted to be too much like the lords and ladies.

“I try to live my life a certain way so that I can be there to tell the truth to the king,” she told the audience.

DISTRICT PUBLIC RECORD REQUEST The IN hasn’t had the greatest success getting its public record requests answered on a timely basis. When Escambia County Superintendent Malcolm Thomas released on March 17 his investigative report that cleared Tate High School officials and his staff of any allegations of covering up the suspected sexual assault at the high school, the IN requested information on the sexual offenses that occurred during the 2009-10 school year and had been reported to the Florida Department of Education.

The request stated: “According to the Florida Department of Education’s School Environmental Safety Incident Report, the Escambia County schools reported 16 sexual offenses during the 2009-10 school year. The Independent News is requesting the documentation that supports the schools entering those offenses into the

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state system. We want to know what those offenses were and as many details as possible. Here are the offenses by school: Pensacola High School: 3 sexual offenses; Bellview Middle School: 2 sexual offenses; Tate Senior High School: 2 sexual offenses; Brown Barge Middle School: 2 sexual offenses; Washington Senior High School: 2 sexual offenses; Northview High School: 2 sexual offenses; Brentwood Elementary School: 1 sexual offense; Ferry Pass Middle School: 1 sexual offense; and West Florida High School: 1 sexual offense.

On March 28, the IN met with School Board attorney Donna Waters and Deputy Superintendent Norm Ross and was told the District could not release the information because it might jeopardize federal funding if the information provided could be used to identify the students involved.

The IN stated it wanted to know what type of sex offenses could occur on school grounds that didn’t warrant being reported to law enforcement, because the FDOE report only showed three of the incidents being reported to law enforcement.

Ross couldn’t answer the question and admitted that he hadn’t even reviewed the school reports.

The paper revised its initial record request to ask only for the SESIR codes and statements of the alleged conduct, without the school, date, names, etc. by which students might be identified. Waters told the IN that she and staff would look at the material requested to determine what could be released.

As of its April 5 press deadline, the IN is still wrangling over the request.

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By Rick Outzen

Last year was to be the school year Warrington Middle School turned around.

In fact, that is what Superintendent Malcolm Thomas called the West Pensacola junior high–his “turnaround school.”

He declared the school, which has teetered between “C” and “D” status since 2000, would become the highest-achieving middle school in the district, and he committed to investing millions of stimulus dollars to make it happen. The superintendent told parents, faculty and the public that he personally would oversee the transformation by having the school administration report directly to him rather than district staff.

A three-month investigation by the IN has revealed the first year of Thomas’ turnaround was much harder than the newcomer ever thought. It was a year filled with allegations of Principal Sandra Rush redirecting nearly $7,000 in school funds earmarked for the classrooms to office furniture and decorations, of her high school aide running an apparent fundraising scam, of sexual misconduct by students on a bus with no adult chaperone, and of assaults on teachers and other violence going undocumented by school officials.

All the allegations were investigated by district officials. Many were found to be true.

Others may never be fully resolved. Few of the details were made public, until now.

The IN made over a dozen public record requests of the Escambia Public School District, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office

and the Florida Department of Education.

Meetings were held with WMS Principal Rush, district officials and ECSO. The IN reviewed the investigative reports and interview notes of District Investigator John Dobbs, the offense reports filed by the four school resource officers (SRO) that worked at WMS during the 2009-10 school year and the internal audit report.

Conclusion: Malcolm Thomas may have bit off more than he could chew with this one. The school may turn around, but at what cost? Did the firing of former Principal Christine Nixon and her entire staff exacerbate the challenges at the school and put it further behind? Has there been a conscious effort on the part of Thomas and school officials to hide the problems at WMS? This report brings into question the safety of the students and teachers in the classrooms across the District. The IN found the District had reported less the 40 percent of the crime and violence on its campuses to law enforcement, while the overall state percentage for the same type of incidents is 84 percent. Warrington Middle reported less than 3 percent.

RESTRUCTURING FROM THE GROUND UP Four months into his first year in office, Superintendent Thomas announced that he was starting over at Warrington

Middle School. The principal and the whole faculty were being replaced.

It was an unprecedented, bold move by the new superintendent, especially since the latest Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test grades hadn’t been released.

be removed from the threat of state sanctions. However, Thomas had already set his transformation of WMS into motion. Principal Nixon and her assistants had been reassigned and the faculty was given the option of reapplying for their jobs. Thomas had hired Sandra Rush to be the new principal.

Rush had been the principal of Montclair Elementary from 2007-2009. Prior to that, she was the principal of Brownsville Middle School from 2000 until it was closed in June 2007.

“Middle School is all my life,” Rush told the IN. “When Brownsville closed, I wanted to go to another middle school, but there were no openings.”

She went to Montclair Elementary, where she took the school from “F” to “A” status in one year. Her last year at the school, its grade fell to a “D.” “Warrington gave me an opportunity to go back to my first love,” she said. “I know I drove some of the teachers crazy at Montclair. They would send two kindergartners, just babies, to me that had been fighting. I would sit them in my lap, rub on their kids and love on them.”

Rush was intrigued by the challenges at WMS. “You got to select your staff and start from ground works. I have always liked a challenge.”

By February 2010, rumors surfaced that the turnaround at WMS wasn’t going smoothly. The IN heard from reliable sources that the school administration was under investigation.

Thomas told the media that if WMS failed to get a “C”, the state would mandate the replacement of the school administration and reassignment of teachers to other schools in the district. He needed to act in April to give him time to restructure the school from the ground up.

Malcolm Thomas is a lifelong Escambia County resident who taught special education at Tate High School for eight years.

Like his predecessor, Jim Paul, Thomas never was a school principal. He has spent much of his career at the district level.

Thomas, who has a master's degree, was Paul’s Director of Evaluation Services.

In June, WMS learned it had earned a "C" school grade, its first since 2006, and had enough gains in reading and math to

INDEPENDENT NEWS | april 07, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

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IN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE REPORT The “new” WMS opened to much fanfare in August 2009. The district had pumped $1.5 million into the school, according to news reports. Superintendent Thomas bragged the school had garnered attention throughout the state and ultimately will serve as a model for other schools and communities.

By February 2010, rumors surfaced that the turnaround at WMS wasn’t going smoothly. The IN heard from reliable sources that the school administration was under investigation. Allegedly, the staff had been instructed by Thomas not to communicate with the media or send out any emails or written memos on the problems.

When asked recently by the IN about this allegation, the superintendent said he gave no such instructions. “That has never been said. We’re open,” he said. “We try to be as transparent as possible.”

What IN has learned from its threemonth investigation is that District Investigator John Dobbs had launched in February 2010 a full-scale investigation into WMS ranging from improper financial practices, unauthorized fundraising to sexual misconduct on a bus and near collapse of discipline on the campus. Dobbs would eventually request support from the District Internal Audit Branch, who did their own investigation of the school’s financial practices. His final report was not completed until January 2011.

female student, who repeatedly said, “We ain't even much studying you. You need to get up out of our classroom." Sterling advised her that if she continued she could walk over to her office.

The girl threw her hand up and said, "You need to get up out my face." She told Sterling, “I'm not going to your office, I'm

“Middle School is all my life.”

–Principal Sandra Rush

DISCIPLINE FALLS APART By the first week of September 2009, it was apparent that discipline would be a problem at WMS. School Resource Officer Melissa Sterling had to pepper spray a female student who was fighting a teacher outside the gym. Two days earlier, two female students were removed from a school bus for fighting. One had to be taken to the dean’s office in handcuffs. Fights and class disturbances were nearly everyday occurrences.

During the school year, WMS would go through four school resource officers.

None of them seemed to have as much trouble as Sterling, the initial SRO, who had conflicts with Principal Rush within weeks after school started.

On Sept. 10, 2009, Sterling heard yelling from the classroom across the hall. “I could see students out of their seats and there was a lot of loud talk, and it appeared the teacher could not get the students under control,” wrote Sterling in her report.

“I then heard a female voice say, 'F*%$ the police, we don't care about no police.'”

When the SRO entered the classroom, the students settled down, except for one

going to talk to Ms. Rush,” and picked up her bag and left the classroom.

When she found her in Rush's office, the SRO was stunned by how the principal

“It took me three days to get the girl's name,” Sterling told Dobbs. “She told me she did not know the student's name. Then they gave me the wrong name. They gave me the sister's name.”

The next day there was another disturbance in the same classroom. When SRO went to her office door, the teacher said, "These students are out of control. I need you to come talk to them." The deputy radioed for Dean Thomas, who went into her classroom for the remainder of the 4th period. Superintendent Thomas was visiting the school, saw the teacher crying in the deputy's office, went into the classroom and spoke to the students. No disciplinary action was reported by the SRO.

deputy was told by Rush that she wasn't going to do anything about the fight. Sterling interviewed the male student, who said the female had demanded his chair, pulled it out from under him and then hit him with it. The boy admitted to fighting back and striking the girl.

According to Sterling, Deans Thomas and Andrews told her, “Ms. Rush does not want you involved. We were told that incident goes no further.” The deputy said that Rush told her that she didn't know the alleged assailant's name.

The relationship between Rush and Sterling went downhill from there. “They never really got over the pepper spray.

They kept making a big issue of writing reports,” the deputy told Dobbs. “The teachers said to me, 'I have written a child up three or four times,' and they were told there was no referral.”

By October 2009, Sterling had transferred to Woodham Middle School.

NEVER BEEN STRONG ON DISCIPLINE

Principal Sandra Rush / photo by Kevin 'Elvis' King

“The teachers said to me, 'I have written a child up three or four times,' and they were told there was no referral.”

–School Resource Officer Deputy Melissa Sterling handled the incident. “Before receiving information about what had taken place, Ms. Rush waved her hand and stated I could leave, that this was her 'baby,' and she wasn't any trouble, and she would talk to her from here,” wrote the SRO in her report. The deputy refused to walk away and told the principal what had taken place.

When Rush asked the student what had happened, the student got up and stormed out of the office past the SRO, Dean Thomas and Dean Sawyer. Later, when the SRO asked the principal for the child's name and information for her report, the principal told the deputy that no disciplinary action would be taken.

On Sept. 17, 2009, Deputy Sterling reported that teacher Ivy Coleman said that a fight had occurred in the lunch room. A female student had swung a chair at a male student, which ignited a fight between the two. Rush broke it up and removed the pair from the lunch room, according to Coleman.

When Deputy Sterling saw the female student coming out of Rush's office, the

The IN asked Principal Rush if she was too soft. “Everyone knows I'm not going to be a strong disciplinarian,” she said with a laugh.

Rush did have an open door policy for parents, teachers and students. “I had to change the culture. Children knew that they could come into my office, I would listen and then tell them to do what the teachers says,” she said.

“They need to be loved, to know somebody cares. We are not just dealing with education. At least, they want to come to school. I greet them every day, say ‘Good morning’, watching for facial expressions, pulling aside those who look troubled.”

Why did WMS have four SROs? “I don't know why, I was never told why they left,” said Rush. “I was trying to stay out of their business.”

Thomas Jones, a retired U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander whose son was in the sixth grade, didn’t approve of Rush’s leadership. “I have no doubt that she has what the county requires academically to be a principal,” Jones

“They need to be loved, to know somebody cares. We are not just dealing with education.”

–Rush told the IN, “but as far as leadership for that school, she was not only a step in the wrong direction, but 380-degrees out from what that school needed.”

INDEPENDENT NEWS | april 07, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

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IN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Jones shared one incident about his son: “My son got chastised by a teacher, deservingly so. In a huff, he went running out of the classroom, ran down the stairs, ran down the hallway and ran into the principal’s office with tears on his face, all upset. She wrapped him up in her arms like a loving grandmother. When his teacher finally found him, after getting someone else to watch her class, the principal asked her, ‘What have you done to this child?’”

To assume your teacher has done something wrong is piss poor leadership.

You never chastise someone in command position in front of a subordinate. Never, absolutely never.”

–LCDR (USN ret.) Thomas Jones, parent Jones believed that there may be a time a teacher needs to be corrected, but the retired naval officer disagreed with the principal doing it in front of his son. “To assume your teacher has done something

wrong is piss poor leadership,” said Jones.

“You never chastise someone in command position in front of a subordinate. Never, absolutely never.”

Jones said that he tried to talk with Rush and Superintendent Thomas about his concerns and got nowhere.

“When I would go to his office to meet him personally, I could never get through,” he told the IN. “I was told that he wasn’t available.”

This year his son is attending Escambia Christian School, but Jones still worries about the WMS teachers. “It was obvious from speaking with all my son’s teachers at WMS that not one felt they had the support of the principal.”

to the District, state DOE or law enforcement. Clark, who transferred to Spencer Bibbs Elementary after the incident, told

“Everyone knows I'm not going to be a strong disciplinarian.”

–Rush

BATTERY OR PRANK One teacher who might agree with Thomas Jones is Adam Clark, formerly a sixth grade teacher at WMS. Dobbs investigated a report of a coordinated assault on Clark, an assault that wasn't reported

Dobbs that he was taking his class to the bathroom. A male student called his name.

When he turned his head, a female student began choking him around the throat.

“I yelled at her to get her hands off my neck,” said Clark. The students said it was a prank, but Clark wrote a referral. He was told by school officials that his attacker would only be suspended half a day and would be back in his class.

He offered to press charges, but was told not to do so because it would cause trouble and ref lect badly on him, according to Dobbs' notes. Clark told the investigator that teachers had gotten back copies of their referrals marked “need to delete this.” He believed that there were a lot of unaccounted referrals.

Clark attempted to report it per District guidelines, but was “urged to forego reporting or documentation of battery or injuries.” Instead, the teacher was counseled for causing the incident. Dobbs wrote that there were two other incidents of assault on employees reported with no response.

A student repeatedly asked a female teacher, “When are you going to f$%# me?” The assistant principal removed the student, but Rush reportedly convinced the teacher to drop the issue by telling her that she wasn’t sure what she heard.

–from interview notes of Investigator John Dobbs.

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IN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE REPORT The IN made several attempts to contact Clark. He did not return any of the calls.

The investigator reported that discipline issues were being blamed by the school administration on the teachers.

First offenses were not to have referrals, but teachers complained it was being abused, since all offenses were being declared “first offenses.”

“I yelled at her to get her hands off my neck.”

–Adam Clark, former WMS teacher Teachers unloaded their frustrations to Dobbs. A faculty member told him, “Why write (a referral), it won't make it into the system.”

A student repeatedly asked a female teacher, “When are you going to f$%# me?” The assistant principal removed the student, but Rush reportedly convinced the teacher to drop the issue by telling her that she wasn’t sure what she heard. The student was returned to the class with no disciplinary action taken.

The teachers also told of diminishing safety and unresolved physical confrontations. One teacher said, “Something bad is going to happen. We’re frightened the SRO will pull out.” Another said, “I have been in a lot of schools. This school is out of

control. Everything is so violent.”

Rush told the IN that any reporting issues weren’t intentional and were due to an inexperienced staff. “Half the staff was new, half from the previous year,” said the principal. “I had high expectations, and some of the faculty didn't necessarily believe in my vision.”

DISTRICT-WIDE LACK OF REPORTING As much as the teachers were concerned over the violence at WMS, the school’s SESIR report only documented 41 incidents School Resource Officers reported 67 incidents. of crime and violence on the campus for the entire school year.

The Florida School Environmental Safety Incident Reporting (SESIR) system summarizes the total number incident is entered into the FDOE database of crime and violence incidents by school by the school. within each school district. Its purpose is FDOE doesn’t require fighting, hato provide a derassment, bullying or tobacco use to be tailed picture of reported to law enforcement, but all other the prevalence of incidents are expected to include consultacrime and viotion with law enforcement. Reported to law lence incidents enforcement means “An incident should within schools, be coded as reported to Law Enforcement districts and if an official action was taken by a School statewide. The Resource Officer (SRO) or local Law Enincidents include forcement Officer, such as a case number battery, sexual was assigned, a report was filed, an affidaharassment, vit was filed, an investigation was conductdrug possession, ed and found to be an incident reportable disruptions on to SESIR, or an arrest was made.” campus, weapon The SESIR information is compiled by possession and FDOE. Through a public record request, other offenses. the IN received a spreadsheet that summaAccording to rized the crime and violence incidents for Deputy Superevery school and district in the state. Esintendent Norm cambia County lagged far behind the rest Ross, when a of the state in reporting its crime incidents student is given a to law enforcement. referral for a disFor 2009-10, Florida schools had ciplinary prob36,506 SESIR incidents that required lem, the incident law enforcement, of which 30,749 were is recorded on reported to law enforcement—84 percent, the Student or about four out of every five incidents.

Discipline ReEscambia County reported 607 such port form. If it incidents, but less than two out of five was meets the SESIR reported to law enforcement (See Table 1). guidelines, the

“I have been in a lot of schools.

This school is out of control.

Everything is so violent.”

–WMS teacher to Dobbs

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IN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE REPORT WMS is below even the district percentage. It entered 41 incidents into the SESIR system and 36 qualified for law enforcement consultation. Only one incident,

oned the students on the return trip, and the kids got out of hand. How badly was not fully discovered until the next day, when the video from the cameras on the bus was viewed.

According to School Resource Officer Bobby Small’s offense report, the song “Becky” was being played on cell phones by different students on the bus after it left Ransom. The song is about oral sex. While the song was being played a female student stood up and stated, “Who wants Becky.” At that point, a male student moved from where he was sitting to a position beside her.

“I had high expectations, and some of the faculty didn't necessarily believe in my vision.”

–Rush a weapon possession, was reported to law enforcement, less than 3 percent.

The IN made a public record request of the Sheriff ’s Office of all reports filed by the SROs and other deputies at the school.

The ECSO records documented 67 incidents on the campus for the same period (See Table 2).

Superintendent Thomas said that he can’t explain the difference in percent of incidents reported to law enforcement by his district compared to the rest of the state. But he said, “I have no indication we’re underreporting.”

Thomas said training on the reporting requirements was recently done with deans and staff and he believes they are doing it correctly. “We’re constantly training deans on the reports and what to report.”

John Doss, Director of Transportation, reviewed the video and sent an email with a timeline of what was captured to Shawn Dennis, Assistant Superintendent of Operations. Doss noted in his report that “students were sneaking back and forth when the bus was particularly dark and staying below the seats” hiding themselves from the camera. The video shows at least three boys making visits to where a female student sat. The boys covered their

For 2009-10, Florida schools had 36,506 SESIR incidents that required law enforcement consultation, of which 84 percent were reported to law enforcement. Escambia County reported less than two out of five such incidents (38 percent) to law enforcement.

BECKY BUS RIDE In the course of this investigation, the IN discovered one major sex offense at WMS that did get reported to law enforcement, but was inexplicably not reported to FDOE. FDOE divides sex incidents into two categories: sexual battery and sex offenses.

“Sexual battery” is defined as a forced or attempted sex act. Sex offenses are other sexual contact, including intercourse, without force or threat of force, or the acts that subject an individual to lewd sexual gestures, comments, sexual activity or exposing private body parts in a lewd manner. Examples of sex offenses are a student participating in sexual activity in front of another student or a student soliciting or encouraging a person to commit a sexual act.

WMS had a sex offense in October 2009 that involved several students. It was reported to ECSO. The incident was captured on video. The District officials were aware of it and had Dobbs interview the teachers that were chaperoning the students. However, WMS did not report the sex offense to FDOE. On Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009, the WMS boys' basketball team played a game at Ransom Middle School. Team members and band members rode the bus together to and from the game. Other than the bus driver, Hannah White, no adults chaper-

12 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | april 07, 2011

In the course of this investigation, the IN discovered one major sex offense at WMS that did get reported to law enforcement but was inexplicably not reported to FDOE. When school officials investigated the incident, several students who were on the bus said that the pair engaged in mutual oral sex on the bus. White told school officials that during the ride back to Warrington, she could see the female student pulling her shirt down partially exposing her breast several times, but said she wasn’t aware of what was happening.

The incident was recorded by security cameras located at the front and rear of the bus. According to Small, the District had possession of the video. School officials advised that disciplinary action would be handled by the school district.

The parents of all the students involved were contacted by school officials. There were no charges filed.

| WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

faces with their shirts as they moved back and forth to her seat. One boy was seen pulling up his pants as he left her seat.

When the bus pulled onto the WMS campus, about 25 minutes after it left Ransom, the girl appeared to be pulling her shirt on. According to Doss, she had been out of view of the cameras for about eight minutes.

Dennis forwarded this information to Dobbs. In February 2010, the teachers were informed by the District that they may face disciplinary action.

Dobbs interviewed the teachers. The bus was used by the basketball team and the band. Coach Curtis Farmer rode the bus to

Ransom but missed the bus on the return trip. He told the District Investigator that he was talking with someone when the bus left.

“As the bus pulled off, I tried to catch it.” He rode with his wife back to WMS. The band director, Charles Rogers, took seven students, who couldn’t fit on the bus, in his Honda Pilot to Ransom and drove his vehicle back to the school after the game. The reason he had taken his vehicle to the game was because Farmer wouldn’t allow his players to sit three to a seat, because “we are paying for the bus.”

While Rogers was unloading instruments at WMS, a student told him that there had been trouble on the bus. When he went to the bus ramp, several parents told him that there had been a problem on the bus and that they believed there had been no adult chaperone on the bus.

According to the bus driver, Hannah White, who was interviewed a month later

by Dobbs, Coach Farmer wasn’t happy about riding the bus, and he told her husband that he didn’t want to ride the bus if the band director didn’t ride it, too. White, who had driven a school bus for seven years, didn’t realize that there wasn’t another adult on the bus until it was well underway.

From her rearview mirror, she observed one female student engaged in what appeared to be sexual acts with several male students. A number of the students were using their cell phones either to photograph the incident or offer some illumination.

White said that at WMS, “All the kids were telling on each other.” Everyone was blaming everything on one particular female student.

“I have no indication we’re underreporting.”

–Superintendent Malcolm Thomas The next morning White took a disc created from the video tape to Principal Rush and watched it with her. Rush admonished her for leaving Ransom without a teacher on the bus and for not stopping the bus to correct the misconduct.

IN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE REPORT White told Dobbs she was upset about the sexual misconduct and hadn’t slept well since the night of the incident.

From the public record request, we also got Dobbs’ notes from an interview conducted on March 3, 2009. The names have been redacted, but the interviewee is telling Dobbs that three girls were taking their clothes off.

“They put it on their cell phones.”

Alan Scott, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resource Services, told the IN the two teachers received formal counseling sessions and were reported to the Office of Professional Practices Services (PPS). “The investigator for PPS determined there was no probable cause for action against these individuals' teaching certificates,” said Scott.

The IN emailed Deputy Superintendent Norm Ross about why WMS didn’t report the offense to FDOE and asked were there any other incidents of crime or violence that WMS failed to report? The paper didn’t receive a reply.

As late as November 2010, auditors were trying to locate where the items were.

The IN public record request revealed an email from Henry to one of the auditors, “I believe that some things are not even here anymore. But I will predict that all will appear or a replacement for them will be made. And (Rush) did tell you that Andrews paid for the things in her office, but she did not. You are my hero.”

Two days later, Rush apologized to the auditor in an email for incorrectly describing what she had purchased. “I was responding based on my memory…It was never my intent to give you wrong information regarding the safari pictures or any other item.”

Bryant was more direct in his email to Dobbs, “At best, the General fund expenditures were minimally acceptable.”

The head of internal auditing pointed out

Bryant told Dobbs that he never received the letter. He wrote in an email, “It appears to me the letter could be an afterthe-fact attempt to justify actions.”

Henry was also concerned that Rush bought over $6,000 worth of chairs and office furniture for administration offices and had instructed her to code the items for the classroom. In her notes, the bookkeeper wrote that the principal argued that she could do so because the old chairs were going to the classrooms. When Henry asked for a written

“Do I have the protection of the Whistle Blower?”

–WMS bookkeeper Janie Henry to David Bryant, Director of Internal Auditing that the decoration expenditures weren’t reimbursed voluntarily by Rush and was only done by the school at the insistence of the District.

Bryant admitted to the IN that basically his office has no teeth. He can point inappropriate expenditures out, but ultimately, the principal and superintendent make the decision on what to do going forward. “Theoretically, a principal can say, ‘I don’t agree with anything you say and I’m not going to do anything.’ I can’t make any principal implement a rule,” said Bryant. “My hope is (Warrington Middle) is making changes.”

Bryant, in his Warrington Middle School audit and in an interview with IN, maintained that principals should avoid any appearance of impropriety regarding public power or resources.

“I personally feel in this particular situation there is a perception of impropriety, and I don’t think the purchases should be made. Ultimately, it is the board’s and superintendent’s decision of whether it is in their eyes or not.”

The IN made several attempts to call WMS bookkeeper Janie Henry, but she did not return the paper’s calls.

BATTLE OVER SCHOOL EXPENDITURES Dobbs and the Internal Auditing Department investigated the financial practices of Rush. The WMS bookkeeper, Janie Henry, and district staff battled the principal over expenditures.

Henry’s distress over the conflicts led the 20-year district employee to ask first Steve Marcaino, Director of Middle School Education, and later Dobbs whether she should report her concerns to the State Attorney. As the internal audit was being finalized, she asked David Bryant, Director of Internal Auditing, in an email, “Do I have the protection of the Whistle Blower?”

Henry’s problems with her new principal began the summer of 2009, when the newly-hired Rush used Title I funds to decorate her and others’ offices,

“They put it on their cell phones.”

–from interview notes of Dobbs despite Henry’s objections. According to Henry’s notes, she was told by Wanda Mathis in Budgeting that Rush had been told those type of expenditures weren’t allowed. Rush still bought $743.57 worth of pictures, silk f lowers, decorative clocks and mirrors.

Accounting Operations in the district offices later determined Henry was right that the purchases weren’t consistent with budget guidelines.

“I can’t make any principal implement a rule. My hope is (Warrington Middle) is making changes.”–Bryant The auditors cited the decorations in the Audit of Internal Funds Report for the school that was presented to the School Board at its Jan. 4, 2011 meeting.

According to the auditors, Rush initially indicated that she was going to personally reimburse the school for the purchases.

Instead, she used the General Fund in the WMS internal accounts, which is sort of like the school’s petty cash, to reimburse the District, expending 55 percent of the available funds in that account.

In her response to the auditors, Rush wrote, “I submitted to you a letter on July 30, 2009 requesting that if you felt the expenditures were not appropriate after reviewing the receipt, to contact me and I would then reimburse the account. After not hearing from you, I was under the impression that the expenditure was appropriate.”

justification, Rush refused to provide one.

In October 2009, Rush came to Henry and asked her to code classroom supplies for teachers as staff development. The principal had given the teachers $500 each and asked them to give her back $100 of it for copy paper.

This wasn’t specifically cited in the audit report, but the auditors noted that 16 out of the 41 disbursements tested (39 percent) didn’t have the Request for Purchase Order properly completed, including lacking the principal’s approval. Rush told the auditors the discrepancies were an oversight and would be corrected in the future.

Dobbs noted the coding issue in his final report. He stated that the improper financial management had substance and warranted planned control measures.

However, he felt there was “no potential employee criminal misconduct.”

POSSIBLE FUNDRAISING SCAM Dobbs also investigated an On the Job Training (OJT) student’s handling of a fundraiser, whose proceeds appeared to go directly to the student. Max—not his real name to protect his identity—was assigned as Principal Rush’s assistant and was paid $7.25 per hour for approximately 30 hours a week. Max worked for Rush at Montclair Elementary, and the principal had requested that he be transferred to WMS with her.

There was some confusion on campus among teachers, parents and students who he was and what his duties were. Thomas Jones remembers him making visitor badges. “I couldn’t figure out who he was,” said Jones. “I thought he was full-time employee, an assistant to the principal.”

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IN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Max told one staff member that he was a teacher assistant assigned to Student Services. “We knew (name) was special to Ms. Rush,” she told Dobbs, according to his notes. “I felt everybody knew they were close.”

In February 2010, WMS bookkeeper Janie Henry received a phone call from Fund Rays, a coupon book vendor, about the school owing the company $350 for 70 coupon books. She had no authorization for such a fundraiser and she notified the District office.

It wou ld ta ke Dobbs t wo weeks to f ind Ma x and inter v iew him. On March 11, 2010, Dobbs inter v iewed t he boy, who said he was asked to do t he

14 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | april 07, 2011

| WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

school. He a lso said he had bought each member a Christmas gif t. He admitted to w riting t he letter and signing t he contract.

INTERVIEW: SUPERINTENDENT MALCOLM THOMAS Direct answers to direct questions on WMS

“It’s hard work to do what we’re doing there.

It’s hard work, and it’s not over yet.”

–Superintendent Thomas Henry found a letter regarding a fund-raising effort for the “First Priority Club” that was written by the student and possibly delivered to a WMS parent.

The letter identified Max as the president of the club and asked parents to write checks to him for coupon books: “As you know that we are selling coupon books for our club at Warrington Middle, we have a problem with our checking account, our non-profit Tax-Id information has expired will not be valid until the 3rd of January 2009, this mean (sic) I need all check (sic) made out to (his name) so that I am able to get checks into account.”

The letter had Max’s name at the bottom with a WMS telephone number.

The First Priority Clubs are Christian campus ministries for high and middle schools that are part of First Priority of America, which is based in Middlesboro, Ky. A search of IRS online databases show that there is no First Priority Club in the Pensacola area registered with the IRS as a non-profit.

Max had an office at the school.

When Dobbs visited it, he found a “Fund Rays” coupon book, an invoice to Max from the vendor with an outstanding balance, and a contract executed by the student for 70 coupon books.

Dobbs contacted the coupon book vendor, who said Max had told him that he had sold 20 books and would return the remaining 50. He said the boy was worried that he might go to jail. The vendor wasn’t aware that the contract had been executed by a juvenile. He agreed to drop the matter if the student returned the unsold books and settled the debt for sold books.

f undraiser and t hat he used t he money from t he sa les to purchase snacks and drinks for t he First Priorit y Club, which met once or t w ice a week before

IS WARRINGTON MIDDLE SCHOOL STILL HIS “TURNAROUND” SCHOOL? Thomas: “I want it to be. I want it to be for the students. I want it to work out. We have roughly 800 kids who go to that school. I need it to be a good school. They need it to be a good school. Their future is at stake.

“Everyone thinks it’s a throw away school, and that’s not what I think at all.

I know I can’t change the perception of that school by myself. First, we had to get the students under control there.

Next, we need to attract our best and brightest teachers there. Teachers need to feel it’s a good place to be.

“I’m not giving up on Warrington Middle School students. I know a lot of people do. As long as we continue to move forward, I will do all I can to continue to support them and work through the challenges.”

ON THE FIRST YEAR AT WMS: Thomas: “I think the first year really had its challenges: challenges with the students, challenges with staffing. It took time for the entire team to get on the

same page. I think what I underestimated most is the time it takes to develop the synergy you need to have on a team.

“It’s a mixed bag. We’ve had some success and we’ve had some challenges, and we knew it would be that way. You don’t start working with a whole new group and think it will be simple and easy. It’s hard work to do what we’re doing there.

It’s hard work, and it’s not over yet.

“This year we’re in a much better position. We’re getting there. We still have progress to make, obviously. But when you look at how far the staff has brought the school compared to five years ago, we’re on the right track.

“It’s a very challenging school. They (the students) live in some challenging situations. I’m very optimistic on what I see in the classrooms this year. Teachers there will tell you they’ve seen marked progress. A few teachers there have been through it all. A few who were competent and good, we let return.”

ON CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR: Thomas: “We’re trying to build relationships with parents. That’s another weak area for us. We saw some progress with the new gym there. Uniforms are a big help this year. This is our only middle school that parents voted to accept uniforms.”

ON PRINCIPAL SANDRA RUSH AND DISCIPLINE TEAM: Thomas: “I think there has been growth.

There have been moments of victory and moments of great trial. Through some of those tough experiences, that’s where you learn your best lessons. I know she (Rush) loves the students. She has great management and great rapport with the community.

“You have got to have a team and really draw on the strength of the individuals on your team. Some might be good with hugs. Then there are those times when you need an iron fist. The students have got to know not to try any junk that they do. That’s why we

brought in two experienced deans this year. It’s helping the students settle in and be more focused in the classroom.

The discipline issues have gotten more under control.

ON ALLEGATION HE TOLD HIS STAFF TO LOOK THE OTHER WAY ON RUSH OR THE SCHOOL’S PROBLEMS: Thomas: “Absolutely not. Nobody gets a free pass. We ordered audits. We have high expectations for everyone, including me. We expect ethical conduct at every turn.

“Not every offense is a death penalty offense. I’m going to weigh all the facts, whether it’s a student or an employee.

Some misinterpret or interpret differently most of the issues Sandra dealt with. The audit had findings, but a lot of schools have findings in an audit. That’s why you do a corrective action plan.”

ON FOLLOW UP AT WMS: Thomas: “Warrington Middle School has a lot of checks and balances in place.

There’s good oversight there. It seems to be working.”

ON UNDERREPORTING CRIME AND VIOLENCE: Thomas said that he can’t explain the difference in percent of incidents reported compared to the rest of the state. But he says, “I have no indication we’re underreporting.”

Thomas said training on the reporting requirements was recently done with deans and staff and he believes they are doing it correctly. “We’re constantly training deans on the reports and what to report.”

ON ALLEGATION HE HAD INSTRUCTED WMS STAFF NOT TO TALK TO MEDIA: Thomas: “That has never been said.

We’re open. We try to be as transparent as possible.”

IN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Dobbs briefed ECSO on his investigation. They expressed no interest in pursuing the investigation further.

The audit report cited WMS for not following procedures regarding the coupon book sales. A Fundraising Request/ Reconciliation Form was never completed for the fundraiser. According to the report, Principal Rush said that she was “hesitant to become involved in the First Priority Club’s activities due to concerns about church versus state. As such, activities appeared to occur for which she was unaware.”

The audit report didn’t mention the coupon fundraiser was conducted by a high school student or that the student may have pocketed the profits.

NEW YEAR, NEW TEAM In early March 2011, the IN reviewed the personnel file of Sandra Rush, which gave the paper an opportunity to interview Rush, who sat with Alan Scott while her records were examined.

“We did make a difference,” said Rush. The principal said that she didn’t get much help from her predecessor. “I knew nothing about the school,” she said. “There was no master schedule, and Ms. Nixon shared no previous knowledge.

So last year was a trial. I had to see what worked and what didn't work.”

“It’s hard work to do what we’re doing there,” said Superintendent Thomas about WMS. “It’s hard work, and it’s not over yet.”

Thomas admitted he miscalculated the challenges at WMS. “I think the first year really had it challenges—challenges with the students, challenges with staffing,” he said. “It took time for the entire team to get on the same page. I think what I underestimated most was the time it takes to develop the synergy you need to have on a team.”

This year, Thomas believes he has the right team at WMS. “This year we’re in a much better position,” he said. “We still have progress to make, obviously. But when you look at how far the staff has brought the school compared to five years ago, we’re on the right track.

“Teachers there will tell you they’ve seen

“Some misinterpret or interpret differently most of the issues Sandra dealt with. The audit had findings, but a lot of schools have findings in an audit. That’s why you do a corrective action plan.”

–Superintendent Thomas

SOMETHING ABOUT OJT STUDENT The coupon books weren’t the only issue with Max. Several staff members saw the OJT student with keys to restricted offices. Henry told Dobbs that she called her office and Max answered the phone. SRO Sterling said Max always had a radio and a key to her office. “He told me that he had a key to everywhere and unlocked my door in front of me.”

The student was found another time in the SRO’s office watching the camera surveillance system.

Dobbs discovered Max frequently used teachers’ cars to run errands, which is prohibited by the OJT rules. In December, he wrecked a teacher’s car on a run to WalMart and was ticketed for driving with a suspended license.

Dobbs wrote in his report that Max had been assigned duties beyond OJT authority and direction. The high school student supervised classes until substitute teachers arrived. He confiscated students’ cell phones and backpacks. An assistant principal found Max on campus in the offices at 7:30 a.m. and told him that he wasn’t to be on campus. Staff complained that he made inappropriate advances with female students.

In his final report on the improper financial practices at WMS, dated Jan. 11, 2011, Dobbs stated the OJT student was subsequently removed from duties at WMS and reassigned.

team—Assistant Principal Larry Reid and Dean of Students Delores Morris. Both Scott and Rush agreed that the pair have had a big impact.

“I had two new deans that were inexperienced,” said Rush. “Nobody wants to come to these schools. They had good intentions, not the experience.”

She no longer is involved in discipline, but doesn’t apologize for her “softness.”

“My mother was a single mom,” said Rush.

“She raised my sister and me and her nieces. By the time I was 10 years old, I was like a mother helping her take care of them.

“I'm a compassionate person. God told me treat others like you wanted to be treated. If that's softness, then I'm soft in that area.”

Thomas also believes the new discipline team has made a difference. “I know she (Rush) loves the students,” said the superintendent. “She has great management and great rapport with the community.”

He explained the new discipline team: “Some might be good with hugs. Then there

"The problems at Warrington are rampant, epidemic and condoned by Malcolm Thomas.”

–WMS teacher to IN

“This is the roughest job I've ever had. I've made a difference with the kids. What I didn't expect is to be under the microscope and people misinterpreting things.”

–Rush are those times when you need an iron fist.

The (students) have got to know not to try any junk that they do. That’s why we brought in two experienced deans this year. It’s helping the students settle in and be more focused in the classroom. The discipline issues have gotten more under control.”

Rush’s personnel file has nothing but glowing reports from all her supervisors over her 30-plus years in the district. There were no letters or memorandums in her file about any of the allegations or findings from her first year at WMS. Still, Thomas denied that Rush has been given preferential treatment. “Nobody gets a free pass,” he said. “We ordered audits.

We expect ethical conduct at every turn.”

But he added that not every mistake should incur the death penalty. “I’m going to weigh all the facts whether it’s a student

“I’m not giving up on Warrington Middle School students. I know a lot of people do. As long as we continue to move forward, I will do all I can to continue to support them and work through any challenges.”–Superintendent Thomas marked progress. A few teachers there have been through it all. A few who were competent and good we let return.”

Rush has made several changes for the current school year. The students wear uniforms, and the grades are housed in separate wings. She has a new discipline

or an employee,” said Thomas. “Some misinterpret or interpret differently most of the issues Sandra dealt with. The audit had findings, but a lot of schools have findings in an audit. That’s why you do a corrective action plan.”

Thomas still sees WMS as his turnaround school. “Everyone thinks it’s a throw away school and that’s not what I think at all. First, we had to get the students under control there. Next, we need to attract our best and brightest teachers there. Teachers need to feel it’s a good place to be.”

The current teachers and staff were reluctant to talk on the record with the IN about whether WMS is a good place to be. Not all of them are buying the superintendent’s hype. Some told the IN that the conditions at WMS are the same as last year, maybe worse. Several blamed the superintendent.

"The problems at Warrington are rampant, epidemic and condoned by Malcolm Thomas,” the IN was told.

Rush believes the school is better than when she took the job. “This is the roughest job I've ever had,” she said. “I've made a difference with the kids. What I didn't expect is to be under the microscope and people misinterpreting things.”

Malcolm Thomas’ commitment hasn’t waivered. “I’m not giving up on Warrington Middle School students. I know a lot of people do. As long as we continue to move forward, I will do all I can to continue to support them and work through any challenges.” rick@inweekly.net

▶WEB EXTRA

You can read online the 2009-10 School Year: SESIR Spreadsheet, SESIR Definitions and Guidelines, the reports, notes and interviews of District Investigator John Dobbs and the offense reports submitted by the school resource officers to their supervisors. Visit inweekly.net and click on “Web Extras” in the navigational toolbar.

INDEPENDENT NEWS | april 07, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

15

art, film, music, stage, books and other signs of civilization...

The Problem with Monsters A preview of 'Frankenstein: Monster on Trial'

by Dylan O’Leary he problem with monsters...is that they take on a life of their own.

Welcome to improv theatre—with a monster.

The University of West Florida’s Book Club presents “Frankenstein: Monster on Trial,” a new courtroom play with the monster up for murder on April 12 at Seville Quarter.

The problem with this “monster” is that there’s no script.

“The actors are developing talking points and will be given script cards,” said Robin Blyn, director of the production and its master of ceremonies. “There’s going to be a lot of flow and improv on those points.

And a little vaudeville.”

In the words of that other monster-script writer, Michael Crichton, anything can happen.

“I haven’t even been given the script yet,” said Mary Lowe-Evans, UWF Professor Emeritus of English. She’s playing Mary Wollenstonecraft, the real-life mother of the author of “Frankenstein,” Mary Shelley.

Mary Shelley’s life was much like the play: off-script. Shelley’s parents were vehemently anti-marriage and for the rights of women and had affairs and children out of wedlock. Yet her father condemned Shelley when she ran off to Switzerland with a married man, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. It was in that mountainous country that Mary wrote the amazing “Frankenstein,” set within its Helvetian beauty.

“And Mary’s life is reflected in the novel,” Lowe-Evans said. “It was a life of hypocrisies. It is impossible to expect a person to live their life in a way that is consistent with their philosophies. And while we deal with that every day, the [Frankenstein] monster cannot. He can’t understand con-

But more importantly, I can’t wait to see how the crowd reacts to our improv.”

The cast is excited, but you’re probably thinking, "What’s the monster gonna do in a courtroom drama? Moan and holler and smash-like-Hulk for an hour on stage? Nope.

“Frankenstein’s monster is eloquent in the novel,” Lowe-Evans reminds us. The monster becomes quite the intellect in the book, despite the Mel Brooks' “Puttin’ On The Ritz” scene in "Young Frankenstein."

But if you’ve seen Boris Karloff, the most famous Frankenstein actor, in any of his other roles—the haughty English nobleman with an arched, smooth, almost seductive voice—you’ll get a better audio-visual of the monster’s capabilities in the original novel.

T

MURDER ON TRIAL

flicting messages and he goes into a rage when there are two conflicting actions or ideas. It causes him to become a monster.”

A victim of that rage is the character Elizabeth Frankenstein, killed by the monster. She’ll be played by UWF student Jessica Marie Green.

“I am so very interested in this role,” Green said. “Like Elizabeth, I’m a newlywed! It’s going to be a lot of fun for both the actors and the audience.”

“It’s going to be a bit like being on the evening news,” said Doug Moon, UWF graduate student, who will be playing the role of Dr. Victor Frankenstein. “I’m really enjoying developing my monologue. I’m researching how the trial fits in with the science of the Romantic Period because I don’t want this to be a condemnation of science, but rather seeing the limits of science.

16 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | april 07, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

The crime is murder. But can the monster be held accountable for his crimes? Is he knowledgeable enough to be responsible for his actions?

“The monster’s defense is ‘Why didn’t you stop me?’” Blyn says. “‘How could I know or understand what was at stake? I’m a product of my influence and cannot be held accountable for what I have done and what I have become.’”

So, who’s to judge?

You. You, the audience, are the jury and will vote for the verdict.

“We’ll take a break after the trial,” Blyn said, giving the jury time to confer. During that time there will also be a costume contest, raffle, and a trivia contest. So there’s a lot of perks for coming to the show. [End shameless plug.]

But the actual judge in the play is performed by Al Greene, a retired scientist.

When asked whether his background will make him a harsh judge or lend a more sympathetic ear, Greene replied, “I retired in 1999, a senior executive within the industry working full time to deal with the unexpected consequences of chemical water and air pollution and carcinogenic reactions to substances intended to make us more beautiful, live longer, do less work and make us rich.

“But today I continue to note mankind’s ongoing quest for beauty, leisure, wealth and immortality in spite of past errors. The Frankenstein parable lives on.”

Does that bias make him recuse himself as the judge?

Prosecuting the monster will be David Baulch, UWF Associate Professor of English. He’s got a strong case.

“Strictly speaking, the creature is guilty of the murders of William Frankenstein, Elizabeth Lavenza and Henry Clerval,” Baulch said. “Given this, it is fair to try him and convict him of murder. The point that such a prosecutor (and indeed the whole legal process) misses is the extent to which the creature is not an inhuman aberration, but a symptom of the conf licting ideologies we experience as a morally coherent human world.”

If you think this is all highfalutin philosophy, understand that this is the very hot air out of which the Revolution came, birthing our monstrous State of young minds and young ideas.

YOUNG MINDS, YOUNG IDEAS

The Frankenstein trial is a product of UWF’s Capstone Program, which is designed to give graduating English majors a project by which they can demonstrate their talents before they go out into the real world—much like a monster leaving the controlled environment of a lab. And what if this monster, this wild creature of improv and pseudo-scripts and sci-fi takes on a life of its own, ad-libbing left and right? What if something goes very, very wrong?

Blyn said that as the director and MC, she’ll be refereeing the performance and will be prepared to rein in the zannies if they get out of hand.

I think Dr. Frankenstein said that, too. info@inweekly.net

'FRANKENSTEIN: MONSTER ON TRIAL'

WHEN: April 12, 7pm.

WHERE: Phineas Phogg's in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. COST: $10 General Admission, $7 Students, $5 Arrive in Costume DETAILS: (251) 236-1245 or uwf.edu/bookclub/

culture

Fantasy Takes Center Stage Transformation Into Three-Dimensional World For Local Live Theatres

By Barry Shuck

“Around each corner is a surprise; some are silly and fanciful, while others can be a little bit scary,” explained director Stephen C. Lott. “Each character has a unique costume custom designed to capture the spirit of their character.”

This play is actually the sequel to the original renowned “Alice in Wonderland” story.

Most folks have never realized that a sequel was ever written, much less made into a play. In fact, an animated movie based on the novel was released in 1987 with the voice talents of Phyllis Diller and Jonathan Winters. It is also a well-known fact that several of the original Alice characters have been depicted in adaptations worldwide, with Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee the most popular.

In this adaptation, most live theatre patrons can share in Alice’s exploration of the LookingGlass World given that the storyline is not that well known.

“For that hour and a half, you have to throw out every prescribed visual projection Caroline Bond as Alice / photo by Auriette Lindsey and just use your imagination,” surmised cast member Mauhe world of fantasy has never been reen McNeill, who plays the Red Queen. more prevalent. Movies based on “Younger audience members can enjoy the trendy comic book characters and visual experience of different sights and 3-D cartoons are theatre staples, sounds, while adults can f lex their brain video game sales are at an all-time bits trying to catch all the jokes.” high, and virtual online games such as In the plot, Alice once again discovCityVille or Mafia Wars are additive on ers a delightful and enchanting place that sites like Facebook. is full of an assortment of characters and The most fashionable way to locate a fairy-tale adventures. In this alternate lifelong partner is no longer the bar scene, world, everything is reversed, in disarray but on the Web at any number of dating and upside down. In fact, Alice must trek sites that allow the user to become taller, across this new land—disguised as a giant slimmer and generate more money than in chess board—in order to become a queen. his reality world.

Along the way, she encounters characters With this in mind, local live theatre such as Humpty Dumpty and the terrible houses have taken note and inserted into creature known as the Jabberwocky. their production line-up plays with the With such a fantasy world, elaborate imagination in mind. costumes and complex sets would be Pensacola Little Theatre (PLT) is servchallenging for most live theatre venues, ing up an alternate world with the play but at PLT, they answered the question, “Alice Through the Looking Glass.” This “How exactly do you make life-size, living, production is about the famous Alice charbreathing, talking chess pieces?” acter from “Alice in Wonderland” and is a There is a secret ingredient, and that commust-see for the enthusiast of the peculiar ponent is someone named Jeannie Atwell. and whimsical.

T

“The costumes are a critical element to creating the characters on stage,” Lott admitted. “My costume designer Jeannie Atwell is an extraordinary artist who paints and sculpts with cloth. I am so fortunate to have a team of amazing artists around me that almost anything that can be imagined can be created.”

The costumes in this production are amazing. Without great costumes and a skillful costume design, instead of creating the air of pomp and embellishment, this show would be nothing more than a cheesy B-movie.

“Stephen and I start planning the costumes a year or more in advance. I prefer doing shows where all or most of the costumes are my designs and creations,” said Atwell. “The chess pieces need to be recognizable and the actors have to be able to move about on stage in a normal way. We are using very elegant fabrics and trims for these costumes.”

Lott realizes that children of all generations have delighted in entering fantasy worlds. “When Jeannie and I work together, we have several shared goals,” he added. “We want to create a unique experience for the audience, try to have the costumes reflect the inner nature of the character, and we want each actor on stage to feel they have the best costume in the show.”

Other cast members include Caroline Bond, Katherine Bishop, Daniel Cheer, Caroline Pierce, Sean Fagan, Colton Cash and Cliff Presley.

Some might say this PLT play is an escape from the real world, while actually it may be a way of learning to understand and deal with our environment without interference with today’s video game generation.

“Gamers are used to seeing graphics that are generated to be as life-like as possible,” McNeill concluded. “They can no longer have that ‘suspension of disbelief ’, which is crucial in live theatre.”

PLT isn’t the only theatre to jump on the fantasy bandwagon.

Panhandle Community Theatre (PCT) is offering the theatre-goer the wonderful and wacky world of traveling the globe with the humorous production “Luxury Cruise.”

The plot is set on a sumptuous ocean liner with passengers embarked on a worldwide tour of faraway places and exotic beaches. This comedy encases the lives of several people who wish to be somewhere else, and have fun while doing it.

“There is one scene where eight of the nine cast members are on stage at the same time,” offered director Lauren Sutton.

“This fits in wonderfully with what the script dictates as a tight cruise ship cabin.”

“The challenges of doing a comedy from the standpoint of the actors is not to laugh when a fellow actor is doing something funny,” echoed cast member Jean Moses.

This rollicking comedy comes complete with clever and whimsical characters.

The entire play is set aboard a cruise ship melded into three acts (instead of the usual two), each act staged in a different suite, and is a story about three pairs of passengers who embark upon a cruise around the world. As the ship leaves the harbor, the audience learns about each character as they handle their personal problems, their dealings with life and the comedic situations that ensue.

“The audience can expect a comic roller coaster disguised as a cruise ship,” said cast member Candy Culberson. “There are dips into the twists and turns of loss, the challenge of admitting faults, and the comic complications that occur because of pretensions.”

With this show, the audience will have the opportunity to win a dolphin harbor cruise for two via a raffle sponsored by Chase-N-Fins Charters of Pensacola Beach. It should be noted that PCT is an “intimate theatre” and requires reservations.

The remainder of the cast is Nancy Sabol, Robin Tillery, Andrew Finkelstein, David Cook, Sylvia Love, Barry Shuck and Suzanne Haarala. info@inweekly.net

‘ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS’

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m.

Sundays, April 8-10, 15-17 WHERE: Pensacola Cultural Center, 400 S. Jefferson St. COST: $10-$20, Children 12 and under half price DETAILS: 432-2042 or pensacolalittletheatre.com

‘LUXURY CRUISE’

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays, April 7-10, 14-17 WHERE: Storage Masters Center, 4646 Woodbine Road, Pace COST: $12 DETAILS: 221-7599 or panhandlecommunitytheatre.com

INDEPENDENT NEWS | april 07, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

17

hot times THURSDAY 4.07 ▼ART

ART CLASS AT PAINTING WITH A TWIST 5:30-7:30 p.m. Bring your favorite bottle of wine or beverage, and paint a picture step by step that you will take home. 16 years and older. Theme: Bird’s Nest. Painting with a Twist, 4771 Bayou Blvd., Suite C-11. $35. 471-1450 or paintingwithatwist.com/pensacola.

▼FOOD & DRINK

A TITANIC EXTRAVAGANZA AT DK 6 p.m. DK and Chef Keith Hoffert will be featuring five courses from the official 10-course menu served on April 14, 1912, to the well-to-do passengers before they met their fate in the early morning hours of April 15. $59.99. Distinctive Kitchens, 29 Palafox. 438-4688 or dk4u.com.

TENNESSEE HONEY LAUNCH PARTY AT FISH HOUSE 5-7 p.m. All Jack Daniels fans are invited to a premiere launch party for Jack Daniels’ new liqueur, Tennessee Honey. The Honey girls will be giving out samples along with free hats and t-shirts. Free and open to the public. The Deck Bar at The Pensacola Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or fishhouse.goodgrits.com.

▼LECTURES & CLASSES

CULTURE CLUB 6 p.m. This week the guests are the Pensacola Opera and the award winners of the “Tagged 2011” exhibit.

Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. 432-6247 or pensacolamuseumofart.org.

HERB CLASS AT EVER’MAN 5:30 p.m. Study different herbs sold at Ever’man. This group will study a video series compiled by Dr. John R. Christopher and Richard Schulze. Free for members, $2 for non-members. Ever’man Natural Foods, 315 W. Garden St. 438-0402 or everman.org.

▼LIVE MUSIC

JIM ANDREWS 7 p.m. Five Sisters Blues Cafe, 421 W. Belmont St. 912-4856 or fivesistersbluescafe.com.

ROCKIN JAKE 7 p.m. Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via de Luna. 9165087 or paradisebar-grill.com.

TIMBERHAWK 9 p.m. End ‘O the Alley in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

▼OTHER

SUNSETS AT PLAZA DE LUNA 5:30 p.m.-sunset. Hotcakes will perform and Woody will entertain the kids. De Luna’s full-service concession will serve up snacks and full meals, and the interactive fountain will be a refreshing splash for the kids. Plaza de Luna, at the end of Palafox. 435-1695 or cityofpensacola.com/cra.

LA PALINA EVENT AT CORDOVA CIGARS 6-9 p.m. The public is invited to meet Bill Paley, who will speak about the cigars as well as the history of the brand and his family. Courtney Smith, La Palina National Sales Manager, as well as Alfredo Cruz, Regional Sales Manager, will also attend. $25 and tickets required. Cordova Cigars, 6050 N. Ninth Ave. 473-0080.

RADIOLIVE 6 p.m. Admission is with a donation of nonperishable food for Manna Food Pantries. April’s musical guests will be: Jamie Anderson, Cliff Eberhardt, Nora Jane Struthers and Monroe Crossing. Because the Museum of Commerce will be hosting a history conference on the first Thursday in April, this RadioLive will be at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. 474-2787 or wuwf.org.

FRIDAY 4.08 ▼ART

▼LIVE MUSIC

SCOTT BRYAN 7 p.m. The Oar House, 1000 S. Pace Blvd. 5494444 or the-oar-house.com.

TBA 7 p.m. Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via de Luna. 916-5087 or paradisebar-grill.com.

SAWMILL & GUESTS 7 p.m. Farmer’s Opry, 8897 Byrom Campbell Road. 994-6000 or farmersopry.com.

TRUNK MONKEY 9 p.m. The Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 4700003 or fishhouse.goodgrits.com.

TIMBERHAWK 9 p.m. End ‘O the Alley in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

SCHOFIELD 9 p.m. Bamboo Willie’s, 400 Quietwater Beach Road. 916-9888 or bamboowillies.com.

18 STRING AMY 9:30 p.m. Free. Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen & Taproom, 10 S. Palafox. 497-6073 or hopjacks.com.

JELLY PRODUCTIONS DJ’S 10 p.m.-2 p.m. The Islander Lounge, 43 Via de Luna. 932-3741 or myspace.com/islanderbeachbar.

▼THEATRE & PERFORMANCE

‘ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS’ 7:30 p.m. Lewis Carroll’s fanciful tale about a girl who walks through a mirror into a strange and magical world. $10-$20. Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. 432-2042 or pensacolalittletheatre.com.

▼OTHER EVENTS

AUTO RACING 8 a.m. Five Flags Speedway, 7451 Pine Forest Road. 944-8400 or 5flagsspeedway.com.

SEVILLE ROTARY CORNHOLE CLASSIC 1 p.m. This is a twoperson team, elimination-style, non-sanctioned tournament to raise funds for community projects. Pre-paid entry free includes complimentary craft beer. $10. Seville Quarter Party Plaza, 130 E. Government St. sevillerotary.com.

BANDS ON THE BAYOU 6-7 p.m. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and come enjoy the sounds of local middle school and high school bands at Bayview Park Pier. Bayview Park, 20th Avenue and Lloyd Street. 436-5670 or playpensacola.com.

‘A GALA SMORGASBORD OF TREAT, TUNES AND TREASURES’ 6:30-9 p.m. The evening will feature both live and silent auctions filled with merchandise, gift certificates and services, many of them one of a kind. Pensacola Opera Center, 75 S. Tarragona St. 484-1806 or choralsocietyofpensacola.com.

EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN CONFERENCE 7 p.m. Extraordinary Women’s mission is to host events that provide resources that equip women to handle life’s difficulties while enriching their hearts, encouraging their souls and expanding their ministry. Pensacola Civic Center, 201 E. Gregory St. 432-0800 or pensacolaciviccenter.com.

SATURDAY 4.09 ▼ART

ART CLASS AT PAINTING WITH A TWIST 2-4 p.m. Bring your favorite bottle of wine or beverage, and paint a picture step by step that you will take home. 16 years and older. Theme: Sunflower. Painting with a Twist, 4771 Bayou Blvd., Suite C-11. $35. 471-1450 or paintingwithatwist.com/pensacola.

ART CLASS AT PAINTING WITH A TWIST 6-8 p.m. Bring your favorite bottle of wine or beverage, and paint a picture step by step that you will take home. 16 years and older. Theme: Cherry Blossoms. Painting with a Twist, 4771 Bayou Blvd., Suite C-11. $35. 471-1450 or paintingwithatwist.com/pensacola.

▼FESTIVALS

‘ART IN OTHER PLACES’ DOCUMENTARY FILM SERIES 7:30 p.m.

The Belmont Arts and Cultural Center (BACC), in collaboration with Artel Gallery, is hosting a free documentary film series that focuses on artists and art organizations which have made a positive impact on the community. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. 429-1222 or belmontartscenter.com.

▼LIVE MUSIC

SAWMILL & GUESTS 7 p.m. Farmer’s Opry, 8897 Byrom Campbell Road. 994-6000 or farmersopry.com.

TIM SPENCER 7 p.m. The Oar House, 1000 S. Pace Blvd. 5494444 or the-oar-house.com.

TBA 7 p.m. Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via de Luna. 916-5087 or paradisebar-grill.com.

BROOKS HUBBERT III 9 p.m. End ‘O the Alley in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

▼THEATRE & PERFORMANCE

‘ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS’ 2:30 p.m. Lewis Carroll’s fanciful tale about a girl who walks through a mirror into a strange and magical world. $10-$20. Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. 432-2042 or pensacolalittletheatre.com.

TRUNK MONKEY 9 p.m. The Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 4700003 or fishhouse.goodgrits.com.

BUSMAN’S HOLIDAY 9:30 p.m. $5. Sluggo’s, 101 S. Jefferson St. 791-6501 or sluggos.net.

PANHANDLE ALL STARS 9:30 p.m. Five Sisters Blues Cafe, 421 W. Belmont St. 912-4856 or fivesistersbluescafe.com.

TIMBERHAWK 9 p.m. End ‘O the Alley in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

SCHOFIELD 9 p.m. Bamboo Willie’s, 400 Quietwater Beach Road. 916-9888 or bamboowillies.com.

LIVIN’ THE DREAM 9:30 p.m. Free. Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen & Taproom, 10 S. Palafox. 497-6073 or hopjacks.com.

TIMBERHAWK 10 p.m.-2 p.m. The Islander Lounge, 43 Via de Luna. 932-3741 or myspace.com/islanderbeachbar.

▼OTHER

GULL POINT NEIGHBORHOOD FLEA MARKET 8 a.m.-12 p.m.

Items for sale include household items, homemade canned goods, baked goods, clothing, toys and more. Gull Point Community Center, 700 Spanish Trail. 494-7360.

EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN CONFERENCE 8:30 a.m. Extraordinary Women’s mission is to host events that provide resources that equip women to handle life’s difficulties while enriching their hearts, encouraging their souls and expanding their ministry. Pensacola Civic Center, 201 E. Gregory St. 432-0800 or pensacolaciviccenter.com.

GULF BREEZE EXPO 9 a.m.-2 p.m. The Business Expo provides attendees with information about products, services and companies that are available in our local area. Gulf Breeze Recreation Center, 800 Shoreline Drive. 934-5140 or gulfbreezerecreationcenter.com.

GET IN THE SPIRIT AT HISTORIC ST. MICHAEL’S CEMETERY 10 a.m.-2 p.m. St. Michael’s Cemetery is the oldest and most significant historic site that survives above ground in Pensacola.

Sixty activities linking our modern community to this historic site will be offered. St. Michael’s Cemetery, 6 N. Alcaniz St. 436-4643 or stmichaelscemetery.org.

▼LIVE MUSIC ▼OTHER

YOUNG AMERICANS’ POLITICAL ROUNDTABLE 2 p.m. Roundtable moderator Mike Gilbert, Pensacola State professor of history and political science, says U.S. presidents have encouraged citizens to debate and discuss issues of the day; it’s one of the great strengths of a free and democratic society. Free. Room 1444, Building 14, Pensacola State College, 1000 College Blvd.

484-2542 or pensacolastate.edu.

‘SAVING PELICAN 895’ HBO DOCUMENTARY PREMIER 7 p.m.

The movie tells the gripping story of the rescue of a Brown Pelican “LA 895,” one of the many oiled bird victims of the 2010 BP Gulf oil spill, cared by International Bird Rescue and TriState Bird Rescue response members at the Fort Jackson Oiled Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Venice, La. Saenger Threatre, 118 S. Palafox. 595-3882 or pensacolasaenger.com.

TUESDAY 4.12 ▼ART

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF AMERICAN PEN WOMEN MEETING 5:30 p.m. The local chapter of The National League of American Pen Women will host their monthly meeting at Artel. Those interested in joining or wishing to learn more about this highly regarded group of artists may attend. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. 432-3080 or artelgallery.org.

▼LIVE MUSIC

BISCUIT MILLER & THE MIX 7 p.m. Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via de Luna. 916-5087 or paradisebar-grill.com.

KARAOKE HOSTED BY VIC AND STACEY 10 p.m. Free. Sluggo’s, 101 S. Jefferson St. 791-6501 or sluggos.net.

▼OTHER EVENTS

▼THEATRE & PERFORMANCE

BLUES PRACTICE FROM THE LIGHTHOUSE TOWER 8-9:30 a.m.

See eye-to-eye with the Blue Angels, and watch the entire show from a vantage few others have. Space is limited. $15.

Reservations required. Pensacola Lighthouse, 2081 Radford Blvd. 393-1561.

ROLFS PIANO SERIES AT PENSACOLA STATE 2:30 p.m. Featuring Martin Camacho, who is considered one of the most important Mexican pianists of his generation. Free-$10. Reservations required. Ashmore Auditorium, 1000 College Blvd. 484-1847 or pensacolastate.edu.

AN EVENING WITH JOE PALCA 7 p.m. WUWF’s own homegrown NPR correspondent Debbie Elliott will introduce Palca, who will speak about his work at NPR and about cutting-edge and alternative energy research. The event is free and open to the public. There are no tickets, though seating is limited. UWF Conference Center, 11000 University Parkway. 474-2787 or wuwf.org.

‘PETER AND THE WOLF’ AT BALLET PENSACOLA 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. $10. Pensacola Cultural Center Courtroom, 400 S. Jefferson St. 432-9546 or balletpensacola.com.

‘ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS’ 7:30 p.m. Lewis Carroll’s fanciful tale about a girl who walks through a mirror into a strange and magical world. $10-$20. Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. 432-2042 or pensacolalittletheatre.com.

SUNDAY 4.10

▼FESTIVALS

▼LECTURES & CLASSES

▼FESTIVALS

18 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | april 07, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

BISCUIT MILLER & THE MIX 7 p.m. Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via de Luna. 916-5087 or paradisebar-grill.com.

MONDAY 4.11

FLOWER & GARDEN FESTIVAL 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The weekend-long festival features dozens of commercial plant vendors, craftsmen and artisans selling outdoor art and garden items, landscape professionals, area garden clubs and local chapters of national plant societies, exhibits and much more. Pensacola State Milton Campus, 5988 Highway 90 West. 484-1851 or pensacolastate.edu.

‘HISTORY, REMEMBERANCE AND JOURNALISM’S INFLUENCE ON THE PAST’ 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Tony Horwitz’s current book project on John Brown and his 1859 raid falls at the intersection of efforts to mark the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War and the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. 434-0257 or pensacolalittletheatre.com.

VIBE IRIE 3 p.m. Bamboo Willie’s, 400 Quietwater Beach Road.

916-9888 or bamboowillies.com.

THE DREAM PROJECT CD RELEASE PARTY 9 p.m. Blazzues Live Blues and Jazz Club, 200 S. Palafox. myspace.com/blazzues.

ART CLASS AT PAINTING WITH A TWIST 6-8 p.m. Bring your favorite bottle of wine or beverage, and paint a picture step by step that you will take home. 16 years and older. Theme: Your Fleur de Lis. Painting with a Twist, 4771 Bayou Blvd., Suite C-11. $35. 471-1450 or paintingwithatwist.com/pensacola.

FLOWER & GARDEN FESTIVAL 12-5 p.m. The weekend-long festival features dozens of commercial plant vendors, craftsmen and artisans selling outdoor art and garden items, landscape professionals, area garden clubs and local chapters of national plant societies, exhibits and more. Pensacola State Milton Campus, 5988 Highway 90 West. 484-1851 or pensacolastate.edu.

▼LIVE MUSIC

FLOWER & GARDEN FESTIVAL 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The weekend-long festival features dozens of commercial plant vendors, craftsmen and artisans selling outdoor art and garden items, landscape professionals, area garden clubs and local chapters of national plant societies, exhibits and much more. Pensacola State Milton Campus, 5988 Highway 90 West. 484-1851 or pensacolastate.edu.

WEDNESDAY 4.13 ▼ART

ART CLASS AT PAINTING WITH A TWIST 6-9 p.m. Bring your favorite bottle of wine or beverage, and paint a picture step by step that you will take home. 16 years and older. Theme: Graffiti Bridge. Painting with a Twist, 4771 Bayou Blvd., Suite C-11. $45. 471-1450 or paintingwithatwist.com/pensacola.

▼FESTIVALS

WHITE SANDS MUSIC FESTIVAL SEAFOOD DINNER 7 p.m.

Farmer’s Opry, 8897 Byrom Campbell Road. 994-6000 or farmersopry.com.

S p o n s o r e d b y

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Available On Demand April 12, Same Day As DVD Release STARRING: Garrett Hedlund, Gwyneth Paltrow and Leighton Meester DIRECTOR: Shana Feste GENRE: Drama, Music MPAA RATING: Rated PG-13 for thematic elements involving alcohol abuse and some sexual content.

Available On Demand April 19, Same Day As DVD Release STARRING: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter DIRECTOR: Tom Hooper GENRE: Biography, Drama, History MPAA RATING: Rated PG-13 for language. (edited version); Originally Rated R for some language.

PREMIERES APR. 19 The story of King George VI of Britain, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it.

◀The Chronicles Of Narnia: Voyage/Dawn Treader Available On Demand April 22 STARRING: Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes and Georgie Henley DIRECTOR: Michael Apted GENRE: Adventure, Family, Fantasy MPAA RATING: Rated PG for some frightening images and sequences of fantasy action.

PREMIERES APR. 26

Lucy and Edmund Pevensie return to Narnia with their cousin Eustace where they meet up with Prince Caspian for a trip across the sea aboard the royal ship The Dawn Treader. Along the way they encounter dragons, dwarves, merfolk, and a band of lost warriors before reaching the edge of the world.

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INDEPENDENT NEWS | april 07, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

19

3/31/11 10:01 AM

hot times ▶staff pick

▼LIVE MUSIC

Day By Day

▼OTHER EVENTS

HIP KITTY 9 p.m. The Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or fishhouse.goodgrits.com.

Daily Lineup & Late Night Shows Announced for Hangout Fest Here’s the late night lineup:

• Friday, May 20th Bassnectar with Beats Antique (DJ Set)

• Saturday, May 21st Pretty Lights with Special Guests

• Saturday, May 21st Tony Clifton and The Katrina Kiss-My-Ass Orchestra with Special Guests Tickets for select late-night performances go on sale Friday, April 1st at 10 am for Hangout Music Festival ticketholders. Attendees to Hangout who have already purchased their 2011 festival tickets will have an advance week to secure their tickets to the exclusive Hangout late-night concerts. Any remaining tickets after the first week of sale will be made available to the general public on Friday, April 8th.

Tickets are $25 for Hangout Festival ticket buyers, $30 regular price, and $35 day of show.

Passes to the Hangout Music Festival are on sale now for $174, with a few $525 VIP passes remaining.

“Big Kahuna” VIP tickets have already sold-out. Passes can be purchased on the Hangout website, through Front Gate Ticketing and at the Hangout Restaurant in Gulf Shores, AL.

T

he daily lineup for Hangout Fest is officially here.

Widespread Panic and My Morning Jacket will kick things off on Friday May, 20th, Foo Fighters, The Flaming Lips, and The Avett Brothers round-out Saturday.

The Fest will close things out on Sunday with performances by Paul Simon, The Black Keys, and Michael Franti and Spearhead.

A full schedule with more than 60 bands can be found on the Hangout Music Festival website.

And as if that wasn’t enough, the fine folks at Hangout have also added a few late night shows to the already packed weekend. In addition to the Fest, Hangout will host 2 late-night stages Friday and Saturday night.

A 3,000 capacity Hangout Late-Night Tent will host sets

by Bassnectar and Pretty Lights – who will both perform additional sets during the main Hangout festival event.

A second Hangout Late-Night Stage is located within the Hangout Restaurant. All shows begin at midnight.

▼FOOD & DRINK

‘VAGINA MONOLOGUES’ AT UWF 7-8:30 p.m. Proceeds from donations accepted at the door and community ticket sales will benefit Women and Children in Haiti as well as the student-led organization, Everyone’s Issue, whose mission is to prevent sexual violence. Free-$10. UWF Commons, 11000 University Parkway, Building 22. 474-3168 or uwf.edu.

‘BRIGADOON’ AT UWF 8 p.m. The UWF Theatre Department will present the classic Broadway musical “Brigadoon.” This classic musical tells the story of a mysterious Scottish village that appears for only one day every hundred years, though to the villagers, the passing of each century seems no longer than one night. $5-$16. University of West Florida, Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 11000 University Parkway, Building 82.

857-6285 or uwf.edu.

THURSDAY 4.14 ▼ART

ART CLASS AT PAINTING WITH A TWIST 6-8 p.m. Bring your favorite bottle of wine or beverage, and paint a picture step by step that you will take home. 16 years and older. Theme: Courtney’s Poppies-National Arthritis Foundation. Painting with a Twist, 4771 Bayou Blvd., Suite C-11. $35. 471-1450 or paintingwithatwist.com/pensacola.

▼FESTIVALS

▼FOOD & DRINK

HANGOUT MUSIC FESTIVAL

WHEN: Friday-Sunday, May 20-22 WHERE: The Hangout, Gulf Shores, Ala. COST: Three-day pass $174, VIP three-day pass $525 DETAILS: hangoutmusicfest.com

LUNCH & LEARN AT DK 12 p.m. Join DK and a guest chef to be entertained with their stove-top magic. $15. Distinctive Kitchens, 29 S. Palafox. 438-4688 or dk4u.com.

MARTINIS, MUSIC AND A GREAT MEAL AT JACKSON’S 5:30 and 8 p.m. Taking a cue from the award-winning television show, “Mad Men,” Jackson’s will take you back to an era when martinis were dirty, the Rat Pack was swingin’ and a great steak was all the rage. Jackson’s Steakhouse, 400 S. Palafox. 469-9898 or jacksons.goodgrits.com.

▼LECTURES & CLASSES

consists of a variety of dishes that stem from differences in geography, culture and climate. Jackson’s Steakhouse, 400 S. Palafox St. 217-2347 or jacksons.goodgrits.com.

Jim Sanborn

Don Parker

“Good Morning Pensacola!”

More News

▼THEATRE & PERFORMANCES

WHITE SANDS MUSIC FESTIVAL 7 p.m. Farmer’s Opry, 8897 Byrom Campbell Road. 994-6000 or farmersopry.com.

COOKING DEMONSTRATIONS AND COCKTAILS AT JACKSON’S 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Famous in the United States for its trendy tapas, Spanish cuisine is deeply rooted in history and

6am-9am

BLUES PRACTICE FROM THE LIGHTHOUSE TOWER 8-9:30 a.m.

See eye-to-eye with the Blue Angels, and watch the entire show from a vantage few others have. Space is limited. $15.

Reservations required. Pensacola Lighthouse, 2081 Radford Blvd. 393-1561.

Monday-Friday

More Weather

More FUN!

Listen Live at wcoapensacola.com 20 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | april 07, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

HERB CLASS AT EVER’MAN 5:30 p.m. Study different herbs sold at Ever’man. This group will study a video series compiled by Dr. John R. Christopher and Richard Schulze. Free for members, $2 for non-members. Ever’man Natural Foods, 315 W. Garden St. 438-0402 or everman.org.

ART HISTORY LECTURE SERIES AT PMA 6 p.m. Free but

reservations appreciated. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. 432-6247 or pensacolamuseumofart.org.

▼LIVE MUSIC

BLENDERS 7 p.m. Five Sisters Blues Cafe, 421 W. Belmont St. 912-4856 or fivesistersbluescafe.com.

GUITAR SHORTY 7 p.m. Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via de Luna.

916-5087 or paradisebar-grill.com.

WHO’S BAD-THE ULTIMATE MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE BAND 7:30 p.m. $15-$20. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. vinylmusichall.com.

SWEET PEA’S REVENGE 9 p.m. End ‘O the Alley in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

ONLY THIEVES 9:30 p.m. $5. Sluggo’s, 101 S. Jefferson St. 791-6501 or sluggos.net.

▼THEATRE & PERFORMANCES

SUGARLAND IN CONCERT AT THE CIVIC CENTER 7:30 p.m.

The Incredible Machine Tour returns to the road this spring with guests Sara Bareilles, Little Big Town and Matt Nathanson. Pensacola Civic Center, 201 E. Gregory St. 432-0800 or pensacolaciviccenter.com.

‘BRIGADOON’ AT UWF 8 p.m. The UWF Theatre Department will present the classic Broadway musical “Brigadoon.” This classic musical tells the story of a mysterious Scottish village that appears for only one day every hundred years, though to the villagers, the passing of each century seems no longer than one night. $5-$16. University of West Florida, Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 11000 University Parkway, Building 82. 857-6285 or uwf.edu.

▼OTHER

DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS SOCIETY LUNCHEON 11:30 a.m. The Pensacola Chapter of the Distinguished Flying Cross Society is scheduled to meet for a luncheon at Franco’s Italian Restaurant. Bring a story to share. Franco’s Italian Restaurant, 523 E. Gregory St. 453-9291.

SUNSETS AT PLAZA DE LUNA 5:30 p.m.-sunset. Mr. Fahrenheit will perform and Dora will entertain the kids. De Luna’s full service concession will serve up great snacks and full meals and the interactive fountain will be a refreshing splash for the kids. Plaza de Luna, at the end of Palafox.

435-1695 or cityofpensacola.com/cra.

FRIDAY 4.15 ▼ART

ART CLASS AT PAINTING WITH A TWIST 6-9 p.m. Bring your favorite bottle of wine or beverage, and paint a picture step by step that you will take home. 16 years and older. Theme: The Red Door. Painting with a Twist, 4771 Bayou Blvd., Suite C-11. $45. 471-1450 or paintingwithatwist.com/pensacola.

▼FESTIVALS

CRAWFISH FESTIVAL 4 p.m. Bamboo Willie’s, 400 Quietwater Beach Road. 916-9888 or bamboowillies.com.

music

It Ain’t Easy Being a Star Easy Star All-Stars Perform at Seville Quarter

By Kate Peterson

success of “Dub Side of the Moon,” there was demand for national and then international touring. Most of the musicians who had been playing in the Easy Star All-Stars in the studio and on stage were not available to tour, so we put together a new touring unit in 2003. Many of the members that are still on the road first joined the band back then.

R

eggae innovators Easy Star AllStars are performing at Phineas Phogg’s in Seville Quarter on the heels of their recently-released, full-length studio album “First Light.” This is the first album of original material from a band that normally showcases their talents by re-interpreting classics such as Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” into “Dub Side of the Moon.”

IN recently caught up with founding member Michael Goldwasser.

IN: What is the history of the band’s formation?

GOLDWASSER: The band started in 1997 as the house band for our studio recordings.

It was me on guitar and sometimes bass, Victor Axelrod, a.k.a. Ticklah, on keys, and a rotating cast of New York’s best reggae musicians filling out the rest of our needs.

Originally, we were not thinking about the band as a touring entity, just a studio thing.

But then we started doing some shows in the New York area, both backing up visiting Jamaican artists and some shows just on our own featuring local artists who had recorded for Easy Star Records. After the

GET

H C A E B Y READ

MPS A C T O O NEW B ng April 4th Starti rd 23 & May

IN: Is the band primarily New-York based?

GOLDWASSER: We are primarily New York-based, but a couple of the regular members do not currently reside in New York.

IN: You have your own label called Easy Star Records. Tell us about it.

GOLDWASSER: We started the label back in 1996 as an antidote to the less-than-amazing current reggae that we were hearing. We (partners Eric Smith, Lem Oppenheimer, Remy Gerstein and me) all loved classic reggae from the ‘70s and ‘80s, and we felt that the stuff that was coming out just didn’t have the same vibes, largely because many Jamaican productions had abandoned live musicianship and vintage recording techniques.

And the U.S.-based reggae wasn’t really hitting us either. We all loved dancehall reggae from Jamaica, and it was a big influence on us, but we thought that there was room for more quality roots music as well.

We began focusing on our own productions, and because so many Jamaican artists either lived in New York or passed through regularly, we were able to work with many great reggae veterans right from the beginning. Then, because of the relationships that we were forming with them and our reputation for both good music and clean business, artists started coming to us

IN: How were the albums “Dub Side of The Moon” and “Easy Stars Lonely Hearts Dub Band” conceived?

GOLDWASSER: In 1999, Lem had the idea for “Dub Side.” He was a big fan of the Pink Floyd album, and one day he was listening to it and had a “eureka” moment: What if we remade the album as reggae? So he brought the idea to the rest of us, and after I whipped up basic arrangements of some of the songs, we thought that we could make it work. After the success of “Dub Side,” there was great demand for us to do more albums in the same style. We deliberated for a long time before choosing the next two albums, “Radiodread” (based on Radiohead’s “OK Computer”) and “Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band” (the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper”). It’s important for us to choose albums that will sound great as reggae and also be able to take the fans and us to new places.

IN: Whose idea was it to take on the dub style and make that the band’s signature?

GOLDWASSER: Well, dub has become a natural part of reggae music. So if you make reggae, you probably have a mind for dub. I listened to a lot of dub growing up, and it has a lot of appeal to me as a producer because it is traditionally created in the studio. But because of the level of musicianship in the touring band, and because we always travel with a soundman who specializes in dub, we are able to do a lot of live dubbing in our shows as well. A lot of the individual nuances may not be so apparent to the audience, but they are a big part of our sound.

IN: What’s next for the band?

GOLDWASSER: We just released our album “First Light,” a full-length album of original material written by the band. We’ll spend a good part of this year touring to support the album. And we are beginning work on the next tribute album, which we plan to have out in 2012.

IN: Anything to add?

GOLDWASSER: I’d just like to thank all of our fans in Pensacola and the whole Gulf area. We know that you’ve been through a lot in the past few years, and we hope that our music has brought you some good vibes to help you through any trials and tribulations that have come your way. info@inweekly.net

EASY STAR ALL-STARS WITH CAS HALEY AND INDA GLO

WHEN: 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 13 WHERE: Phineas Phogg’s in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. COST: $15 adults, $17 under 21 DETAILS: sevillequarter.com

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to put out their own self-produced music and also vintage recordings that had not been released outside of Jamaica.

Now, we are primarily focused on a two-pronged approach. We have our series of classic albums re-interpreted as reggae, and we also are putting out new albums by artists and bands that are really pushing the boundaries of reggae. For example, last fall we released “Connection” by Cas Haley, which combines reggae, pop, soul and blues in a way that hadn’t really been done before. And we have just signed The Green, a young band out of Hawaii. They are able to hit hard with traditional roots vibes, and also sing smooth four-part rhythm and blues-influenced harmonies. And touring is also very important for us in terms of bringing the music to as many people as possible. This year, the Easy Star All-Stars are doing a lot of touring with both Cas Haley and The Green.

www.luminouslifehypnotherapy.com

Now Open | Gulf Breeze Publix Shopping Center

1451 Tiger Park Lane • Gulf Breeze 850.932.7289 2640 Creighton Rd. • Pensacola 850.477.0025 © 2008 Zaxby’s Franchising, Inc. “Zaxby’s” and “Zalads” are registered trademarks of Zaxby’s Franchising, Inc.

INDEPENDENT NEWS | april 07, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

21

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22 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | april 07, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

music

Music Box

New Store Stocks Everything From Bach to Nirvana

BY Lewis Stockham

I

am a huge collector of music and movies, especially vinyl albums. I love it when I find that rare or unique album, movie or DVD that I have been trying to find. That passion, excitement and rush you get when you discover a gem on vinyl or a cult classic that completes part of your collection is unparalleled, and this is exactly what Jim Vasser and Jennifer Mcgaugh love about running Music Box. I recently had a chance to sit down and talk with Vasser and Mcgaugh about their store. The original Music Box opened 24 years ago. Two years ago, the two bought a property which included Music Box. For about one month people were knocking on the door wanting to come in, so they opened the store up quickly, and it proved to be a fun and viable business. The store has recently moved into the former location of Tom’s Music on West Navy Boulevard, which was in business for 21 years.

Of course, what they enjoy the most are the people that come into their shop. “The people, we love their stories, the excitement and significance of the music in their lives.

Music is mood altering, mood enhancing, it’s poetry to their soul,” they admit.

I mentioned that I am an avid collector. However, Vasser and Mcgaugh do not consider themselves collectors. They just truly love music and movies. “The nice thing about us is we are not collectors, so we are able to cross genres so easily that we listen to everything from Bach to Nirvana,” says Vasser.

They would not be so successful in such a short amount of time if they were collectors.

Collectors—and I know this first hand—do not like to share. Vasser and Mcgaugh want to share what is in the store with everyone.

Music Box is decorated with all kinds of memorabilia. Customers come in, and it’s like a walk down memory lane. Indeed, this was true for me. As soon as the interview was done I began to look around. I started seeing records, posters and movies that took me back to particular moments in my life.

Don’t get the wrong idea—even though Vasser and Mcgaugh are not collectors, their store does cater to collectors, too.

“A collector is always building their own collection of unique and special items that we have at an incredible price,” Mcgaugh excitedly professes.

Not just local residents shop at their store. I learned that people who do business in Mobile will make a point to come by

Music Box owners Jim Vasser, Jennifer Mcgaugh and their mascot Shopdog / photo by Lewis Stockham their shop. Several hundred vacationers, snowbirds and shopkeepers drop by annually. People who own music stores elsewhere come here to find records and movies for their stores.

The great thing about moving into the former Tom’s Music location is that they are marrying two different music stores together. Music Box deals primarily in vinyl and DVDs. Tom’s specialized in the CD market. By marrying the two they have increased selling in a certain genre of music.

They’re moving more heavily into R&B, Hip Hop and Southern Soul, which previously they never played. However, the amazing thing about Music Box is the variety of items, whether it’s music or movies.

“It is quite interesting to watch 27 customers in the store at one time,” says Vasser. Seeing people shopping for everything from movies to records to CDs to box sets is wonderful to watch for the two co-owners.

“One of the things we initially learned at Music Box is music transcends culture,

economics, as well as age. What’s really wonderful coming over to our new location is we have broadened it even more so,” Mcgaugh exclaims.

Music Box has expanded the ability to have families, young people, old people and different cultures shopping together. It is really fun to hear everyone talking so passionately about their music. “It doesn’t matter who you are. It crosses all stereotypical lines I believe,” Vasser states.

I wanted to know what they loved the most about music. “It’s a mood defining venue. If you came in here and sat for eight hours you would be surprised at how the mood changes throughout the day,” he explains.

He might start the morning with the song “Low Rider” to get everyone pumped up. Then he might play Petulah Clark in the afternoon, and end the day with some jazz.

“We find treasures and listen to it,” he says.

I asked each of them what they loved about being in the music business. “I enjoy

the music business so much because it is like Christmas every day,” Vasser says with a smile.

“You learn new things about music every day, people come in with interesting facts and trivia about music and movies,” adds Mcgaugh.

For them, it is nice to offer a venue where they can supply affordable new and used music to the community. Music Box is a family business that loves its customers and offers their product at incredible savings. Those savings go to the individual collector or lover of music and movies, and everyone in between. Also, you can find things you will never find at big stores because they only carry current stuff—Music Box has old, new and rare items.

One of the most unexpected occurrences is that their store has become a place for young people to hang out. “We find that we are an outlet for young people in the community,” says Mcgaugh.

Young people are dropped off by their parents and spend some time in the store.

It’s a nice place where parents feel safe dropping off their kids. “It seems like we are always adopting people and families. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet people.”

Mcgaugh explains.

What do they have, you might be asking? The store has everything from Bach to Nirvana, and everything in between. They have classical, harder-to-find jazz, rap, Hip Hop, traditional and alternative rock, and everything in between—new and used. You can also find an extensive vinyl collection.

As far as movies go, you can find older and harder-to-find movies and TV shows.

Also, you can find current and recent TV show and movies. Plus, they can do special orders. “If we don’t have it, we will get it in for you from anywhere in the world,” they claim.

It doesn’t matter whether you are an avid collector, a long-time movie lover, a new music lover, or anywhere in between. If you love music or movies (or both), head to Music Box. Whatever your tastes, you’re bound to find something unique waiting for you. info@inweekly.net

Music Box

3960 W. Navy Blvd.

434-1977 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Saturday

INDEPENDENT NEWS | april 07, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

23

news of the weird

850-477-1420 • info@nwf-ja.org www.nwf-ja.org

24 | INDEPENDENT NEWS |

APRIL 07, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

By Chuck Sheppard

A 200-exhibit installation on the history of dirt and filth and their importance in our lives opened in a London gallery in March, featuring the ordinary (dust), the educational (a video tribute to New York’s Fresh Kills landfill, at one time the world’s largest), the medical (vials of historic, nasty-looking secretions from cholera victims), and the artistic (bricks fashioned from feces gathered by India’s Dalits, who hand-clean latrines). Dirt may worry us as a society, said the exhibit’s curator, but we have learned that we “need bits of it and, guiltily, secretly, we are sometimes drawn to it.” Capping the exhibit, leaning against a wall, was what appeared at a distance to be an ordinary broom but whose handle was studded with diamonds and pearls.

News That Sounds Like a Joke (1) The manager of the Channel Islands Co-operative store in the British territory of Jersey acknowledged to BBC News in November that a shopper’s complaint was justified and that refunds would be made. The customer believed she had been overcharged by about five pounds (about $8) because, while weighing fruits and vegetables, the clerk had been leaning over so that her breasts accidentally increased pressure on the scale.

(2) Britain’s Border Agency announced the firing of an immigration officer in January.

The man had apparently turned sour on his marriage, and while his wife was on holiday with her family in Pakistan, he quietly added her name to the terrorist list of people not allowed into the country.

Government in Action! The CIA recently won two court rulings allowing the agency to refuse comment about its former contractor Dennis Montgomery -- rulings that issues involving him are “state secrets” (despite strong evidence that the main “secret” is merely how foolish the agency, and the U.S. Air Force, were to pay Montgomery at least $20 million for bogus software following 9-11, according to a February New York Times report). Montgomery, a small-time gambler who said he was once abducted by aliens, convinced the two agencies that his sophisticated software could detect secret al-Qaida messages embedded in video pixels on Al Jazeera’s news website. According to the Times report, Montgomery has not been charged with wrongdoing and is not likely to be, since the agencies do not want their gullibility publicized.

• For about a year, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) has been facilitating Mexico’s increasingly bloody drug wars by turning a blind eye to U.S. gun sales to the cartels—even though those very guns account for some civilian deaths as well as the December fatal shooting of a U.S. Border Patrol agent. According to the senior ATF agent who supplied evidence to CBS News, neither the Mexican government nor many U.S. officials were aware of the program (called “Fast and Furious”) until mid-March. ATF allowed the sales so it could track the guns’ locations, to facilitate, at some future date, bringing indictments against drug traffickers.

• Until recently, many pregnant women at risk of delivering prematurely could be aided by an obstetrician-recommended workup of a chemical compound, at a cost of about $10 to $20 a dose. However, in February, the Food and Drug Administration approved a specific commercial version, K-V Pharmaceutical’s Makena, which K-V began pricing at $1,500 a dose (citing its need to recoup “research” costs).

K-V also began threatening dispensers of the workup compound, since FDA had anointed Makena with “market exclusivity.” (Update: FDA changed its mind in March and announced that providers of the workup compound could continue to offer it.)

Tough Guys: (1) In Houston in February, Christopher Harding, 23, was sentenced to three years in prison for beating up his mother (who is disabled and requires a caretaker) and yanking out her dentures.

(2) In Long Beach, Calif., in February, police arrested two 19-year-old men, Kirk Lewis and Daniel Bard, and charged them as two of the three men they sought in the robbery of a 5-year-old girl.

Intra-Geek-Community Crime: In March, a teenager was charged with attempting to rob the Fun 4 All comicbook store in Southfield, Mich., with a homemade bomb (that looked realistic but turned out to be harmless) and presenting a list of the specific collectors’ merchandise (not money) he wanted. After the clerk balked at the demands, the robber relented, paid cash for a few of the items on the list, and left. When arrested later, he called the incident a “social experiment.”

Great Art! In February, a New York City gallery began offering classes in “anthropomorphic taxidermy,” described as a “Victorian hobby” in which mouse carcasses are not only meticulously cleaned and stuffed, but outfitted in handmade miniature 19thcentury clothing, such as bloomers. British practitioners are said to have created elaborate scenes featuring scores of the costumed bodies. Class instructor Susan Jeiven said the mice have to look “classy.” “I don’t like rogue taxidermy.”

• Scottish artist Jane Forbes, 47, won the “Shoe Is Art” competition in Dundee in late 2010 with a work (“Ad Infinitum”) that a University of Dundee spokesman called “awe-inspiring.” Forbes painted (and photographed) the same pair of shoes every day for 66 consecutive days, hypothesizing that subtle differences in her “mood” would be detectable in any variations in the paint jobs.

Send your Weird News to Chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, Fla., 33679 or weirdnews@earthlink.net, or go to www.NewsoftheWeird.com.

FROM UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE CHUCK SHEPHERD’S NEWS OF THE WEIRD

by Chuck Shepherd COPYRIGHT 2011 CHUCK SHEPHERD

PUT A LITTLE SPRING IN YOUR STEP WITH PYP

Pensacola Young Professionals are a dynamic group of individuals working together to showcase the Pensacola Bay Area as a cool place to live, work and play. Though many times PYP members are involved with networking and business opportunities, some nights we are able to get away from that for a more relaxed evening of fun.

Focusing on play this April, PYP is teaming up with the Pensacola Opera, Seville Rotary and Leadership Pensacola for one of the funniest and most enjoyable performances you have ever experienced. Last year PYP members raved about the event and demanded we bring this one back for a second year.

The Pensacola Opera calls (Your) Opera in a Trunk “a wacky, zany operatic experience designed for newcomers and aficionados alike.” This improvised opera tours schools and community groups as a part of the Pensacola Opera’s education initiative. For an hour you will laugh and interact with a performance that teaches opera terminology, by using audience suggestions to create an opera on the spot.

Starring in the show are Pensacola Opera’s six artists in residence – all young professionals themselves!

Don’t miss your chance to assist in the creation of a one-of-a-kind, never-before-seen, artistic masterpiece at this special performance of (Your) Opera in a Trunk on April 19, 2011 at Seville’s Phineas Phoggs!

The event will begin with drinks and appetizers at 5:30 and the performance will start at 6:00.

PYP ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Pensacola Young Professional events are a great way to meet new friends, and mingle with familiar ones. Making future events like (Your) Opera in a Trunk possible are a new Board of Directors. The March 7th Board of Directors Meeting marked the last meeting for Kristine Karsten as PYP President.

The 2011-2012 Board will be led by incoming President Liz Adams.

Liz is the marketing media manager for Baptist Health Care and serves as their primary contact for media and crisis communications.

In her role with the Marketing Communications team, Liz disseminates news releases, features stories and media responses. She also develops, implements and monitors marketing communications materials for Baptist Health Care.

Born and raised in Pensacola, Liz earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of West Florida in communications with an emphasis in organizational communication.

In addition to PYP, she is a member of the Leadership Pensacola class of 2011; Fiesta Five Flags Commando; a member of the Pensacola Charity Debutante Society; co-chair of the Junior League of Pensacola’s training committee; and a board member of the Alpha Delta Pi Alumnae Association of Pensacola.

Before turning over leadership to Liz, Kristine Karsten had the pleasure of overseeing the vote for the 2011-2012 Board of Directors and Leadership Team and your new leaders are:

in-hand with current community and business leaders to learn from their experiences and to create a young professional-friendly atmosphere.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS President - Liz Adams President Elect - Chad Stacy Treasurer - Zach Hannah Secretary - Jenna Vallimont Vice President of Programs Jonathan Thompson Vice President of Membership Jessica James Vice President of Community Development - Justin Spence Vice President of Marketing Amber Kelley Member At Large - Tristan Harper Legal Counsel - Daniel Ewert Past President - Kristine Karsten

March 31—PYP Pub Club Jaco’s @ Palafox Pier 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

PYP Event Calendar

April 7—PYP’s Big Announcement!

Soiree, Downtown Pensacola 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

April 11—PYP Board Meeting Office of Rodney Rich 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

April 19—(Your) Opera In A Trunk Seville Quarter, Phineas Phoggs 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

LEADERSHIP TEAM PPDI - Rob Brooks Internship Pensacola - Brian Hooper Quality of Life - Hong Tran Economic Development - Courtney Peterson Government Affairs - Stephanie Terek Networking - Elisabeth Buswell Membership - Melanie Moffett Co-Treasurer - Adrienne Maygarden This leadership team represents the more than 200 members in the Pensacola area between the ages of 21 and 39. PYP members represent a wide variety of professions and organization roles. We work hand-

New PYP President - Liz Adams

Pensacola Young Professionals 41 N Jefferson St. Suite 108 Pensacola FL 32502 (850) 332-7820

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There’s something for everyone on 88.1 FM— News, Jazz, Adult Alternative, Spoken Word, Blues, World Music—find times at wuwf.org.

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3 pm - 4 pm Mon. - Thur.

RING OF FIRE 3 pm - 4 pm Fri. YOUR TURN 4 pm - 6 pm BRUCE WILLIAMS 6 pm - 9 pm

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RUSTY HUMPHRIES 9 pm - midnight

4-6 PM WEEKDAYS We turn over the microphone to our listeners. This live, call-in show features frequent guest appearances by those in the news. Spirited discussion and debate about issues that matter to the community. Tune in to hear what Northwest Florida thinks.

Better yet, call in and tell us what you think.

It’s your turn.

(850) 623-1330

www.1330weby.com

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The Universal Crossword Edited by Timothy E. Parker PLAY BALL! by Gary Cooper

The University of West Florida invites applicants to apply for the position of Graphic Designer, Marketing and Creative Services, Position #101540. This candidate will design primarily for print, with some web, and new media projects. Principal duties include concept development, design, and production. Typical projects include brochures, postcards, posters, invitations, newsletters, stationary, marketing and fundraising materials, electronic mail, web sites, web graphics and more.

The ideal candidate must demonstrate a thorough understanding of design and typography; have knowledge of design software; have the ability to effectively manage multiple tasks under deadlines; and have excellent interpersonal skills both written and verbal.

Minor web animation experience (Flash, JavaScript, etc.), working in a CMS environment, and experience with CSS, html, and xhtml coding a plus.

Minimum qualifications are a master’s degree in an appropriate area of specialization; or a bachelor’s degree in an appropriate area of specialization and two years of appropriate experience. Applicants must apply online at HYPERLINK “https://jobs.uwf.edu” https:// jobs.uwf.edu and should be prepared to attach a cover letter, resume and names and contact information for three (3) professional references to the online application. The preferred response date for applications is April 19, 2011. Pursuant to provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, any person requiring special accommodations to respond is requested to advise UWF by contacting the UWF ADA Office at 1-850-473-7469 (Voice) or 1-850-857-6114 (TTY).

Additional information about the University of West Florida is available at www.uwf.edu.

This position requires a criminal background screening. UWF is an Equal Opportunity/Access/Affirmative Action Employer.

ACROSS 1 Partner of improved 4 “A neat ship is a sweet ship,” e.g.

9 As is fitting 14 Good name for a tax advisor 15 Type of car 16 “Gulliver’s Travels” brute 17 Contract a common malady 19 Baseball blunder 20 Compound that’s an anagram of “steer” 21 Dinner’s often on him 23 Fillet’s lack 24 Waterproof again 26 Black ___ spider 28 D.C. landmark (with “The”) 32 Speaker systems, for short 35 Cause to convulse with laughter 36 Poetic “eternally” 38 Some bent pipes 40 The way things are going 43 Court-appointed psychiatrist’s declaration 4 4 Doughboy’s ally 46 Bully’s prey, traditionally 48 Talk nonstop 49 Enlightenment 53 Geologic time period 54 “What do you say?” response 58 Some ­restaurant waiting areas 60 Bulldogs’ school 63 Game-show group 64 Botanic structure 66 A cappella singer’s need 68 Acts alone 69 World-weary feeling 70 Tinseltown org.

71 Won the World Series in four

Wes Dannreuther

Operations Manager, Intracoastal Outfitters and Lee Tracy What is your chief characteristic?

My faith

What do you appreciate most about your friends?

Our mutual disinterest in each other’s day-to-day problems Who is your favorite fiction character?

Any Tom Robbins character, or one from a Carl Hiaasen novel.

Who is your favorite non-fiction character?

Jesus What is the best thing you have ever won?

A kayak race down the Mississippi River Previous Puzzle answer

games, e.g.

72 Commit to memory 73 Tarzan ­portrayer Ron DOWN 1 More congenial 2 Answering machine button 3 “Sanford and Son” neighborhood 4 Some religious compounds 5 End-of-the-year mo.

6 Commotions of Shakespearean proportions?

7 It may be unmitigated 8 Provides money for 9 “All in favor” word 10 Cooks briefly, as vegetables 11 Disposable 12 “Crazy” bird 13 In days of ___ 18 Mediocre grades 22 Brief life story?

25 Happy, rhythmic tune 27 Genetic template 29 Cigarette

ingredient 30 Wolflike ­carrion eater 31 “Peter Pan” dog 32 ___ rally (school event) 33 Body lotion ingredient 34 Antiquated calculator 37 “Darn tootin’” 39 Twaddle 41 Aerialist’s safeguard 42 Plumbing woe 45 “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” sight 47 Bottle-nosed creature 50 “If looks could kill” type of stare 51 Wedding setting 52 A tide type 55 Liqueur flavorer 56 Calyx part 57 Mournful poem 58 Workplace honcho 59 Declare frankly 61 “Come here often?” e.g.

62 Volcano in Italy 65 Winter hrs. in Buffalo 67 Junkyard dog

What did your mother always tell you?

“Fair is the weather; fair is the thing you go to in October. Fair isn’t life, so don’t expect it to be.” That and “Find your bliss.”

What is the worst idea you’ve ever had?

Cheap Tequila and Sprite What is your favorite food?

Anything out at a good restaurant Which talent would you most like to have?

I would love to be a great cook. I’m incredibly average at the moment.

What movie do you love to watch repeatedly?

“Fight Club” What was your most embarrassing moment?

I threw up on a bus once. That was pretty terrible.

What TV show is your guilty pleasure?

ESPN. It’s just mindless enough.

What is the last book you read?

“The River of Doubt”, an account of Theodore Roosevelt’s perilous journey down an uncharted tributary of the Amazon circa 1913.

What is your theme song?

I asked my staff to answer this question, but they couldn’t take me seriously, so how about Van Morrison’s “Full Force Gale”.

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INDEPENDENT NEWS | APRIL 07, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |