Inweekly June 13 2024 Issue

A JO URNE Y OF JOY

CE LE BR AT IN GJ UN ET EE NTH IN PE NSACOL A

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Pensacola

Tallahassee

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Destin

winners & losers winners losers

RALITSA MIHAYLOVA The recent graduate of Pensacola State College's Visual Arts Photography program won a gold award at the regional, district and national 2024 American Advertising Federation Awards. Mihaylova's entry, "The Botanist," won gold in the photography category at the National AAF Annual Conference held May 31 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

ORLANDO NAVEDO Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida named the U.S. Navy paralegal as the recipient of the 2024 Ronald Mobayed Military Big of the Year award. Navedo has been a dedicated mentor to his Little Brother Bryan since they were first matched in February 2023. He exemplifies the spirit of Lt. Ronald Joseph Mobayed, the award's namesake. Lt. Mobayed was an outstanding Big Brother stationed in Pensacola for flight training in the early 1990s. Tragically, Ron and his crew were killed in the line of duty while responding to a distress signal. This award honors our military volunteers and is given to a Big who demonstrates the same commitment to their Little, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the children of our community.

MIKE BURNS Last month, the Santa Rosa Island Authority Board selected local attorney Mike Burns as its new executive director. Burns was chosen from a field of 39 candidates, who were then narrowed to 14, on April 16 and five finalists on May 1. The candidates appeared for in-person interviews with the individual SRIA board members and made public presentations at the May 22 SRIA meeting. After a public discussion, board member Bubba Peters motioned to offer Burns the job. The motion passed unanimously. Burns has been involved in Pensacola and Florida politics for three decades. He served under Charlie Crist when Crist was the Attorney General and then the Governor. Burns played a significant role in helping us deal with the BP Oil Spill. The Board directed staff and legal counsel to negotiate the employment contract with Burns. The contract will be presented to the Board at its June 12 meeting.

BIG TOBACCO A three-judge appellate court cleared the way for punitive damages against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Philip Morris USA Inc. in a lawsuit involving a smoker's death. The cigarette makers contended that the estate of Yolanda Alvarez should not be able to seek punitive damages in the Broward County case because of a state law that includes preventing punitive damages if such damages have "previously been awarded against that defendant in any state or federal court in any action alleging harm from the same act or single course of conduct for which the claimant seeks compensatory damages." The panel upheld the circuit judge's decision allowing the estate to seek punitive damages, but it opened the possibility of further arguments about limits on such damages. Alvarez filed the lawsuit in 2008 and died in 2010. The estate filed a motion in 2022 to amend the lawsuit to seek punitive damages.

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Three parents have filed a federal lawsuit challenging a 2023 Florida law (SB 1069) that made objecting to school library books and instructional materials easier. The plaintiffs are two parents from St. Johns County and one from Orange County. They contend Florida lacks a procedure for parents to object to book removals, an infringement of their First Amendment rights. The parents filed requests for a state review of the decisions about book removal and were told a special magistrate was unavailable. Their requests were dismissed.

LIFE SCIENCE LOGISTICS

The Dallas-based company was paid $50.3 million under a contract signed in 2020 to import low-cost Canadian drugs for Floridians. Its vast warehouse has been used for DeSantis press conferences and temporary storage of COVID-19 medication and hurricane equipment but not for its intended purpose, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The Agency for Health Care Administration recently received FDA approval but still has more steps to complete. Life Science Logistics has donated $300,000 to the Republican Party and the leadership committees of several top GOP lawmakers since 2021.

Ralitsa Mihaylova / Courtesy Photo

outtakes

By Rick Outzen

LESSONS FROM D-DAY

On Thursday, June 6, the U.S. and its World War II allies commemorated the—80th anniversary of D-Day, the largest amphibious invasion in military history.

The operation, codename OVERLORD, delivered five naval assault divisions that included 7,000 ships and landing craft manned by more than 195,000 naval personnel from eight allied countries. Almost 133,000 troops from the U.S., the British Commonwealth and their allies landed and faced heavy fire from entrenched Nazi troops.

On WCOA, I interviewed Dr. Stephanie Hinnershitz, an Assistant Professor of Security and Military Studies at the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, and Dr. George Ellenberg, a University of West Florida history professor, about D-Day.

Dr. Ellenberg said, "It truly was an amazing undertaking when we think about it. Adjectives fail to describe it but admiration and thankfulness for the bravery and valor of the men that were involved in the invasion of what we call fortress Europe against fascism."

The invasion was initially set for June 5, but gale-force wind and rain forced Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces, to delay it a day.

"Eisenhower got counsel from his staff and ultimately decided to go," Ellenberg said. "It was one of the most important decisions of World War II. How does one calculate one decision being more important than the other? But that date, June 6, is so important in global history because there was no backup plan for D-Day. Had it failed, it would've taken months at the least to reconfigure and get ready again."

He continued, "One thing I think we often fail to remember about D-Day and about World War II in general, but especially D-Day, we sometimes assume that it was going to be successful, but there were so many factors that went into success. Gen. Eisenhower had actually pinned a note that if it were not successful, he was going to take the responsibility for the failure of D-Day."

In his book "7 Leadership Lessons of D-Day: Lessons from the Longest Day," John Antal, a re -

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tired U.S. Army colonel, wrote that the Allied military leaders had a common character trait.

"When things did not go as planned, they didn't hesitate to lead," Antal wrote. "They decided to act, adapt and overcame challenges. They were leaders. They recognized that leadership was the only to get through the storm of death and the only antidote to conquer the disease of fear and paralysis."

Dr. Hinnershitz said D-Day is studied at the Air Command and Staff College. "We still look at the Normandy invasion as an important lesson for strategy for a number of different reasons. It was a long operation in terms of planning and logistics."

She mentioned the challenges of coordinating the sea, air and land attacks of troops from several nations, understanding topography and climate, and figuring out the next steps after the penetration of enemy lines.

"When you're creating a strategy for something like Normandy, a massive amphibious invasion, you also must figure all the things that could go wrong," she said. "And then, there was also the very human element of it. Men can train, you can have a strategy, but people are people, and people are going to have very realistic human responses like fear to what's happening."

Dr. Hinnershitz added, "When we look at the D-Day strategy, it's important to think about all the different coordinating factors that go into this and what happens when things do not go as planned."

She praised Eisenhower for his ability to lead generals with big personalities. "You need to have someone like Eisenhower who could take that broad view and, in some cases, work with egos, see their greatest strengths. Bringing those factors together was really, really challenging."

She continued, "Ike as Supreme Commander, being able to work with that is very admirable, was a big part of why this operation was successful when there was so much uncertainty in it."

My takeaways from the interviews were we need to value the sacrifices made for our freedom, and when the unexpected happens, good leaders rally people to handle it. {in} rick@inweekly.net

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By Rick Outzen

MRO CAMPUS EXPANDS

On June 4, Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves broke ground with city, county, state and business leaders on Project Titan's third hangar at the Pensacola International Airport. The ceremony occurred on city land near 12th Avenue, across the runway from the first two hangars.

"Where our feet are today is certainly the future of this city and the future of this region— to create opportunity for our citizens, for our Pensacola is right under us right now," Mayor Reeves said. "I'm honored just to be the third part and a small part of this so far."

Project Titan represents the continuation of a commercial aircraft Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) Aviation Campus operated by ST Engineering at the airport that began in Mayor Ashton Hayward's administration. The first MRO hangar, Project Stallion, was accomplished with the help of Mayor Hayward, FloridaWest, Triumph Gulf Coast and Gov. Rick Scott.

Project Titan, the second phase, consists of two to three additional hangars (Hangers 2, 3 and possibly 4), support services centers, administrative offices and taxiways, aprons and roadways. The total project cost is $210 million. The MRO Aviation campus is projected to generate over 1,700 jobs when completed. Construction of the second hangar began in Mayor Grover Robinson's administration and opened in February 2023.

At the groundbreaking, Airport Director Matt Coughlin welcomed the dignitaries. He said, "It's been a long road that dates back to the '80s, believe it or not, with the property we're sitting on today. So, it's huge. It's huge for the city, huge for the community, huge for the region. Thank you for coming out and recognizing that today."

MRO Aviation Campus possible.

"This new hangar will significantly benefit Pensacola and our surrounding region, and it'll continue to create quality jobs and increase demand for goods and services," he said. "We look forward to the continued partnership with ST that will help position Pensacola as a regional center of excellence for the aviation MRO industry."

The new 167,000-square-foot, state-of-theart hangar will have two widebody aircraft bays. When fully operational in the second half of 2026, it's expected to contribute an additional 500,000 manhours annually. It is co-funded by ST Engineering, Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc., the City of Pensacola, Escambia County, the State of Florida and other state and federal organizations.

Mayor Reeves also mentioned the partnership with Pensacola State College, Triumph Gulf Coast and ST Engineering to create the A&P (Airframe and Powerplant) Mechanic School on airport property. Last month, ST Engineering extended employment and internship opportunities to five graduating seniors from Booker T. Washington High School's Aviation Academy as part of its commitment to local students becoming aviation mechanics.

The mayor said, "I really believe the A&P Mechanics School is the bridge and the conduit to take this amazing economic development project and really make it shine for the people who live here."

ST Engineering President of Commercial Aerospace Jeffrey Lam presented Mayor Reeves with framed golden orchids, Malaysia's national flower. He stated that the past 10 years attest to the community's commitment to the project.

He asked the crowd to applaud former Senate President Don Gaetz, who attended the ceremony and worked to create Triumph Gulf Coast from the BP settlement for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster.

"How about a big hand for President Gaetz seeing the vision of this and not letting it all go to the rest of the state," Merrill said. "Nothing wrong with the rest of the state, but he said that 75% of this (funds recovered from BP for economic damages) would be for the eight counties that actually saw some oil on the beaches, and we'll give $500 million to the state."

"There's no playbook for the whole thing. We just had to keep falling in place, and people didn't let it die." Collier Merrill

When he introduced him, Mayor Reeves thanked Sen. Doug Broxson, who chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee, for his help with ST Engineering, American Magic and other city projects.

maybe another group of people, the project would not have happened because it requires so much persistence, courage, and the fact that there were many challenges and considerations along the way," Lam said. "Here we are doing generational work. We are creating a work, a piece of investment for the future of the population of the city, of the community, of the state of Florida and of the country."

He added, "We continue to look to the future with the construction of our third hangar in Pensacola that will expand our airframe MRO capacity, allowing us to better meet our customers' growing maintenance needs, drive business growth and strengthen our presence in the region."

COMMUNITY EFFORT

County Commission Chair Steven Barry discussed the commission's $15 million investment into this phase of Project Titan.

"It's a fraction of a fraction of the project cost, but as D.C. and others have mentioned and will mention, these types of projects take multiple funding sources and partners to be successful," Commissioner Barry said. "It's been a true team effort from our board, and it's an honor to be here and greatly see our friends from ST again."

Triumph Gulf Coast board member Collier Merrill echoed Barry's sentiments that this project took "everybody here working together."

"The largest airframe structural provider in the world came together that way, and it didn't happen overnight," Merrill said. "Everybody continued to stay on that path and work together. There's no playbook for the whole thing. We just had to keep falling in place, and people didn't let it die."

"I would venture to say anything that's been positive that's been said about this administration in a year and a half, Sen. Broxson has had some role," Reeves said. "Whether that's a direct role in all those grants that you hear about and the advocacy for those or just good mentorship when we're dealing with something like parking. Whatever the case may be, Senator Broxson has answered the bell."

LANDING THE FLAG

Sen. Broxson said, "Let's talk about the family here. What we did was create an incredible motivator for this community to entertain businesses from around the world. We have a worldclass facility that's hurricane-proof and really economy-proof. We have an investor tenant who has given significant resources, but this project is more about us as a community."

He continued, "This investment, which some have criticized as being too much money, $210 million, speaks to our future and our vitality to meet the needs, whatever they may be. As we move, we're going to have a world-class campus that will have vocational training not only for many, many other opportunities that are going to come our way."

Broxson joked the Florida Panhandle has a problem—Americans want to be here because they can grow a family and business here.

"This is a beginning. This is going to be a great facility. The mayor has taken the leadership from the two former mayors and landed this flag on the ground," he said. "Pensacola has a lot to be proud of that we're going to set a stage for real economic development that's going to create the opportunity for people to live that great American dream."

To learn more about ST Engineering, visit stengg-aero.us. {in}

D.C. Reeves / Photo Courtesy of myescambia.com

tablished a separate philanthropic entity, the Community Health Northwest Florida Foundation, to help ensure affordable health care remains accessible to all.

The 501(c)(3) charitable organization embodies Community Health's absolute belief that all human beings have a basic right to health care. The Foundation primarily supports patients by providing prescription assistance, diagnostic testing and program support.

"The Community Health Northwest Florida Foundation was born out of Community Health's legacy of delivering access to quality care and a desire to advance health equity by reducing the limits and barriers faced by those in underserved communities," said Chandra Smiley, the CEO of Community Health Northwest Florida.

For more than 30 years, Community Health Northwest Florida has placed health care within reach of the many people in our community who need it. Opened in 1992 as Escambia Community Clinics (ECC), a medical home for those most in need, ECC was designated a Federally Qualified Health Center in 2007.

In 2018, ECC rebranded and changed its name to Community Health Northwest Florida. It has grown from a small outpatient primary care clinic to nearly 20 multi-service locations and four fullservice pharmacies to more than 53,000 people throughout Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

With the establishment of a Foundation, Community Health Northwest Florida aims to further enhance health care and innovation while continuing its mission to provide health and wellness services to improve the quality of life in our communities.

"We look forward to leveraging this Foundation to facilitate the advancement of quality health care and closing care gaps to ensure everyone has access to medical services regard -

Last year, the state board of education voted to expand the ban through high school.

The settlement clarified that teachers and students can discuss their own LGBTQ+ identities and families, safe space stickers can stay up in classrooms and students can participate in extracurricular activities, such as gay-straight alliance clubs, and wear clothing inconsistent with "students' gender assigned at birth."

According to Blankenship, the state of Florida said in the settlement that the law does not apply to books.

"What that means is that we have a federal judge for the first time putting into law that they cannot pull books based on what 'Don't Say Gay' prohibits, which is discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity and these sort of issues," she said. "That means they can't pull books with gay characters or because they are dealing with LGBTQ+ issues, which has been happening over and over again."

Blankenship suspects the judge may be sending the Escambia County School Board a message. She said, "This word 'mediation' after allowing a case to go forward, it's tricky to know how much to read into that one. It's a fairly standard protocol, right? Settlement is a good thing."

eral elections. If those voters do not respond, they get moved to the inactive list.

Escambia Election Supervisor Robert Bender said the list maintenance for 2024 was completed May 22. "We compare the national change of address requests to our database, and then we start contacting those voters to see if they're still in the area or where they are."

Bender said the voters who have been purged from the tax rolls can still vote if they appear at the polls.

The deadline to register to vote or change your party affiliation for the August primary is July 22. The last day for local candidates to qualify to run is noon Friday, July 14. For more information, visit escambiavotes.gov.

MEET KIM KLINE

The Florida House District 2 seat is held by Republican Alex Andrade. He has two challengers, Democrat Haley Morrissette and No Party Affiliate candidate Kim Kline. Inweekly publisher Rick Outzen interviewed Kline on WCOA. She lives in Gulf Breeze and owns two retirement communities on the west side of Pensacola. Kline taught in Santa Rosa County public schools for nearly a decade.

care within reach."

To learn more, visit healthcarewithinreach.org.

MESSAGE FOR SCHOOL BOARD Last month, U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor issued an order requiring mediation in the lawsuit regarding the removal of the children's book "And Tango Makes Three" from Escambia County school library shelves. The judge also scheduled a trial date of March 4, 2025.

The book's co-authors, Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, and a student identified by the initials B.G. brought the lawsuit against the Escambia County School Board. Judge Winsor refused to dismiss claims the board violated the authors' right to freedom of expression and the student's right to receive information by removing the book.

PEN America is not involved in this lawsuit but has another case involving many more books removed from school libraries by the Escambia County School Board. PEN America Florida's Katie Blankenship discussed the impact of Judge Winsor's ruling.

She believes it's a big win that the case hasn't been dismissed. What's also significant is that the judge incorporated the state of Florida's settlement in another lawsuit involving the "Don't Say Gay" law (HB 1500) into the ruling.

In March, the Florida Department of Education reached a settlement with Equality Florida and families, who filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Parental Rights in Education Act, also known as the "Don't Say Gay" law. The law prohibits "classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity" in grades K-3 or "in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards."

She continued, "Judges try to get us to settle. But if I were on the defense (School Board) and looking at the trajectory of this case, I would take it as a signal that the judge wants this case done, meaning settle it and get the books back on the shelves. This shouldn't go forward and waste the taxpayer's money. Now, a judge hasn't said that. Obviously, I'm not going to say that. We'll see."

Blankenship said the school board members should understand they will have to make some concessions and decisions. She said, "I hope they do. They need to put these books back on the shelves."

To learn more about PEN America, visit pen.org.

GOP PURGE WORKING Escambia County has lost over 7% of its voters, 16,224 people, over the past four years, thanks to laws passed by the Republican-controlled legislature since Joe Biden won the presidential election.

Democrats have lost 17% of their registered voters, while Republicans have only seen a 3% decrease between May 29, 2020, and June 3, 2024. No Party Affiliation dropped 6%, and other parties nearly doubled, up 92%.

Under Florida, Supervisors of Election must conduct a general registration list maintenance program to protect the integrity of the electoral process by ensuring the maintenance of accurate and current voter registration records in the statewide voter registration system.

The law states, "A registration list maintenance program must be conducted by each supervisor, at a minimum, once each year, beginning no later than April 1, and must be completed at least 90 days before the date of any federal election."

In 2023, the Florida Legislature enacted new laws requiring supervisors to send notices to voters who have not participated in the last two gen-

"I'm a mother of five. I have four grandkids," she said. "I love, love, love this community and have enjoyed the opportunity to get to know so much about what's going on in District 2."

Kline taught the AP government classes at Gulf Breeze High School. "I know how government is supposed to work, and I also know how government systems work across the world, too. And so, I'm not an expert; I'm not claiming that, but I have enough general knowledge to know and understand that our two-party system is broken."

She disagrees with the idea our country is divided into two teams, and only one of those two teams can be the one to lead us. "What I know in my heart to be true, and what has been validated by the literally thousands of people that I have talked to since I pre-filed, is that the vast majority of Americans do not align with the platforms of either party the way that the parties seem to think we do."

Kline added, "The vast majority of people live in the middle, and they want another choice. And so, that's where I come in."

She decided to run when her property insurance quadrupled and received little help from local state lawmakers. As she listens to voters, she has come to believe property insurance is the number one issue in the district.

"I found a policy paper presented to the legislature and two different governors back in 2011 saying this insurance will get out of hand. This market is too unstable, and you've got to start doing something now to prevent a crisis," Kline said. "Well, that was in 2011, and here we are in 2024, and we are now almost four years into this crisis."

Affordable housing is another issue that concerns her. "I see the people who have lived here, have worked here their entire lives, have built homes and are planning their retirement to stay here. And now suddenly they're saying, 'I don't

know if I can afford to be here anymore.' There is this kind of tone-deafness in the legislature right now about what we need here in the Panhandle."

D.C. PUNCHES BACK Mayor D.C. Reeves punched back at the keyboard warriors who have dissed the average payroll at ST Engineering.

"A lot of misperceptions have been put out there about what they pay, which is not accurate," he said. "Some numbers that have been thrown around are four or five years old that they pay in the high forties or low fifties. The current average is about $4,000 or $5,000 higher."

He continued, "The average is for every person in the building, not just mechanics. When you get to mechanics, they are hard to find, so the market will dictate what people get paid when you can't find people."

The mayor is excited about Pensacola State College's A&P Mechanics School, which will be built at the airport. In May, ST Engineering extended employment and internship opportunities to five graduating seniors from Booker T. Washington High School's Aviation Academy during the school's Honors Night celebration.

Students Rilley Gann, Eric Halseth, Jessica Chan, Danniya Moorer and Robert Tompkins are the first high school graduates to gain employment at ST Engineering while undergoing postsecondary training at local institutions—a program ST Engineering and the City of Pensacola are looking to build upon through further efforts to afford all high school students opportunities in high-wage aviation positions. ST Engineering has pledged $5 million for local scholarships.

Mayor Reeves said, "I guarantee you that these jobs are not only the opportunity for our local citizens to perhaps be the breadwinner of their family at 21 and 22, I fully suspect that wages will continue to not only be competitive as they are now but continue to go up because of the demand."

For more information about the A&P Mechanics School and Booker T. Washington High School's Aviation Academy, contact City of Pensacola Economic Development Director Erica Grancagnolo at (850) 435-1687 or egrancagnolo@ cityofpensacola.com.

ANDRADE'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Rep. Alex Andrade is running for his final term in the Florida House, where he has served as chairman of the House Subcommittee on Infrastructure and Tourism Appropriations. The Republican lawmaker will term out of office in 2026 if he wins re-election this fall. Inweekly asked what he considers his biggest accomplishments.

"I've been trusted to run some very big, very thorny bills over the past six years, so it's tough to summarize them," he said. "I would say my biggest accomplishments are things like, as the chair, I've been able to take more money from Skanska than any plaintiff's lawyer has been able to do so far. I took $6 million off the contract for the bridge last year that I didn't think they were owed because they owe liquidated damages. I was able to put $6 million toward critical infrastructure that wasn't

funded in last year's budget for Escambia Santa Rosa counties."

However, he takes pride in his constituent services. "I was there for every single phone call during COVID for people needing their unemployment assistance or having questions about their businesses. I think the proudest moments I've had as a state representative aren't those big bills or those big budget items. It's just being able to pick up the phone, answer my cell phone every time people call me."

Andrade added, "When it comes to constituent services, I've never checked someone's party affiliation when they've called me for help. It's something that I take an immense amount of pride in just being to help folks when they have questions or need assistance."

WE GOT TO DO BETTER Gulf Breeze News

publisher Lisa Newell is running as a Democrat against Republican Don Gaetz for the Florida Senate District 1 seat. She believes voters have not been getting their money's worth from the GOPcontrolled Florida Legislature.

"One of the things that they have completely dropped the ball on is our insurance crisis. Florida leads the nation in insurance crisis," Newell said. "It's not that just because we have hurricanes, because you can look at other states that have tornadoes, mudslides, fires, also every kind of peril, and we have the highest. We have got to get that under control."

Newell said the Republicans' super-majority in the Florida House and Senate has "turned our governor into kind a king."

She said, "He was able to do whatever he wanted. He ran for president without having to resign to run. He spent a lot of his time in Iowa. He had this whole campaign on the war against woke, which I mean, these are our fellow Floridians. We don't need to make them feel like they don't matter. They do matter."

Newell also pointed out teacher pay in Florida is the lowest in the nation. "We've got some major issues that need to be addressed instead of just running around wearing our white boots and pretending like we're running for president. We've got to do more. We've got to do better."

NEW DOUBLE RED FLAGS The Pensacola Beach Lifeguards have announced a revision to the beach flag system for Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key. Double Red Flags will signal the waters are closed, and no swimming or wading is allowed.

"Our lifeguards are revising our beach flag system to remain consistent with our fellow agencies along the Gulf of Mexico," said Dave Greenwood, the water safety chief. "Now, we will fly double red flags when we close the Gulf to all swimming and wading. We want to remind our beach patrons always to be cautious when entering the Gulf of Mexico."

For daily flag conditions and more information about Pensacola Beach Lifeguards, visit the Pensacola Beach Lifeguards page on myescambia.com. {in}

A JOURNEY OF JOY CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH IN PENSACOLA

Juneteenth, an observation of the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S., is coming up—and even though it's only been federally recognized for a few years, it's hardly a new holiday.

Councilwoman Teniadé Broughton notes Juneteenth was celebrated long before it was designated as a federal holiday, though Black Americans had to hide their celebration for decades.

"We can see prior to Reconstruction in the old newspaper records that Black people celebrated Juneteenth out loud in the streets, having balls and fireworks and picnics," Broughton said. "But after Reconstruction, they started to hide their celebrations and eventually blended their celebration with other forms of celebration like May Day."

While Juneteenth has been celebrated in Pensacola for decades, the momentum behind the holiday grew significantly post-2020 when several community organizers and nonprofits

began hosting free and accessible events for all.

"I like seeing how different organizations are participating," Broughton said. "Organizations you wouldn't expect to participate are now saying they want to sponsor or host."

One example is the Daughters of the Amer ican Revolution, a group that has increased di versity outreach in recent years and will sponsor of this year's Ferry History Tour heading to Fort Pickens to discuss the region's role in the Underground Railroad.

"I love all the events—the outdoor cookouts and the galas and everything—but personally I always get the most excited about events that show Pensacola's history, and how African Americans' story is built into our history," Broughton said. "These places, like Fort Pickens, tell our freedom story."

With a wide array of events, there is something for everyone. From history, dancing, music and even some baseball, you can fill your calen-

ily Reunion. She is excited to see observation of Juneteenth growing.

"Over the past three years, I have seen Juneteenth grow substantially, with more businesses and organizations acknowledging and celebrating it," Watson said.

This is the third year the Watson Family Foundation has hosted their festival at Museum Plaza.

"Our list of sponsors continues to grow each year, and we are thankful for all of the community support," Watson said.

This year, Watson is most excited about the Family Feud Juneteenth Edition Game

"Anyone who values freedom knows that this liberty and compensation is something to celebrate," Watson said. "Juneteenth recognizes the emancipation of 1865 and celebrates the rich culture and history of African Americans, both past and present."

Whether your Juneteenth calendar is set or you're still looking for a few ideas, you should check out Inweekly's list of events; there's plenty to choose from. No matter what you choose, it's exciting to know the observation Juneteenth is here to stay in Pensacola. {in}

Juneteenth Financial Summit Gulf Coast Minority Chamber of Commerce presents an evening seminar on financial wellness and investing 5:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, June 14 at DeVillier's Square, 321 N. DeVillier's St. The event is free to register. Sign up at noirefinancialsummit.eventbrite.com.

Journey to Freedom on the Bay: Ft. Pickens Ferry Tour Join Pensacola Bay City Ferry and the National Park Service for a ferry ride and Underground Railroad-themed tour of Ft. Pickens 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, June 15. The ferry leaves from 750 S. Commendencia St. For details, visit pensacolabaycityferry.com/ fort-pickens-history-tour.

The Watson Family Foundation Presents: Juneteenth A Family Reunion for the Culture This free familyfriendly festival including vendors, games, food trucks and live performances, all happening from noon-6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 15 at Museum Plaza, 120 Church St. For details, visit watsonfamilyfoundation.com.

Juneteenth Gospel Tribute: "A Celebration of Freedom and Resilience"

Real Women Radio presents the Juneteenth Gospel Tribute performance 5-7 p.m. Saturday, June 15 at Old Christ Church, 405 S. Adam St. For details, visit rwrlive365.com/juneteenth.

Fourth Annual Juneteenth Gala: Celebration of Black Success This formal Juneteenth Gala with music by DJ Hale, live entertainment and more is 7-11 p.m. Saturday, June 15 at S.L. Jones Christian Academy, 100 Boeing St. For details, find host Ma Rk on Facebook.

2024 Juneteenth Celebration Pensacola State College hosts a Juneteenth Celebration with performances, free food and more 1-3 p.m. Sunday, June 16 in the Student Center Building 5, 1000 College Blvd. For details, visit pensacolastate.edu

Juneteenth Celebration: Standing on Hope Food, music and special performances presented by Black Employees Association is 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Monday, June 17 at the University of West Florida Commons Auditorium, 11000 University Parkway.

Celebrate Juneteenth at Five Sisters Blues Cafe Juneteenth-themed food and beverage specials are on the menu June 17-23 at Five Sisters Blues Cafe, 421 W. Belmont St. For details, visit fivesistersbluescafe.com.

Celebrating The Culture and Diversity of Pensacola Roundtable discussion hosted by Visit Pensacola 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, June 18 at the Pensacola Multicultural Center, 117 E. Government St,

Juneteenth UnityFest 2024 Community celebration of freedom with free food, entertainment and kids zone is noon-4 p.m. Wednesday, June 19 at Adoration For a New Beginning Church, 920 W. Government St. For details, visit facebook.com/adorationforanewbeginningchurch.

Third Annual Journey to Juneteenth

R&B & Blues Freedom Party Event featuring DJ Hale, Rickey Duffy and Friends, food, vendors and fashion show is 2-7 p.m. Wednesday, June 19 at Bayview Senior Community Center, 2000 E.

Lloyd St. For details, visit facebook.com/gregorythe.southerngent.

Blue Wahoos: Celebrating the Legacy of the Negro Southern League The Blue Wahoos will honor Pensacola Seagulls, historic members of the Negro Southern League. Featuring baseball, giveaways, vendors, special speakers and more, it begins 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 19 at Blue Wahoos Stadium, 351 W. Cedar St. For details visit milb.com/pensacola

Movement For Change Banquet: "Freedom is Not Free" The 27th annual banquet is 5 p.m. Friday, June 21 with keynote speaker Kyla Jenée Lacey at Pensacola Improve Event Center, 375 N. Pace Blvd. Tickets are $50 and available in person at Movement for Change, 1603 N. Davis Highway. For more with Lacey, turn to page 13.

309 Porch Party Join Jamal Steele, 309 Punk Project's June Artist in Residence, for a porch party with DJ Hale from 12-4 p.m. Saturday, June 22. For details visit 309punkproject.org.

Aaron and Kimberly Watson, Teniadé Broughton / Photos Courtesy of the Watson Family Foundation

JUNETEENTH CALENDAR

Arts & Entertainment

Kyla Jenée Lacey Joins Movement for Change for Banquet

of the year—and the 2024 event will be no different.

The keynote speaker this year is Kyla Jenée Lacey, an artist known mostly for her poetry, but also her activism. Some of her work brought her into the center of the Critical Race Theory discussions of a few years back as her poem "White Privilege" made national headlines. Since then, her work has been featured and referenced in various mediums, from the Washington Post and The Atlantic, to the late night TV show "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver." Fox News' Laura Ingraham even described her work as "anti-racist propaganda," a term meant as a pejorative but taken as a compliment by Lacey. Her visit to Pensacola is the center of the Movement for Change (MFC) annual's "Freedom is not Free" banquet. The theme for this year's banquet is "Democracy or Dictatorship."

MFC President Rodney Jones and Vice President Jerry McIntosh will host the event, with Jamil Davis from Black Voters Matter set to speak about the upcoming elections.

Based out of the Leroy Boyd Center for Social Justice, MFC's banquet has long been a place where members of the storied civil

By C. Scott Satterwhite

Black community to live in a primarily white area—the same county where Trayvon Martin was murdered—was a bit jarring. "I legitimately didn't even know Black people were a minority," said Lacey. "It was definitely a culture shock."

She described herself as being "othered a lot," and tokenized, during this time in her life.

For Lacey, being able to use African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in her home and around family helped to ease the pain of her surrounds, becoming increasingly important throughout the years of cultural connection.

"For me, language and poetry are both very similar. They are both communication and pathways. Even validating," said Lacey. "Growing up, this wasn't how I spoke outside of the house. Essentially, AAVE, outside of those comfortable spaces wasn't taboo, but it came with the expectation that it was attached to ignorance, despite complicated syntax that has West African roots."

"I've code switched since I was a kid, but for me it was a survival technique." Despite teachers in her new home of Florida singling her out, she thrived and published her first poem at 10. Later, she went on to study Latin, French and German, along with studying theatre.

Holding a degree in history from the University of Central Florida, Lacey combines all of these passions into her writing and her spoken word performance.

speak on the subject itself, she felt "removed from my art."

"We was getting invited to speak at places, and they wanted me to read my poem, but they wanted Matt [Hawland, the school teacher fired] to speak about racism," said Lacey. "So, you mean to tell me, as a Black woman, I was able to craft a piece of work that was able to captivate so many people, about race, but somehow I don't have the capacity to talk about [race]? But the person who taught the poem does. Black and white organizations, too. So that was a humbling experience."

"It was good to see all the people that supported Matt," said Lacey "And also all the people that knew they were wrong.I think for racism to prevail, you have to make everyone else just as stupid. It was interesting seeing that in real time. It was really interesting to see so many people defiant to logic as emotion was leading them. But again, it was good to see that there was also so many people that knew better, and that there was the potential for progress."

Besides being the center of a national story, Lacey's often writing for numerous news publications on topics ranging from art, literature and race. Constantly on the road performing, the poet is in high demand across the country. Having performed at over 300 colleges over the past decade, the family connection helped bring Lacey back to Florida for a reading at the MFC Banquet.

speakers in the past have included a host of politicians, authors, judges, civil rights attorneys and voting rights activists, including Desmond Meade, as well as Rwandan genocide survivor Jonathan Kubakundimana—now a fellow at the Equal Justice Initiative.

About Lacey's performance, McIntosh said that " this will be the first time a spoken work artist has performed at the banquet."

She also has a special connection to MFC and McIntosh. "I literally wouldn't be alive without him," Lacey said of her 'Uncle Jerry.'

In addition to her uncle, Lacey spoke glowingly of the talent in her family, especially in painting—a field the poet herself also works in— and jokingly described herself as "B list celebrity" in the family hierarchy. Wherever she lands in her family, Lacey's place in the spoken word poetry world is of little debate.

Lacey rose to prominence through her writing, but her path to success came with some controversy surrounding the poetry inspired by her life experiences.

Spending her early years in Chicago, Lacey moved to Winter Haven, Florida, at the age of 9. Her experience leaving a predominantly

Lacey's work took on greater prominence at the height of the global Black Lives Matter movement—especially her poem "White Privilege." Lines from the poem—which quickly went viral—wound up on protest signs and billboards across the planet.

The poem read, "We learned your French. We learned your English, your Dutch, your Spanish, your Portuguese. You learned our nothing, you called us stupid. That's white privilege."

The poem became national news in 2021 when a Tennessee social studies teacher, Matt Hawn, was fired for teaching it.

Lacey joined Hawn for his hearing to defend her poem, something few poets are asked to do in an official capacity.

"They asked me what my degree was in," said Lacey about her interrogation. "I said history, and his face went blank. That wasn't his expectation. People like my work because it's fact based, and researched, but it's also emotion. Ethos, pathos, logos. These are my experiences."

Though surprised that her poem became a flashpoint in this discussion, she was not surprised that the school district fired Hawn. She was, however, surprised that when asked to

Though incredibly busy with her touring, writing, and painting, McIntosh said that his niece was able to make room in her calendar for family. McIntosh said that when he asked, she said, "I'll do it for you, Uncle Jerry."

Despite the controversies, millions of views, hundreds of performances, and dozens of published articles and poems, Lacey said her expectations for the banquet are simple: "I just hope I make my uncle proud." {in}

27TH ANNUAL MOVEMENT FOR CHANGE "FREEDOM IS NOT FREE" BANQUET

WHAT: An annual banquet and fundraiser, featuring poet Kyla Jenée Lacey

WHEN: 5 p.m. Friday, June 21

WHERE: Pensacola Improv Event Center, 375 N. Pace Blvd.

COST: $50

DETAILS: facebook.com/groups/movementforchangeinc

a&e happenings

PRIDE CALENDAR

FREE GENDER-AFFIRMING HAIRCUTS

In honor of Pride, the team at Salon San Carlos will offer free gender-affirming haircuts for the LGBTQ+ community throughout June. Find @salonsancarlos on Instagram for more information.

PENSAPRIDE WEEKEND DRAG SHOW

This show will feature special guest Joan Jullian (who holds the title of Chicago's Miss Glamorous 2021), plus Dee Ranged, Lauren Mitchell, Kendyll Michaeles, Angelique Young and Zaniyah D. Iman. Showtimes are 10:30 p.m. and midnight Friday, June 14 at The Cabaret, 101 S. Jefferson St.

PENSAPRIDE The fourth annual PensaPride celebrates LGBTQ+ culture with live performances, food trucks, craft vendors and more 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, June 15. Admission is $1, and this year's location is the Pensacola Interstate Fairgrounds Expo Hall, 6655 Mobile Highway. For more details, visit pensapride.org.

CTRL ALT DRAG A drag show hosted by Terrah Card starts 9 p.m. Tuesday, June 18 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Andy Rodginous, Alastina, Chocolat Dubois, Bell Fire and Thotberry Shortcake will perform. Details are at handlebar850.com.

PRIDE WEEK POP-UP Perfect Plain, Garden & Grain, The Well and Perennial Patio Bar will celebrate Pride June 19-23 with events each night. There will be bingo Wednesday, June 19 and a Pride-themed market Thursday, June 20 at Perfect Plain; a ticketed drag brunch Sunday, June 23 at The Well; plus an ICON night with live music and DJs at all locations on Friday, June 21. Details are at facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco.

PUPS FOR PRIDE WolfGang and Perfect Plain present their annual dog-friendly Pride event, which includes brunch, a dog parade and karaoke from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, June 22 at Perfect Plain, 50 E. Garden St. Details and tickets are available at wolfgangparkandbrews.com.

ROAN VS. RAPP This event, hosted by The Sapphic Stage, will honor pop queens Chappell Roan and Reneé Rapp. It will include a sapphic costume contest, drag performances and a dance party, all kicking off at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, June 22 at Perfect Plain, 50 E. Garden St. For more information, find @thedragkinggoblinbabe on Instagram.

HOT GIRL SUMMER DRAG SHOW A summertime-themed drag show from local drag performer and host Terrah Card is 8 p.m. Friday, June 28 at Alga Beer Co., 2435 N. 12th Ave. Details are available at facebook.com/thefunhouseball.

LIBERATION! PRESENTS: TRUE COLORS

The popular drag show and dance party returns for a Pride edition 8 p.m. Saturday, June 29 at Subculture Art Gallery, 701 N. V St. The show will feature special sets from DJ Tristan Dufrene and performer Thotberry Shortcake, plus DJ Brody, DJ J.Mike, Andy Rodginous, Wyntier Kandiey and Vantasia Divine. For details, find Liberation! Pensacola on Facebook or Instagram (@liberationpensacola).

NONPROFITS & FUNDRAISERS

ANIMAL ALLIES FLORIDA BINGO Animal Allies Florida hosts bingo twice monthly at Scenic Hills Country Club, 8891 Burning Tree Road. The cost is 10 rounds of bingo for $10, with cash prizes for winners. Food and drinks are also available for purchase. The full bar and restaurant offer special adult beverages just for bingo nights. You must be 18 to play. For more information, visit facebook.com/animalalliesflorida.

ANIMAL ALLIES CAT AND KITTEN ADOP -

TION Visit Pet Supermarket 11 a.m.-3 p.m. every first and third Saturday of the month at 6857 N. Ninth Ave. to meet your furever friend. Visit aaflorida.org for details.

CARING & SHARING MINISTRY FOOD

DRIVE The Gloria Green Caring & Sharing Ministry is attached to the Historic St. Joseph Catholic Church, 140 W. Government St. The ministry feeds the homeless at 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays. The ministry's food pantry opens at 10

a.m. and has clothing. Food donations needed are pop-top canned goods, Beanie Weenies, Vienna sausage, potted meat, cans of tuna and chicken and soups. Clothing donations needed include tennis shoes for men and women as well as sweatshirts and new underwear for men in sizes small, medium and large. Call DeeDee Green at (850) 723-3390 for details.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

FREE Z TUESDAYS WITH ZARZAUR LAW

Stop by the corner of Palafox and Romana Streets for free snow cones by Sneaky Tiki Shaved Ice courtesy of Zarzaur Law, P.A. 2-4 p.m. Tuesdays through July 31. One Free Z per person, no refills.

ARTS & CULTURE

RENT Pensacola Little Theatre presents the Tony-Award winning musical "Rent" at 400 S. Jefferson St. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Fridays June 14 and 21; 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, June 15 and 22, and 2:30 p.m. Sundays, June 16 and 23. Tickets are $10-$38 at pensacolalittletheatre.com.

OPERA AFTER DARK: AN EVENING WITH NICOLE HEINEN Performance is 7 p.m. Thursday, June 13 at The Opera Center, 75 S. Tarragona St. Tickets are $25 and available at pensacolaopera.com.

SUMMER SOLSTICE DANCE PARTY

Celebrate the longest day of the year with an unforgettable costume dance party with music from DJ Brody 7-11 p.m. Friday, June 14 at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox St. Visit facebook.com/oddcolony for details.

SHREK RAVE Shrek-themed rave is 8 p.m. Saturday, June 15 at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. Visit vinylmusichall.com for details and tickets.

BODACIOUS BOOKSTORE ROMANCE BOOK CLUB The Romance Book Club is 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 18 at Bodacious Bookstore, 110 E. Intendencia St. The club will discuss "Funny Story" by Emily Henry. Details are at facebook.com/bodaciousbookstore.

OPERA AL FRESCA The next Opera Al Fresca is 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 18 at Big Lagoon State Park, 12301 Gulf Beach Highway. Present your library card to get into the park free to watch the show.

SUMMER SOLSTICE PLANT SWAP Plant swap hosted by Jade Tree Succulents is 6-9 p.m. Thursday, June 20 at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox St. Details are at facebook.com/oddcolony.

MARQ'CHARDISON AUCTION FASHION SHOW Enjoy a men's and women's fashion show with looks being auctioned off. Event is 5-9 p.m. Thursday, June 20 at Long Hollow Creatives, 700 N. Guillemard St. Details are on Eventbrite.

CELEBRATING 70: A HISTORY OF COLLECTING A new Pensacola Museum of Art exhibit runs through Sept. 29 featuring highlights of PMA's permanent collection at 407 S. Jefferson St. Details are available at pensacolamuseum.org.

SILENT BOOK CLUB AT BODACIOUS Sundays are for quietly reading at Bodacious Bookstore & Café, 110 E. Intendencia St. Join the Silent Book Club 10-11 a.m. Sundays. Details are at facebook.com/bodaciousbookstore.

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL This current exhibit at Quayside Gallery, 17 E. Zaragoza St, is on view through July 15. A special reception is 2:30-4:30 p.m. Sunday, June 16.

PENSACOLA ROSE SOCIETY Monthly meetings are normally 6 p.m. the second Monday of the month at the Pensacola Garden Center, 1850 N. Ninth Ave. Visit pensacolarosesociety.org for more information.

BTB COMEDY Watch live standup comedy in open mic style 7 p.m. Mondays at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox. Follow BTB Comedy on Facebook for updates.

COMEDY SHOWCASE AT SUBCULTURE

BTB Comedy presents a comedy showcase the first Thursday monthly at Subculture Art Gallery, 701 N. V St. Follow facebook.com/pensacolasubculture for updates.

SCRIPTEASERS Join writers at Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St., for Scripteasers every month. Visit pensacolalittletheatre.com for details.

PALAFOX MARKET Enjoy Palafox Market 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays. The event features local farmers, artists and crafters on North and South Palafox Street at Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza and Plaza Ferdinand. For updates, visit facebook.com/ downtownpensacola.

CABARET DRAG SHOWCASE AT AMERICAN LEGION POST #193 Don't miss Cabaret Drag Showcase every second and fourth Saturday at the American Legion Post #193, 2708 N. 12th Ave. Doors open at 8 p.m. Showtime is 10 p.m. For more information, contact show director Taize Sinclair-Santi at taizesinclairsanti@gmail.com.

SPIRITS OF SEVILLE QUARTER GHOST TOUR AND LUNCHEON Dine inside Pensacola's oldest and most haunted restaurant and investigate the spirits with actual paranormal equipment at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Tickets are $12 and include a voucher toward Seville Quarter's menu. Tours are held 11 a.m.-2 p.m. weekdays and 2-4 p.m. Sundays. Make an appointment by calling (850) 941-4321.

AFTER DARK: SEVILLE QUARTER GHOSTS, MURDER, MAYHEM AND MYSTERY TOUR AND DINNER After Dark Paranormal Investigation and Dinner happens inside one of Pensacola's most haunted restaurants with actual ghost-hunting equipment 6-8 p.m. Sundays. Listen as your guide weaves tales of ghosts, debauchery, murder, mayhem, paranormal activities, history and more related to Seville Quarter and downtown Historic Pensacola. Following your ghost tour, enjoy dinner at Seville Quarter Palace Café, 130 E. Government St. Reservations are required. Call (850) 941-4321. Tickets are available at pensacolaghostevents.com.

Photo Courtesy of PensaPride

PENSACOLA ARTS MARKET Shop small and buy art at Pensacola Arts Market 11 a.m.-4 p.m. every fourth Saturday of the month at Cordova Square, 1101 N. 12th Ave. Enjoy a local artisan and farmers market with more than 50 vendors, food trucks, plants, vintage clothing and décor, live musical performances, kids' crafts and games. This is a free event. Pensacola Arts Market is set up 4-9 p.m. every first Friday of the month and 2-6 p.m. every third Sunday at Gary's Brewery & Biergarten, 208 Newman Ave.

BODY, MIND, SPIRIT MARKET AT EVER'MAN Local vendors, artisans, holistic practitioners, speakers and more come together 10 a.m.-4 p.m. the first Saturday of the month at Ever'man Downtown, 315 W. Garden St. This is a free indoor and outdoor event with door prizes, entertainment and children's activities. For a vendor table, call (850) 941-4321 or go to empowermentschoolhouse.com.

FOOD + DRINKS

YAPPY HOUR AT PENSACOLA BAY BREWERY Enjoy $5 beers with your pup 6-8 p.m. Friday, June 14 at Pensacola Bay Brewery, 225 Zaragoza St. Tickets and information are available at wolfgangparkandbrews.com.

FAMILY CLASS: FATHER'S DAY RUBS, MARINADES, AND SALSAS Class is 2-4 p.m. Saturday, June 15 at Pensacola Cooks, 4051 Barrancas Ave. Ste. C. Cost is $50 per student 18 and older and $45 for students 6-17. Details at facebook.com/pensacolacooks.

VEGAN VIBEZ FESTIVAL Enjoy vegan food vendors, live music and adoptable dogs from Paws Crossed Dog. Event is noon-5 p.m. Saturday, June 15 at Gary's Brewery, 208 Newman Ave. Details are at facebook.com/garysbrew.

CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL

The Fish House Craft Beer Festival is 3-6 p.m. Saturday, June 15 at 600 S. Barracks St. Tickets are $30-$40 and available fishhousepensacola.com. Proceeds benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida.

O'RILEY'S UPTOWN TAVERN 21ST BIRTH-

DAY O'Riley's Uptown Tavern will celebrate its 21st birthday with an exclusive event featuring limited-time only drinks, commemorative t-shirts, a balloon drop, prizes and more 8 p.m.-midnight Saturday, June 15 located at 3728 Creighton Road. More information is at orileystavern.com.

BRIDGERTON BRUNCH

Enjoy a Regency period-themed brunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, June 16 at Bodacious, 407-D S. Palafox St. Tickets are $50 and available at facebook.com/bodaciousshops.

THE SUMMER SUPPER SERIES WITH CHEF MATTHEW OF THE FARM Dinner is 6-9 p.m. Tuesday, June 18 at Bodacious, 407-D S. Palafox St. Tickets are $90. Details are available at facebook.com/bodaciousshops.

DINNER WITH STRINGS ATTACHED Pensacola Symphony Orchestra performs during 5 and 7:30 p.m. dinner times Thursday, June 20. Jackson's Steakhouse is located at 400 S. Palafox St. Details are at jacksonsrestaurant.com.

AMERICAN GIRL DOLLS AND DAINTIES

TEA PARTY Event from Get Lit Pensacola and Bodacious Tea Party for American Girl enthusiasts of all ages. Tea service starts at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 22 at Bodacious Shops, 407-D S. Palafox St. Tickets are $25-$35 on Eventbrite.

GREEN THUMB WINE TASTINGS Join Green Thumb Wines for a wine tasting 6-8 p.m. every first Friday of the month at 9 E. Gregory St. Cost is $15, which can be applied to a bottle purchase of your choice. For more information and tickets, visit greenthumbwines.com/collections/events.

SUNDAY BRUNCH AT CAFÉ SINGLE FIN

Partake in brunch specials, full café menu, espressos and bottomless mimosas until 1 p.m. Sundays at Café Single Fin, 380 N. Ninth Ave. Live music begins at 10 a.m. Visit cafesinglefin. com for details.

SIPPIN' IN SUNDRESSES LADIES' NIGHT

AT FELIX'S Pop-up shops, pink drink specials and live music is 5-8 p.m. Thursdays at Felix's Restaurant and Oyster Bar, 400 Quietwater Beach Drive.

SUNDAY BRUNCH AT ATLAS OYSTER HOUSE Sunday Brunch is 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays at Atlas Oyster House, 600 S. Barracks St. View menus at atlasoysterhouse.com.

MEN'S NIGHT AT WISTERIA From 3 p.m. to close, guys can play free darts and enjoy $6 craft tallboys. There are more than 150 craft beers to choose from. Wisteria is located at 3803 N. 12th Ave. Visit wisteriatavern.com for details.

GAMER/JACKBOX NIGHT AT O'RILEY'S Gamers unite 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Mondays at O'Riley's Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox St. Visit orileyspub.com for details.

BINGO NIGHT AT CALVERT'S IN THE HEIGHTS Play a game (or two) of Bingo 6-8 p.m. Mondays at Calvert's in the Heights, 670 Scenic Highway. For more information, visit calvertsintheheights.com.

75 CENT OYSTERS AT ATLAS Enjoy 75-cent oysters 5-9 p.m. Tuesdays at Atlas Oyster House, 600 S. Barracks St. For more information, visit greatsouthernrestaurants.com.

MUSIC BINGO Test your music knowledge 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays at Wisteria, 3808 N. 12th Ave. Take part in half-price bottles of wine and $5 canned cocktails. Visit wisteriatavern.com for details.

BAR BINGO Visit O'Riley's Irish Pub for Bar Bingo 8-10 p.m. Tuesdays at 321 S. Palafox St. Visit orileyspub.com for details.

LUNCH AT THE DISTRICT The District Steakhouse, 130 E. Government St., is open for special lunch seatings on the third Friday of the month. Enjoy a $5 martini or house wine. Seatings are 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Reservations are accepted but not necessary. Details are available at districtsteaks.com.

happenings

SECOND TUESDAY THEMED TRIVIA Visit

Perfect Plain Brewing Co. for themed trivia nights 7-9 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month at 50 E. Garden St. Visit facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco for details.

TRIVIA AT O'RILEY'S Test your trivia knowledge 8-10 p.m. Wednesdays at O'Riley's Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox St. Visit orileyspub.com for details.

TRIVIA AT CALVERT'S IN THE HEIGHTS

Take part in trivia nights 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays at Calvert's in the Heights, 670 Scenic Highway. For more information, visit calvertsintheheights.com.

PITCHERS AND TAVERN TRIVIA O'Riley's Tavern hosts trivia 8 p.m.-midnight Thursdays at 3728 Creighton Road. Visit orileystavern.com for details.

TRIVIA UNDER THE TREES Trivia is 6 p.m. Thursdays at Wisteria Tavern, 3808 N. 12th Ave. Visit wisteriatavern.com for details.

THURSDAY BIERGARTEN TRIVIA NIGHT

Gary's Brewery Trivia Night is back by popular demand 7-9 p.m. Thursdays at 208 Newman Ave. Test your trivia skills with a glass of beer or wine. Arrive early to grab a spot. For more information, visit facebook.com/garysbrew.

TRIVIA AT SIR RICHARD'S Flex your trivia knowledge 8-10 p.m. Fridays at Sir Richard's Public

House, 2719 E. Cervantes St. Visit sirrichardslounge.com for details.

FREE POOL AND BAR BINGO AT O'RILEY'S TAVERN Enjoy free pool and play bar bingo 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays at O'Riley's Tavern, 3728 Creighton Road. Details at orileystavern.com.

LIVE MUSIC

BANDS ON THE BEACH Weekly concert series is 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays at Gulfside Pavilion on Pensacola Beach. Upcoming shows: June 18 is Float Like a Buffalo and June 25 is Vinyl Revival. For details, visit visitpensacolabeach.com/whatshappening-bands-on-beach.

LIVE MUSIC AT CALVERT'S Listen to live music 5-8 p.m. Sundays at Calvert's in the Heights, 670 Scenic Highway. Visit facebook.com/calvertsintheheights for details.

RED AND THE REVELER'S WITH A SUNDAY FIRE Show is 8 p.m. Friday, June 14 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Tickets at thehandlebar850.com.

PENSACOLA LATIN FIESTA Live salsa performances, DJs, and bands perform 2-10 p.m. Saturday, June 22 at Museum Plaza, 300 S. Tarragona St.

PEARL & COMPANY Pensacola JazzFest favorite Pearl & Company is 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 17 at Phineas Phogg's at Seville Quarter, 130

E. Government St. Cost is $10 for Jazz Pensacola members and $12 for non-members. Details are at jazzpensacola.com.

CONTROL FREAK, THE TAINTS, MID EVIL TIMES, LIQUID PENNIES Show is 7 p.m. Thursday, June 20 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Tickets are $5-$10 and available at thehandlebar850.com.

BRAVE NEW WORLD, BLIND TIGER, KAIRO, SLOW DEGRADE 7 p.m. Friday, June 21 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Tickets are $10-$15 and available at thehandlebar850.com.

THE PURPLE MADNESS: PRINCE TRIBUTE Show is 7 p.m. Friday, June 21 at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. Tickets are $20 and available at vinylmusichall.com.

BLUNTS & BLONDES WITH SLIM SADIE Show is 8 p.m. Friday, June 22 at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. Tickets are $25 and available at vinylmusichall.com.

TORI LUCIA & THE NITTY GRITTIES, ACCIDENT PRONE, CANDY CIGARETTE, HEMLOCK Show is 7 p.m. Sunday, June 23 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Tickets are $5 and available at thehandlebar850.com.

WHITE TIE ROCK ENSEMBLE AMERICANA ROCK TRIBUTE Tunes from The

WINNER BEST LATE NIGHT EATS

Runner Up Best Bar–West Pensacola/Perdido Key, Best Bar Ambiance, Best Bar for Games Best Bar Food, Best Hot Dog and Best Restaurant for a Birthday Dinner

Eagles, Bob Seger, John Mellencamp, Steve Miller Band, and Tom Petty. Show is 8 p.m. Saturday, June 22 at Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. Tickets are available at pensacolabaycenter.com.

PENSACOLA PICK NIGHT AT ODD COLONY Music pickers of all levels are invited to play 7-9 p.m. every last Monday of the month at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox St. Bring your acoustic instrument and jam. Visit facebook.com/oddcolony for details.

TUESDAY NIGHT JAZZ AT SEVILLE QUARTER Enjoy smooth jazz with Melodious Allen and The Funk Heads on Tuesday nights at Lili Marlene's in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Show starts at 6:30 p.m. Visit sevillequarter.com for more information.

KARAOKE AT O'RILEY'S UPTOWN Sing your heart out 8 p.m.-midnight Tuesdays at O'Riley's Uptown, 3728 Creighton Road. Visit orileystavern. com for details.

OPEN MIC NIGHT AT GARY'S BREWERY

Open mic night is hosted by Renee Amelia at 6 p.m. every other Wednesday at Gary's Brewery & Biergarten, 208 Newman Ave. Visit facebook. com/garysbrew for details.

KARAOKE AT THE HANDLEBAR Wednesdays at 9 p.m. The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Visit thehandlebar850.com for details.

a&e happenings

KARAOKE AT WISTERIA Wisteria Tavern, 3808 N. 12th Ave., hosts karaoke 7 p.m. Wednesdays. Details are at wisteriatavern.com.

WHISKEY WEDNESDAY KARAOKE Karaoke starts 9 p.m. Wednesdays at Mugs and Jugs, 12080 Scenic Highway. Visit mugsjugsbar.com for details.

KARAOKE NIGHTS AT SIR RICHARD'S

Bring your singing talents Monday and Thursday nights at Sir Richard's Public House, 2719 E. Cervantes St. Festivities are 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Visit sirrichardslounge.com for details.

SUNDAY KARAOKE AT MUGS AND JUGS

Karaoke starts at 9 p.m. Sunday at Mugs and Jugs, 12080 Scenic Highway. Visit mugsjugsbar.com for details.

FITNESS + RECREATION

BLUE WAHOOS GAMES Take in a baseball game at the Blue Wahoos stadium, 351 W. Cedar St. For single, group or VIP tickets, visit bluewahoos.com.

Upcoming home games:

•6:05 p.m. Tuesday, June 18

•6:05 p.m. Wednesday, June 19

•6:05 p.m. Thursday, June 20

•6:05 p.m. Friday, June 21

•6:05 p.m. Saturday, June 22

•4:05 p.m. Sunday, June 23

OCEAN HOUR WEEKLY CLEANUPS Ocean Hour Pensacola hosts weekly cleanups 7:45-9 a.m. Saturdays. On June 15, the site is Wayside Park (Pensacola and Gulf Breeze sides of the bridge). Follow Ocean Hour at facebook.com/ oceanhourfl for more details and locations.

53RD PENSACOLA

INTERNATIONAL

BILLFISH TOURNAMENT Pensacola Big Game Fishing hosts the annual billfish tournament June 13-17 at Palafox Pier. Details are available at pbgfc.com.

FEE FREE DAYS AT GULF ISLANDS

NATIONAL SEASHORE Enjoy Fort Pickens and Johnson Beach in the Gulf Islands National Seashore all day June 19. For details, visit facebook.com/gulfislandsnps.

YOGA UNCORKED AT 5ELEVEN Yoga classes are 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays at 5elevent, 511 S. Palafox St., with Disko Lemonade running the yoga class. Register for the class at diskolemonade.com.

YOGA WITH MARNI AT HA-YA Visit Ha-Ya Wellness for integrative yoga with Marni 10 a.m. the first and third Saturday of the month at 4301 Spanish Trail Road. Visit facebook.com/asherandbeeapothecary for more information.

FREE YOGA IN THE PARK WITH BREATHE

YOGA Enjoy a free, one-hour outdoor yoga class with Breathe Yoga 9:30-10:30 a.m. the first Sunday of the month at Bayview Park, 2001 E. Lloyd St. The next date is July 7.

HOOK, LINE & SINKER MONTHLY FISHING SEMINAR SERIES Hot Spots Charters hosts a monthly free fishing seminar held at

Flounder's Chowder House, 800 Quietwater Beach Road, on Pensacola Beach the first Monday every month. A free fish dinner is served at 6:30 p.m. with the seminar beginning at 7 p.m. and typically lasting about an hour. Visit facebook.com/hlsseminar for details.

FREE YOGA CLASSES AT EVER'MAN Take a free yoga class at Ever'man, 327 W. Garden St. Visit everman.org for full calendar of events.

LIVE JAZZ AND SWING DANCING From 6:30-11 p.m. the first Friday of each month, enjoy a live band for dancing Lindy, Foxtrot, East Coast and West Coast Swing. This is a fun, friendly atmosphere with lessons for all levels, no partner required. Location is at The Way You Move Dance Studio, 918 Winton Ave. The cost is $15. More information is at thewayyoumove.us.

WEST COAST SWING DANCE Join the fun 6:30-10 p.m. Wednesdays for $5 and 6:30-11 p.m. the fourth Saturday of each month for $10. All levels welcomed; no partner required. The Way You Move dance studio is at 918 Winton Ave. More information is at thewayyoumove.us.

BALLROOM, LATIN, SWING

DANCE

From 6:30-11 p.m. the second Saturday of each month, enjoy a mix of music for all dancers. All levels welcomed; no partner required. The Way You Move dance studio is at 918 Winton Ave. The cost is $10. More information is at thewayyoumove.us.

PENSACOLA PARKRUN The Pensacola Rec Plex North Parkrun is 7:30 a.m. Saturdays. The weekly timed 5K run or walk takes place at the University of West Florida and is free and open to everyone, regardless of fitness level. For more information, visit facebook.com/rpnparkrun or email recplexnorth@parkrun.com.

YOGA CLASSES AT EVER'MAN Beginner Yoga with John is 10 a.m. Thursdays, 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays and 12:15 p.m. Wednesdays. Funky Yoga Flow is 6 p.m. Tuesdays, and Vinyasa Yoga Flow is 6 p.m. Thursdays. All classes are at Ever'man, 327 W. Garden St. For a full calendar of events, visit everman.org.

KID-FRIENDLY

PENSACOLA MESS HALL SUMMER PRO -

GRAMS The Pensacola MESS Hall presents special programs every weekday of the summer. Mondays is puzzles and mathematical art, Tuesdays is slime recipes, Wednesdays is building challenges with Legos and other materials, Thursdays is chemistry and Fridays is coding activities. All activities are available 1-4 p.m. weekdays and for ages 6 and older. Pensacola MESS Hall is located at 418 E. Wright St. Details are at pensacolamesshall.org.

BLUEY'S BIG PLAY STAGE SHOW Enjoy the performance Thursday, June 13 at Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. Tickets are available at pensacolasaenger.com.

Stock Market Losses?

Hire a lawyer who is a former Merril Lynch stock broker.

free will astrology

WEEK OF JUNE 13

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): The term "maze" has various meanings. Most commonly, it signifies a puzzling cluster of choices that lead nowhere and bode frustration. But there are more positive meanings of the word. In ancient myths, a maze was where heroes underwent ritual tests. There they might summon ingenuity to win access to a hidden treasure. In modern psychology labs, the maze is a structure used to stimulate learning in rats. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, the maze you are now in is metaphorically akin to the second two meanings, not the first.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): There is an abundance of good news, Taurus. In the coming weeks, your conversations could awaken realizations that will augment your wealth—both the financial and emotional kind. So be eager to commune with vigorous souls who inspire your power to attract resources and goodies. Furthermore, you could generate enriching benefits for yourself by engaging with unfamiliar influences outside your web of expectations. Don't be too sure you already know everything you need. Helpful surprises could arrive if you're extra open-minded.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): Though 2024 isn't even half over, you have already earned the title "Least Boring Zodiac Sign of the Year." Or maybe a more positive way to frame it would be to award you the title "Most Scintillating, Interesting and Stimulating Zodiac Sign of the Year." Please keep doing what you have been doing, Gemini. Entertain us with your unruly escapades and gossip-worthy breakthroughs. Encourage us to question our dull certainties and dare us to be more fun. If we seem nervous to be in your stirring presence, disarm our worries with your humor.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): Your subconscious mind is full of marvelous capacities and magic potencies. But it also contains old habits of feeling and thinking that influence you to respond to life in ways that are out of sync with what's actually happening. These habits may sabotage or undermine your conscious intentions. Now here's the good news: In the next nine months, there's a lot you can do to dissolve the

By Rob Brezsny

outmoded imprints. You will have more power than ever before to perform this wizardry. So get started! How? Ask your subconscious mind to send you intuitions about how to proceed.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): The fairy tale "Jack and the Beanstalk" will serve as a prime metaphor for you in the coming weeks. Ruminate on its themes as being applicable to your life. I'll refresh you with the main points of the story. Young Jack and his mother need money, so she decides to take drastic measures. She bids him to sell the family cow at the marketplace a few miles away. But on the way into town, Jack meets a man who coaxes him to sell the cow in exchange for magic beans—not money. When Jack returns home, his mother is angry at his foolishness. In disgust, she flings the beans out the window into the dirt. Later, though, the beans live up to their promise. They grow into a giant beanstalk that Jack climbs to reach the lair of a giant who lives in the clouds. There, Jack retrieves three of his family's lost treasures, which had been stolen by the giant long ago.

unripe and wounded aspects. That might entail honest self-examination, objective observation of how we affect others and a willingness to recognize and forgive our mistakes. Jung also recommended another way to heal our neuroses: through the power of numinous experiences. By "numinous," he meant mystical, sublime or aweinspiring. Jung said such visitations could radically diminish our painful habits of mind and feeling. They might arrive through grace, thanks to life's surprising interventions. They may also be coaxed to appear through meditation, dreamwork, communing with myth and fairy tales and spiritual practices. I foresee a wealth of numinous events in your life during the coming months, Libra. May they bring you a steady stream of healing.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): In a moment, I will list events I foresee as being possible for you during the next 11 months. They are cosmic tendencies but not cosmic mandates. Whether they actually occur will depend on how you wield your willpower—which, by the way, could be freer and more muscular than it has been in a long time. Now here are the potential developments. 1. An offer to create one of the most symbiotic unions or robust collaborations ever. 2. Great chances for you to capitalize on the success of others. 3. Alterations in the family configuration. 4. Major shifts in loyalty and affinity. 5. A rise in rank. 6. Revelations of secrets you can use to your advantage.

have no super mom in your world, see if you can locate one, or even hire one. I also recommend creating an inner super mom in your imagination. You need and deserve sympathetic input from the archetype of the sage crone.

Go in quest of the sweet, deep lowdown directly from the sublime source.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): I suspect later in 2024, I will authorize you to commune with boisterous adventures and tricky risks. But right now, I advise you to flirt with modest adventures and sensible risks. Can you contain your burning, churning yearnings for a while? Are you willing to coax your crazy wild heart into enjoying some mild pleasures? By early autumn, I'm guessing you will have done the necessary preparations to successfully roam through the experimental frontiers. Until then, you are most likely to corral X-factors on your behalf if you pace yourself and bide your time.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): Before the reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang in the third century BCE, Chinese people had built many local walls designed to keep out invaders. Huang initiated a great public works project to connect all of these fragments into what's now known as the Great Wall of China. He also erected a vast system of roads and a city-sized mausoleum filled with the Terracotta Army: sculptures of 8,000 soldiers with their chariots and horses. Huang was a big thinker who was also highly organized! In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to glide into your very own Qin Shi Huang phase. What long-lasting structures do you want to build in the next 11 months?

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): Psychologist Carl Jung believed we could accomplish profound selftransformation by working hard on our psyches'

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): Have you been metaphysically itchy and psychologically ticklish? Are you unsure whether those tingling sensations you're feeling are worrisome symptoms or signs of healing and awakening? I believe they are signs of healing and awakening. They suggest you are doing the metaphorical equivalent of what a snake does when it sheds its skin. Expect imminent redemption, Sagittarius! Reframe the discomfort as a herald of relief and release.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): It's time for super mom to make an appearance. Some circumstances in your life could benefit from healing tweaks best initiated by her. And when I say "super mom," I'm not necessarily referring to your actual mother. I'm envisioning a wise older woman who sees you as you really are and can assist you in living your destiny according to your own inner necessity—no one else's. If you

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): "Oh God, if there is a God, save my soul, if I have a soul." That prayer was the handiwork of Piscean philosopher Joseph Ernest Renan. If his ironic minimalism is the only spiritual aspiration you can manage right now, so be it. But I hope you will strive for a more intimate, expansive and personal connection with the divine intelligence. The coming weeks will be an extra favorable time for you to speak and listen to mysterious powers beyond your rational comprehension. Please take advantage. Go in quest of the sweet, deep lowdown directly from the sublime source.

HERE'S THE HOMEWORK: Try letting go of a burden that's not necessary to bear any longer. {in}

freewillastrology.com newsletter.freewillastrology.com freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com © 2024 Rob Brezsny

news of the weird

VACATION GOALS Headed to Arizona this summer? (I mean, who isn't?) Motor on over to Williams and drop into the Poozeum, the new permanent location for George Frandsen's extensive coprolite collection. (Coprolite, in case you didn't know, is fossilized animal feces, United Press International reported.) Frandsen earned a Guinness World Record in 2015 with his collection of 1,277 fossils—but now, the Poozeum is the permanent home of 8,000 specimens. "Several years ago, I noticed a glaring absence of coprolite representation in mainstream sources and museum exhibits," Frandsen said. "The world's premier dinosaur poop museum" offers free admission—but don't bypass the gift shop!

QUESTIONABLE JUDGMENT At a McDonald's restaurant in Booval, Queensland, Australia, a customer caught an employee using a french fry heat lamp to dry a dirty mop head, Yahoo! News reported on May 20. The customer said the mop had just been used to mop the floors; she heard another employee say, "I don't think you should be doing that as it could be a safety issue as it can catch on fire," but the first worker just "laughed it off." A spokesperson for McDonald's Australia called it an "isolated incident" and said the staff had undergone "retraining" on food safety procedures.

AWESOME! As a 32-year-old man and his 66-year-old father argued on May 28 in Commerce City, Colorado, the father allegedly shot several times at the son, CNN reported. The father was believed to be intoxicated. While his aim was right on, a fluke saved the younger man's life: A .22-caliber bullet lodged in the 10-millimeter-wide silver chain link necklace he was wearing at his throat. The victim escaped with just a puncture wound; his dad is charged with first-degree attempted murder.

OOPS! The website for the Republican National Convention features a photo of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the convention will be held starting on July 15, on each of it pages. At least, it was supposed to. On June 4, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the website section called "News and Updates" highlighted a photo of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam—not Milwaukee. According to an internet archive, the errant photo had been in place on the page since February. The RNC declined to comment.

•The South China Morning Post reported on May 27 that a 26-year-old man from Naringgul, Indonesia, was hoodwinked into marriage after dating his "wife," Kanza, 26, for a year. Just 12 days into their union, the man, who goes by AK, became suspicious when his bride continued to wear her headscarf at home and avoided intimacy. After doing a little sleuthing, AK discovered that Kanza was actually a man who had been cross-dressing since 2020. The scoundrel later told authorities that he married AK to steal his family's assets. He was arrested and could face four years in prison.

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

WEIRD SCIENCE Scientists in Japan are at it again, Oddity Central reported on May 31. The Japanese tech company Kirin Holdings has released the new Elecispoon, a metal-and-plastic, battery-powered spoon that will improve human taste buds' perception of salt, thereby allowing them to use less salt in their foods. Overconsumption of salt is a health issue in Japan. The tip of the spoon's bowl transfers an electric charge to the food it touches and generates an electric field around the tongue, which causes sodium ions to bond together. The spoon, which sells for $128, has four intensity settings.

UM ... Neighbors in Palm Beach Country Estates in Florida are upset about the noise levels they're enduring from I-95 and the Florida Turnpike, which run side by side through the area, WPTV reported on June 5. Resident Greta Foriere, who lives two houses from the turnpike, said it's like being tortured 24 hours a day: "You can't go outside." She and other neighbors are lobbying for a sound wall to muffle the noise, which she has recorded as reaching 146 decibels. Neighbor Gary Johnson said he wouldn't have bought his house if he'd known about the noise level. Fun fact: The highways have been in place for 60 years.

CRIME REPORT Six Bricks & Minifigs stores across southern California have been targeted by Lego thieves, the Los Angeles Times reported on June 5. The popular figurines lifted from the Lego resellers amount to about $100,000 worth of merchandise. Katie Leuschner, who owns the store in Whittier, said that on May 3, burglars broke glass to enter the store, then filled trash bags with the booty. "They're not stealing big box sets," she said. "They're stealing minifigures, and those individual guys go for $500 to $600 apiece, so they're easily stolen and resold for a quick profit." Other cities have been hit, too, by what one website calls a black market for Lego items. Leuschner and other owners are modifying their storefronts to be less vulnerable to the thieves.

RECURRING THEME

Constance Glantz, 74, was receiving hospice care at a Waverly, Nebraska, nursing home when she seemed to pass away on June 3, The New York Times reported. The nursing home contacted the funeral home, and she was transported there. But as a mortician began the process of preparing her for burial, they discovered she was still breathing. Paramedics were called, and Glantz was taken to the hospital, where she actually died later the same day. "This is a very unusual case," said Chief Deputy Ben Houchin noted. "At this point, we have not been able to find any criminal intent by the nursing home, but the investigation is ongoing." {in}

Join us for our fourth-annual Pride festival to celebrate and uplift the LGBTQIA2S+ community!

Saturday, June 15, 2024 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Pensacola Interstate Fair Expo Hall

• Support LGBTQIA2S+ and ally artist vendors

• Enjoy a variety of performances

• Gather with all ages in a sober environment

Learn more at pensapride.org

Sponsorships available! Email contact@pensapride.org

/PensaPride @pensapride contact@pensapride.org