Inweekly jan 5 2017

A CITY DIVIDED Independent News | January 5, 2017 | Volume 18 | Number 1 | inweekly.net

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winners & losers

news

outtakes

4

6, 7

5

You don't know how happy I am not to be the first woman.

cover

buzz

11

8

publisher Rick Outzen

art director Richard Humphreys

contact us info@inweekly.net

editor & creative director Joani Delezen

contributing writers Duwayne Escobedo, Jennifer Leigh, Chuck Shepherd, Hamishe Randall, Shelby Smithey

calendar 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. © 2015 Inweekly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

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$10,000 to sponsor the Innovation Award's Landrum Veterans Award that will be given to the top veteran-owned startup. With participants vying for more than $250,000 in cash and consulting and technical services, the Innovation Awards is the leading business plan competition in Florida. The two-day event, scheduled for April 12 and 13 at the Hilton Pensacola Beach hotel, will showcase the region as a leader in innovation and entrepreneurship.

REBECCA MCMULLEN The senior budget analyst was named 2016 Employee of the Year for the standards of excellence she displays in her job duties for the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners. McMullen prepares annual revenue forecasts, evaluates the status of various county funds, and manages the County Municipal Services Benefit Unit, or MSBU program. She has been an employee with Escambia County since 1998. She first worked as an accountant, then as a budget analyst before being promoted to senior budget analyst.

ENSLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Students and teachers at Ensley Elementary School recently presented a check for $2,010.50 to the Pensacola Humane Society.

The money was raised throughout the month of October during the school's Ninth Annual Pennies for Pets Donation Drive. Regina Smolensky, an Ensley Elementary second grade teacher, organized the project. For nine years Ensley students and staff members have taken on this project.

losers COUGH MEDICINES A law banning the

sale of cough medicines containing the synthetically produced dextromethorphan to people under 18 years of age went into effect on Jan. 1. It requires identification from those presumed to be under 25.

Dextromethorphan is found in Robitussin, Alka-Seltzer Plus, Tylenol Cough & Cold and Vicks NyQuil.

DERRIK OWENS The City of Pensacola Public Works Director has the responsibility to make sure the construction of the Government Street Stormwater Project is in compliance with federal, state and local laws. Every quarter Owens reports to the federal EPA whether the site is in compliance with its stormwater pollution prevention plan. To date, he has reported no compliance issues. Emerald Coastkeepers found over eight in December.

BEST AND BRIGHTEST The bonus program for Florida teachers could be headed for changes in the upcoming legislative session. Gov. Rick Scott may propose a different way to attract and keep high-quality teachers in the state's public schools. The chief complaint is its reliance on teachers' scores on college admissions tests. Under Best and Brightest, teachers who are highly rated and scored in the top fifth of the test results on the SAT or ACT, are eligible for bonuses of up to $10,000. Some believe using exams like the SAT and the ACT is unfair to older teachers, whose scores aren't readily accessible.

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outtakes

by Rick Outzen

BOLD IDEA FOR 2017 Florida TaxWatch has been pushing for criminal justice reform for the past several years. Our state has one of the largest prison populations in the nation, and corrections expenditures have continued to take a larger percentage of state and county budgets.

The Escambia Board of County Commissioners spends $35.8 million on detention. It is the largest department under its control. Five years ago, the detention budget was $29.7 million. The county is set to spend about $120 million on a new county jail, the largest single capital expenditure in its history.

It's time Escambia County look at becoming the state's criminal justice reform county by seeking out help from Florida TaxWatch and the Florida Legislature. The "tough on crime" policies of the 1980s and 90s haven't made our county safer. Instead, they have filled our jail with non-violent criminals who have become trapped in the system.

The two primary drivers of growth in the criminal justice system: over incarceration and recidivism.

Overincarceration means putting some people in prison who should not be there.

People are incarcerated for longer than they need to be, and tax dollars are diverted away from other services and capital needs.

Recidivism means that too many of our offenders return to jail. For the state prison system, it has only decreased 7 percent since 2006. Almost 8,500 of the inmates released from prison each year return within three years. I suspect the recidivism numbers for Escambia County are similar.

This past summer, Florida TaxWatch published its recommendations to reduce incarceration cost and lower crime. Many could have an immediate impact on Escambia County if we adopted them.

We need to expand the use of forensic mental health diversion programs. Sheriff David Morgan has described the county jail as "largest mental health facility." The mentally ill comprise the fastest growing subpopulation within Florida's prisons and jails, according to Florida TaxWatch.

Other Florida TaxWatch recommendations that could have an impact in Escambia are: •Reduce penalties for and divert “driving while license suspended” offenders; •Restore judicial discretion for specific mandatory minimum cases; •Develop risk/needs assessments and cost-analysis tools to be used at the time of sentencing; •Increase the amount of usable gain time for nonviolent inmates; •Lengthen the period of eligibility for and expand transitional work-release programs; and •Promote strategies that improve released offenders’ employment opportunities.

Implementation of these recommendations will require the cooperation of the county, law enforcement, state attorney’s office, and the judges. The state legislature could help create and facilitate the pilot program.

What I do know is what we are doing now isn’t working. {in} rick@inweekly.net

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5

SAUNDERS PREPARES FOR "FAIRY TALE" JOB

Martha Saunders / Photo Courtesy of UWF

By Duwayne Escobedo Martha Saunders' dream job was one day to become the president of the University of West Florida. She started her college career in 1984 as an adjunct at the small university tucked in the woods at the north end of Pensacola. But the dream didn't really take hold until she took over as dean of the UWF College of Arts and Sciences in 2000 when then-President Morris Marx told her she would make a good president one day.

After leaving UWF, Saunders did serve as the first woman leader of WisconsinWhitewater and Southern Miss. The 68-year-old Saunders finally got her "fairy tale" job after being named the West Florida president.

She takes over for her friend, Judy Bense, after a contentious Board of Governor's meeting that ended with her being voted as the university's sixth president, 9-4, over former Florida Senate President Don Gaetz.

"It's like a fairy tale," Saunders said in a recent interview with Inweekly. "I couldn't have imagined this. It's a good fit for me.

I will continue to build on what Judy has done."

Bense and Saunders became good 66

friends back in the 1980s. Saunders recalled that when she became dean, Bense asked to be named a department chair.

"I said, ‘No,' but the next time I appointed her," Saunders said laughing.

The roles were reversed after Saunders planned to retire in 2012 when she stepped down after five years as Southern Miss president. Bense called her after she learned Saunders and her husband, Joseph, planned to move back to Pensacola Beach.

"I really need a good provost. I'm dying over here," Bense recalled saying. "She's very important for the stability of our institution. People like the direction we are going in."

Saunders joked that her supportive husband, who retired in 2005 from the telecom industry, has decided she will "never really retire." She said he likes the "cool factor" of her title. She and her husband have six grown sons, a daughter, and 10 grandchildren.

"They ran more teachers from their jobs than low pay," said Saunders jokingly about her children who all plan to attend her UWF inauguration, she said.

Saunders said she's ecstatic that Bense was the trailblazer as the college's first woman president.

"You don't know how happy I am not to be the first woman," Saunders said. "I was

the first woman dean, provost, chancellor, and president. It's 2016. I should not be the first."

However, she said she does worry that the pipeline of female leadership seems to be "drying up." In 1986, women headed only 10 percent of American universities. Today, 27 percent of women are at the helm.

Saunders has proven her leadership abilities. During her five-year tenure as president at Southern Miss, the university enjoyed record enrollment every year.

The school's fundraising rose from $3 million a year in 2007 to $20 million a year—an all-time high —in 2012. Incoming students' ACT college entrance exam scores increased. Plus, Saunders oversaw $255 million in building projects as USM president.

"I got the first state bond for a building since the 1990s," she said.

Her hard work there led to a friendship with former USM and Green Bay Packers star quarterback Brett Favre, who invited her to his Hall of Fame induction in August.

It might also surprise you to know that Saunders is a former classmate and friend of Jimmy Buffett, who she has said in past interviews, "spreads happiness."

Her success at Southern Miss should come as no surprise. As Whitewater's chancellor from 2005-2007, Saunders oversaw major building projects totaling $110 million, focused on revitalizing campus communication and upgraded the college's mission and goals.

She served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Columbus State University from 2002-2005. There, Saunders led an effort to create Centers of Excellence to further more than 30 privatepublic partnerships, supported the construction of four major capital projects, and served on a capital campaign committee that raised more than its $80 million goal.

At UWF, Saunders faces the daunting challenge of meeting 10 metrics that the state uses to evaluate Florida's higher learning institutions on a range of issues, which can ultimately affect the university's funding. The UWF Board gave Saunders a three-year contract worth $308,750 a year and jumps to as much as $498,750 a year if she achieves contract incentives.

Besides the state goals, Saunders has her own. She wants to renovate the Student Commons building. She wants to build more bike trails and make the 1,600-acre campus a tourist destination.

She would like to create a history museum that capitalizes on the discoveries of the university's well-known archaeology program. Saunders wants to invest in the Science Technology Engineering and Math programs, such as cybersecurity.

She plans to continue the university's involvement with the community by increasing UWF's presence in downtown Pensacola. She fully supports the Argos football program started under Bense's leadership. Saunders would also like to build the university's online education program that now has about 30 percent of its curriculum available.

"It hasn't been renovated since 1968, and it shows it," Saunders said about the Commons area, where she regularly sits at an empty table to chat with students. "If I can get all those things done, I can head over and go sit down with Judy."

Saunders has one more task for herself when she takes over in January. She plans to finally write a note back to Gaetz -- her main challenger for the UWF presidency.

Gaetz congratulated her on winning the job.

"He's a great person," said Saunders, whose face turns serious. "I hold him in high regard. A note to him is on my list of things to do." {in}

“If I can get all those things done, I can head over and go sit down with Judy.” Martha Saunders

inweekly.net

COUNTY MOVES FORWARD parking garage, so I do think that we're able to accomplish what we need to on that layout of property and without having to even consider a parking garage," he said.

The County Commission and Mayor Ashton Hayward disagreed over the allocation of the Local Option Gas Tax. The BCC voted to use the state formula that based the allocation on Steven Barry / Photo Courtesy of myescambia.com transportation expenses in the Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports of the past five years. The county calcuEscambia County Commissioner Steven lated that the allocation percentage for the Barry easily won re-election in 2016 city would be 5.45 percent – 70 percent with 68 percent of the vote. He discussed reduction from the old 18.22 percent. The with Inweekly the county's accomplishcity gas tax share dropped from $1.55 milments and issues of 2016 and what lies lion to $463,600. ahead for 2017.

To make up the difference, the BCC "I'm glad that we were finally able to act offered an interlocal agreement for addion a decision related to the jail property," tional gas tax dollars if the city completed said Barry, who represents District 5. "One its street-paving plan for West Pensacola thing exciting about the beginning of the as submitted to the BCC. Mayor Hayward year is to really make some tangible progchose to appeal the allocation to the Floriress in 2017 on the rebuild of that." da Cabinet. No decision had been made on In July, the Board of County Commisthe appeal as of the end of the year. sioners (BCC) voted to buy the McDonald "I thought we really had a good proShopping Center at the corner of Fairfield posal," said Barry. "It sounded like someDrive and Pace Boulevard for $4.5 million. thing that my colleague from District Three Barry admitted the site has some chal(Commissioner Lumon May) was good lenges because it's only 14.65 acres. with, but then that's not necessarily the "It's going to mean going up, but I'm proposal that came back to us. That's uncontinued to be told that the going up will only fortunate, but I'm confident that we'll work be for the business and the housing, not as a

By Rick Outzen

it out if we can have quarterly meetings with the mayor's office/city council."

A joint meeting of the Escambia Board of County Commissioners and Pensacola City Council has been scheduled for late January. Commissioner Barry believes there is value in holding such meetings. He hopes to resolve the local option gas tax issue at the January meeting.

"In a broader picture, I think that we can really look forward to a heavier line of communication hopefully between the mayor's office, city council, and our board with the meeting in January," said Barry. "The local option gas tax is certainly going to be one of the items that I think that we discuss.

I'm hopeful that we can come to a fair and an equitable solution for everybody."

He would like to see county-city meetings held on quarterly basis. The January agenda is lengthy.

"They're all important, they all involve a municipal footprint as well as the county footprint," he said. "If we can have quarterly meetings with the mayor's office/city council, I think there'd be a lot of value in that for the taxpayers that we both serve."

Commissioner Barry believes the board's relationship with the Emerald Coast Utility Authority has improved over the past 24 months since the election of Commissioner Doug Underhill. He would like to have joint meetings with the ECUA board, too.

"The relationship with ECUA, while hopefully, it was getting better before that, has certainly been better since, and I think that there would be value in us having joint meetings with ECUA on a semi-regular basis," he said. "We have a number of large capital projects that we're working together on, and I just don't get enough of an opportunity to really hear what some of my colleagues over there have to say about it."

He believes that communicating solely through staff can lead to misunderstandings.

"You fear what you don't know, and if there's any hesitancy or even maybe critical

comments/thoughts of any of our bodies that we're trying to work, I would think that the majority of that's going to come from them just not knowing us or knowing exactly what we say," said Commissioner Barry.

He said that he has had several instances when he needed to clear up misunderstandings with the ECUA Board member Dr. Larry Walker.

"He's had a couple of instances when he has called me over the last years and say, ‘I heard that y'all said this' or ‘I heard you said this' and it's like, ‘Well, no. You can go back and run the stream off the computer. That's not what I said nor is it what the board said, and it's certainly not our intent,'" said Barry. More joint meetings would help develop more camaraderie between boards, according to the commissioner.

In November, the BCC reversed its decision to remove the cash lanes at the Pensacola Beach toll booths after the citizens protested the move to automate the process. The board voted to seek more public input before changing the toll booths. Commissioner Barry said he had to eat some ‘humble pie' on the initial decision to automate.

"I thought Commissioner (Grover) Robinson had had more conversations, not based on what he said but basically just my assumption which was incorrect. I'm certainly fine with where our board landed," he told Inweekly.

Commissioner Barry understands how fragile public trust can be. He said, "I think that our board has made a lot of headway towards regaining it. To some degree, you must regain public trust before you build it and I feel like we've done that. There's been a lot of stability on the board and at the administrator's position, which is a good thing."

He said, "I think that stability has regained some trust and confidence, and all of us to a person want all of our actions to move forward building that." {in}

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SCHREY FOR CONGRESS TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING INITIATIVE

Last spring, Quint Studer invited Dr. Dana Suskind to come to Pensacola to speak at a Studer Community Institute about her Thirty Million Words® Newborn Initiative (TMW). The impetus for the invitation was the need to improve early childhood learning in Escambia County.

A third of our children in Escambia County aren't kindergarten ready when they start school. Randy Hammer, President and CEO of the Studer Community Institute, has described it as the “most significant problem we face that holds back our community."

Dr. Dana Suskind is a surgeon and founder of TMW, a research program at the University of Chicago. Suskind and her staff develop and implement scientifically tested programs to help parents maximize language development from birth through three years of age. The goal is to use language to build children's brains to ensure they show up for school ready to learn.

The week before Christmas, Dr. Suskind announced that the University

88

of Chicago would partner in 2017 with the Studer Community Institute to pilot its Thirty Million Words® Newborn Initiative in Pensacola.

"When Dr. Suskind came to Pensacola on March 30 and talked about Thirty Million Words, it just clicked," Quint Studer said on "Pensacola Speaks."

He said, "Until then, I really didn't know that 85-percent of the brain was developed by age 3 and 95-percent by age 5. I didn't understand how you build the brain with verbal words."

TMW is based on a 1995 study by two Kansas researchers Betty Hart and Todd Risley, who found some children hear 30 million more words by their fourth birthday than others. The children who heard 30 million more words were more likely to be ready to learn at the start of preschool, and by the third grade, they had bigger vocabularies, were stronger readers and scored higher on cognitive tests. A key takeaway of the study was that children who started school ahead tended to stay ahead, and children who started school behind tended to stay behind.

Last summer, Studer and Hammer went to the University of Chicago to better understand the initiative and to build relationships. They met John List, head of the University of Chicago Economics Department and co-author of "The Why Axis," which discusses, among other things, how poor kids can catch rich kids in education.

"John List asked us, ‘How are you going to change the world,'" said Studer. "I'm crazy enough to say we're going to create America's first learning city. That impressed him."

What Studer learned was Suskind and List were looking for a city to pilot its programs that not only confront the language gap but also the achievement gap. The University of Chicago approached the Studer Community Institute to help.

"Pensacola will be our first test case," stated List in the press announcement.

"Once we learn what works in Pensacola,

we will then take that to a nationwide experiment. We will choose communities in an experimental way and roll out in these communities what we did in Pensacola that worked and see if it can work nationwide.

And I believe it will."

Sacred Heart Hospital, Baptist Health Care, and West Florida Hospital have all agreed to participate in the TMW-Newborn Initiative pilot program.

TMW-Newborn delivers TMW's core message in a short video shown to new parents in hospitals as part of routine postpartum care.

It's the first piece of rolling out a broader community-wide outreach to establish Pensacola as America's first early learning city.

"This is a good first step in an early learning initiative," said Suskind. "Pensacola will become a model so other people and communities can learn from us."

“I'm crazy enough to say we're going to create America's first learning city.” Quint Studer

TOWN HALL MEETING Escambia

County District 4 Commissioner, Grover

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General "Chappie" James Jr. / Courtesy Photo Robinson, will host a Ferry Pass town hall meeting Tuesday, Jan. 10 from 6-8 p.m. at the Ferry Pass Middle School Cafeteria located at 8355 Yancey Lane. This open forum meeting provides residents with an opportunity to get updated information about community issues and voice their concerns or questions.

Agenda items include Olive Road construction update, the status of Atwood CRA, code enforcement, Ferry Pass neighborhood issues, and citizen input and questions.

For more information, contact the District 4 office at district4@myescambia.com or 850-595-4940, and follow @myecdistrict4 on Twitter for updates.

HEARING ON GULF POWER RATE HIKE With state regulators weighing a Gulf

Power proposal to raise base electric rates by $106.8 million, locals can weigh in later this month. The state Public Service Commission has scheduled customer hearings Jan. 26 at Pensacola State College, according to a notice posted on the commission's website.

The hearing is part of a months-long process that will lead to a decision by the commission on the proposed rate hike.

The commission is scheduled March 20 to start a multi-day hearing that will include detailed financial and technical information related to the request.

Also, two Walmart companies filed a petition to formally intervene in the case.

"Walmart is ‌ a major retail customer of Gulf Power, purchasing electricity from Gulf to operate its stores and distribution facilities in Northwest Florida," the petiJanuary 5, 2017

tion said. "As one of Gulf's largest retail customers, Walmart's substantial interests will be determined by the commission's actions in these dockets, and accordingly, Walmart is entitled to intervene in these ‌ proceedings."

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CHAPPIE JAMES MUSEUM KICK-OFF

The City of Pensacola and the Community Redevelopment Agency will host a project kickoff ceremony at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 10, for the General "Chappie" James Jr. Museum and Flight Academy Project.

The James family donated the home of America's first African American Four-Star General to the city. The residence is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was constructed in 1909 by Chappie James' father, Daniel James Sr., and is located at 1608 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

The museum will be established and operated by the Chappie James Museum of Pensacola, Inc., a not for profit organization. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) tutoring and youth flight academy workshops will be provided by the Chappie James Youth Flight Academy to help prepare community youth for potential careers in the field of aviation.

The museum board is seeking genuine artifacts related to General James' life and is putting out a call for anyone who would like to record an audio account of their first-hand contacts with General James.

Anyone wishing to donate artifacts or record their stories should contact Ross Pristera at the Pensacola Historic Trust at 595-5986, ext. 11. {in} 9

The Road to America’s First

Early Learning City This week we focus on:

Over 1000 children per year that would benefit from Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) are not signed up.

Head Start is funded to provide services for only 935 children.

RESOURCES

RESOURCES

Escambia County has 85 Voluntary Prekindergarten schools.

On average, children who attend VPK perform better in school. Florida offers Voluntary Prekindergarten free to every 4-year-old.

How do we get more children enrolled in VPK?

Building blocks of the Early Learning City LAST WEEK NEXT WEEK

Healthcare Resources Architecture Education Business Community Media

BOARD OF DIRECTORS • Blaise Adams • Cindi Bear Bonner • Becca Boles • Patrick Elebash • Randy Hammer • Chad Henderson • Gail Husbands • Stacy Keller Williams • Jerry Maygarden 010 1

Resources PROBLEM

PROBLEM

QUESTION

• Jean Pierre N’dione • Lisa Nellessen-Lara • Mort O’Sullivan III • Janet Pilcher • Scott Remingtion • Martha Saunders • Julie Sheppard • Josh Sitton

America’s First Early Learning City is making sure parents and children have access to the resources that are available in the county.

PROBLEM

Escambia County ranks 65th of 67 Florida counties in preterm births.

RESOURCES

Head Start and Early Head Start support young children of low-income families by providing a range of developmental and educational services.

Escambia County Healthy Start Coalition aims to improve the health and development outcomes for babies in Escambia County. Premature birth can lead to long-term intellectual and developmental disabilities for babies.

QUESTION

QUESTION

How do we get more children enrolled in Head Start and Early Head Start?

NEXT STEP

How do we get more mothers to receive early and regular prenatal care to improve the chances of a healthy baby?

The goal of America’s First Early Learning City is to find the answers.

Build a Brain Build a Life Build a Community /StuderInstitute /StuderInstitute

VISIT STUDERI.ORG EMAIL Snickinson@Studeri.org inweekly.net

A CITY DIVIDED

P

ensacola's west side has a very different view of city services and the direction of the city government than city residents who live in the wealthier and predominantly white neighborhoods on the city's east side, according to a telephone survey conducted by Inweekly.

BY RICK OUTZEN January 5, 2017

11

Early last month, Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward announced the results of the third annual City of Pensacola Community Survey that was conducted by the University of West Florida Haas Center. Nearly 70 percent of respondents said that the City of Pensacola was headed in the right direction. Most of the city services were given high ratings by the respondents.

"Seeing that by a margin of 8 to 1, city residents are telling us that the city is on the right track, and that the city continues to get high marks for core services such as public safety, sanitation and city parks, I think these survey results validate that our priorities are aligned with the community's expectations," said Mayor Hayward in a press release.

However, the survey greatly overrepresented the residents living around Bayou Texar (District 4), Cordova Park (District 3) and

Scenic Highway (District 1). Those three districts contain 41.1 percent of the city residents and 45.6 percent of Pensacola’s registered voters. More than 89 percent of their voters are white. The city’s population is 30.4 percent minority.

The disparity between the number of respondents living in the two sides of Penacola is stark. The districts that are the city’s easternmost comprised 252 of the survey’s 444 respondents, 56.8 percent.

The city’s western districts, Districts 5, 6 and 7, only had 123 respondents, 27.8 percent, though they have a larger percentage of city residents, 43.3 percent.

District 7, which contains the Tanyards that has been battling City Hall over the Government Street Stormwater Project, only had 30 respondents. District 1 has the smallest percentage of residents (12.9%), but it had 82 respondents.

Government Street Stormwater Project / Courtesy Photo

Demographics of Inweekly Survey District

Residential Distribution

Haas Sample

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

12.9% 15.6% 13.0% 15.2% 14.0% 15.8% 13.5%

82 - 19.7% 42 - 10.1% 89 - 21.3% 81 - 19.4% 45 - 10.8% 48 - 11.5% 30 - 7.2%

Long Hollow Radio Tower / Photo by Richard Humphreys

212 1

District

Respondents

White

Black

Other/ No Response

5 6 7 Total

80 81 66 227

25 41 25 91 40.1% 48.0%

44 26 24 94 41.4% 45.7%

11 14 17 42 18.50% 6.31%

Voter Registration

UWF Haas Center’s Amy Newburn, who oversaw the survey, defended the survey on WUWF radio.

“Not all respondents are going to pick up the phone,” she said. “But, it’s really important for us to note that every person that had a phone number and within the city limits had an equal chance of being picked.”

Through a public record request, Inweekly obtained a copy of the city’s contract with the Haas Center. The Haas Center committed to do four rounds of phone calls to collect 400 responses. There was no requirement that the respondents be proportionate to the city districts and the demographics of the city residents: “To keep the cost to a minimum, the Center cannot guarantee the results to be statistically significant at the district level.”

The city paid $12,000 for the survey.

District 5, 6, and 7 contain the city's housing projects. The western districts have higher crime, more poverty, and lower-performing public schools. They have also given Mayor Hayward the

most headaches—Long Hollow Radio Tower, Manna Food Pantries warehouse, Parole and Probation office, ECUA sewage storage tank, and Government Street Stormwater Pond.

Inweekly hired Political Matrix to poll the residents of the west Pensacola districts to see if they view city services and the direction differently than residents on Pensacola’s east side.

An interactive voice response method was used to conduct a 17-question telephone survey, which was similar to the Haas Center questionnaire. Political Matrix captured 262 completed studies within Pensacola City Districts 5, 6 and 7.

To complete the study, 8,505 telephone numbers of registered voters were supplied by the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections voter list. The polling took place Sunday, Dec. 18 over a four-hour period.

After completing the weighting based on population, the study ended up with 227 completed studies.

The study has a 95 percent confidence level with a margin of error of plus-or-minus 5.96 percent. The Haas Center survey claimed the same confidence level with a margin of error of plus-or-minus 4.6 percent.

inweekly.net

Inweekly compared its survey results for Districts 5, 6, and 7 with the Haas Center results for Districts 1, 3, and 4 to gain perspective on how west and east Pensacola view their city government. Even though District 2 was also underrepresented, 42 responses, Inweekly did not include it in the comparison because it covers the mid-Pensacola area.

West Pensacola had a significantly less favorable view of the direction of the city, with less than half believing it’s headed in the right direction.

Direction of the City

East

West

Difference

Right Wrong Not Sure No response

71.0% 8.7% 19.0% 1.2%

45.8% 18.9% 29.1% 6.2%

25.2% -10.2% -10.1% -5.0%

March 2014 North Hill protest of parole center / Courtesy Photo Only two city services received majorities of satisfied and very satisfied votes – Fire Services (68.3%) and Recycling & Sanitation Services (56.0%). (Note: Satisfied includes Very Satisfied and Satisfied responses; Dissatisfied includes Very Dissatisfied and Dissatisfied responses.)

Police, Value of Services, Recreational Services, City Information, and Cleanliness were the areas where West Pensacola most disagreed with East Pensacola.

Police Services

East

West

Difference

Satisfied Dissatisfied Neutral/ Unsure

79.8% 4.8% 15.5%

47.5% 14.0% 38.3%

32.3% -9.2% -22.8%

Value of Services

East

West

Difference

Satisfied Dissatisfied Neutral/ Unsure

63.5% 12.7% 23.8%

33.5% 33.5% 33.0%

30.0% -20.8% -9.2%

Recreational Opportunities

East

West

Difference

Satisfied Dissatisfied Neutral/ Unsure

66.3% 12.7% 21.0%

41.0% 24.6% 34.3%

25.3% -11.9% -13.3%

City Information

East

West

Difference

Satisfied Dissatisfied Neutral/ Unsure

60.3% 11.5% 28.2%

37.5% 30.4% 32.2%

22.8% -18.9% -4.0%

Fire Services

East

West

Difference

Satisfied Dissatisfied Neutral/ Unsure

85.7% 0.8% 13.5%

68.3% 8.8% 22.9%

17.4% -8.0% -9.4%

Recycling, Sanitation

East

West

Difference

Cleanliness

East

West

Difference

Satisfied Dissatisfied Neutral/ Unsure

75.8% 11.5% 12.7%

56.0% 20.7% 23.3%

19.8% -9.2% -10.6%

Satisfied Dissatisfied Neutral/ Unsure

65.9% 9.9% 24.2%

43.2% 29.1% 27.8%

22.7% -19.2% -3.6%

January 5, 2017

13

Several other city services also had double-digit margins of disagreement:

Athletic Facilities

East

West

Difference

Satisfied Dissatisfied Neutral/ Unsure

56.0% 7.5% 36.5%

35.7% 19.0% 45.3%

20.3% -11.5% -8.8%

City Sidewalks

East

West

Difference

Satisfied Dissatisfied Neutral/ Unsure

52.8% 16.3% 31.0%

32.6% 40.1% 27.3%

20.2% -23.8% 3.7%

April 2014 floods in East Pensacola / Courtesy Photo The Haas Center survey also graded the city services based on the responses. West Pensacola gave city services lower grades across the board.

Grades for City Services

Community Centers

East

West

Difference

Satisfied Dissatisfied Neutral/ Unsure

52.8% 6.3% 40.9%

38.8% 18.9% 42.3%

14.0% -12.6% -1.4%

City Streets

East

West

Difference

Satisfied Dissatisfied Neutral/ Unsure

50.8% 21.0% 28.2%

38.7% 35.7% 25.6%

12.1% -14.7% 2.6%

The one area where East and West agreed was in stormwater infrastructure. Neither side was satisfied with the city’s efforts.

Stormwater Infrastructure

East

Satisfied Dissatisfied Neutral/ Unsure

38.1% 29.4% 32.5%

West 30.4% 33.9% 35.7%

Difference 7.7% -4.5% -3.2%

East

West

Difference

4.08 B+

3.52 B-

4.45 A-

3.95 B

3.33 B-

2.93 C

3.41 B-

2.81 C

3.09 C+

2.85 C

3.69 B

3.16 C+

4.03 B+

3.46 B-

3.74 B

3.26 C+

3.74 B

3.24 C+

3.76 B

3.22 C+

Information

3.70 B

3.04 C+

Value

3.66 B

2.96 C

0.56

0.50

0.40

0.60

0.24

0.53

0.57

0.48

0.50

0.54

0.66

0.70

Police

Fire

City Streets

City Sidewalks

Stormwater

Cleanliness

Recycling

Community Centers

Athletic Facilities

Recreational Opportunities

The complete survey is available with the online version of this article on inweekly.net.

414 1

inweekly.net

calendar

Cinderella In Two Acts

THURSDAY 1.5

WORK ON FLORIDA TRAIL 8 a.m. Regular

By Jennifer Leigh fantasy world of magic pumpkins and glass slippers is brought to life, more colorful and spectacular under the direction of Mark Brokaw, who has credits that include "The Lyons," "The Constant Wife" and "Cry-Baby."

Starring in her first national tour is Tatyana Lubov playing the title character, Ella, joining the ranks of icons who have stepped into the role for decades. The Tonywinning show has all of your favorite moments from the story, including a few twists, according to the website. It's a new take on a tale you've heard over and over again, but you haven't seen it quite like this. {in}

meet up of Western Gate Florida Trail Association to work on National Scenic Trail and side trail. Meet at Blackwater River Forestry Center, 11650 Munson Highway. meetup.com/ftawesterngate LA LECHE LEAGUE 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Free.

Ever’man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org ATLAS BEVERAGE CLASS 5 and 7 p.m. New York, 1925. $20 per person. Atlas Oyster House, 600 S. Barracks St. greatsouthernrestaurants.com WINE TASTING AT AWM 5 p.m. Aragon Wine Market, 27 S. 9th Ave. aragonwinemarket.com

INDIAN VEGETARIAN COOKING WITH YASMIN 6-8 p.m. $10-$15. Ever’man Education-

al Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org

DINNER AND A MOVIE AT IMOGENE THEATRE 6:30 p.m. Movie is “Forrest Gump”

The story of Cinderella has been told and retold countless times since it was originally published in 1697.

It's a story that needs little to no explanation—nearly everyone has seen at least some version of it, and most likely the 1950 animated Disney classic.

In 1957, the story was adapted into a made-for-TV musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein, which aired on CBS and starred none other than Julie Andrews, who had just finished playing Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady" on Broadway.

More than 100 million people viewed the broadcast, the largest audience in history at the time. The recent "Hairspray Live" production on NBC had 8.9 million for perspective.

It was the only Rodgers and Hammerstein musical specifically written for television. According to a review from the

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"New York Times," about the show, it had a few songs that were "quite a treat" according to the reviewer, Jack Gould.

"Some current [Broadway] musicals cannot boast as much melodically," he wrote.

He also added that Andrews was a "beguiling vision."

The show would be remade in 1965 and again in 1997 starring Brandy Norwood as the title character and Whitney Houston as the fairy godmother. And in one of its more recent reincarnations, the musical went to Broadway in 2013 with a new book

by Douglas Carter Beane. While on its national tour, it's set to visit Pensacola next week.

The Rodgers and Hammerstein songs such as "In My Own Little Corner" "Impossible" and "There's Music in You" are all included in the two-act production. The

RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN’S CINDERELLA

food from Pensacola Cooks Kitchen. $12. Imogene Theatre, 6866 Caroline St., Milton. cookingschoolsofamerica.com/ pensacolacooks

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11 WHERE: Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox COST: $58-$78 plus service charge DETAILS: pensacolasaenger.com

FRIDAY 1.6

BROADWAY AT THE SAENGER

See all of your favorite Broadway shows without leaving Pensacola by subscribing to the Saenger Theatre’s Broadway in Pensacola series. You can retain seats of your choice year after year and don’t have to worry about waiting in line when tickets go on sale. Plus, subscribers get advance notice of shows and free ticket insurance. For more information, visit pensacolasaenger.com.

Here’s a look at the shows coming up in 2017: CHICAGO — Feb. 4 ONCE — March 1 MAMMA MIA! — April 19

NATURAL REMEDIES FOR YOUR GARDEN

10-11 a.m. Free. Ever’man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org PILATES MAT WITH EMILY 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Free. Ever’man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org NEW YEAR NEW ME: RED BEANS & DIRTY RICE DINNER CLASS 3:30-5 p.m. $30.

SoGourmet, 407-D S. Palafox. sogourmetpensacola.com MARDI GRAS KICK OFF CELEBRATION 5 p.m. Join Pensacola Mardi Gras Inc. for The Wind Creek Pensacola Mardi Gras Kick Off Celebration this Friday. Entertainment starts at 5 p.m. The event will also include king cake and a ceremonial blessing of the floats. The event will take place downtown. facebook.com/pensacolamardigras WINE TASTING 5-7 p.m. Free. City Grocery, 2050 N. 12th Ave. HAPPY HOUR COOK OUTS 5 p.m. Drink specials, free cookout. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

Feeling Cheated by Volkswagen Diesel?

Did you buy a 2009-2015 VW because you wanted an environmentally friendly car that got great mileage? Recently, VW has admitted they programmed cars to cheat emissions tests so their cars appeared more economical and environmentally friendly. You may have a claim for:

•Diminished value of your car, •Unfair and deceptive advertising and trade practices, •Several other violations and misrepresentations.

We are reviewing these cases now at no cost to you. If you have a 2009-2015 Volkswagen diesel or certain 2014-2015 Porsche or Audi diesels, we would be happy to talk to you about your potential claim. Call us now to discuss how you can seek justice for this misrepresentation to you, the innocent consumer.

127 Palafox Place, Suite 100 Pensacola, FL 32502 | 850-444-0000 www.stevensonklotz.com

www.radiofreepensacola.com 15

calendar VINYASA YOGA 6-7 p.m. Free. Ever’man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org DATE NIGHT DANCING 6:30-8:30 p.m. Learn the basics of several ballroom and country dance styles. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. $10. dancecraftfl.com ICE FLYERS VS. MACON MAYHEM 7:05 p.m. $15-$29. Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. pensacolabaycenter.com OPEN MIC 7-11 p.m. Single Fin Cafe, 380 N. 9th Ave. facebook.com/singlefincafe BLACK JACKET SYMPHONY PRESENTS: PINK FLOYD’S DARK SIDE OF THE MOON 8 p.m.

$25-30. Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. pensacolasaenger.com AFTER GAME SKATE 9:30 p.m. $9-$12.

Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. pensacolabaycenter.com

SATURDAY 1.7

SANTA ROSA FARMERS MARKET 8 a.m.-1

p.m. Fresh local produce, honey, baked goods and live music. Pace Presbyterian Church, Woodbine Road, Pace.

CLEAN UP WITH OCEAN HOUR 8:45 a.m.

All supplies are provided. Naval Live Oaks Headquarters is on Highway 98 about two miles east of Gulf Breeze on the right. For more information, contact oceanhourfl@ gmail.com.

PALAFOX MARKET 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Fresh produce, live plants, baked goods, fine art and antiques are just a few of the items offered

at the weekly Palafox Market. Items originate directly from participating vendors, including dozens of local farmers, home gardeners and area artists. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza, N. Palafox. palafoxmarket.com COOKING DEMONSTRATIONS 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

"Eat with the Seasons." Palafox Market.

Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza, N. Palafox. palafoxmarket.com DEBBY’S KITCHE N 10 a.m.-12 p.m. $10-$15.

Ever’man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org.

GIRL RISING MOVIE SCREENING 1-4 p.m. Free.

Ever’man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org.

KING CAKE PARTY 3 p.m. The Mystic Krewe of Nereids will kick off the 2017 season with their annual King Cake Party. Boogie Inc. and the Nick Black Band will provide music.

Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via De Luna Dr. paradisebargrill.com DANCE PARTY 8 p.m.-midnight. Strictly ballroom. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. $10. dancecraftfl.com HONEY ISLAND SWAMP BAND 8 p.m. $10. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. vinylmusichall.com IMPROVABLE CAUSE 10:30 p.m. $10. Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. pensacolalittletheatre.com

brisk one to two-hour walk with brunch to follow at an area restaurant.

BEAUTIFUL BEGINNINGS BRIDAL EXPO 11 a.m. $10-$12. Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. pensacolabaycenter.com ELVIS BIRTHDAY PARTY All day. Free admission for anyone dressed at Elvis Presley.

Rosie O’Grady’s, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

SUNDAY 1.8

TUESDAY 1.10

Park, Scenic Highway at Summit Ave., for a

6:30 p.m. Hilton Garden Inn Pensacola

WAKE UP HIKE 7 a.m. Meet at Bay Bluffs

MONDAY 1.9

ECUA GREEN WAVE COMING 12-1 p.m. Free.

Ever’man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org PILATES MAT WITH EMILY 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Free. Ever’man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org QUICK AND EASY SKILLS 101: VINAIGRETTE CLASS 4:15-5 p.m. $20. SoGourmet, 407-D

S. Palafox. sogourmetpensacola.com

SEVILLE QUARTER MILERS 5:30 p.m. Run-

ners meet in front of Seville Quarter for a run around downtown Pensacola. Free pasta and drink specials after the run at Fast Eddie's. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com CCFA 6:30-7:30 p.m. Free. Ever’man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org

COME MEET THE WOMEN OF IMPACT 4:30-

Airport, 1144 Airport Blvd. impact100pensacola.org COMPLEMENTARY WINE TASTING 5 -7 p.m.

SoGourmet, 407-D S. Palafox. sogourmetpensacola.com FUNKY YOGA FLOW 6-7 p.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org DANCE LESSONS 6:30 p.m. Country, Swing, and Ballroom. Professional partner dance instruction for all skill levels. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. $10. dancecraftfl.com MEDITATION /PRANIC HEALING 7:15-8:30 p.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org TUNESDAY SOUND CAFE 7:30 p.m. Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and tunes from the baby grand piano. Pensacola Library lobby, 239 North Spring St.

WEDNESDAY 1.11

VINO MAGNIFICO 5:30 p.m. $10. V. Paul's

Italian Ristorante, 29 S. Palafox.

RESTORATIVE YOGA 6-7 p.m. Free.

Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org WATERBOYZ SLOW SKATE 6-7 p.m. Every Wednesday. Skate starts and ends at Waterboyz, 380 N. 9th Ave. waterboyz.com

for more listings visit inweekly.net

FEATURING SALAD WITH A FRESH CAUGHT FISH OF THE DAY EVERY DAY IN JANUARY + plenty of paleo, gluten free, and healthy options to help you keep those New Year resolutions

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January 5, 2017

17

DIFFERENCE MAKERS PEN AIR COMMITS TO A VISION PARTNERSHIP WITH ACHIEVE ESCAMBIA On Wednesday, December 7th, Pen Air Federal Credit Union presented a gift commitment in the amount of $75,000 to Achieve Escambia at its corporate headquarters on Nine Mile Road. Achieve Escambia will receive the gift in $15,000 annual installments over a period of five years. This donation represents Pen Air’s investment toward improving education and workforce outcomes in Escambia County.

“It is truly an honor to be involved with such an amazing initiative, and I am thrilled that Pen Air has partnered with Achieve Escambia,” said Karen McCart, AVP of Training and Development for Pen Air and Operational Support Team member for Achieve Escambia.

“We understand the critical need for education readiness and the cradle to career mission. Our efforts, enthusiasm and financial contribution will assist with shaping our future employees and leaders.”

“We are very grateful to Pen Air for investing in Achieve Escambia with this long-term commitment,” said Greg Voss, CEO of Achieve Escambia. “Pen Air’s generosity helps us build the momentum needed to sustain our program, and shows how strongly they are dedicated to improving the educational outcomes of children in our community.”

Achieve Escambia would like to thank Pen Air for joining us in our shared vision to empower every generation to achieve success, from cradle to career. We are grateful for the support of all of our partners, and would like to welcome Pen Air to the partnership.

Photo Caption: Pictured are representatives of Pen Air and Achieve Escambia. Left to right: Dana Mullins, Angie Betts, Carroll Scarborough, Greg Voss, David Lancaster, Stewart Ramsey, Anje Courtney, Pamela Hatt, and Maritza Woodfaulk.

Sponsored by The Studer Family 818 1

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news of the weird OH-SO-SWEET DREAMS The Hastens workshop in Koping, Sweden, liberally using the phrase "master artisans" recently, unveiled its made-to-order $149,900 mattress. Bloomberg News reported in December on Hastens' use of superior construction materials such as pure steel springs, "slow-growing" pine, multiple layers of flax, horsehair lining (braided by hand, then unwound to ensure extra spring), and cotton covered by flame-retardant wool batting.

With a 25-year guarantee, an eight-houra-day sleep habit works out to $2 an hour.

(Bonus: The Bloomberg reviewer, after a trial run, gave the "Vividus" a glowing thumbs-up.)

THE JOB OF THE RESEARCHER Humans are good at recognizing faces, but exceptionally poor at recognition when the same face's features are scrambled or upside down. In December, a research team from the Netherlands and Japan published findings that chimpanzees are the same way—when it comes to recognizing other chimps' butts. That suggests, the scientists concluded, that sophisticated recognition of rear ends is as important for chimps (as "socio-sexual signaling," such as prevention of inbreeding) as faces are to humans.

SUSPICIONS CONFIRMED Humanity has accumulated an estimated 30 trillion tons of "stuff," according to research by University of Leicester geologists—enough to fit over 100 pounds' worth over every square meter of the planet's surface. The scientists, writing in the Anthropocene Review, are even more alarmed that very little of it is ever recycled and that buried layers of technofossils that define our era will clutter and weigh down the planet, hampering future generations. (Don't just think of "garage sale" stuff, wrote Mother Nature News; think of every single thing we produce.)

FINER POINTS OF THE LAW A federal appeals court agreed with a jury in December that Battle Creek, Michigan, police were justified in shooting (and killing) two hardly misbehaving family dogs during a legal search of a house's basement. Mark and Cheryl Brown had pointed out that their dogs never attacked; one, an officer admitted, was "just standing there" when shot and killed. The officers said that conducting a thorough search of the premises might have riled the dogs and threatened their safety. (Unaddressed was whether a dog might avoid being shot if it masters the classic trick of "playing dead.")

BRIGHT IDEAS The Immigrants Wanted to Believe: For about 10 years, organized crime rings operated a makeshift U.S. "embassy" in a rundown pink building in Accra,

by Chuck Shepherd

the capital of Ghana, issuing official-looking identification papers, including "visas" that theoretically permitted entry into the United States. The U.S. State Department finally persuaded Ghanian officials to close it down, but it is unknown if any purchasers were ever caught trying to immigrate.

The "embassy," with a U.S. flag outside, had well-spoken "consular officers" who reportedly collected about $6,000 per visa.

C O M I N G S E P T E M B E R 2 0 TH

SEX TOYS IN THE NEWS (1) The government in Saxony, Germany, chose as thirdplace winner of its 2016 prize for innovation and start-up companies the inventor of the ingenious silent vibrator (leading to shaming of the economy minister Martin Dulig, now known as "Dildo Dulig"). (2) An unknown armed robber made off with cash at the Lotions and Lace adult store in San Bernardino, California, in December—although employees told police they angrily pelted the man with dildos from the shelves as he ran out the door.

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINALS Not Ready for Prime Time: (1) Leonard Rinaldi, 53, was arrested in Torrington, Connecticut, in November following his theft of a rare-coin collection belonging to his father.

The coins were valued at about $8,000, but apparently to make his theft less easily discoverable, he ran them through a Coinstar coin-cashing machine—netting himself a cool $60. (2) James Walsh was arrested in Port St. Lucie, Florida, on Dec. 12 at a Wal-Mart after carting out an unpaid-for big-screen TV. Walsh said he had swiped a TV on Dec. 11 with no problem—but failed to notice that, on the 12th, the store had a "shop with a cop" event at which St. Lucie County deputies were buying toys for kids.

ORDER NOW ON

A NEWS OF THE WEIRD CLASSIC Update: Every several years, News of the Weird helpfully reminds readers of what is one of the planet's most bizarre local customs: the Christmas tradition in Spain's Catalonia region of decorating Nativity scenes with figurines of traditional Catalonians and famous people, each squatting to answer nature's calls. The update this year, of course, is the availability of squatting Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, joining past presidents (including the all-time best-seller, President Obama), Queen Elizabeth and Pope Francis. (Perhaps the least-tone-deaf explanation for the tradition is that if the manger is fertilized, the coming year's crops can be expected to flourish.) {in}

From Universal Press Syndicate Chuck Shepherd’s News Of The Weird © 2015 Chuck Shepherd

Send your weird news to Chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, Fla., 33679 or weirdnews@earthlink.net, or go to newsoftheweird.com January 5, 2017

19

Independent News | January 5, 2017 | inweekly.net