Inweekly April 22 2021 Issue

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C E L E B R AT I N G INDEPENDENT B O O K S T O R E D AY S AT U R D AY, A P R I L 2 4

Independent News | April 22, 2021 | Volume 22 | Number 16

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winners & losers

outtakes

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5

news 6, 8

Then it kinda took over my life.

cover story

buzz 10

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contact us info@inweekly.net

publisher Rick Outzen

graphic designer Tim Bednarczyk

editor & creative director Joani Delezen

contributing writers Savannah Evanoff, Jennifer Leigh, Jeremy Morrison, C.S. Satterwhite

a&e 17

Independent News is published by Inweekly Media, Inc., P.O. Box 12082, Pensacola, FL 32591. (850)438-8115. All materials published in Independent News are copyrighted. © 2018 Inweekly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

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April 22, 2021

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winners & losers

Gwen Graham / house.gov

winners GWEN GRAHAM President Joe Biden nominated the former Florida Congresswoman to be his assistant secretary of Education for Legislation and Congressional Relations.

Graham represented the Tallahassee and Panama City areas in the U.S. House from 2015-2017 and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018. The daughter of former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham was one of the House's most bipartisan members. Before going to Congress, Graham was the attorney for the Leon County School District.

MEGAN PRATT The former Pensacola city councilwoman and founder of the Pensacola MESS Hall has launched the Citizen Science Initiative and is recruiting members of the general public to become citizen scientists.

Armed with phones and computers, these citizen scientists will gather observations about extreme precipitation. This information will be shared with local officials to help plan for a more resilient community that can withstand the increased precipitation and flooding expected from our changing climate.

GULF WINDS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

Gulf Winds presented the Children's Miracle Network at Ascension Sacred Heart with a donation of $10,626 earlier this month. The annual donation was the culmination of weekly donations made by Gulf Winds staff members to participate in the casual day jeans program.

Since 2012, Gulf Winds staff members have donated over $85,000 to the Children's Miracle Network as part of the casual day program.

In expressing his gratitude, Studer Family Children's Hospital at Ascension Sacred Heart President Will Condon said, "Every gift helps us provide the highest level of pediatric care close to home."

WORLD OF BAR Florida Politics founder Peter Schorsch gave a shout-out to the chain started by Gulf Breeze High School pals Scott Zepp and Matt LaFon. What started as a retail store in a Tampa neighborhood has grown to 50 locations nationwide and one site in Beijing. Their downtown Pensacola site has grown from a World of Beer to Taco Agave, Blend Lounge and Graffiti Pizza and has been a weekend gathering spot for hundreds.

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Ron DeSantis / YES Market Media / Shutterstock.com

losers RON DESANTIS As his state's jobless rate has held steady at 4.7%, Florida's governor opposes a Florida Senate proposal that would increase maximum state unemployment benefits from $275 a week to $375 a week because he believes it's keeping people from going back to work. The bill would increase the number of weeks benefits would be available and scale back a "work search" requirement that currently says people on unemployment must reach out to five prospective employers each week. The increased benefit of $375 per week computes to $9.38 per hour for a 40hour work week. The bill has to go before the full Senate for a vote.

AMERICA FIRST CAUCUS The new Congressional caucus proposed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Rep. Paul A. Gosar (R-Ariz.) lasted only one day after being blasted by Republican leadership and others. A flier leaked to the media said the new caucus called for a "common respect for uniquely Anglo-Saxon political traditions," hawked election conspiracies and outlined a nativist agenda. Hearing of the new caucus, Rep. Matt Gaetz, of course, tweeted, "I'm proud to join @mtgreenee in the #AmericaFirst Caucus."

HOUSE BILL 1 On Monday, April 19, Gov. DeSantis signed the so-called "Anti-Riot" bill into law. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried summed up our feelings, "This isn't a game. This governor and his Republican allies love to talk about the Constitution while shredding it with extreme legislation like HB 1. Silencing the speech of those seeking equality is straight from the Communist regime playbook.

The criminal aspects of this bill are already illegal. HB 1 protects no one, makes no one safer and does nothing to make people's lives better. It's simply to appease the governor's delusion of widespread lawlessness, and it's frightening to imagine the lengths to which he'll go to strip away rights and freedoms for political gain. The message from this governor and his enablers is loud and clear—if you disagree with him, you will be silenced." inweekly.net

outtakes

By Rick Outzen

STAY SINGLE In March 1977, a class action was filed on behalf of Escambia County's Black voters that challenged the at-large system for electing county commissioners (McMillan v. Escambia County). Because all voters were allowed to vote on all five district positions, Black voters had no representation on the county commission and school board.

Whites ruled the county, and the Black community received few services.

The district court held the at-large system unconstitutional pursuant to the 14th and 15th Amendments and that it violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The county and city fought the ruling and had the decision reversed on appeal.

The plaintiffs sought a rehearing, and the federal appellate court eventually vacated its decision and held that the at-large system for electing Escambia County commissioners violated the 14th Amendment. The court later agreed Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act was also violated.

In 1983, all five incumbent commissioners ran for election or reelection according to a single-member district plan ordered by the district court.

Four of the incumbents were defeated. The new commissioners took office on Nov. 15, 1983—nearly two decades after the Voting Rights Act was passed.

The following month, the county commission voted 3-2 to direct the county's attorneys to substitute the new commissioners into the litigation and to file motions to withdraw from the case. For the first time since the end of Reconstruction in the late 1800s, local government had Black representation.

Since 1983, Escambia County has had single-member districts for the commission, school board and ECUA board. Each has had one Black member. The city of Pensacola also adopted single-member districts because of the court rulings, and the council has had as many as three Black members at the same time.

That may change.

Inweekly hears an effort is being mounted to do away with single-member districts. The plan is to return to at-large districts, thereby diluting the Black vote and making it nearly impossible for people of color to get elect-

ed—similar to how Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties have all-white county commissions and school boards. Once again, the local government in Escambia County would be for whites only.

But this is more than a racial issue.

Single-member districts are the norm for counties the size of Escambia.

According to the Florida Association of Counties (FAC), the state has 40 counties with at-large districts out of 67 counties. Of those 200 county commissioners, only two are Black. Of the 40 counties with at-large seats, only 17.5% have a larger population than Escambia—Lake, Lee, Marion, Pasco and Sarasota and Seminole. None of these seven have a Black commissioner.

According to FAC, 19 counties have singlemember districts. Of these counties, Brevard, Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties have more people than Escambia.

Duval, Hillsborough, Leon, Manatee, Orange, Pinellas and Volusia have a mix of single-member and at-large commission districts. Of these seven, only one has a lower population than Escambia—Leon County, where 32% of the population is Black.

To summarize, of the 17 counties with populations equal to or greater than Escambia, 10 have single-member districts either entirely or mixed with a few at-large positions—59%.

Why? Because single-member districts are more responsive to the voters. Wealthy contributors have more difficulty controlling the elections. They don't get their way as easily as they might in at-large counties.

Single-district commissioners, council members and board members can't focus solely on their districts or a single issue.

They must convince a majority of their fellow members to support their ideas and programs. A board member who fails to do that and only lobs darts at the others wins on few issues and gets isolated fast.

I want to make it clear this newspaper will oppose any move away from singlemember districts. The diversity on our boards and city council is our strength, not a weakness as some may want us to believe. {in} rick@inweekly.net

But this is more than a racial issue. Single-member districts are the norm for counties the size of Escambia.

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NEVER FREE

Photo by Gina Castro

By Gina Castro Before all of the dump trucks, gut feelings and lawsuits, Wedgewood was a slice of the American dream. Its undeveloped landscape made it easy for folks like Georgia Sunday and her husband to envision starting a life there.

The Sundays moved to Olive Heights more than 50 years ago. Back then, the nearby Wedgewood subdivision hadn't been built, roads weren't paved, and hardly anyone had laid claim to the land. The Sundays loved the area and witnessed more people of color purchase the land around them.

"It was just people trying to have something of their own, make a decent living and make it better for their children," Sunday said.

LaFanette Soles-Woods' parents purchased the property where she lives in 1952.

Her family believed the area was an ideal place to raise a family. She was born in 1958.

Woods remembers her neighbors raising livestock and growing their own produce.

In the early '70s, Cora Mathis' family built a home in the Rolling Hills area. She told Inweekly, "We assumed that it was a very nice area. Things were quiet and very peaceful. We liked it here."

So how did Wedgewood come from being the ideal place to raise a family to being surrounded by landfills and borrow pits?

For residents, the answer is clear—racism.

"They were doing it because it's a predominantly Black area," Cora said. "They knew we didn't know what they were doing."

"EVERYTHING WAS GOING WELL" Wedgewood is a Black middle-class

66

neighborhood whose residents have been fighting to rid their community of pollution for more than a decade. Hundreds of residents have developed cancer, COPD and other illnesses that they believe are related to the landfills' pollution. Some of the Wedgewood advocates, among other residents, have even died. As a result, 350 residents are suing South Palafox Group, the owner of Rolling Hills Construction and Demolition Debris Facility. Attorney Kenneth Williams is representing the residents. He did not respond to requests for comment, but Woods and Sunday, who are among the plaintiffs, did.

Woods believes the air from the landfills caused her father to die from dementia in 2014. When she moved back to the area at 36 after serving in the military, her health began to decline.

"I was healthy. Everything was going well," Woods said. "In 2000, everything started going downhill. I developed diabetes, then breast cancer, had a mastectomy, and I went through chemotherapy and radiation. I have also been diagnosed with sleep apnea, coronary artery disease; I've had open-heart surgery and did a triple bypass. It did not work, so now I have five stents. All of this has been since I came back from the military."

Woods shared the health of longtime community advocate Judy Cook also has declined. Cook worked at the Marie K. Young Community Center, just feet away from the Rolling Hills landfill fence. Cook has suffered three strokes and is living in a nursing home.

Sunday recalls her husband's health taking a turn for the worse after the April 2014 flood. Her husband has COPD. This

flood caused the Rolling Hill landfill's berm to explode, causing toxic water to mix with the 5 inches of floodwater that flowed into residents' homes.

Although Cora and her family aren't in the lawsuit, she has battled breast cancer and had two heart attacks. Her husband had prostate cancer, among other illnesses. They attribute these ailments to the landfills.

Though the residents have an idea when their illnesses began, it's not quite clear when the pollution started.

A BRIEF HISTORY

Rolling Hills C&D Facility had its permit revoked by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in 2015. The DEP's site assessment of the landfill in 2013 revealed elevated levels of arsenic, boron, ammonia, iron and total dissolved solids in the groundwater monitoring wells. To treat the groundwater, DEP ordered South Palafox Group to implement a Remedial Action Plan (RAP) and submit quarterly monitoring reports.

However, the DEP confirmed that issues at this site began much earlier. In May 2006, the DEP notified the previous owner of the landfill that a site assessment and corrective actions needed to be initiated due to DEP's detections of elevated constituents in onsite monitoring wells.

The facility's permit was then transferred to South Palafox Group in 2007.

In 2016, the DEP began the lengthy process of capping the landfill and suing South Palafox for its failure to properly close the landfill. As of 2021, the Rolling Hills landfill is capped. The process cost $1.7 million.

Capping the landfill helps contain the smell

and hydrogen sulfide that has plagued the residents since the beginning of this ordeal.

"The air quality has drastically improved from the landfill being capped, honestly, so the air quality from the landfill has improved," Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) District 3 board member and longtime Wedgewood resident Larry Williams said. "I'm in the community daily and do not detect odors. Plus, that was part of the process of capping, too, there is no new material being brought into [the Rolling Hills landfill]. So that's another reason the air quality has improved."

Escambia County's three hydrogen sulfide monitors, located at the Marie K. Young Community Center, 6700 Block Rolling Hills Road and 700 Block Pinestead Road, are constantly monitored and can be viewed at any time on myescambia.com. The hydrogen sulfide monitors at the community center and on Pinestead Road have been consistently at zero since July 2020. Rolling Hills Road monitor still consistently shows hydrogen sulfide with an average max of 2 parts per billion (ppb), which is below the OSHA Minimum Odor Threshold of 10 ppb.

Capping covers the landfill waste or contaminated soil with land. Although capping doesn't destroy contaminants, the process does stop the contamination from spreading.

This process prevents water from accessing the landfill. If water trickles through the waste, called leachate, the water can contaminate the groundwater and potentially leak harmful chemicals into the soil.

Since the Rolling Hills landfill predates the law that now requires all landfills to have a liner between the soil and waste, there is a chance of the waste reaching the water line beneath the landfill. Despite that potential hazard, Williams is confident the water is safe because Escambia County placed the proper soil monitor mechanisms to track if any hazards permeate the soil.

"The monitoring mechanisms test the soil and what comes through the soil before it goes to the water supply," said Williams.

"So I think it's environmentally safe. I think the water, Wedgewood and surrounding communities are safe."

Williams continued, "As a matter of fact, I know that the water is tested. I've done a tour of ECUA plants, and they test their water at various stages along the preparation path. But not only did they test the water, they have to send test samples off to the state. The state can, without notice, come and perform its own tests. So the water quality is good."

For those outside of the Wedgewood area, it may seem as though the battle is over. But residents won't be satisfied until all of the borrow pits and landfills have been shut down and capped. Residents are tired of their schools and homes being surrounded by concrete crushing and waste.

"We're surrounded. It feels like we will never really be free," Sunday said. inweekly.net

Franscine Mathis

SCHOOL LOCATIONS AND WATER CONCERNS

Myescambia.com shows the Wedgewood area has six borrow pits and about five landfills—SunBelt Crushing, Eager Beaver, Waste Management, Rolling Hills C&D and Wingfoot Road landfill.

SunBelt Crushing crushes and processes concrete and asphalt. Success Academy, a school for middle and high school students, is just 100 feet from the facility. Pine Forest High School and Longleaf Elementary are less than a mile from the SunBelt Crushing.

All three schools have a majority of Black students and some of the highest percentages in the Escambia School District of children on free or discounted lunches.

Meanwhile, in communities that are wealthier and predominantly white, schools like N.B. Cook Elementary, Cordova Park Elementary, West Florida High School of Advanced Technology and Booker T. Washington High School aren't anywhere near borrow pits and landfills.

The Wedgewood area residents remain convinced that the number of landfills and borrow pits still negatively impact the environment. Sunday, Woods and Cora still believe that the water isn't safe, so they all purchase bottled water to drink with, and some even cook with only bottled water.

"So how can that water be clean?

You can actually smell the water.

You can even taste it. It has a very nasty taste to it." Franscine Mathis "I do not believe Mr. Williams when he says this water is clean. There is no way that they can say that this water is safe and clean," Cora's daughter and former Florida House candidate Franscine Mathis said.

"We have gotten water in a glass, set it there and waited for a couple minutes, not even overnight, and we've come back and you can see stuff floating around in the water. That's April 22, 2021

nasty. So how can that water be clean? You can actually smell the water. You can even taste it. It has a very nasty taste to it."

At the beginning of its investigation into the Rolling Hills landfill, DEP conducted end-of-tap sampling at the community center and nine individual residences within the community and found that the water complied with State and Federal Safe Drinking Water Standards.

Williams believes some residents have an issue trusting that the water is safe because they aren't aware of the water purification process.

"The water that Wedgewood drinks is the same water that, say, East Hill drinks depending on which tower they allow the water to come from, or it could be the same water that they're drinking in Lincoln Park, Ensley, Marcus Point and other places," Williams said. "So the water does not come from Wedgewood and go right back to Wedgewood."

As Williams explained, the water used in Wedgewood, along with the water from all neighboring areas, is sent back to the ECUA plant to be put through the purification process, so the water that comes from residents' faucets isn't unique to Wedgewood.

However, Franscine Mathis suggested that perhaps the water pipes in Wedgewood coming from the ECUA pollute the water as it travels to residents. The ECUA confirmed that they aren't sure of the exact age of Wedgewood's copper pipes since the ECUA didn't exist at the time that the pipes were put in place.

ECUA Senior Confidential Assistant Sherry Hardin stated that the lifespan of the water pipes is 50-100 years, and some parts of the system may exceed 100 years of age. Hardin estimates that the potable water mains for the Wedgewood community were installed between the late 1950s and the early 1960s, which would make the pipes between 61-71 years old.

"WE NEED THE GOVERNMENT'S HELP"

Regardless of if the landfills and borrow pits harm the environment, their presence still negatively impacts Wedgewood residents. The landfills damaged the residents' property value.

"The property value has gone down considerably since it was found out that the landfills caused a lot of things going on out here," Woods said. "A lot of people have sold their homes, but they're not telling them about all of the issues that we do have out here. I know that if somebody told me what was going on, I wouldn't buy anything out here."

Some residents feel trapped in Wedgewood. They aren't able to sell their homes and can't afford to abandon them. However, some residents do choose to do just that.

"My husband and I both, we, really financially, wouldn't be able to move, but if given the opportunity, financially wise, and

especially for my great-grandchildren that live down the road," Cora said, "if they don't do anything about this, I really would like us to leave this area."

She believes pollution from the landfills needs to be handled at the state level because the county hasn't done enough.

"That landfill, that dump," Cora said of the Rolling Hills landfill, "when it was in front of the [Wedgewood Middle School], the trash was sky-high. They are not going to tell me that stuff was not affecting the water at that school. They are not going to tell me that was not affecting the water in this community. It had been there so long."

She continued, "This was pointed out to the commissioners many, many times. At this point, I think it needs to be dealt with at a government level. I really think the local level is not doing anything. We need the government's help."

Escambia County Commissioner of District 3 Lumon May did not respond to requests for comment. In 2014, Commissioner May and former Florida House Rep. Mike Hill led a media tour of the landfills and borrow pits in the Wedgewood area that triggered the DEP investigation into Rolling Hills C&D Facility.

State Rep. Michelle Salzman (R-District 1) also blamed the county commissioners for the number of landfills in Wedgewood.

"Who in the world let them do that? And we know the answer," Salzman told Inweekly. "It's the county commission. They're the ones that handle licensing and all that. They allowed this to happen."

Salzman grew up off of Longleaf Drive in Wedgewood and attended Wedgewood Middle School before it was destroyed due to asbestos and sold to the county for the community center. She stated that she met with the DEP, Commissioner May and South Palafox Group about Wedgewood at the start of her term last fall.

The one thing that is holding back Salzman from prioritizing the environment is that Wedgewood isn't her voting base since she believes Wedgewood is largely Democrat.

"They're Democrats. They vote Democrat," she said. "I put signs out in Wedgewood, and every time I put them out, the next day, they'd be gone. You know, my dad lives right there … we went through more signs in Wedgewood than anywhere, but there's just very few people that vote Republican over there."

According to the state lawmaker, Wedgewood's environmental problems weren't an issue for her Republican voters.

She said, "Their number one priority was their Second Amendment rights, and then their second priority was infrastructure, and then third being pro-life."

She continued, "So it's nothing about the environment, nothing about landfills, nothing like that. So not only is it not the people that don't vote for me, but it's also nothing in the priority list of what folks in District 1 said they wanted me to do as a state representative."

However, Salzman said she had met four times with DEP on environmental issues.

She said, "I see that it's a need for me to understand it and grasp kind of where we are, but they're just not my voter base. But

it certainly wasn't a priority on the list of things to do from the voters."

She repeated that she had talked with Commissioner May and wanted to be part of a solution.

"My husband and I were chatting about it the other day, and I said it'd be nice if somebody could come in," said Salzman, "if the county could come in and invest the money over there. And then if we win the lawsuit, they can get the money back. Why do we have to wait to get the money to fix it? We know we need to fix it, whatever it is, because I think it's a compilation of just over time people just literally crapping on that community."

The lawmaker said that she received campaign contributions from South Palafox Group. Her campaign finance reports showed $1,000 each from the company's CEO Alexander Cover and Project Development Manager Daniel Levitan. However, she said she doesn't believe accepting their money made her biased.

"I can tell you that [South Palafox Group] were one of the first people I met with to try to fix the problem. So that certainly didn't taint my views on things," Salzman said.

Inweekly read Salzman's complete comment about Wedgewood not being her priority since they, in her opinion, didn't vote for her to Mathis and Williams. Mathis ran as Democrat Salzman for District 1 House seat.

"Regardless of if they are Republicans or Democrats, if their votes come from that area or not, your job is to the people in your district." Mathis "Regardless of if they are Republicans or Democrats, if their votes come from that area or not, your job is to the people in your district," Mathis said. "We all know that people are endorsed by different companies. When you are endorsed by someone, they endorse you because you believe in what they believe in."

She continued, "If you're endorsed by a landfill, that means that they know that they can count on your support in making sure that these landfills stay open. That's sad because your constituents are dying, and your constituents are sick."

As a resident of Wedgewood, Williams was disappointed by Salzman's comment.

"She does not know who all voted against her; what she does know that she's representing all the voters from this area," he said. "And that should be the way she tries to govern."

"I would hope when she reads my comments, she will review her own and see that there are more issues and policies that we have in common, that we could make laws that we all can live with, versus not," Williams said. "When you see still how Black men are being gunned down for nothing, it may have something to do with that mindset, that they are not police officers; they did not vote for the police force. Therefore, they do not deserve the same protection or to be treated like the same first-class citizen." {in} 7

THE ROAD TO HASHTAG the roadway, another called for noting the original waterline in the area, which ran along Main Street before infill, with inlays in the sidewalk.

"Pay tribute to the working waterfront, maybe the waterline back in the early 1500s or 1600s, because that's where it was, and maybe we could show that in a way," suggested Tillar.

FUNDING DOWNTOWN DREAMS

By Jeremy Morrison Laid out lengthwise across multiple tables is an overhead view of the heart of Pensacola's urban core—A sacred municipal scroll populated with yellow Post-It Notes foretelling a future of flow and connectivity and improved waterfront access downtown.

Depicted on these streetscape aerials is phase one of the Hashtag project. But really what it is, according to Pensacola Capital Improvement Project Manager David Forte, is a blueprint for progress—the city is betting big on the Hashtag project, along with improvements planned for nearby Bruce Beach, citing the endeavors as catalytic efforts meant to not only better the city's landscape but also spur economic development and investment in the area.

"These are capital projects, probably in my entire lifetime, that will be more significant not just to downtown but for Pensacola," Forte said recently as he watched people study the streetscape aerials during a recent public input session just off of Main at Maritime Park.

The Hashtag project—so named because the confluence of downtown streets involved roughly form the shape of the hashtag, or pound sign—focuses on creating a walkable, bikeable downtown with fluid connectivity that allows for public access to the city's waterfront. The project has developed over the last couple of years, with New York City-based urban planning firm SCAPE working with the city and community members to envision what improvements would benefit downtown.

Phase one of the Hashtag project—involving the stretch of Main Street running from South Alcaniz to South Baylen streets—is currently wrapping up another 88

public input period, which will be synthesized into final plans due this summer.

Actual construction on the project should begin in late 2021 or early 2022.

When Pensacola City Council President Jared Moore looks at the plans mapped out for phase one of Hashtag—the bike lanes, lane slimming, bioswales and such—he sees a natural next step in a project that falls in line with Pensacola's focus in recent years on improving the streetscape's connectivity and making the urban core more pedestrian-friendly.

"It's that same urban design principal," Moore said after looking over the sacred scroll. "It's just the next phase."

PHASE ONE: LOW-HANGING FRUIT

What would evolve into the Hashtag project began a couple of years ago as a partnership between the city and local developers and entrepreneurs Quint and Rishy Studer. The Studers, who own numerous downtown properties as well as the Blue Wahoos minor league baseball team that plays at Maritime Park, invited SCAPE down from New York to reimagine Pensacola's urban core.

The resulting vision, Hashtag, focuses on implementing urban design and Complete Street concepts along stretches of Main, Cedar and Jefferson streets and Palafox Place. Improvements of this variety in the urban core, planners assure, will prove catalytic, improving connectivity and spurring growth.

"These are really the key to connecting downtown and the water through pedestrian and bicycle movement and hopefully new development and private investment as well," explained Lee Altman, a project manager with SCAPE, during a recent virtual presentation on phase one plans.

While future phases of Hashtag will

focus on revitalizing Cedar Street from Bartram Park to Spring Street and then improving Palafox from Intendencia Street down to the waterfront at Plaza De Luna, this first phase of the larger project concerns the stretch of Main Street from Alcaniz to Baylen.

"We kind of decided with the city this is low-hanging fruit; this is most attainable in the Hashtag project right now," said David Tillar, a project manager with the Dewberry engineering firm, during the virtual presentation.

Dewberry, contracted in 2019 to work on Hashtag, has spent the last couple of years conducting geophysical and topographic surveys, consulting with stakeholders and pouring over public input. Last spring, the firm flew a drone down Main Street, and the resulting aerials now display the proposed improvements along the downtown corridor.

In addition to slimmer lanes aimed at slowing vehicular traffic, the plans call for protected bike lanes heading both east and west along Main, as well as trees planted along the sidewalk, a dedicated area for service delivery vehicles to unload, redbrick crosswalks and potentially a traffic signal at the intersection of Main and Jefferson streets.

Another feature prescribed in the phase one plans is so-called "bike boxes."

Bike boxes, a new concept for the area, are designated areas for cyclists positioned at intersections ahead of vehicular traffic.

"This is the standard practice for cyclists who go into an intersection," explained Tillar.

Another feature of the plans calls for recognizing the area's connection to the waterfront via historical markers or signage. While one concept involves some type of maritime markers on a visual screen used to separate a parking lot from

To fund the Hashtag project, as well as improvements slated for Bruce Beach, the city's Community Redevelopment Agency secured around $18 million through refinancing bonds associated with the Community Maritime Park. Everyone knows the overall costs of the larger project will exceed that figure, but city officials are optimistic more money will materialize.

"We hope that there may be an opportunity for other funds to come our way, either through grants or working with DOT and just increased revenues that result from the benefits from the project," CRA Executive Director Helen Gibson said during the recent virtual presentation.

Mayor Grover Robinson is hoping that the city can essentially double its money with a little outside help.

"I think it looks great," Robinson said of the phase one plan before laying out his funding ambitions. "We've been waiting for this to get a total together. We want to take this and go to Triumph Gulf Coast."

Triumph Gulf Coast, the body assembled to dispense financial penalties associated with the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, has been a source of needed funds for the city before, such as when it needed help funding a project aimed at fostering an aviation maintenance industry in the region. And although Triumph has emphatically told the city not to come looking for further financial assistance, Robinson believes he can get board members to cough up a few more dollars not only for urban streetscape improvements but also improvements at the Port of Pensacola.

"We think we can show what this will do for job creation, both from the Hashtag, Bruce Beach and the improvements that we make at the port," Robinson said, leaning into one of the primary criteria Triumph values.

Ideally, the mayor would like Triumph to match the funds already earmarked for the downtown improvements. This would bring the total available to around $37 million. That much money will be necessary if the city is to realize much of anything beyond phase one of Hashtag fully.

"Main Street is probably our most important corridor, and that's certainly where we want to start. But we think all of our other corridors are just as important, and we do have a plan to create funding for some of that," Mayor Robinson assured. {in} inweekly.net

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The group has raised $75,000 to The Daisy Foundation and $25,000 to AUPHA April 22, 2021

9

Booker Hodges, John Ortolano and Eric Randall / Photos Courtesy of City of Pensacola

POLICE CHIEF FINALISTS The selection

committee for the next Chief of Police for the Pensacola Police Department has recommended three finalists to move forward in the selection process for the position.

Mayor Grover Robinson will ultimately select the chief, who will go before the city council for approval.

The finalists are Booker Hodges, assistant commissioner of Law Enforcement for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety; John Ortolano, police chief for the sixth-largest municipal agency in New Mexico; and Eric Randall, assistant police chief for Newport News Police Department in Virginia.

The Pensacola Police Chief Selection Committee consisted of City Administrator Keith Wilkins, Deputy City Administrator Kerrith Fiddler, HR Director Ted Kirchharr, Pensacola Fire Chief Ginny Cranor and City Attorney Susan Woolf.

The finalists will move forward with final interviews and participate in a virtual public candidate forum at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 28. The public may submit questions to surveymonkey.com/r/policechiefforum by 5:30 p.m. Sunday, April 25.

The forum will be virtual-only and available to view live at cityofpensacola.com/video from the Hagler-Mason Conference Room.

ANOTHER GILLEY GOOF At their Committee of the Whole on Thursday, April 15, Escambia County commissioners learned that the administration had told Pensacola Bay Center's management company not to apply for CARES funds, even though the county had put $25.5 million of its allocation into payroll reimbursement as a filler to complete its report to the state in late December.

The board eventually voted to allocate an additional $250,000 of bed tax collections to help ASM Global operate the facility. Still, the commissioners wanted 010 1

to know why the company hadn't asked for CARES funds like its Osceola County venue had done.

"We were told not to because the funds were already going in other directions," said Bay Center General Manager Cyndee Pennington.

As she has done with other issues uncovered at board meetings, County Administrator Janice Gilley said she wasn't aware of Pennington's conversation with the county staff.

Commissioner Lumon May said, "If there was a person on staff that misled and said don't apply when you had the opportunity, then that person for me will be held accountable."

Commissioner Doug Underhill pressed for the name of the county staffer. However, Pennington was still reticent, "It was a department director that we were having a meeting about other things, and we brought up the CARES act and applying for it. And we were told that. Admittedly, it was my mistake for not then picking up the phone and calling; I trusted this person."

Finally, Pennington identified the person as Facilities Management Director Cassie Boatwright, who "told us not to bother, that she was not getting hardly anything. She was only getting a couple of things for us not to bother because the funds were already promised to other areas."

Gilley asked whether she had brought it up with the county's budget staff. Pennington said she had mentioned it to Deputy County Administrator Chips Kirschenfeld and Assistant County Administrator Wesley Hall.

She said, "We were told at that point that it was too late that it was going to the board, and the funds had already been decided upon."

TDC AUDIT On Friday, April 9, Escambia County Tourist Development Council (TDC) chair David Bear sent a letter to

the Florida Department of Revenue and County Administrator Janice Gilley requesting its findings of alleged irregularities in how the county has handled its administration fee and other expenditures using the bed tax funds be sent to the Florida Auditor General for an independent audit of TDC expenditures.

Clerk of Court Pam Childers has deducted 3% of the monthly collections as an administrative fee.

"The Board (of County Commissioners) must demonstrate a reasonable connection between the 3% retained by the clerk and the actual costs incurred in administering the tax," wrote Bear. "Absent support for the amount being assessed, the clerk may be retaining TDT (tourist development tax) collections for administrative costs in excess of the actual costs. Any amount of TDT revenues retained for administration of the TDT that exceeds actual administrative costs is unauthorized and must be reduced accordingly."

The TDC requested an audit late last year after a similar audit performed in Walton County found its clerk didn't have "a cost allocation methodology to support the administrative costs charged for administering the tourist development tax."

In his letter, Bear also pointed out the county has also allocated a flat fee of 5% of the TDC's total budget to indirect costs purportedly performed by the county on behalf of the TDC. According to Bear, the county has no procedures for calculating the indirect administrative costs charged to the TDC. The county also has used the funds for landscape maintenance at Pensacola Beach, salaries of the Marine Resources Department Director and other staff and other expenses that TDC believes are unauthorized under Florida law.

HONORING HEROES The Monument to

Women Veterans will host a groundbreaking for its museum, Monument to Women Veterans and its national construction training center for veterans from 3-6 p.m. on Friday, April 26, at 980 E. Heinberg St. Guests can reserve a spot at the ribboncutting event by visiting mwvets.org/rsvp.

Founded in 2011 by Navy Veteran Michelle Caldwell, Monument to Women Veterans has been granted a 30-year lease

by the City of Pensacola to restore and remodel the Amtrak depot on Heinberg Street. The location will provide space for a museum and the first monument dedicated to active-duty and veteran military women.

Sculptor Elizabeth MacQueen will design the 35-foot monument that will feature flames and laser beams over a stainlesssteel elliptical band of flowing water. The monument will be surrounded by women figures from each branch of the military in their service uniforms.

The facility will also serve as a national training center for returning veterans of all genders and identities. The training will allow veterans to reside in Pensacola and train in construction to help fill areas with a critical labor shortage.

HOMELESS PLAN COMING Since taking office, Mayor Grover Robinson has talked about doing something to address the issue of homelessness. The effort garnered a large working group that ignited the Homeless Reduction Task Force of Northwest Florida with John Johnson of Opening Doors of Northwest Florida and Connie Bookman of Pathways to Change taking lead roles.

"We have some stuff planned for dealing with homelessness," Mayor Robinson said at his Monday, April 12, presser.

To aid the city in developing its new plan to address homelessness, the mayor invited Robert Marbut back to town to revise a study he conducted for former Mayor Ashton Hayward. Marbut had to be convinced to return because the consultant's first stint with the city in 2014 did not go well.

"We had to talk to him, convince him we were serious about trying to do something and figuring out what was going on," said Robinson. "The first thing he told us was he almost didn't even fly back down here to talk with us or meet with us because he was like the 'city of Pensacola was the biggest waste of my time when I came here because it was evident that nobody wanted me to do anything. I was just there for show.'"

Eventually, Robinson convinced Marbut to return—"Oh, my God, this is like night and day from the last time I was down here."

Over several visits, Marbut has worked with Neighborhoods Administrator Lawrence Powell and the task force to reassess Pensacola's homeless landscape and provide an updated plan to address the issue. The consultant's work scope has included writing a new report and making recommendations.

"We've also asked him for some more tangible short-term and long-term solutions that we weren't necessarily looking at even six months ago," Robinson said, though the mayor did not specify what these new approaches might be. inweekly.net

Not everyone is a big fan of Marbut's work, something the mayor said he was unaware of until recently. He said, "Until we actually talked about bringing him back here, I didn't hear anyone be critical of him or anything else."

Marbut's critics contend that the consultant essentially directs cities toward initiating prison-like facilities to warehouse the homeless. One such critic is Michael Kimbrel, a homeless advocate who operates the Sean's Outpost campground area and serves as the Alfred Washburn Center's executive director.

Mayor Robinson discussed Kimbrel specifically at the press conference, answering questions about the advocate's lack of participation in the city's current efforts to address homelessness. The mayor said, "He was the first person we ever talked to, upstairs on the seventh floor."

The mayor went on to say that Kimbrel's interest in the task force "waxes and wanes." He described the advocate as having become "disengaged" and said he needed to compromise to work better within the task force.

"He's absolutely invited to be a part of this group. I can't force him to come attend and be part of it," Robinson said. "But Mike has some different things that he wants to do. And if the group wants to do different things than he wants to do, then he's going to have to figure out how he fits within all of that."

Mayor Robinson also addressed the issue of Escambia County participating in a homeless initiative, particularly financially.

"There's no doubt that I think at this point we're the only ones putting something together, but they're going to be a part of it," the mayor said. "We've got an ask for them, and we have reached out, and we've got our staff talking to them about it."

NEW PSC TECH BUILDING Pensacola State College recently unveiled its new state-of-the-art Baars Technology Build-

April 22, 2021

ing on the Pensacola campus. The twostory facility will be home to the college's STEM programs, including cybersecurity, mathematics, computer science and other high-tech fields of study.

It replaces the Mary Ellison Baars Building, which was the college's oldest structure and named for the Baars family matriarch who made the original property available to the college.

"Pensacola State College was Florida's first junior college established under the Minimum Foundation Program in 1947," PSC President Ed Meadows said. "We started in a downtown Pensacola boarding house, but the original Mary Ellison Baars Building was the first structure built at the Ninth Avenue location."

The cybersecurity facility sits in the same footprint as the historic facility. The new facility is Phase I of a project that will eventually include a Phase II west-wing building that will house other high-tech programs such as advanced manufacturing.

The total cost for both wings is estimated at around $35 million.

Kirk Bradley, dean of Baccalaureate Studies and Academic Support, said, "It couldn't come at a better time because our cybersecurity program is growing. This will allow us to expand our program to serve even more students interested in careers in cybersecurity."

GOODBYE, DOTTIE The Pensacola

community recently lost one of its most engaged citizens when Dottie Dubuisson passed away last week at 70. During the Pensacola City Council agenda conference on April 5, Councilwoman Ann Hill, a friend, described Dubuisson as someone who saw the city's "big picture" and "aimed to reach that pinnacle."

"We were greatly saddened," Mayor Robinson said at his weekly presser. "We certainly miss Dottie."

Dubuisson was a regular attendee at

city government meetings, often appearing better versed on the agenda than the officials conducting the meeting. In recent years, she arrived at public meetings on her tricycle and was particularly engaged in the BelmontDeVilliers neighborhood's progress.

"She was always at every meeting; she was always there representing the people, but she was also always going there on her tricycle," Robinson noted, "As we continue to look to make things more bikeable, more walkable, more pedestrian and bike-friendly, I'll certainly be thinking of Dottie and appreciate the stance that she took to try to make this a better community, a more walkable community."

BELLVIEW LIBRARY Escambia County held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Bellview Library at 6425 Mobile Highway on Monday, April 13. The project is expected to be completed Spring 2022. Escambia County is adding on to a prior bank facility with the help of STOA Architects and Hewes and Company. The construction cost is expected to be $3.8 million.

"One of the things that I always wanted to see happen in District 1 was for us to have our own public library," said District 1 County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh. "We're the only district of five that did not have one."

He added, "One of the things I like about taking this four-acre property and doing what we're doing with it is we're taking a building that wasn't being used, and we're now going to repurpose it for a good use."

The central portion of the library will consist of a large open space divided into a lobby, a story-time area, a youth area and an adult reading area. The space will provide entrances to other support spaces such as multiple study rooms, staff rooms, a PC area and a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) room.

Most of the old oak trees on the south side of the property will be preserved. This south side will also serve as the location for a future park and playground. A sidewalk

will be built to connect the new library and Bellview Elementary.

FINANCIAL WELLNESS CENTER Gulf Winds has launched the Financial Wellness Center, an online financial education platform for adults that is a free resource available at gogulfwinds.com/learn. The Financial Wellness Center was created in partnership with EVERFI, Inc., the nation's leading education technology innovator.

"Gulf Winds believes in the value of financial education," said Chris Rutledge, CEO/ president of Gulf Winds. "We want to empower members of our local community with resources to help them make the best financial decisions for themselves and their families."

The Financial Wellness Center provides interactive learning tools covering a wide range of financial topics, from basic information about checking accounts to more abstract topics like Expectations of a Financial Caregiver. You can even take a short quiz to get your personalized playlist, which will suggest topics matching your financial interests and goals. Each topic is 3-10 minutes in length and designed to encourage participants to build financial confidence with a series of interactive activities. The mobile-friendly program is available in English and Spanish.

SBDC ON SELLING How does your small

business find customers or clients? Is your small business continually successful at winning new business? One of the biggest challenges for a business owner is finding customers to buy what is being sold. "Selling" may come with a less than pleasant connotation, but make no mistake, selling is crucial to growing a company. Join SBDC at UWF from 11 a.m.-noon on Thursday, April 29, for a one-hour session that includes relevant sales topics and a panel discussion covering various ways to bring people to your business and create a relationship that brings you revenue growth. No fee. To sign up, visit sbdc.uwf.edu under "Training & Events." {in}

11

Comfort, Curated

Book Today

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inweekly.net

4/6/21 4:37 PM

By Hana Frenette

Bodacious Bookstore and Cafe / Courtesy Photo

After a year of seemingly endless virtual connection—Zoom meetings, FaceTime, texting, event streaming, 24/7 news notifications—now, more than ever, is a time to celebrate a place that continues to offer a reprieve to our technologysaturated brains—the bookstore.

On Saturday, April 24, book lovers across the country will participate in a national one-day party to celebrate and support small bookstores on Independent Bookstore Day (IBD). Each participating store is unique, and every celebration is different. In addition to author readings, live music, scavenger hunts, kids events, art tables, readings and contests, there are exclusive book releases and literary items that you can only get on IBD. IBD launched in 2014 as a 95-store, California-only event and has grown to include all 50 states and more than 600 locally owned, independent bookstores as of 2021.

IBD was modeled after Record Store Day as a way to showcase the special offerings and community experience of local bookstores.

"There is absolutely no better way to invest in your community than supporting your local bookstore," Becca Hampton, Bodacious Bookstore and Cafe communiApril 22, 2021

cations coordinator, said. "There's a million different lives, ideas and stories lined on our walls that you get to choose from any day of the week, no matter your age. It's the best way to see the world and create a new one that's all your own."

Bodacious, a bookstore and cafe located downtown, is an official participant in IBD and will have exclusive signed books, themed merchandise, special IBD tote bags and pencils and discounts on certain inhouse books this weekend.

"We're getting a map of indie bookstores in North America with an option to pin where you've been," Hampton noted.

The shop will also host raffles throughout the day, and a grand overall raffle winner will receive a Bodacious Bookstore gift card and T-shirt.

Open Books, a nonprofit, volunteer-run bookstore and now the only used bookstore in Pensacola, is also joining in on the celebration and offering 25% off all purchases all day. The first three customers of the day will receive a box of Girl Scout cookies, and all customers will receive a complimentary Open Books pin with their purchase.

"As for the bookstore, I think it's a key element of any community to have a bookstore,"

Open Books founder Scott Satterwhite said.

"Historically, they're the center of culture.

They're a hotbed of creativity and activity, a meeting place for people of all backgrounds."

Satterwhite helped found the Prison Book Project in 2000 and, with the help of several friends, started Open Books in 2007 to help support the Prison Book Project.

According to their website, the Prison Book Project currently sends around 10,000 books each year to inmates in Florida prisons, one of the largest prison systems in the country and one sorely lacking in-house book collections. The Prison Book Project currently serves approximately 2,000 inmates each year.

"I've stayed involved with the Prison Book Project because I think it's important to offer mutual aid and solidarity with Florida's prison population," Satterwhite said.

Satterwhite noted that aside from the Prison Book Project, he simply enjoys being surrounded by books.

"Not to be snooty, but I'm always suspect of people that don't frequent bookstores," he said. "Seriously, without books, why exist? Why even bother?"

Satterwhite added that many indie bookstores also offer a larger choice in

terms of timeframe and eras and lesserknown titles.

"Big boxes are good for what they offer, but the beauty of a library is not if they have the exact book you're looking for but all the other books you didn't even know existed," he said. "We have conversations with readers because you can't do this work if you don't really know books and specifically know your community. We love books, and we love bookstores, in the truest sense of the word."

INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE DAY

WHEN: Saturday, April 24 DETAILS: indiebound.org/independent-bookstore-day

BODACIOUS BOOKSTORE AND CAFE WHERE: 110 E. Intendencia St. DETAILS: bodaciousbookstore.com

OPEN BOOKS

WHERE: 1040 N. Guillemard St. DETAILS: openbookspcola.org 13

VIRTUAL SHOP, LOC AL SUPPORT Can't make it to your favorite independent bookstore on Saturday, April 24?

No worries. You can still shop thousands of titles on bookshop.org, a site created to support small, local bookstores by connecting you to them from your couch.

Bookshop works to support independent bookstores in two ways. First, 10% of regular sales on bookshop.org are added to an earnings pool that is evenly divided and distributed to independent bookstores every six months. Additionally, there are stores that are affiliates, who sell books online using Bookshop (by sharing links their Bookshop page on social media, email newsletters and websites). Those stores earn 30% of the cover price on any sales they generate, without having to do the work of keeping inventory, picking, packing, shipping or handling complaints and returns. For reference, 30% of the cover price is the entire profit margin— so Bookshop doesn't earn money off these sales. It all goes to the store.

Bookshop launched in January 2020 with 85 participating bookstores and has grown steadily since. As of April 2021, they have over 1,100 independent bookstores on their platform, including Pensacola's own Bodacious Bookstore and Cafe.

"Booksellers had to do everything they could to get through the pandemic, and so much of e-commerce was already on the rise, of course, with Amazon dominating the book market," Bookshop partnership coordinator Sarah High said. "This was always a trend; online sales were already moving up and then the pandemic just expedited that significantly, so it's been really exciting to see the amount of stores who have used us for their e-commerce needs."

If you want to find a specific independent bookstore to support, even if it's not in your town, you can look for them on the Bookshop 414 1

map and shop directly from them—keeping in mind that they'll receive the full profit from your order. If you don't choose a store from the map, your order will contribute to an earnings pool that will be evenly distributed among independent bookstores (even those that don't use Bookshop).

"I'm really excited to say that our top 10 affiliates on the site are bookstores, and most, if not all, of the top 10 are Blackowned, and a lot of them are female-owned bookstores as well," High said.

By design, Bookshop gives away over 75% of their profit margin to stores, publications, authors and others who make up the thriving, inspirational culture surrounding publishing.

For Independent Bookstore Day, High said Bookshop is working closely with organizers to promote the 2021 IBD author ambassador Glennon Doyle. She will host a virtual conversation on Thursday, April 22, in celebration of bookstores, readers and the entire book ecosystem. During the height of the pandemic, Doyle, activist and author of the No. 1 New York Times bestseller "Untamed," appealed to her millions of social media followers to support independent bookstores and signed thousands of exclusive special editions of the book to encourage her readers to buy local.

High noted that Bookshop will also be using their social media platforms to encourage their audience to go out and support their local bookstores in person, if they feel comfortable and safe doing so, and to participate in the IBD social media challenge of taking a literary selfie, tagging your favorite bookshop and using the hashtag #IndieBookstoreDay. "I think it's important to note that Bookshop is not a replacement for going into your local indie," High said. "If you don't live near an indie, you're not able to get into your local indie, or if you're buying on Amazon

because you're not able to buy local, then Bookshop is definitely the place to go."

On Sunday, April 25, the day after IBD, Bookshop founder Andy Hunter will send out a special online promotion to all Bookshop email subscribers, for anyone who wasn't able to shop the local stores.

As of mid-April, bookshop.org has raised just over $13 million for local bookstores.

With all the growth Bookshop has experienced in just a single year of operation, some customers want to know if they have a plan in place to avoid becoming like the major e-commerce site it set out to offset.

"We're getting our BEE certification, meaning we are 'for the public good,' and in our bylaws, it is written that we cannot sell out to the top 10 vendors in the United States.

So even if we wanted to, which we do not, we could not sell to Amazon, Target or whoever is on that top 10 list of vendors in the U.S.," High explained. "We also work incredibly closely with booksellers on our site, and on our advisory board, we have about 20 booksellers and people who work in the book industry. It is really exciting that we keep booksellers at the forefront of our decision-making process and are in constant communication with them."

Three out of the seven Bookshop board members are also indie booksellers, meaning booksellers and bookstores are always a part of the company's decision-making process, from the top down.

As Bookshop gains more community partners and bookshops join the platform, they're able to do exactly what they started out to do—help strengthen the fragile ecosystem and margins around bookselling and keep local bookstores an integral part of communities around the country.

Visit bookshop.org to create an account and start shopping.

ROAD TRIPS FOR READERS Feeling up for a Saturday drive or a quick change of scenery? These bookshops are located within an hour or two of Pensacola and are offering a spectacular array of promotions, giveaways and exclusive Independent Bookstore Day offers in addition to their always unique selections of books.

SUNDOG BOOKS

89 Central Square, Seaside, Fla. sundogbooks.com

STORY TREE BOOKS

Mobile Book Truck, Navarre, Fla. storytreebooks.com

PAGE & PALETTE

32 S. Section St., Fairhope, Ala. pageandpalette.com

THE HAUNTED BOOKSHOP

109 Dauphin St., Mobile, Ala. thehauntedbookshopmobile.com inweekly.net

INWE E KLY LIT PI CK S FOUR HUNDRED SOULS: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019

By Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain This collection of histories, poetry and creative nonfiction shows how four centuries of African American history connects directly to the moment we're living in today.

It features beautiful works by a wide range of writers who bring the history alive. It really should be required reading for all Americans.

OF WOMEN AND SALT

By Gabriela Garcia This debut novel follows a young woman who explores her family's Cuban legacy and learns about the difficult choices the women in her family had to make. This book is also the June pick for Roxane Gay's Audacious Book Club.

MINOR FEELINGS: An Asian American Reckoning

By Cathy Park Hong This book is part memoir, part cultural criticism and 100% a must-read. In "Minor Feelings" Hong draws on her personal experiences as the daughter of Korean immigrants to expose some harsh truths and unpack them in a radically honest way.

DETRANSITION, BABY

By Torrey Peters This novel is a portrait of three women, trans and cis. It's fun and funny, while also talking about gender, womanhood and family in an insightful and important way.

YOLK

In the spirit of Independent Bookstore Day, we decided to share some recommendations for your shopping consideration.

These titles are all things we're currently reading and loving, have recently finished and can't stop talking about or are planning on picking up ourselves this weekend. And remember, if your local bookstore doesn't have the book you're looking for, you can order it on bookshop.org and still support the indie shop of your choice.

By Mary H.K. Choi Even if fiction about two struggling sisters doesn't sound like your thing, we still think you should read this. Choi just has a way of telling stories that works. She uses tons of modern cliches—like writing entire pages of dialogue in text message format—but somehow avoids ever being cliche. We totally don't get it, but we love it. Her other two novels, "Emergency Contact" and "Permanent Record," are also worth checking out if you haven't already.

POST-MORTEM

By Aaron Cometbus In this work, Cometbus examines the meaning of DIY ethics by looking at what made certain punk fall apart and who survived.

Cometbus begins with record labels, moves

IT'S OK TO LISTEN Are you more of an audiobook fan?

That's cool—we totally get it and like being read to sometimes too, especially when a celebrity author is the one doing the reading. (Looking at you, Barack Obama. That smooth, smooth voice is the only way we're getting through the hefty 30-hour read that is "A Promised Land.")

But just because you aren't shopping for your audiobooks IRL doesn't mean you April 22, 2021

to radical bookstores, talks to punk entrepreneurs, a wide range of artists, and ends up in anarchist and Catholic Worker squats to figure out the reasons some projects worked and others failed miserably.

Cometbus is one of the most respected authors in punk, and his zine is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. There's no better way to toast this underground classic than to read arguably his best work to date. (This title is available for purchase locally at Open Books.)

THE OFFICE OF HISTORICAL CORRECTIONS

EVERYTHING'S TRASH, BUT IT'S OKAY

LEAVING ISN'T THE HARDEST THING

By Phoebe Robinson This book came out in 2019, but we're still talking about it because it's just that good.

We're also talking about it because Robinson recently announced that Freeform is going to make a TV series out of it. That's pretty exciting and worth a read or re-read, if you ask us. You can also pre-order Robinson's third collection of essays, "Please Don't Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes," now in advance of its September release.

MY YEAR ABROAD

By Chang-rae Lee In this novel, the young narrator, Tiller, is a seemingly average American college student—good-hearted, albeit aimless. He meets Pong Lou, a charismatic and occasionally genius Chinese American entrepreneur, and joins him on a bewildering, year-long trip across Asia. Lee's dark comedy roars through shocking childhood revelations, a quick foray into the witness protection program, insatiable appetites and a crash course on Big Pharma—all while intertwining insightful cultural commentary, heartbreak and hope.

A LITTLE DEVIL IN AMERICA: Notes in Praise of Black Performance

By Hanif Abdurraqib If you've never read anything by Abdurraqib, you're missing out. We've personally read and gifted his masterful "They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us" at least a dozen times and don't plan on stopping anytime soon. In his newest book, Abdurraqib focuses on the intersection of performance and the Black experience in America. In it, he uses history and sharp cultural criticism to make points that only Abdurraqib can make. It's overwhelming and intense, in the best possible way. can't shop with indie booksellers—thanks to libro.fm.

Libro.fm the first audiobook company that directly supports local bookstores.

Similar to bookshop.org, all you do is select the store of your choice on their site and then all your audiobook purchases will be made directly through them. They even have a monthly subsection service, similar to that other mega audiobook platform that's owned by you-know-who.

Because they're all about the shop-

By Danielle Evans This novella was published in late 2020 and ended up on just about every must-read list published—including Oprah Magazine's, which named it the best book of the year.

And you know Oprah knows how to pick them. The stories are about race, grief, apology and American history, which we know sounds like a lot to take in, and it is. But just trust us and Oprah—it's worth it.

By Lauren Hough To read anything by Hough—whether an op-ed, a tweet thread or, in this case, a book—is to peer deeply into her soul and the cynical, wicked-clever prose that spills out. In this collection of essays, Hough details her dark upbringing as a member of the Children of God cult and the difficult journey of establishing, defending and redefining her identity.

LAND OF BIG NUMBERS

By Te-Ping Chen This debut collection of 10 short stories by Wall Street Journal reporter Te-Ping Chen takes place mostly in China, and offers an illuminating portrait of modern Chinese culture, immigration, injustice, societal changes and the pitfalls of the Chinese Communist Party while deploying touches of magical realism throughout the book.

CRYING AT THE H MART

By Michelle Zauner In this memoir, Zauner—aka Japanese Breakfast—shares a tender, nuanced story of growing up Korean American in Oregon and losing her mother, coping with grief and grappling with creative pursuits. The book grew out of her 2018 essay of the same name, published in the New Yorker, and most early reviews are saying it's just as hopeful, humorous and observant as her music.

THE HILL WE CLIMB

By Amanda Gorman We all fell in love with Gorman and her poem at the 2021 inauguration. Now you can purchase a copy of that poem and get inspired all over again. Gorman also has a whole book of poems due out in September that you can pre-order now. ping small, libro.fm is getting in on the Independent Bookstore Day action this weekend too. If you spend at least $15 at a participating bookstore (in-store or virtually) between April 24-26 and show them your receipt, they'll give you a free audiobook from a selection of titles. It's full of good ones too, including "You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey"

by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar.

Go to libro.fm/ibd for details and to see the full list of titles included in the promotion.

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It only takes one person to slash the statistics.

Did you know that 1 in 10 children Escambia County are victims of child abuse? It’s time to change that number. Visit KnowChildAbuse.org to learn to recognize, report and reduce child abuse.

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inweekly.net

WEEK OF JANUARY 14-20

Arts & Encouragement hope, help and other signs of humanity at a time when we really need it...

Earth Day Soundtrack

By Savannah Evanoff

The Juice Is Okay / Courtesy Photo

The Juice Is Okay is releasing a holiday album, although not the kind you might think.

The indie/experimental band TJIO—as it's more commonly known—will drop "Attack of the Plant Monsters" on Thursday, April 22—Earth Day. The release date wasn't as intentional as it was coincidental. They didn't know when the record would be done and it was before they had decided to unleash six albums in a year. This is the third.

Matthew Masuca (rhythm guitar) said Earth Day felt right for the message of the record.

"It's kind of this plant-centric con-

cept record of a lot of really weird theatrical, very whimsical ideas," Masuca said. "It feels like the most fun music we've ever created. It's definitely the heaviest concept-flowing album we've ever created. Everything is very structurally purposeful."

The theme particularly resonated with Adam Davis (bass guitar), who is "super into environmental science," he said. He didn't start understanding the science behind climate change until high school.

"Then it kinda took over my life," Davis said.

"Getting into ideas of environmental activism— sometimes extremism—seeing how people feel whenever they're faced with a scenario of no future planet, it moves you. Whenever you see the effects on people who are less unfortunate right now, it's very real. To see people deny it, or to feel like there's some kind of question about it, whenever it's staring you right in the face, that's very inspiring to write about."

"The whole message for it is to just be to take care of the earth, or else the earth will dispose of you," Masuca said.

Masuca decided he would lump the songs under the album "Attack of the

Plant Monsters" being that it was heavily inspired by old plant-related sci-fi TV show episodes from the '60s. It gave the music a "neat aesthetic," he said.

"It's referenced throughout the record and it feels like a record that takes place in that '60s era of art," Masuca said. "It was a theme I felt was necessary to inflict on the music that had already been written just because I thought it would make it more of a cohesive environmental rock message but with all of these undertones of popular culture hidden inside."

The 11-track album is their most themeheavy with a storyline, Davis said. And it features different styles they typically wouldn't think about, he said.

"We have some typical ideas in there, or cliché ideas maybe, but then we turn them into fun experimental indie," Davis said.

"That's really fun to break from the norm."

The result has made Masuca more selfaware of who they are as a group, he said.

"If I were to tell people what we sound like, it would definitely be this. I only say that because we have so many other projects this year that it feels like we're getting further and further from that and evolving," Masuca said. "This is a very clear picture of what we're like as people."

The record marked a lot of firsts for the band—namely a music video. Mac Wilson (drums) said the music video for the single "Cats" will release on the same day as the album.

"It's really a montage, classic music video," Wilson said. "We're all just playing our instruments, but the twist is that we

all are wearing cat masks and there's a lot of green screen work. We're making it look really low budget but with the purpose of making it a really cool aesthetic."

Masuca admits the cat reference might seem off the wall for an album about plants—but they were all meowing, he said.

They had friends, including Justin Moore (aka Loyal Customers) out of Panama City, meowing in a vocal booth and a cat keyboard, so it sort of makes sense.

He calls it "post cat rock."

"The closest way I could attribute to how they're connected is that they're metaphorical people in a way," Masuca said.

"There's a very dynamic amount of meowing on this record that I didn't think would be there when I first wrote these songs—but like human meowing. It's like a humanoid interpretation of these creatures."

The meows are subtle in the song but kind of aren't, Davis added.

Ultimately, though, the message is not about felines but planet earth.

"A lot of environmental science, most people are talking about how the earth is going to be fine no matter what we do.

However, it won't be habitable for at least human life," Davis said. "The earth will always be here. The earth will go on regardless. But if we want to co-exist with it, we gotta learn to do that." {in} Visit deeppuddlerecords.com to order a copy of "Attack of the Plant Monsters," or stream it on Spotify starting Thursday, April 22.

And make sure you follow the band on Twitter for updates @thejuiceisokay.

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genemitchell.org April 22, 2021

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a&e happenings CALL TO ARTISTS

KEEP PENSACOLA BEAUTIFUL PIECES ADRIFT ART SHOW Pieces Adrift is a

community art exhibition and auction that educates viewers about the harmful effects marine litter has on our coastal ecosystem.

All pieces submitted to this show are made of at least 50% reclaimed waste material to inspire onlookers to rethink their trash in a creative way. Art that is donated will be open for public auction, and proceeds will benefit Keep Pensacola Beautiful's programming initiatives in 2022.

To participate in Keep Pensacola Beautiful's upcoming Pieces Adrift Art Show & Auction as an artist, visit facebook. com/keeppensacolabeautiful for a link to the signup form. Artists of any level are welcome to join.

EMERALD COAST REVIEW SEEKS REGIONAL WRITER, ARTIST SUBMISSIONS The Emerald Coast Review

Attending "normal" events might not be happening yet—but that doesn't mean local businesses and nonprofits aren't still keeping the community connected in creative ways.

NONPROFITS + FUNDRAISERS

THE ARC GATEWAY KICKS OFF ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DRIVE The Arc

Gateway has kicked off its annual Bobby Tronu Membership Drive for the month of April and invites the public to join. The nonprofit agency would like to expand its membership by 500 new members.

Membership is a very important aspect of The Arc Gateway organization, increasing awareness which ultimately leads to a better-informed community. Membership is a critical step in creating society-wide acceptance of people with disabilities.

The Arc Gateway runs membership drives yearly with the availability to join year-round. The drive honors legendary supporter, Bobby Tronu, who for more than 50 years played a special part in The Arc Gateway's efforts to improve the lifestyles of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The annual membership drive pays tribute to the years of support and service Bobby Tronu provided.

To learn more about membership options or to join, visit arc-gateway.org/giving/membership or call 850-434-2638.

CAT ADOPTIONS IN APRIL Animal Al-

lies will be at Pet Supermarket on N. Ninth Avenue. Saturday, April 24, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and Everette Animal Welfare Group will be at PetSmart, on N. Davis Highway Saturday, April 10 & 24, noon-4 p.m. If you can't adopt, you can talk about opportunities to donate, foster or volunteer. All cats are up to date on shots and tested negative for leukemia, and adoption fee includes spay or neuter with microchip and flea pill. For more information, visit aaflorida.com.

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KNOW CHILD ABUSE: GULF COAST KID'S HOUSE EVENT AT ODD COLONY

Support the Gulf Coast Kid's House (GCKH) from 6-10 p.m. Thursday, April 29, at Odd Colony, located at 260 N. Palafox.

GCKH is a children's advocacy center with all the professionals under one roof needed for the intervention, investigation, prosecution and mental health services to provide a collaborative response to child abuse. Learn more about this organization and donate at this event. For more information, visit facebook.com/oddcolony.

PAWS AND PILATES Celebrate Pilates

Day on Saturday, May 1, at Pure Pilates with free classes offered from 9 a.m.-noon at 426 S. Palafox in Pensacola and 221 Gulf Breeze Parkway in Gulf Breeze. Donations will be accepted for Pensacola Humane Society. For more information, visit purepilatespensacola.com/free-pilates-day.

PAINT YOUR HEART OUT WITH KEEP PENSACOLA BEAUTIFUL Paint

Your Heart Out (PYHO) is a community beautification program from Keep Pensacola Beautiful (KPB) that aims to assist our elderly, disabled, veteran and/or singleparent community members through a massive service project once a year. PYHO is open to all Escambia County residents and nominated by the public. During the month of May, a team of volunteers will go to the selected property and perform beautification projects such as pressure washing, exterior home painting, light landscaping and outdoor light bulb replacing. KPB needs a community of partners, sponsors and volunteers for this annual project. Email Lauren Doubek, Education & Outreach coordinator, at lauren@keeppensacolabeautiful.org for groups of five or more volunteers. For group sizes of four or less, visit volunteermatch. org to register individually.

is collecting quality fiction, nonfiction, poetry, contemporary, emerging and experimental works along with the best of art, graphic design and photography. Residents from the following counties are encouraged to submit—Escambia, Santa Rosa, Walton, Okaloosa and Bay (Florida); Mobile, Escambia and Baldwin (Alabama).

To view guidelines and submit work, visit wflf.org/ecr. Submissions close April 30. Accepted submissions will be announced and writers will be notified that their piece(s) will be published in the ECR in Fall 2021.

VENDORS AND CRAFT EXHIBITORS FOR JAZZ PENSACOLA 2021 Jazz Pen-

sacola is calling arts and crafts exhibitors to submit applications for the 2021 Pensacola JazzFest planned for May 15-16 at Seville Square in historic downtown Pensacola.

Application forms can be downloaded at jazzpensacola.com. Only original art and handmade crafts will be accepted. No commercial/mass-produced products will be accepted.

All entries are $200 for a 10-by-10-foot canopy or smaller. All fees go to support Pensacola JazzFest, a free event for the community. For more information, call Jazz Pensacola administrator Alice Crann Good at (850) 433-8382, Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., or visit jazzpensacola.com.

FOO FOO FEST GRANT APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN Pensacola's Foo Foo

Festival officially announced its plans for its seventh annual events, taking place Nov. 4-15, 2021.

In 2021, the Pensacola Foo Foo Festival will once again fund top-scoring grant applicants, with the number of grants to be awarded contingent upon the number of submissions. This year, the Foo Foo Festival will provide up to $315,000 in grant funding, and grant applicants can apply for up to $100,000 in grant funding. All organizations, businesses and community partners are encouraged to participate as "Friends of Foo," receiving visibility at the

12-day event. To apply for this year's Foo Foo Festival, visit foofoofest.com.

The Foo Foo Fest team will continue to monitor developments surrounding COVID-19 leading up to November's events and will fully cooperate with any instructions heeded for Escambia County by local and state officials and the CDC. The Foo Foo Fest grant application is Friday, April 30, 2021. On Wednesday, May 12, 2021, there will be an announcement of the public grant scoring.

For more information, visit foofoofest.com.

ARTS & CULTURE

PENSACOLA ARTS MARKET: EARTH DAY EDITION Celebrate Earth Day

with local artisans, music and food at the Pensacola Arts Market, located at 2725 W. Cervantes St., on Saturday, April 24, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

KEEP PENSACOLA BEAUTIFUL BAG EXCHANGE Bring you plastic bags and

exchange for a reusable tote from Keep Pensacola Beautiful. The bag exchange will be 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 24, at Ever'man Nine Mile, located at 1000 E. Nine Mile Road. For more information, visit facebook.com/keeppensacolabeautiful.

LADIES NIGHT AT ALYSSA'S Head to Alyssa's Antiques Saturday, April 24, from 6-8 p.m. for Ladies Night with games, raffles and giveaways and vendor booths.

Event is free to attend. Alyssa's is located at 4586 Chumuckla Highway. For more information, visit shopalyssas.com.

PENSACOLA RECORD FAIR Browse through crates from the finest Gulf Coast record dealers and enjoy drinks from Odd Colony and eats from MISU Street Food on Sunday, April 25, at Odd Colony, located at 260 N. Palafox. Fair runs from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, visit facebook. com/oddcolony.

SYNTHESIS AT PENSACOLA MUSEUM OF ART The Pensacola Museum

of Art and The Art Gallery at the University of West Florida present SynThesis, a group BFA Exit Exhibition. This exhibition features work by graduating Bachelor of Fine Art students from the Department of Art and Design. The exhibit is on view through May 16. For more information, visit pensacolamuseum.org.

GALLERY 1060 MEMBERS' SHOW First City Art's annual Members Show will be on display through May 1 featuring works of art from past, present and future FCAC members and staff. A virtual reception will take place in April. For more information, visit gallery1060.com.

OPERA AFTER DARK Opera After Dark is a unique, free outdoor concert like no other, featuring professional singers in an exciting performance under the stars.

All guests will receive free glow sticks. inweekly.net

a&e happenings Refreshments from local food trucks will be available to purchase. Located at the UWF Historic Trust Museum Plaza. Next date is rescheduled for 8 p.m. Thursday, May 6.

For more information, visit facebook.com/ pensacolaopera.

PENSACOLA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENTS: HAYDN SYMPHONY NO. 94, "SURPRISE" Join PSO in person

or virtually for a performance of music from Mahler and Haydn at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 24, at the Saenger Theatre, located at 118 S. Palafox. Special guest is Baritone Corey McKern. Tickets start at $28. Purchase tickets online at pensacolasaenger.com.

BROWN BAG OPERA Join Pensacola

Opera for a free mid-day performance from Pensacola Opera Artists in Residence at noon on Tuesday, April 27, at 75 Tarragona St. Masks are required. To reserve a seat, call 850-433-6737. For more information, visit pensacolaopera.com.

VIRTUAL HOT GLASS COLD BREW

The First City Art Center's virtual event Hot Glass Cold Brew, featuring visiting glass artist Rob Stern, will take place virtually on Facebook on Friday, April 30, at 7 p.m. Guests will enjoy a front-row seat to watch Rob Stern's demo from home with their new HGCB cup. The "Virtual Cup Tent" will open on April 16 featuring oneof-a-kind glass and ceramic cups made by local artists. The cups will be available for purchase from the online store on FCAC's website, firstcityart.org. Each cup purchase will include a raffle ticket and a BOGO pint voucher to Pensacola Bay Brewery.

MOUNTAINFILM POP-UP AT PERFECT PLAIN BREWING CO. The

Mountainfilm tour will make a Pensacola stop at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 29, at Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. Featured films are inspired documentaries curated from the Mountainfilm Festival held every year in Telluride, Colo. For more information, visit mountainfilm.org.

HEARTBREAK HIGH Featuring Pensaco-

la Opera 2021 Artists in Residence—alongside guest artist Dennis Jesse—Heartbreak High is a brand-new concept for a classic Donizetti opera. The 90-minute production will be performed at 7 p.m. Friday, April 30; Saturday, May 1; and Sunday, May 2, with a 3 p.m. matinee Sunday, May 2, at Pensacola Opera, located at 75 Tarragona St. Tickets are $25. For more information, visit pensacolaopera.com.

MIKE EPPS: IN REAL LIFE COMEDY TOUR Actor and Comedian Mike Epps will

perform at the Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St., 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 30, for the reduced-capacity show. Tickets start at $65.50 and will be sold in pods for groups of two to six. For more information, visit pensacolabaycenter.com.

April 22, 2021

25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTRY SPELLING BEE Pensacola Little The-

atre presents this hilarious play that tells the story of six mid-pubescents through a spelling bee. Show dates are 7:30 p.m.

Fridays, April 30, May 7 and 14; 7:30 p.m.

Saturdays, May 1, 7, and 15; 3 p.m. Sundays, May 2, 9 and 16. Thursday performances are 7:30 p.m. May 6 and 13. For tickets, visit pensacolalittletheatre.com.

PENSACOLA CRAWFISH FESTIVAL

The annual crawfish festival will be held April 30-May 2 at Seville Square with live entertainment all weekend. Admission is $5 per day, $2 for kids 6-12 years old and free for kids 5 and under. On Friday, music is 3 p.m.-10:30 p.m., noon-10 p.m. Saturday and 12:30-5 p.m. Sunday. To see the full lineup, visit fiestapensacola.org/crawfish-festival.

STAND-UP COMEDY AT THE REX THEATRE Visit The REX Theatre every

Friday at 8 p.m. for national stand up acts.

Tickets are $26-$35 at the door. For more information, visit rexpensacola.com.

COMEDY MAGIC SHOW AT THE REX THEATRE Comedy magician Tom Coverly,

known as "The Illusionist," performs Saturday nights at The Rex Theatre, located at 18 N. Palafox. Shows start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10-$35. For more information, visit rexpensacola.com.

OPEN MIC COMEDY AT BIG TOP BREWERY Try out some new jokes or

enjoy some homegrown talent every Monday at 7 p.m. for Open Mic Comedy at Big Top Brewery, located at 21 W. Romano St. Everyone gets five minutes depending the number of sign-ups. Registration begins at 6:30 p.m.

MONTHLY ARTIST MINGLE AND ARTIST Q&A Safely mingle with friends

and neighbors and meet new artists with the monthly event at Gordon Community Art Center, located at 306 N. DeVilliers St. For more information, visit thegordon.org.

NEW EXHIBITS AT PENSACOLA MUSEUM OF ART The Members Show is

now on view through April 25. This annual celebration of the talent and creativity of our museum member community features the work of more than 50 artists working across a range of media and techniques. "Hot Mess" is also on view through April 25. This exhibition of recent paintings, prints and animations by 2020 Members Show winner Laura Hydle is about self-reflection and coping with life, happily and, at times, reluctantly. Other exhibits on view include "Antarctica" through April 4 at the downstairs gallery. For more information and hours of operation, visit pensacolamuseum.org.

GREAT GULFCOAST ARTS FESTIVAL 2020 LIMITED-EDITION POSTER AVAILABLE ONLINE With the cancellation of this year's Great Gulfcoast Arts

Festival due to COVID-19, the festival committee invited local artist Kreg Yingst to create a poster for 2020 in his original woodcut print design.

The 250 limited-edition posters are each signed and numbered by the artist. Festival posters have become a local collector's item and are available online this year only.

The posters are available at ggaf.org for $27, including shipping and sales tax.

Yingst, a long-time GGAF artist, received his B.A. from Trinity University in San Antonio after attending the University of Texas and his M.A. in painting from Eastern Illinois University. After graduation, he taught art for 13 years and has been a full-time artist since 2003.

The Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival returns Nov. 5, 6 and 7, 2021, at Seville Square, Fountain Park, Bartram Park and Museum Plaza in Downtown Pensacola.

DRAG SHOWS AT DOLCE AND GELATO Head to Dolce and Gelato, located at 2050 N. 12th Ave., for regular drag shows. For more information, visit facebook.com/dolcegelatopensacola

PENSACOLA OPERA AL FRESCO

Pensacola Opera's outdoor live concerts are Saturdays at 2 p.m. in the UWF Historic Trust Museum Plaza. For more information, visit pensacolaopera.com.

OPERALIVE: THROWBACK THURSDAYS Take a walk down memory lane with

friends of the Pensacola Opera. Learn more about the craft and look back on past productions with live discussions on Facebook Live Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. Viewers are encouraged to join in the conversation. Tune in at facebook.com/pensacolaopera.

NEW CLASSES AT MIXON MAGIC PERFORMING ARTS Mixon Magic Per-

forming Arts (MMPA), a boutique performing arts studio located at 1010 N. 12th Ave., Ste. 238, will be offering a limited class schedule this fall. MMPA offers professional dance, fitness and "Mommy and Me" instruction for all ages and skill levels with weekly classes including, but not limited to, Creative Movement, Ballet/Jazz Combo, Broadway, Tap, Showstoppers, Acting and Voice. Classes will be provided for children as young as 2 years old (with a parent or guardian) through adult.

MMPA is dedicated to the safety and well-being of all students and families and has implemented protocols based on guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Masks are required for entry into the building and studio. More information about Mixon Magic Performing Arts can be found at mixonmagic.com, by contacting hello@mixonmagic.com or emily@mixonmagic.com or by calling 221-7438.

BLACK CITIZENSHIP IN THE AGE OF JIM CROW On view at Voices of Pen-

sacola is "Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow," a traveling exhibition from the New

York Historical Society Museum & Library with additions from the African American Heritage Society of Pensacola. To learn more about it, visit africanamericanheritagesociety.org. Voices of Pensacola is located at 117 E. Government St. and open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

CRAFT CLASSES AT STUDIO SOUTH ON NINE MILE Learn a new craft or meet

up with other makers at Studio South. Tuesday is Knit Night 4-7 p.m., and Sit & Stitch is Saturdays 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Both classes are free. For a full calendar of events, visit studiosouthon9mileroad.com. Studio South is located at 955 E. Nine Mile Road.

CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS AT FIRST CITY ART First City Art Center of-

fers a wide range of classes and workshops for artists of all levels. Classes include glass blowing, ceramics, painting and drawing, kiln-forming, stained glass and more. For a complete list of classes and times, visit firstcityart.org.

SUNDAYS ON THE MEZZANINE Enjoy a full-length concert series on select Sundays at 3 p.m. on Facebook. Tickets are $9.99 and can be purchased online at facebook.com/pensacolaopera.

LIVE MUSIC

BANDS ON THE BEACH Bands on the Beach is back. The free concert series features shows each Tuesday night, from 7-9 p.m., from April to October at the Gulfside Pavilion at Casino Beach.

UPCOMING DATES: •April 27: Bay Bridge Band •May 4: Touch of Gray PSO IN THE PARK Pack a lawn chair

or blanket and join Pensacola Symphony Orchestra for a free performance at the Museum Plaza, located at 120 Church St. All shows are Sundays at 3 p.m.

UPCOMING DATES: •May 9

BANDS ON THE BLACKWATER Following the cancellation of the complete 2020 schedule due to COVID-19, the City of Milton is bringing back the popular concert series starting Friday, April 2. All concerts will be held from 7-9 p.m. at Jernigan's Landing, 5158 S. Willing St. UPCOMING DATES: •April 23: Pearl Clarkin •April 30: Boukou Groove LYNN DRURY AT GARY'S BREWERY

Lynn Drury will perform at Gary's Brewery and Biergarten, located at 208 Newman Ave., Friday, April 23, starting at 6 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/garysbrew.

NEEDTOBREATHE LIVE AT THE WHARF AMPHITHEATRE NEEDTO-

BREATH with special guest Andrew Ripp will be coming to The Wharf Amphitheatre Sunday, April 25. The Wharf is located at 19

a&e happenings 23101 Canal Road in Orange Beach. The show is at reduced capacity. Get your tickets at ticketmaster.com.

THE CLOWNS OF MUSIC AT DOLCE AND GELATO Visit Dolce and Gelato,

located at 2050 N. 12th Ave., for a day of music and comedy with Corey Mack, Bangarang Peter, Jean Pierre-Pouye and more.

Show starts at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 25.

Tickets are $10. For more information, visit facebook.com/dolcegelatopensacola.

BEN BELL Musician Ben Bell will be

preforming at Dolce and Gelato, 2050 N. 12th Ave., from 5-7 p.m. Friday, April 30. For more information, visit facebook.com/dolcegelatopensacola.

PAT MEUSEL AT DOLCE AND GELATO

Pat Meusel will be performing at Dolce and Gelato, located at 2050 N. 12th Ave., 4 p.m.

Saturdays, May 1 and 15. For more information, visit facebook.com/dolcegelatopensacola.

JAZZ JAMS AT THE 5 BARREL Enjoy

great jazz music from Jazz Pensacola musicians Wednesday, May 5 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at The 5 Barrel Brewery & Taproom, 121 S. Palafox. Admission is donation based.

LIVE MUSIC AT RED FISH BLUE FISH PENSACOLA BEACH Head to Red Fish

Blue Fish for live performances from local bands Fridays and Saturdays all day. For musician lineups, visit facebook.com/redfishbluefishpensacolabeach.

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

OPEN JAM AT ARTEL GALLERY Artel

Gallery is open from 5-7 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays for open jam with Pensacola Folk Music Society. Feel free to visit and listen to music. Artel Gallery is located at 223 S. Palafox.

KARAOKE AT MUGS AND JUGS Sing your heart out Sundays at Mugs & Jugs, 12080

Scenic Highway, or just enjoy drinks friends with $4 Smirnoff and $6.50 domestic pitcher drink deals from 7 p.m.-3 a.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/mugsjugs.

LIVE MUSIC AT HUB STACEY'S Sit back

with good food and live music at Hub Stacey's, located at 312 E. Government St. For a full calendar of bands, check hubstaceys.com.

MONDAY NIGHT BLUES AT SEVILLE QUARTER Seville Quarter and the Blues

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

TUESDAY NIGHT JAZZ AT SEVILLE QUARTER Enjoy smooth jazz with Me-

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

FITNESS + RECREATION

PENSACOLA ICE FLYERS HOME GAMES Pensacola Ice Flyers 2020-2021

season has begun. Tickets are sold in groups of two starting at $18. Tickets for groups of three or more are also available, and prices vary. To purchase tickets, go to ticketmaster.com. Home games are at the Pensacola Bay Center, located at 201 E. Gregory St. For more information, visit pensacolaiceflyers.com.

UPCOMING HOME GAMES: •7:35 p.m. Friday, April 23, vs. Hunstville •7:05 p.m. Saturday, April 24, vs. Knoxville •7:05 p.m. Sunday, April 25, vs. Knoxville

BLUE ANGELS PRACTICE For those who

have access to Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, the National Naval Aviation Museum will open the flight line behind the museum to view Blue Angels practice flight demonstrations. Gates open at 9:30 a.m., and the Blues are scheduled to take to the skies at 10:30 a.m. For more information, visit navalaviationmuseum.org/blueangels.

The practice dates for April and May,

which are subject to change, are as follows: •April: 27, 28 •May: 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19

FIREFIGHTER FOR A DAY Pensacola Sports will host the fifth annual Pensacola Beach Firefighters Challenge on April 23-24 on Pensacola Beach. Any civilian, company or group can enter the "Civilian Challenge" to compete on the same course as the professional firefighters. Grab your friends, work-out buddies or co-workers and compete in this unique event. No firefighter experience needed. Registration and event information can be found at pensacolasports.org/penbeachfirefighters.

DELUNA'S OPEN WATER SWIM Join Pensacola Sports for the Third Annual Open Water Swim Saturday, April 24. The 2.4-mile swim begins at 7:30 a.m., 1.2-mile begins at 7:35 a.m. and .6-mile swim begins at 7:40 a.m. Awards ceremony begins at 10 a.m. For more information, visit pensacolasports.org/delunasswim.

BANDIT BIG RIG SERIES Watch big rigs race to the finish line at Five Flags Speedway, located at 7451 Pine Forest Road, starting at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 24.

For more information, visit facebook.com/ banditseries.

MEDITATION + SOUNDBATH AT WILD LEMON Join Wild Lemon for a

75-minute meditation and soundbath led

by Felipe Munoz 4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 24. For more information, visit wildlemonfitness.com.

BREATHE AND READ AT BODACIOUS BOOKSTORE AND CAFÉ Recenter yourself at this monthly event at Bodacious Bookstore and Café, with an instructorled beginner yoga class and a group book discussion at 9 a.m. on the first Saturday of every month. Bodacious Bookstore and Café is located at 110 Intendencia St. For more information, visit bodaciousbookstore.com.

WFPL MOLINO TRACK CHALLENGE Put on your walking shoes and join the

walking challenge at the Molino library.

Just visit Molino's track, turn on your favorite fitness tracker app to log your progress, dial up your tunes or an audiobook and start walking. When you finish, come into the library and log your progress with staff on our track challenge board. The top walker in this program will win The Coldest Water Bottle. The Molino Branch Library is located at 6450-A Highway 95A. For more information, visit mywfpl.com.

BLUE WAHOOS ANNOUNCE 2021 SCHEDULE The 2021 season schedule for

the Pensacola Blue Wahoos begins in May. Under the new Professional Development License system through Major League Baseball, the Blue Wahoos will play as part of the Double-A South league.

The league will adopt a six-game series format in 2021 with teams playing TuesdaySunday each week. Mondays will serve as a league-wide off day to facilitate team travel.

Stadium capacity limits are expected to be implemented to ensure fan safety during the 2021 season and will be announced leading up to the season. Game times and the team's promotional schedule will be released at a later date. For tickets, visit bluewahoos.com.

UPCOMING HOME GAMES: •May 11-16 vs. Birmingham Barons •May 18-23 vs. Rocket City Trash Pandas •June 1-6 vs. Mississippi Braves •June 15-20 vs. Montgomery Biscuits •June 29-July 4 vs. Biloxi Shuckers

MULLETS THURSDAYS AT BLUE WAHOOS STADIUM The Pensacola Mullets

will take over Blue Wahoos Stadium every Thursday during the 2021 season, offering an exciting twist to the team's popular Thirsty Thursday game nights.

Brand-new On-Field New Era Pensacola Mullets hats will be available again soon in the Blue Wahoos team store. An initial pre-order for the hats in November quickly sold out. T-shirts and additional Mullets apparel are also available in the Bait & Tackle Shop.

The team also announced a new Mullets Mini Plan for the 2021 season, which features a ticket to all 10 Mullets Thursday

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a&e happenings games at Blue Wahoos Stadium in 2021 plus a ticket to Opening Day and the Fourth of July as well as an exclusive Mullets tank top. Mullets Mini Plans are available now and can be ordered by calling the team at 850-934-8444.

The first Mullets Thursday of the season will be on May 13 as the Mullets take on the Birmingham Barons at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

RELEASE & RENEW AT FITNESS IMPACT TRAINING At 8:15 a.m. on Mon-

days, Wednesdays and Fridays, release into a yin yoga flow centered around low-stress training for high-stress individuals. The focus will be on the basics of breath and openness in the shoulders, hips and spine.

For more info, go to mindandmetta.online.

Cost is $12 per class, and the location is 375 N. Ninth Ave., Ste. B. Limited space available. Ask about membership pricing.

GULF COAST BREWERY RUN

Thursdays at 6 p.m., join Pensacola Runners Association for a 5K fun run. Enjoy a free beer after the run and complimentary games such as cornhole, ping pong and more. Gulf Coast Brewery is located at 500 E. Heinberg St. For more information, visit facebook.com/gulfcoastbrewery.

BEER GARDEN YOGA Join Coastal County Brewing Company Saturdays at 9 a.m. for the new Yoga in the Garden Series.

Classes will be led by Tara Taylor, a highly experienced instructor from Breathe Pensacola.

All skill levels are welcome. Cost is $10 and includes a pint of beer after the class. Coastal County Brewing Company is located at 3041 E. Olive Road. For more information, visit facebook.com/coastalcounty.

SOUL FLOW YOGA AT BEAUTIFUL YOU STUDIO Every Tuesday at 7 a.m., flow

and vibe with some soulful music to start the day. This hour-long class will center around engaging the core through smooth yet strong yoga sequences. Cost is $10 per class or $99 for an unlimited 30-day pass. Located at 513 W. Intendencia St. For more info, go to mindandmetta.online.

YOGA CLASSES AT EVER'MAN Beginner Yoga with John is 10 a.m. Thursdays, 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays and 12:15 p.m. Wednesdays.

Funky Yoga Flow is 6 p.m. Tuesdays. And Vinyasa Yoga Flow is 6 p.m. Thursdays. All classes at Ever'man, 327 W. Garden St. For a full calendar of events, visit everman.org.

OCEAN HOUR BEACH CLEAN-UPS

Ocean Hour has picked up its weekly beach clean-ups in the Pensacola area Saturdays at 8:45 a.m. On Saturday, Jan. 30, volunteers will be at Philip A. Payne Bridge. Supplies will be provided, but volunteers are welcome to bring their own. For locations, visit oceanhourfl.com.

FOOD + DRINKS

MOTHER'S DAY GRAB-AND-GO DINNER Let Five Sisters Blues Café do

the cooking for Mother's Day. The dinner April 22, 2021

package includes a garlic and herb roasted pork loin with sides and red velvet cake for dessert. Dinner serves six and is $65 plus tax. Orders can be placed now through 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 5. For more information, visit greatsouthernrestaurants.com.

EARTH DAY TERRARIUM MAKING CLASS AT PERFECT PLAIN Join Perfect

Plain at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 22, for an Earth Day Terrarium-Making Class with The Bloom Room. Your ticket includes all the supplies and materials to make your terrarium, hands-on instruction from The Bloom Room's owner Stacey Abercrombie and a complementary cocktail from Garden & Grain. Cost is $55 per person. For more information and link to registration, visit facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco.

CULTURES COOK: FLAVORS OF SOUTHERN ITALY Learn to make classic

Italian food with Pensacola Cooks. Class is 6-8 p.m. Thursday, April 22, at the Pensacola Cooks Kitchen, located at 3624 Barrancas Ave. Cost is $45 per person. For more information, visit facebook.com/pensacolacooks.

JEAN FRANCOIS CHRISTINI: SANCERRE UNDER THE STARS Join

Bodacious for a special wine dinner with Jean Francois of JF Imports Thursday, April 22, from 6-8 p.m. at Bodacious, 407-D S. Palafox. Cost is $79 per person. For tickets, visit bodaciousshops.com.

EVER'MAN EARTH DAY MARKET

Head to Ever'Man, located at 1000 E. Nine Mile Road, for an Earth Day event with live music, food specials and samples, giveaways and kids crafts and activities. Event starts at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 24. For more information, visit everman.org.

COASTAL COUNTY ANNIVERSARY BEER FEST Celebrate a Year of Beer with

Coastal County with beer tastings and live music all day Saturday, April 24. Coastal County Brewing is located at 3041 E. Olive Road. For more information, visit facebook. com/coastalcounty.

BEEF WELLINGTON AND BEEF CARPACCIO COOKING CLASS The Chefs at

Bodacious are excited to demonstrate how to make this classic French dish at home.

Class is 6-8 p.m. Monday, April 26, at Bodacious, located at 407-D S. Palafox. Cost is $65. For tickets, visit bodaciousshops.com.

ANGELENA'S SUPPER CLUB: PRIMAVERA: ITALIAN SPRING Head to

Angelena's Ristorante Italiano, 101 E. Intendencia St., 6 p.m. Thursday, April 29, when Chef James will celebrate the wonderful flavors of the season through his favorite spring dishes. Event cost is $75 per person (plus tax and gratuity). For more information, visit angelenaspensacola.com. for more listings visit inweekly.net

Together Pensacola sponsored an essay contest for elementary, middle and high school students.

The theme was “Better Together: Our families, schools, neighborhoods, places of worship, and communities are all better when everyone is respected and included.”

The contestants needed to answer three questions in their essays: •What gets better when everyone is respected and included?

•How can we make it happen?

•How can we be better together?

Together Pensacola is a group of concerned citizens who come together to brainstorm and discuss ways to help build connections and strengthen relationships between and among people in the Pensacola Bay area. The group focuses on what unites us rather than on our differences and what separates us. Its goal is to promote and introduce ideas and activities to implement this brand of community building.

Together Pensacola’s leadership team includes Jay Ayer, Brunie Emmanuel, Ross Goodman, Mamie Webb Hixon, Kathleen Logan, Juanita Scott and Sue Straughn.

Grades 9-12 Winners: First place: $200, Amiya Boyd, Booker T. Washington High School Second place: $100, Bonnie Bruner, Booker T. Washington High School Third place: $50, Chris Iversen, Booker T. Washington High School “BETTER TOGETHER” BY AMIYA BOYD, 11TH GRADE When I was 8 years old, I learned about the idiom of certainty, death, and taxes. When I was 11, I finally understood what the saying truly meant, but for me, if there was anything to be sure of alongside death and taxes, it was the undeniable fact that I would be Black for as long as I walked this Earth and long after I’m gone. Since then, as the world has grown and changed, as the nation has become so divided and so hardened in its beliefs, I have learned the importance of such details about myself and the people around me. The United States is in dire need of healing at the moment, and the avoidance of the aspects we cannot change will only give life to more issues. For togetherness and unity to work, we must be willing to acknowledge and accept, or at the very least, respect, the differences of those around us.

Often, many people view discussions of gender, race, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status as divisive means of playing identity politics to further grow an agenda. In reality, these conversations are not only crucial in understanding the way these factors influence people’s daily lives but are also essential in recognizing patterns of disenfranchisement within certain communities. My understanding of this comes from observations of people’s refusal to acknowledge race under the pretense that they are “colorblind” and from people saying how they would rather view everyone as just human beings.

However, in all cases, it demonstrates their failure to understand that the practices we know to be racist are no longer as simple as a pointed white hood and a burning cross and that these practices are instead built into various systems and institutions. To skip conversations about race, gender, and status because they make us uncomfortable is to ignore how factors like these play a role in how people are treated and perceived by both the world around them as well as government institutions. In addition to this fact, the way we understand concepts like racism and sexism is heavily reliant on the language used in partnership with these ideas. Washington Post columnist, Carlos Lozada, stated, “Language can limit and exclude. But language also holds out hope for individual freedom.”

While it is understood how the overuse of labels may become redundant and prove to be futile in our pursuit of trying to understand each other, it also allows room for us to learn about the people and the world around us. Acknowledging and respecting the fact that our society is not monolithic and that people lead different lifestyles is the tolerance we need in the world at a time like this. Rather than tiptoeing around these topics, we must face them head-on together so that we can dismantle the prejudice within our nation while providing aid to those most affected.

Differences in race, gender, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status are simply factors that make us individuals. While many Americans view claiming such labels as divisive and would rather overlook such factors altogether, it is important to acknowledge this variance within our society to grow as a nation and become more united as we were intended to be. Failure to recognize things like race and gender in hopes of becoming egalitarians only succeeds in our turning a blind eye to how these factors equate to inequity within certain institutions and systems. To come together, we must get to the root of this country’s problems and build up from there, as one.

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free will astrology WEEK OF APRIL 22 ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): Blogger Emma Elsworthy wrote her "Self-Care List."

I'll tell you a few of her 57 action items, in hopes of inspiring you to create your own list. The coming weeks will be a perfect phase to upgrade your focus on doing what makes you feel healthy and holy. Here are Elsworthy's ideas: Get in the habit of cooking yourself a beautiful breakfast. Organize your room. Clean your mirror and laptop.

Lie in the sunshine. Become the person you would ideally fall in love with. Walk with a straight posture. Stretch your body.

Challenge yourself to not judge or ridicule anyone for a whole day. Have a luxurious shower with your favorite music playing. Remember your dreams. Fantasize about the life you would lead if failure didn't exist.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): Some traditional Buddhist monks sit on city streets in Asia with a "begging bowl" in front of them. It's a clay or iron container they use to solicit money and food from passers-by who want to support them.

Contemporary American poet Marianne Boruch regards the begging bowl as a metaphor that helps her generate new poems. She adopts the attitude of the empty vessel, awaiting life's instructions and inspiration to guide her creative inquiry. This enables her to "avoid too much self-obsession and navel-gazing" and be receptive— "with no agenda besides the usual wonder and puzzlement." I recommend the begging bowl approach to you as you launch the next phase of your journey, Taurus.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): Geminiborn Paul Gauguin (1848–1903) is today regarded as an innovative and influential painter. But his early years provided few hints that he would ultimately become renowned. As a teenager, he attended naval preparatory school, and later he joined the French navy. At age 23, he became a stockbroker. Although he also began dabbling as a painter at that time, it wasn't until the stock market crashed 11 years later that he made the decision to be a full-time painter.

Is there a Gauguin-like turning point in your future, Gemini? If so, its early signs might show itself soon. It won't be as dramatic or stressful as Gauguin's, but I bet it will be quite galvanizing.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): A re-

search team found that some people pray for things they are reasonably sure God wouldn't approve of. In a sense, they're trying to trick the Creator into giving them goodies they're not supposed to get. Do you ever do that? Try to bamboozle life into offering you blessings you're not sure you deserve? The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to dare such ploys.

I'm not guaranteeing you'll succeed, but the chances are much better than usual that you will. The universe is pretty relaxed and generous toward you right now.

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By Rob Brezsny

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): In 2013, the

New Zealand government decided to rectify the fact that its two main islands had never been assigned formal names. At that time, it gave both an English and Māorilanguage moniker for each—North Island, or "Te Ika-a-Māui," and South Island, or "Te Waipounamu." In the spirit of correcting for oversights and neglect, and in accordance with current astrological omens, is there any action you'd like to take to make yourself more official or professional or established? The coming weeks will be a favorable time to do so.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): Author Grant Morrison observes that our heads are "big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the weight of oceans and the turning stars.

Whole universes fit in there!" That's why it's so unfortunate, he says, if we fill up our "magical cabinet" with "little broken things, sad trinkets that we play with over and over."

In accordance with astrological potentials, Virgo, I exhort you to dispose of as many of those sad trinkets and little broken things as you can. Make lots of room to hold expansive visions and marvelous dreams and wondrous possibilities. It's time to think bigger and feel wilder.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): Libran author bell hooks (who doesn't capitalize her name) has a nuanced perspective on the nature of our pain. She writes, Contrary to what we may have been taught, unnecessary and unchosen suffering wounds us, but need not scar us for life." She acknowledges that unnecessary and unchosen suffering does indeed "mark us." But we have the power to reshape and transform how it marks us. I think her wisdom will be useful for you to wield in the coming weeks.

You now have extra power to reshape and transform the marks of your old pain. You probably won't make it disappear entirely, but you can find new ways to make it serve you, teach you, and ennoble you.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): I love

people who inspire me to surprise myself.

I'm appreciative when an ally provides me with a friendly shock that moves me to question my habitual ways of thinking or doing things. I feel lucky when a person I like offers a compassionate critique that nudges me out of a rut I've been in. Here's a secret—I don't always wait around passively hoping events like these will happen.

Now and then I actively seek them out.

I encourage them. I ask for them. In the coming weeks, Scorpio, I invite you to be like me in this regard.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21):

"Where did last year's lessons go?" asks Gillian Welch in her song "I Dream a Highway." Now I'm posing the same question to you—just in time for the Remember Last Year's Lessons Phase of your cycle. In my astrological opinion, it's crucial for you

to recollect and ruminate deeply on the breakdowns and breakthroughs you experienced in 2020; on every spiritual emergency and spiritual emergence you weathered; on all the scary trials you endured and all the sacred trails you trod.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19):

Capricorn painter Henri Matisse had a revolutionary influence on 20th-century art, in part because of his raucous use of color. Early in his career, he belonged to the movement known as Fauvism, derived from the French term for "wild beasts." During his final years, he invented a new genre very different from his previous work: large collages of brightly colored cut-out paper.

The subject matter, according to critic Jed Perl, included "jungles, goddesses, oceans, and the heavens," and "ravishing signs and symbols" extracted from the depths of "Matisse's luminosity." I offer him as a role model for you, Capricorn, because I think it's a perfect time to be, as Perl describes Matisse, both "a hard-nosed problem-solver and a feverish dreamer."

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): "The guiding motto in the life of every natural philosopher should be, 'Seek simplicity, but distrust it.'" Aquarian philosopher Alfred North Whitehead wrote that, and now I'm proposing that you use it as your motto in the coming weeks, even if you're not a natural philosopher. Why? Because I suspect you'll thrive by uncomplicating your life.

You'll enhance your well-being if you put greater trust in your instinctual nature and avoid getting lost in convoluted thoughts.

On the other hand, it's important not to plunge so deeply into minimalism that you become shallow, careless, or unimaginative.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): In ancient

Greek comic theater, there was a stock character known as the "eiron." He was a crafty underdog who outwitted and triumphed over boastful egotists by pretending to be naive. Might I interest you in borrowing from that technique in the coming weeks? I think you're most likely to be successful if you approach victory indirectly or sideways—and don't get bogged down trying to forcefully coax skeptics and resisters. Be cagey, understated, and strategic, Pisces. Let everyone think they're smart and strong if it helps ensure that your vision of how things should be will win out in the end.

THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK: I'm in the mood for you to give me predictions and past life readings. Send your psychic insights about my destiny to truthrooster@gmail.com.

freewillastrology.com

freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com Rob Brezsny © Copyright 2021

inweekly.net

news of the weird METAPHORICALLY SPEAKING Camille Coelho, 54, of Brookline, Massachusetts, an ICU nurse at South Shore Hospital, set out at low tide for a stroll with her son's dog, Lucy, along Constitution Beach on April 8 to relax and look for sea glass, but found herself stuck in mud that reached past her knees instead. "It's a great metaphor for the year," she told the Boston Herald. "I can't believe it. ... This past year has been awful."

Passersby rushed to help, but soon called firefighters, who arrived to pull her out.

WAIT, WHAT? An anonymous New York resident seeking to marry their adult child filed suit in federal court in Manhattan on April 1 asking that laws barring incestuous marriage be overturned, Fox News reported. In court papers, the petitioner claims such a marriage is a matter of "individual autonomy" and asks to remain unnamed because "a large segment of society views (the request) as morally, socially and biologically repugnant." The petitioner is a parent of an adult child, but court documents do not reveal the couple's genders, ages, hometown or relationship. The filing does detail that the "proposed spouses are unable to procreate together." Manhattan family and matrimonial law attorney Eric Wrubel predicted, "It's never gonna fly."

REPEAT OFFENDER Heather Poplasky, 32, of Plainfield, Connecticut, was arrested four times in 24 hours over the course of April 10 and 11, according to police. The first arrest came when police were called to her home, where they say she threatened to cut herself with a large kitchen knife and blame it on her boyfriend, WFSB-TV reported.

Police charged her with reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct and took her to a hospital for evaluation, where Putnam police issued her a summons following an incident with a member of the staff. On April 11, Poplasky violated the terms of her release from the hospital by returning to her home, where Plainfield police say they again arrested her, adding more charges. While she was in custody awaiting arraignment the next day, police say she flooded her cell by putting a roll of toilet paper and trash in the toilet, and a charge of criminal mischief was added. Her bond topped out at $30,000 for the various offenses.

FEAST OR FAMINE Fox Business reported on April 13 that toilet paper sales have declined to levels below pre-pandemic levels, indicating that last year's hoarding is affecting this year's sales. Marjorie Greenburgh, 62, of New Rochelle, New York, said because she has 54 rolls still stored throughout her home, "I'm not planning on buying for a while." NielsenIQ clocked the decline in sales at 33% in March.

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

•The BBC reported on April 15 that England is experiencing a shortage of garden gnomes. Factors contributing to this critical supply deficit include a shortage of raw materials, the recent blockage of the Suez Canal by a container ship, and the increased popularity of gardening during the COVID-19 shutdowns. "We haven't seen a gnome in six months," said Ian Byrne, assistant manager of Highfield Garden World in Whitminster. "Raw materials are becoming a bit of an issue, and unfortunately, gnomes are a victim. ... Gnomes of any type—plastic, stone or concrete—are in short supply."

AWESOME! Gary and Beth Machens moved into a historic home in Alton, Illinois, in December and uncovered more history to go with it when they found a 19th-century brick tunnel underneath the house. Gary Machens discovered the entrance to the tunnel as he was doing some sidewalk repair.

The barrel-shaped tunnel, about 9 feet high and 60 feet long, is believed by local historians to have been built around 1840—50 years before the house was constructed.

"Whatever they built this for, it took a lot of men and a lot of hours. You know, one guy didn't do this," Machens told KTVI-TV. He believes the tunnel could have been used to store ice or carriages, or it could have been part of the Underground Railroad. "There was a ferry here in the Alton area to the Missouri side, and it's possible it could have been used for that," he said.

VINTAGE WEIRD Brian Robson of Cardiff, Wales, was 19 years old in 1964, when he accepted a job on the Victorian Railways in Australia. He almost immediately regretted his decision and started scheming about how to get back home, but he didn't have enough money for the return trip. That's when he had an idea: With the help of two Irish friends, Robson squeezed himself into a 30-by-26-by-38-inch wooden crate and shipped himself home in the cargo area of a Qantas flight. "The first 10 minutes was fine," he told CNN. "But your knees start to cramp up when they're stuck up to your chest." When the crate arrived in Sydney, it landed on the tarmac upside down. "So now I'm sitting on my neck and my head," he explained, "and I was there for 22 hours upside down," until arriving next in Los Angeles, where two airport workers discovered him.

He spent six days recovering in a hospital as word of his story got out, and Pan Am airlines sent Robson home to London in a first-class seat. Robson lost touch with the friends who helped him but now hopes to find them and reconnect. He's never been back to Australia. {in} From Andrews McMeel Syndication News Of The Weird © 2021 Andrews McMeel

Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com April 22, 2021

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Independent News | April 22, 2021 | inweekly.net