Dec. 23 2020 issue

Independent News | December 23, 2020 | Volume 21 | Number 52 | Illustration by Michael Daw

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winners & losers

outtakes

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5

news 6

They have a healthy disrespect for their government, their job, the weather.

cover story

buzz 8

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publisher Rick Outzen

graphic designer Tim Bednarczyk

editor & creative director Joani Delezen

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

contact us info@inweekly.net

a&e 15

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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winners & losers

Dan Brown / nps.gov

There are no losers during the holiday season, according to the Winners & Losers gaggle.

They turned in this all-winners column before hitting the eggnog.

DAN BROWN After more than 43 years of

public service, Gulf Islands National Seashore Superintendent Dan Brown will retire on Jan. 2.

Brown has been Gulf Islands' superintendent since 2010, arriving just as the Deepwater Horizon oil washed ashore. In his first three years at Gulf Islands, he dealt with the removal of four million pounds of oil from the park's 106 miles of beaches in Florida and Mississippi. During his tenure, Brown fulfilled the park's promise to do everything feasible to maintain Fort Pickens Road, realigning 1.6 miles of the road away from the Gulf of Mexico to reduce storm closures and implementing a new "cellular confinement" road base to improve sustainability. In one of his most satisfying accomplishments, Brown helped the greater Pensacola community realize a 50-year dream with the establishment of Pensacola Bay Cruises.

DALE THARP The senior commander of investigations at the Escambia County Sheriff's Office recently retired after 39 years of service. He began his career as a corrections officer in February 1982, and six months later, he became a deputy sheriff with the Escambia County Sheriff's Office. Tharp has worked in Patrol, Motorcycle, Auto Theft and Investigations Units. He became the ECSO's first school resource officer in 1986. He was promoted to sergeant in 1997 and lieutenant in 1998, and his promotions continued in Community Services to his last rank of senior commander.

KERRY ANNE SCHULTZ Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Schultz to the Florida Commission on Community Service, also known as Volunteer Florida. She is an attorney and partner with Fountain, Schultz & Associates. Schultz has volunteered her time with the Gulf Breeze Rotary Club, Junior Achievement of Northwest Florida and the Sacred Heart Foundation. She earned dual bachelor's degrees in history and political science from Oklahoma City University and her Juris Doctor from the Tomas M. Cooley Law School at Western Michigan University.

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INTERNATIONAL PAPER The Pen-

sacola mill provided a grant for the second of five Born Learning Trails, located in the town of Century. This Born Learning Trail is made possible through the partnership of Early Learning Coalition of Escambia County, International Paper, the town of Century and United Way of West Florida.

The Born Learning Trail, a United Way Worldwide initiative since 2005, is a series of 10 interactive signs that offer fun, active learning activities for young children and their families. It helps parents, caregivers and communities create quality engagement opportunities when out on a stroll or while playing at a park.

IT ASSOCIATION OF THE GULF COAST The group has provided over $25,000 in support of University of West Florida students. IT Gulf Coast recently made its final payment of $5,000 to fully endow the IT Gulf Coast Undergraduate Research Endowment at UWF. The networking organization creates educational and networking opportunities that include workshops, webinars and networking events for IT professionals in the Gulf Coast area.

CENTRAL CREDIT UNION The Baptist Health Care Foundation received $250 from the credit union's Mustaches for a Mission event. Aimed at supporting men's health, Central Credit Union of Florida launched their social media campaign for the entire month of November and invited everyone on social media to participate in the fundraiser. The annual promotion asked social media users to send in a photo of themselves, friends and family members with a mustache or beard—real or costume—with each picture resulting in a $5 donation to the Baptist Health Care Foundation and their men's health programs.

The photos were then shared on Central's social media newsfeed for everyone to enjoy. The first 100 people to submit a photo were also entered into a random drawing, with the winner receiving a $25 gift card. inweekly.net

outtakes

By Rick Outzen

CONNECTING TO HISTORY We lost a Pensacola icon when John Appleyard passed away this year. Many of us learned much of the area's history from Mr. Appleyard. As this newspaper and I get older, I've felt an obligation to provide in this column a historical perspective to currents events. If I helped readers connect the dots on what happened this year to our history, they might better understand the issues at hand.

Michelle Salzman's victory over State Rep. Mike Hill in the GOP primary shocked people around the state. Beating an incumbent has been considered nearly impossible, but I reminded readers that we've seen our share of upsets over the past two decades. I shared how upstart Grover Robinson upset incumbent Commissioner Tom Banjanin in 2006, how David Morgan bested well-funded Sheriff Ron McNesby in 2008 and how PYP led the effort to get an appointed school superintendent in 2018 against tremendous odds.

David can still slay Goliath in Pensacola.

Pensacola City Council added three new members this year and increased its number of females to four, giving women a majority for the first time in the city's history.

However, it wasn't the first time the council had four female members. In 2008, four council members lost their seats, and Diane Mack, Maren DeWeese and Megan Pratt joined Jewel Cannada-Wynn on the council. However, then, the city council had nine members and the mayor as voting members.

When Mayor Grover Robinson appointed his Citizens Police Advisory Committee, I told you about the area's history of ineffective law enforcement review panels. Former Escambia County Sheriffs Jim Lowman and McNesby had a Citizens' Liaison Law Enforcement Group that met quarterly at the sheriff's office to address formal complaints.

The sheriff appointed the group, and, of course, nothing happened.

In 2003, ACLU, NAACP and Movement for Change fought to get the county commission to form an independent citizens' board with subpoena power to review 15 deaths involving Escambia County Sheriff's deputies. Inweekly supported the independent panel after deputies killed two citizens during

the summer of 2003—one was a mentally ill man who was naked when deputies shot him.

County Administrator George Touart said there was no money available in the county's budget to fund the panel.

Civil rights leaders formed their own panel, Citizens Law Enforcement Oversight (CLEO), to investigate police misconduct allegations. Without subpoena power, their investigations consisted mainly of reviewing police reports and videotapes obtained through public record requests. Inweekly reported on their findings, some of which led to the state attorney's office reopening investigations.

In 2006, Pensacola City Council approved the city manager and police chief appointing a Citizens' Liaison Committee to review police conduct and policies. The committee met a few times and then vanished. It's too early to tell whether Robinson's advisory will be a game-changer.

Save Southern Heritage in July filed a lawsuit to block the city from removing its Confederate monument. When the city approved the request for the monument in the 1890s, the group alleged that a public trust with an expectation of permanency was created.

I pointed out that the only voices that approved the request were of white citizens. Gov. Edward Perry, whose former residence stands next to the First Methodist Church, had overturned the state constitution and abolished the Pensacola City Council, paving the way for railroad magnate and a Klansman from Georgia, W. D. Chipley, to become mayor. Black elected officials were thrown out of office.

Perry wanted to build a monument honoring Confederate veterans that would be on display at the State Capitol, but he left office and died without raising enough funds to make it happen. Mayor Chipley offered his widow city land at the top of the hill on Palafox Street and backing for the monument to be erected in Pensacola.

Missing from the decision-making process was the city's Black citizens.

I will never near Mr. Appleyard's storytelling prowess, but I hope I've added to your understanding of Pensacola's past. {in} rick@inweekly.net

Beating an incumbent has been considered nearly impossible, but I reminded readers that we've seen our share of upsets over the past two decades.

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ROBINSON'S TWO-YEAR REVIEW

Grover Robinson / Photo courtesy of City of Pensacola

By Rick Outzen Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson is halfway through his term. He sat down with Inweekly to recap his achievements and talk about what's ahead for his city.

Two of his most significant accomplishments have been improving the city hall culture and the relationship between the mayor's office and Pensacola City Council.

"There was tremendous dysfunction," he said, referring to the city's administration.

"When I first walked into city hall, I could see how heavy it was for the employees, from just the way the city had been managed."

Before Robinson's election, Inweekly had reported that Hayward Administrator Olson had done away with an independent appeal review board as part of the effort to get rid of the fire chief and assistant fire chief. Later, City Administrator Eric Olson discontinued the personnel manual when he got embroiled in an employee complaint against him.

"Changing the culture may not be sexy, but it's incredibly important." Grover Robinson "There was no employee manual, no rights one way or the other, no management," said Robinson. "We've instituted a plan that rewards behavior that's based on measurables. They have LEM (Leader Evaluation Manager) goals. We've created a culture that focuses on measurable outcomes."

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He added, "Changing the culture may not be sexy, but it's incredibly important. It's one of the reasons I feel very good about where we are internally, even though externally, this year couldn't have been crazier."

Robinson is also proud of his relationship with city council members. He said, "Being able to get Council and Mayor's Office to work together has translated into better amenities, better management for the citizens."

The mayor pointed out the city budget has been approved unanimously during his tenure. He said, "Nobody could remember the last time that had been done. The processes by which we've gone through and gotten things done, we've been able to build a significantly better relationship."

The mayor believes he has made significant strides in economic development.

He said, "Saving the Project Titan was huge after we found out we were at significant shortage on the funds necessary."

Project Titan is a five-year, $210 million project to build three additional hangars, a warehouse and an office building for ST Engineering's aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul facility at the Pensacola International Airport. When Robinson took office, the city was about $25 million short for the project. He was able to get funds from the state and county to fill the funding gap.

"We'll do groundbreaking, probably in March, to start that second hangar and then a year from now start hangers three and four," said the mayor.

In the summer of 2019, the Pensacola City Council approved an $18 million bond

issue to develop Bruce Beach and create a "hashtag" south of Main Street. The plan calls for a park and community center with an elevated overlook at Bruce Beach and a creek bridge to connect Bruce Beach to the Community Maritime Park. Cedar Street would be extended west, and a hashtag area would be created with Palafox and Jefferson streets north to south and Main and Cedar streets running east to west to spur economic growth.

The mayor insisted he's ready to move on the plan but has been slowed by the COVID pandemic and Hurricane Sally.

"We have the plans ready to go," said Robinson. "I think we are short some money that we want to do for the remainder of hashtag and potentially could put in some money for some other parts of the whole overall plan with a parking garage and some things."

He said the project is short between $6 and $7 million, and he hopes Triumph Gulf Coast will help with the shortfall. The key will be proving to the Triumph board the hashtag project will create jobs. The mayor said, "I think the jobs we'll create within downtown Pensacola will be measurable and workable."

One possible hurdle to continued growth downtown and on the west side of the city is ECUA's proposed six-milliongallon sewage overflow tank near West Main Street and Barrancas Avenue. Robinson has made clear his objections to the project.

"It's why we stepped up and said this is not appropriate," said the mayor. "The one thing I will say about ECUA is the new ECUA, at least, stopped, worked with us and is evaluating processes. We have two identified sites that they actually will go to that are not on Barrancas and Main Street.

And if that happens, that would be great."

Other challenges on the west side include what to do after Baptist Hospital relocates to Brent Lane and improving pedestrian safety along Cervantes Street.

"I think things of 2020 have somewhat taken our eye off looking at the Baptist relocation," he said. "Obviously, them breaking ground a little while ago certainly now creates the need for us to get focused on that. Baptist CEO Mark Faulkner has promised us the opportunity to be involved in that process. And we just need to reengage and see where they are and what's going on and go forward from there."

The mayor believes adding more traffic signals to West Cervantes Street will slow down traffic, create more crosswalks and make the area safer. He also thinks adding a median will help.

"FDOT, they have a contractor, and they should start construction on that like any day," said Robinson. "They're going to put in four new traffic signals, which was done at the city's insistence."

He added one more expectation with the Cervantes improvements, "They'll make those corners more usable for neighborhood commercial business, which I think is going to be ultimately important for us and how we reestablish what's going on in that area."

Another project that has yet to be announced is creating a construction apprenticeship program at the Brownsville Community Center that will be a partnership with Escambia County and FloridaWest. He said, "We've been working with Lumon May (District 3 Commissioner) and Scott Luth (FloridaWest CEO) on this apprenticeship program that's going to be huge in construction."

He continued, "When you look at what's happening with things like ST, the new Baptist Hospital and residential construction going on everywhere in this community, we have the opportunity to give people skills to participate and work with us. And then the Covenant with the Community is asking us to be local, but it's also asking us to identify skills where we are deficient in construction so that we can train people and get them started."

The mayor also brought up the Hollice T. Williams Park and Bayview Community Center.

Robinson hopes the county will complete the south end of the Hollice T. Williams Park first so the city can build a skate park under Interstate 110. He admitted the county had had challenges beginning the process.

"The county stumbled a little bit," he said. "They had to bid, and then they had to go back and re-bid it again. They've got somebody working on it. The challenge has been these plans anticipate opportunities for having large public gatherings and public input. COVID has changed the ability to do that, so everything's been a little bit slower."

COVID has also slowed the opening of the Bayview Community Center.

"We thought it was going to be done this fall, and then we had the hurricane, and we had a few things we had to go back over and work with." Robinson "We thought it was going to be done this fall, and then we had the hurricane, and we had a few things we had to go back over and work with," said Robinson. "Also with COVID and not really wanting to open another gathering spot, we didn't really see any real rush to do that until the spring."

The shooting of Tymar Crawford put Pensacola in the national debate about law enforcement and police brutality. The Pensacola Police Department determined inweekly.net

Officer Daniel Siemen violated the city's use of deadly force policies when he shot and killed Crawford in July 2019, and Sieman was fired. This past summer, the city settled a lawsuit with Crawford's family.

Mayor Robinson hired Cedric Alexander, a national expert on law enforcement, to consult with PPD and facilitate a citizen police advisory committee (CPAC). He said, "I truly believe that the Pensacola Police Department is the premier law enforcement department in Northwest Florida and the surrounding area. We are working to be better all the time. It doesn't mean we don't have mistakes or accidents. It just means we just got to keep working better."

He added, "We're the only people I know that are willing to have some conversations that we have about who we are and how we get better."

He would like to see CPAC stay focused on PPD. "We've been very deliberate in allowing the CPAC to determine what they want to do; it's not like it's a city rubber stamp," said Robinson. "I don't think some of the things they've discussed will help make us a better police force. I hope they will get focused on our policies and procedures."

On Wednesday, Dec. 16, Police Chief Tommi Lyter announced he would join the Escambia County Sheriff's Office as Sheriff Chip Simmons' chief deputy. The mayor plans to conduct a national search for his replacement—a first for an agency that always promoted from within its ranks.

Saying he was excited about Lyter's new job, Robinson said, "We can build a true partnership relationship with the sheriff's office. Chip and Tommi are former Pensacola police chiefs. I think for the first time, we may be able to make true inroads into resolving some of our issues and working better together in law enforcement. So I'm very excited about what the future holds. And I think having two former police chiefs over there will work to make things better and more workable for all the citizens in our area."

The last issue the newspaper discussed with the mayor was the most challenging— the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It feels like 2020 has been five years rather than one year," he said. "We sit on the cusp of moving into the vaccine, which I think will help us get through some things, but there's no doubt over the next three months that we have challenges as numbers go up."

The mayor continued, "The biggest problem we have is we control our ability to stop the virus by our actions—wearing a mask, social distancing and doing those kinds of things. It's unfortunate that the simple gesture of working together and wearing a mask became political. But I think as people see the threat get more significant, they become more mask-oriented."

Robinson said he has tried to send a clear message for people to wear masks "when we were in a time of danger" and would like to have the council drop the mask ordinance when cases and hospitalizations decline—"when we get out of that danger, we need to relax."

"I tried to communicate this before December 23, 2020

to council," he said. "I told them exactly what was going to happen and why we were going to be in problems if we didn't take the ordinance away—not having the mandate was not going to stop the numbers from going up because humans are humans. Human nature is when you don't perceive the threat, people quit wearing the mask, whether it was in June or whether it was in October."

The mayor has asked the governor to allow local governments the power to make decisions on how to deal with the virus in their communities.

"I've never asked him for a statewide mandate, but I think at the same time, you can't have a statewide prohibition (of local COVID measures)," said Robinson. "We should make local decisions on local conditions. What happens in Miami, they should make decisions in Miami. What happens in Pensacola, we should be making those decisions."

His focus has been to keep our area from being overrun with the virus, which he believes has allowed our economy to be better off than other places.

"Coming out of this, we're going to be a city that's in demand. I think people are going to say in large cities, 'Do I need to continue to be in a large city?' Because there are just a number of issues that are troubling there," said Robinson. "I think Pensacola stands in a very good position, as long as it doesn't allow itself to be overrun by the virus. And as long as it can continue to keep itself functioning as an economy. Being healthy and prosperous has been our goal."

"I think Pensacola stands in a very good position, as long as it doesn't allow itself to be overrun by the virus." Robinson He added, "Pensacola shouldn't be fighting whether it's healthy or prosperous.

We should be looking at how to do both.

And that's what we got to get our citizens to accept. It's been challenging, but I think we have succeeded in some ways."

In early December, Inweekly conducted a survey of likely Pensacola voters to find if they were satisfied with the mayor's job performance. The telephone survey found 63.8% were very satisfied or satisfied with his performance. Only 29% of the 586 likely voters polled were dissatisfied. About 7% either didn't know who he is or had no opinion.

All the city's seven districts gave him high satisfaction ratings, which the mayor told Inweekly was affirmation of his campaign pledge to provide the same quality of service across the city. He said, "We've achieved what I set out to do."

"In dealing with COVID and everything else, my goal has been to do what is right and what's the best thing long-term for the community," said Robinson. "I could care less about making decisions, based on what's best for me politically. I've never done that in the 14 years I've been in public office. It's not who I am."

He added, "I'm invested in this community; I want the best to happen for this community." {in} 7

navirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. About 60 cents of every dollar will be spent on county operations—either for Public Health and Safety, Government Response and Compliance or COVID-19 Operations and Oversight.

Families and businesses will receive only 34 cents of every dollar.

Palm Beach County has spent $215 million of its CARES funds and prioritized helping small businesses, 37 cents of every dollar, and families with rent, utilities and mortgages, 15 cents of every dollar. The county has spent a combined 52 cents of every dollar on helping businesses and families.

Palm Beach only spent 20 cents of every dollar on general government.

How many businesses could have been saved if the Escambia County administration had gotten $21 million into the hands of small businesses rather than only $3.6 million?

Courtesy of Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival

LIMITED EDITION POSTER 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 that would capture some of the feelings of 2020 and become a positive memento for this unique year.

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

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.

TALE OF TWO COUNTIES Escambia County received $57.6 million from the Coro-

MY ESCAMBIA YOUTUBE Escambia County spends considerable dollars producing videos for ECTV that are later recycled on YouTube. Some are created as standalone telecasts, and others are recordings of various meetings and press conferences. Most have less than 100 views.

The most popular county video on YouTube was a 20-second video of a sea turtle laying eggs on Pensacola Beach on June 3, which had nearly 31,000 views. The next most popular was a video titled "Little Beach Mouse from the South" that lasts 26 minutes and has had about 2,800 views since it was posted on May 24.

The animal videos did much better than all the "We are Escambia" episodes with Communications Director Laura Cole and the quarterly spots produced for the commissioners. Maybe the county should include an animal in every video, such as a parrot perched on County Administrator Janice Gilley's shoulder during the "Coffee with a Commissioner" segments.

Just an idea—no need to pay a consultant.

NEW REALTOR BOARD The Women's Council of Realtors Pensacola Bay Area recently installed its 2021 board members: •President: Alexis Bolin, Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast •President-elect: Cheryl Young, Seville Square Realty, LLC •Treasurer: Shelle Isakson-Smith, Supreme Lending •Secretary: Cindy Spence, Connell & Company •Membership Director: Shawn McCorkle, Genesis Land Title •Program Director: Lisa Mix, Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast •Communications: Amber Green, Seville Square Realty, LLC The National Association of Realtors was established over 110 years ago, but for 20 years, women were barred admission to many of the local Board of Realtors associations, so a separate group was created, according to a history written by Ella Hess for the organization.

In 1973, Gwen Appelquist, Grace Futch and Callie Bonifay established the Pensacola Chapter of Women's Council of Realtors.

In 1991, the local chapter was struggling for membership and was down to 10 members.

If the local chapter was to survive, the membership needed to grow rapidly. Therefore, those 10 members decided to form the Top Gun Award for realtors who sold $1 million of residential real estate during the previous year. Dues were increased to cover the cost of a full-page ad in the Pensacola News Journal. Members who joined had their photo, name and company placed in the newspaper's Sunday edition and were given wall plaques at a dinner held at the National Naval Aviation Museum.

The Top Gun Award was the beginning of the true success for Pensacola Women's Council of Realtors. Many other chapters contacted the leadership requesting instructions on how to start their own awards program.

The Pensacola Chapter recognizes the benefits of a career in real estate, including salaries equitable to men's since "commis-

sion is commission," flexible work schedules to allow realtors the ability to raise a family and have a career, a support system of those in the same field earning friendships, networking groups and referrals, and an opportunity to learn leadership skills.

Women's Council of Realtors Pensacola Bay Area was named Network of the Year for Florida in 2019 for its education and charity events.

HOLIDAY CLOSURES Escambia County offices and departments will be closed Thursday, Dec. 24; Friday, Dec. 25; Thursday, Dec. 31; and Friday, Jan. 1, in observance of Christmas and New Year's holidays.

The closures include the West Florida Public Libraries, Escambia County Animal Shelter, Escambia County Property Appraiser and Escambia County Supervisor of Elections.

EXCEPTIONS ECAT buses will not oper-

ate Friday, Dec. 25, and Friday, Jan. 1. Buses will operate on a modified holiday schedule until 5 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 24; Thursday, Dec. 31; Saturday, Dec. 26; and Saturday, Jan. 2. There will be no UWF Trolley or Express Shuttle service from Saturday, Dec. 12, to Monday, Jan. 18. UWF service will resume Tuesday, Jan. 19.

ECAT Administrative Offices are closed Thursday, Dec. 24; Saturday, Dec. 26; and Saturday, Jan. 2. For more information about ECAT schedules, visit goecat.com.

Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller's office will be open on Dec. 31, except for the Clerk's Official Records, Finance and Clerk to the Board. All Clerk's offices will be closed Dec. 24, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

Escambia County Tax Collector will be open Thursday, Dec. 31. The office will be closed Thursday, Dec. 24; Friday, Dec. 25; and Friday, Jan. 1.

The Perdido Landfill will be open Thursday, Dec. 24, and Thursday, Dec. 31, but will be closed on Friday, Dec. 25, and Friday, Jan. 1. {in}

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The Ripple Effect When You Shop Local

We know that shopping on Amazon can be convenient, but this holiday season, don’t forget that local businesses deliver even more for your dollar.

Here’s what happens when you shop with a locally owned business — starting with you.

YOU BENEFIT FROM EXPERTISE.

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The perfect running shoe.

The new toy that’s certain to delight. The fantastic novel you hadn’t heard of. The best tool for the job. Get the right thing and save time by relying on the expertise of local retailers.

At a local store, you’re as much as 3x more likely to discover something new.1

In places with more local businesses, people have stronger social ties2 and participate more in civic affairs.3

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YOU CONNECT WITH YOUR COMMUNITY.

Shopping locally means bumping into friends, enjoying lively streets, playing in the toy store, and trading neighborhood news with the people behind the counter. Local businesses make communities work.

Compared to Amazon, independent retailers create 2x as many jobs for the same amount of revenue.4

Local retailers hire local people, pay local taxes, and source goods locally.

When you shop local, you expand opportunity where you live.

Places with more small businesses have less income inequality.5

A LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER IS AN INVESTMENT IN YOUR COMMUNITY. ” — Quint Studer

YOU STRENGTHEN YOUR LOCAL ECONOMY.

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YOU CAST A VOTE FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM. Starting a small business has long been a pathway to the middle class. By supporting local entrepreneurs, you invest in a future that works for all of us.

Join the conversation on social media: #LocalEffect #ShopLocal #ShopSmall 1. Codex Group via: “Why Online Book Discovery is Broken (and How to Fix It),” Gigaom, Jan. 17, 2013.

2. “The Health and Wealth of US Counties,” Troy C. Blanchard, et. al., Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy, and Society, 2011.

3. “The Configuration of Local Economic Power and Civic Participation in the Global Economy,” Troy Blanchard and Todd L. Matthews, Social Forces, June 2006.

4. “Amazon’s Stranglehold,” Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Nov. 2016.

5. “Wage Inequality and Firm Growth,” Holger M. Mueller, et. al., LIS Working Paper 632, March 2015.

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inweekly.net

The Year of COVID has been wild. The biggest heroes have been nurses, doctors and other health care workers. They have been on the frontline caring for the thousands infected with the deadly virus. The biggest losers have been politicians who have ignored the pandemic and misled the public.

However, a lot of things other than COVID happened this year—some good, some bad. This annual issue offers us a chance to reprise the most significant winners and losers of the past year. We hope you enjoy it.

Illustration by Michael Daw

WINNERS

nationwide increased each day as the unemployment rate skyrocketed from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jenn and Lewis Bear III Emerald Coast Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Utilities Authority Florida recognized the couple as the 2020 Escambia County Big of the Year. The Bears were founding members of the local governing board. Last year, the Bear family made an incredibly generous gift supporting the 30th Anniversary Bold Steps Campaign. The nonprofit named its new Pensacola home the Bear Family Foundation Center for Hope.

Ronald Booker

The City of Pensacola sanitation worker rescued a woman who was having a medical emergency when he saw her slumped over in a car in her driveway. The woman had come from dialysis, and her blood didn't clot properly. Booker called 911 and stayed with her until an ambulance arrived.

Paramedics have said that Booker's quick actions may have saved her life.

Caleb Carmichael

The University of West Florida cross country coach ran seven marathons in seven days to raise money for Argo Pantry, which provides food to UWF students in need of assistance, and for Feeding the Gulf Coast. The demand put on food banks December 23, 2020

ECUA's sampling team undertook an aggressive sampling effort after Hurricane Sally to clear the system-wide Precautionary Boil Water Notice as quickly as possible.

ECUA did a month's worth of sampling in two days. Its teams collected 385 samples at 190 sites in 48 hours—two samples per site.

The Boil Water Notices were lifted for most areas in less than a week.

Gulf Power

More than 285,000 customers experienced outages as Hurricane Sally brought heavy rain and severe flooding, especially in the western Panhandle. Gulf Power assembled a restoration workforce of 7,000, working primarily out of 12 staging sites, to restore power for its customers safely and as quickly as possible. The utility's swift action accomplished power restoration within five days after Sally left its service area.

Gulf Winds Credit Union

The credit union has committed $100,000 through its Gulf Winds Cares Pro-

gram to combat COVID-19. Gulf Winds donated $65,000 to Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola to help the hospital purchase personal protection equipment for its staff and $15,000 worth of protective gear to first responders across its service area. The remaining $20,000 was committed to partners in Tallahassee and Alabama.

Roger Hemminghaus

The University of West Florida announced this year a $200,000 gift from Roger Hemminghaus to name the Roy and Henrietta (Etts) Hemminghaus Chemistry Lab in the new Laboratory Sciences Annex.

Roger's late father, Roy Hemminghaus, served as senior project coordinator and general manager for the Chemstrand Corporation nylon plant.

Innisfree Hotels

Northwest Florida's largest beachfront hotel owner donated 6,300 room nights to frontline medical professionals leading the fight against COVID-19. Innisfree made rooms available without charge to doctors, nurses, EMTs, paramedics and other frontline medical staff who need a place to sleep, recharge or isolate from their families.

Lumon May

Incumbent and older brother Lumon May gave his little brother LuTimothy an old-fash-

ioned butt whooping in the Escambia County Commission District 3 Democratic primary, crushing him by 6,700 votes and 78 points.

Commissioner May won the entire county's respect for his ongoing fight to help families and small businesses deal with the COVID pandemic and Hurricane Sally. He reached across party lines to work with Congressman Matt Gaetz to get a disaster relief site in Brownsville that served both county and city residents.

When no one at the county EOC could get ice for the community after the storm, Commissioner May got bags delivered to the area.

Ed Meadows & Teri Levin

In June 2000, following their tragic deaths, the Rotary Club of Pensacola began the annual Grover III and Sandra Robinson Awards in memory of their outstanding community leadership. Each year, a community leader is selected for these awards based on making our community a better place. This year, the Grover Robinson III Award was presented to Dr. Ed Meadows, Pensacola State College president. Teri Levin, philanthropist and co-owner of Levin Rinke Realty, was selected for the Sandra Robinson Award.

Destany McKim

The Girl Scout was recognized for her heroism with a pinning ceremony at 11

the Molino Escambia County Fire Rescue Station 18. Escambia County Fire Rescue nominated McKim to receive the Girl Scout Bronze Cross for Valor for the heroic and lifesaving actions of saving her mother, grandmother and two dogs from a house fire at their home last January.

Pete Moore

Escambia County honored the contributions made to Pensacola Beach Public Safety by the late Peter R. Moore and his family with a public presentation of the "Moore Safe Shores" Pelican and a memorial plaque at the Pensacola Beach Public Safety Building. Beginning in 2004, the Moore Safe Shores program has donated Chevy Colorado vehicles to the Escambia County Water Safety lifeguard staff for patrolling and rescuing beachgoers.

Joe Occhipinti

The Pensacola musician and bandleader was inducted into the Gulf Coast Ethnic & Heritage Jazz Festival Hall of Fame, a nonprofit with a mission to further preserve and grow jazz music for future generations. Occhipinti is a founding member of Jazz Pensacola, a member of the Civic Band and an officer and board member of the Mystic Order of the Jazz Obsessed and musician's union #777 from Biloxi.

Pensacola Dream Defenders

The local organization participated in this summers' protests that brought about real change in 2020. Their efforts pushed Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson to create the Citizens Police Advisory Committee and helped Tymar Crawford's family gain resolution with the city.

Dream Defenders spoke out to remove the Confederate monument from city property and for voting rights for felons who had completed their sentences. They were difference makers.

Que'Vieon Preyer

The eighth-grade scholar at Dixon School of Arts & Sciences won the middle school category for his film at the Youth Making Ripples Film Fest at the Mote Marine Lab in Sarasota, Fla. His film was one of 90 submissions at the film festival.

Preyer credited his success to his hard work—"staying up late nights and watching YouTube tutorials"—and his teachers.

Laurie Rodgers

The regional executive for the Pace Center for Girls celebrated her 25th anniversary with the nonprofit in June.

The Pace Center has grown from a small building behind University Mall to a 13,500-square-foot facility. Since opening its doors in 1994, the center has served more than 2,000 girls through three distinct components—academic, social services and transition services.

Michelle Salzman

In the GOP primary for Florida House District 1, Salzman sent incumbent Mike Hill packing, beating him by 1,048 votes and four percentage points. Salzman had a solid ground game that picked up nearly 80% of the undecided vote in the last days of the primary. She went on to win the general election.

Bill Slayton

The District 5 Escambia School Board member surprised us when he voted for Tim Smith to be the district's first appointed school superintendent. It was a tough vote for Slayton, a former band director of Tate High School. Many thought he would go for Assistant School Superintendent Keith Leonard, a former head baseball and football coach at the school and the quarterback when the Tate Aggies won the state championship in 1980.

Stephen Simpson

The owner of S2 Group wrote a check to cover the school lunch debt for families at 19 schools in the Escambia County School District. The district reported the Food Services Accounting office staff was shocked to receive the call from Simpson.

Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said, "This donation stood out because it is also a gift to so many families—the gift of a little less worry."

Pensacola Sports

Pensacola was selected to host the 202125 Sun Belt Men's and Women's Basketball Championships as a part of the league's partnership with Pensacola Sports, in collaboration with the Pensacola Bay Center, Pensacola State College and Visit Pensacola.

David Stafford

The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections made sure each vote was counted in the 2020 election cycle. Understanding safety concerns over the pandemic, Stafford encouraged mail-in ballots by providing return postage. He met with our reporters and answered all questions. He assured us that if there was a problem with a vote—like the signatures didn't match or the ballot wasn't signed at all—his office contacted the voter and resolved the issue so the ballot could be counted. We had no problems with our elections or voter registration this year.

Quint Studer

The businessman was one of the first community leaders to speak out for the Confederate monument's removal.

When the county failed to provide grants to Black-owned businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, Studer put up $50,000 for a Black-Owned Small Business Microgrant Program that helped 29 local businesses.

The Watson Family Foundation

This year, attorney Aaron Watson and his wife Kimberly launched their foundation to assist Northwest Florida families with hardship relief, school readiness support, faith-based outreach, and mentorship to local families. The nonprofit will build on the Watsons' annual Thanksgiving Dinner Giveaway, Backpack Giveaway, Christmas Giveaway and philanthropic events throughout Pensacola.

Dr. Grier Williams School of Music

Gene & Maureen Valentino

Valentino and his wife, Maureen, have gifted property appraised at $250,000 and an additional $20,000 to the Pensacola State College Foundation to support the PSC Entrepreneurial Program. The Building 10 lecture hall was named the Gene and Maureen Valentino Lecture Hall. The college named its associate's degree in entrepreneurship the Valentino Associate in Science Degree in Business Entrepreneurship.

LOSERS Dick Barker

After experiencing a cyberattack, the City of Pensacola engaged Deloitte & Touche LLP. Among its recommendations, the consultants proposed the city consider a dedicated security staff. The city had moved its Technology Resources department to be under CFO Dick Barker six years ago. The move let the then-Interim City Administrator Barker promote a manager without the approval of the city council.

City taxpayers paid the price.

Mike Bloomberg

The billionaire and former presidential candidate spent $100 million in advertising in Florida to help Joe Biden capture the state's 29 electoral votes. When Bloomberg offered to help pay the felons' fines so they could regain their right to vote, Attorney General Ashley Moody requested that the FBI investigate Bloomberg. In the end, Trump won Florida, 51.2%-47.9%.

James Calkins

The University of West Florida received an anonymous gift to rename the Department of Music in memory of the music department's first chair, Dr. Grier Williams, who founded the UWF music department in 1967 and served as its chair for 25 years.

For 17 years, he also served as principal conductor of the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra. Williams invited teacher Susan Pote to assemble a group of children to accompany the orchestra for choral pieces in 1990. The group became the Pensacola Children's Chorus.

The gun-toting GOP candidate of Santa Rosa County Commission District 3 posted a video on his Facebook page that declared, "Thugs, criminals and looters are not welcomed in Santa Rosa County! If you loot we shoot!" Santa Rosa County had no reports of looting after the death of George Floyd. The last such report that Inweekly could remember was after Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Calkins won the election. Sigh.

Ron DeSantis

The Florida governor declared victory over COVID-19 in May, only to see cases,

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deaths and positivity rates skyrocket in July and August. As the cases began to decline in September, DeSantis issued an executive order blocking Florida cities from penalizing people for not following local mask mandates. Predictably, cases have risen again. Now, the Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sentinel are suing his administration for allegedly suppressing information about the coronavirus pandemic in the Sunshine State. The newspapers claim the governor has been burying weekly reports from the White House Coronavirus Task Force, which makes recommendations on how to slow the spread of the infection.

Far-Right Politics, Pseudo-QAnon

State Rep. Mike Hill was their poster child. In the past, his formula for elections was to be pro-life, pro-gun, pro-Confederacy, pro-Trump and anti-LGBTQ. It didn't matter that he was the most ineffective lawmaker in Tallahassee and couldn't deliver any funds for much-needed projects in his district. His buddy Cris Dosev tried a similar formula, which appeared to be working for a time. Thinking they had won victories on reopening the beaches and preventing a mask mandate, the Qs went after Jeff Bergosh, Lumon May and Steven Barry, hoping to elect people more friendly to Commissioner Doug Underhill's and their agenda. The Qs went 0-5 in Escambia County.

Matt Gaetz

Our congressman donned a gas mask while he voted on a bill that provided $7.8 billion in appropriations to address the coronavirus pandemic—but that was just the beginning of a wild year for the politician from Fort Walton Beach. He has become a far-right political rock star, flying around the country in Air Force One and entertaining President Donald Trump with his antics. No position or statement is too wild or outlandish as long as he gets attention, which he has.

We don't expect him to slow down or shift to a more moderate course without Trump out of the White House.

Janice Gilley

The Escambia County administrator has never believed COVID-19 is a big deal. She has refused to enforce face masks among her employees, mocks Commissioner Lumon behind his back and has told her staff that her O-positive blood gives her a special immunity from the virus. The Board of County Commissioners has become increasingly frustrated with her inability to get things done. Gilley has repeatedly put items on the board's agenda without backup documentation for the public to review.

Everything is a secret in the Gilley administration, probably a holdover from her years of backroom deals in state government. And amid all the county chaos, we learned that someone may have bugged her offices. Yet, she didn't follow up on the FDLE investigation or change security on the fourth floor.

Andrew Gillum

After the 2018 elections, Stacey Abrams in Georgia and Gillum in Florida pledged to deliver their respective states to the Democratic presidential nominee.

December 23, 2020

Abrams did, while Gillum failed miserably.

It didn't help that the former Tallahassee mayor was found earlier in the year in an "inebriated state" in a South Beach hotel room, where a man reportedly overdosed.

Pat Kinsey

The CDC issued a federal eviction moratorium in late September. Thanks to Judge Pat Kinsey, the moratorium has become meaningless in Pensacola. NBC News reported that the day before Thanksgiving, Escambia County deputies served Steve Cowley with an eviction notice. The CDC ban aimed to let renters affected by COVID stay in their homes, even if they couldn't pay their landlords. Judge Kinsey ordered Cowley out of his home, ruling the CDC moratorium represented an "unlawful taking" by the U.S. government of landlords' private property—rental income.

Guy Thompson

Milton's former mayor was sentenced to more than four years in prison for defrauding United Way of Santa Rosa County while he ran the organization. Thompson embezzled over $650,000 from the United Way between 2011 and 2018. United Way of Santa Rosa County was forced to close because of the fraud. Its services have been taken over by United Way of Escambia County, which has been renamed United Way of West Florida.

Donald Trump

Democrat Joe Biden won the popular election with the most votes ever in any presidential election, 81,283, 495. He beat Trump by more than seven million votes.

Despite numerous legal challenges from the Trump campaign, Biden also won the electoral vote, 306-232. Trump has had the authentic COVID experience—getting the virus, losing his job and being evicted from his residence.

Doug Underhill

The District 2 County Commissioner can't get two votes for any of his motions, having picked fights with all his fellow commissioners. He sent out two county-wide emails to pressure the board on COVID-19 votes. While the emails were an unusual move, he had a right to present his case directly to the public. However, he twisted the information to make his point—which wasn't unusual.

T.T. Wentworth Jr.

The former Escambia County elected official, historian and namesake of the T.T. Wentworth Museum in downtown Pensacola was also the Exalted Cyclops of the local Ku Klux Klan, according to museum archives from Wentworth's files. The documents include Wentworth's Klan membership cards, correspondence between Wentworth and the Grand Dragon, Realm of Florida, and an invoice for Wentworth's specially ordered satin Exalted Cyclops robe. In 1920, Wentworth was elected to the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners.

From 1928-1940, he served as the county tax collector. The UWF Historic Trust recently voted to rename the museum. {in} 13

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WEEK OF DECEMBER 23-29

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

An English to English Dictionary

By Jennie McKeon

Courtesy of Trish Taylor / Illustration by Andrew Wilson

Local author Trish Taylor's latest book is perfect for any Yanks (Americans) who wish they had a bit of Blighty (Britain) in their life.

"Put the Kettle On: An American's Guide to British Slang, Telly and Tea" is a book about all things British. It's a little bit culture guide, little bit dictionary and altogether an entertaining read.

Taylor is a native of England and lived

there most of her life until she married an American soldier and moved to the states.

Writing about the two cultures has been something she wanted to do for years. Finally, in October of this year, she published "Put the Kettle On." "So many times, I get asked questions and realize that some people's view of life in the U.K. is either 'Downton Abbey' or East End gangster movies," said Taylor. "I

often think I have assimilated after being here for 15 years; then I will say something, and a group of people will stare at me with a bewildered look on their face."

While it may seem as if the English language doesn't seem far off from American English, there is a big divide when it comes to everyday terms. Taylor said one of the biggest adjustments for her was when it came to groceries. And that's why she included a list of food names and translations in the book.

"I spent a lot of time wandering around supermarkets trying to find items that had different names," she said. "If you ever find yourself at a self-checkout line and have to ask what the vegetable you are holding is called, you might wish you had read a similar book."

In her case, it was a zucchini—or courgette.

Any anglophile might already know that some English to American English translations are downright silly. Taylor points them out in her book with a little wink and a nod because she knows exactly what it's like to be an "outsider."

"I was shocked when I first heard an adult say they needed to go potty—this was my manager in a new job—is this a Southern thing?" Taylor quipped. "My hair stylist knows never to talk about bangs in my presence if I'm not going to collapse into giggles. It's a fringe; bangs is just wrong. And, of course, a fanny is your front bottom. And I still forget that you might be offended if I ask to borrow your rubber— it's just an eraser to me."

Early during the pandemic, Taylor said

she had the idea to add illustrations to her book. Artist Andrew Wilson created the concept art around the character Gary, a "loveable but slightly confused American" as Taylor put it. Wilson did one illustration as a test run, and Taylor was completely sold.

"He put my ideas into the illustration and often thought about them more deeply than I had expected," she said. "They are fun and good natured, though the book has a sarcastic edge (like most Brits). The illustrations treat Gary as if we are holding him by the hand and showing him around."

While Taylor adds the disclaimer to her book that it's not a serious travel guide, it's not a bad way to get a glimpse of the culture. And since international travel is kind of on hold for now, there's still plenty of time to read more than one travel guide, anyway. When you do make a trip to the United Kingdom, Taylor's one piece of advice is simple—relax.

"Brits like to play things down and are unlikely to brag," she said. "They have a healthy disrespect for their government, their job, the weather. They like to have a whine and not to be taken seriously. They also are able to separate a visiting American from whatever is going on with foreign policy or whatever government is in power in the U.S. Buy them a pint, have a joke and they will love you." {in} You can purchase "Put the Kettle On: An American's Guide to British Slang, Telly and Tea" on Amazon and from most online bookstores. For more information, visit trishtaylorauthor.com.

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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.

HOLIDAY CALENDAR

GRAB-AND-GO HOLIDAY MEALS WITH FIVE SISTERS BLUES CAFÉ Don't worry about cooking this holiday season.

Just put an order in with Five Sisters Blues Café. New Year's Eve dinner includes a smoked brisket and sides. Package is $45 plus tax and feeds six people. Order nownoon on Dec. 28, and pick up on Dec. 31, 2-5 p.m. To place an order, contact Kady Reeves at 293-3148, or email kady@fivesistersbluescafe.com.

HOLIDAY HOURS AT GREAT SOUTHERN RESTAURANTS For more information on Great Southern Restaurants—location and menus—visit greatsouthernrestaurants.com.

CHRISTMAS EVE—Thursday, Dec. 24 The Fish House: Lunch service: 11a.m.–3 p.m.

Dinner service: 3–10 p.m.

Jackson's Steakhouse: Lunch service: 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

Dinner service: 5–10 p.m.

Five Sisters Blues Café: Lunch service: 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Dinner service: 4–9 p.m.

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Angelena's Ristorante Italiano: Lunch Service: 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

Dinner service: 5–10 p.m.

CHRISTMAS DAY—Friday, Dec. 25 The Fish House: Dinner service: 5–10 p.m.

Jackson's Steakhouse: Dinner service: 5–10 p.m.

Five Sisters Blues Café: Dinner service: 4–9 p.m.

Angelena's Ristorante Italiano: Dinner service: 5–10 p.m.

"THE NUTCRACKER" ON DEMAND Bal-

let Pensacola is excited to present "The Nutcracker" on Video On Demand Dec. 24-Jan. 3 for those looking to enjoy the show from the safety of their living rooms. Tickets are available at showtix4u.com/event-details/44105.

WINTERFEST A re-imagined Winterfest

experience will incorporate a number of COVID-19-related changes to ensure guest safety while retaining the magic of Winterfest. Families can choose from two themed tours—The Polar Express Trolley Tour or the Cajun Christmas Experience. Santa will be ready for photographs in a new sleigh designed to allow for social distancing. All Winterfest tours and visits with Santa will take place through Dec. 24. Tickets are available at pensacolawinterfest.org.

"ALL I WANT" HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY

Friends of Downtown Pensacola has launched its "All I Want" holiday promotion to support downtown small businesses and will randomly select one winner a day for 12 days from Dec. 13-24. Each winner will receive a $100 gift card.

A receipt of at least $10 from any downtown restaurant, bar, gallery or shop dated between Nov. 6-Dec. 2 is all it takes to enter. Participants should submit photos of their receipts online at downtownpensacola.shop, where full rules are also posted. (Restrictions apply)

FIRST CITY LIGHTS FESTIVAL Experi-

ence the holidays under the magical glow of half a million twinkling white lights along the historic streets of downtown Pensacola, through Jan. 16.

BEANSTACK READING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND BINGO CARD Partici-

pate in the Winter Wonderland Bingo Card with West Florida Public Libraries Friday, Dec. 18-Sunday, Jan. 31.

Kids can complete reading-related activities off of the Reading in a Winter Wonderland Bingo card. Once you've completed a Bingo (five activities in a row on the Bingo card), visit any of West Florida Public Libraries' seven branches to collect a prize.

The challenge can be completed using a physical copy of the Bingo Card (available for pick-up at all library branches) or the

West Florida Public Libraries' Beanstack App to track your accomplishments.

Register for the Winter Reading Challenge on the West Florida Public Libraries' Beanstack, either on the mobile app or at mywfpl.beanstack.org.

THE HOLIDAY RAMBLE Odd Colony is partnering with two local businesses for a night of holiday jingles and treats. Eric of Revolver Records will be spinning holiday vinyl classics and Chef Jordan of Craft Bakery will be pairing treats with four seasonal beers.

The event is 2 p.m.- until Wednesday, Dec. 23. As a way to give back. Odd Colony is also hosting a food drive and offering $1 off pints for anyone who brings items in. For more information, visit facebook.com/oddcolony.

NONPROFITS + FUNDRAISERS

JINGLE PAWS 2020 No guests for the holiday season? Why not fill that void with a furfriend that will provide you with company during the winter break. Pensacola Humane Society is calling on fosters to help clear out the shelter this Christmas. Programs like this give dogs and cats a much-needed break from the stress of shelter life.

It's also the perfect time, if you were thinking of adding another member to your family, to give things a trial run. Pick up one of the shelter pets on December 23 and return on December 28. inweekly.net

a&e happenings

GRAPHIC NOVELS

KIDS BOOKS

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Lauren Ruth's installation of mirrored acrylic sculptures titled "Orbital Encounters" and Xavier Cha's video work in the background / Photo courtesy of Pensacola Museum of Art

To sign up as temporary foster, fill out the Google forms sheet at forms.gle/ eP1D6qEcVcak8sE67 or email Pensacola Humane Society at foster@pensacolahumane.org with any questions.

a week at 5 Q. St. For more information, visit pensacolahumane.org.

HELP THE LITTLES OF BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA THIS HOLIDAY SEASON Throughout

coming to Pensacola Museum of Art through April 4 at the downstairs gallery. Other exhibits include "… I Forgot to Laugh: Humor & Contemporary Art" on view through Jan. 10 and "In Memoriam," from Panhandle Slim, which honors the lives of Ensign Joshua Kaleb Watson, Airman Mohammed Haitham and Airman Cameron Walters, who were killed in a terrorist attack at Naval Air Station Pensacola. For more information and hours of operation, visit pensacolamuseum.org.

holiday season, BBBSNWFL is asking for support to help their Littles take bold steps.

The Bold Steps Campaign will provide additional means to train and support the youth and volunteers as they face numerous issues in a complex and changing world. These issues include changing family structures, mental health issues, homelessness, bullying, poverty and low self-esteem, creating a greater need for bigger, bolder steps to influence positive change.

If kids have a caring adult to turn to when life gets hard, it makes all the difference. That's why programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters are essential now, more than ever. Your gift helps the agency continue to innovate new ways to virtually connect current matches and support the growth of the organization through new matches.

To make a gift, visit bit.ly/bbbsnwfl. All funds raised will go toward the Bold Steps Campaign, and all donors will be recognized on the Defenders of Potential wall in the BBBSNWFL Pensacola home office.

PET PANTRY SUPPLIES CRITICALLY LOW The Pensacola Humane Society's Pet

Pantry is in dire need of cat and dog food. Demand is extremely high due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic impacts in our community. The Pensacola Humane Society Pet Pantry provides dog and cat food, litter and treats at no cost to pet owners who come to the shelter and present an acceptable form of identification, such as a driver's license. The Pet Pantry is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. seven days December 23, 2020

ARTS + CULTURE

NEW EXHIBIT AT PENSACOLA MUSEUM OF ART "Antarctica" is a new exhibit

TICKETS ON SALE FOR PENSACOLA OPERA'S "CARMEN" Purchase your

tickets for Pensacola Opera's "Carmen."

Performances will be Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m.; Friday, Jan. 22, at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Jan. 24, at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $25, and online streaming options will be available. To purchase your tickets, visit pensacolaopera.com.

GREAT GULFCOAST ARTS FESTIVAL 2020 LIMITED-EDITION POSTER AVAILABLE ONLINE With the cancel-

lation 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.

WILDLY UNNECESSARY FEATURING JJ CURRY Enjoy an evening of comedy with Georgia comic JJ Curry at Perfect Plain, located at 50 E. Garden St. Wednesday, Dec. 23. Tickets are $10. For more information, visit facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco.

FALL CLASSES AT MIXON MAGIC PERFORMING ARTS Mixon Magic Per-

forming Arts (MMPA), a boutique performing arts studio located at 1010 N. 12th Ave., Ste. 328, 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.

STAY-IN FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT Visit

the Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St., on Fridays and Saturdays and check out one of 17

a&e happenings the Family Movie Night Bundles. Bundles include a family-friendly movie, a bag of microwave popcorn and a family-friendly activity. Movies can be checked out for seven days, and the rest is yours to keep.

For more information, visit mywfpl.com.

DATES: •Saturday, Dec. 26, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

PENSACOLA CINEMA ART REOPENS

Pensacola Cinema Art is now open, showing matinee independent films. Admission is $7. Face masks are required, and there will be 50% maximum seating capacity. Tickets can be reserved by calling or texting 863-446-7300 or emailing jpncinema@gmail.com. For more information, visit pensacolacinemaart.com.

LIVE MUSIC

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.

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.

FITNESS + RECREATION

33RD ANNUAL MAKE IT TO THE LINE RUN Run, jog, walk or crawl back to the

line at Flora-Bama's 33rd Annual Make it to the Line 4-mile run/walk and 1-mile fun run starting at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 26. Participants will receive run packets that include T-shirts and other goodies.

Complimentary food and beverages are available to participants immediately following the race.⁣ ⁣A portion of the proceeds from this race will benefit the Secret Santa program, helping local families in need with gifts at Christmas, clothing, food and more.

Register online at florabama.com/make-itto-the-line⁣. ⁣

2021 BLUE WAHOOS SEASON TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW WITH DEPOSIT

Season Ticket Memberships for the 2021 Blue Wahoos season are available now at bluewahoos.com, and fans may pick out and reserve their seats easily by making a $100 deposit. A map of available seats can be viewed at the Blue Wahoos team website.

Additional benefits are available exclusively to Season Ticket Members, including access to the Better Homes & Gardens Mainstreet Properties Lounge during games, early access to the stadium to watch batting practice at every game, 818 1

exclusive meet and greets with players and coaches, discounts at the team store and exclusive gifts. Season Ticket Members also have access to the Blue Wahoos Ticketshare program, allowing them to easily re-sell their tickets to any game they cannot attend.

PENSACOLA SPORTS LAUNCHES HOLE-IN-ONE MILLION DOLLAR SHOOTOUT Pensacola Sports, along with

several area golf courses, announced a new golf program to build excitement in the local golf scene. The program includes Marcus Pointe Golf Club, Scenic Hills Country Club and Tiger Point Golf Club.

All golfers can choose to participate when they sign in at the respective pro-shop before their round. All participating golfers from all three courses will be entered into the same pool, increasing the amount the golfer can win. The entry fee is $3 and that entry is valid for that round only. If a participating golfer hits a legitimate hole-in-one and after proper verification, the golfer will win a third of the entire pot, with a minimum guaranteed winnings of $200. Full rules and event information can be found at pensacolasports.org/holeinone.

In addition to the original winnings, all players who hit a hole-in-one during the program will be invited to participate in a $1 Million Dollar Shootout. The date and location of the Pensacola Sports' Million Dollar Shootout will be announced at a later date.

Players who make a hole in one must notify Pensacola Sports with their information that dy. If multiple holes-in-one are hit in the same day, the prize will be divided evenly. The competition starts over immediately after a qualified winner is determined. There are approximately 144 reported holes-in-one at the Pensacola area courses annually.

The Pensacola Sports' Hole-in-One Million Dollar Shootout is also a fundraiser for Pensacola Sports, a private not-forprofit sports event and tourism company.

PENSACOLA ICE FLYERS SINGLE GAME TICKETS NOW ON SALE The Ice

Flyers are one of five teams in the Southern Professional Hockey League that were able to proceed forward in the upcoming season.

The home opener, which is themed Pensacola Strong Night, is Wednesday, Dec. 30.

Fans can see the full list of theme nights and home dates at pensacolaIceflyers.com.

The team has been approved to have limited capacity in the Bay Center. Due to capacity restrictions, a significantly reduced amount of single game ticket will be available each home game. Therefore, fans are encouraged to purchase the tickets early to the games they are wanting to attend. Other protocols will be released at a later date.

Seating pods consisting of one seat up to six seats are spread out across both the lower and upper seating bowls. Fans will have to purchase all the seats in the desired pod. For example, if a group of three fans want to purchase tickets, they will need to buy all three

seats in one transaction, and they will not be able to purchase three seats within a pod that consists of four seats. In that case, they will have to purchase all four seats.

Single game tickets are available online at Ticketmaster.com or in person at the Pensacola Bay Center Box Office, which is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday to Friday.

Season tickets are still available in multiple packages. More information about season tickets is available on the Ice Flyers' website.

FOOD + WINE

THE MANDALORIAN TRIVIA NIGHT

Visit Perfect Plain Brewing Co., Monday, Dec. 28 at 7 p.m. for trivia night based on the popular Disney+ show. Enjoy happy hour all night, prizes and bonus points to anyone dressed up as their favorite Star Wars character. For more information, visit facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco.

JACKSON'S STEAKHOUSE OPEN FOR LUNCH Jackson's will be offering its

standard lunch menu Wednesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. As always, during lunch service Wednesday-Friday, the first martini is free.

Enjoy lunch menu favorites, including Chef Irv's jumbo lump crab cakes with red sweet pepper and charred sweet corn-offthe cob relish. Chef Miller has also created some new additions to add to the lunch lineup, including the Ole Hickory's fried chicken sandwich with double-dusted crispy chicken breast. Jackson's Steakhouse is located at 400 S. Palafox. For more information, visit greatsouthernrestaurants.com.

PALAFOX MARKET Palafox Market is

back at its regular location in MLK Jr. Plaza.

In a carefully planned, phased reopening, Palafox Market has launched with about half its regular vendors, showcasing food, farm produce and products geared toward safety and sanitation such as handmade soaps and face masks. For more information, visit facebook.com/downtownpensacola.

PENSACOLA POSITIVITY'S SUNDAY MARKETS Sunday Markets on Palafox

Street happen each Sunday from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. in MLK Plaza on Palafox. Local makers, growers and creators gather each under the oak trees to sell their goods to the community. Interested vendors can request an application by emailing requeaskmikellah@ gmail.com. For more information, visit facebook.com/palafoxmarkets.

SATURDAYS AT THE MARKET OUTDOOR VENDOR EVENT Located at 5300

Berryhill Road, the outdoor market features artisans and crafters alike from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays. Social distancing guidelines will be in effect. For more information, email saturdaysatthemarket@gmail.com.

PENSACOLA POP-UP FARMERS MARKET Check out fresh and organic

produce, milk, eggs, meat, fresh-baked bread, mushrooms, lumber, grits, cornmeal, pies and plants Saturdays from 9 a.m.-1

p.m. at East Hill Market, located at 1216 N. Ninth Ave. For a list of vendors, visit facebook.com/easthillmarket.

UPTOWN PENSACOLA MARKET

Check out local vendors of art, produce and other local treasures every Saturday at 7201 N. Ninth Ave. from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/uptownmarketpensacola.

SUNDAY VIBES IN THE GARDEN

Sunday Funday is back at Garden & Grain with DJ Hdycvt and drink specials. Safety guidelines will be in place. Visit facebook. com/perfectplainbrewingco for more information. Garden and Grain is located behind Perfect Plain Brewing Co. at 50 E. Garden St.

TWILIGHT THREE-COURSE SPECIAL

The District's Twilight Three-Course special is back Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 4:30-6 p.m. Guests enjoy three courses for $35 per person. Diners must be seated by 6 p.m. for offer to be vailed. To make a reservation, call 332-5224 or online at districtstreaks.com. The District is located at 123 E. Government St.

KID-FRIENDLY

WEST FLORIDA LITERARY FEDERATION ANNOUNCES YOUTH POETRY CONTEST The West Florida Literary Fed-

eration (WFLF) is encouraging students of Northwest Florida to participate in its 2021 youth poetry contest titled "Unmuted Voices."

This year, the organization is offering middle and high school students three writing choices that will empower their creativity, let them share their voices, and contribute to their language development. Students can select one of these themes for their poems: •Hope and Healing •Changes and Challenges •Mirrors/Windows/Views Prizes will be awarded, and an awards ceremony will be held in April for National Poetry Month. For more information and classroom materials for teachers, visit wflf. org/communityevents.

STUDENT JAZZ COMPETITION APPLICATION PROCESS OPEN

Student jazz musicians are invited to enter Jazz Pensacola's 2021 Student Jazz Competition. The finals will be 6:30 p.m.

Monday, March 15, at Phineas Phogg's in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Three finalists from each division—College Instrumental, High School Instrumental, Jazz Vocal—will perform at the live finals.

Awards for first, second and third in each division, ranging from $100 to $500, will be presented at the conclusion of the event.

Application deadline is Friday, Feb. 12, 2021.

Visit jazzpensacola.com to download the 2021 application.

TAKE-AWAY BABY DOLL HAT LOOM KIT Try out a miniature loom knitting kit

from Pensacola Library, located at 239 N. Spring St. Take-away loom knitting kits are inweekly.net

available at the circulation desk during December until they're gone. Available during open hours except on Thursday, Dec. 24; Friday, Dec. 25; and Thursday, Dec. 31.

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR SPRING 2021 PLT CLASSES Have a ris-

ing star at home? Sign them up for classes at Pensacola Little Theatre. Classes include Broadway Babies for ages 4-7; Acting for Kids ages 8-11; Improv for Kids ages 8-11; Acting for Teens ages 12-17, Improv for Actors ages 18+; and Social Media & Video Production ages 14-17. For more information or to register, visit pensacolalittletheatre.com.

MYSTERY BOOK BUNDLES AVAILABLE AT PENSACOLA LIBRARY

Mystery Book Bundles are available for preschool, middle grade and young adult readers. Preschool bags contain three new picture books. Middle grade and young adult bags contain two themed chapter books. All books can be checked out for three weeks. Mystery bundles are available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Pensacola Library, located at 239 N. Spring St. Visit mywfpl. com for more information.

TAKE-HOME CRAFT KITS Take-away

craft kits and other activity bags are available at the circulation desk every day at the Pensacola Library, located at 239 N. Spring St. Availability is on a first come, first served basis. Kits rotate regularly. Available during open hours. Visit mywfpl.com for more information.

CHILDREN'S STORY TIME AT BODACIOUS BOOKSTORE AND CAFÉ Visit

Bodacious Bookstore and Café Saturdays at 11 a.m. for children's story time.

Bodacious Bookstore is located at 110 E. Intendencia St. For more information, visit facebook.com/bodaciousbookstore.

VIRTUAL EVENTS

A VIRTUAL EVENING WITH POET AND AUTHOR, CLAUDIA RANKINE

Join UWF for a virtual evening with Claudia Rankine, nationally renowned poet and Frederick Iseman Professor of Poetry at Yale University. Rankine will be sharing from her work "Citizen: An American Lyric" on Thursday, Feb. 4 from 6-7 p.m. The event is free, but registration is required.

Register for the Zoom webinar at uwf.edu/ cassh/community-outreach/experienceuwf-downtown-lecture-series.

VIRTUAL POETRY WORKSHOP Study under local Pensacola poet Quincy Hull as he guides you through an introduction to writing your own poetry. This series of pre-recorded video sessions will be available on the Pensacola Museum of Art website. New sessions are released each Monday. Participants are encouraged to submit their own work to be featured on the blog series. For more information, visit pensacolamuseum.org.

December 23, 2020

ZOOM INTO ARCHAEOLOGY

WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEW YEAR'S EVE?

Zoom into Archaeology is a free online series that features a short presentation by an archaeologist with the Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN) via Zoom and an opportunity for participants to ask questions at the end of the presentation. Register for the free Zoom lectures online at flpublicarchaeology.org/nwrc.

UWF SPECTRUM MEETINGS NOW ONLINE Spectrum, UWF's

LGBTQ+ support organization, will continue its typical schedule of meeting every Friday at 6 p.m.

Bi-weekly Spectrum meetings will be online using Zoom.

In their Discord, you can meet other members, ask questions about the club or UWF, share your interests and just have a general good time. It is a very casual place for all to have a sense of community, so don't be scared to join and start socializing.

View the invite link to Discord at discord.gg/Qm4hhvE.

TEA THYME WITH DR. TONIE E. ANDERSON-STEELE This weekly

broadcast on YouTube supports the mission and goals of Change Tomorrow Today 365 by educating the public and providing a forum for meaningful discussions regarding the following areas of restoration—education, healing, awareness, networking, self-sufficiency and leadership.

Tune in 11 a.m. on Sundays. For more information, visit facebook.com/changetomorrowtoday365.

SCRIPTEASERS WITH PENSACOLA LITTLE THEATRE Scripteas-

ers, Studio 400's and Pensacola Little Theatre's Script Reading Club, invites you for monthly Zoom readings.

Want to bring your scripts for the group to read and discuss? Contact Pensacola Little Theatre to get in queue. The group reads prospective scripts for future seasons as well as new scripts that need a table read before the next edit.

Not a playwright but love to read out loud? This is your easy, fun theatre night! Fascinated by the play selection process? Sit in for a listen and usually a lot of laughs. Visit facebook. com/pensacolalittletheatre for more information and the latest dates.

PENSACOLA CINEMA ART VIRTUAL SHOWINGS Pensacola

Cinema Art (PCA) is still making sure you can stream select independent films and support a local nonprofit from the comfort of your own home.

Any fees collected through virtual showings help support Pensacola Cinema Art. For more information on movies and links, visit pensacolacinemaart.com. {in}

NEW YEAR'S EVE FIREWORKS Say "Good

Riddance" to 2020 with a bang. Pensacola Beach will come alive with a firework display at midnight on New Year's Eve. For more information, visit pensacolabeachchamber.com.

BOUJ YEAR'S EVE Perfect Plain Brewing

Co. will be releasing 100 tickets for its Bouj Year's Eve event. Cost is $139 and includes drinks, a swag bag, tacos from Tacos Mexicanos and more goodies. The party kicks off at 9 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco.

NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY AT 200 SOUTH

Join the bars at 200 South to celebrate the end of 2020. The event is free to attend, but VIP packages and tickets are available at brownpapertickets.com/event/4861814. Tickets are $75 for a single or $125 for a couple. Packages include bottomless drinks and VIP section with food station. The party begins at 8 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/200southpcola.

FLORA-BAMA NYE BASH Get your tickets for the popular New Year's Eve bash at Flora-Bama complete with live music, free champagne and a breakfast buffet from midnight-2 a.m. Tickets are $50-$60. To purchase, visit florabama.com/new-years-eve. FloraBama is located at 17401 Perdido Key Drive.

NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY AT O'RILEY'S IRISH PUB Close out 2020 at O'Riley's

Irish Pub, located at 321 S. Palafox with drink specials and no cover charge. Party starts at 9 p.m. O'Riley's Uptown Tavern will also have a New Year's celebration and is located at 3728 Creighton Road.

PLAN YOUR NEW YEAR'S DINNER PLANS WITH GREAT SOUTHERN RESTAURANTS For more information on

Great Southern Restaurants—location and menus—visit greatsouthernrestaurants.com.

NEW YEAR'S EVE Thursday, Dec. 31 The Fish House: Lunch service: 11 a.m.–3 p.m.

Dinner service: 3 p.m.–until Special New Year's Eve menus for 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. seatings. Cost is $100 per person and includes a four-course dinner with wine pairings. For reservations, call 470-0003.

Jackson's Steakhouse: Lunch service: 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

Dinner service: 5 p.m.–until Special New Year's Eve menus for 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. seatings. Cost is $125 per person and includes a three-course dinner with bottomless champagne. Hoppin' John served at midnight. For reservations, call 469-9898.

Five Sister's Blues Café: Lunch service: 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Dinner service: 4–until Special feature includes BBQ braised short ribs. A live jazz band will be performing from 8 p.m.-midnight. For reservations, call 912-4856.

Angelena's Ristorante Italiano: Lunch Service: Closed Dinner service: 5–10 p.m.

Special New Year's Eve menus for 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. seatings. Cost is $125 per person with optional $50 Italian wine pairing. Includes a four-course dinner with bottomless prosecco.

For reservations, call 542-8398.

NEW YEAR'S DAY Friday, Jan. 1 The Fish House: Dinner service: 5–10 p.m.

Jackson's Steakhouse: Dinner service: 5–10 p.m.

Five Sister's Blues Café: Dinner service: 4–10 p.m.

Angelena's Ristorante Italiano: Dinner service: 5–10 p.m.

POLAR BEAR PLUNGE Head to Pensacola Beach at 2 p.m. on New Year's Day and plunge (safely) into the Santa Rosa Sound at the annual Polar Bear Plunge. To practice effective social distancing, this year's event will take place at Paradise Bar & Grill, as well as Red Fish Blue Fish (RFBF).

Registration begins at noon, and the fee is $15 cash per person with a Polar Bear Plunge T-shirt or a $10 registration donation to participate without the T-shirt and $5 Cub Club for ages fifth grade and under (no shirt).

Cub Club bags will be available at RFBF. All proceeds go to the Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce to fund events on the Island. Plunge at your own risk. Water shoes are encouraged. For more information, visit pensacolabeachchamber.com/ polar-bear-plunge. {in} 19

music

By Savannah Evanoff

Meet Hane Skot

Hane Skot / Photo by Meg Burke Photography

Meet Hane Skot.

They are meeting themselves, too.

Hane Skot is a new version of their name.

They, them and their are their new preferred pronouns. And they are charting completely new musical territory.

Formerly half of the duo mcdean, Skot is pursuing a lot of new and doing so with grace—for both themselves and others.

"For the past two years, I have been transitioning to non-binary," Skot said. "My given name at birth was Hannah. I decided a while ago that felt really young, like it didn't fit me anymore. When I heard it, it made me feel like a little girl, and when I was a little girl, I was struggling to express myself as something other than that because I didn't have the language to do so. Once I learned the language that allowed me to exist as non-binary, I began transitioning."

The name Hane came from their middle name.

"I just moved the 'e' from my middle name over to create Hane," Skot said. "I was like, 'I think that's it. I think that's my name.'

It feels like a much more fitting name. The Skot part is also multi-faceted because I'm strange and analytical in this way."

Skot is a combination of a family name and the "k" used in a friend's name.

020 2

"Hane Skot is just a name, but to me it means a lot of different things," Skot said.

With a new name and a new solo music endeavor came a new sound, too. They are working on a blues-influenced album at Bigtone Records in Bristol, Va., with Jon Atkinson.

"I had the longest time I've had in a studio, which was incredible," Skot said.

"And I got to do that with a friend of mine, who happens to be the guy who taught me how to plug a guitar into an amp in high school. It was like everything fell together perfectly to go and do this—especially with COVID. It was such a magical experience to go get to do something like that.

I showed up and there was a full rainbow across the sky, and I was like, 'Excellent. Is this real life?'"

Skot has since realized, though, that the album will take more time than they realized. They aren't a blues artist.

"I grew up listening to local bands play blues, but as far as my expression, I don't express in that way and I'm not educated in a way to reference that musically at this time," Skot said. "It literally took me going to a blues recording studio and realizing that the majority of my influences are soul and R&B, which is an eventual derivative of blues but is not blues. I really became

aware that I was approaching something I wasn't fully prepared to do."

Skot wants to be aware and supportive of Black music, they said.

"I would rather pause and take a second to take a deep breath about it all and check myself, than just be like, 'I'm going to do this blues album,'" Skot said. "No, I'm not. I might feel the blues. I feel gender dysphoria on the daily—of course I feel the blues, but the music I started writing sounded more like sunshine than blues. I was like, 'This doesn't make any sense. Why is this happening?'

Oh, because I don't really have the reference knowledge I should in order to be able to, first of all, replicate the sound, then take that replicated sound and make it my own. There are a lot of things stylistically that fit into a blues genre that I don't do."

Skot has opted to release the EP "Unplugged," before the album. Neither have a firm release date yet, but they recently released a video of the recording of the track "Making Due" in the studio as a teaser.

"I want to release some of that work because there are people who have supported me in going to the studio, venmo'd me or gave me ridiculous tips or purchased stuff toward top surgery, so I want to give something to them," Skot said.

One of their first singles is "Big City Eyes," an unmastered track with some funny commentary at the end, they said.

"It's the first time we got through the song in the studio," Skot said. "I was there for three days, and we cut that song all day long on the first day of recording. It took forever to get through it. Writing it was a really emotional thing and putting it in stone, on tape, was like more of an emotional experience than I was ready for.

It felt really good to get that track and immediately distribute it and be like, 'This is what I have right now. This is what I sound like right now. This is me.'"

Lyrically, Skot compares their style to Nas, Dave East, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Aloe Blacc's song "Wrote My Way Out" from "The Hamilton Mixtapes." The album of remixed songs from the production came "post-'Hamilton' frenzy," they said.

"There's a snippet at the end, he's talking about how he found this niche of his perspective and how nobody was talking about his perspective in the music that he wanted to listen to," Skot said. "I heard that, and I was like, 'I am a non-binary per-

son, and I have this weird other perspective of not everything being masculine and feminine, not everything being black and white, not everything being happy, sad—this very comfortable place right in the middle, a third perspective."

Skot harnessed this skillset in commissioned love songs, which they are available to make right now, by the way.

"I feel like it's something I can offer that maybe not everybody can specifically because of my perspective," Skot said.

"Whether your relationship is a heterosexual relationship or other relationship, I feel like I have a perspective on that kind of romance. I have this middle stance on how I see and feel everything. It's half masculine, half feminine all the time. I have this weird perspective, and I'm looking to utilize it as much as I can if it can help someone express how they feel. It feels like more of a purpose for me."

They are also on the market to partner with other musicians in the area.

"I'm learning my voice is more my instrument than my instrument is. I don't think I used to be as comfortable in it as I am now."

Hane Skot "I really am looking to collaborate more, especially now that I'm discovering my own sound," Skot said. "I'm learning my voice is more my instrument than my instrument is. I don't think I used to be as comfortable in it as I am now. I think that has a little to do with the hormone replacement therapy that I'm on. My voice has dropped a little bit, but it physically feels better. It comes from my chest instead of my throat. It's really weird but also really awesome. It feels like words are more my words, too."

So yes, Skot's voice is different. Their name is different. Their music sounds different. Their new pronouns are worn informatively on a lapel pin.

Sometimes Skot feels like an alien, they said. But, at the end of the day, they are just a person—and sometimes an involuntary representative of the non-binary community. Skot is on the reserved side of being an activist, they said.

"I try to be an actionist instead of an activist—do what I say I'm going to," Skot said. "I do not always succeed, but it's being able to see where you are and evaluate what you're able to represent in a good way.

Just try to shed more light than dark." {in}

HANE SKOT

haneskot.com instagram.com/hanetheythem inweekly.net

December 23, 2020

21

free will astrology WEEK OF DECEMBER 24 ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): Your

capacity for pioneering feats and impressive accomplishments will be at a peak in 2021. So you could become the best human ever at balancing a ladder on your chin or typing with your nose or running long-distance while holding an egg on a spoon with your mouth. But I'd prefer it if you channeled your triumphal energy into more useful innovations and victories. How about making dramatic strides in fulfilling your most important goal? Or ascending to an unprecedented new level of inspiring people with your passionate idealism? Or setting a record for most illusions shed?

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): Ark

Encounter is a fundamentalist Christian theme park in Kentucky. Its main attraction is a giant replica of Noah's Ark. Constructed mostly from spruce and pine trees, it's one of the world's largest wooden structures.

Even though I don't believe that there was in fact such a boat in ancient times, I do admire how its builder, Ken Ham, has been so fiercely devoted to making his fantasies real. I encourage you to cultivate an equally zealous commitment to manifesting your own visions and dreams in 2021.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): From 1961

until 1989, a concrete barrier divided the city of Berlin. Communist East Berlin lay on the east side of the Berlin Wall, and capitalist West Berlin on the west. It was an iconic symbol of the Cold War between the US and Soviet Union. More than 100,000 people tried to escape from east to west, but just 5,000 succeeded. The standoff ended in 1989, during the peaceful revolutions that swept through Eastern Europe.

In subsequent months, the Berlin Wall was slowly demolished. Today, tiny fragments of the wall are marketed as medicines for asthma, headaches, narcolepsy and ulcers. Now I will propose that in 2021, you adopt the demolished Berlin Wall as your metaphor of power. May it inspire you to be gleeful and forceful as you dismantle psychological obstacles and impediments.

222 2

By Rob Brezsny

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): The year 2021 will contain 525,600 minutes. But I suspect you might enjoy the subjective sensation of having far more than 525,600 minutes at your disposal. That's because I think you'll be living a fuller life than usual, with greater intensity and more focus. It may sometimes seem to you as if you are drawing greater riches out of the daily rhythm—accomplishing more, seeing further, diving down deeper to capitalize on the privilege of being here on planet earth. Be grateful for this blessing— which is also a big responsibility!

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): Our lives are filled with puzzles and enigmas and riddles.

We all harbor aspects of ourselves that we don't understand. I hope that in 2021, you will be on a mission to learn more about these parts of yourself. One of your superpowers will be a capacity to uncover secrets and solve mysteries. Bonus—I suspect you'll be able to make exceptional progress in getting to the root of confusing quandaries that have undermined you—and then fixing the problems so they no longer undermine you.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): When actor Gene Wilder was eight years old, his mother began to have heart-related health issues. The doctor that treated her suggested he could help her out if he would try to make her laugh. From then on, Wilder cultivated an ability to tell jokes and got interested in becoming an actor.

Ultimately, he appeared in 22 films and was nominated for two Oscars and two Golden Globe Awards. I foresee a comparable development in your life in 2021—A challenging situation will inspire you in ways that generate a major blessing.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): In my astrological opinion, love won't be predictable in 2021. It won't be easily definable or comparable to what you're experienced before. But I also suspect that love will be delightfully enigmatic. It will be unexpectedly educational and fervently fertile and oddly comfortable. Your assignment, as I understand it, will be to shed your certainties about what love is and is not so that the wild, fresh challenges

and opportunities of love can stream into your life in their wildest, freshest state.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): Until

1893, Hawaii was a sovereign nation. In January of that year, a group of wealthy foreigners, mostly Americans, overthrew the existing government with the help of the US military. They established a fake temporary "republic" that excluded native Hawaiians from positions of power. Their goal, which was to be annexed by the United States, was fulfilled in July 1898.

I propose that you use this sad series of events as a motivational story in 2021.

Make it your goal to resist all efforts to be colonized and occupied. Commit yourself passionately to preserving your sovereignty and independence. Be a tower of power that can't be owned.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): In 2021, you may be smarter than you have ever been. Not necessarily wiser, too, although I have reason to hope that you will leverage your smartness to also deepen your wisdom.

But as I was saying, your intelligence could very well soar beyond its previous heights.

Your ability to speak articulately, stir up original thoughts, and solve knotty riddles should be at a peak. Is there any potential downside to this outbreak of brilliance? Only one that I can imagine—It's possible that your brain will be working with such dominant efficiency that it will drown out messages from your heart. And that would be a shame. In order to do what I referred to earlier—leverage your smartness to deepen your wisdom—you'll need to be receptive to your heart's messages.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19):

The birds known as red knots breed every year in the Arctic regions. Then they fly south—way south—down to the southern edge of South America, more than 9,000 miles away. A few months later they make the return trip to the far north. In 1995, ornithologists managed to put a monitoring band on one red knot's leg, making it possible to periodically get a read on his adventures over the subsequent years. The bird's nickname is Moonbird, because he has traveled so many miles in the course of

his life that it's equivalent to a jaunt to the moon. He's known as "the toughest four ounces on the planet." I nominate him to be your magical creature in 2021. I suspect you will have stamina, hardiness, persistence and determination like his.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): An Aquarian park ranger named Roy Sullivan was struck by lightning seven times in the course of his 71 years on the planet. (That's a world record.) None of the electrostatic surges killed him, although they did leave a few burns. After studying your astrological potentials for 2021, I've concluded that you may be the recipient, on a regular basis, of a much more pleasurable and rewarding kind of lightning strike—the metaphorical kind.

I advise you to prepare yourself to be alert for more epiphanies than usual—exciting insights, inspiring revelations and useful ideas.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): Coral

reefs are in danger all over the world. These "rainforests of the sea" are being decimated by ocean acidification, toxic runoff from rivers, rising temperatures, and careless tourists. Why should we care? Because they're beautiful! And also because they're hotbeds of biodiversity, providing homes for 25% of all marine species. They also furnish protection for shorelines from erosion and storm damage and are prime spots to harvest seafood. So I'm pleased people are finding ways to help reefs survive and recover. For example, a group in Thailand is having success using superglue to re-attach broken-off pieces to the main reefs.

I hope this vignette inspires you to engage in metaphorically similar restorative and rejuvenating activities, Pisces. In 2021, you will have an enhanced power to heal.

THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK: Make a bold positive prediction for your life in 2021.

freewillastrology.com

freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com Rob Brezsny © Copyright 2020

inweekly.net

news of the weird SIGN OF THE TIMES Superstitious residents of Naples, Italy, experienced what some see as a bad omen on Dec. 16, according to Reuters, when the dried blood of the city's patron saint, San Gennaro, failed to liquefy when put on display. The saint's dried blood is contained in a vial that is brought out three times a year in the city's cathedral, where faithful Catholics pray for it to become liquid in a phenomenon known as the Miracle of San Gennaro. But after hours of praying and a special mass in the afternoon, the blood remained dry.

Scientists have no explanation for why the substance in the vial sometimes liquefies and sometimes doesn't, but Naples' Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe told his flock not to be too concerned: "If something needs to melt, it is the hearts of people."

OBSESSIONS Real estate agent Sevenraj, 58, of Bangalore, India, has always wanted to be unique, he told the Mirror on Dec. 15, so when he was 18, he decided to make red and white his signature colors and has worn only those two colors ever since. Today, his home, his car and even his family—Puspha, his wife of 25 years, and their two children—sport nothing but red and white. Along with his color scheme, Sevenraj is fixated on the number 7. He was named after the number because he was the seventh child, and he now embroiders a crown symbol and the number 7 on all his suits and even has it stitched into the headrest of his red and white car. Sevenraj also speaks seven languages. "Wherever we go, people recognize us. They know us (as) the red and white family. I enjoy all the attention," he admitted.

IT'S COME TO THIS China's Civil Aviation Administration issued updated COVID-19 safety guidelines in early December that drew attention by encouraging flight crews to wear diapers and avoid airplane lavatories. Titled "Technical Guidelines for Epidemic Prevention and Control for Airlines," the document included information on wearing masks and other personal protective equipment and also stated, "It is recommended that cabin crew members wear disposable diapers and avoid using the lavatories barring special circumstances to avoid infection risks," United Press International reported.

POLICE REPORT The Lee County (Florida) Sheriff's Office said Jonathan Hernandez, 32, died on Dec. 12 while apparently trying to burglarize a home in Lehigh Acres after the window he was crawling through closed on him. According to the incident report, Hernandez's neck was caught in the window and he was dead by the time sheriff's deputies arrived. WBBH reported friends and family of the budding rap artist, who performed as Taz UFO, deny the burglary accusation and call for further investigation.

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

ONLY IN CANADA Police in Sarnia, Ontario, arrested two suspects after they allegedly broke into the wrong house on Dec. 11 and offered to pay damages after they realized their mistake. CTV reported that residents of the home were watching television when two unnamed 27-year-old men broke through a door, one holding a hammer, and demanded money they claimed was owed to them. They apologized and left the home after discovering their error, according to police, who quickly apprehended them.

LIKELY STORY Barry Joseph Watts told police in Fort Dodge, Iowa, that he had been walking by the building police found him in on Dec. 15, pulling on doors to see if they were unlocked and "entered the property to get warm," according to the police report, "but after spending some time looking around the building, he decided to start taking items." Watts told officers he had taken gold teeth and a laptop from a dental business, but police also found cash, a $5,000 digital camera and burglary tools on him, including a screwdriver and a flashlight. KCCI reported authorities also found five doors damaged. Watts was arrested and held at the Webster County Jail.

SUSPICIONS CONFIRMED Twenty-yearold Kaleb Kleiss was arrested in Clearwater, Florida, on Dec. 12 after a witness saw him driving with the barrel of an AR-15 rifle sticking out the driver's side window of his 2016 Volkswagen, The Smoking Gun reported.

Kleiss, who was intoxicated, according to arrest affidavits, told officers he carries the gun for self-defense because he's "seen crazy stuff since moving to Florida." When police tracked him down, Kleiss was standing next to his car outside a laundromat, with the assault weapon "displayed carelessly ... on the dashboard ... in plain view of everyone walking by the store," police said, and the gun was "loaded with a full magazine and a round in the chamber." Kleiss was charged with drunk driving and improper exhibition of a dangerous weapon.

CARMEN

JANUARY 22 & 24, 2021

H.M.S. PINAFORE MARCH 12 & 14, 2021

BAD DOG An unnamed "pug-like" dog was found at the wheel of a family's van after it plummeted into a ditch on Dec. 9 in North Grenville, Ottawa. The Ottawa Citizen reported that police determined the owners had left the dog in the running car, and it probably bumped the gear shift into reverse, causing the van to slowly back up as the driver ran alongside, trying to get in. "Of course, the dog wasn't charged," said Grenville County police acting Sgt. Anne Collins. {in}

From Andrews McMeel Syndication News Of The Weird © 2020 Andrews McMeel

Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com December 23, 2020

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