dec 20 issue

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Independent News | December 20, 2012 | Volume 13 | Number 49 | inweekly.net |

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THE REVIVALISTS HAVE BUILT SOMETHING OF A SECOND HOME IN PENSACOLA

page 24 art director Samantha Crooke administration/ staff writer Jennie McKeon publisher & editor Rick Outzen

staff writer Jeremy Morrison

production manager Joani Delezen

contributing writers Bradley “B.J.”

Davis, Jr., Joani Delezen, Hana Frenette, James Hagen, Brett Hutchins, Chelsa Jillard, Sarah McCartan, Kate Peterson, Chuck Shepherd, T.S. Strickland intern Shelby Smithey

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SHERRI MYERS State Attorney found Florida Board of Trustees voted to name no violation of the Sunshine Law during Trustee Lewis Bear, Jr. chairman of the the Mayor’s press conference regarding Board and Trustee Mort O'Sullivan vice his veto of a budget amendment. Councilchairman for the next two years, effecwoman Myers had filed a complaint against AVAILABLE ON SELECT KIAS tive January 2013. President Bense made the mayor and her fellow councilmen who a recommendation to the Board to name had attended in support of the mayor. both current Chairman Charles Horner and *CREDIT EFFECTS TERMS. SELECT VEHICLES. LEASE 39 MONTHS, $4,999 DUE AT INCEPTION. SECURITY DEPOSIT WAIVED. PLUS TAX, TAG TITLE AND Directory: Gulf Breeze, FL FOR Trustee FUTURE CHANGES ONLY. $400 DOC FEE. 12,000 MILES PER YEAR, $0.10 PER MILE FOR MILES IN EXCESS OF 12,000. ALL KMF REBATES TO DEALER. OFFERS DON’T COMBINE. J. Collier Merrill, Chair Emeritus, COUNTY MAGI The county “wise men” Heading: AT3900 Ad Size: DQCWP honoring their extraordinary service and and their uncle failed intially to support a EN SENT TO THE CUSTOMER. ID:suggestion 36814 contributions to the University. Both Batch will

by Commissioner Lumon May Year: 2009 retire from the Board in January. to give the county employees New Year’s 6637 Pensacola Blvd., Pensacola, FL 32505 Eve off. The commissioners realized that they can’t fund their predecessors vote to DOROTHY DAVIS The Escambia County Art ID #:give05673D4 Copy to Sales: 03/06/2009 the staff a three-percent raise, but the Republican Party recently elected the TIRES FOR LIFE AND LIFETIME POWER TRAIN WARRANTY REQUIRE ALL FACTORY MAINTENANCE FOR AS LONG AS YOU OWN THE VEHICLE. SEE DEALER FOR DETAILS. day off would have been a nice gesture. retired Navy commander as its new chairContract #: 1033971 Account #: 288042 e l l man. Davis has served on the Escambia Let’s face it. The high-priced salaried staff won’t be sitting at their desks on Dec. 31.

County Planning and Zoning Board for the Rep #: 1445 Rep: MIRAMON,BERNARDJR past four years, is a member of the South32591 east Psychological Association and curPORT OF PENSACOLA As of Nov. 30, rently serves on the Board of Directors for the Port had accounts receivable totalthe Panhandle Tiger Bay Club-Pensacola. ing $506,393—with $109,935 that’s over She ran unsuccessfully for county commis120 days and due from Northwest Florida sioner in 2004.

Cold Storage. The frozen chicken exporter owes a total of $215,854. The Pates'CO-OP: other eys - Guide - Criminal Law Yes No company, Pensacola Stevedoring, owes the CANDY MCGUYRE Baptist Health Care city $103,827—with $40,903 over 60 days has selected her as its new corporate past due. director of marketing and public relations.

McGuyre is responsible for leading the organization’s marketing, communications, ESCAMBIA COUNTY LANDFILL Intercrisis preparation and management and im County Administrator George Touart’s media relations. She has worked in the role hardest task may be keeping ECUA as a in an interim capacity since May 2012. Most customer. Because the county raised the recently, McGuyre served Baptist Health tipping fees, the utility is looking for other Care Foundation as its director of public options, which could cost the county over relations and development. $800,000 if ECUA goes elsewhere.

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by Rick Outzen

THE WARS ARE OVER Military budget cuts are coming, and they should. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, our nation spends nearly three times more than China and Russia combined on military. Our military spending of $711 billion is 40 percent of the entire world’s spending on military, $1,735 billion.

We have withdrawn our troops from Iraq and will complete the same process in Afghanistan by 2014. After every major conflict, the U.S. military has had significant budget reductions. In the seven years following the Vietnam and Cold War peak budgets, the defense declined by almost 25 percent.

The bipartisan 2011 Budget Control Act agreed to reduce Defense Department future expenditures by approximately $487 billion over the next 10 years—not at once as some war hawks claim. If the House Republicans and White House fail to reach an agreement to avoid the “fiscal cliff,” the military would have automatic, across-theboard cuts totaling $55 billion next year.

The 16 counties in the Florida Panhandle will be impacted because of the substantial concentration of Navy, Marine, Army and Air Force military operations in the region.

Economists have estimated the military supports over 400 private sector companies and has an annual economic impact of $15 billion.

However Northwest Florida and the rest of the state should have expected the cuts.

The Defense budget increases weren’t indefinite. Our governor and state legislators have talked constantly about the federal deficit. They can’t preach against the size of the federal government without being willing to take some cuts.

Defense contractors haven’t been willing to go down without a fight. They want the federal cheese to be cut, but just not their slice. They prefer misdirection and want all the cuts on the human services, health care and education sides.

The National Association of Manufacturers is pointing out the defense spending cuts will cost jobs, as many as 1 million in the private sector, and we all know mentioning “jobs” is the new hot button for chambers and politicians. The trade association has reported that Florida could lose as many as 56,600 jobs over the next year.

Dr. David Goetsch, an economist who is the vice chairman of Florida’s Defense Support Task Force, has called the defense cuts devastating for Florida and the region.

There’s no mention of whether the companies will adapt to other markets.

No, they will just shut their doors and whine about the good old days while soldiers died in wars so they could make millions, even billions.

The wars are over. It’s time to refocus our economy, nationally, regionally and locally. {in} rick@inweekly.net

The wars are over. It’s time to refocus our economy, nationally, regionally and locally.

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BET TER PENSACOL A Governor Scott Announces 2012 Innovators in Business Award Winners The winners of the 2012 Governor’s Innovators in Business Awards were announced today by Governor Rick Scott.

AppRiver was honored for its export excellence, and Allan Bell, a partner with Hewes & Company, LLC was honored with Governor’s Innovators Under 40 Award.

Governor Scott said, “I am proud to announce another group of award winners. My number one mission is to grow jobs for Florida families, and the successes these companies have experienced represent the job opportunities being created in Florida.”

The awards recognize outstanding contributions toward improving and diversifying Florida’s economy plus distinctive community investment efforts, particularly relating to industries targeted for economic development and high wage job growth. Enterprise Florida coordinates this annual program, formerly the Governor’s Business Diversification Awards, now in its 29th year.

Each winner represents one of the following markets: Mid Market: County population up to 150,000 Major Market: County population 150,001 to 800,000 Mega Market: County population 800,001 and higher

The Award winners for each category are as follows: •Governor’s Business Expansion Award: For Florida companies that expanded their operations in 2011, investing capital and creating jobs for Floridians.

•Mid Market: Galaxy Home Solutions, Inc. (Sumter County) •Major Market: Embraer Executive Aircraft Inc. (Brevard County) •Mega Market: JPMorgan Chase & Co. (Miami-Dade County)

Governor’s Newcomer Award: For new-to-Florida companies that began business operations in 2011.

•Mid Market: ALM Technologies Inc (Nassau County) •Major Market: AAR Airlift Group, Inc. (Brevard County) •Mega Market (tie): Prime Therapeutics (Orange County) •Mega Market (tie): Time Warner Business Services LLC (Hillsborough County)

Governor’s Export Excellence Award: For Florida companies with new or significant increases in documented export sales in 2011.

•Mid Market: Girard Equipment, Inc. (Indian River County) •Major Market: AppRiver (Santa Rosa County) •Mega Market: Q4 Services LLC (Orange County)

Governor’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship Award: For Florida start-up companies (less than five years old or with a product less than three years old) that have set a standard for entrepreneurship and creativity.

•Mid Market: B4C Technologies, LLC (Martin County) •Major Market: LearnSomething Inc. (Leon County) •Mega Market: Flagship Solutions Group (Palm Beach County)

Governor’s Innovators Under 40 Award: New this year, this award recognizes Florida residents under 40 who own or lead a Florida company with annual revenue of $1M or more and who have created at least 10 jobs since January 2011. This category is well-represented in its inaugural year.

•3Cinteractive, Mike FitzGibbon, co-founder and president (Palm Beach County) •City Advertising, Darren Cleveland, president and CEO (Palm Beach County) •Cybis Communications, Jeff Douglass, founder and CEO (Orange County) •Datum Corporation, Tom Frost, CEO (Sarasota County) •Envy Labs, Gregg Pollack, CEO and founder (Orange County) •Hewes & Company, LLC, Allan Bell, partner (Escambia County) •Modernizing Medicine, Daniel Cane, CEO and co-founder (Palm Beach County) •ndtArtemis, Travis Proctor, CEO (Brevard County) •RP Funding, Inc., Robert Palmer, president (Seminole County) •Utilipath, LLC, Lindon Hayes, founder and managing member (Duval County) •Voalté, Trey Lauderdale, chief innovation officer (Sarasota County)

Companies that have been denoted as the top job producers in the state of Florida will also be recognized at tonight’s event. These organizations represent various industries, including information technology, life sciences, agriculture and hospitality. The top job producers come from all regions of the state, including Miami, Panama City, Naples and Jacksonville.

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CONVERSATION WITH A MAD MAN Randy Oliver, the Beulah interchange, public perception and the so-called ‘good ol‘ boys.’

“When I say I don’t have to worry about ramifications, what I mean is I’m going to spend four years voting my conscience,” Robertson began. “A lot of politicians are afraid to vote their best votes because they’re afraid of the ramifications and the politics.”

GIVING TOUART A TRY

Wilson Robertson / photo by Jeremy Morrison

Commissioner Wilson Robertson Speaks His Mind

by Jeremy Morrison The line was dead. Right at the perfect crescendo of a raging-bull rant, the phone had gone silent. The connection was lost.

“Actually, I hung up on you,” clarified Escambia County Commissioner Wilson Robertson.

The commissioner was at a boiling point. Fed up. At the moment, with editorial sentiments from IN publisher Rick Outzen concerning Interim County Administrator George Touart and the future expenditures of RESTORE Act funds.

“He knows that money is not going to be doled out by George Touart and his little friends,” Robertson said. “He knows this will be the most scrutinized expenditure of public money.”

It wasn’t the first time the former commission chairman has let his displeasure known since riding atop a fireball into his self-described final term. Robertson took an opportunity during last month’s swearing in ceremony to rail against local medial outlets—primarily the Pensacola News Journal for its coverage of his involvement last year with an Escambia County Equestrian Center hiree—and has continued ornery snipes since, including a near-dare to disgruntled citizens to “fire us.”

The next morning, Robertson seemed to have cooled off. Still pissed, but approachable.

He took a seat in his county office and elaborated his positions on a number of matters ... the media, RESTORE, politics, the rehiring of Touart and firing of former administrator 66

Commissioner Robertson was part of the 3-2 vote that showed the former county administrator the door in October. He was never a big fan of Oliver’s, and wonders why he ever took the job with the support of a similar 3-2 split.

“He never unpacked, he never put nothing on the wall,” Robertson said. “He probably knew he wasn’t gonna be here long.”

Following the firing, both Robertson and Commission Chairman Gene Valentino denied speculation that former administrator George Touart would be coming back to fill the void.

In November, they joined Commissioner Kevin White in voting to rehire Touart, who resigned following ethical questions in 2007.

“To tell why George is the guy?” Robertson said. “Who else would you ask to be interim, but Larry [Newsome]?”

Robertson recalled telling people at the time of the Touart rumors that he wasn’t pursuing the option. But his dismissal came with a caveat.

“I said I am not going to stand in the way,” Robertson said, explaining his willingness to go along with Valentino and White.

The commissioner laid Touart’s controversial past at the feet of commissioners who had worked with the former administrator.

Robertson said White had recently spoken privately in defense of bringing back Touart and questioned the treatment the former administrator received, chiefly that he didn’t get his retirement benefits.

“He said, ‘we done George wrong,’” the commissioner said. “I’m just quoting what Kevin told me after he got off the board.”

There is some question as to how long Touart will remain at the county’s helm.

Commissioner Grover Robinson has called for a quick turnaround on finding a permanent candidate. Chairman Valentino has stressed he wants to take his time.

Robertson said he’s looking forward to working with Touart, and would like to see the interim stay on through the county’s budget process.

“I would like to be here when we go though a budget process with George,” the

commissioner said, “because he and Amy [Lavoy] are fantastic.”

Robertson also credited Touart with helping to guide Escambia in new directions.

“I think you’re going to see more MSTU line items like the library,” the commissioner said. “George has some great ideas.”

And what about questions posed by the press and the community regarding Touart’s baggage? What about the accusations and investigations? What about the speculation?

Robertson’s not overly concerned. He doesn’t envision ethical issues arising this time around.

“I’d be shocked,” the commissioner said.

“Because George Touart is smart enough to know, he’s smart enough to know he’s under the microscope.”

RESTORE LORE

One of the issues under a microscope—insofar as Touart, and otherwise—is the RESTORE Act process. County officials are presently beginning a journey that will eventually see them deciding how best to spend an estimated $100 and $200 million stemming from Clean Water Act fines levied against BP as a result of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

“Mr. Touart just happened to come along at a time when it may look like it’s a bigger picture with this BP money, but I can tell you it had nothing to do with it,” Robertson said.

The Escambia County Commission has decided to establish an advisory committee to assess potential projects vying for the funds.

Robertson has stressed the importance the committee as an attempt to insulate commissioners from political pressures and bristles at the notion that Touart was brought back to cherry pick projects.

“That money is probably so far down the road, George probably won’t have a hand in that,” Robertson said.

During recent commission discussions regarding the restructuring of the advisory committee, Touart stressed the commissioners’ ultimate role in RESTORE—“you’ve got one shot, one shot with this money”—and told them that county staff already had “a billion dollars worth of projects.”

While Valentino has stated several times in the past that the advisory committee could be easily scrapped, Robertson laughed off suggestions that the commission would ever walk away from the concept.

“People would come out of the woodwork, including me,” he said. “I’m gonna tell you, that ain’t gonna happen. There ain’t nobody,

“When I say I don’t have to worry about ramifications, what I mean is I’m going to spend four years voting my conscience.”

Wilson Robertson

including Mr. Touart, that’s going to convince us not to have a committee.”

As for appropriate uses for the RESTORE funds, Robertson has consistently downplayed environmental angles in favor of economic development and infrastructure projects.

“People think I’m one of the ‘good ol’ boys—I don’t know, I been here a long time.”

Wilson Robertson “I know there’s people out there that are gonna really push for environment—we got that covered,” he said. “There’s gonna be people screaming and the federal government’s got that covered.”

While Commissioner Lumon May is pushing for a blue-ribbon committee and Commissioner Robinson has said the advisory body should focus more on public input and long-range vision, Robertson consistently stresses the importance of creating immediate jobs with “shovel-ready” projects.

“I don’t want that money to be spent in any way but to create jobs,” the commissioner emphasized.

BP AND BEULAH

One project that Robertson has repeatedly mentioned in relation to RESTORE money is an interchange on Interstate 10 in Beulah. Associated with a long-on-the-books sector plan in the area, the project is now being tied to Escambia’s chances of luring sub-contractor jobs connected with Mobile’s landing of Airbus.

“So, now it’s two-fold,” Robertson said.

“It’s the sector plan and Airbus.”

The sector plan is basically a vision of explosive growth in the county. It’s been on the drawing board for a while—“as George said the other day, he’s been working on it since back when he was here”—and was approved a few years ago.

Robertson explained that the sector plan—“a little city within itself”—was mapped out when the “economy was flying.”

“That’s when they all started buying up that land, speculating,” Robertson recalled, before describing how the whole thing faded into the background as the economy tanked.

“—there’s no real demand now, but there was then.”

With Airbus coming to Mobile, Robertson feels it’s time to get things rolling again in Beulah.

If it’s waiting around for state money, a project like that could languish quite a while. RESTORE could change the timeline dramatically. inweekly.net

“If we don’t get that interchange and let people develop ... we’re not gonna get any of those jobs,” Robertson said. “We’re gonna be too late.”

Chairman Valentino has suggested RESTORE money should be used to acquire land to offer companies looking to relocate. On economic development missions abroad he has also touted a theoretical industrial park located in the vicinity of the proposed interchange.

Robertson also talked about such a high-tech industrial park. He mentions the county might find itself needing to construct a 100,000-square foot spec building to better lure Airbus-associated companies—“and you know if you do, you’d be in the driver’s seat to land a lot of jobs immediately.”

Valentino has also defended his decision to support Touart’s return, saying he was privy to circumstances that the public was not.

When asked if Valentino may have supported Touart with his aim set on development in the Beulah area, Robertson said he didn’t know the chairman’s motivation.

“I’ll put it this way,” Robertson said, “I’m happy to have him back because he’s absolutely familiar with things.”

GOOD OL’ BOYS AND THE PERCEPTION QUESTION

Recently, Commissioner Robertson has become noticeably riled with political speculation within the community. He complains about blogs during commission meetings, and has taken to responding to comments on web forums.

Robertson gets particularly cross-eyed when talk turns to the influence of “good ol’ boys” in county government. He’s not sure who comprises such a mythical group.

“People think I’m one of the ‘good ol’ boys,’” he said. “—I don’t know, I been here a long time.”

Robertson said that he thinks people believe that residents with deep roots in the community have a reciprocal network that benefits its own. He disputes such a notion.

“It’s just I’ve been here so long, here in business, got so many relationships,” the commissioner said. “I think we’re considered to be good ol’ boys because we have so many friends and relationships.”

The ‘good ol’ boy’ speculation has increased in recent months. Moves like Touart or discussions about the Beulah interchange project and RESTORE money tend to spike the needle.

Robertson is adamant that there is no reason for concern.

“You know, we’ve go a Sunshine Law, we can’t go in back rooms, closed-doors and cut deals,” the commissioner said.

During a recent commission meeting, Robertson talked about public perception. He told his fellow commissioners the RESTORE advisory committee was needed to ensure the public could trust in the purity of the process.

In his office, the commissioner again talked about perception. He conceded that he could understand how a seat in the public gallery over the past few months could be a bit discerning.

“If I was sitting out there as John Q. Public, sitting out there not knowing what’s going on down here,” Robertson said, “yes, I would have that perception.” {in}

buzz as councilmanelect Andy Terhaar spoke individually with members of the press.

Myers learned of the press conference from a television news reporter as she entered Pensacola City Hall for a meeting of the Environmental Review Board.

“I wasn’t invited to the press conferMayor Hayward holds 'high-road' press conference Sept. 26. / photo by ence,” the councilJeremy Morrison woman said at the time, suggesting the SUNSHINE DAYDREAM The state has possibility of Sunshine violations. determined that there is insufficient eviIn its opinion this month, the Office dence supporting Pensacola City Councilof the State Attorney informed Myers that woman’s Sherri the mayor and each Myers’ accusations attending council of Sunshine Law viomember had been lation against Mayor interviewed. Press Ashton Hayward. coverage of the “We have event was also determined that reviewed. there is no evidence “Each council that the mayor member testified acted as a conduit to that they never disconvey information cussed their position between any council regarding the pendmembers,” wrote ing veto vote either with the mayor or any Chief Assistant State Attorney Gregory A. other council member,” Marcille wrote.

Marcille in a Dec. 11 letter to Myers.

The opinion from the Office of the State BIG DEAL? It appears something big is hapAttorney, First Judicial Circuit of Florida was pening at the Pensacola International Airport. in response to Myers’ complaint regarding a While city of Pensacola officials have been Sept. 26 press conference where the mayor tight-lipped, discussions during recent public was joined by three city councilmen and a forums point to an economic development councilman-elect. She laid out her position project at the city-owned facility. in a statement the following day.

During a Dec. 13 Pensacola City Council “The mayor held a press conference meeting City Administrator Bill Reynolds designed to garner support for his veto of an noted that Mayor Ashton Hayward was not item in the council’s budget,” Myers wrote, present to congratulate the University of West also pointing out that none of the three Florida’s championship girls’ soccer team women on council were in attendance. because he was in a meeting with “some very Hayward’s press conference was held important people from outside the city.” a day before the city council was to make Earlier in the week, the airport project was a decision regarding a mayoral veto of its briefly discussed by regional elected officials budget amendment targeting $220,000 of sitting as the Florida-Alabama Transportation marketing funds. Answering questions from Planning Organization in Milton. Members the media, the mayor said he felt “like we of the Pensacola City Council and Escambia will pass the veto.”

County Commission, as well as officials from During the press conference, Hayward Santa Rosa County, talked about project priaddressed council-mayoral relations—“I orities at the facility as well as funding over the want to take the high road and hope others next few years for Air Commerce Park Phase I. will choose to do so as well”—and said “It’s 450 jobs initially, phase two and three he wanted to “build consensus.” When takes it up to a thousand,” Escambia County Councilman John Jerralds was asked if he Commission Chairman Gene Valentino told now agreed with the mayor regarding the his peers on the Florida-Alabama TPO. “So, marketing funds, Hayward said the counthe impact is geometric.” cilmen would need to speak with the press When asked about specifics, Pensacola individually due to Sunshine Law concerns. spokesman Derek Cosson had no answers.

While Jerralds quickly ducked out a side “I don’t know what project to which you door following the press conference, counare referring,” Cosson said in an email. {in} cilmen P.C. Wu and Brian Spencer, as well

“I want to take the high road and hope others will choose to do so as well.”

Mayor Ashton Hayward

7

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The Best Cover Stories for 2012 The Independent News earned its reputation once again for no-holds-barred reporting, with no “sacred cows.â€? Our reporting earned us criticism and jabs from city council members, county commissioners and political candidates‌ and one broken window that no one has owned up to doing.

We also earned our first Sunshine State Award for investigative reporting and saw the popularity of December 20, 2012

the newspaper, websites and Twitter feeds grow.

Our goals remain the same. To report on the news behind the headline, connect the dots and add perspective to what is happening locally, regionally and nationally. We work to be a thought-leader and to make this community better for everyone.

The bumps, bruises and broken windows along the way are just signs that we are meeting those goals.

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IN Tackles Race: ▶BLACK & WHITE February 23, 2012

▶RACE & THE CLASSROOM July 21, 2012

▶A TALE OF TWO SCHOOLS

July 19, 2012 The Independent News made a commitment in 2012 to the coverage of racial disparities in Escambia County. For decades, Pensacola has been a segregated community, mostly by choice.

However the gaps in income, employment, education and health have grown too big to ignore and threaten the future of the area.

“Black & White” published the most recent statistics on our community and showed that the lives of African-Americans in Escambia County are very different from those of their white counterparts.

They make up 23 percent of Escambia County’s population and 28 percent of the City of Pensacola, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. A third of them live below the poverty rate, and their median household income is $22,787 less than white households.

Less than 40 percent of the black students read at or above their grade level.

The percentage for their white classmates is 72 percent.

The rates for heart attacks, stroke and diabetes for blacks in Escambia County are much higher than the averages for blacks statewide and nationally. The fetal and infant death rates are also higher than those

averages, and about three times higher than those for whites in Escambia County.

In addition, compared to the statewide averages, black youth in Escambia County are more likely to wind up in the criminal justice system. They are more likely to be detained, more likely to be committed and more likely to be tried as adults.

“Race & the Classroom” tackled the Escambia County School District’s woeful record in hiring and promoting African-American teachers, principals and administrators.

In Escambia County, the school district’s overall minority student population has jumped across the 50 percent mark.

African-Americans are, by far, Escambia’s largest minority group, comprising 35 percent of the student population.

While the minority student population has steadily increased, the amount of minority staff in Escambia has stagnated at just above 10 percent for the past decade.

“A Tale of Two Classrooms” examined the decision

by Superintendent Malcolm Thomas to build a new school for A .K .

Suter Elementary at cost of over $20 million and contrasted that decision with his earlier one to close Spencer-Bibbs Elementar y and bus those children across town to Global Learning Academy.

Suter is a historic school in a predominately white neighborhood with less than 200 children in its attendance zone.

Spencer-Bibbs was also a school with deep-rooted history that saw its enrollment suddenly drop to 329, though its attendance zone had over 600 children.

Pensacola has been a segregated community mostly by choice.

010 1

Five years ago, consultants had recommended the closure of four elementary schools—Allie Yniestra, Hallmark, Spencer-Bibbs and Suter. The smallest school, Suter, is the only that is still open.

The consultants also recommended that any new schools should be built downtown and in the southwest part of the county, where the growth in population is happening and schools have the most portable classrooms.

And by the way, Suter is in the district of one of the two school board members up for re-election in 2012—Patty Hightower. Bill Slayton, the other board member, got a new school, too, and it wasn’t in the consultant’s capital plan either.

Both Hightower and Slayton were reelected without opposition.

Seven Noteworthy Cover Stories for 2012: DOLLARS AND SINS

January 19, 2012 In early January, local residents milled about a conference room at the University of West Florida looking over proposed projects that would—in the words of Tony Hayward, former CEO of BP—“make this right.”

Nearly two years after the Gulf of Mexico oilrig went up in flames and triggered the largest oil spill in North America, the federal government trotted out the Deepwater Horizon Draft Phase I Early Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment. It was a list of restoration projects—funded from $1 billion BP already put on the

table—that in one way or another might “make this right.”

Projects included oyster-bed restoration in Louisiana and an artificial reef in Mississippi. In Alabama, they were looking to create and protect salt marshes.

Florida’s first Natural Resource Damage Assessment project turned out to be an Escambia County boat ramp.

In November, the feds were back in town to discuss NRDA Phase II projects.

This time, it looks like Northwest Florida, in addition to locations in Alabama and Mississippi, that will be seeing projects that attempt to restore avian breeding habitat and cut down on light pollution along sea turtle nesting areas.

WHEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE GOES WRONG February 2, 2012 Florida was among a number of states operating under new election laws in 2012.

State legislators seemed to be tweaking laws in a way that favored the Republican Party.

In Florida, Gov. Rick Scott rolled back voting rights for ex-felons. In the name of fighting voter fraud, Republican legislators also passed legislation—H.B. 1355—which limited early voting and made third-party registration efforts a scary proposition.

Locally, a Pace High School teacher ran afoul of the new legislation. Dawn Quarles was unaware of Florida’s new 48-hour turnaround requirement on third party registrants. She had registered students to vote, and now faced a $50-per-form penalty.

“This has gotten national attention,” Quarles said of her experience. “Colbert’s show came down and did a segment—Soledad O’Brien came down.”

“This has gotten national attention. Colbert’s show came down and did a segment—Soledad O’Brien came down.”

Dawn Quarles

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BP Oil Spill

Settlement Announced SO GO THE LOGOS Everything old is

new—or at least it’s been rebranded. The city of Pensacola made the biggest deal out of its rebranding rollout, but Escambia County, the chamber of commerce and civic center all got a spit-shine.

RESTORE RACE BEGINS Escambia County stands to get a windfall of money— with estimates ranging between $100 and $200 million—as a result of the Clean Water Act fines facing BP. There’s no shortage of outstretched hands, and the line forms at the doors of the county commission.

EXIT OLIVER, ENTER TOUART After firing

the Year and Executive of the Year. Forty Wahoos games sold out.

SWEET TALKER TRAVELS ON He came to town with a grand vision of publicprivate partnerships, historical tourism, a golf course and hotels. A year later, Matt Altier has left the University of West Florida as VP in a move UWF President Judy Bense said “wasn’t unexpected.”

HOW 4-H LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BANK

Matt Altier

county administrator Randy Oliver, the Escambia County Commission suffered some community blowback. It paled to the public lashing commissioners received when they then brought back George Touart—who left under an ethical cloud in 2007—as interim administrator.

NOT YOUR FATHER’S CLERK OF THE COURT After serving as Escambia

County’s clerk of court since 1957, Ernie Lee Magaha lost his office to Pam Childers in the August primary. In December, the longtime clerk got the county complex named in his honor.

WAHOOS! The new Pensacola Blue

Wahoos experienced a stellar inaugural season, which wrapped up with titles such as Organization of the Year, Ballpark of

Navy Federal Credit Union needed land owned by the Escambia County 4-H to expand operations. Business leaders and politicians sweated it out until the deal was sweetened enough to earn the kids’ buy-in.

ON THE BUS, IN THE LIBRARY

Escambia County commissioners decided to collect a dedicated tax from property owners in order to fund the West Florida Public Library system and the Escambia County Area Transit.

THE PLAINTIFFS’ STEERING COMMITTEE (PSC) SPEARHEADING THE LITIGATION SURROUNDING THE 2010 BP GULF OIL SPILL ANNOUNCED THAT A SETTLEMENT IN PRINCIPLE HAS BEEN REACHED WITH BP THAT WILL FULLY COMPENSATE HUNDREDS OFTHOUSANDS OF VICTIMS OF THE TRAGEDY. THE SETTLEMENT IS TO BE FULLY FUNDED BY BP, WITH NO CAP ON THE AMOUNT BP WILL PAY. BP IS OBLIGATED TO FULLY SATISFY ALL ELIGIBLE CLAIMS UNDER THE TERMS OF THE COURT SUPERVISED SETTLEMENT, IRRESPECTIVE OF THE FUNDS PREVIOUSLY SET ASIDE. PLEASE CONSULT WITH OUR FIRM ABOUT POSSIBLE CLAIMS FOR COMPENSATION.

Contact our law firm if you own a business South of I-10 and had decreased revenue in 2010.

NEW TOWN ORDER A number of area powerhouses have seen changes at the top. Gulf Power, Pen Air Federal Credit Union and three area hospitals have named new CEOs. FLIGHT ACADEMY Opening in the National Aviation Museum, the National Flight Academy offers students the opportunity to learn in an immersive, simulated environment.

WE CHARGE NO FEES OR COSTS UNLESS YOU COLLECT! WWW.LEVINLAW.COM 24 Hour Access | 7 Days A Week

435.7000 316 SOUTH BAYLEN STREET SUITE 400 | 850.435.7000 The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely on advertisements. Before you decide ask us to send you free written information about our qualifications and experience.

December 20, 2012

11

“Take us up a couple of notches—you know, what Camelot should look like.”

Dave Pavlock Various organizations—League of Women Voters, the AARP, Rock the Vote—cried foul, and filed suits. In May, a federal judge blocked key provisions of the new legislation, and a number of third-party registration organizations returned to the state.

Throughout the year, the Scott administration continued to defend its new election laws and also battled with the federal government over purging the state’s voter rolls.

Despite pleas from various organizations— predicting a logjam at the polls—the state refused to extend early voting in November.

On Election Day, Florida experienced long wait-times at the polls, with some voters waiting up to seven hours. While the 2012 presidential election was called quickly, Florida lingered with its final tally for days. There have been calls from both the state and the federal level for Florida officials to figure out what the problem is.

PLAN B

March 1, 2012 Pensacola Beach is a strip of sand with ambition. In 2012, that ambition became known as Plan B. After hashing it out in public forums, the Santa Rosa Island Authority selected its vision for the future from a pair of plans: A and B. Both plans were an effort to realize a better beach experience.

“Take us up a couple of notches—you know, what Camelot should look like,” SRIA Chairman Dave Pavlock explained at the time.

Originally, planners had set out to tackle the parking issues that surfaced a few times a year, primarily on hot-ticket summer weekends. A steering committee formed to forge the beach’s path into the future determined that the issue could best be addressed by separating people from their vehicles and encouraging them to 212 1

travel a pedestrian-friendly beachscape on foot. In the end, both plans put before the public cut hundreds of parking spaces from the beach.

Plan B called for raising the roadway of Pensacola Beach’s main intersection to allow pedestrians to flow unfettered at ground level. The project—which also called for landscaping and signs directing drivers to available parking—carried a $25 million price tag and was accompanied by talk of possibly hiking the toll on the beach bridge.

When Plan B went before the Escambia County Commission, an opposition contingent made plans for a show of force.

It wasn’t necessary, as commissioners had little appetite for the grand plans at the beach.

“If there’s three votes not to do A or B, are we gonna sit through all the speakers?” asked Commissioner Kevin White. “I’m gonna go to dinner, then come back and vote no.”

Although county officials snubbed the beach plans, they did instruct county staff to study possible solutions to the parking and pedestrian safety concerns. And while Pensacola Beach won’t be seeing any $25-million makeovers, there is now an observation wheel that enables riders to enjoy breathtaking views up and down a beautiful strip of sand.

Throughout the budget season and beyond, the Escambia County Commission wrestled with its finances. They considered a millage increase and a sales tax. County departments and outside agencies sweated it out on the chopping block over the course of a series of budget workshops.

Escambia also joined other counties in challenging the state. Ultimately, its bill was cut in half. The Medicaid reduction, coupled with retirement buyouts and other cuts enabled the county to realize an almost balanced budget.

Later in the year, the county budget would be further lightened. The commission approved a dedicated tax to fund the West Florida Public Library system, as well as a 4-cent gas tax to fund the Escambia County Area Transit system.

Escambia’s budget has also been further complicated.

After firing Oliver as administrator and prior to seating two new commissioners, the commission voted to search the budget for money in an effort to offer a 3 percent cost of living increase to county employees, as well as employees of other constitutional offices, such as the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Realizing that mission may be too ambitious, commissioners have more recently opted to let employees buyback up to 80 hours of accrued leave time.

“What we didn’t anticipate was that the state was going to pick our pocket for $6.3 million in the 11th hour of the legislative session.”

Randy Oliver

BALANCING ACT

May 13, 2012 Early in 2012, it appeared Escambia County had dealt with a $3.2 million shortfall and put its budget to bed. Then it got scary.

“It wasn’t going to be easy and clean, but we could deal with it,” former county administrator Randy Oliver said at the time. “What we didn’t anticipate was that the state was going to pick our pocket for $6.3 million in the 11th hour of the legislative session.”

The state of Florida was seeking to collect a 10-year backlog of disputed Medicaid claims from counties. Escambia’s bill was north of $6 million.

“I’ll quote you what Randy said— ‘it’ll be ugly,’” relayed then-Escambia County Commission chairman Wilson Robertson.

“He calls it ‘tremendous.’”

STRANGERS IN A STRANGE LAND

May 24, 2012 In May, the national battle over the country’s immigration policy was raging right next door. Legislators in Montgomery mulled their new immigration law, H.B. 56, as immigrants prayed outside on the statehouse steps.

Alabama had joined states such as Arizona in drawing up its own immigration legislation. In the final days of the state’s legislative session, lawmakers tinkered with its new law as the country waited for the U.S. Supreme Court to deliver an opinion on Arizona’s S.B. 1070.

While Arizona had become the posterchild for state-specific immigration policy, proponents of such legislation were keener on Alabama’s legislation. They cited the Heart of Dixie when looking to sell more

"It’s a very simple message we learned in Sunday school. If God loves us, why don’t you?”

Victor Spezzini states on the concept, and tweaked proposed language from state to state to make it more palatable.

“To make sure it becomes more immune to lawsuits from immigration-supporting groups, and individuals like Obama and the Mexican government,” said William Gheen, head of Americans for Legal Immigration (ALI-PAC).

As Alabama legislators debated possible amendments to H.B. 56 in an effort to avoid federal scrutiny, immigration-rights organizations rallied opponents of the controversial legislation.

“If you’re wondering what the message is, it’s a very simple message we learned in Sunday school,” activist Victor Spezzini shouted over a PA system set up in front of the statehouse. “If God loves us, why don’t you?”

The Supreme Court delivered a blow to Arizona in June, striking down major provisions of its legislation. Alabama’s law was also challenged, and in August an 11th Circuit Court of Appeals deemed several aspects of H.B. 56 unconstitutional.

While Alabama will not be allowed to make it a crime for undocumented workers to work or solicit work, or to make it a crime to hide, or rent property to illegal immigrants, authorities will be permitted to check a person’s immigration status while enforcing other laws.

In June, President Barack Obama issued an executive order that offered illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children some reprieve from deportation. He has stated his intention to push for a comprehensive reform—along the lines of the Dream Act—of the nation’s immigration policy during his second term as president. inweekly.net

John Boehner

“Blacks, Hispanics and young people are the people most hurt by this economy. Do you really think they are going to vote for this president?”

—John Boehner, Speaker of the House “I could have went the other way if someone did not care enough to stay actively engaged in my life.”

—Rev. Joseph Marshall “It makes me just want to throw up.”

—SRIA board member Elwyn Guernsey “I donated my entire paycheck to cultural institutions here.”

—Sen. John McCain “Innovation is only born when you’re willing to entertain diversity of opinions.”

—Mona Amodeo, idgroup CEO “I always like to talk about Grover because I knew him when he was just a little-shaver.”

—Sen. Bill Nelson

“It’s not the same-o, same-o anymore.”

—Mayor Ashton Hayward “Too many of our young people are dying.”

—Rev. Tyler Hardeman “The sad part about this is you’re kind of like a baseball manager. The only difference is the winning percentage doesn’t matter.”

—County Administrator Randy Oliver “The word ‘potential’ to me means you are not where you need to be. We have a lot of ‘options.’”

—Brian Hooper, URAC chairman “They [IN] can’t sell the paper… they have to give it away.”

—Commissioner Wilson Robertson “I’d always had the Lucille Ball approach to life: don’t mess with success, stick with what you’re good at.”

—Dr. Judy Bense, UWF president ®

“These kids are still waking up every morning and it’s looking like a concentration camp.”

—Pastor Willie Williams

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were slugfests and showdowns and, in general, wall-to-wall drama.

The Pensacola City Council and Mayor Ashton Hayward are having some issues as they learn to coexist in the city’s new form of government. The friction has been explosive.

There have been three lawsuits filed against the mayor this year by members of city council. Both Hayward’s marketing campaign and chief of staff were targeted during budget season for a sound stomping.

Some members of council went on the warpath. Other members cited poor communication between the legislative and executive branches.

“There’s sort of a lack of communication both ways and it’s feeding on itself,” said Councilwoman Megan Pratt.

The mayor didn’t seem inclined to engage. He said council was “MickeyMousing the little things.”

“It is what it is,” Hayward said. “I think your real question is, ‘Is council going to get on board?’”

By year’s end, the mayor had stated his intention to begin attending “important” council meetings and was able to fend off a rejection of his budget.

P.C. Wu has been elected the new council president which may calm things.

IN ELECTION GUIDE

November 1, 2012 A lot of decisions had to be made at the polls this November, especially in Florida. The IN mapped out the field so local voters could better navigate the lenghty ballot on Election Day. Obama or Romney? That was the big question. Romney visited Pensacola, so did Sen. John McCain, Gov. Mike Huckabee, House Speaker John Boehner and oddly even actor Jon Voight showed up at Wayne's Diner for the GOP presidential nominee.

Obama concentrated on Orlando, Tampa and Miami and never sent the "A Team" to campaign here.

However, the presidenital race was only the first of many on the ballot. There were also a slew of other federal, state and local races. And, of course, the amendments.

Within the presidential decision, there were layers of issues: immigration and energy policies, healthcare and taxes, education, judicial nominees and abortion. These same issues dominated the subtext of other races, such as Rep. Connie Mack’s (R-Fla.) run for Sen. Bill Nelson’s (D-Fla) seat.

The GOP faithful believed Romney would bowl over Obama, not just locally,

Sadly there will no changes at the Escambia Public School District.

“There’s sort of a lack of communication both ways and it’s feeding on itself.”

Megan Pratt DYSFUNCTION JUNCTION

August 19, 2012 Officials of the city of Pensacola have ridden a rocky year. In addition to municipal business—running daily operations, nailing down the budget and trying to figure out how to grow the tax base—there

Have you experienced IRON yet?

but also statewide and nationally. The IN endorsed the winners, Barack Obama and Bill Nelson. Enough said.

Locally, several constitutional offices were on the ballot. All were returned to office, except long-time Escambia County Clerk of Court Ernie Lee Magaha who lost to Pam Childers in the GOP primary.

Sheriff David Morgan trounced his opponents in both the GOP primary and the General Election, proving that he may be the most popular elected official in the region.

Supervisor of Elections David Stafford had no opposition. Democrats Tax Collector Janet Holley and Property Appraiser Chris Jones easily defeated their Republican challengers, which suggests that party affiliation may not matter in local races.

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DR. CHARLES AUGUSTUS

Jan. 26, 2012 Filed the lawsuit, Augustus v. School Board of Escambia County, on behalf of his 6-year-old daughter, laying the groundwork for the 1969 desegregation order that integrated the school system.

WARREN BRIGGS

Oct. 1, 2012 Well-known civic leader who served in the Florida House of Representatives (‘66-‘68), was Mayor of Pensacola (‘77-‘78), served as President of Baptist Healthcare Foundation (‘75-‘89) and later named President Emeritus.

LARRY BUTLER

Jan. 20, 2012 A musician, songwriter and awardwinning music producer who earned over 100 gold and platinum record awards, winning Grammy Awards in 1975 and 1979.

The Emerald Coast Utility Authority got one new board member, Vicki Campbell. Elvin McCorvey was returned without much a challenge in the Democratic primary.

Sadly there will no changes at the Escambia Public School District. Two board members, Bill Slayton and Patty Hightower, were returned without opposition.

Superintendent Malcolm Thomas had little trouble beating Democrat Claudia Brown-Curry.

The Escambia County Commission and Pensacola City Council also had multiple seats on the ballot. While some local politicians fought for their seats, others retired as a crowded field of candidates threw their names up for consideration.

Steven Barry and Lumon May were elected and give the county its youngest commission in recent memory. Both had to win out in crowded fields in their primaries and faced supposedly popular opponents in the general. They both come into office with strong mandates.

The city council has four new members – Charles Bare, Andy Terhaar, Jewel Cannada-Wynn and Gerald Wingate. The

JOE CRONA

Feb. 23, 2012 Member of the first FSU football team in 1947, CEO/President of Sun Bank until March 1994 , past president of Pensacola Country Club and Fiesta of Five Flags, honored as Don Tristan DeLuna in 1989.

PAT GRONER

Dec. 14 , 2012 The first CEO of Baptist Health Care, inducted into the Health Care Hall of Fame by the American College of Healthcare Executives in 2008.

DR. WILLIAM "BILL" LEWIS MALOY, SR. Sept. 9, 2012 Assistant Dean of the FSU College of Education, served as Education Advisor to Gov. Claude Kirk and Gov. Reuben Askew, Senior Civilian Advisor to the Chief of Naval Education and Training and elected Escambia County Superintendent of Schools in 1992.

voters rejected two of Mayor Ashton Hayward's biggest allies on the council – Sam Hall and John Jerralds.

And then the amendments – in Florida there were 11 on the ballot concerning health care services, Florida Supreme Court justices, property tax exemptions, rights to privacy, taxpayer funding of religious institutions and the student appointment to the Board of Governors of the State University System.

The IN agreed with the League of Women Voters and recommended that voters turn down each amendment. Most failed to get the required 60 percent.

The IN Election Guide was by far the most thorough guide that the paper has ever produced. Candidates completed questionaires and were given the opportunity to pitch the IN readers unfiltered.

The paper gave the breakdowns of the races and explained its endorsements. We didn't win every race, but that has never been the goal. No, the paper wanted to help the voters make informed decisions at the polls.

Mission accomplished. {in}

We didn't win every race, but that has never been the goal. No, the paper wanted to help the voters make informed decisions at the polls.

December 20, 2012

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December 20, 2012

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WEEK OF DECEMBER 20-27

Arts & Entertainment art , f ilm, music, stage, books and other signs of civilization...

Last Minute at the Market

by Sarah McCartan

in doing the same. Taylor is a regular presence at the market and is typically accompanied by her dog. Each hat in her collection takes on its own distinct, personality, and makes the perfect gift for a child or simply, the young at heart.

In many cases the market is a family affair, bringing together distinct skill sets, resulting in an eclectic display of items. Bob White of Blue Heron Studio showcases his woodworking skills through his birdhouses, while his wife Helen showcases her potting craft in the form of multi-use ceramic items. Their spread also includes handmade scarves. Upon selling the remainder of their inventory, the two plan on retiring from their trades after years of laboring. Be sure to check out their marked down holiday

photo by Sarah McCartan Looking for a prime hotspot to fulfill all of your last minute holiday shopping needs this season in one fell swoop? Look no further than Palafox Market.

Brought to you by Pensacola’s Downtown Improvement Board, Palafox Market is held Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is now a year-round occurrence. Each week upward of 70 vendors flock downtown to Martin Luther King Plaza to partake in this vibrant community of artisans.

The market atmosphere provides a warm, inviting ambiance, and offers a welcomed

Alicia Hill Taylor / photo by Sarah McCartan

ing Tupelo, Orange Blossom and the widely acclaimed purely local Wildflower honey.

Owner, beekeeper and East Hill resident Thomas D. Van Horn believes every jar of honey has a story—one he is setting out to share. These jars of honey make great gifts for anyone on your list, while the honey sticks, or other items such as soaps or candles make great stocking stuffers. East Hill Honey also offers several gift sets.

Not only is the market a prime spot for one of a kind gifts and specialty items, it has been ranked in the top ten in the country and number two in Florida in the “America’s Favorite Farmer’s Market” contest.

“Palafox Market is also the place to shop for all your holiday meals and party needs,” said Gilles. “Food vendors sell an array of

“Everyone shares ideas and helps each other. The market has a good village ambiance.”

alternative to the hustle and the bustle of malls and department stores—especially during the holiday season. The market also saves you the trouble of rushing around town or trekking far and wide in search of a perfect gift. Plus, as an added convenience there is free, up close, no hassle parking. Stroll at your own pace down the tree shaded brick walkway, as you take in the sights and sounds while sipping on organic coffee from vendors such as Keens Beans.

From wind chimes, to glass blown jewelry to wine jelly, hot sauce and beyond, the market serves as a one-stop-shop for all of your gift giving needs. “There are many gifts, for all tastes and styles to be found among the artists at the Palafox Market,” said Market Manager, Hilary Gilles.

Among the collection of art vendors is crochet extraordinaire, Alicia Hill Taylor, offering up her “whimsy & couture crochet.” Taylor, a local art teacher at Oriole Beach Elementary School, spends the summer months crocheting intricate hats and other clothing items. During the school year she leads some of her students

Maria Peña

special items.

Jose and Maria Peña are another husband and wife duo offering a diverse mix of items. Beginning with Blue Heron Studio products / photo by Sarah McCartan their line of Lady Bug all natural, organic homemade cakes, breads, pies, jams, candies, soaps, they have expanded over the last two salsas, and sauces and the market’s local meat years to offering other items including knit and produce will be a fabulous addition to any headbands, as well as exquisite, exotic jewelry holiday meal. Plus the fresh cut flowers, plants, made from organic Tauga seed (vegetable and aromatic potpourri will help you put the ivory) found naturally in the rain forests. finishing touches on your holiday décor!”

Not only does the market provide an opStill the market offers far more than a portunity for this community of local artists shopping destination; above all it offers an to spread extra cheer to patrons through their experience and a glorious one at that. The trades, they also support each other, exemplimarket takes you back to a land of simplicity, fying the true meaning of the season. something that is underrated and increas“Everyone shares ideas and helps each other,” stated Maria Peña. “The market has a ingly harder to come by these days. Plus, the good village ambiance.” fact that it gives you yet another opportunity Further down the way is another vendor to shop local this holiday season, makes it all exemplifying the essence of community, taste even that much sweeter. while promoting and encouraging the idea of For more information and to stay up to sustainability. East Hill Honey Co. offers 100 date with what is fresh and new at the market percent raw honey in multiple varieties, includeach week, visit palafoxmarket.com. {in}

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NIGHTLY CHRISTMAS LIGHTS NIGHT SEGWAY TOUR Emerald Coast Tours offers a new holiday tour through the month of December. Glide through Downtown, North Hill, East Hill and Old East Hill and view beautiful holiday decorations with a stop at East Hill Yard for a drink or bite to eat. The tours are from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and are $45 per person. For more information call 4179292 or visit emeraldcoasttours.net.

EMERALD CITY CHRISTMAS PARTY The party begins at 8 p.m. at Emerald City, 406 E. Wright St. Bring an unwrapped gift suitable for children aged 2 to 17 from Children’s Medical Services at Sacred Heart Hospital. At 10 p.m., catch a festive show featuring The Jewels of the Emerald Coast. For more information, call 433-9491 or visit emeraldcitypensacola.com.

12.26-12.30 COOKIES WITH SANTA At the Gulf Breeze Zoo, kids can enjoy the Christmas lights and have a snack with the man in the red suit. Cookies with Santa is from 5 to 6 p.m. and is for toddlers to 9-yearolds. Tickets are $25, ZooLights admission is included. Gulf Breeze Zoo, 5701 Gulf Breeze Pkwy. For more information, call 932-2229 or visit gulfbreezezoo.org.

12.20

12.20-12.24,

12.20-12.23

WINTERFEST TROLLEY Downtown Pensacola becomes Christmas Town through the eyes of Winterfest. Take a ride on the red trolley or carriage and see your favorite holiday characters come to life. The tour begins at the historic Escambia County Courthouse, 223 S. Palafox, where you can get your picture taken with Santa or take in a free show by Rudolph’s Revue. Tours begin at 5 p.m. To book your tour, call 417-7321 or visit pensacolawinterfest.org. & 12.26-12.30 ZOO LIGHTS Enjoy the Gulf Breeze zoo at night while it’s lit with thousands of holiday lights. The lights are on from 5 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and children, halfoff for season pass holders. For more information, call 932-2229 or visit gulfbreezezoo.org.

CHRISTMAS IN DEVILLIERS Spend a part of your holiday in the Historic Belmont DeVilliers community.

One Friday, Dec. 21, the DeVilliers Cultural Heritage Society will celebrate by hosting a Progressive Dinner Party starting at 5:30 p.m.

The night will begin with appetizers at The Belmont Building, 432 W. Belmont St. and move on to gumbo at the Gumbo Gallery, 314 N. DeVilliers St., main entrée at Five Sisters

12.21-12.24 12.21

Blues Café, 421 W. Belmont St. and dessert in DeVilliers Square, 312 N. DeVilliers St. Entertainment will be provided by The Dizzy Juke Band, Red Dog, Acoustic Soul, West Florida Tech Jazz Band and the Belmont Youth Band. Tickets are $50. For more information, contact Sonja Griffin Evans at 912-6806 or visit devilliersmuseum.com.

HOLIDAYS IN THE PARK The Department of Environmental Protection’s Big Lagoon State Park, 12301 Gulf Beach Hwy. along with Friends of Pensacola State Parks Inc. will be holding their annual Holidays in the Park event from 4 to 8 p.m. The free event will feature a vibrant light display, hot cocoa and coffee and a craft table. Santa and Mrs. Claus will also be in attendance around 5 p.m. For more information, call 492-1595.

THE SANTALAND DIARIES The short story by David Sedaris was adapted for the stage by Joe Mantello. The story follows how a slacker views Christmas as he works as an elf at Macy’s. The play will be at Theatre West, 9732 Sidney Rd. Friday and Saturday performances will be at 7 p.m. and Sunday performances will begin at 2 p.m.

12.21-12.22

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For more information, call 912-4087 or visit sanctuarytheatrewest.com.

SAIL WITH SANTA Hop aboard the 53-foot catamaran, Wild Hearts, and visit Santa. Cookies and eggnog will be provided as you sail along the beautiful waters of Orange Beach, Ala. A professional photographer will also be available to capture the memories. For reservations and schedule, call 251-981-6700 or visit sailwildhearts.com.

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE Watch the classic holiday movie, starring James Stewart and Donna Reed, projected on the Saenger stage, located at 118 S. Palafox. All seats are general admission and cost $5. Tickets are only available at the box office, get yours now.

For more information, call 595-3880 or visit pensacolasaenger.com.

TIDINGS OF COMFORT AND JOY WUWF’s popular night of music features music provided by The Perdido Brass, flutist Stephanie Riegle, harpist Katie Ott, pianist Tina Buran and soprano Sewell Griffith inside the Old Christ Church, 120 East Church St. There will be three performances at 6, 8 and 10 p.m. Tickets are $12. For more information, call 474-2787 or visit wuwf.org.

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Mr. Groner served as Baptist Health Care’s first chief executive officer, leading BHC to many great innovations. His influence reached beyond our small community to benefit hospitals across the United States. For his tremendous contributions to the nation’s health care industry, Mr. Groner was inducted into the Health Care Hall of Fame by the American College of Healthcare Executives in 2008.

All of us at Baptist Health Care extend sincere condolences to the Groner family.

He has left a tremendous and lasting legacy to this community, and he is greatly missed.

In Memory of

Pat Neff Groner

A true inspiration, a dear friend and a pioneering leader of Baptist Health Care

eBaptistHealthCare.org

December 20, 2012

12.24

CANDLELIGHT AND CAROLS The Beach Community Church, located on Via DeLuna Drive at the corner of Avenida 18, will have a Candlelight and Carols service at 6 p.m.

A NOT SO SILENT NIGHT The children and family service begins at 5 p.m. at Woodbine United Methodist Church, 5200 Woodbine Rd., Pace, followed by the contemporary service at 7 p.m. and carols and candles at 11 p.m. The speaker will be Rev. Jimmy Allen. For more information, call 995-0007.

CANDLELIGHT AND CAROLS AT FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH In pace, enjoy this special Christmas Eve service at 6:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in Pace, 4540 Chumuckla Hwy. Call 994-5608 or visit pacefumc.org.

ICE SCULPTURE DEMONSTRATIONS Watch as master craftsmen wield a chainsaw against towering blocks of solid ice to create beautiful works of zoo themed art. Sculptures will remain available for photo opportunities throughout the evening. The demonstrations begin at 6 p.m. at Gulf Breeze Zoo, 5701 Gulf Breeze Pkwy. For more information, call 932-2229 or visit gulfbreezezoo.org.

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happenings

12.24

12.24 12.26

‘Tour the Columbus Ships Pinta and Nina’

THURSDAY 12.20

TOUR THE COLUMBUS SHIPS PINTA AND NINA’ 9 a.m. Free-$8. For information on guided tours for groups, call to inquire. Through January 2. Pensacola Port, 700 S. Barracks St. 787-6722152 or thenina.com ‘THE HOLIDAY WALL: BE AN ORIGINAL… GIVE ART’ 10 a.m. through Dec 29. Blue Morning Gallery, 21 S. Palafox. 429-9100 or bluemorninggallery.com.

‘INTEGRATE. REPLICATE. GENERATE’ 10 a.m.

through Dec 22. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. 432-6247 or pensacolamuseumofart.org.

‘BILL MAULDIN: A SELECTION OF PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS AND PRINTS FROM THE ROWE COLLECTION’ 10 a.m. through Jan 10.University of West Florida Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 11000 University Blvd, Bldg. 82.

474-3247 or uwf.edu.

‘A ROADTRIP THROUGH FLORIDA ARCHAEOLOGY’ 10 a.m. DARC, 207 E. Main St. 595-0050, ext. 107 or flpublicarchaeology.org/darc.php.

PLAY HAPPY HOUR 4 p.m. Play, 16 S. Palafox, Suite 100. 466-3080 or iplaypensacola.com.

WINE TASTING AT AWM 5 p.m. Aragon Wine Market, 27 S. Ninth Ave. 433-9463 or aragonwinemarket.com.

WINTER WONDERLAND 5 p.m. $11-$180. Blue Wahoos Stadium, 301 W. Main St. 934-8444 x 122 or bluewahoos.com.

SANTA’S HOLIDAY EXPRESS TOUR 5:30 p.m.

Five Flags Trolley Company, 226 E. Intendencia St. 435-0914 or fiveflagstrolley.com.

VEGAN DINNER AT EOTL 6 p.m. End of the Line Café, 610 E. Wright St. 429-0336 or eotlcafe.com.

AFRICAN DRUMMING CLASSES 6:30 p.m. $2$5. Gull Point Community Center, 7000 Spanish Trail. For more information contact, 291-2718, 324-4928 or hurreyupstageandfilmworks.com.

BRAD BARNES OPEN COLLEGE JAM 7:30 p.m. Goat Lips Beer Garden, 2811 Copter Rd. 474-1919.

EMERALD CITY CHRISTMAS PARTY 8 p.m.

Please bring an unwrapped gift or toy suitable for a child aged 2-17 for Children’s Medical Services at Sacred Heart Hospital. Emerald City, 406 E. Wright St. 433-9491 or emeraldcitypensacola.com.

‘A CHRISTMAS SHOW FEATURING THE JEWELS OF THE EMERALD COAST’ 10 p.m.

Emerald City, 406 E. Wright St. 433-9491 or emeraldcitypensacola.com.

live music

BO ROBERTS 5 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.

THE DAVENPORTS 6 p.m. The Leisure Club, 126 S. Palafox. 912-4229 or tlcdowntown.com.

LUCAS CRUTCHFIELD 6 p.m. The Deck at The Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or fishhouse.goodgrits.com.

DRAW

Another beer from our 112 taps

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happenings JAMES AND FRIENDS 7 p.m. Hub Stacey’s Downtown, 312 E. Government St. 469-1001 or hubstaceys.com.

TROY BRANNON 7 p.m.

Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.

KNEE DEEP 7 p.m. Five Sisters Blues Café, 421 W. Belmont St. 912-4856 or fivesistersbluescafe.com.

KARAOKE WITH BECKY 7:30 p.m. Sabine Sandbar, 715 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 934-3141 or dalesbigdeck.com.

TIM SPENCER 8 p.m.

Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 932-2211 or sandshaker.com.

DUELING PIANOS 8 p.m.

Thursdays. Rosie O’Grady’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

DJ MR LAO 8 p.m.

Phineas Phogg’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

COLLEGE DANCE NIGHT 9 p.m. Phineas Phogg’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

EXTREME KARAOKE WITH G.C.P.C 10 p.m.

Play, 16 S. Palafox, Suite 100. 466-3080 or gulfcoastpartycrew.com.

FRIDAY 12.21

‘TOUR THE COLUMBUS SHIPS PINTA AND NINA’ 9 a.m. Free-$8. For information on guided tours for groups, call to inquire. Through January 2. Pensacola Port, 700 S. Barracks St. 787-6722152 or thenina.com ‘THE HOLIDAY WALL: BE AN ORIGINAL… GIVE ART’ 10 a.m. through Dec 29. Blue Morning Gallery, 21 S. Palafox. 429-9100 or bluemorninggallery.com.

‘BILL MAULDIN: A SELECTION OF PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS AND PRINTS FROM THE ROWE COLLECTION’ 10 a.m. through Jan 10.University of West Florida Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 11000 University Blvd, Bldg. 82.

474-3247 or uwf.edu.

‘INTEGRATE. REPLICATE. GENERATE’ 10 a.m. through Dec 22. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. 432-6247 or pensacolamuseumofart.org.

‘A ROADTRIP THROUGH FLORIDA ARCHAEOLOGY’ 10 a.m. DARC, 207 E. Main St. 595-0050, ext. 107 or flpublicarchaeology.org/darc.php.

PLAY HAPPY HOUR 4 p.m. Play, 16 S. Palafox, Suite 100. 466-3080 or iplaypensacola.com.

WINE TASTING AT DK 4:30 p.m. Distinctive Kitchens, 29 S. Palafox. 438-4688 or dk4u.com.

WINE TASTING AT SEVILLE QUARTER 5 p.m.

Palace Café at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

‘LIMITED DINNER AND HAPPY HOUR AT GREGORY STREET’ 5 p.m. $16-$20. Slow Roasted Prime Rib, Baked Lemon Pepper Grouper,

Chicken Cordon Blue. Gregory Street Assembly Hall, 501 E. Gregory St. 607-8633.

ZOO LIGHTS 5 p.m. Gulf Breeze Zoo, 5701 Gulf Breeze Pkwy., 932-2229 or gulfbreezezoo.org.

WINTER WONDERLAND 5 p.m. $11-$180. Blue Wahoos Stadium, 301 W. Main St. 934-8444 x 122 or bluewahoos.com.

WINE TASTING AT CITY GROCERY 5:15 p.m.

City Grocery, 2050 N. 12th Ave. 469-8100.

CHRISTMAS IN DEVILLIERS PROGRESSIVE DINNER 5:30 p.m. $50. The Belmont Building, 432 W. Belmont St. 912-6806.

SANTA’S HOLIDAY EXPRESS TOUR 5:30 p.m.

Five Flags Trolley Company, 226 E. Intendencia St. 435-0914 or fiveflagstrolley.com.

WINE AND GLIDE SEGWAY TOUR 5:30 p.m. $45. Emerald Coast Tours, 701 S. Palafox. 4179292 or emeraldcoasttours.net.

WINE TASTING AT EAST HILL MARKET 5:30 p.m.

1216 N. Ninth Ave.Meter Rentals $5. T.T. Wentworth Museum, 330 S. Jefferson. 595-5985 ext 111.

JOE OCCHIPINTI BIG BAND 6:30 p.m. Gregory Street Assembly Hall, 501 E. Gregory St. 307-8633.

SWING DANCING 8:30 p.m. American Legion, 1401 Intendencia St. $5. 437-5465 or pensacolaswing.com ‘STAND UP COMEDY SHOW’ 9:30 p.m. Big Easy Tavern, 710 N. Palafox. 208-5976.

live music

JACK ROBERTSON SHOW 5 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.

LUCAS CRUTCHFIELD 5 p.m. The Deck at The Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or fishhouse.goodgrits.com.

TROY BRANNON 5:30 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.

KNEE DEEP 7 p.m. Hub Stacey’s at the Point, 5851 Galvez Rd. 497-0071 or hubstaceys.com.

Come check out our Including gourmet pastas, fresh-baked breads, and boutique olive oils and balsalmic vinegars from around the world.

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21

December 20, 2012

happenings

KARAOKE WITH BECKY 7:30 p.m. Sabine Sandbar, 715 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 934-3141 or dalesbigdeck.com.

MIKE BOCCIA 7:45 p.m. Goat Lips Beer Garden, 2811 Copter Rd. 474-1919.

REDDOG 8 p.m. Five Sisters Blues Café, 421 W. Belmont St. 912-4856 or fivesistersbluescafe.com.

SCOTT KOEHN 8 p.m. The Grand Marlin, 400 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 6779153 or thegrandmarlin.com.

HOLLY SHELTON AND DAVID SHELANDER 8 p.m. Ragtyme Grille, 201 S. Jefferson St. 4299655 or ragtyme.net.

THE REVIVALISTS, HOTEL OSCAR 8 p.m. $10.

Vinyl Music Hall, 5 E. Garden St. 607-6758 or vinylmusichall.com.

THE BLENDERS 8:30 p.m. Hub Stacey’s Downtown, 312 E. Government St. 469-1001 or hubstaceys.com.

SLOWPOKE RODRIGUEZ, AT THE THRASHING AND MORE 9 p.m. The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. 434-9060 or pensacolahandlebar.com.

CLASS X 9 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 932-2211 or sandshaker.com.

MAINSTREAM 9 p.m. World of Beer, 200 S. Palafox. 332-7952 or wobusa.com/palafox.

THE MODERN ELDORADOS 9 p.m. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

MO JILES 9 p.m. The Deck at The Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or fishhouse.goodgrits.com.

PETTY CASH 9:30 p.m. Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen & Taproom, 10 S. Palafox. 497-6073 or hopjacks.com.

NEWBUEY SYNDICATE TRIO 9:30 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.

SATURDAY 12.22

PALAFOX MARKET 8 a.m. Martin Luther King Plaza on North Palafox Street between Chase and Garden streets. palafoxmarket.com.

TOUR THE COLUMBUS SHIPS PINTA AND NINA’ 9 a.m. Free-$8. For information on guided tours for groups, call to inquire. Through January 2. Pensacola Port, 700 S. Barracks St. 787-6722152 or thenina.com ‘THE HOLIDAY WALL: BE AN ORIGINAL… GIVE ART’ 10 a.m. through Dec 29. Blue Morning Gallery, 21 S. Palafox. 429-9100 or bluemorninggallery.com.

‘A ROADTRIP THROUGH FLORIDA ARCHAEOLOGY’ 10 a.m. DARC, 207 E. Main St. 595-0050, ext. 107 or flpublicarchaeology.org/darc.php.

WINTER WONDERLAND 11 a.m. $11-$180. Blue Wahoos Stadium, 301 W. Main St. 934-8444 x 122 or bluewahoos.com.

‘INTEGRATE. REPLICATE. GENERATE’ 12 p.m. through Dec 22. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. 432-6247 or pensacolamuseumofart.org.

‘BILL MAULDIN: A SELECTION OF PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS AND PRINTS FROM THE ROWE COLLECTION’ 12 p.m. through Jan 10.University of West Florida Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 11000 University Blvd, Bldg. 82.

474-3247 or uwf.edu.

PLAY HAPPY HOUR 4 p.m. Play, 16 S. Palafox, Suite 100. 466-3080 or iplaypensacola.com.

SANTA’S HOLIDAY EXPRESS TOUR 5 p.m. Five Flags Trolley Company, 226 E. Intendencia St. 435-0914 or fiveflagstrolley.com.

ZOO LIGHTS 5 p.m. Gulf Breeze Zoo, 5701 Gulf Breeze Pkwy., 932-2229 or gulfbreezezoo.org.

‘IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE’ 6:30 p.m. Saenger Theatre, 118 Palafox. 434-7760 or pensacolasaenger.com.

live music

JOE OCCHIPINTI SMALL GROUP JAZZ 10 a.m.

The Drowsy Poet Coffee Company, 86 Brent Lane. 434-7638.

TROY BRANNON 3 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.

PAUL KILLOUGH 6 p.m. Crabs We Got ‘Em, 6 Casino Beach. 932-0700 or crabswegotem.com.

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

J. HAWKINS BAND 7:30 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.

THE REVIVALISTS, MAGGIE KOERNER 8 p.m. $10. Vinyl Music Hall, 5 E. Garden St. 607-6758 or vinylmusichall.com.

DUELING PIANOS 8 p.m. Rosie O’Grady’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

JB LAWSON 8 p.m. Five Sisters Blues Café, 421 W. Belmont St. 912-4856 or fivesistersbluescafe.com.

JEREMY GIBSON & DAVE POSEY 8 p.m. The Grand Marlin, 400 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beac. 677-9153 or thegrandmarlin.com.

ELEMENO, DINOSAUR DAZE, TRANSMUTE 9 p.m. The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. 4349060 or pensacolahandlebar.com.

CLASS X 9 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 932-2211 or sandshaker.com.

MO JILES 9 p.m. The Deck at The Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or fishhouse.goodgrits.com LUCID LYONS 9 p.m. World of Beer, 200 S. Palafox. 332-7952 or wobusa.com/palafox.

THE MODERN ELDORADOS 9 p.m. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

KRAZY GEORGE KARAOKE 9 p.m. Hub Stacey’s Downtown, 312 E. Government St. 4691001 or hubstaceys.com.

NICK WING KARAOKE 9 p.m. Hub Stacey’s at the Point, 5851 Galvez Rd. 497-0071 or hubstaceys.com.

BIG PICTURE 9:30 p.m. Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen & Taproom, 10 S. Palafox. 497-6073 or hopjacks.com.

HURRICANE WARNING 9:30 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.

SUNDAY 12.23

TOUR THE COLUMBUS SHIPS PINTA AND NINA’ 9 a.m. Free-$8. For information on guided tours for groups, call to inquire. Through January 2. Pensacola Port, 700 S. Barracks St. 787-6722152 or thenina.com WORSHIP ON THE WATER 11 a.m. Tent Stage, Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.

WINTER WONDERLAND 12 p.m. $11-$180. Blue Wahoos Stadium, 301 W. Main St. 934-8444 x 122 or bluewahoos.com.

‘THE HOLIDAY WALL: BE AN ORIGINAL… GIVE ART’ 12:30 p.m. through Dec 29. Blue Morning Gallery, 21 S. Palafox. 429-9100 or bluemorninggallery.com.

PLAY HAPPY HOUR 4 p.m. Play, 16 S. Palafox, Suite 100. 466-3080 or iplaypensacola.com.

SANTA’S HOLIDAY EXPRESS TOUR 5 p.m. Five Flags Trolley Company, 226 E. Intendencia St. 435-0914 or fiveflagstrolley.com.

ZOO LIGHTS 5 p.m. Gulf Breeze Zoo, 5701 Gulf Breeze Pkwy., 932-2229 or gulfbreezezoo.org.

live music

REBECCA BARRY DUO 12 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.

LEAANNE CRESWELL & RICK WHALEY 3 p.m.

Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.

BETH BEIGHEY 3 p.m. The Grand Marlin, 400 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 6779153 or thegrandmarlin.com.

CROSSTOWN 4 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 932-2211 or sandshaker.com.

“I chose Pensacola State for my Bachelor’s degree. As a veteran, it was important to find a military friendly college to help me with a new career.”

— Tony Sullivan, Military Veteran

Enroll Now for Spring Semester!

Classes Online and On Campus Call 850-484-1547

pensacolastate.edu/spring An EA/EO Institution

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happenings Christmas Open House

Subscribing to the Perfect Gift simple return policy. jewelmint.com

every weekend in December

Join us for some goodies and drastic savings only at Blue Moon.

Why Buy New? Open Tues-Sat 10-5 | Sun 12-5

3721 W. Navy Blvd.

455-7377

FOR THE MAKERS: If your friend spends way too much money on Etsy, perhaps they should look into creating their own DIY magic. With each For The Makers box, you’ll receive all the materials you need to create four fashion-forward DIY projects.

The subscription is $29. Shipping is free. forthemakers.com

Late on holiday shopping? Still unsure of what to get? There’s one gift you won’t have to pay express shipping for and it doesn’t require wrapping.

Sign a friend up for a magazine subscription, or you can go even further with sites like Birchbox and Jewelmint.

Monthly subscription sites quiz you on your personality and taste and then send you items based on your answers.

Your friend will be surprised every month.

Sites can be flexible on the length of the subscription—unlike magazines, which tend to be yearly. Added bonus: your friend might even share some of the goodies with you.

Here’s just a few that are most talked about: BIRCHBOX: Probably the most popular of the beauty subscription services, Birchbox is inexpensive and packaged very nicely.

For $10 a month you get a box containing 4-5 beauty samples and the occasional full-size item. You also receive points for the money you spend, which includes the $10 a month that can be put toward fullsize products. Birchbox has also expanded to featuring boxes for men and home items. birchbox.com KARA’S WAY: Much like Birchbox, Kara’s Way sends five to 10 samples of beauty samples. However, this subscription features items that are eco-friendly, organic, free trade and/or vegan. Sign up for one, three, six or 12 months with prices ranging from $15 to $135. karasway.com JEWELMINT: Created by Kate Bosworth and Cher Coultier, Jewelmint sends you personalized jewelry each month for $29.99. You have the option to skip months, as well as free shipping and a

RISING KARMA 4 p.m. Hub Stacey’s at the Point, 5851 Galvez Rd. 497-0071 or hubstaceys.com.

RON WILLIAMSON OPEN MIC JAM 6 p.m. Goat Lips Beer Garden, 2811 Copter Rd. 474-1919.

DAVE MCCORMICK 7 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.

MUSIC AND KARAOKE 9 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 932-2211 or sandshaker.com.

JULEP: Nails were big in 2012 and there’s no telling how far this nail frenzy will go. Prepare with a subscription to Julep.

After you take the style quiz you’ll receive a customized box each month, featuring two polishes, a nail care item and a sur-

Still unsure of what to get? There’s one gift you won’t have to pay express shipping for and it doesn’t require wrapping. prise for $19.99 each month. You can skip a month, request a new box of polishes and even sign up for the share-with-yourfriends program which includes a free box of nail products for two friends that sign up. julep.com STYLEMINT: What if Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, the sisters behind Stylemint, picked out a t-shirt for you every month?

Wonder no longer. Once you’ve filled out a StyleProfile, you’ll have the option to choose from a list of customized t-shirts.

Stylemint offers the option to skip months, free shipping and a simple return policy. At $29.99, this is for the person that lives in and loves t-shirts. stylemint.com BUSTEDTEES SHIRT OF THE MONTH CLUB: Choose between a three, six or 12 month period and on the first of every month, you’ll receive a redemption code to choose any shirt from the Busted Tees catalog. Prices range from $50 to $165. bustedtees.com/subscription BACON CLUB FROM THE PIG NEXT DOOR: Everyone can appreciate bacon—

MONDAY 12.24

TOUR THE COLUMBUS SHIPS PINTA AND NINA’ 9 a.m. Free-$8. For information on guided tours for groups, call to inquire. Through January 2. Pensacola Port, 700 S. Barracks St. 787-6722152 or thenina.com ‘THE HOLIDAY WALL: BE AN ORIGINAL… GIVE ART’ 10 a.m. through Dec 29. Blue

unless of course they’re vegetarian. Sign up your pork lover for The Pig’s Traditional Bacon Club or The Pig’s Heirloom Bacon Club. Prices range from $99 to $149 plus shipping. thepignextdoor.com LOOT CRATE: The Loot Crate subscription is perfect for that gamer geek in your life. Items range from apparel to collectables to snacks and candy. You can sign up for the monthly plan or pay per three or six months. Prices range from $19.37 to $105.99. lootcrate.com OLIVEBOX: Sign up your favorite stationary hoarder to receive creative and pretty paper products. You can subscribe for one, three, six or 12 months. Prices range from $25 to $295 depending on how many months you sign up for. myolivebox.com CONSCIOUS BOX: This monthly box is filled with do-good goodies that focus on sustainability, environmental stewardship and social responsibility. From organic food to vegan beauty products, you’ll never get bored with the items. You can sign up for the three or six month plans or pay monthly—you can cancel at any time with this plan. Prices range from $12 to $64, plus $7.95 shipping for each box. consciousbox.com You can even sign up for fun, subscription services locally too.

FLOWERS FOR A YEAR FROM FIORE: With the Flowers for a Year subscription, you will receive 12 months of beautiful and unique seasonal floral arrangements for $500 – a savings of $100. Flowers for a Year will be sold through Christmas. You can sign up for the subscription or get more information by calling 469-1930 or by emailing fioreofpensacola@yahoo.com.

WINE OF THE MONTH CLUB FROM ARAGON WINE MARKET: The Wine of the Month Club is customized to fit all budgets and tastes. When you sign someone up, you’ll discuss what type of wine you’d like to send your recipient and for how long you want the subscription for. Charlotte Gordon, owner of Aragon Wine Market, personally delivers the wine each month. There is a $30 minimum and a 30-mile radius limit on deliveries. For more information, call 433-9463 or e-mail charlotteagordon@aol.com. {in}

Morning Gallery, 21 S. Palafox. 429-9100 or bluemorninggallery.com.

‘A ROADTRIP THROUGH FLORIDA ARCHAEOLOGY’ 10 a.m. DARC, 207 E. Main St. 595-0050, ext. 107 or flpublicarchaeology.org/darc.php.

for more listings visit inweekly.net

23

December 20, 2012

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music

by Brett Hutchins

The Revivalists Ring in the Holidays IN: Unlike a lot of New Orleans bands, your songwriting and lyrics are top-notch.

What’s the band’s songwriting process?

Campanelli: They’re written in three ways.

Sometimes it starts as an improv jam and we’ll add lyrics later.

Other times, members write songs at home and we tweak them together. The song may change, but the guts and framework will stick. Our process runs the gamut from fully individual to an entirely group effort.

in front of the right people without any roots starting out. Early on, we started working with the Howlin’ Wolf. They tied us into Rebirth Brass Band. Eventually, we found ourselves

“Post-show we do a thing called the ‘warmest, cheapest’ where we just go to the bar and ask for the warmest, cheapest tequila.”

IN: Any pre-show rituals?

Campanelli: We like to relax before the show. Post-show we do a thing called the “warmest, cheapest” where we just go to the bar and ask for the warmest, cheapest tequila.

Andrew Campanelli

The Revivalists have built something of a second home in Pensacola. With previous shows at DeLuna Fest and Bamboo Willie’s on Pensacola Beach, the New Orleans favorites have proven they can carry a weekend’s worth of material at Vinyl Music Hall during the holiday season. The IN recently spoke to drummer Andrew Campanelli about what it takes to succeed in such a crowded New Orleans music scene and what to expect from the soulful six-piece on their two-night Pensacola run.

IN: Describe your sound to someone who’s never heard you before.

Campanelli: Honest songwriting with bluesy, southern influenced rock arrangements.

We’ve got horns and pedal steel guitar going, as well.

IN: Who are some of the band’s biggest influences musically?

Campanelli: Of course you’ve got all the clas-

FOREVER DIETING? TIME TO CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT FOOD. A LUMINOUS LIFE HYPNOTHERAPY

sic rock touchstones like the Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles; but we listen to music from across the board. Blues, reggae, even hip-hop. One of our favorite songs to do is Dr. Dre and Eminem’s “Forgot About Dre.” IN: Having Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule) sitting in on that song on his New York home turf is pretty damn impressive, I must say.

Campanelli: That all stems from the four shows we did with Gov’t Mule in California.

During the third of that run, Warren invited some of us to sit in with the band. He has a standing invite with us anytime he’s interested, and he hopped on board with us on that Brooklyn show. It was a ton of fun.

IN: What’s it like being part of the music community of New Orleans, especially considering you’re all transplants?

Campanelli: It’s not something that happened immediately. It was tough trying to get

working with Galactic. Their sax player, Ben Ellman, produced our last record. Once we started partnering with them, we knew it was on. In a way, they became our older brother band. New Orleans in general is special. I recently had a couple weeks off for the first time in a while. I probably saw more great music in that two weeks here in the city than I had the entire year.

IN: With so much music going, how do you separate yourself from other New Orleans bands?

Campanelli: One of the things that’s separated us from the beginning is the fact that we’re not far from New Orleans. There are a lot of things that you get when you grow up in New Orleans that we missed. Being different isn’t something we try to do.

We’re just writing and playing. We’ve tried to cop the New Orleans feel in a new and fresh way, but it’s tough to do. It’s much more difficult to differentiate yourself as, say, a brass or funk band in New Orleans than it is as a rock band.

IN: Is preparation any different for a two day run like the one in Pensacola coming up?

Campanelli: I’ll let you know. This is the first time we’ve done a venue this large two nights in a row. We put on a different show every night, regardless of where we are. That’s partly for our audience but partly a survival mechanism for us. You never want things to get stale. We’re really glad that Pensacola allows us to do two nights in a row. The town has always given us a lot of support. {in}

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25

December 20, 2012

Leadership Pensacola: Producing Committed Leaders

Leadership Pensacola and Community Development

Jennifer Allen McFarren, Program Director, Leadership Pensacola Imagine our society without all of the capabilities that technology provides us on a daily basis; now imagine our society minus three crucial components: Accountability Act (HIPPA) and the effect each has on education, healthcare and technology. All three are our local healthcare system. instrumental in our lives and must interweave to be taken advantage of at their maximum capacity.

To close, the class had an opportunity to take This year’s Leadership Pensacola class (LeaP Class part in an education and technology panel with participants from Global Business Solutions, Inc.; 2013) had an opportunity to explore education, H2 Performance and Consulting; ActiGraph and healthcare and technology within our community Escambia County School Magnet Programs. and gained a better understanding of how each sector serves our region. Their day began at the The day was planned and led by Leadership Pensacola State College Warrington Campus and Pensacola Alumni Terri Ramos (LeaP Class 12), Steve concluded at Baptist Hospital.

Ooms (12), Ashley Hodge Harris (09) and Kurt Larson (05).

LeaP Class of 2013

The class had an opportunity to hear from three major contributors to the Greater Pensacola Area’s educational sector: The University of West Florida, Pensacola State College and the Escambia County School District. Specifically, the class was able to gain a better understanding of how our local education system contributes to our local workforce and its integration with our healthcare and technology sectors.

A highlight of the day was a panel with the CEOs of the Pensacola Area’s three major healthcare providers: Baptist Health Care, West Florida Hospital and Sacred Heart Hospital. The premise of the discussion focused around the Affordable Health Care Act, the Health Insurance Portability and

Barrie Arnold, Nikki Morette Bell, Robert Bender, Johan C. Boelig IV, Geoff Brodersen, Mark Everett Canada, Donya C. Charles, Nina Clark, Theresa Cserep, Matthew Davis, Gregory P. Fayard, Keith Fell, Richard Fulford, Thomas Greek, Tristan K. Harper, Jennifer Harrison, Danial Hemme, Chip Henderson, Jon Hill, Laura Hill, Emily Homan, Michelle James, Doug Jolly, Steve Kalkman, Stephanie E. Knight, Stacey Kostevicki, Kevin Krieger, Liz Kuehn, Robin Larrieu, Brooke Layton, Leon Ledbetter, Kim McDaniel, Jonathan B. Minchin, Will Nelson, Sharon Nobles, CDR Sean O’Brien, John O’Connor, Liz Pelt, Chris Phillips, Kelly Reeser, William H. Reynolds, Christa G. Ruber, Reid Rushing, Natasha Sluder, Natalie Smith, Kevin F. Spellman, Jonathan E. Thompson, Ryan Tilley, JoAnn Vanfleteren

More Information

For more information on Leadership Pensacola, please contact Jennifer Allen McFarren at 850.438.4081 or visit www.pensacolachamber.com/LeaP.

626 2

it happened here

by Jessica Forbes

Prohibition in Our Port City: Nothing ‘Dry’ About It Like everywhere else in the United States, the Prohibition of alcohol did little to discourage alcohol consumption in Pensacola. “The Noble Experiment” instead created networks of smugglers, compromised officials, organized crime, and enterprising citizens determined to distill or brew their own.

Federal and/or state Prohibition laws existed in Florida from January 1, 1919 through November 7, 1934. State laws kept legal booze out of the hands of Floridians almost two additional years beyond federal prohibition.

Pensacola was a busy international port during the “Roaring ‘20s,” but liquor was most commonly reported as being seized from ships traveling from nearby Cuba or the Bahamas.

Ships large and small transported the illegal cargo, and Pensacola had at least one known Rum Row-style stop. Portions of the battleship Massachusetts, which the U.S. Navy sunk two miles offshore in 1921, became a storage and transfer point for cargoes of liquor. Prohibition officers received a tip about such activity in 1922 and found the site freshly abandoned, littered with labels, broken bottles and crates.

Local and federal officials alike were busted for involvement with smuggling operations in and around Pensacola. The caretaker of Pensacola’s Quarantine Station was arrested for storing approximately 900 quarts of liquor in the loft of the building in 1921. Pensacola made national headlines when a group of 16 people, including a former sheriff of Okaloosa County, were indicted for smuggling liquor and illegal Chinese immigrants from Havana to Philadelphia via the Panhandle. In a similarly Boardwalk Empire-esque turn of events, after alluding authorities for one year, a federal prohibition officer committed suicide in Seattle upon his arrest for the sale of liquor and assault on another agent while working in Pensacola.

Pensacola’s large and—dare we say— thirsty military population contributed to the local demand. A 1931 Tampa Tribune article noted: “Conditions in Pensacola are

not encouraging…the Naval Air Station with its large personnel creates a market in the city itself for liquor.”

“The Barn” was a particularly popular watering hole among naval officers. Still standing at 105 West Jackson Street, the building was originally used as a barn, then remodeled into a home in the mid-1920s, and later rented as an Officers’ Club from 1928 through 1933. One employee’s relative recalled drinking local bootlegger Sam Clipper’s brew (commonly known as “Shinny”) at The Barn saying, “We had some wonderful parties and the Feds never bothered us.”

The rural, wooded areas surrounding Pensacola were also havens for moonshiners. One still raided in Molino in 1928 became a showpiece in the office of then Escambia County Sherriff Mose Penton.

That still had a capacity of twenty gallons; larger operations like one discovered at Seven Mile Creek in 1926 could produce up to two hundred gallons at a time.

Smaller levels of production were evidently occurring in homes and bars throughout town. In the late 1920s, the demand for home brewing supplies was so great that one druggist estimated Pensacolians were buying enough malt extract to brew 1,000 bottles of beer a week, adding, “We can’t get enough beer bottles to supply the demand.” One officer who frequented The Barn recalled the owner’s wife throwing parties there in which the program was to “make a batch, bottle a batch, and drink a batch.”

By the early 1930s, it was evident throughout the U.S. that enforcing Prohibition was a failed experiment. In 1932, newly appointed police chief Albert Anderson estimated there were 250 speakeasies or other establishments selling liquor in Pensacola. Though the 18th amendment was repealed on December 5, 1933, ending Prohibition at the national level, Floridians had to wait until November 6, 1934 to vote to repeal the state’s dry laws. Days later, Lewis Bear Company obtained the first license to distribute alcohol in Escambia County in the new era of legal booze. {in}

The rural, wooded areas surrounding Pensacola were also havens for moonshiners.

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Jessica is a Pensacola resident with a Master’s degree in Public History. When she’s not digging up history facts, you can find her doing production support at a local architecture firm.

27

December 20, 2012

news of the weird ARTFUL DODGERS The head of the Perse School in Cambridge, England, recently instituted a “10-Second Rule” for minor disciplinary infractions: Students could avoid punishment if they quickly produced a clever explanation for their misbehavior. “Getting children to talk their way out of a tight corner in a very short period of time” said Ed Elliott, encourages creativity and could produce a generation of British entrepreneurs. Said a supporter, “Often the ones who get further are the artful dodgers,” who “bend the truth.”

(Elliott warned, though, that “out-and-out falseness” would not be tolerated.)

CAN’T POSSIBLY BE TRUE Family Values: (1) A Tampa, Fla., mother and daughter (ages 56 and 22, with their familial ties verified by a Huffington Post reporter), shoot scenes together for their pornography website (“The Sexxxtons”), including threesomes with a man, but the women insist that they never incestuously touch each other. (2) Tiffany Hartford, 23, and George Sayers Jr., 48, were charged in Bethel, Conn., in December with selling unauthorized videos of Hartford having sex with another woman. That other woman charged, and a DNA test confirmed, that Sayers is Hartford’s father and that the two have a baby (although both deny knowing they were father-daughter at the time they had sex).

• Sheriff’s officials in Deerfield Beach, Fla., arrested nine people in October and charged them in connection with a betting ring that set point spreads and took bets not only on pro and college games but on kids’ games of the South Florida Youth Football League. Six thousand children play in the 22team association.

• Too Silly To Be True: (1) Police in Geraldton, Australia, reported in November that they had captured a thief they were chasing in the dark through a neighborhood’s backyards.

As the thief came to a fence and leaped over it, he happened to land on a family’s trampoline and was propelled backward, practically into cops’ laps. (2) Guy Black, 76, was charged in Turbotville, Pa., in October with threatening housemate Ronald Tanner with a chainsaw. Tanner, defending himself with the only “weapon” within reach—an umbrella— managed to pin Black with it as the chainsaw jammed. (Most people who bring an umbrella to a chainsaw fight would be less successful.)

INCREDIBLE Deputy NYPD Commissioner Paul Browne told reporters in November that, in the 24 hours of Monday, November 26th, not a single criminal shooting, stabbing, or slashing was reported in the five boroughs.

Browne said no police official could remember such a day, ever. (The city is on track to finish 2012 with fewer than 400 homicides--compared to the record year of 1990, when 2,245 people were murdered.)

• “Braco,” a Croatian-born “healer” (although he rejects the term), seems to make legions of sick or troubled believers feel better

by Chuck Shepherd

merely by entering a room and gazing at them in silence for a few minutes before leaving. (A Washington Post reporter, seeking relief from his allergies, attended a 100-person session in Alexandria, Va., in October, but found no improvement.) “Whatever is flowing through him,” said one transfixed fan, “is able to connect with a part of us.” Said another enthusiast, “The thing that makes Braco unique is he really doesn’t do anything.” [Washington Post, 10-12-2012] UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT In October, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals petitioned Irvine, Calif., to create a roadside memorial for the truckload of live fish that had perished in a recent traffic accident. (After all, fish, like humans, use tools, tell time, sing, and have long-term memories, wrote PETA.) On the other hand, the traffic casualties that day were en route to the Irvine Ranch Market to be sold as food.

• The governing Council of Brentwood, England, professes a “reputation as one of the most transparent” in the country, but in November, responding to a Freedom of Information request for documents on a government contract, it merely released 425 totally-blackened (“redacted”) pages. The official explanation was that all of the papers concerning construction of a movie theater were deemed “commercially sensitive” and “not in the public interest.” (Following an outcry, the Council re-thought the FOI request and disclosed “considerably more information,” according to the Daily Telegraph.)

PERSPECTIVE Shortly after drug-possession suspect Patrick Townsend, 30, was arrested in Lakeland, Fla., in November and had allegedly confessed into a detective’s digital recorder, Townsend managed to snatch the unattended recorder from a table, took a restroom break, and flushed it down the toilet. Townsend’s subsequent advice to the detective: “Tighten up on your job, homie.” (“Destroying evidence” was added to Townsend’s charges.)

• Casey Anthony was acquitted by a jury in Orlando in 2011 of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, in part because investigation of her computer did not yield incriminating evidence (e.g., suspicious search terms in her Internet Explorer’s history). However, in November 2012, with Anthony protected by the Constitutional prohibition against “double jeopardy,” investigators admitted they had overlooked the computer’s other web browser (Firefox). There, on the date of Caylee’s disappearance, were pages containing such search terms as “fool-proof suffication” (sic) and “asphyxiation.” {in}

From Universal Press Syndicate Chuck Shepherd’s News Of The Weird © 2012 Chuck Shepherd

Send your weird news to Chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, Fla., 33679 or weirdnews@earthlink.net, or go to newsoftheweird.com

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Independent News | December 20, 2012 | inweekly.net