Inweekly July 7 2022 Issue

Independent News | July 7, 2022 | Volume 23 | Number 27 | Photos Courtesy of Pensacola Museum of Art

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winners & losers

outtakes

4

5

news 6, 8

It was just a good excuse to have fun.

best of the coast ballot

buzz 10

12, 13

publisher Rick Outzen

graphic designer Bethany Stewart

editor & creative director Joani Delezen

contributing writers Gina Castro, Savannah Evanoff, Jennifer Leigh, Jeremy Morrison, Sydney Robinson, C.S. Satterwhite, Tom St. Myer

contact us info@inweekly.net

a&e 15

Independent News is published by Inweekly Media, Inc., P.O. Box 12082, Pensacola, FL 32591. (850)438-8115. All materials published in Independent News are copyrighted. © 2022 Inweekly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

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oper has been named a Pensacola State College Foundation Fellow, only the ninth Foundation Fellow since the college's inception in 1948. A PSC Foundation Fellow is an honorary title bestowed on individuals and families who have worked to strengthen PSC through their influence and significant financial contributions. Reeves has given $260,000 to the college and now has an endowed scholarship in his name. He has also helped raise substantial funds for other endowed scholarships.

CAROL MOORE The National Association of

Legal Investigators (NALI) presented the chief environmental investigator for the Levin Papantonio Rafferty law firm with its National Director's Award in recognition of her more than 35 years of dedicated service to the organization. Moore has served NALI as national director, assistant national director, national secretary, Region III director, committee chair and annual conference host. The citation noted that her professionalism and skill as a legal investigator exemplify the character traits of a NALI member.

JEWELERS TRADE SHOP The Davis family and

Jewelers Trade Shop have committed a $100,000 gift to Baptist Health Care Foundation. The Foundation will name the imaging/cardiology waiting area, which is located on the first floor of the new Baptist Hospital campus, in honor of the Davis family for this gift. The new campus, currently under construction at I-110 and Brent Lane, is scheduled to open in fall 2023. Jewelers Trade Shop has been a well-respected and highly regarded business in Pensacola since 1956. Throughout the years, the family has supported several nonprofit organizations and their missions in the community.

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PENSACOLA Resonance Consultancy named the city to the top 100 list in its 2022 America's Best Cities Report. The smallest city on the list, Pensacola ranked 81st overall, 10th in income equality and 20th in parks and outdoors. Pensacola also ranked 46th in place and 51st in prosperity. The place category analyzes weather, safety, neighborhoods, parks and outdoors, and the prosperity category analyzes household incomes, unemployment rates, income equality and the number of Fortune 500 headquarters.

losers MORATORIUM EXPIRATION The longstanding Congressional moratorium protecting the eastern Gulf of Mexico off Florida from offshore drilling expired at the end of June, leaving the area with less protection against oil industry pressure to open the area to leasing. The current moratorium was passed as part of the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006, which codified offshore oil and gas leasing in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico and established the Military Mission Line that forbids leasing east of that line. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a permanent East Gulf moratorium last fall as part of the Build Back Better Act. The U.S. Senate has yet to act on extending or making the moratorium permanent. Florida U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott have introduced a bill for a 10-year moratorium extension. In recent months, the Escambia County Commission, Santa Rosa Island Authority and Visit Pensacola have all issued resolutions and letters to elected officials asking for the existing moratorium to be made permanent. In 2020, President Trump issued an executive action to extend the current moratorium to 2032. However, such an action is not binding on future presidents. Only a Congressional moratorium carries the full weight of the law, offering the most complete protection against any attempt by a president to lease offshore lands for drilling.

DESANTIS CIVICS COURSE The Miami Her-

ald reported that several teachers expressed concerns about the governor's new statewide civics standards created under his Civics Literacy Excellence Initiative to make "virtuous citizens." Teachers said the new standards portray the founders as against the idea of the separation of church and state, downplay the role of the colonies in slavery and push conservative judicial theories. One government teacher said the standards have "a strong Christian fundamentalist way toward analyzing different quotes and different documents." The Florida Department of Education refuted those concerns, claiming its lessons are based on history, not ideology. The agency encouraged the public and media to review the coursework.

We will. inweekly.net

Practicing Since 1974 INJURED? outtakes

By Rick Outzen

(ALL TYPES OF ACCIDENTS)

ARRESTED? (ALL FEDERAL & STATE COURTS)

LIVE UP TO PROMISES When Escambia Children's Trust supporters pushed two years ago for voters to increase property taxes to help children and their families, they highlighted three facts as examples of where the funds would go to fill gaps in critical services.

Escambia County had the fourth-highest rate of child abuse, the third-highest juvenile arrest rate for Black males and 47th out of 67 Florida counties in child well-being. The trust would put money behind programs and initiatives that would reduce our need for jails, decrease juvenile delinquency, improve third-grade reading metrics and better prepare children for kindergarten.

We were told the trust and its annual tax revenue of about $8 million was necessary because the need outweighed our county, city and school district's resources. None of the funds would be used to duplicate or supplant the work of existing agencies.

The budget would be divided into three categories.

Eighty percent would be divided between "ready children" programs to ensure children from birth to age 5 "reach their full potential in terms of early childhood learning and development" and "ready families" programs that would "combat household challenges like child abuse and neglect, drug and alcohol dependencies and school discipline referrals."

The remaining 20% would address "ready youth," covering after-school activities, career readiness programs and other life-enrichment initiatives.

We were told the "ready children" budget would serve approximately 10,000 children— roughly 54% of all Escambia kids under 5. "Ready family" initiatives would aid about 1,000 families.

And on Nov. 3, 2020, Escambia voters overwhelmingly passed the referendum for the trust, 61%-39%.

So when the Escambia Children's Trust last month announced a request for proposals to develop an awareness campaign that highlights the importance of water safety and/or early childhood education, I was perplexed because while this community is surrounded by water and has over 18,000 children under 5 years old, I knew we had

very few child fatalities due to drowning, especially in our under-served, struggling neighborhoods.

I got on the Google machine and found the county had only averaged 1.2 child drowning deaths over the past five years. The one drowning death we've had this year was a 14-year-old in Bayou Grande. I guess an awareness campaign skirts around the law that says funds can't supplant to work of an existing agenda and falls into the "ready youth" category. Still, it didn't sit well because we know this county has more pressing needs in the "ready children" and "ready families" categories.

The trust's executive director defended the decision, explaining that the state legislature has prioritized water safety and required each public school to provide parents with information on the vital role water safety education courses and swimming lessons play in saving lives.

She pointed out that while state lawmakers passed this mandate on the school district, they provided no additional funding. She wrote, "We felt that the developing informational materials that could be used by the school district and identifying the availability of swim lessons would be valuable to the community."

But what about child abuse, juvenile arrests, third-grade reading, kindergarten readiness and children's overall health? Voters didn't tax themselves to pay for brochures on water safety.

I believe in the value of the Children's Trust, and I'm sure the staff and board of directors want to live up to the promises made to the public two years ago. But the trust has budgeted to hand out $18 million in the next fiscal year that begins Oct. 1—which means $7.2 million each should be for children from birth to age 5 and struggling families. Only $3.6 million should be handed out to after-school programs.

I suggest the board focus on our struggling elementary schools—Ensley, Global Learning, Oakcrest, Semmes and Warrington—and their surrounding neighborhoods. The trust should also look into the middle and high schools these kids later attend.

It's time to tighten up the grant process and live up to the promises made. {in} rick@inweekly.net

It's time to tighten up the grant process and live up to the promises made.

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WATER AND JAZZ whether it's rivers or lakes or shorelines or estuary areas or coastal areas; I think there's a lot of ways to be able to kind of get this to where the bay, Pensacola, is a pioneer here."

KEEPING IT LOOSE

Photo By Jeremy Morrison

By Jeremy Morrison Want to get deep? David Fires, a research scientist with the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, hopes so. This summer, he's launching a lecture series aimed at creating an intimate connection between people and the local watershed.

The Bayou Texar Frontiers in Science, Art & Design Virtual Seminar Series 2022 represents a diverse brain trust of thinkers—from astrophysicists to artists—that Fries envisions as a springboard into "a-ha moments" and a catalyst for a deeper relationship with the environment.

"I think good ideas—good talks, good ideas, people connecting and then wanting to be stimulated—leads to engagement, right?" the IHMC researcher explained recently to Inweekly.

This lecture series is a component of a larger project that IHMC has going with the Pensacola & Perdido Bay Estuary Program (PPBEP) to engage the public, particularly people living in proximity to Bayou Texar, as citizen scientists to create a sort of crowd-sourced data harvesting network designed to provide a rich ecological and cultural portrait of the bayou and its watershed.

Matt Posner, executive director of the estuary program, said that he could envision this lecture component of the project becoming an ongoing series and hopefully one that provides a template that can be transferred to other waterways as well.

"Certainly, it's an innovative approach," Posner said. "It'll be a great test case to see if the public buys into it."

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Fries also views this lecture series, as well as the overall project, as a test that could potentially provide a process that is cloneable and adaptable to any watershed and the community surrounding it. In this sense, the scientist views Bayou Texar as a frontier space ripe with opportunities to foster engagement.

"Part of my thinking is, by starting a couple of interesting topics into the space, the space then has many different ways to appreciate it," Fries explained. "There are so many science topics that can be tied onto it—biological, design, chemistry, physics. Just pick any subject, and you can then relate it back to the actual physical environment. That's what I'm trying to do with this series of speakers."

SCIENCE TO THE PEOPLE

Over the past couple of years, Fries has been working on his PPBEP-funded Citizen Science Water Quality and Habitat Monitoring Network project. The project involves enlisting the public in the collection of information about Bayou Texar and its watershed.

To accomplish this public engagement, Fries and his team have reached out to people living near the bayou, to people who already observe daily the evolution of that natural environment. In addition to observations in the form of accounts or photos of the bayou and its various elements, from water quality to fish and plants, the project also includes equipping waterfront property owners with the necessary equipment to measure data like turbidity or sedimentation.

"Ultimately, the grand vision is really kind of a fusion of technology and ecology," Fries said.

"This is about humans and machines and nature working together to ultimately create a better understanding of the natural setting."

The Bayou Texar watershed, with its residential setting, community access and also known water-quality challenges due to issues such as runoff, makes for an ideal testing ground. Fries sees it as "just a fantastic experimental space" that allows researchers to test their citizen-science efforts before adapting them for areas with different environmental and societal compositions, such as the more industrial and polluted Bayou Chico.

"Over time, there'll be other communities that want to adopt what we're doing," Fries said. "This spreads well beyond Texar or Chico or just the bay; it goes into other areas."

As this project continues, an increasingly data-rich picture of the watershed will emerge— "this is very organic and will have multiple layers"—and this will provide researchers with the opportunity to conduct virtual research as well as transfer this model to other areas.

"That's where I'm really wanting to take this.

And I will take this to where we can create a digital twin of the waterways so that you can do an experiment on it in the cyberspace, in the computing space," Fries said. "You can then do predictions and look at things—not only making measurements, but those measurements can go into that model and make the model even better."

He continued, "So this is rich in terms of how it will grow. And I do think it's very scalable,

The lecture series component of this Bayou Texar citizen-science initiative is rather cerebral.

Housed within a virtual venue mirroring the Bayview Community Center on the bank of the bayou, Fries sees it as a sort of happy-hour TED Talk designed to spin heads, to get people thinking in hopefully novel and unique ways about interacting with their environment.

"The way I look at it, you know, 6 o'clock martini time, they can get stimulated with a good lecture, good topics, good ideas associated with the water, whether it's directly or indirectly," the IHMC scientist explained.

Instead of focusing only on direct and obvious connections to the waterfront, such as environmental issues like addressing sedimentation stemming from Carpenters Creek or runoff flowing from the surrounding watershed, Fries is opening up the series to speakers from more eclectic backgrounds with the intention of indirect relations geared to generate ideas not necessarily encountered in more traditional territories.

"It doesn't have to be someone who just paints, let's say, birds and fish. An artist could be doing fractal design, which is how nature designs many systems, using fractals," Fries said, providing an example. "It is, like, wide open," The first lecture on Wednesday, June 29, was

by Franco Lodato, a renowned designer. He draws inspiration from the natural world and has worked on projects for companies such as Google, Motorola, DuPont, Coca-Cola, Ferrari-Maserati and Boeing. In July, Cal-Tech astrophysicist George Djorgovski will offer a lecture, followed by Louisiana-based artist Tez in August.

"Part of the criteria is that they have to basically have a topic that somehow relates back to the watershed," Fries said, stressing that he's hoping to keep the criteria loose to leave as many doors of discoveries open as possible. "I would prefer looseness because that's where the interesting creativity comes in."

Of course, as this lecture series continues, there will be more traditional, hard-science presentations as well. But Fries looks to the more indirect angles—themselves tethered to the traditional science—to provide the unexpected, exciting and hopefully inspiring results.

"Some of them are going to have to talk about hard subjects, about things like pollution," the researcher said. "But I don't think it has to be such gloom and doom. It can be really inspiring also. And leaving it up to the speaker, the creativity they have, to me, that's where the jazz comes from." {in} The Bayou Texar Frontier in Science Art & Design Virtual Seminar Series 2022 will be unrolled in monthly installments. Designer Franco Lodato's June presentation is available on youtube. com/c/spiffwhitfield. inweekly.net

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NICE GUY LEAVES HOUSE

Jayer Williamson / Photo Courtesy of myfloridahouse.gov

By Rick Outzen Jayer Williamson is stepping away from politics to spend more time with his family and the business that his father started, Williamson Electrical Company, after serving six years in the Florida House of Representatives and two years on the Santa Rosa County Commission.

Williamson has been the most influential lawmaker in the Northwest Florida Delegation since Speaker Chris Sprowls appointed him as chairman of the Infrastructure & Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee to help guide the state's budgeting. The Infrastructure & Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee makes budget recommendations for Economic Opportunity, Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles, Military Affairs, State and Transportation departments.

As an appropriations subcommittee chairman, he also served on the full House Appropriations Committee. Williamson was only one of only seven House members appointed to the Joint Legislative Budget Commission, allowing him the opportunity to work with members of both the House and Senate on the state budgeting process.

To say his departure from state politics has left a big leadership void for our region is an understatement.

"Jayer really had a lot of influence in the appropriations committee," Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May told Inweekly. "He believes in community and helping people. Jayer doesn't see party line; he doesn't see Democrat, Republican, black or white, rich or poor. He understands the plight of the common man, and what a tre88

mendous loss it will be in the legislative for him to be stepping down and retiring."

When Inweekly sat down with Williamson, he first wanted to talk about the lessons he learned from his father, Santa Rosa County Commissioner Jim Williamson.

"The way I was raised, whether it was business or politics, my dad and my grandfather always said, ‘People do business with people,' and that's building the relationships with people," said the state lawmaker. "I think the most fun and the most important thing that I've done over the last six years in the legislature is just continuing to build relationships and foster them over the amount of time—whether it was a Democrat from Fort Lauderdale or a Republican from Hialeah, or anywhere across the state."

Williamson continued, "It didn't mean we had to agree on everything every single time, but we built that true friendship and respected each other for what we did. That way, I could go to them and try to get help. And then they knew they could come to me if they needed something and needed a vote out of the panhandle. That works both ways."

In Tallahassee, House leaders look at each incoming class of legislators and determine if they will be "show horses" or "workhorses." Williamson quickly earned the reputation of working hard and being able to have difficult conversations with his fellow lawmakers.

"Early on, with Matt Caldwell (R-North Fort Myers) being the chairman of Government Accountability, he pulled me in as vice-chair," Williamson shared. "In my second year, I got moved out of the 14th floor into the House office build-

ing. He really wanted to make sure that I was involved in making agendas and other stuff. And in the legislature, you have to deliver a lot of bad news. A bill's not being heard, a bill's not going to pass, I'm not voting for your bill, those things."

He added, "I think the key thing is just always being upfront and honest with people. I mean, so many people go to Tallahassee, and they try to never tell anybody no. Well, eventually, you got to vote on something. You got to go on the board.

And that's when everybody learns if you were telling them the truth or not."

"He navigated his way through the channels of leadership by being a good partner, a good friend with really high interpersonal skills."

Steve Barry Williamson adopted the attitude that whether the news was good or bad, he would always shoot them straight. He said, "It's hard to get too upset about that, but it makes your life a whole lot easier in Tallahassee."

Other advice that helped him in the Florida House was admitting that he didn't always know the answers. "Some of the most important words in politics that hardly ever get spoken are, ‘I don't know.' I've told people that have come to me and asked me about something, ‘I don't know the answer to that, but give me your number, give me your email, and I'll get you the answer.' There are so many things—whether you're talking about

health care, education, transportation or criminal justice—that I know a little bit about, but I don't know a whole lot about."

Williamson continued, "Whether it's city council, county commissioner or at the federal level, sometimes you just don't know, and that's OK. I mean, go research it and then get the person an answer and give them a truthful answer."

He had high praise for former State Rep. Clay Ingram (R-Pensacola), who served during Williamson's first term before leaving the Florida House due to term limits.

"When I went over to Tallahassee, Clay had a very good position in the Florida House. He was always really good about making sure that I didn't step on any landmines and shared things with me kind of so I could see the ball before it got to the plate a little quicker," said Williamson. "Clay was just a great mentor and friend—and Matt Caldwell as well."

He listed other lawmakers, including Jay Trumbell (R-Panama City), Travis Cummings (R-Jacksonville), Manny Diaz (R-Hialeah) and Ray Rodriguez (R-Estero), as leaders that cared about the institution of the Florida Legislature.

He has tried to follow their examples.

"Knowledge is power in Tallahassee. Many people don't want to share those stories of how to navigate the process because they don't want to give up a little bit of their knowledge," said Williamson. "But that's how you make the institution better. That's how you make representatives— Republicans and Democrats—better by sharing some of the stories where you misstepped or the little insight that you gained here and there. I've always tried to do that."

Because of his chairmanship, Williamson sat in on the late-night, closed-door budget conference meetings where the House and Senate leaders determine the final budget that will be sent to the governor. Williamson wouldn't share many details but did talk about how he survived the process.

"I was able to be in the room a lot of times that I probably shouldn't have been," he said. "People understand that whatever happens in that room would not leave the room if I'm in there."

Williamson added, "It's just an interesting process because it ebbs and flows. It gets fast; it slows down. But the key thing for me was just keeping my mouth shut and not sharing every little bit of information I knew."

Escambia County Commissioner Steve Barry attributed Williamson's success in the Florida House to his "high emotional IQ" and affability.

"Jayer didn't go to Tallahassee with a truck bed full of cash to automatically assume a leadership position," said Barry. "He navigated his way through the channels of leadership by being a good partner, a good friend with really high interpersonal skills. His rise in leadership is amazing, and you don't see that often."

He added, "Jayer's been a great partner when he was a county commissioner and a state representative. I've loved working with him; I've loved spending time with him. His leadership will be missed." {in} inweekly.net

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munity," said the District 1 school board member. "It shows it does make a difference. We have some children that didn't win the lottery for what they were born into, and they struggle every day—whether it's to figure out what they're going to eat each day and the clothes they're going to wear."

Adams added, "Whatever we can do to help those children and help those families in those areas, I'm for it."

VAX FOR 5 AND UNDER

Community Health Northwest Florida has begun providing COVID-19 vaccination for children between the ages 6 months and 5 C.A. Weis Ambassador Erin Hunt / Photo Courtesy of Community Health Northwest Florida years. This follows the final authorization of the COVNEW CLINIC Pine Forest High School will have ID-19 vaccine for this age group by the Centers for a Community Health Northwest Florida clinDisease Control and Prevention. ic when it opens in August, according to school Appointments are required. To schedule a vacboard member Kevin Adams. The clinic will be cination appointment for established CHNWF peopen to students, their families and the surrounddiatric patients, parent/guardian should contact ing neighborhoods, under the same model used at their child's primary care provider's office to be C.A. Weis Elementary. scheduled for an in-clinic vaccination appointment.

"We had a little hiccup there for a little bit," For children who are not established with a Adams told Inweekly. "Commissioner May had contacted me and let me know that we could have CHNWF pediatric primary care provider, parent/ guardian should contact the Community Health trouble with a construction site. But it's back on Northwest Florida COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center track. We're going to provide at least a portable at (850) 439-3358 to be scheduled at a designated for that clinic and hopefully attain the funding to CHNWF location. go ahead and make a permanent structure."

Additional Community Health Northwest Adams would like the high school to become Florida Pediatric Services information is available a community partnership school that also would on our healthcarewithinreach.org. bring Children's Home Society and the University of West Florida on campus.

"I met with Commissioner of Education Corco- SPY-GATE? Nate Monroe, a political reporter for the Gannett-owned daily newspaper in Jackran in Tallahassee about five years ago, and I recsonville, was followed by a consulting firm hired by ommended to him the 300 low-performing Florida Power & Light while on vacation with his schools all have community partnerships, with fiancé in Pensacola three years ago. all the wraparound services it takes for that com-

Monroe and his fiancé (now wife), Erin Kourkounis, both once worked at Pensacola News Journal. The couple was visiting Pensacola for a friend's wedding. According to documents leaked to the media, the FPL consultants continued to surveil the couple at least through 2020.

The Orlando Sentinel reported on Friday that while FPL has denied that it authorized or knew about the surveillance, records show employees of Matrix LLC, an Alabama-based consulting firm employed by the utility, shadowed Monroe throughout his critical coverage of a failed $11 billion purchase of Jacksonville's utility. FPL denied that its leadership was involved in spying on the reporter.

Last November, Councilwoman Jennifer Brahier told Inweekly publisher Rick Outzen on his morning radio show on WCOA 1370AM that she had been warned that FPL might come after her after the councilwoman questioned the utility's franchise agreement with the city.

Recently, she appeared on "Real News with Rick Outzen." When asked about the Orlando Sentinel article, Brahier said, "It would be chilling if it wasn't so expected, unfortunately. From the moment I took this on, people were like, ‘Well, you're stirring the pot. They're going to watch you,' and I thought that was so absurd because what I was doing had nothing to do, in my mind, with particularly FPL." She continued, "It was about the citizens of Pensacola having the most information possible so they could make the best decision for our city.

So to me, it wasn't a personal grudge or vendetta, and yet that seems to be a bit how they act, and it is scary, actually."

The councilwoman shared that a Jacksonville Electric Authority attorney had recently messaged her and asked if she was paying attention to the Monroe article and whether she was taking care of herself. Brahier told Inweekly, "The fact that someone from another city is asking me if I'm OK is a little bit horrifying."

She also shared that a state lawmaker had warned her last year that FPL was concocting a smear plan against her. "I'm just asking that we have enough information at the table to negotiate a good deal, once again, for the citizens of Pen-

sacola. But I couldn't believe they were actually talking about me while they were in Tallahassee, about the plans to discredit me."

The smear campaign never happened, but the utility later came under scrutiny and criticism for the spike in utility rates in January and February.

The city of Pensacola is still in negotiations with FPL on a new franchise agreement.

COUNCIL TACKLES CHARTER On June 27,

the Pensacola City Council held a four-hour workshop to run through the recommendations received from Charter Review Commission (CRC). Whatever changes the council ultimately signs off on will go before city voters on the November ballot.

While city council members dove deep into the particulars of the commission's various recommendations, they appeared to be generally accepting of the proposed changes to the charter.

"I honestly am incredibly impressed with the Charter Review Commission," said Councilwoman Jennifer Brahier, noting the commission's "very mindful" approach. "I think we have to lean towards understanding how much work they put into this and then back away from that carefully."

Council President Ann Hill agreed—"I didn't find very much offensive or objectionable."

The 2010 charter replaced a professional city manager with an elected mayor as Pensacola's chief executive officer. Some critics have been concerned that the switch vested too much power in the mayor's office with insufficient oversight from the council. To partially address this concern, one proposed charter allows city department heads to appeal a termination by the mayor to the council, which can overturn the firing via a majority-plus one vote.

City Council Executive Don Kraher had suggested the proposal to the CRC so that department heads could offer reports to the council without fear of being unilaterally terminated by the mayor without recourse. He believed that the absence of such recourse has resulted in department heads being less than forthcoming.

"I can tell you, in the past, department heads that have come before you have not given you 100% accurate information," Kraher said.

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Citing a recent misrepresentation about the number of police officers employed, Councilwoman Brahier said that she felt that offering department heads such an option was sufficient and that she doubted the recourse would be initiated except for "really extreme cases."

"Most people don't want their employment debated by us, for goodness sakes," she said.

The CRC made no recommendations on council salaries. However, Kraher suggested the council consider basing salaries on a state formula used by other local governing bodies— such as the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners and the county's school board members— which considers a municipality's population base and adjusts annually.

"It would, in essence, take it out of your hands, and you just go by the formula, and the formula is what the formula is," Kraher said, explaining that he felt the change would de-politicize the salaries.

"In my humble opinion, I think it takes the politics out of it."

Because there are several proposed changes to the charter, many unrelated, some of them amounting to clerical clean-ups, it remains to be seen just how they will be assembled on the ballot.

Kraher said that Election Supervisor David Stafford had expressed concerns about the amount of space such measures will take up on the fall ballot, suggesting some changes will be assembled together. In contrast, others will need to stand alone.

Kraher said, "It could potentially be a long ballot."

Councilman Jared Moore said that to avoid "voter fatigue," the council should consider lumping proposed changes together where appropriate. "It could quickly become overwhelming for the voter."

The council will further discuss the proposed charter changes on Monday, July 11. Once decisions have been made on which to put before the voters, city staff will begin the process of placing the measures on the November ballot.

LGBTQ+ GRANTS Sunday's Child, a Pensacola-

area nonprofit promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion and equality, awarded grants to four Pensacola Bay area charities on Sunday, June 26, at its eighth annual membership meeting.

The 174 members of Sunday's Child funded and selected the projects and initiatives by the Pensacola Mess Hall, Harvest Community Outreach, The Ella L Jordan African American Museum and Pensacola Humane Society. Each of the four organizations will receive $30,000 to fund their projects.

Pensacola Mess Hall will use the funds for the "Bias Inside Us" project, which will allow them to bring in an exhibition that demystifies the concept of bias through hands-on interactives, testimonials and videos to the Mess Hall and schools.

Harvest Community Outreach will now have sufficient dry and cold storage, enabling them to continue and expand their work to feed anyone in need without worrying about food spoilage.

The Ella L Jordan African American Museum renovation was nearly finished on the historical home, but they needed a bit more financial help July 7, 2022

to complete the project and open it to the public.

This grant has made that possible.

Finally, The Pensacola Humane Society will purchase an X-ray machine so injured pets brought into the shelter can be diagnosed and treated there, enabling owners to keep their pets and avoid euthanasia due to lack of funds.

"As always, it was difficult for our members to choose only four grant recipients out of so many great applications," said Trudy King, president of Sunday's Child. "It was an exciting afternoon for all of us and especially for the grant winners.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the grants process by giving their valuable time and skills this year."

Membership for 2023 is now open. For more information, visit sundayschild.org.

NEW SALVATION ARMY LEADERS The Salvation Army in Pensacola has welcomed new leaders, Captains Stephan and Ashlee Wildish. They assumed their position on Sunday, June 26, and have quickly settled into their new surroundings.

They are looking forward to getting to know the community and moving forward the ministry of The Salvation Army.

Salvation Army officers are periodically transferred to different locations, typically every threefive years. The Captains Wildish are enthusiastic and dynamic leaders and come to Pensacola from their previous appointment in Leon County, where for the last two years they were responsible for the programs and services of The Salvation Army of Tallahassee.

Captains Wildish come from a long history with The Salvation Army. Both are children of Salvation Army officer parents and have grown up in the ministry of the Army. They have been Salvation Army Officers (pastors) for 12 years and have served in various Virginia, Maryland and Florida communities. They bring with them three children and make it a point to involve their children in their ministry as well as being good citizens of their community. They both believe that together they can make change for good in their community through the ministry and work of The Salvation Army.

"It has been exciting to meet the people of Pensacola and discover the many opportunities for ministry here," said Captain Ashlee Wildish. "We look forward to meeting the needs of this community and ‘Doing the Most Good' alongside the staff, volunteers and supporters of The Salvation Army."

The couple is responsible for all church programs and social services at The Salvation Army. It includes the Community Center, Social Services, Shelter and providing Emergency Disaster Services and Spiritual Care to the community when needed.

"Many people don't realize that The Salvation Army is a church," said Captain Ashlee Wildish. "We invite everyone to join us for Worship each Sunday at 11 a.m. at The Salvation Army, located at 1501 N. Q St. We look forward to meeting you soon."

For more information about the programs and services available at The Salvation Army, visit salvationarmyflorida.org. {in} 11

▶rules Just like we have every summer for the last 22 years, we’re asking all of you to play favorites and vote in our Best of the Coast poll.

That means all of your most important opinions—like who really makes the best lattes in town—are finally going to be heard.

And don’t worry if you can’t get through the full ballot in one try. Voting is open through July 21, so you can take it one section at a time. You can also vote online if that’s more your style at inweekly.net. {in}

•No photocopies or faxes will be accepted.

•Vote in at least 15 categories. Ballots with fewer than 15 categories completed will not be counted.

•Ballots must be postmarked by July 21, 2022.

▶mail your ballot to

Best of the Coast c/o Inweekly, PO Box 12082, Pensacola, FL 32591

▶required info Name

Or vote online at inweekly.net now -July 21

Email

community, media & culture

services

health & wellness

Best Nonprofit

Best Gym Best Personal Trainer Best Boutique Fitness Studio Best Yoga Best Yoga Instructor Best Pilates Best Fitness Classes Best Fitness Instructor Best Bootcamp Best Weight Loss Program Best Running Club Best 5K Best Place to Walk/Run Best Place to Ride Your Bike Best Hospital Best General Care Physician Best Chiropractor Best Dentist Best Orthodontist Best Endodontist Best Pediatrician Best Mental Health Professional Best OB/GYN Best Optometrist Best Dermatologist Best Plastic Surgery Best Physical Therapy Best Pharmacy Best Walk-In Clinic

Best Music Venue Best Band Best Concert/Concert Series Best Theatre Production

Best Hair Salon Best Hair Stylist Best Hair Colorist Best Barber Shop Best Men's Hair Stylist Best Day Spa Best Massage Best Massage Therapist Best Pedicure Best Manicure Best Hair Removal Best Facial Best Esthetician Best Skin Care Overall Best Bank Best Credit Union Best Financial Advisor Best Accounting Firm Best Residential Real Estate Agency Best Commercial Real Estate Agency Best Real Estate Agent Best Boutique Hotel/Inn Best Hotel–Pensacola Beach Best Hotel–Pensacola Best Apartment Complex Best Architecture Firm Best Law Firm Best Attorney Best Insurance Agency Best Vet Best Dog Groomer Best Doggie Day Care/Boarding Best Dog Training Best Construction Company Best AC Company Best Landscaping Best Interior Designer Best Framery Best Tattoo & Piercing Studio Best Tattoo Artist Best Special Event Space Best Caterer Best Florist Best Portrait/Family Photography Best Car Wash/Detailer Best Oil Change Best Auto Service Shop Best Window Tinting Best Green Business

Best Comedian

Best New Business

Best Comic Book Store

Best Charity Event Best Place to Work Best Boss Best Community Leader Best Rising Leader Best Politician Best Advocacy/Activist Group Best Place to Take Out-of-Town Guests Best Day Trip Best Annual Event Best Food Event Best Parade Best Regular/Reoccurring Event Best Free Thing To Do Best Neighborhood Best Pensacola Landmark Best Public Park Best Pet-Friendly Park Best Playground Best Palafox Market Vendor Best Makers/Craft Market Best Reason to Attend a Blue Wahoos Game Best Reason to Attend an Ice Flyers Game Best Youth Sports/Rec Program Best Dance Studio Best After-School Activity Best Summer Camp Best Place for a Birthday Party Best Local Celebrity Best TV Station Best Radio Station Best Radio Personality Best Morning Radio Show Best Podcast Best Website/Blog Best Scandal Best Person or Business to Follow on Instagram Best Business to "Like" on Facebook Best Way To Get Cultured Best Art Gallery/Museum Best Artist Best Photographer

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retail Best Car Dealership Best Bicycle Shop Best Boutique Best Men's Apparel Best Women's Apparel Best Children's Apparel & Gifts Best Accessories Best Consignment Store Best Thrift Store Best Athletic/Outdoor Store Best Furniture Store Best Home Décor & Accessories Best Antiques Best Vintage Shop/Seller Best Maker/Artisan Best Gift Shop Best Place to Buy Greeting Cards/Stationery Best Place to Buy a Book inweekly.net

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weddings

Best Up-and-Coming Chef

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Best Waiter

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bars, drinks & nightlife

Best Bridal Store

Best Outdoor Dining

Best Bar Overall

Best Place to Rent a Tux

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Best Night Club

Best Bridal Make-up Artist

Best Place to Eat Healthy

Best Bar–Downtown

Best Wedding Hair Salon

Best Place to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

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Best Wedding Hair Stylist

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Best Bar–North Pensacola/Nine Mile Road

Best Wedding Planner/Coordinator

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Best Bar–West Pensacola/Perdido Key

Best Wedding Photography

Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant

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Best Photobooth

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Best Wedding Videography

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Best Gone-But-Not-Forgotten Restaurant

Best Daiquiris/Frozen Drinks

Best Place to Buy Bridesmaid Gifts

food

Best Bloody Mary

Best Place for a Rehearsal Dinner

*List the specific menu item if applicable

Best Place for Out-of-Town Guests to Stay

Best Uniquely Pensacola Dish

Best Place to Buy a Wedding Gift

Best Cup of Coffee

restaurants

Best Iced Coffee

Best Restaurant Overall

Best Latte

Best Restaurant–Downtown

Best Iced Tea

Best Restaurant–Cordova Area

Best Juices/Smoothies

Best Restaurant–East Hill

Best Pizza

Best Restaurant–North Pensacola/

Best Steak

Nine Mile Road

Best Burrito

Best Restaurant–West Pensacola/Perdido Key

Best Taco

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Best Soup

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Best Bread

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Best Sandwich

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Best Chicken Salad

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Best Greek Cuisine

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Best Breakfast Dish/Menu Item

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July 7, 2022

Best New Bar Best Happy Hour Best Drink Specials Best Cover Charge Worth Paying Best Day Drinking Best Drink Menu Best Specialty Cocktails Best Bushwacker Best Mimosa Best Martini Best Selection of Wine Best Margarita Best Signature Drink Best Selection of Beer on Tap Best Selection of Bottled/Canned Beer Best Brewery Best Local Beer Best Bartender Best DJ Best Drag Queen Best Sports Bar Best Sports Team Club Headquarters Best Neighborhood Bar Best Pet-Friendly Bar Best Hotel Bar Best Bar With a View Best Bar Ambiance Best Bar for Games Best Trivia Night Best Karaoke Night Best Bar for Live Music Best Bar Food

Or vote online at inweekly.net {in} 13

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inweekly.net

WEEK OF JULY 7-13

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

Walking the Line

By Hunter Morrison

"The Wrangler" by Dylan Nadsady / Photo Courtesy of Pensacola Museum of Art

Pensacola Museum of Art is currently showing an exhibition titled "Taking a Line for a Walk: 100 Years of Drawing and Printmaking." The exhibition highlights the diverse materials, techniques and subject matter artists have explored through drawing and printmaking over the last century.

"The goal of this exhibition is to highlight the different techniques and materials artists employ in the practice of drawing and printmaking," said Nicholas Croghan, the director of the Pensacola Museum of Art and curator of the exhibition.

"Mediums used range from metallic ink to crayon to thread. Various printmaking techniques include silkscreen, lithography, aquatint, woodcut and dye-sublimation on aluminum."

The exhibit features 40 pieces from world-renowned and local artists alike. Artists featured include Pablo Picasso, Käthe Kollwitz, Salvador Dali, Alexander Calder and others.

One of the most compelling pieces on display is Kollwitz's "Bauernkrieg Peasant War," which is a series of etched plates based on the Great Peasants' War that left over 100,000 armed peasants and farmers dead. The selection depicts the brutal treatment of these people, their rise to revolution in 16th-century Germany and their subsequent defeat and death.

"Although based on a historic event, she used this series as a way to criticize and protest the tragedies that unfolded across Europe during the first half of the 20th century," Croghan said.

July 7, 2022

"While finalizing the selections for this exhibition, the war in Ukraine weighed heavy on my mind and ultimately influenced the grouping of this and five other works that reference different conflicts over the last two centuries."

One of the underlying threads of the exhibition is the variety of ways in which artists express themselves and the joy that comes from making marks on a surface. Croghan says that this is well epitomized in Pensacola-based artist Dylan Nadsady's mural painting "The Wrangler," which was specifically created for "Taking a Line for a Walk."

"I wanted to have the wordplay come through with the intent of having it be more playful and more lighthearted," Nadsady said. "I just kind of played with composition and found a story through my love of creating different creatures and chimera. Eventually, I settled on this idea of a character who was kind of like a Bindi Irwin meets Mad Max sort of animal wrangler."

"The Wrangler" is a 98-by-68-inch mural that was made in about 30 hours. Although produced with latex paint, Nadsady says he created the piece like an ink drawing by laying a loose pencil drawing underneath.

"I used a projector to put the digital drawing that I did beforehand on the wall, and then afterward, I used fine brushes and moved the way into more painterly techniques," Nadsady said.

"It's in between a drawing and a painting that I found to be my comfort zone and kind of what I'm known for."

Nadsady said. "I want people to have fun with my art. If they get a smile and leave happy from looking at it, then that's fantastic. That's my goal."

"My hope is that this drawing leaves visitors smiling as they contemplate his unique juxtapositions and an imagined world where fish float through the air," Croghan added.

Other local artists featured in this exhibition include Jaime Diffee, Kenneth H. Jordan II and Gregory B. Saunders. In addition to the Pensacola Museum of Art, Saunders' art will soon be on display at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans.

"Saunders has one of the most unique drawings in the exhibition due, in part, to his process using powdered graphite," Croghan said. "His innovative approach involves manipulating the graphite through drawing, brushing, masking, mapping, scraping and sanding to create imagery that most people assume are photographs."

The majority of pieces that are on display in "Taking a Line for a Walk" come from the Pensacola Museum of Art's permanent collection, many of which have never been exhibited before. These pieces represent only a fraction of the over 700 works in the collection.

"We hope that permanent collection shows like this remind the Pensacola community that there are amazing works of art that belong to them and future generations," Croghan said.

Other works of art on display include selections from The Art Gallery at the University of West Florida and works on loan by contemporary American artists.

"Taking a Line for a Walk" showcases an array of unique artwork that spans over 120 years.

Croghan hopes that the art on display will help ground and reinvent one's way of looking at the world around them.

"Art has a unique ability to investigate the past, record a given place and time, invent the new and, in some instances, express the undefinable," Croghan said. "Woven throughout this show are a variety of artistic approaches that provide the viewer with a direct way to connect, understand and reconsider our world." {in}

Even though the mural portrays six detailed and whimsical creatures, Nadsady's favorite feature is the piece's namesake. After completing the original iteration, he later returned to redesign the wrangler's legs.

"I think that kind of moment of confidence and figuring out how close mural painting is to canvas painting, and how it's just more of a mindset, was my favorite part," Nadsady said. "That moment of just gaining how much everything came together. It was a good piece overall for me as a mural artist."

Nadsady says that it is a very humbling and joyous feeling to have his art on display in the same exhibition as Dali and Picasso.

"I grew up loving creature design in games, film and comics, and it's always humbling for me when I can do that in my art, especially client work," Nadsady said. "It was just a good excuse to have fun. Looking at other artists in the show and being able to have little references to Picasso and Dali with Surrealism, it was kind of a full moment of everything I wanted to do in drawing and painting put into one piece."

Both the artist and curator view Nadsady's piece as a fitting contrast to others on display in "Taking a Line for WHAT: An exhibition featuring the art of Picasso, Dali a Walk," which depict darker themes. and many other artists They hope that this piece will put a WHEN: On view now-Sept. 4 smile on museumgoers' faces.

WHERE: Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. "I hope they have fun with it DETAILS: pensacolamuseum.org because I had so much fun with it,"

"TAKING A LINE FOR A WALK: 100 YEARS OF DRAWING AND PRINTMAKING"

15

a&e happenings PENSACOLA BEACH AIR SHOW

The annual Pensacola Beach Air Show is Wednesday, July 6-Saturday, July 9. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels will headline all events, which culminate on Friday, July 8, with a full dress rehearsal, and Saturday, July 9, with the official air show. In addition to the Blue Angels, there will be military, aerobatic and stunt plane performers, as well as interactive exhibits, military recruitment stations and all types of vendors on the ground.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS BREAKFAST WITH THE BLUES "Breakfast

with the Blues" kicks off air show week around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 6, when the Blue Angels arrive and circle overhead to mark the show's coordinates and center points along Pensacola Beach.

BLUE ANGELS PRACTICE On Thursday, July 7, at 2 p.m., the Blue Angels hold a practice show over Pensacola Beach.

PENSACOLA BEACH AIR SHOW DRESS REHEARSAL Catch the dress rehearsal for the big

show on Friday, July 8. Flight demonstrations and civilian aerobatic performances begin at approximately 11 a.m., with the Blue Angels to be overhead at 2 p.m.

PENSACOLA BEACH AIR SHOW Saturday, July 9, marks the official Pensacola Beach Air Show and follows exactly Friday's dress rehearsal schedule. The pilots and demonstrations begin at 11 a.m. and are as follows: •Julian MacQueen flying his vintage 1943 Grumman Widgeon starting around 11 a.m.

•Veteran's Flight team, organized by Pensacola attorney and pilot Roy Kinsey, with about a dozen vintage Stearman biplane pilots from all over the Southeast, will be flying World War II and Korean War veterans over Pensacola Beach on Friday and Saturday.

•U.S. Coast Guard Air Sea Rescue demonstration will take place near the beach pier from an MH-65 Dolphin medevac helicopter.

Solo pilot Kevin Coleman will fly his Extra 300 SHP stunt plane.

•Pilots Ken Rieder and Adam Baker with Redline Aerobatic Team fly in their signature red and

616 1

black stunt planes to perform opposing stunts and inverted maneuvers and formations.

•Stunt pilot Skip Stewart will fly in his red, white and black-checkered biplane, Prometheus.

•Patty Wagstaff, the first woman to win the title of U.S. National Aerobatic champion and a six-time member of the U.S. Aerobatic Team, will take the sky over Pensacola Beach.

•Solo pilot Gary Ward will close out the civilian acts in his green and purple MX2 aircraft.

•At 2 p.m., look to the Gulf horizon as a famous C-130J aircraft, known as Fat Albert, followed by six signature blue and gold F-18 Super Hornets, make their way over Pensacola Beach.

For the next 50 minutes, spectators will get a glimpse of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels' aeronautic maneuvers, like the Diamond Dirty Loop, the Double Farvel, the Vertical Pitch, the Fleur-de-Lis, the Opposing Knife-Edge pass and the crowd-favorite Sneak Pass.

EXTENDED PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION FOR PENSACOLA BEACH AIR SHOW The

Santa Rosa Island Authority is extending public transportation hours along the island on Friday, July 8, and is adding extra buses to the schedule on Saturday, July 9. On Friday, July 8, the SRIA's three free open-air trolleys will begin transporting customers starting at 7:30 a.m. and extend their service to Park East, located a mile east of Portofino Resort, until 6 p.m. Following that, the regular route will resume until midnight.

On Saturday, July 9, starting at 6:30 a.m., the SRIA will have seven buses in addition to the three open-air trolleys running and will extend their service area to Park East until 6 p.m. Following that, the three open-air trolleys will resume normal operations until midnight.

On Friday and Saturday, buses and trolleys will service passengers from Park East and Park West to Casino Beach throughout the day. Postshow, trolleys servicing Portofino Resort/Park East will be staged on Via de Luna directly across from Santa Rosa Island Authority (facing east).

Trolleys servicing Park West will be staged on Ft. Pickens Road adjacent to The Sandshaker (facing west).

Due to extreme traffic and congestion buildup on Friday and Saturday, trolley service to the access road stops (Grand Marlin, Radical Rides/Laguna's, Quietwater Beach and the Boardwalk) will be temporarily suspended until 6 p.m.

The SRIA wants to remind all passengers that they will only be picked up and dropped off at designated trolley stops.

Passengers who wish to get back to their vehicles as soon as the air show ends need to be on the first fleet of buses leaving Casino Beach post show. Due to the gridlock that occurs immediately following the air show, riders should expect to wait as long as 90 minutes for the trolleys or buses to return to Casino Beach if they are not on the first trip out.

The official 2022 Pensacola Beach Air Show will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday.

NONPROFITS & FUNDRAISERS

CAT AND KITTEN ADOPTIONS Animal Allies will be at Pet Supermarket, 6857 N. Ninth Ave., from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturdays, July 9 and 16, and Everett Animal Welfare Group will be at PetSmart, on North Davis Highway, noon-4 p.m. If you can't adopt, you can talk about opportunities to donate, foster or volunteer. All cats are up to date on shots, and adoption fee includes spay or neuter with microchip.

ANIMAL ALLIES BINGO Animal Allies Florida

is hosting Bingo at Scenic Hills Country Club, located at 8891 Burning Tree Road, twice a month.

Dates are July 12 & 26, Aug. 9 & 23, Sept. 6 & 20, Oct. 4 & 18, Nov. 8 & 22 and Dec. 6 & 20. Proceeds go to help local animals. The fun starts at 7 p.m. $10 gets you 30 cards. Winners share the pot.

Food and drink will be available for purchase. You must be 18 years old to play.

LIFE'S A DANCE: BENEFITTING JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT Life's A Dance 2022 will

showcase a star-studded evening of dance featuring world professional championship dancers Shannon and Shane Jensen; Instagram and TikTok superstars Miranda and James Derrick; cast members of Dancing with the Stars from ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," including Daniella Karagach, Pasha Pashkov, and Tristan MacManus.

All will be performing a variety of dances, from the samba to salsa. Local celebrity couples will dazzle onlookers in a competition of both fundraising and dance skill. The show is 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, June 30, at the Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. Tickets are $38-$203. Visit pensacolasaenger.com for details.

ARTS & CULTURE

BODACIOUS BIBLIOPHILES: MONTHLY BOOK CLUB Join the Bodacious book club

Tuesday, July 12, at 5 p.m. at Bodacious Bookstore and Café, 110 E. Intendencia St. This month, the club discusses "Book Lovers" by Emily Henry. Visit facebook.com/bodaciousbookstore for details.

DIY PENSACOLA PRESENTS MOVIE + SHOW Jugs of Water, Obituary and more will

be performing, plus a screening of "Chinatown" will be live at the Bugg House. Music begins at 6 p.m. and movie begins at dark. Visit facebook. com/diypensacola for more details.

SAENGER BRINGS SUMMER MOVIES SERIES BACK TO THE BIG SCREEN The Grand

Dame of Palafox will once again open her doors to the community with a selection of seven films this summer. Tickets for the Saenger Classic Movie Series will go on sale to the public on Friday, July 8, at 10 a.m. at the Saenger Theatre Box Office, located at 22 E. Intendencia, or on the night of each movie beginning at 6 p.m. Prices for admission remain at $5 per person for general admission seating. Tickets are only available for purchase at the Saenger Theatre Box Office.

Dates: July 16 - Titanic July 23 - An Affair to Remember Aug. 13 - Saturday Night Fever Aug. 27 - Jail House Rock Sept. 3 - The Princess Bride Sept. 10 - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Sept. 17 - Resident Evil

WHAT'S SHOWING AT PENSACOLA CINEMA ART PCA is located at the Studer Communi-

ty Institute, 220 W. Garden St. "Downton Abbey: A New Era" will be showing at 1 p.m. on Friday, July 22, and Saturday, July 23. Classic films are available for free through the PCA website. Visit pensacolacinemaart.com for more information and the latest showtimes.

THE GLORIOUS GALA OF GAGA & MONSTER BALL DRAG SHOW Enjoy a night of

music and glamour inspired by Lady Gaga and hosted by drag royalty Monica Heart. The event begins at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 22. Listen to Lady

inweekly.net

a&e happenings Gaga hits, take professional photos and bring your dollars for a Lady Gaga-themed drag show.

Free admission, but a $5 cash surcharge for attendees under 21. Visit vinylmusichall.com for more information.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND MENTAL HEALTH: STRATEGIES FOR PERSONAL WELLBEINGJoin licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Paige Spencer as she discusses eco-anxiety and a variety of techniques for treating those who are anxious about environmental and climate issues Tuesday, July 12, at 5:30 p.m. at Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St. This presentation is part of a regular presentation series on climate change and clean energy sponsored by 350 Pensacola. For more information, visit 350pensacola@gmail.com.

LIFE DRAWING GROUP AT ARTEL Artel's life

drawing group meets every Monday, except holidays, from 6-9 p.m. in Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox.

For more information, contact Melvin at (850) 549-8783 or visit artelgallery.org.

JACQUELINE SULLIVAN PAINTING WORKSHOP Jacqueline Sullivan will be teaching in Pensacola July 18-22 for Palette Productions Pensacola. This class is about painting abstractly with acrylics and using acrylic mediums and will emphasize taking shapes and elements out as well as adding new ones, always looking for a balance of simplicity and complexity. There is a small fee for supplies, so you will not have to invest in a lot of materials for the class. Join the class by registering at paletteproductions.net. For questions, call Pat Page at (850) 293-5414 or Diane Goeller at (850) 384-3652.

PENSACOLA ARTS MARKET Enjoy shopping

for a variety of handcrafted wares at Pensacola Arts Market Saturdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at 1401 W. Intendencia St. Enjoy art, espresso, vintage goods, baked treats, handcrafted unique gifts and more. Admission is free. For more information, visit facebook.com/pensacolaartsmarket.

EASY GOING GALLERY ART MARKET Every Sunday, Easy Going Gallery and Carter J Studios present a weekly art market Sundays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Easy Going Gallery, located at 701 N. V St. Enjoy art, espresso, vintage goods, baked treats, handcrafted unique gifts and more. Vendors can participate for a $20 fee. For more information, contact easygoinggalleryart@gmail.com.

THE MAROON MARINES: ARCHAEOLOGY AT PROSPECT BLUFF A new temporary exhibit

at The Destination Archaeology Resource Center, located at 207 E. Main St., features the story of the largest free black settlement in what is now the United States. This exhibit is sponsored by City of Pensacola Councilmember Teniadé Broughton.

During the War of 1812, a fort was built by Black British Colonial Marines and Indigenous people along the Apalachicola River. Called "Negro Fort" by American officials, it eventually became the center of the largest free Black settlement in what is now the United States. When the war ended, the U.S. believed the fort threatened the institution of slavery and must be destroyed.

To the Maroon people who lived there, however, July 7, 2022

the fort at Prospect Bluff was a beacon of freedom worth fighting for.

For more information, visit fpan.us.

HARMONY DISCORD Harmony Discord is the latest art exhibit at First City Art Center's Gallery 1060, located at 1060 N. Guillemard St. The exhibit is on view through July 30. Visit firstcityartcenter.org for more information.

GOODS OF DESIRES PMA's exhibition Goods of Desires from artist Cindy Leung is on view through Sept. 4. The exhibit uses Chinese exports to address the complex relationship between consumerism, colonization and cultural hybridity, as they originated in the East and were popularized in the West through trading and British colonization. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for details.

AMERICA'S EVERGLADES: THROUGH THE LENS OF CLYDE BUTCHER With his

century-old camera, Clyde Butcher has been exploring and documenting the Everglades for more than three decades. The result is a collection of large-format black-and-white photographs that capture untouched parts of the nation's largest subtropical wilderness. The exhibit is on view at Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St., through Sept. 18. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for more information.

SCRIPTEASERS WITH PENSACOLA LITTLE THEATRE Scripteasers, Studio 400's and Pen-

sacola Little Theatre's Script Reading Club invites you to monthly script readings at PLT, 400 S. Jefferson St. Want to bring your scripts for the group to read and discuss? Contact Pensacola Little Theatre to get in queue. The group reads prospective scripts for future seasons as well as new scripts that need a table read before the next edit. Not a playwright but love to read out loud? This is your easy, fun theatre night. Fascinated by the play selection process? Sit in for a listen and usually a lot of laughs. Visit facebook. com/pensacolalittletheatre for more information and the latest dates.

OPEN MIC AT THE GORDON Show off your

talents on the second Thursday of every month at The Gordon's Open Mic showcase from 7-10 p.m. Admission is free. The Gordon is located at 306 N. DeVilliers St. Visit thegordon.org for more information.

OPEN MIC COMEDY AT BIG TOP BREWERY

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

NEW SUMMER CLASSES AT STUDIO SOUTH Studio South Yarn Co. has new sum-

mer offerings—crochet and knitting classes for all skill levels as well as openings for the exclusive membership to "Unwind" on Thursdays and Saturdays, and finally, free "Knit in Public" pop ups at various Pensacola locations. Visit studiosouthyarnco.com and follow SSYC @studiosouthpensacola on Instagram to find out the next sit and knit spot around town.

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

MMPA is dedicated to the safety and wellbeing of all students and families and has implemented protocols based on guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Masks are required for entry into the building and studio. More information about Mixon Magic Performing Arts can be found at mixonmagic.com, by contacting hello@mixonmagic.com or emily@mixonmagic.com or by calling (850) 221-7438.

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

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

Studio South is located at 955 E. Nine Mile Road.

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CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS AT FIRST CITY ART First City Art Center offers a wide

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

FOOD + DRINKS

Horseshoe Kitty | July 12 Party Rock

FRENCH COUNTRYSIDE WINE DINNER

Visit The Nest General Store, 11 S. Palafox, on Saturday, July 9, for a meal prepared by Chef Amy Potmesil, dessert by Bluejay's Bakery and French wine list by Sommelier Justine Gudmundson-McCain. The dinner will be 6:39-9:30 p.m. Tickets are $85. Get your tickets at thenestgeneralstore. square.site.

John Hart & the Prince Brothers | July 19

Guitar-driven, Lo-fi Jazz, and R&B

COOKIE AND BEER PAIRING AT COASTAL COUNTY BREWING CO. Visit Coastal County

Brewing Co., 3041 E. Olive Road, on Sunday, July 10, starting at 3 p.m. for a special Cookie & Beer Pairing Party with cookies from Itsa Cookie. Tasting includes four cookies and four brews. Visit coastalcountybrewing.com for details.

VINO MAGNIFICO V. Paul's monthly wine tasting is Tuesday, July 12, at 5:30 p.m. Sample five wines and mingle with wine enthusiasts for $12.

Spots must be reserved. V. Paul's is located at 29 S. Palafox. Reserve your spot at vpauls.com.

VIVE LA FRANCE Celebrate Bastille Day with

Jackson's Steakhouse, 400 S. Palafox, on 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, July 14. Cost is $75 per person and includes four wines and five courses. Seating is limited, so make your reservations by calling (850) 469-9898. for more listings visit inweekly.net 17

free will astrology WEEK OF JULY 7 ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): My readers and

I have collaborated to provide insights and inspirations about the topic "How to Be an Aries." Below is an amalgam of my thoughts and theirs—advice that will especially apply to your life in the coming days. 1. If it's easy, it's boring.

—Beth Prouty. 2. If it isn't challenging, do something else. —Jennifer Blackmon Guevara. 3. Be confident of your ability to gather the energy to get unstuck, to instigate, to rouse—for others as well as yourself. 4. You are a great initiator of ideas and you are also willing to let go of them in their pure and perfect forms so as to help them come to fruition. 5. When people don't get things done fast enough for you, be ready and able to DO IT YOURSELF.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): I know three

people who have told me, "I don't like needing anyone for anything." They fancy themselves to be rugged individualists with impeccable selfsufficiency. They imagine they can live without the help or support of other humans. I don't argue with them; it's impossible to dissuade anyone with such a high level of delusion. The fact is, we are all needy beings who depend on a vast array of benefactors. Who built our houses, grew our food, sewed our clothes, built the roads and create the art and entertainment we love? I bring this up, Taurus, because now is an excellent time for you to celebrate your own neediness. Be wildly grateful for all the things you need and all the people who provide them.

Regard your vigorous interdependence as a strength, not a weakness.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): Bounce up

and down when you walk. Express 11 different kinds of laughs. Be impossible to pin down or figure out. Relish the openings that your restlessness spawns. Keep changing the way you change.

Be easily swayed and sway others easily. Let the words flowing out of your mouth reveal to you what you think. Live a dangerous life in your daydreams but not in real life. Don't be everyone's messenger, but be the messenger for as many people as is fun for you. If you have turned out to be the kind of Gemini who is both saintly and satanic, remember that God made you that way— so let God worry about it.

By Rob Brezsny

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): As a child,

Cancerian author June Jordan said, "I used to laugh all the time. I used to laugh so much and so hard in church, in school, at the kitchen table, on the subway! I used to laugh so much my nose would run and my eyes would tear and I just couldn't stop." That's an ideal I invite you to aspire to in the coming days. You probably can't match Jordan's plenitude, but do your best.

Why? The astrological omens suggest three reasons: 1. The world will seem funnier to you than it has in a long time. 2. Laughing freely and easily is the most healing action you can take right now. 3.

It's in the interests of everyone you know to have routines interrupted and disrupted by amusement, delight and hilarity.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): In accordance with

the astrological omens, here's your assignment for the next three weeks: Love yourself more and more each day. Unleash your imagination to come up with new reasons to adore and revere your unique genius. Have fun doing it. Laugh about how easy and how hard it is to love yourself so well. Make it into a game that brings you an endless stream of amusement. P.S. Yes, you really are a genius—by which I mean you are an intriguing blend of talents and specialties that is unprecedented in the history of the human race.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): Novelist Lyd-

ia Peelle writes, "The trouble was, I knew exactly what I wasn't. I just didn't know who I was." We all go through similar phases, in which we are highly aware of what we don't want, don't like, and don't seek to become. They are like negative grace periods that provide us with valuable knowledge.

But it's crucial for us to also enjoy periods of intensive self-revelation about what we do want, what we do like, and what we do seek to become.

In my astrological estimation, you Virgos are finished learning who you're not, at least for now.

You're ready to begin an era of finding out much, much more about who you are.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): You need the following experiences at least once every other day during the next 15 days: a rapturous burst of unexpected grace; a gentle eruption of your strong willpower; an encounter with inspiration that propels you to make some practical improvement in your life; a brave adjustment in your understand-

ing of how the world works; a sacrifice of an OK thing that gives you more time and energy to cultivate a really good thing.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): This might

sound like an unusual assignment, but I swear it's based on two unimpeachable sources: research by scientists and my many years of analyzing astrological data. Here's my recommendation, Scorpio—In the coming weeks, spend extra time watching and listening to wild birds. Place yourself in locations where many birds fly and perch.

Read stories about birds and talk about birds. Use your imagination to conjure up fantasies in which you soar alongside birds. Now read this story about how birds are linked to happiness levels— tinyurl.com/birdbliss.

I bring these thoughts to your attention because the coming weeks will be an excellent time to relish these superpowers of yours—and express them to the max.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): In ac-

cordance with current astrological omens, I have four related suggestions for you. 1. Begin three new projects that are seemingly beyond your capacity and impossible to achieve with your current levels of intelligence, skill and experience— and then, in the coming months, accomplish them anyway. 2. Embrace optimism for both its beauty and its tactical advantages. 3. Keep uppermost in mind that you are a teacher who loves to teach and you are a student who loves to learn.

4. Be amazingly wise, be surprisingly brave, be expansively visionary—and always forgive yourself for not remembering where you left your house keys.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): If you

ever wanted to use the Urdu language to advance your agendas for love and romance, here's a list of endearments you could use: 1 jaan-e-man (heart's beloved); 2. humraaz (se-

cret-sharer; confidante); 3. pritam (beloved); 4. sona (golden one); 5. bulbul (nightingale); 6. yaar (friend/lover); 7. natkhat (mischievous one). Even if you're not inclined to experiment with Urdu terms, I urge you to try innovations in the way you use language with your beloved allies. It's a favorable time to be more imaginative in how you communicate your affections.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): Author John

Berger described birch trees as "pliant" and "slender." He said that "if they promise a kind of permanence, it has nothing to do with solidity or longevity—as with an oak or a linden—but only with the fact that they seed and spread quickly. They are ephemeral and recurring—like a conversation between earth and sky." I propose we regard the birch tree as your personal power symbol in the coming months. When you are in closest alignment with cosmic rhythms, you will express its spirit. You will be adaptable, flexible, resourceful and highly communicative. You will serve as an intermediary, a broker and a go-between.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): People who

don't know much about astrology sometimes say that Pisceans are wishy-washy. That's a lie. The truth is, Pisceans are not habitually lukewarm about chaotic jumbles of possibilities. They are routinely in love with the world and its interwoven mysteries. On a regular basis, they feel tender fervor and poignant awe. They see and feel how all life's apparent fragments knit together into a luminous bundle of amazement. I bring these thoughts to your attention because the coming weeks will be an excellent time to relish these superpowers of yours—and express them to the max.

THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK: Take a specific action to diminish the sadness you feel about your number one regret. newsletter.freewillastrology.com. {in}

freewillastrology.com

freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com Rob Brezsny © Copyright 2022

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news of the weird THE ARISTOCRATS! "Biff, schedule my Botox injection. The drive to the Hamptons is too much to bear." According to Insider, New Yorkers who battle weekend traffic to their Long Island enclaves are rushing to urologists for a cure for "Hamptons bladder": prostate artery embolization for men, which reduces the size of the prostate, and "bladder Botox," which decreases urinary frequency for women. "They come out to the Hamptons and have to stop four or five times on the way, but can't find a restroom," said Dr. David Shusterman, a Big Apple urologist. "When they're in a car with a bunch of people, they're embarrassed because they have to go to the bathroom every hour. I've lost three friends because I'm the driver and refuse to stop for them." One happy customer said he's "like a kid" after the procedure. "There's no dread now."

BRIGHT IDEA During a flight from Detroit to Denver on June 25, an unidentified passenger was reprimanded by a flight attendant and other passengers after he AirDropped a sexually explicit photo of himself to all the other passengers, the New York Post reported. One passenger, @DaddyStrange333, posted a video to TikTok documenting the incident; in the video, the flight attendant asks the man, "Why are you doing that?" "Just having a little fun," he replies.

His fun came to an abrupt end when the flight landed and FBI agents escorted him off the plane.

A Southwest Airlines spokesperson confirmed that the "unfortunate incident" occurred and that the airline "maintains zero tolerance for this obscene and unacceptable behavior."

SOMEONE'S SLEEPING ON THE COUCH Colombian cyclist Luis Carlos Chia won a stage of the Vuelta a Colombia race on June 5 and threw his arms out wide to celebrate after crossing the finish line, Canadian Cycling reported. But he was immediately forced to grab the handlebars again in an attempt to avoid hitting a group of photographers—among whom was his wife, Claudia Roncancio. Chia struck his wife with his bike, knocking her to the ground, where she lay unconscious as medical staff attended to her. "I don't understand why she didn't get out of the way," Chia said after the accident. Roncancio needed four stitches and was kept under observation in a local hospital, but she is reportedly recovering.

NEWS THAT SOUNDS LIKE A JOKE Feel like you're forgetting something? That must have been how tennis pro Ugo Humbert of France felt when he turned up at Number Two Court at Wimbledon on June 29 without a key piece of equipment for his match against Norway's Casper Ruud his rackets. Reuters reported that Humbert, 24 , had to tell the umpire, "I don't have any rackets—sorry for that." Fortunately for him, someone turned up with three rackets in just a few minutes, and after losing his first set, Humbert won the match.

COMPELLING EXPLANATION When Thanh Ha, 54, allegedly set fire to his boss's house in

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

early May, he had a perfectly understandable reason: "Spirits" told him to do so, he told deputies. According to WFLA-TV, Ha was arrested on June 29 in Pinellas County, Florida, on second-degree arson charges. Authorities say surveillance cameras caught him riding a bike to his boss's new St. Petersburg home, securing his bike to a nearby stop sign and approaching the home on foot while trying to cover his face with his shirt. Five minutes later, he can be seen running back to his bike and riding away. Ha also told deputies he was not upset with his (presumably former) employer.

PEOPLE WITH ISSUES When fire erupted on June 26 at the Church of St. Basil the Great in Pargolovo, Russia, parishioners first assumed it was faulty wiring that had sparked the blaze, Oddity Central reported. Damage to the outside was considerable, and some thought it was a divine message that they should build a bigger, more beautiful church. As it turns out, however, neither of those explanations was valid. Instead, a 36-year-old local man who was tired of his wife donating all their money to the church allegedly splashed the walls of the church with gasoline and, checking to make sure no one was inside, lit the match.

"He worked 24/7, they have four children and his wife works at the church. Everything he earned, she brought to temple," a Russian newspaper reported. "Because of this, they had a conflict." The man admitted his guilt but was allowed to await sentencing at home.

CUT THE CHEESE PUN The Bridge Bakehouse in Derbyshire, England, received an anonymous letter from a "disgruntled member of the local community," the owners believe, about a sandwich that's been on the menu since last September: the Cheesus Christ. The sandwich, which features caramelized onion chutney, mature cheddar and mozzarella, sounds delicious, but the letter-writer, who claimed to be associated with the advocacy group Christian Concern, disapproved: "Our clients do not wish to take this further, but feel they will need to in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and saviour if action is not taken." However, the Mirror reported, Christian Concern confirmed the letter did not come from them, and no other person or local church has admitted to writing it.

On June 10, someone defaced the bakery's outdoor menu, covering the sandwich name with white paint. On its Facebook page, the bakery posted, "To whoever has tried to cover up the 'Cheesus Christ' sandwich on our outdoor menu board with white paint, can you please not? And if it wasn't done in the dead of night by someone dressed like The Mask of Zorro we are going to be highly disappointed." {in}

From Andrews McMeel Syndication News Of The Weird © 2022 Andrews McMeel

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