Independent News | December 28, 2023 | Volume 24 | Number 51
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winners & losers
outtakes
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CHEERS TO 2024
HAPPY NEW YEAR! We are so thankful to be a part of the Pensacola community for over two decades and privileged to serve each and every one of you!
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December 28, 2023
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winners & losers
Photo Courtesy of Escambia County
We wanted to end this column on a high note by giving you an all-winners edition. See you in 2024.
PARKS & REC Escambia County Parks and
Recreation installed four new playgrounds this year at several neighborhood and community parks throughout the county, with four additional playgrounds planned for 2024. The new playgrounds provide a variety of play features for children of all ages to enjoy, including slides, climbing structures, exercise equipment, interactive games and musical instruments. They were installed at Aero Vista Park, Harvester Homes, Lakewood Park and Westernmark Park.
GLOBAL GRILL Frank and Jane Taylor and their wonderful staff are celebrating their 20th anniversary. Their innovative tapas menu set a new culinary standard for Pensacola, making the restaurant a favorite for locals and visitors. Global Grill was home to Inweekly's Martini Night for more than a decade. Several great stories began at Frank and Jane's restaurant.
GLOBAL CONNECTIONS TO EMPLOYMENT GCE's food services team at Naval Air
Station Pensacola achieved a five-star accreditation. Based in Pensacola, GCE is one of the country's largest private employers of persons with disabilities. More than 1,500 people across the country work for GCE. In Florida, 457 team members with disabilities work at various sites. Approximately 360 team members with disabilities live and work in Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties.
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to Pensacola Habitat for Humanity for the renovations of six homes for older adults in Northwest Florida. The funding comes from Lowe's two-year, $6 million donation to Habitat for Humanity International to support home repair and preservation efforts in owner-occupied homes.
LARRY PAUL The retired U.S. Navy Lt. Commander Larry Paul has been named Forest Service Firefighter of the Year. A 25-year Navy veteran, Paul is a wildland firefighter and lead rotor-wing pilot who began his Florida Forest Service career in 2007 as a pilot for the Blackwater Forestry Center. During one wildfire in Bay County, Paul coordinated more than 1,000 water drops between Florida Forest Service air-
craft—all while making 400 drops himself. Paul also helped save some of the 40 homes threatened in Oyster Bay.
THE NORTHVIEW HIGH SCHOOL CULINARY ARTS The program took home a first-
place prize in Studer Community Institute's Christmas Gingerbread House Competition. Northview submitted two entries. Based on the movie "Polar Express," the students created the Polar Express train with a mountain backdrop, giant Christmas tree and the iconic golden ticket saying "Believe." The second house was Mr. Duncan's Toy Chest from "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York," which won first place.
WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA More than
29,000 wreaths were placed at Barrancas National Cemetery at NAS Pensacola on Saturday as part of the national initiative. Youth organizations, religious groups and citizens across the country volunteer to place wreaths on the gravesites of individuals interred at national cemeteries nationwide, including the 100 acres at Barrancas.
OPERATION SAFE HIGHWAYS The Florida
Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida National Guard Multijurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force, as well as the Escambia, Walton, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa County Sheriff's Offices along with Homeland Security concluded a weeklong initiative focused on detecting and deterring criminal activity on major roadways within Escambia, Okaloosa, Walton and Santa Rosa counties. The combined efforts of the strike force yielded 18 drug charges, 22 felony charges and 15 arrests. The strike force seized currency, narcotics and firearms valued at $754,317.
UWF HAAS CENTER Executive Director Nicole Gislason and her team helped us understand where our poorest neighborhoods are in Escambia County by updating the Pockets of Poverty map. The Haas Center is truly the premier source for data-driven solutions. The Pockets of Poverty map drills into census data and identifies the economic challenges in individual census tracks. We now know not only about our county's needs but also where resources are the most limited. inweekly.net
outtakes
By Rick Outzen
PLEASE LISTEN With this column, I spent much of my time trying to make Escambia Children's Trust (ECT) more accountable. Unfortunately, most of my recommendations fell on deaf ears. However, nearly a year later, the ECT board and staff may have come around to my way of thinking. Last January, I questioned the wisdom of issuing broad requests for proposals (RFPs) without specific goals and for such large amounts. The Out-of-School Time (OST) RFP covered the gambit of possible programs, ranging from after-school to summer camps. Pilot programs for specific issues would've been better. Thanks to Quint Studer, I met Jill Miller, the president and CEO of bi3, a philanthropic initiative to transform health in Greater Cincinnati. Her nonprofit chose to focus on one indicator, extreme pre-term births, which is the leading cause of infant deaths. They invested in a pilot program in one neighborhood with the most births. The extreme pre-term births dropped to zero within three years, and bi3 has cascaded the program to 12 other neighborhoods. I felt the Trust should've followed the bi3 approach. Having fewer grants also would've given the ECT staff time to work out its processes. However, the majority of the ECT board was determined to spend $5 million. We've learned the ECT staff was overwhelmed when monitoring 16 OST programs. Providers were late turning in their reports and entering information in the ECT database. Invoices required more documentation to qualify for reimbursement. Central Gulf Coast Freedom Schools didn't keep critical demographic data on its participants. I pointed out that only some of the OST proposals offered empirical data to prove how much their programs made a difference in the lives of their participants. While the ECT staff had repeatedly mentioned in its meeting its dedication to investing in children's services based on evidence and following best practices, few of the OST proposals offered objective evidence showing their programs made a difference in participants' lives. Instead, many were filled with a bunch of jargon and hyperbole. The
providers offered little historical data on how school grades, test scores and school attendance improved when implemented elsewhere. Another recommendation was that afterschool programs be measured by similar specific, objective data. All outcomes would need to be verified with supporting documentation, such as report cards and test scores, before and after starting the program. The ECT staff, the grants committee and the board didn't adjust any of the proposals' outcomes or add any objective measurement of the services provided by programs that cost taxpayers more than $5 million. However, the staff told the board at its December meeting that it would amend contracts for better measurement for the second round of renewals, which will cost $4.1 million. Kim Krupa, ECT's director of programs and performance, said, "What we want to move to in Year Two is more of a standard instrument that's more quality based. And so, for consistency and accountability, all providers would be assessed and evaluated using the same tool." The Trust produced a Needs Assessment that shapes the direction of where it would spend its tax dollars. The report listed four investment areas—health, education, abuse and risky behaviors. It didn't list the neighborhoods with the worst health, lowest academic achievement, child abuse and risky behavior. Inweekly worked with the UWF Haas Center to identify the pockets of poverty, which broke down poverty by census tracts, but the Trust has chosen to identify zip codes instead. I also worried ECT staff and the grants committee took all proposals at face value and did no background checks or analysis of the programs. The Urban Development Center (UDC) was awarded $397,556 to provide job development in Century for 250 children, ages 11-18. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town only has about 356 children. Its schools are among the best in the county. UDC had only 30 kids interested in its program after spending nearly $200,000. I'm not always right, but I wished they had listened this time. {in} rick@inweekly.net
Instead, many were filled with a bunch of jargon and hyperbole.
December 28, 2023
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TOP LOCAL NEWS STORIES OF 2023 Community Health Northwest Florida. Opening Doors is a nonprofit organization that manages the Continuum of Care (CoC), which is supposed to address homelessness in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. HUD senior regional advisor Dr. Joe Savage recommended that the CoC separate from Opening Doors. However, Opening Door's executive director, John Johnson, resigned in November before the CoC reorganization was completed.
Skatepark ribbon cutting / Photo Courtesy of City of Pensacola
By Tom St. Myer CHILDREN'S TRUST FIASCO The calendar cannot turn to 2024 fast enough for Escambia Children's Trust staff and board members. The year started on an ominous note. In early January, its board of directors decided not to advance cash to children's service providers due to concerns over tracking and auditing. The board overcame that initial hiccup to award $5.1 million in grants to 19 Out-of-School Time providers in February. But chaos ensued in August. First, the board voiced frustration with how the staff handled the grant process. Then Tammy Greer resigned as executive director following a series of missteps with powerful elected officials, including Mayor D.C. Reeves and Sheriff Chip Simmons. With a dwindling staff and strategic plan yet to be finalized, the Trust board still awarded more than $2 million to mental health support service providers in September. In December, the board approved the second year of 16 of the 19 Out-of-School Time grants, totaling nearly $4.7 million. BAPTIST MOVES INTO NEW HOME Baptist Health Care moved into its new $650 million facility at the intersection of Brent Lane and Interstate-10, leaving behind the property on the corner of E and Moreno streets. Baptist is not offering any medical services at its old campus, reneging on its 2019 promise to maintain a "significant presence" with "clinical services," even though hospital leaders reiterated the commitment to the Pensacola City Council last year. Mayor D.C. Reeves is seeking $18 million from the State to demolish the old hospital because Baptist didn't budget for it. The mayor ensures whatever replaces Baptist at the site positively impacts west Pensacola. MAGIC IN PENSACOLA New York Yacht Club American Magic announced plans to relocate 66
to Pensacola after the City committed to building a $15 million headquarters at the Port of Pensacola. The deadline for completion is November 2024, when American Magic will return from competing in the 37th America's Cup. Much of the Maritime Center of Excellence money will come from an $8.5 million Triumph Gulf Coast grant. Mayor D.C. Reeves established economic development and grants offices in February and credited those departments for securing the Triumph grant. American Magic's relocation to Pensacola will create 170 high-paying jobs in advanced manufacturing, engineering and design, and high-tech research. FIRED SUPERINTENDENT His tumultuous time as the appointed Escambia County Public Schools superintendent concluded for Dr. Tim Smith during a school board meeting in May. Board Chair Paul Fetsko motioned for Smith to be terminated and Keith Leonard to be named interim superintendent. The motion came without any mention of possible termination on the agenda or public input. The board approved his motion by a 3-2 vote, with Kevin Adams and David Williams joining Fetsko. Fetsko took Smith to task for failing to communicate with the school board about issues. School district grades indicate Smith performed admirably as superintendent. The school district earned a B in his two years of leadership. HOMELESSNESS ON THE RISE The homeless population in Escambia County reached a dubious distinction in 2023. Opening Doors announced the homeless population is at 1,180 in April, up 62% from the previous year. The total is the highest since Opening Doors began tracking homelessness in 2007. To make matters worse, the number of shelter beds failed to keep pace. "There are potentially five or six people for every one shelter bed," said Walter Arrington, a Homeless Health Navigator for
GAETZ FAMILY IN THE NEWS As usual, the Gaetz family made their political presence felt locally and in Washington, D.C. U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz led the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. His motion for McCarthy to vacate the chair passed, leaving the House speaker position vacant for three weeks until Mike Johnson secured enough votes to replace McCarthy. Locally, Don Gaetz announced his intentions to return to politics. Don filed to run for the Florida Senate seat that will be vacated next year. Sen. Doug Broxson will leave office due to term limits. Don represented Northwest Florida in the Senate from 2010-16 and served two years as Senate president. His decision to run led to former State Rep. Frank White withdrawing his candidacy for the Senate seat. NAS PENSACOLA REOPENS TO THE PUBLIC In May, NAS Pensacola restored seven-day access to the public for the first time since the 2019 terrorist attack left three dead and injured eight others. The National Naval Aviation Museum and Pensacola Lighthouse & Maritime Museum resumed their roles as two of the leading tourist attractions in the county. In 2019, the museum attracted about 750,000 visitors. With limited access in 2022, the number of visitors totaled 240,000, down 68% from the 2019 turnout. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the lighthouse attracted thousands of visitors annually before the terrorist attack shut down operations. SKANSKA TO PAY UP Skanska USA took its share of shots to the chin in the court system this year. In August, the company lost its federal appeal to limit its liability for damage caused to the Pensacola Bay Bridge, personal property and the local economy. The damages occurred when 27 of its barges broke loose during Hurricane Sally, damaging the bridge and causing a nine-month traffic closure. In November, an Escambia County jury awarded $1.7 million to an oyster farm owner, Travis Gill, for damages that occurred when one of the barges destroyed his business. Skanska faces a class action lawsuit representing about 900 businesses or individuals who claim damages from its barge negligence. WE ARE PERDIDO STALLS A yearlong grassroots effort to establish Perdido as a municipality stalled in late November when State Rep. Alex Andrade announced he would not file a bill to place the question on the ballot in 2024.
Andrade initially planned to file the bill, but he changed his mind due to errors in the feasibility study conducted by BJM Consulting. Andrade said the feasibility study overestimated revenues by about $327 per household, and he felt uncomfortable adding a tax or increasing the millage. "Unfortunately, what the feasibility study did not take into account is that ECA is a separate independent political body," Andrade said. "The money they generate picking up people's trash in unincorporated Escambia County is not a franchise fee or a tax like the county would collect if a private company picked up trash." SCHOOL SHAKEUPS Escambia County Public Schools underwent or announced shakeups at two elementary and two middle schools during the calendar year. Warrington Middle transitioned in the fall to Warrington Preparatory Academy under the supervision of Charter Schools USA. The contentious transition included the school board and former Superintendent Tim Smith being taken to task by the State Board of Education for pushing back on some of Charter USA's demands. The State Board ordered the transition after Warrington earned nine consecutive grades of a D or F. In December, the school district announced Bellview Middle will join C.A. Weis Elementary and Pine Forest High as Community Partnership Schools under the supervision of the Children's Home Society of Florida, Community Health Northwest Florida, Escambia County Public Schools, and the University of West Florida. Finally, the school district determined that Cordova Park and West Pensacola Elementary will add sixth grades during the 2024-25 school year, with the potential for each to be a K-8 within three years. {in}
REST IN PEACE From a business leader and philanthropist who helped guide economic development to revered civic rights advocates, these are some of the local faces and voices we lost in 2023. Lewis Bear, Jr. Tom Bell Georgia Blackmon Charles Carlan Curtis Golden Preston Hanna Jimmy Jones Dorothy Kaufmann Stephanie Kress Carol McIntosh Jake Renfroe Don Salter Shirley Studer Linda Taggart Norman Vickers Roger Vinson Marion Williams inweekly.net
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detection of Alzheimer's dementia. In either circumstance, the results would allow someone to prepare ahead of time and seek treatment options. "It dawned on me that not everyone's visual system is the same, so I wanted to tailor the light to maximally influence the visual receptors in an individual's eyes," Arruda said. "Not everyone has all four types of visual receptors, and if someone is color deficient, that indicates that they are missing one type of visual receptor. So we are attempting to tailor the physical properties of the light to UWF students that helped develop Pulsed Medical LED goggles / Photo maximize the response of someone's Courtesy of UWF visual receptors so we can get an appropriate response from the brain." ALZHEIMER'S DETECTION University of Arruda, Khabou and Wade sought improveWest Florida (UWF) faculty and undergraduate ments in its design and usability from students. students recently developed Pulsed Medical LED Sierra Kautz, who just graduated with her bachgoggles for the early detection of Alzheimer's Diselor's degree in electrical engineering earlier this ease. The product was researched and designed month, began working on the product as part of through a partnership between the psychology, a capstone project in January 2023. She and colphysics, electrical and computer engineering deleagues, Mark Yepishin, Judy Aquino and Dustin partments at UWF. Tran built a circuit and designed a user interface Dr. Mohamed Khabou, professor in the Dr. to control the product. Muhammad Harunur Rashid Department of The student team and faculty worked toElectrical and Computer Engineering and associgether to test to make sure light levels were safe ate dean of the Hal Marcus College of Science for anyone who put the goggles on. and Engineering, Dr. Aaron Wade, associate "The project really made me realize how professor in the Physics department, and Dr. much of an impact electrical engineering can have James Arruda, professor of psychology in the in other fields," Kautz said. "I'm thankful for the Usha Kundu, MD College of Health, connected leadership experience and knowledge I gained." to work on the product. The product is undergoing additional testing For the past several years, Arruda, a research neuropsychologist, has researched brain-behavior and development and will be worked on with additional students from the Department of Psyrelationships like those related to Alzheimer's dechology, Department of Physics and Dr. Muhammentia and mild cognitive impairment. He started mad Harunur Rashid Department of Electrical making the goggles two years ago and realized he and Computer Engineering in spring. needed to make them with special enhancements For more information about UWF's Hal Marcus for those who are color deficient. He further College of Science and Engineering, visit uwf.edu/ understood that everyone has a unique number hmcse. For more information about UWF's Usha and distribution of visual receptors that allow for Kundu, MD College of Health, visit uwf.edu/ukcoh. color vision. The goggles were developed to detect how STAFFORD STEPS DOWN On Tuesday, Dec. the brain responds to a flash of light, whether it be 19, Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Dafor the detection of a seizure disorder or the early
vid Stafford called Inweekly to say he was taking a new job with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency as an election security advisor. He had sent his resignation letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis, effective Jan.15. Stafford will stay in Pensacola and report to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's (CISA) Region 4 office in Atlanta. He explained his new position to Inweekly publisher Rick Outzen on WCOA's "Real News with Rick Outzen." "We're going to be working directly for the regional directors, in essence, to make sure that CISA's capabilities are being leveraged," Stafford said. "Basically, it's a presence, somebody in each of these regions with election backgrounds that can work with the cybersecurity advisors, protective security advisors and others charged with protecting our nation's critical infrastructure." Stafford asked the governor to consider appointing his Chief Deputy Supervisor, Sonya Daniel, to fill the final year of his term. He has run Escambia County's elections for nearly 20 years, living up to the high standards of his predecessors, Bonnie Jones (1984-2004) and Joe Oldmixon (1942-1984). Escambia County elections have run smoothly and without any blemishes. Escambia voters have always had confidence in the local election process. Only three people have held the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections since 1948. The individual elected to replace Stafford will likely serve two decades. Gov. DeSantis will appoint someone to the post who will manage the 2024 election cycle. While Stafford recommended Daniel get the appointment, the governor doesn't have to accept that recommendation. Whoever is appointed will face election next. State Rep. Michelle Salzman went on Facebook to promote former State Rep. Dave Murzin, who heads her political action committee. Murzin is a consultant to First Place Partners. Escambia County Commissioner Robert Bender has expressed interest in the position. Former Mayor Grover Robinson is another person mentioned for the post. He served on the Escambia County
Commission for 12 years. He is the associate vice president of government and community relations for Pensacola State College. Others will step forward in the coming months.
CANNON SELECTED The Escambia Children's
Trust Board voted 6-3 for Children's Home Society's (CHS) Lindsey Cannon to be its new executive director. Lumon May, David Peaden and David Williams voted for Downtown Improvement Board (DIB) Executive Director Walker Wilson. The vote boiled down to Cannon's experience in the child services field versus Wilson's business approach. Those who voted for Cannon repeatedly praised her experience, highlighting her work with budgets, contracts and staff as a regional director for CHS. Peaden said he supported Wilson because he believed the organization needed to be shaken up. He wanted a director who was unafraid to tell people, "No." Peaden was also impressed with how Wilson has turned around the DIB's image— before he took over, there was considerable talk about doing away with DIB.
MORE AIRPORT PARKING Pensacola Inter-
national Airport converted the employee parking lot north of the terminal building to public parking on Saturday, Dec. 16, adding 187 additional spaces for customer parking. The purpose of this adjustment is to accommodate heightened demand during the holiday season, providing visitors with increased convenience and accessibility. The Special Holiday Parking Lot will be priced at a flat rate of $40, and vehicles must be removed by Monday, Jan. 8. The lot will then be modified and converted to a standard surface lot and subject to an hourly/daily rate. In addition to the special holiday parking lot, 226 spaces will be added to Economy Lot 1 temporarily, bringing the total of new spaces to 413 in the next two weeks and total public parking to 3,847. "We reached out to TSA and the FAA and got permission to basically open up part of our aircraft ramp that hasn't been used," said Matt
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Coughlin, the airport director. "In the longerterm plan, we're going to build about a $4.5 million lot right there on Tippin Avenue where the grass lot used to be. And that'll give us another 500 spaces." He said the fall shoulder season has been strong for air travel. "The shoulder season was not really there anymore, as evidenced just by driving by the airport and seeing in October that we were parking out there on Tippin." Coughlin added, "We're forecasting for the year-end numbers about 3 million passengers. And to give you an idea, last year, which was a record, was just north of 2.6 million. So, we're still growing." The airport director told Inweekly low ticket prices have helped. "We just had some news yesterday. One of the trade pubs put out that when it comes to airfares, we were in the top 10 for the country with the largest drop in airfares last year—26% on average. That's a sign that it may get even busier."
MCFAUL ON CONGRESS Dan McFaul, a man-
aging partner for Ballard Partners in Washington, D.C., discussed the current state of Congress with Inweekly. "It's been a historic year in Congress and for a lot of the wrong reasons," said McFaul, who served as the chief of staff for U.S. representatives Joe Scarborough, Jeff Miller and Matt Gaetz. "If you go back to November 2022, right before the elections, the Republicans were expecting really large pickups in the House, and although they did have enough victories to kind of put 'em over the top and reclaim the majority, they ended up with a really narrow five-seat majority." He continued. "And that dwindled down a couple of times with some members resigning and retiring, and it's a tough slog managing the House with a five-seat majority. This Congress has really only had 22 bills that have been signed into law this year, which is historically low. So, it has not been as productive as previous congresses." McFaul described the environment in Congress as dysfunctional and polarizing. "You've got a one-seat majority in the Senate, you've got a five-seat majority in the House, basically 50-50 bodies all the way around. So, it's been really tough to get anything done and accomplished here in Washington." How about the new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson? "I think so far Johnson's performed admirably in a very unenviable position," McFaul said. "He's passed a couple of continuing resolutions, keeping the government open until the middle of next month. We will come back after the first of the year for another budget fight." McFaul explained they've got four budget bills expiring Jan. 19 and the other eight expiring Feb. 2. "It's amazing; A lot of the media has missed that we have Groundhog Day all over again," McFaul said.
CIVICCON 2024 CivicCon is a speaker series done in partnership with the Center for Civic Engagement and the Pensacola News Journal (PNJ). It aims to make the community a better place and drive continuing community engagement. The CivicCon board includes Quint Studer, PNJ Executive Editor Lisa Nellessen Savage, PNJ Local News Editor Kevin Robinson and Clark Partington shareholder William Dunaway. December 28, 2023
"The whole idea of CivicCon and the Center for Civic Engagement is to raise the community's IQ," Dunaway explained. "The idea is, how can we have a common frame of reference if we actually are not speaking with the same terms? These speakers we bring in are educational and helpful, and we try to focus on the most meaningful projects for our community." For 2024, he said CivicCon will focus on several areas highlighted in the 2023 Quality of Life survey. The survey gave low scores for the performance of the Escambia County School Board. "This comes straight from the quality of life and is really focused on education and what we can do as a community to help our school district," Dunaway said. "Even in the paper with the superintendent saying here with these low scores, he needs community support. What can we do as
a community to help the teachers and the administration with the education system here? Because what we're doing now isn't working."
REDLIGHT PILOT At his Tuesday, Dec. 19 press conference, Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves announced the intersections where he would like redlight cameras installed as part of a public safety pilot program. The locations were identified in a study conducted by the Novaglobal firm that analyzed crash data collected over the past 10 years. "We're starting with 13 approaches," the mayor said. "If we were doing an entire intersection, that would be four approaches. So not 13 separate lights, but 13 approaches is what we'll pilot." The cameras monitoring red light violations will be installed at the approaches to the
following intersections: Ninth and Bayou on the north, south, east, and west approaches; Ninth and Airport on the north, south, east, and west approaches; Ninth and Fairfield on the east and westbound approaches.; Ninth and Gregory on the westbound approach; and Davis and Fairfield on the east and westbound approaches. The infractions being enforced include traveling straight through a red light and making a left turn on a red light. The mayor said the cameras would be installed by the summer of 2024. "This is for safety. If we put these in and there's no money (collected), that would go back to public safety because no one's running red lights, that's a great problem to have. Either way, hopefully, this is deterring more accidents, fatalities and injuries, and that's our main goal." {in} 9
Season’s Greetings!
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fa-law-law-law-law!
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Since its inception, Winners & Losers has been one of Inweekly's most popular columns that lets us weigh in on several political issues and make note of achievements in a concise way. To produce this annual issue, we examined our Winners & Losers columns since the beginning of the year and selected those that stood out. We shied away on the Winners' side of the ledger from many of our elected officials, except for Mayor D.C. Reeves, who had an exceptional year. Instead, we looked at individual accomplishments and milestones. You may feel we overlooked several obvious losers, but Tom St. Myer covered their miscues in his list of top news stories. We didn't feel a need to cover that ground again. We appreciate your support. Remember, everyone starts with a clean slate in 2024.
WINNERS OF 2023 ROD ALDOFF The Pensacola Ice Flyers an-
nounced head coach Rod Aldoff retired after nine seasons with the team. Aldoff took over as head coach in 2013 and led the team to an overall regular season record of 237-154-54 (.593) and an overall post-season record of 22-11 (.667). He won three SPHL championships.
BODACIOUS BOOKSTORE & CAFÉ The
bookstore was featured in Southern Living's "20 Bookstores Everyone Should Visit in Florida." Bodacious Bookstore & Café was recognized for being a "downtown hideout to browse, grab a cup of Bodacious Brew and curl up with a new release."
ROBIN BRAUN The Naval Aviation Museum Foundation (NAMF) announced the appointment of retired Vice Adm. Braun as the NAMF board chair. A groundbreaking figure in U.S. military history, Vice Adm. Braun is renowned as the first female commander of the U.S. Navy Reserve and the first woman to lead any Reserve component of the U.S. military. GINNY CRANOR Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida announced the Pensacola fire chief as the 2023 Beyond School Walls Big of the Year. The Beyond School Walls program aims at helping students improve their chances of graduating and transitioning to the workplace and/or post-secondary education, vocational or military. EVER'MAN COOPERATIVE The grocery
and café celebrated 50 years of serving Northwest Florida and South Alabama. Since its founding in December 28, 2023
Gulf Breeze in 1973, Ever'man has been the local source for natural and organic foods and educational classes about conscious living.
LINDA FUSSELL The retired educator with
24 years in the Escambia County School District pushed back against the Escambia County Republican Party and others who wanted to remove books from our public schools.
ANGIE GILLETTE The Pensacola native was awarded the Navy Club of the United States Military Excellence Award. Seaman Recruit Gillette graduated as the top sailor from Recruit Training Command in February. The award placed her at the pinnacle of today's newest sailors. DR. SUNIL GUPTA His company, Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems (IRIS), announced the achievement of one million diabetic retinal exams performed. This is a monumental accomplishment for IRIS, as it marks a substantial impact on the company's mission to end preventable blindness. ALLISON HILL & BRIAN WYER The University of West Florida College of Business honored the 2023 Ethics in Business award recipients, LifeView Group CEO Allison Hill and Gulf Coast Minority Chamber CEO Brian Wyer, at the 21st Combined Rotary Luncheon. The award recognizes individuals who exemplify the concept of "service above self." MAMIE HIXON The creator and director of the UWF Writing Lab recently received the UWF Distinguished Faculty Service Award. The honor is awarded to a faculty member who has given outstanding service to the university and community and contributes his or her professional talents and expertise to support the UWF public service mission.
November 2023 Employee of the Month. Jones joined the county after completing Commissioner Lumon May's Summer Youth Employment Program in 2022.
NICHOLAS LAMBERTI Sheriff Chip Sim-
mons presented the Sheriff's Medal Award to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Inspector. Since 2019, Inspector Lamberti has been an integral part of the team of law enforcement professionals serving Northwest Florida.
LT. AMANDA LEE The U.S. Navy Blue Angel pilot became the Blue Angels' first female fighter jet pilot in the squadron's 76-year history in March. Lt. Lee of Mounds View, Minn., served as a member of the "Gladiators" of Strike Fighter Squadron 106 before joining the Blue Angels. SAMANTHA MITCHELL When Escambia
County Facilities Management Department requested a quote to repair the Davisville Community Center, Maintenance Technician Samantha Mitchell asked her supervisor if she could take the lead on the project and complete the work in-house. Mitchell assembled a team of county staff. The project was completed this past summer, saving the county $25,000.
ED MOORE The longtime supporter of
Pensacola State College (PSC) and past PSC Foundation president and trustee was named the newest governor emeritus. After serving in the Vietnam War, Moore returned home and formed the Pensacola law firm Moore, Hill & Westmoreland, P.A. in 1969. He received the PSC Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1996 and is a lifetime member of the PSC Alumni Association.
NORTHWEST FLORIDA HEALTH NETWORK People have wondered who
The Escambia County deputy saved the life of a motorist trying to escape rapidly rising water on U.S. 98 in June. The pair was sucked into a drainage pipe and swept under the four-lane roadway, staying submerged for approximately 30 seconds and traveling nearly 100 feet resurfacing. The rescue was captured on the deputy's bodycam and went viral on the web.
funded the $297,000 mental health strategic plan Rep. Michelle Salzman unveiled to the Mental Health Task Force this past May. The University of West Florida Foundation's records show the largest contributor was the Tallahassee-based Northwest Florida Health Network, which put up $131,250 to cover Ernst & Young's invoices. Salzman refused to provide Inweekly the Ernst & Young contract or list who she contacted to contribute.
TY JONES The Escambia County Board of
PACE HIGH NJROTC For the third con-
DEPUTY WILLIAM HOLLINGSWORTH
County Commissioners recognized the toll specialist at the Bob Sikes Toll Plaza as the
the national title at the annual Navy JROTC academic, athletic and drill championship.
RAY PALMER The Pensacola Sports CEO was appointed chairman of the Sports Events and Tourism Association (ETA) board of directors. Sports ETA is the only trade association for the sports events and tourism industry in the U.S. Palmer has led Pensacola Sports since 2002.
DAVID PEADEN In February, the longtime executive director of the Home Builders Association of West Florida (HBA) switched jobs to become the external affairs manager for Florida Power & Light. To honor his years of commitment and generosity to HBA members and the community, the Association dedicated its boardroom in his honor. PENSACOLA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT The Florida Department of Trans-
portation awarded Pensacola International Airport its Commercial Service Airport Project of the Year Award for ST Engineering's second hangar at the airport. Also, USA Today named the airport one of America's 10 Best Small Airports, securing the ninth spot in its 10Best Readers' Choice Awards.
PENSACOLA STATE COLLEGE The state
college had a banner year. In October, PSC held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Bear Jones Moore Reeves Center for Math and Advanced Technology. The next day, Mayor D.C. Reeves touted partnerships with the college that would allow a Pensacola Police Department substation on campus and create a leadership training program for City supervisors.
D.C. REEVES Pensacola's third strong mayor has tackled aging infrastructure, a failing curbside recycling program, frustrating downtown parking and a pay scale lower than comparable Florida municipalities. He does his homework before announcing tough decisions without fear of political feedback. Reeves' grant and economic development departments had success. American Magic is relocating its headquarters to the Port of Pensacola, and ST Engineering is committed to two more hangars at the airport. The future of Pensacola is bright. REUNION BAND After 33 years of perform-
secutive year, Pace High School's Naval Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps team claimed
ing, the band retired in June. The Reunion Band has been a mainstay at outdoor events, class reunions, Mardi Gras balls, birthday parties and fundraisers, playing classic rock and R&B. 11
MELISSA SEIFERT Florida Department of
Law Enforcement (FDLE) Pensacola Crime Laboratory Analyst Supervisor Melissa Seifert earned the distinguished FDLE Innovation of the Year award. She developed a methodology that resulted in a 30% improvement in productivity.
PETER STEENBLIK The University of West
Florida director of choral activities and associate professor received the prestigious 2023 FMEA College Music Educator of the Year Award at the Florida Music Education Association (FMEA) Professional Development Conference 2023 in Tampa. Dr. Steenblik was selected for his contributions to the field of music education.
UWF DAY OF GIVING The one-day event
raised $218,999.33 and connected more than 1,380 donors from around the world in just 24 hours, resulting in a record-breaking online fundraising initiative for University of West Florida. The '80s decade took the top spot in the "Battle of the Decades" with $53,998.60, and the '20s decade had the most individual contributions with 270.
BOBBY VAN DEUSEN The Pensacola
musician scored his third win in the senior division at the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest in Oxford, Miss. Van Deusen's previous wins were in 2019 and 2022. His three wins retire him from future contests.
LEROY WILLIAMS The Brownsville Commu-
nity Center coordinator launched a new performing arts club for youth ages 8-18. Participants learn
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voice and dance movements, acting techniques, improvisation and musical theater basics.
ZARZAUR LAW, P.A. A Santa Rosa County
jury awarded $16 million for medical malpractice and wrongful death to the family of Misty Williamson, who died while in the care of Armor Correctional Health Services in the Santa Rosa County jail. Zarzaur Law, P.A., filed suit on behalf of the client's family, arguing Armor's neglect and delay in transfer to the emergency room caused her untimely death. The verdict included $6 million in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages for the surviving spouse and children.
LOSERS OF 2023 2030 PENSACOLA The Greater Pensacola Chamber Foundation announced this ambitious program in October 2021. The program was designed to amplify minority- and military-owned businesses, cultivate a strong workforce from schools and address community health issues that could be barriers to employment. Its blueprint had all the right buzzwords, but there's been little follow-up or follow-through. The 2030 Pensacola initiative called for quarterly meetings and reports on its progress. None have been produced. ALPHV/BLACKCAT The ransomware group claimed responsibility for the cyberattack on the First Judicial Circuit, which includes Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties, for weeks. Heimdal Security, a global cybersecurity company, reported the hackers allegedly
obtained sensitive personal information of employees and judges, including Social Security numbers and CVs. ALPHV/BlackCat, first emerging in November 2021, is presumed to be a rebranding of the notorious DarkSide/BlackMatter ransomware groups that compromised the Colonial Pipeline in 2021.
3M The manufacturer of the Combat Arms
Earplug version 2 (CAEv2) agreed to a $6.01 billion settlement with military service members, veterans and civilians who suffered hearing damage while using the earplug and other dual-ended non-linear earplugs. This settlement comes after more than four years of litigation against 3M, including 16 bellwether trials that resulted in many of the plaintiffs being awarded millions in damages. Bryan Aylstock of Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz served as the plaintiffs' lead counsel.
COVID-19 DEATHS A reported 92,553
Florida resident deaths have been linked to COVID-19 since the pandemic started in 2020, including 8,070 this year, according to data posted last Friday on the Florida Department of Health website. Escambia County had 231 last year, totaling 1,683 since 2020.
ESCAMBIA SCHOOL CUSTODIAL SERVICES Inweekly publisher Rick Outzen
toured Warrington Middle School (WMS) with the Charter Schools USA officials days after the last day of classes and found the facility was filthy. The air filters in the classrooms were caked with dust. The bathrooms were covered with vulgar graffiti, and the windows appeared to have
not been cleaned for months. Custodial Services let the students and teachers down, but the WMS administrative offices were nearly spotless. The school district has much bigger problems than Tim Smith and library books.
FLORIDA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE The organization bragged that its priorities—tort reform and universal school vouchers—passed during the 2013 Legislative Session but failed to defend Disney World, the state's largest singlesite employer and top tourist attraction, against more regulations. GARCON POINT BRIDGE The saga of
"Bo's Bridge" ended when the Florida Legislature passed legislation to put the span under the control of the state turnpike system. Built due to the political influence of former House Speaker Bo Johnson, the bridge never produced enough toll revenue to pay its bondholders. Last year, the Florida Department of Transportation spent $134 million to pay off the bonds.
JOSEPH LADAPO The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fought to get Ron DeSantis' surgeon general to stop disproportionately focusing on the few examples of adverse effects from the COVID-19 vaccine. They urged him to recognize that more than 13 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been given around the world "with little evidence of widespread adverse events." MILTON CONSPIRACIES Scott Collins
backed out of the city manager job for the City
inweekly.net
of Milton after County Commissioner James Calkins, Councilman Jeff Snow and others injected themselves into the contract negotiations and insisted City Attorney Alex Andrade was intentionally sabotaging the negotiations. Andrade has shared his emails and text messages. There was no conspiracy on his part, but others appeared to have been desperate to manufacture one. Collins later reversed his decision and now serves as the city manager.
MOMS FOR LIBERTY The ultra-conservative group has advocated against curriculum and books in schools that mention LGBTQ+ rights, race, ethnicity and discrimination. However, a rape investigation of Bridget Ziegler's husband Christian, who chairs the Florida Republican Party, began to unravel the Moms after Bridget told police they had a consensual three-way sexual encounter with the alleged victim last year. Mom chapters nationwide are considering breaking away from the group. NAVY POINT OYSTER REEF The living
shoreline oyster reef along Navy Point Park was installed in 2017 to prevent beach erosion and improve water quality and marine habitat. Unfortunately, the bags burst open and scattered razorsharp shells along the shoreline. The county paid Perdido Services $113,000 to remove the more than 35,000 bags and 87 reef structures.
PENSACOLA BOTTLE CLUBS The Pen-
sacola City Council passed an ordinance banning this relic from Pensacola's past that kept sailors partying after the other nightclubs closed. The mayor argued "the use has historically been the source of enforcement and public nuisancerelated issues not just in Pensacola, but in other jurisdictions as well." The city's last bottle club, The Pelican's Nest, closed last year.
JARRELL LAMAR REYNOLDS The former
recycling manager at the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority's (ECUA) Materials Recycling Facility was sentenced to seven years in state prison, plus three years of probation, for selling $510,000 worth of recyclables through a shell company he owned. In September 2018, ECUA hired Reynolds. Within four months, he created JAT Recycling in Georgia to acquire the property from ECUA and sell the recyclables. Reynolds used the profits to purchase cars, investment properties and other personal expenses.
GEORGE SANTOS On Friday, Dec. 1, the Republican congressman from New York was expelled by his fellow lawmakers by a 311-114 vote, which was above the two-thirds majority required to oust one of its own. The freshman lawmaker served less than half of his term after facing revelations of lies about his past. In October, Santos was indicted for wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, aggravated identity theft, obstruction and making false statements to Congress. He became only the sixth House member to be expelled and the first kicked out without having fought for the Confederacy or being convicted of a crime. TOWN OF CENTURY Missteps abound at the county's other municipality. The town incorrectly billed its garbage service to its 550 customDecember 28, 2023
ers, costing Century $5,000 a month. Mayor Benjamin Boutwell walked out of a town council meeting saying he would submit his resignation the following day, but later recanted. Then he quit for good. NorthEscambia.com reported this month that Century has not been doing background checks on its employees. Some have questioned the history of Howard Brown and his Local Government Consulting Group of West Palm Beach, which have been given a six-month contract to run town operations.
UF GATORS While the University of Florida athletic department's year-end NCAA report showed a significant financial rebound following $36 million in losses during the pandemic, the program forked out a ton of money to get rid of its coaches, according to the annual report obtained by the Orlando Sentinel. Former head football coach Dan Mullen and his staff were paid $15.26 million to leave. Former women's basketball coach Cam Newsome got $374,644 after he was terminated in the summer of 2021. Soccer Coach Tony Amato and his staff were paid $1.16 million after being fired after one season. URBAN DEVELOPMENT CENTER Es-
cambia Children's Trust awarded the nonprofit $397,556 for its YouthFirst Century program that would develop a workforce development center in Century for youth ages 11-18. The center would provide workforce readiness and preparedness training and work-based experience, such as internships and apprenticeships, as well as life skills and technology training for 250 youths. According to the Trust's SAMIS system, Urban Development Center has spent $189,256 on totak of 56 kids, the majority younger than 11. The nonprofit wanted to lower the age limit to 5. The ECT board rejected the amendment and refused to renew the nonprofit's contract for another year.
WEST FLORIDA HIGH HIRING The faculty
lounge at Escambia County's top high school had more arrests than many neighborhoods. Social studies teacher Jerrod Novotny was arrested for aggravated assault after he allegedly pointed a firearm at his wife in the middle of the night after showing up drunk at a high school track meet. ECSO deputies booked P.E. teacher Michael Taylor for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, domestic battery by strangulation and a misdemeanor count of battery and cyberstalking when he allegedly attacked his partner after she was speaking with another man on the phone. English teacher Cody Wiggins was arrested in Tennessee for attempted homicide after he allegedly shot his wife and brother-in-law during a wedding. That's a lot of domestic violence for any workplace, especially a public high school.
MARK ZUBALY The Tallahassee-based
political consultant paid Santa Rosa County District 2 Commissioner Kerry Smith $50,000 to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by Smith concerning misleading campaign advertisements circulated during the 2022 election cycle. Zubaly also turned over documents and an affidavit that reportedly linked local homebuilder Edwin Henry to a flyer. Zubaly and the political action committees he led have been linked to other attack campaigns in previous elections around the state. {in} 13
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WEEK OF DECEMBER 28-JANUARY 3
Arts & Entertainment art, film, music, stage, books and other signs of civilization...
Farewell Faux/Fox By Savannah Evanoff
Faux/Fox / Photo by Geoff Peck (@tinyobservations)
Faux/Fox wrote a song so good it broke the band up. Or maybe it didn't. But it's all a matter of perspective—the same theme of the metal band's latest (and last) album "Heat Death." "It's about how your perspective of something changes given your distance to it," said Michael Bishop (guitar/vocals). To illustrate that theme, the front and back covers of the physical copy are different artists' interpretations of the insert artwork. The covers are by Jarrod Goldman and Ty Cummings respectively, and the insert was done by Shauncey Fury of Dragoncat Tattoo—a piece originally painted on a door at the band's former space at Bare Hand Collective. The album's theme echoes its lyrical concept, the story of St. Anthony—whom Bishop stumbled upon through Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch's oil painting "Triptych of the Temptation of St. Anthony." When Bishop chose St. Anthony (also known as Anthony the Great) as a subject, he didn't realize how often the Egyptian Christian monk was depicted in artwork. "What's interesting about all that, is that every account you read of St. Anthony is kind of an interpretation of who this guy may have been," Bishop said. "That really drove the record. So the record is him on a journey, hearing a call from God basically, and each song is December 28, 2023
"Heat Death" / Front Cover Art by Jarrod Goldman (@jarrodreiss)
him talking to different entities … And for me, the perception thing comes in (because) you can choose to read it and listen to it from two different angles: It's either an overtly religious record where he's talking to demons and different types of beings, or he is a man in the desert by himself having a mental health crisis." Nick Holt (guitar) said they tried to take those written themes and transform them into musical elements. "Say St. Anthony is wandering in the desert starting to maybe hallucinate—stuff like that— we'd try to incorporate maybe more (of) a long meandering phrase musically," Holt said. "And then add some type of effects on there to make it a little trippy for lack of a better term." The difference sonically between this record and their previous ones was the additional Nick (Holt) involved in the writing process, they said. The group already included Nick Giberson (bass/vocals). "I feel like it took a little bit to learn how to play together and how to approach things," Bishop said. "I feel like a lot of times we disregarded what our initial impulses might be in order to try to develop an idea further, instead of just jumping on the first thing that we thought of. For a little bit in one of our practice spaces, we actually had a wall that was painted with chalk paint so we could use it as a chalkboard, and we had written on it—what did it say? I know it was fucking terrible."
"Don't be afraid to kill your baby," Giberson chimed in. "Obviously we're not killing babies or any of that, but we wrote a lot of songs and then killed them off," Bishop said. Lyrically speaking, "Abaddon's Cave: Transcendance,"—the band's favorite track (aka the one that broke them up)—was the hardest to write. "I feel like it's really easy to take a character and put them in a negative situation, just put them in the ditch and leave them there," Bishop said. "So this one, I wanted to end the record in a more, maybe ambiguously positive way. I don't feel like the end of the record is as dark as maybe the beginning of it is. And so the song is, basically he's died and he's come to grips with the brevity of life. And he's kind of wondering out loud in this ethereal space whether or not he's already been through this cycle before. Musically, this was the one that when we got done, we all said, 'Wow, we wrote that.'" Giberson, too, recognized something different about the album's final track. "We just kept on adding different ideas, and it just became this atmospheric, post-rock-y, metal influenced monster of a song," Giberson said. "Not only is it so long, but it introduces so many different sonic elements—you've got violins, cellos, synthesizer. It ends in this epic ending we're known for doing that literally tran-
scends you to a different place. It was just one of my favorite songs on the record. "Now that we've kind of disbanded, the running joke is like, 'The song was so good, it ended up breaking us up because we can't write anything better than this.'" The band decided to call it quits after losing its drummer Mike McDonald. "When I helped start Faux/Fox, it was a Mike and Mike Show; it was just something we started to do because we were bored," Bishop said. "Personally, I felt like if Mike wasn't involved anymore, if he wasn't our drummer, it wasn't really Faux/Fox. It would be something else. We would continue developing, but I felt like the name was dead at that point, personally." "I've always seen Faux/Fox as an art project that happens to play shows," Giberson said. "It is a constant cycle of write, rinse, repeat, play shows … We did it for nine years—and I'll do it for nine more years depending on whatever we have going on. Some people don't want to be a part of that cycle anymore because they have other things they want to go do … be a gigging musician, play with other projects—completely understandable. And that's the nature of the beast." Some of the Faux/Fox members plan to continue performing together in an unnamed band with a new direction. They're actively in pursuit of a new drummer who fits their vibe musically and personally. Giberson is proud of the band's journey and the handful of successful events they've thrown, such as the Beginning of Summer Beach Bummer held every June from 2018-23. For the event featuring local musicians, Faux/Fox would deck out the venue in a cheesy beach party theme and invited folks to dress up as beach tourists. "If you look around the city now, it's definitely paved the way for other bands to start throwing their own events and growing their musical communities and the following," Giberson said. "Everything is just part of growing the Pensacola scene into something larger, and it's definitely cool. Like, whether we take a year off or 10 months off or one month off, we're still gonna have something to come back to, and I'm sure it will be welcomed with open arms. So definitely, thanks for being there with us over the last couple years, and we're looking forward to getting back out there eventually." And while the band doesn't make a habit of recommending Christmas gifts, they've got 100 vinyl records of their final album to take off their hands. They think you'll love it. {in} To purchase "Heat Death" on vinyl, visit fauxfoxfl.bandcamp.com/merch or Revolver Records. 15
a&e happenings Tickets are $199. Purchase through the link at facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco.
PHASES OF FUNK NYE CELEBRATION
Ring in the New Year with a funky party featuring DJ Hale Dance Party, beer releases, OG Lola's Food Truck, complimentary saison and champagne pours at midnight at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox St. Admission is free. Details are at facebook.com/oddcolony.
NEW YEAR'S EVE AT THE DISTRICT Step into the opulence of the Jazz Age at The District: Seville Steak & Seafood, 123 E. Government St., during its "Great Gatsby" themed New Year's Eve party at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 31. The cost is $95 per person and includes heavy hors d'oeuvres, live music and admission to Seville Quarter to keep the party going. Visit the districtsteaks.com for details.
NEW YEAR'S EVENTS
LAGUNA'S NOON YEAR'S EVE PARTY Can't make it to midnight? Party during the day at Laguna's, 460 Pensacola Beach Blvd., 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 30, with family-friendly activities including a beach ball drop at noon. A three-hour wristband is required to join the party, which gets you access to ropes course, zip rail, go karts, mini golf and more. Visit lagunaspb.com for details.
FAMILY PAINT DATE: NEW YEAR'S AT NOON Enjoy some family time noon-2 p.m. Sun-
day, Dec. 31 at Painting with a Twist, 4771 Bayou Blvd. No alcohol is allowed at the event, which is open to children 8 years and older accompanied by an adult. Details at paintingwithatwist.com/ studio/pensacola.
LIBERATION PENSACOLA GOODBYE 2K23 Liberation Pensacola hosts a night of lights and lasers, drag show and live DJs including Gwety Mernans, Brody, and B.T. Wubz. Doors open 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 30 at Pensacola Subculture, 701 N. V St. Tickets are $10-$15. Visit Liberation Pensacola on Facebook for details.
NEW YEAR'S JAZZ BRUNCH Start New Year's Eve with a jazz brunch 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 31 at Five Sisters Blues Café, 421 W. Belmont St. This special New Year's event includes BBQ braised short ribs in addition to the regular menu. Visit greatsouthernrestaurants.com for details.
NEW YEAR'S EVE AT SIR RICHARD'S PUBLIC HOUSE Sir Richard's is partying all
day long Sunday, Dec. 31. Stick around for a champagne toast at midnight. Sir Richard's is at 2719 E. Cervantes St. Visit sirrichardslounge. com for details.
NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY AT O'RILEY'S UPTOWN New Year's Eve celebration featur-
ing a live DJ, drink specials and a coupon-filled balloon drop at midnight at O'Riley's Uptown Tavern, 3728 Creighton Road. Visit orileystavern. com for details.
NEW YEAR'S EVE AT O'RILEY'S Celebrate New Year's Eve at O'Riley's Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox St., with music, drink specials and a balloon drop at midnight. Details at orileyspub.com. PENSACOLA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CELEBRATES THE NEW YEAR
Pensacola Symphony Orchestra performs music of piano men from Elton John to Ray Charles and Billy Joel with special guest pianist and vocalist Tony DeSare. Show is 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 31 at Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. Tickets start at $24 at pensacolasaenger.com.
BOUJ YEARS EVE 2024 Get dressed in your
finest attire and enjoy a night of decadence with champagne, a drag show, live music, stilt walkers, aerialists, airbrush tattoos and open bar at Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St.
NEW YEAR'S EVE DINNER AT SALT Enjoy an exclusive tasting menu with four courses Seatings begin at 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 31 at Salt, 12 Via de Luna. Meal is $90 with an optional wine pairing for $40. Find more information and learn how to make a reservation at facebook.com/saltpensacolabeach. NEW YEAR'S EVE DINNER AT BONSAI
Enjoy a specially crafted six-course menu. Seating is 7-10 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 31 at Bonsai, 12 Via de Luna Drive. Cost is $175 per person which includes paired craft cocktails and artisan wine. For reservations, visit bit.ly/bonsainyedinner.
NEW YEAR'S EVE SPECIAL TASTING MENU AT UNION PUBLIC HOUSE Union
Public House, 36 E. Garden St., is open Sunday, Dec. 31 Cost is $125 per person with a $60 optional wine pairing. Reservations only makes yours by emailing office@unionpensacola.com.
KRUSH THE KEG NEW YEAR'S PARTY Mugs
Eve at Seville Quarter with two seatings Sunday, Dec. 31. Early bird is $60 at 6 p.m. and evening seating is $70 at 8 p.m. General admission to clubs is free with dinner reservations. Call (850) 4346211. Seville Quarter is located at 130 E. Government St. Visit sevillequarter.com for details.
NEW YEAR'S EVE EXTRAVAGANZA AT RED FISH BLUE FISH Ring in the New Year with
DJ Jordan, full-bar service, limited food menu and a perfect view of fireworks over Pensacola Beach. Ladies drink champagne for free from 10 p.m.-midnight. Red Fish Blue Fish is located at 5B Via de Luna Drive.
COASTAL COUNTY NEW YEAR'S EVE CELEBRATION Celebrate the New Year at Coastal
County Brewing, 3041 E. Olive Road, with gourmet charcuterie, fresh sushi and 30-plus house specialty brews and wine-based cocktails, and live DJ. Tickets are $50-$125. Visit coastalcountybrewing. com for tickets.
SOBER CRUISE Ring in the New Year with a
fireworks cruise around Little Sabine. Departure is 11:15 p.m. sharp. Details and reservation at friskyboattours.com.
NEW YEAR'S EVE AT 200 SOUTH Visit 200
S. Palafox St. with music from DJ Dr0ne, midnight balloon drop and drinks and food from 200 South bars. Party is 9 p.m.-3 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 31. Visit blendlounge.com/entertainment for details.
NEW YEAR'S EVE CELEBRATIONS AT SEVILLE QUARTER Ring in the New Year at
Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St., starting at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 31. The membership package is $80 and includes 2024 Seville Quarter membership. Dance package is $20 and includes access to all rooms in the main complex at Seville Quarter on New Year's Eve. Visit sevillequarter. com for details.
& Jugs will host its Krush The Keg New Year's Party, Sunday, Dec. 31 at 12080 Scenic Hwy. Customers can purchase a wristband for $10 and get unlimited access to select draft beers for a limited time. The person who finishes the keg will win a prize. More information at mugsjugsbar.com.
NEW YEAR'S EVE AT FISH HOUSE Enjoy a fixed-price five-course meal with wine pairings at Fish House, 600 Barracks St. Seatings are at 6 and 9 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 31. To make a reservation, call (850) 287-0200 or visit opentable.com.
NEW YEAR'S EVE DINNER SPECIAL AT SEVILLE QUARTER Start and end your New Year's
brate the New Year with a fixed-price four-course meal with an optional wine pairing. Cost is $125
NEW YEAR'S EVE AT ANGELENA'S Cele-
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11 East Romana Street | Pensacola, Fl 32502
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a&e happenings with $45 option for Italian wine pairings. Reservations can be made by calling (850) 542-8398 or book online at angelenaspensacola.com.
NEW YEAR'S EVE AT ATLAS Atlas Oyster House, 600 S. Barracks St., will be open for dinner service 5-10 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 31. For a menu of offerings, visit greatsouthernrestuarants.com. NEW YEAR'S EVE AT JACKSON'S STEAKHOUSE Enjoy a special New Year's dinner at
Jackson's Steakhouse, 400 S. Palafox St. with dinner service beginning at 5 p.m. Complimentary Hoppin' John will be served to anyone stopping in. For dinner reservations, call (850) 469-9898 or visit jacksonsrestaurants.com.
NEW YEAR'S EVE FIREWORKS ON PENSACOLA BEACH The Pensacola Beach
skies come alive on New Year's Eve at midnight over Santa Rosa Sound along Pensacola Beach Boardwalk. Visit pensacolabeachchamber.com for details.
NEW YEAR'S DAY BEACH YOGA Beginner-
friendly yoga classes beside the Pensacola Beach Pier from 10-11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 1 Admission is $10 cash or Venmo (@pensacolabeachyoga). Visit facebook.com/pensacolabeachyoga for more information.
POLAR BEAR PLUNGE Start 2024 with a dip
in the Santa Rosa Sound for the annual Polar Bear Plunge noon to 3 p.m. Monday, Jan. 1 at Paradise Inn, 21 Via de Luna. Registration begins at noon. Cost is $15 a person and receive a t-shirt, or $10 registration without a t-shirt. Registration is $5 for kids in fifth grade and younger. Follow Pensacola Beach Chamber on Facebook for weather updates.
ARTS & CULTURE
COASTAL WEDDINGS EXPO Connect with wedding vendors 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 7 at the Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. Tickets and information at pensacolabaycenter.com. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS Production from the State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine. Show is 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan.10 at Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. Tickets are available at pensacolasaenger.com.
SCRIPTEASERS Join writers at Pensacola Little
Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St., for Scripteasers the second Saturday of every month. The next date is 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 13. Visit pensacolalittletheatre.com for details.
ARTEL GALLERY EXHIBITS Current exhibi-
tions at Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox St., include "Inspired by Shaped Notes" from Lonnie Rich, "Keep it 100," and "Installation" by Susan Voss. All exhibits are on view through Saturday, Jan. 6. Visit artelgallery.org for museum hours and details.
MESSAGE FROM OUR PLANET Message From Our Planet brings together 19 software, video and light-technology artworks from 18 international artists working at the forefront of digital and electronic art. The exhibition proposes media technologies, from vintage devices to cuttingDecember 28, 2023
edge digital algorithms, and offer distinct ways for artists to communicate with future generations. Themed like a global time capsule, the group of artworks reflect the artifacts and ambitions of contemporary life. Exhibit on view through Jan. 7 at Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for details.
PERDIDO Through photographs, lo-fi projections, found-objects and paintings, Perdido explores the artist's changing relationship with Florida's Gulf Coast. Artist is Richard McCabe. Exhibit is on view through Jan. 20 at Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for details.
FOOD + DRINKS
GREEN THUMB WINE TASTING Join Green
Thumb Wines, 9 E. Gregory St., for a tasting event on Friday, Dec. 29 that's all about bubbles. For more information, visit greenthumbwines.com.
A CELEBRATION OF TRUFFLES Angelena's
food and wine dinner featuring Piedmont Wines and the last of the season's truffles. Dinner is 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 4 at Angelena's Italian Ristorante, 101 E. Intendencia St. Cost is $300 per person. Details and reservations can be made at angelenaspensacola.com or by calling (850) 542-8398.
ATLAS BEVERAGE CLASS Beverage tasting and appetizers are included in two classes at 5 and 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 4 at Atlas Oyster House, 600 S. Barracks St. Cost is $30 per person with limited seating. Make your reservations by calling (850) 287-0200 or emailing taylor@goodgrits.com.
TWELFTH NIGHT AT JACKSON'S In celebra-
tion of Twelfth Night, Jackson's will offer special features for dinner service Thursday, Jan. 4 through Sunday, Jan. 6. Special menu items include oysters Rockefeller soup, Mik's king cake and a special king cake cocktail. Jackson's is located at 400 S. Palafox. Details at jacksonsrestaurant.com.
VINO MAGNIFICO Monthly wine tasting is 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9 at V. Paul's, 29 S. Palafox St. Tickets are $15 per person. Limited seating. Make your reservations at vpauls.com.
LIVE MUSIC
GASOLINA: REGGAETON PARTY Event is
9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 29 at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. Show is for those 18 and older. Tickets are $15-$50 and available at vinylmusichall.com.
JAZZ JAM The next Jazz Jam is 6:30-9 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 1 at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox. Details at jazzpensacola.com.
JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED
Special jazz performances at healthcare facilities. Next event is 2-4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 3 at Baptist Hospital, 123 Baptist Way.
RADIOLIVE WUWF's RadioLive features Dillon Warnek, Kim Buchanan and Paul Childers. Show is 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 4 at the Museum of Commerce, 201 Zaragoza St. Tickets are $10 and available at radiolive.org. for more listings visit inweekly.net 17
free will astrology WEEK OF DECEMBER 28 ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): Among
couples who share their finances, 39% lie to their partners about money. If you have been among that 39%, please don't be in 2024. In fact, I hope you will be as candid as possible about most matters with every key ally in your life. It will be a time when the more honest and forthcoming you are, the more resources you will have at your disposal. Your commitment to telling the truth as kindly but completely as possible will earn you interesting rewards.
TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): According to tradition in ancient Israel, a jubilee year happened every half-century. It was a "trumpet blast of liberty," in the words of the Old Testament book Leviticus. During this grace period, enslaved people were supposed to be freed. Debts were forgiven, taxes canceled and prisoners released. People were encouraged to work less and engage in more revelry. I boldly proclaim 2024 should be a jubilee year for you Bulls. To launch the fun, make a list of the alleviations and emancipations you will claim in the months ahead. GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): "Make peace with their devils, and you will do the same with yours." The magazine Dark's Art Parlour provides us with this essential wisdom about how to conduct vibrant relationships. I invite you to make liberal use of it in 2024. Why? Because I suspect you will come to deeply appreciate how all your worthwhile bonds inevitably require you to engage with each other's wounds, shadows and unripeness. To say it another way, healthy alliances require you to deal respectfully and compassionately with each other's darkness. The disagreements and misunderstandings the two of you face are not flaws that discolor perfect intimacy. They are often rich opportunities to enrich togetherness. CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): Cancerian au-
thor Franz Kafka wrote more than 500 letters to his love interest Felice Bauer. Her outpouring of affection wasn't as voluminous, but was still very warm. At one point, Kafka wryly communicated to her, "Please suggest a remedy to stop me trembling with joy like a lunatic when I receive and read your letters." He added, "You have given me a gift
By Rob Brezsny
such as I never even dreamt of finding in this life." I will be outrageous here and predict 2024 will bring you, too, a gift such as you never dreamt of finding in this life. It may or may not involve romantic love, but it will feel like an ultimate blessing.
LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): Renowned inventor Nikola Tesla (1856–1943) felt an extraordinary closeness with sparrows, finches, pigeons and other wild birds. He loved feeding them, conversing with them and inviting them into his home through open windows. He even fell in love with a special pigeon he called White Dove. He said, "I loved her as a man loves a woman, and she loved me. As long as I had her, there was a purpose to my life." I bring this to your attention because I suspect 2024 will be an excellent time to upgrade your relationship with birds, Leo. Your power to employ and enjoy the metaphorical power of flight will be at a maximum.
I believe that in 2024, you are poised to live your life in a world that is neither like a stage nor a cage. VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): "All the world's a
stage," wrote Shakespeare. He was comparing life to a theatrical drama, suggesting we are all performers attached to playing roles. In response, a band called The Kingpins released the song "All the World's a Cage." The lyrics include these lines: "You promised that the world was mine/You chained me to the borderline/Now I'm just sitting here doing time/All the world's a cage." These thoughts are the prelude to my advice for you. I believe that in 2024, you are poised to live your life in a world that is neither like a stage nor a cage. You will have unusually ample freedom from expectations, artificial constraints and the inertia of the past. It will be an excellent time to break free from outdated self-images and your habitual persona.
LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): At age 10, an
American girl named Becky Schroeder launched her career as an inventor. Two years later, she got her first of many patents for a product that enables people to read and write in the dark. I
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propose we make her one of your role models for 2024. No matter how old you are, I suspect you will be doing precocious things. You will understand life like a person at least 10 years older than you. You will master abilities a casual observer might think you learned improbably fast. You may even have seemingly supernatural conversations with the future you.
You may even have seemingly supernatural conversations with the future you. SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): Here are excellent questions for you to meditate on throughout 2024. 1. Who and what do you love? Who and what makes you spill over with adoration, caring and longing? 2. How often do you feel deep waves of love? Would you like to feel more of them? If so, how could you? 3. What are the most practical and beautiful ways you express love for whom and what you love? Would you like to enhance the ways you express love, and if so, how? 4. Is there anything you can or should do to intensify your love for yourself? SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): Like
the rest of the planet, Scotland used to be a wild land. It had vast swaths of virgin forests and undomesticated animals. Then humans came. They cut the trees, dug up charcoal and brought agriculture. Many native species died, and most forests disappeared. In recent years, though, a rewilding movement has arisen. Now Scotland is on the way to restoring the ancient health of the land. Native flora and fauna are returning. In accordance with astrological omens, I propose you launch your own personal rewilding project in 2024. What would that look like? How might you accomplish it?
Girls Clubs of America, the Children's Defense Fund and his own Family Foundation. I suggest you make Lebron one of your role models in 2024. It will be a time when you can have more potent and far-reaching effects than ever before through the power of your compassion, generosity and beneficence.
AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): I propose we make the shark your soul creature in 2024. Not because some shark species are apex predators at the top of the food chain. Rather, I propose you embrace the shark as an inspirational role model because it is a stalwart, steadfast champion with spectacular endurance. Its lineage goes back 400 million years. Sharks were on Earth before there were dinosaurs, mammals and grass. Saturn's rings didn't exist yet when the first sharks swam in the oceans. Here are the adjectives I expect you to specialize in during the coming months: resolute, staunch, indomitable, sturdy, resilient. PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): In the 19th century, many scientists believed in the bogus theory of eugenics, which proposed we could upgrade the genetic quality of the human race through selective breeding. Here's a further example of experts' ignorance: Until the 1800s, most scientists dismissed the notion that stones fell from the sky, even though meteorites had been seen by countless people since ancient times. Scientists also rejected the idea that large reptiles once roamed the Earth, at least until the 19th century, when it became clear dinosaurs had existed and had become extinct. The moral of the story is that even the smartest among us can be addicted to delusional beliefs and theories. I hope this inspires you to engage in a purge of your own outmoded dogmas in 2024. A beginner's mind can be your superpower. Discover a slew of new ways to think and see. HERE'S THE HOMEWORK: Enjoy free articles and audios from my new book: https://bit.ly/ lovelifegifts {in}
CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): Capri-
corn-born Lebron James is one of the greatest players in basketball history. Even more interesting from my perspective is that he is an exuberant activist and philanthropist. His list of magnificent contributions is too long to detail here. Here are a few examples: his bountiful support for charities like After-School All-Stars, Boys &
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news of the weird EDITOR'S NOTE: With a nod to Christmas cheer, News of the Weird presents holiday-related items from years gone by. Enjoy! OOPS! Matt Hightower of Overland Park, Kansas, was home alone with his three kids in mid-December 2020 when he switched on the oven in preparation for making dinner. Inside, unfortunately, were the family's three Elves on the Shelf, who had been put there the night before to "warm up" after a day of being held captive in the refrigerator by the "bad milk," KCTV reported. "Babe ... I cooked the elves," Hightower confessed to his wife, Chelsea, who was out Christmas shopping. "Thankfully," said Chelsea, after a frantic search around town, "Jingle, Belle and Magic have made a miraculous recovery and are back to their silly ways." •From 2008: The Christmas Nativity scenes in northeast Spain's Catalonia region have, for three centuries, featured not only Mary and the Three Wise Men but the ubiquitous "caganer" icon, always portrayed with pants down answering a call of nature (and often so obscured in the scene as to popularize Where's-Waldo-type guessing by children). The origin of the caganer (literally, "pooper") is unclear, but some regard it merely as symbolic of equality (in that everyone has bowel movements). Catalonia is now home to artists who craft statuettes of religious figures poised to relieve themselves, and the franchise extends to renditions of sports figures and celebrities (and even a squatting President Bush). One family in Girona province sells about 25,000 a year, according to a November dispatch in Germany's Der Spiegel. WEIRD CHRISTMAS TRADITION Since 1966, the city of Gavle, Sweden, has erected a huge straw goat in its downtown square at Christmastime. The goats are pagan symbols that preceded Santa Claus as a bringer of gifts, the Associated Press reported. But in what has become an adjunct to the town's tradition, the goats have been torched dozens of times during the past 55 years, including on Dec. 17, 2021. Police arrested a suspect in his 40s who had soot on his hands and matched a description from witnesses. THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS Those large inflatable Christmas decorations may fill the hearts of children with holiday cheer, but one young ursid saw a sparring partner and went on the attack in Monrovia, California, on Dec. 8, 2021. Donna Hargett captured video of a bear cub wrestling with her neighbor's inflatable reindeer as the mama bear looked on, United Press International reported. "I looked up and there it was, jumping on the reindeer," Hargett said. "We see these two around all the time. They're trouble," she said. In fact, Hargett said they once broke into her home and left paw prints on the bed. No word on Rudolph's condition. YIKES! Rob and Marcela Wild of Robertson, South Africa, figured there might be a mouse in their newly decorated Christmas tree when their
By the Editors at Andrews McMeel
cats started watching it intently on Dec. 10, 2021. Instead, they found one of the most venomous snakes in Africa: a boomslang, CNN reported. The Wilds called on snake catcher Gerrie Heyns, who used "snake tongs" to put it on the floor. "Once I had it under control, the family came right up to see the snake," Heyns said. "A scary moment turned into an exciting moment for the children." Heyns released the female snake, about 4 1/2 feet long, back into the wild a couple of days later. CHRISTMAS MADNESS FROM 2006 In November, the upscale New York City menswear and accessories store Jack Spade removed from its holiday catalog a $40 frog-dissection kit (with a real carcass) after numerous queries from people wondering what in the world the store was thinking. •A holiday party for inmates at Britain's Peterborough Jail promised a fun time with Xbox consoles and PlayStations, along with cash gifts of 5 pounds each (about $9 U.S.), which is greater than the value of the candy boxes the jail will give its guards for Christmas. •Police in Rock Hill, S.C., put a 12-year-old boy under arrest at the insistence of his mother after he had defied her and opened his Christmas gift three weeks early. PRECOCIOUS Justin and Nissa-Lynn Parson of McKinney, Texas, were all in when their son Cayden, 12, asked for a magnifying glass for Christmas. "We thought, 'Oh, he wants to magnify something'" to read, Nissa-Lynn told KDFW. Instead, Cayden and his brother, Ashton, used the glass to light a newspaper on fire on the family's front porch, which soon spread to the yard, eventually destroying the lawn and some of the family's Christmas lights. "We ran inside and started screaming," Cayden said. The family doused the fire with "pitchers of water, blankets smothering it, sprinklers turned on, hose turned on," Nissa-Lynn recounted, adding that now Cayden "will definitely have yard work to do once spring comes." SOUR GRAPES Japanese YouTuber Marina Fujiwara has harnessed the pain she feels when she sees couples basking in their love at the holidays and developed a sort of schadenfreudian device: a light that turns on whenever anyone breaks up on social media. Oddity Central reported on Dec. 27, 2019, that Fujiwara's device is connected to the internet through a "bridge" and is set to light up whenever a breakup status is posted on Twitter. "I want to celebrate Christmas," she said. "But when you see a couple in the world going on a Christmas date and doing something like that, I am attacked by a huge sense of loneliness." While her machine is not available commercially, Fujiwara says it's easy enough to set one up for yourself. {in}
From Andrews McMeel Syndication News Of The Weird © 2023 Andrews McMeel
Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com December 28, 2023
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Independent News | December 28, 2023 | inweekly.net