Inweekly june 9, 2016

Independent News | June 9, 2016 | Volume 17 | Number 24 | inweekly.net

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winners & losers 4

outtakes

news

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6, 7

After Katrina, people kind of viewed us like circus animals, coming to the city and watching us rebuild.

a&e

cover story

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publisher Rick Outzen

art director Richard Humphreys

intern Peyton Banfell

editor & creative director Joani Delezen

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

contact us info@inweekly.net

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Independent News is published by Inweekly Media, Inc., P.O. Box 12082, Pensacola, FL 32591. (850)438-8115. All materials published in Independent News are copyrighted. © 2015 Inweekly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

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June 9, 2016

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winners & losers Over 20,000 American boys and girls lost their fathers in Vietnam. Their stories are powerful testimonies about the true cost of war.

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winners CARLY JOHNSTON The International Association of Venue Managers Foundation has selected Carly Johnston, Director of Marketing and Sales at the SMG-managed Pensacola Bay Center, for its 30|UNDER|30 program. The program engages the best and brightest young professionals in the venue management industry by recognizing emerging leaders and their talents, which help accelerate the industry and carry it into the future.

SHEREE’ WELCH The Institute for

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Healthcare Excellence recently honored Sheree’ Welch, Patient Experience Analyst at Sacred Heart Health System, with its Leading Light Award. The award recognizes exemplary work in the hospital education process and consistent monitoring of patient experience survey results. Welch works tirelessly to develop strategies to educate staff on survey results to assure understanding and success.

CARLA GABRIELA DIAS The Pensacola

High School junior was among the state’s highest-achieving eleventh grade STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) scholars honored at the Sunshine State Scholars conference. The twoday conference, presented by Lockheed Martin, celebrated the accomplishments of Florida’s elite students and provided a unique venue for the state’s colleges, universities, and employers to recruit their talents.

losers DONALD TRUMP The Republican presi-

dential frontrunner has used his bully pulpit to attack the federal judge hearing two lawsuits against his Trump University. Donald Trump called U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel a “hater of Donald Trump” and said he believed the Indiana-born judge was a “Mexican.” On a positive note, Trump didn’t say that Judge Curiel would have to pay for the wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

FENTANYL OVERDOSES Toxicology tests for Prince concluded that the entertainer died from an accidental overdose of the opioid fentanyl, according to the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office. The Florida Panhandle has a fentanyl problem, too. Earlier this year, the Florida Medical Examiners released a report revealing that the First District, which encompasses most of Northwest Florida, had a 34 percent increase in drug-related deaths, particularly in fentanyl-related deaths.

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT SERVICES Florida auditors reported

the DMS did not initially document costs incurred by the vendor hired to oversee the charitable campaign. Under Gov. Rick Scott, control of the campaign was shifted from the United Way of Florida to a New Jersey company called Solix. A Tallahassee Democrat investigation revealed that Solix made more money than it was distributing to charities.

DMS officials told auditors late last month the contract had been modified to reduce payments to Solix.

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outtakes

by Rick Outzen

THE BLUES ARE OURS When word came that a Blue Angel had crashed in Smyrna, Tenn., a chill came over Pensacola. As news came that Marine pilot Jeff Kuss had died, tears flowed and prayers were said.

The “Blues” are our heroes. We feel a kinship with the pilots. They are ours. New Orleans has the Saints. Boston has the Celtics, and New York has the Yankees.

Pensacola has the Blue Angels, and we wouldn’t trade them for anything.

The Blues are part of the landscape.

We love to see them fly over the city during their weekly practices and on their return to base on Sunday afternoons.

They are the best of us and touch our sense of patriotism.

Back in 2011, I interviewed four-star Admiral Robert Kelly, who served as Commander in Chief of United States Pacific Fleet from 1991 to 1994, about the Blue Angels, who were celebrating their 45th anniversary that year.

“From an attack pilot’s perspective with thousands of hours in high-performance aircraft, I get goose bumps today watching them,” said Kelly. “It takes a really special kind of pilot and a hell of a lot of training to do that.”

Retired Capt. Bob Stumpf, who commanded the Blue Angels from 1993-94, walked me through the selection and training of Blue Angels. He talked about how the pilots rotate through the various positions in the formation. The Number 6 solo

pilot, such as Captain Kuss, serves with the Blue Angels for three years, starting as the narrator and advance pilot (Number 7).

After his year as Number 6, he goes to lead solo (Number 5).

“The way you learn to fly is to trim the airplane so that there is a no-stick feel, so that if you let go, it will keep going straight,” said Stumpf. “To keep the stick neutral, you have to pull back with 40 pounds of pressure for an hour.”

Kuss, a husband and father of two from Durango, Colo., had just taken off when the crash occurred in Smyrna about 3 p.m. He was not able to eject. The cause of the crash hasn’t yet been released, but the Marine Captain was hailed as a hero for preventing further casualties. And thousands have rallied around his family.

In less than four days, more than 3,600 supporters have donated $263,563 to a Go Fund Me account for his family.

The City of Pensacola, along with the Blue Angels Association, will hold a candlelight vigil for Captain Kuss at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 9, at Veteran’s Memorial Park.

The public is invited to gather with candles and American flags to pay tribute to the fallen pilot.

The Blues are ours. We mourn their losses and salute their lives. {in} rick@inweekly.net

The public is invited to gather with candles and American flags to pay tribute to the fallen pilot.

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CITY HALL: CULTURE OF INTIMIDATION?

By Rick Outzen Over the Memorial Day weekend, Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward fired off a memo challenging comments by City Council President Charles Bare, Councilwoman Sherri Myers and Councilman Gerald Wingate at their special meeting concerning his investigation and termination of former Fire Chief Matt Schmitt and Deputy Fire Chief Joe Glover.

Myers said she believes a culture of intimidation exists at City Hall and that she has "witnessed abuse of many employees."

Mayor Hayward challenged her veracity and questioned why the councilwoman had not come forward with details of the abuse.

Through a public record request, Inweekly received the personnel folder of Chief Human Resources Officer Ed Sisson. The folder showed that Hayward’s HR chief took pride in his ability to remove individuals from the city and was given a lofty title and 13-percent pay raise for his efforts.

In February 2015, when City of Pensacola HR administrator Ed Sisson wanted to have his job title changed to “Chief Human Resources Officer” and get a pay raise, he didn’t have an annual job performance evaluation with Mayor Ashton Hayward or Interim City Administrator Dick Barker to make his case. No one in the Hayward administration has been given an annual job performance evaluation since 2012.

Instead, Sisson wrote his own annual review and sent it to Chief Operations Officer Tamara Fountain. In his review, Sisson listed 16 accomplishments in his first year working for the City of Pensacola. Among them was: “Successfully removed, and/or helped to remove, individuals from our organization that did not add value (at all levels).”

Myers believes that one of Sisson’s “successful removals” was former Council Executive Lila Cox. In June 2014, Mayor Hayward abruptly had Cox escorted out of City Hall. He announced that she was terminated, and former City Attorney Rusty Wells was taking her place.

“I think the Lila Cox firing was just horrendous, and it just illustrates the type of firing practices that have been going on in this administration,” she told Inweekly.

“Lila Cox had no idea she was going to be terminated.

She was doing a fabulous job for the city council, and we loved Lila Cox.” She said, “We had no idea that she was going to be terminated. I had seen her just really, just three or four minutes before she went upstairs from the first floor up to her office. We had had a very cordial conversation at the elevator. She was very happy, very upbeat and accomplishing a lot.”

According to Myers, Cox went up to her office and was told to get her purse and personal belongings and was escorted out of the building. The city council refused to accept Wells as the new council executive and placed a charter amendment on the

“I think the Lila Cox firing was just horrendous, and it just illustrates the type of firing practices that have been going on in this administration.”

Councilwoman Sherri Myers

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November 2014 ballot granting them the power to hire their staff. City voters passed the amendment, 10,575 to 9,865, over the mayor’s objection.

Other notable “removals” in 2014 include CMPA Executive Director Ed Spears, City planner Elizabeth Schrey and City Administrator Colleen Castille. Sisson’s complaints were the catalyst of the investigation into the fire chiefs.

Missing from Sisson’s personnel folder was a job application or resume. There were no notes on his job interview or who actually made the recommendation to Mayor Hayward to hire him as the Human Resource Administrator. There is no documentation regarding his prior jobs or reference checks with his previous bosses.

The job offer was dated Jan. 10, 2014 and signed by Castille. She wrote, “You’ll be asked to sign a contractual agreement with Mayor Hayward, who has approved your starting salary at $87,500 annually, paid bi-weekly.”

Not having a job application violates the City of Pensacola Human Resource Manual: “Applications are required for all positions filled by a recruitment process and must be filed with Human Resources by the announced application deadline. Applications collect details regarding experience, training, education, and other pertinent information. Required documentation may be required with the application that provides proof of education, certification, veteran preference, etc. Applicants must attest to the truthfulness of all statements contained in the application; false statements or misrepresentation is cause for denying employment or for discharge from city employment at any time after being employed.”

The manual also states, “Prior to employment or appointment to a position, appropriate background and reference checks will be completed in accordance with city policy.”

Last summer, Chief Operations Officer Tamara Fountain resigned after Mayor Hayward went on a local television to tout how her education qualified her for the COO position. The mayor said about Fountain, “She’s very qualified having an undergrad at Florida State and an MBA at the University of West Florida, so she understands government.”

Inweekly and other media discovered that she had no job application or resume in her folder. She had taken courses at FSU, but didn’t graduate. She later received an undergraduate degree from the University of West Florida, not a Masters. Fountain eventually gave the media a resume that listed her accomplishments and duties while having worked for the city, but gave no prior work experience or references.

After a two-week vacation, she announced her resignation.

Sisson replaced Sherrer Kuchera, who served as the city’s HR Administrator for 25

years and as assistant HR Administrator for 17 years before then.

When Escambia County replaced its retiring HR administrator in 2012, a six-member selection committee reviewed more than 70 applicants. They chose Thomas Turner, who worked as the Human Resource Director for the City of Des Moines for 14 years, from 1997 to 2011. He also had served as Vice President of Human Resources and Human Resources Director for several private sector organizations representing fields as diverse as finance, healthcare and an electric/natural gas utility.

Turner has a law degree with honors from Drake University Law School. His starting salary was $92,000 and has since increased to $105,577. He manages Human Resources for 1,727 county employees.

Before being hired by Mayor Hayward, Sisson had never been an HR Director or Assistant HR Director in the public or private sector. He had spent two years as a HR analyst with the Hillsborough County Civil Service Office, from Dec. 2011–Jan. 2014. From Oct. 2002-Oct. 2011, he worked with the City of Jacksonville starting as HR Analyst and ending as Operations Analyst.

Sisson has a Bachelor’s degree and did a semester or two on a Masters while he lived in Jacksonville.

Reporter Duwayne Escobedo spoke with Dane Petersen, Director of HR in Hillsborough County. He confirmed Sisson worked just over two years with the Hillsborough County Civil Service Office as a Chief Human Resource Analyst. His main duties there were taking job classifications, putting a salary range to the positions and helping write the job duties. He was paid $67, 496 there.

Petersen said Sisson’s job was “job duties and pay raises. It was confined to that.”

Before working for Hillsborough County, Sisson worked for the City of Jacksonville.

His final yearly salary as an Operations Analyst was $53,571.60.

Mayor Hayward gave Sisson a starting salary of $87,484.80 – $20K more than Hillsborough was paying him—only $4,516 less than the starting pay for the more experienced Turner. According to FY 2016 budget, Sisson manages HR for 770 employees —nearly a thousand fewer individuals than Turner does for Escambia County.

In his 2015, Sisson wrote, “I believe my actions and initiatives also deliver at a service level above and beyond recent predecessors that served in my capacity as I seek not just to achieve excellent operations on a day-by-day basis but look to a strategic plan for tomorrow.”

Mayor Hayward approved Sisson’s new job title and the $12,210 pay increase in two backdated memos. Sisson signed his own PF501 Recommendation For Personnel Action that was also backdated to Feb. 2, 2015. {in} inweekly.net

WHEN MUHAMMAD ALI TRIED TO HEAL PENSACOLA

Muhammad Ali, Fred Levin, and Governor Lawton Chiles / Photo Courtesy of Fred Levin

By Rick Outzen In 1996, Muhammad Ali, three-time boxing heavyweight champion, set out on an mission to bring together people of different races and religions. Coming off his lighting of the Olympic flame at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, the retired champ, who was battling Parkinson’s disease, launched a “Healing” tour to talk with students across the country about tolerance.

The tour was also tied to the publication of the book “Healing-A Journal of Tolerance and Understanding,” a collaboration between Ali and Thomas Hauser, who authored the international bestsellers “Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times” and “Muhammad Ali: In Perspective,” as part of a multi-dimensional, international campaign to combat bigotry and prejudice.

On the jacket of the book, Hauser wrote, “"Muhammad Ali is the most loved person in the world. Everywhere he goes, wherever he goes, people of all colors and religions crowd around, hoping to get close to him. I've seen it happen so many times, and each time I ask myself, 'If we can all get together and have a meeting of the minds on Ali, why can't we all get together, period?' I look at this man and I say to myself, 'God is trying to tell us something.'”

The Givat Haviva Educational Foundation, established in 1949 to encourage understanding among people of different races and religions, honored Ali and Hauser for their efforts. The two men toured middle and high schools across the country, making stops at Richards Middle School 77

in Atlanta, A. Phillip Randolph Campus High School in Harlem, Kocke High School in Los Angeles, Bennigan Middle School in Boston, and the Pensacola Bay Center, where an estimated 7,600 Escambia County public high school and Pensacola Catholic High students attended.

Pensacola attorney Fred Levin organized the Pensacola event. Sitting in a small conference room off his law firm office surrounded by albums, Leroy Neiman’s sketchbook of the Ali-Sonny Liston fight, and several books autographed by Ali, the attorney shared with Inweekly how the historic event came to happen.

Levin had read the book. “It was chilling that Muhammad Ali, the baddest man in the world, was trying to get everybody together—Christians, Jews, Muslims,” he told Inweekly. “It was really a good book. We had been talking and I said, ‘It really would be good here in Pensacola.’ We were having some friction between the blacks and whites, even though integration was there.”

He reached out to Ali’s photographer, Howard Bingham, to see if the boxing champ would come to Pensacola. If Ali would agree, then Levin would invite all of the students from all area high schools to attend the event at the Pensacola Civic Center.

“At first, all hell broke loose,” said Levin. “The school board was up in arms.

People were protesting, ‘This is a Muslim, and you're bringing him here.’”

In 1997, the Pensacola area was experiencing the Brownsville Revival.

Thousands were attending nightly services at the Brownsville Assembly of God. After fielding complaints that school events had taken a more religious tone, the Escambia County School Board had adopted a speakers’ policy that discouraged religious topics in school assemblies. Christian conservatives objected at a school board meeting that guidelines were not being followed for Ali's event.

School officials pointed out that the event was not being held on school property. The event was not mandatory, and parents had to sign permission slips, as they would for any field trip.

“Somehow or another we got through that, and I invited up Muhammad and his wife to come spend the night at my home in Gulf Breeze,” said Levin. “We would have event the next day at the civic center. I invited Governor Lawton Chiles, who happily accepted, and Roy Jones, Jr. to be on the stage.”

He remembered that there were a few protesters outside the Civic Center, but they didn’t impact the event.

“It was all about healing and bringing the whites and blacks together,” he said. “Nothing about Muslims, because nobody had ever seen a Muslim.”

The students cheered as Ali exchanged mock punches with Roy Jones, Jr., the WBC light heavyweight champion at the time. Muhammad did not speak to audience, although he could hold a conversation in a whisper.

Levin said, “His wife, Lonnie, spoke to the crowd, and I remember she walked on the ice all around the thing. I was scared to death she was going to fall. She walked all around talking to the students about love and healing and all of that.”

Levin told the students about Jeremy Madison. The promising youth football player, age 8, ran inside his family's burning home in October 1996, trying to rescue his 15-year-old sister and 3-year-old brother, not realizing they had already escaped the fire. He was confined to a wheelchair, unable to see or speak because of brain damage from the fire.

Ali pushed the boy in his wheelchair across a pad over the frozen hockey rink, and his wife Lonnie kissed the boy. Several students and adults had tears in their eyes.

“At first, all hell broke loose. The school board was up in arms. People were protesting, ‘This is a Muslim, and you're bringing him here.’” Fred Levin

Levin said the Civic Center event got very little local publicity, but it was “very, very well received.”

The attorney said that Ali had an impact on more than high school students.

The night before the event, Levin held a fundraiser at his home. Muhammad and Lonnie Ali, Governor Chiles, people from HBO, Howard Bingham and people Levin called “the big shots in town” were there.

Ali and Chiles hit it off.

“After the party that night, I went back upstairs, and there is the governor and Muhammad sitting at that kitchen table,” said Levin. “I knew this wasn't a time for me to be sitting around. According to the maid, it was hours that they talked.”

He said, “The governor, when we got up the next morning said that ‘You just have no idea what this means to me.’”

In his office, Levin has framed photographs of the fundraiser and two letters from Governor Chiles.

The governor wrote in the first letter, sent the day after his Pensacola visit, “I wanted to take a moment to let you know how much I enjoyed participating in the event you put together for Muhammad Ali in Pensacola. His visit was certainly a success, and the greatest measure of credit for this belongs to you.

When Levin sent him a compilation of photographs from the event, Governor Chiles wrote again.

“Muhammad is a true champion and one whom I have always admitted,” said Chiles. “The ceremony in his honor will be one of the most memorable days of my life.”

Ali, age 74, passed away on Friday, June 3 from septic shock after being hospitalized last Monday with a respiratory illness. In light of GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump’s recent stances on Muslim and Hispanics, Ali’s life and visit to Pensacola has special meaning for Levin.

He said that Ali prayed fi ve times a day while he stayed at his home. He didn’t push Islam on the students at the Civic Center, but his faith was apparent, according to Levin.

The attorney is concerned at how a country led by Trump would have treated Ali. “Here in this day and time we are sitting in a situation where a man running for president, who has said Muslims cannot come into our country,” he said. “A peacemaker like Muhammad, if he was from another country, would be banned.”

For Levin, Ali’s visit stands out for the purity of his message.

“Looking back on the history of Pensacola, this probably was one of the most significant event that ever took place here,” said Levin, “because he was trying to do something that I don't think ever took off and that was healing and trying to bring the races together. {in} inweekly.net

Steven Specht with Family / Photo by Chasen Grieshop SPECHT FOR CONGRESS Steven Specht, Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, District 1, sat down with publisher Rick Outzen on News Talk 1370 WCOA’s “Pensacola Speaks” to discuss his campaign.

Specht grew up in Marianna, worked his way through college at the University of Florida, and graduated in 2005.

“My intent has always been to go into the military,” he said. “I ended up spending four years in the Air Force as a linguist.

My specialty was two Afghan languages: Pashto and Dari. “ After the Air Force, Specht did one more year over in Afghanistan as a contractor working with Marine Special Operations Command. He graduated from Florida State College of Law in May 2016 and has passed the bar. He lives in Pensacola with his nine-month-old son and his wife Lauren, who serves in the United States Navy. sandysansingbmw.com

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Specht is running for Congress, because he believes the Founding Fathers wanted a citizen government, meaning they expected members of Congress to have “lived a life that allows them to have the body of experience that they can go to Washington and represent the people.”

“They did not envision career politicians spending their entire time in politics and then just graduating from a state position into a congressional position having never really lived the life of a citizen,” he said. “Now, I have this vast world experience. I've worked many jobs ranging from construction to being a lifeguard to being in the armed forces.”

Specht said, “I'm the kind of guy that the Founding Fathers envisioned.”

He believes the Congressional race will be decided by how the voters of Northwest Florida view the federal government.

“We have one candidate that wants to go to Washington and fight Washington. We have a pragmatic Republican who knows how government works and wants to go and govern,” said Specht.

“Then there's me,” he said. “I want to govern. I don't want to dig my heels in on partisan issues. We don't need someone going to Washington to shut the government down.

We need someone that's going to be willing to engage on key issues.”

ranging from environmental protection to responsible corporate citizenship.

On Friday morning, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in various projects in the local area led by the panel of experts, including “greening up” led by Wagley; a community and resident leadership training led by Coby; a tour of a community garden led by Jill Thomas; and a walking tour of the Belmont-DeVilliers area led by Robin Reshard.

Space is limited. To register to attend and ensure your spot, please visit: pensacolahabitat.org/invite.

COMMUNITY SUMMIT JUNE 9-10 On June 9-10, Pensacola Habitat for Humanity presents the second annual Community Summit, a free event that is intended to spur discussion and action that will foster the development of sustainable communities in Northwest Florida.

This two-part event, presented in partnership with NeighborWorks America and Gulf Power, begins 1 p.m. June 9 at Gulf Power headquarters with keynote speaker, Tom Chabolla, Senior Vice President of Field Operations at NeighborWorks America, Washington, D.C. Mr. Chabolla will reflect on his years of experience transforming and advancing communities throughout the country.

He will be followed by an expert panel featuring Christian Wagley, principal of Sustainable Town Concepts; Al Coby, former City Manager of the City of Pensacola; Jill Thomas, Chief Marketing Officer of Innisfree Hotels; and Robin Reshard, founder of Robert Robino Productions. The panel will offer diverse perspectives on topics

BCC WANTS A PLAN The Escambia Board

“I don't want to dig my heels in on partisan issues. We don't need someone going to Washington to shut the government down.” Steven Specht

of County Commissioners (BCC) voted 5-0 to table a supplemental budget amendment for $316,646 to clean up a contaminated groundwater plume that has halted the construction of the Corrine Jones-Government Street stormwater pond.

Petroleum and pesticide groundwater contamination is caused by the former Escambia County Mosquito Control facility at 603 W. Romana Street. In 2005, the site was designated a Brownfield, and the County entered into a Brownfield Site Rehabilitation Agreement with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).

As part of the agreement, the County is charged with remediating the contamination plume. The plume boundaries have been defined based on extensive groundwater testing and monitoring, and it has been shown to have migrated approximately 500 feet south/ southeast from the former Mosquito Control site proper impacting the City of Pensacola’s Corrine Jones Park property located at 600 West Government Street.

The FDEP has required that the contaminated water be removed and treated.

Since the source of the pollution was the county-owned facility, the City asked the

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BCC to pay for the remediation as part of its FDEP plan.

Commissioner Doug Underhill expressed concern that the county funds were being used on city-owned property without any assurance that those dollars may be needed to complete work on the mosquito control site.

Chips Kirschenfeld, the county’s senior scientist, explained, “In my opinion, spending that money now is going to speed up the decontamination and remediation that has been going on for years.”

Without the remediation at the Corrine Jones site, he estimated the remediation could continue for another 10 years. With it, the cleanup may be completed in two years.

Commissioner Grover Robinson argued that it would be less expensive to remove the plume downhill from the mosquito control site at Corrine Jones than trying to pump it out of the ground at Romana Street.

“I don’t see a plan. I don’t see a map with the plume. I don’t see the backup documentation necessary to make this expenditure,” said Underhill. He said he

expects to see a plan of action and milestones for the completion of the overall remediation project.

The BCC agreed to discuss the item at its June 16 meeting. County staff will present documentation and analysis more aligned with Commissioner Underhill’s expectations.

Van Sickle said Exhibit XVII, which contained a timeline and analysis of the decision to delete the Independent Personnel Board, was provided him by the City of Pensacola. This unintentional error was ours. However, the City has yet to hold a press conference or public meeting to explain the report.

Exhibit XVII was unsigned and didn't state the source.

We asked Van Sickle for the author of Exhibit XVII so that we could attribute it to the appropriate party. While waiting for his reply, we corrected the article on Inweekly.net: Van Sickle’s report did not address the change in the appeal process. City officials provided an analysis and timeline of the decision to remove the previously existing disciplinary process that Van Sickle included for informational purposes.

The analysis concluded, “The intentions conveyed by the City Administration to the local legislative delegation during the process of repealing the Civil Service

“I don’t see the backup documentation necessary to make this expenditure.”

Commissioner Doug Underhill

CLARIFICATION Attorney Russell Van

Sickle clarified that the conclusion that that Mayor Hayward was not bound to create the Independent Personnel Board, which we published in our June 2 "Buzz" column, had been incorrectly attributed to him.

The Beggs & Lane attorney spent three months investigating Fire Chief Matt Schmitt and Deputy Fire Chief Joe Glover.

His 132-page report and hundreds of pages of supporting documentation have been placed on the city's website. Inweekly incorrectly attributed conclusions in an exhibit to Van Sickle.

Special Act were not executed and should not be interpreted to mean the Mayor would appoint an independent board and delegate all of his Charter authority regarding employment to that board.” (See note) The analysis didn’t state who made that conclusion.

Missing from the city’s analysis were any interviews with Kuchera or former Chief of Staff John Asmar, who worked on the repeal of the Civil Service Act with the city employees and lawmakers. There was no mention that city employees were told four years ago that they would have an independent appeal board so they would support the Civil Service repeal effort. There also was no explanation why the Independent Personnel Board was added to the HR manual in 2013 if the mayor didn’t intend to abide by his commitment.

Mayor Hayward and Sisson have declined several interview requests from Inweekly.

Note: An earlier version had attributed the conclusion regarding the commitment for Independent Personnel Board to attorney Russell Van Sickle. The conclusion was made by unidentified city officials. {in}

102 S. PALAFOX PL, PENSACOLA, FL - 850 466 2103

/thetincow www.thetincow.com

June 9, 2016

9

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inweekly.net

Not to be confused with the LGBT celebration during Memorial Day Weekend, PensacolaPRIDE is a weeklong event starting June 11 that celebrates local LGBT culture and brings the community together in the name of equality.

“Both events have value and have a place, but there are some distinct differences,” said Doug Landreth, President of Gay Grassroots of Northwest Florida and June 9, 2016

organizer of PensacolaPRIDE. “Memorial Day Weekend is a large-scale gathering intended to bring out-of-town tourists in to enjoy our city and beaches.” But PensacolaPRIDE, Landreth said, is a weeklong event focusing on the local LGBT community and allies.

“We try to plan our events so that they will be accessible to everyone within the community, including straight allies,” he

said. “PRIDE events are designed to bring family and friends, maybe as their first exposure, to the LGBT community. There’s no risk of over stimulation or shock value, as far as content.”

Landreth said that Pensacola’s own PRIDE started to take shape back in 2008, when Amendment 2 was on the ballot, which reaffirmed that marriage was between a man and woman.

“There was a demonstration downtown, and that’s when social media was starting to take off and it started to grow,” he said. “About 150 people showed up to demonstrate their displeasure with the amendment, which got some community leaders thinking that the time had come to have a social organization that would be heavily activist slanted.”

11

Sandra Valls / Courtesy Photo Landreth said that when other cities started to have PRIDE events, they scheduled it in the middle of June to commemorate the Stonewall riots.

“At one point, there had become so many [cities] that were having PRIDE in June, some started to move theirs so attendees could go to several,” Landreth said. “We had moved ours to National Coming Out Day on October 11, but changed it back to June a few years ago.”

With marriage equality now reality in the U.S., the focus for most PRIDE celebrations has transitioned to broader equality and discrimination issues that the LGBT community still faces.

“With major advances, come major backlash,” Landreth said. “There are so many states introducing new bills aimed to discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. Insurance policies,

also give a presentation on his book about being a young, black, gay man in the south that puts a deeper understanding and perspective on the LGBT experience.

Landreth said he’s looking forward to bringing awareness of the acceptance and understanding of the transgender community through a public forum called “Transgender Violence” during this year’s PRIDE. “The public forum will be followed up by a local panel. What we like to do is bring someone in that has readily accessible information on various policies and where things stand where the courts are concerned. It’s beneficial to have a data-driven presentation, followed up Sam Gleaves and Tyler Hughes / Photo by Josh Saul by a local panel who can being denied services, housing or employprovide a firsthand local ment, as well as adoption equality, are just a face to the experience and we are blessed with few instances of discrimination people still having a large group of activists within the face on a daily basis.” transgender community here,” Landreth said.

With Memorial Day Weekend being a “Unfamiliarity brings an elevated social occasion, Landreth said, PRIDE puts disbursement of misunderstanding and things into a different context—more about resentment,” he said. “When Caitlyn Jenner where the movement is and where the LGBT introduced herself to the world, that was a community still very high profile announcement, which rapidly needs to go. came with other announcements about how “Although there terrible this was for society, how it was a horare a lot of enjoyable ribly twisted experience, and how transgender events, what I call people are deviants, so that fueled a lot of the ‘meat and potapeople in thinking that was their duty to make toes’ are also added a stance against this.” into it,” Landreth Landreth said that the escalation of viosaid. “We have our lence, towards transgender women especially, large festival in the left those in leadership roles with a situation park, live entertainment, a chili dinner and line that they were very ill-prepared to deal with dance, celebration ball and a town hall meeton a systematic basis. ing on transgender violence.”

“It’s kind of the same story with bullying In addition, Jay Watkins, Ph.D., will give and LGBT youth,” Landreth said. “When the a lecture called “Hot Times on the Gay Gulf younger LGBT generation felt accepted at a Coast, 1945-1965” that will detail how the much younger age and felt comfortable to Memorial Day Weekend annual reunion come out at a younger age, school systems came to be. Author Lawayne Childrey will

“We try to plan our events so that they will be accessible to everyone within the community, including straight allies.” Doug Landreth

PensacolaPRIDE Schedule of Events SATURDAY, JUNE 11 Festival in the Park WHEN: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

WHERE: Seville Square COST: Free

SUNDAY, JUNE 12

LGBT Comedy Movie Marathon WHEN: 12:30-8 p.m.

WHERE: Ever’man Natural Foods Community Rooms, 315 W. Garden St. COST: Free; concessions for sale

212 1

Movies playing: 12:30 p.m. "Grandma" 2 p.m. “I Am Michael” 4 p.m. “Bessie” 6:15 p.m. "Tangerine"

MONDAY, JUNE 13

Book Signing and Reception with Author Lawayne Childrey WHEN: 7-8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Ever’man Natural Foods Community Rooms, 315 W. Garden St. COST: Free

TUESDAY, JUNE 14

Public Forum: Transgender Violence WHEN: 6-8 p.m.

WHERE: Downtown Library, 239 Spring St. COST: Free

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15

Chili Dinner and Line Dancing WHEN: 6-9 p.m.

WHERE: The Roundup, 560 E. Heinberg St. COST: $8

THURSDAY, JUNE 16

Public Forum: “Hot Times on the Gay Gulf Coast, 1945-1965” WHEN: 7-9 p.m. Thursday, June 16 WHERE: Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox COST: Free

were not prepared to address a more expressive group. Faculty and administration were unable or unwilling to provide a safe learning environment. Every time we make some sort of advancement, that’s something we need to be vigilant on for society as a whole.”

The kickoff event—Festival in the Park—will feature comedian Sandra Valls and bluegrass duo Sam Gleaves and Tyler Hughes this Saturday.

“Our two headliners are phenomenal this year,” Landreth said. “Sandra Valls is a highprofile, Latina, lesbian comic who has done comedy specials on major networks including Showtime. Couple in real life and in music, Sam Gleaves and Tyler Hughes from Appalachia, have been featured on NPR and have been critically-acclaimed in the bluegrass community. Every year we try to improve, and I think that by far this is the most diverse and exciting slate of entertainers we have had.”

This year’s PRIDE Celebration Ball will focus supporting the transgender community and its allies.

“As an organization, we have learned that as far as political strategy to advance LGBT issues, we should argue as a whole community—sexual orientation and gender identity and expression included,” Landreth said.

For many years attending statewide leadership meetings on strategic planning, Landreth found that many issues were always argued on sexual orientation, and anything that dealt with the trans community was left out.

“But we agreed that as an organization, anything we worked on if there was an issue, we would only work towards full inclusion,” he said. “It may take a little longer, but in fairness we should all work together, and that’s been our procedure since our inception.” {in}

PENSACOLAPRIDE

WHAT: A weeklong annual celebration of LGBT culture and community in Pensacola WHEN: Saturday, June 11-Saturday, June 18 DETAILS: ggnwfl.com

FRIDAY, JUNE 17

Open Mic/Open Stage Performance Showcase WHEN: 7-10 p.m.

WHERE: Bayview Senior Center, 2000 E. Lloyd St. COST: Free

SATURDAY, JUNE 18

Celebration Ball WHEN: 7-11 p.m.

WHERE: Bayview Senior Center, 2000 E. Lloyd St. COST: $45 in advance, $50 at event Cocktail/semi-formal/formal attire is suggested

inweekly.net

FOREVER DIETING?

Jay Watkins, Ph.D., / Courtesy Photo The Gulf Coast’s gay past has always been a bit elusive, until now.

Panama City native Jay Watkins has uncovered valuable historical information about the “Gay Riviera” and the LGBT community that lived in the Pensacola area over 50 years ago.

“I actually knew nothing of Pensacola’s gay past before I started on this quest during my undergrad studies,” Watkins said. “Coming from Panama City, I had no idea that the Gulf Coast had a gay history. I thought that gay men just moved away.”

From cruising Palafox for sailors in the 1950s, to the Emma Jones Society and Memorial Day circuit parties, Pensacola has entertained a number of "characters" over the years.

Watkins' doctorate dissertation at King's College in London is an in-depth look at the history of the LGBT culture during a time when Pensacola was known as “The Gay Capital of the South.” He will host a lecture during PensacolaPRIDE called "Hot Times on the Gay Gulf Coast, 19451965” based on his research on the topic.

“When I was in London, I began investigating my hometown and wrote about the Fiesta Room, a gay club that has since closed down,” he said. “I then began learning more about the wider Gulf Coast and starting working on my Ph.D.” Watkins said that his research in Pensacola started with the Emma Jones Society, a secret book club that Pensacola couple Ray and Henry Hillyer started in the early ‘60s that turned into an annual social event on Pensacola Beach. Soon, two June 9, 2016

to three thousand people started coming for the parties and annual events, including drag shows at the well-known San Carlos Hotel, once on the corner of Palafox and Garden.

“The Hillyers were civil rights pioneers who created an event where gay, lesbian and transgender people could come together openly and celebrate their lives and culture,” said Watkins, who teaches U.S. history at Georgia State University in Atlanta.

“Not always does a forbearer of a movement get recognized,” said PensacolaPRIDE’s Landreth. “Their story doesn’t always get retold to younger generations. Pensacola is a very transient community, so elders may have not lived here or even been aware.”

Landreth said that when those gatherings first started, it was a secretive time.

“Not only have we lost out on a lot of the oral history, it wasn’t documented very well,” Landreth said. “Having a professional historian invested is such a fantastic resource, and we are ecstatic to be included in this year’s PRIDE.” Watkins said that depending on who you ask, the Hillyers started their book club in 1955 or 1957, and in 1964 the gathering officially went public. By 1971, there were thousands of people coming to Pensacola for the celebration during the Fourth of July.

“Pensacola was getting a reputation in certain circles, and that was the year a local DJ, mostly mocking, said that Pensacola was getting a reputation as the ‘Gay Capital of the South,” Watkins said.

“That’s when the police and mayor started to crack down raiding bars, including one called Robbie’s Yum Yum Tree, and shutting down the event as much as they could. The event was just too visible then.

It was the tipping point.”

Watkins said that Emma Jones was officially laid to rest in 1974, but that it didn’t stop the party.

“Many people kept coming down, but it was a lot quieter in the late ‘70s and ‘80s,”

Watkins said. “There are very few people still living that experienced it. A man from Atlanta named Billy Jones had attended some of the parties and saved several newspaper clippings about the events. A lot of my information came from those.”

Watkins began collecting information about Pensacola’s colorful past from articles in the Miami Herald and The Advocate, an LGBT magazine based in Los Angeles.

“Back then, it was all rather secretive unsurprisingly,” Watkins said. “According to the Miami Herald article, gay men used to cruise for sex in parks. Trader Jon’s, a bar which was at 511 Palafox, was a popular spot for people to hang out. Trader Jon’s was the unofficial watering hole of naval aviation. It was a free and open space; as long as you didn’t cause trouble, you could be there and it was fine.”

Watkins said that after World War II, cruising was one of the only ways to meet other people in the gay community.

“Cruising for sex usually led to friendships, invitations to house parties, which formed a larger network,” Watkins said.

Watkins said that his mission as a historian is to recover and report all of that lost history.

“Hot Times on the Gay Gulf Coast” will be a romp through Pensacola's LGBT past, paying particular attention to the revolutionary act of holding a gay beach party and the ways this inspired a sense of community all over the South.

“It’s important to realize that there has always been a gay history, despite some trying to ‘clean up’ their version of the truth,” Watkins said.

“We are everywhere, and we are recovering that history. It’s so important that we get a complete history.”

Watkins said that so many interesting characters have come through Pensacola, and it’s an important place historically.

“I’m glad to keep that history alive,” Watkins said. “If this work can make people realize that they are not alone, then I think I’ve done my job.” {in}

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“I actually knew nothing of Pensacola’s gay past before I started on this quest during my undergrad studies.”

Jay Watkins, Ph.D.

HOT TIMES ON THE GAY GULF COAST, 1945-1965

WHAT: Jay Watkins, Ph.D., will discuss the LGBT history of the Pensacola area WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday, June 16 WHERE: Artel Gallery, 223 S. Place COST: Free DETAILS: ggnwfl.com

13

The stigma around HIV was what The essay, needless to say, was a prompted Childrey to become an advopowerful statement. It was also the first cate for other HIV positive patients and to time that Childrey had been open and encourage others to get tested. Despite the honest about himself. diagnosis, Childrey is healthy and happy liv“I was always out; I came out to my ing in Nashville with his partner and 4-yearmom in 1981. She told me she didn’t old labradoodle named Prince. like it, but she also didn’t want to lose “It’s not the way it used to be,” he said. me,” he said. “I was still low-key until I “I’m healthy, I addecided to ofhere to my medicaficially come out tions. There’s a (in the essay).” new face to HIV, The positive and that face is me. response from I get phone calls all the essay enthe time… one that couraged him to touched me was a self-publish his man from Jackson, memoir “Peeling Back the Layers,” last year, which was se- Mississippi. He told me ‘Your story touched me and so I got tested.’ He found out it was lected as one of the top six autobiograpositive and needed encouragement to tell phies of 2015 by the Colorado Indepenhis mom.” dent Publishers Association. Childrey While he’s still surprised to be recogsaid he wanted to share the story to let nized as a public figure, Childrey said he people know there is hope out there. likes being able to “bridge people together.”

“Regardless of how bad the situation His lectures around the southeast—he’ll is, you can overcome,” he said. be speaking this week during PensacoAfter reading the essay, staff at the laPRIDE—gather both white and black, gay college told him, “the average person could and straight audiences. not survive one of the things you went “My story is not just a gay story or a through… but you came out whole.” black story,” he said. “It’s the human condiChildrey was lucky to have a support tion… we’re all the same.” system at home. He refers to his mom as When it comes to the new generation his best friend. He remembers introducing of LGBT youth, he has some advice. True to her to his boyfriend at the time. Despite his style, its advice anyone should follow. her reservations, she told the boyfriend “Continue to fight for the little things, point blank “You mess with my baby, you’ll so that they won’t take the big things away,” have to mess with me.” Coming out to he said. {in} his mother eventually brought them both closer together, he said. Today, his support system includes the Metropolitan Community Church.

While Childrey said he did not face many problems with discrimination in the southern communities he WHAT: 7-8:30 p.m. Monday, June 13 lived in, he has noticed discrimination WHERE: Ever’man Natural Foods Commuin the gay community. nity Rooms, 315 W. Garden St. “Whether its racism or other COST: Free (books available for purchase) isms… you’re either too fat or too DETAILS: ggnwfl.com/pcolapride.html or skinny… I was just reading an article lawaynechildrey.com the other day about people being discriminated on dating sites,” he said.

“My story is not just a gay story or a black story. It’s the human condition… we’re all the same.”

Lawayne Childrey

Lawayne Childrey / Courtesy Photo Lawayne Childrey had more to overcome than growing up a gay, black man in south during the Civil Rights era.

As a child growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, his dream was to become a news reporter.

“Since the third grade, I would come home from school and go outside after I did my homework, but I’d have to be back at 5:30 p.m. to watch Walter Cronkite,” Childrey remembers. “He was my man.”

Childrey did get to realize that dream, but his path wasn’t easy.

From an early age, he suffered trauma.

At 4-years-old, he survived a house fire and watched his 2-year-old cousin perish in the flames, and between kindergarten and second grade he was sexually abused by his stepfather and watched that same man abuse his mother.

In 1991, he was diagnosed with HIV. Sometime later he became a caregiver for his ailing mother. When she died, he was depressed and turned to crack cocaine.

But he turned his life around, went back to college and became an inspiration for many.

When Childrey was 40 years old, he graduated from Jefferson State Community College in Birmingham and became a news reporter for Mississippi Public Radio.

“I covered everything from healthcare to education to the economy, HIV and AIDS, abortion,” he said.

He was comfortable in his career, sharing stories about others. He was more than a journalist, but an award-winning journalist with a long list of accolades including several Associated Press Broadcasters Awards.

Then, prompted by his college advisor, he decided to share his own story in an essay contest in 2014. He started the essay with the same lead that he had written in his memoir he had yet to publish, “Peeling Back the Layers: A Story of Trauma, Grace and Triumph.”

“How does a troubled, black, gay youth from the Deep South grow up to become one of the most respected news journalists in the country?”

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WEEK OF JUNE 9 - JUNE 16

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

by Shelby Smithey

viewed us like circus animals, coming to the Panic is. I was like ‘damn city and watching us rebuild. That was our what are we doing out life. We had to live through it.” here?’ When it’s time Big Sam's Funky Nation has been a for us to go on, there’s staple at major festivals including Austin 20,000 people out in City Limits, Bonnaroo, SXSW, Telluride, the crowd. It changed Jazz Fest, Essence Music Festival and the my whole perspective. I Voodoo Music Experience. never knew that music “It might sound crazy, but I love playing could bring people toJazz Fest at home,” Williams said. “I love gether like that.”

Bonnaroo and all those festivals, but playWilliams said that the ing at home is just something else. There’s experience affected his apnot one fest in the world like it.” preciation for other kinds of music including jam bands, soul and indie, and ignited a need to start a project of his own.

“Originally, I started a band with cats I went to high school with,” Williams said. “Lots of great musicians attended NOCCA, so that was the original line-up.”

Currently, Williams said that he’s writWilliams said that ing new material for a new release within ironically, it was never his the next year. plan to be front and center.

“I’ve been working really hard to add to the “I was very content sound,” Williams said. “It’s going to be super for a while sitting on funky, feel-good make people want to move the side,” Williams said. and dance and sing-a-long type of stuff. I hope “Your job was to make to get back into the studio in September.” the leader shine more, to making the band Just to add to Williams’ life story, he as a whole shine more. But I wanted to discovered later in life that he is the great start my own thing and play more of what I grandson of Buddy Bolden, a New Orwanted to play. It was never my motive to leans cornetist who was a key figure in the be the star. But we kept getting better and development of rag-time and Jazz music. better and it just turned out that way.”

Bolden’s band was a top draw in New OrAfter Hurricane Katrina, Williams leans from 1900 to 1907. said that the Funky Nation line-up went “After I graduated high school is when I through some changes. found out,” Williams said. “At first I felt like “After Katrina happened, I had to get a I wanted to make my own name. Now I feel whole new band, but that’s life,” he said. “It like I have left my own mark.” {in} was people I had met on the music scene in New Orleans.”

In addition to his music career, Williams also had a role on the HBO series “Treme,” which chronicled the lives of New Orleans natives as they WHAT: Big Sam’s Funky Nation with Post Pluto tried to rebuild their lives after Katrina.

WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday, June 9 “‘Treme’ was a great tribute WHERE: Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox to the city,” Williams said. “It was COST: $10-$15 pretty emotional going back and DETAILS: vinylmusichall.com or bigsamswatching it. A lot of people lost funkynation.com their homes, and a lot of people died. After Katrina, people kind of

“After Katrina happened, I had to get a whole new band, but that’s life. It was people I had met on the music scene in New Orleans.”

Sam Williams

Courtesy Photo Since 2001, Big Sam’s Funky Nation has been searing its distinctly funky mark onto the New Orleans music scene.

The band has also toured across the country and internationally, spreading its high energy musical manifesto and always bringing the party along the way.

The band is led by trombone powerhouse ‘Big’ Sam Williams, formerly the trombonist for the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and is a driving force of urban funk and their signature “Noladelic Powerfunk.”

Williams took up the trombone by chance, and has been playing since he was a child.

“I decided to join my middle school marching band, and I said to the band director, whatever he needed, I’ll play,” Williams said. “He said trombone and I was like, ‘what’s that?’ The rest is history.”

Williams went home with his trombone on that first night to try to get some notes out.

“Wild Thing’ was the first thing I tried to play,” he said.

June 9, 2016

By the time high school came around, Williams’ mother bought him the 1996 Dirty Dozen Brass Band record “Ears to the Wall” which sparked something in him. He was attending the renowned New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) at the time.

“I loved that record,” he said. “It was their first electronic, funk record, ya dig?”

At a friend’s sweet sixteen party, Williams was thumbing through some jazz records when he discovered that they actually belonged to his friend’s father, who just so happened to be the trumpeter for the Dirty Dozen. He ended up chatting with him for the rest of the night, and told him that if they ever needed a trombonist, that he was the guy. Fate would have that Williams would end up playing trombone for them four years later.

“We were touring 300 days out of the year,” Williams said. “The first show we did was with Widespread Panic in Keystone, Colo. I’m this 19-year-old black kid, so of course I have no idea who Widespread

BIG SAM’S FUNKY NATION

15

calendar THURSDAY 6.9

WORK ON FLORIDA TRAIL 8 a.m. Regular meet

up of Western Gate Florida Trail Association to work on National Scenic Trail and side trail.

Meet at Blackwater River Forestry Center, 11650 Munson Highway. To sign up: meetup. com/ftawesterngate.

BACH'S LUNCH 12 p.m. Featuring Pensacola State College Jazz Band. Free. Pensacola State College, 1000 College Blvd. pensacolastate.edu WINE TASTING AT AWM 5 p.m. Try something new every week at Aragon Wine Market’s regular wine tasting, only a few blocks from downtown. Aragon Wine Market, 27 S. 9th Ave. aragonwinemarket.com MUSIC UNDER THE STARS 5:15 p.m. Bear With Me starts the evening, headliner Lisa Mills performs at 6:30 p.m. $10. 501 North Hayne Street.

Purchase tickets on eventbrite.com.

DANCE LESSONS 6:30 p.m. Ballroom, Swing, and Country. Professional partner dance instruction for all skill levels. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. $10. dancecraftfl.com BIG SAM'S FUNKY NATION 7 p.m. $10-$15. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. vinylmusichall.com vinylmusichall.com

616 1

PURPLE & PAISELY: A PRINCE TRIBUTE 9

p.m.-12:30 a.m. $5. All proceeds benefit high school music programs. The Stage, 610 E. Nine Mile Road.

FRIDAY 6.10

THE GEM SUMMER SALE 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Come shop until you drop at The Gem, an upscale, secondhand boutique that benefits Covenant Care. The Gem, 1901 N. Palafox. facebook.com/ShopTheGem WINE TASTING 5-7 p.m. Out and about in East Hill on Friday night? Stop by City Grocery for their free weekly wine tasting before settling in or heading out for the night. City Grocery, 2050 N. 12th Ave. HAPPY HOUR COOK OUTS 5 p.m. Drink specials, free cookout. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com DATE NIGHT DANCING 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Learn the basics of several romantic ballroom and country dance styles in unique group classes that keep partners together.

DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. 850503-1123. $10. dancecraftfl.com HAWAIIAN VACATION CLASS WITH RUSS

CANDALL 6:30-8:30 p.m. $45 per person.

SoGourmet, 407-D S. Palafox. sogourmetpensacola.com

BLUE WAHOOS VS. MONTGOMERY BISCUITS

6:30 p.m. $7-$54. Blue Wahoos Stadium, 351 W Cedar Street. bluewahoos.com COUPLES COOK 7-9 p.m. $50 per couple.

Bring your own wine. Pensacola Cooks Kitchen, 3670 Barrancas Ave. cookingschoolsofamerica.com/pensacolacooks

VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE

7:30 p.m. $12-$30. Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. pensacolalittletheatre. com BIG DEAL BURLESQUE 8 p.m. $12-$45. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. vinylmusichall.com

POCKET OF LOLLIPOPS, MOTIVVES, CASPER, YOUTH CULTURES 9:30 p.m. Sluggo’s, 101

S. Jefferson St. facebook.com/sluggospensacola

SATURDAY 6.11

SECOND SATURDAY TRAIL WORK HIKE 7:30 a.m. Milton What-a-Burger, 5346 Stewart St., Milton. Wear closed-toe shoes, bring work gloves and lunch/snacks/water.

SANTA ROSA FARMERS MARKET 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

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

NAVAL LIFE OAKS NATIONAL PARK 8:45-10 a.m. All supplies are provided. Choose one of two locations Bay Bluffs Park at Scenic Highway and Summit Blvd. Second location is two miles north at Chimney Park at Scenic Highway and Langley Ave. For more information, contact oceanhourfl@gmail.com or baybluffscleanup@gmail.com.

PALAFOX MARKET 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Fresh produce, live plants, baked goods, fine art and antiques are just a few of the items offered at the weekly Palafox Market. Items originate directly from participating vendors, including dozens of local farmers, home gardeners and area artists. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza, N. Palafox. palafoxmarket.com THEY WERE OUR FATHERS SCREENING 9 a.m.

Free. Watch the documentary “They Were Our Fathers” on the Naval Aviation Memorial Giant Screen. National Naval Aviation Museum, 1750 Radford Blvd. wsre.org THE GEM SUMMER SALE 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Come shop until you drop at The Gem, an upscale,

secondhand boutique that benefits Covenant Care. The Gem, 1901 N. Palafox. facebook.com/ ShopTheGem eAUDIOBOOK HELP 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Learn how to download and access eaudiobooks from WFPL. Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St. mywfpl.com

LA BELLE PERFORMING ARTS: FAIREST OF THEM ALL 11 a.m. $15. Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox.

pensacolasaenger.com

LA BELLE PERFORMING ARTS: SNOW WHITE

6 p.m. $15. Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. pensacolasaenger.com

THE JACKSONIAN GUARD COLORS CEREMONY

6 p.m. Free. Every Saturday through August.

Plaza Ferdinand VII, Palafox between Government and Zaragoza.

BLUE WAHOOS VS. MONTGOMERY BISCUITS

6:30 p.m. $7-$54. Blue Wahoos Stadium, 351 W Cedar Street. bluewahoos.com ARIANO ITALIAN WINE DINNER 6:30-9 p.m. $65 per person. SoGourmet, 407-D S. Palafox. sogourmetpensacola.com

VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE

7:30 p.m. $12-$30. Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. pensacolalittletheatre. com SUNSET TOAST AT THE TOP 7:30 p.m. $20.

Pensacola Lighthouse, 2081 Radford Blvd. pensacolalighthouse.org 80S NIGHT: APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION

7:30 p.m. $10. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. vinylmusichall.com

SUNDAY 6.12

WAKE UP HIKE 7 a.m. Meet at 2000 East Lloyd,

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

THE GEM SUMMER SALE 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Come shop until you drop at The Gem, an upscale, secondhand boutique that benefits Covenant Care. The Gem, 1901 N. Palafox. facebook.com/ ShopTheGem VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE

2:30 p.m. $12-$30. Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. pensacolalittletheatre.com

BLUE WAHOOS VS. MONTGOMERY BISCUITS

4 p.m. $7-$54. Blue Wahoos Stadium, 351 W Cedar Street. bluewahoos.com

BROADWAY LIGHTS PRESENTS: JOURNEY TO OZ 5 p.m. $11-$20. Saenger Theatre, 118 S.

Palafox. pensacolasaenger.com

inweekly.net

calendar MONDAY 6.13

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

ners meet in front of Seville Quarter for a run around downtown Pensacola. Free pasta and drink specials after the run at Fast Eddie's.

Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

TRAI BO, ANDREW HYNES, MCNC, PLASTIC APPARITION 9:30 p.m. Sluggo’s, 101 S. Jefferson St.

facebook.com/sluggospensacola

TUESDAY 6.14

MUSICIAN ROGER DAY 11 a.m. Southwest

Branch Library, 12248 Gulf Beach Highway. mywfpl.com PLT ROADTRIP TO SEE WICKED 11 a.m. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Tickets from $50-$150 bus rates $28-$50. Meet at Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. DAY DREAMERS BOOK CLUB 6 p.m. “The Accidental Alchemist,” written by Gigi Pandian.

Molino Branch Library, 6450-A Highway 95A, Molino mywfpl.com WINDOWS 10 HELP 6-7:30 p.m. Learn how to use Windows 10. Pensacola Library, 239 North Spring St. mywfpl.com BLUE WAHOOS VS. MONTGOMERY BISCUITS

6:30 p.m. $7-$54. Blue Wahoos Stadium, 351 W Cedar Street. bluewahoos.com DANCE LESSONS 6:30 p.m. Country, Swing, and Ballroom. Professional partner dance instruction for all skill levels. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. 850-503-1123. $10. dancecraftfl.com STRUT YOUR MUTT 6:45 p.m. Join fellow dog walkers for a 45-minute stroll in East Hill. Dogs must be leashed and well-behaved. Walkers meet at entrance to Bayview Dog Park at 20th Ave and E. Lloyd St. BANDS ON THE BEACH 7-9 p.m. Modern Eldorados. Gulfside Pavilion, Pensacola Beach. visitpensacolabeach.com TUNESDAY SOUND CAFE 7:30 p.m. Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and tunes from the baby grand piano. Pensacola Library lobby, 239 North Spring St.

WEDNESDAY 6.15

WFPL BOOK CLUB 10:30 a.m. “Fates and Furies” by award-winning author Lauren Groff. Pensacola Library, 239 North Spring St. mywfpl.com MUSICIAN ROGER DAY 11 a.m. Century Brand Library, 7991 N. Century Blvd. mywfpl.com RECORD NIGHT All evening. Bring a record in to play and receive $1 your first drink.

Sluggo’s, 101 S. Jefferson St. facebook.com/ sluggospensacola MUSICIAN ROGER DAY 4 p.m. Pensacola Library, 239 Spring St. mywfpl.com BLUE WAHOOS VS. MOBILE BAYBEARS 6:30 p.m. $7-$54. Blue Wahoos Stadium, 351 W Cedar Street. bluewahoos.com DANCE LESSONS 6:30 p.m. West Coast Swing.

Professional partner dance instruction for all skill levels. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd.

850-503-1123. $10. dancecraftfl.com DANCE PARTY 8-10 p.m. A mix of swing, country, and ballroom music for partner dancing on the best wood dance floor in the area. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. 850-503-1123. $10. dancecraftfl.com June 9, 2016

arts & culture

≥Exhibits

≥Events & Receptions

view through July 17. An exhibition of whimsy, humor and fun from artists at First City Art Center. First City Art Center, 1060 Guillemard St. firstcityart.org I WONDER . On view through July 8. Various mediums explore the future.

Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. artelgallery. org.

SALTY BUTTER RECEPTION 6-9

p.m. Thursday, June 9. An exhibition of whimsy, humor and fun from artists at First City Art Center. First City Art Center, 1060 Guillemard St. firstcityart.org I WONDER RECEPTION 6-8 p.m.

Friday, June 10.

Various mediums explore the future.

Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. artelgallery.org RESTORED PURPOSE RECEPTION

6-8 p.m. Friday, June 10. Artist Jenea Wood explores the relationship between painting and photography through the process of phototransfers.

Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. artelgallery.org BOTANICALS: CHANNELING GEORGIA RECEPTION 6-8 p.m.

Friday, June 10.

Connie Boussom presents 8 Georgia O'Keefe inspired oil paintings. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. artelgallery.org

SALTY BUTTER On

RESTORED PURPOSE

On view through July 8. Artist Jenea Wood explores the relationship between painting and photography through the process of phototransfers.

Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. artelgallery.org BOTANICALS: CHANNELING GEORGIA RECEPTION On view through July 8.

Connie Boussom presents 8 Georgia O'Keefe-inspired oil paintings. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. artelgallery.org SOME LIKE IT HOT

On view through July 21. Glasswork exhibit from local artists. Pensacola

State College, 1000 College Blvd.

BEACH LIFE Three local artists share work that portrays their beach life. Includes photography on metal, painting on wood and glass works. On view May 29-June 25. .

Blue Morning Gallery, 21 S. Palafox. bluemorninggallery. com THE ARTIST REVEALED: ARTIST PORTRAITS AND SELF PORTRAITS Various

media and artists explore the difference between portraits and self portraits. On view through July 16.

Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. pensacolamuseum.org STEPHEN KNAPP: LIGHT PAINTINGS

Sculptural works created entirely of light and glass by artist Stephen Knapp. On view through August 27.

Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. pensacolamuseum.org

≥Call To Artists THE WIDE ANGLE PHOTO CLUB OF PENSACOLA The

Wide Angle Photo

Club of Pensacola sponsors the 23rd Annual Power of Photography Show and exhibit, which benefits ARC Gateway in Pensacola.

The POP Show highlights the best in photography for the Panhandle. We anticipate over 1,000 entries from approximately 100 artists from Florida and other states. Ribbons, photography gear and money will be given to the best in numerous photo categories.

Artists can begin to submit their work May 2. Details about how to enter photographs into the show can be found on our web site at wideandlephotoclub. org. Award-winning images are available for viewing Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday.

If you have any questions about the Power of Photography Show or about the Wide Angle Photography Club email info@wideanglephotoclub.org.

GRANT FOR EMERGING ARTISTS

The Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival,

17

calendar in partnership with Artel Gallery, is offering a new grant for emerging artists.

As the inaugura l event, this will be available to Escambia/Santa Rosa County full-time residents. We are looking for artists that have been practicing their craft for a minimum of two years and a maximum of five. The grant waives all GGAF entry fees ($40 jurying fee, $300 booth fee). Please contact Suzanne at hatchingartists@ gmail.com for more information.

≥Fundraisers

70 for $70 at Quayside Art Gallery

Quayside Art Gallery's 143-year-old building needs major repairs. To raise funds to cover this, artists are donating their art for sale with 100 percent of proceeds going to repair the historic building. These will all be new pieces — jewelry, pottery, paintings — ranging from traditional to modern conceptual works, photography and woodwork, all for sale at $70 each.

Don't miss this opportunity to buy valuable original art at an unbelievable low price and, at the same time, help preserve a bit of Pensacola history.

Visit the gallery at 15-17 E. Zarragosa St. quaysidegallery. com

≥Workshops & Classes POTTERY ON THE WHEEL Six-week

workshops are held Tuesdays from 6-9 p.m., Wednesdays from 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Thursdays from 6-9 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at First City Art 818 1

Center, 1060 Guillemard St. Cost is $157.25 for members and $185 for non members. For more information, visit firstcityart.org.

INTRODUCTION TO POTTERY ON THE WHEEL Every Mon-

day from 6-8:30 p.m. at First City Art Center. Classes are $40. For more information, visit firstcityart.org.

CLAY HAND BUILDING Six-week

workshops are held Tuesdays from 6-9 p.m. and Thursday from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at First City Art Center. Cost is $157.25 for members and $185 for non members. For more information, visit firstcityart.org.

CLAY SCULPTURE

Six-week workshops held Saturdays from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at First City Art Center. Cost is $157.25 for members and $185 for non members. For more information, visit firstcityart.org.

BELLY DANCING

Eight-week beginner and advanced classes on Tuesday nights. For beginner, intermediate and advanced students. Classes held at First City Art Center, 1060 N. Guillemard St For more information and to sign up for a class visit pensacolabellydance.com LIFE DRAWING.

Artists of any skill level are welcome draw life figures.

6-9 p.m. Monday nights. Cost is $5-$10 a person.

Contact phayes@ ihmc.us if interested. First City Art Center, 1060 N. Guillemard St. The group is always looking for new models, contact Pat at the email address above if interested.

bars & nightlife

≥bar games

Thursdays POKER 8 p.m.

The Ticket 1, 7250 Plantation Rd., ticketsportsbar.com POOL TOURNAMENT 8 p.m. The

Ticket 2, 2115 W. 9 Mile Rd., ticketsportsbar.com

COLLEGE NIGHT 10 p.m. Drink specials, beer pong tournament starts at 10 p.m.

Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com.

Fridays WINE TASTING 5-7 p.m. Informative wine tasting in Seville Quarter Wine and Gift Shop. No charge for the tasting.

Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com DRAG BINGO 6-8 p.m. Ages 21 and over.

Emerald City’s The Other Side, 406 E. Wright St. emeraldcitypensacola.com POOL TOURNAMENT 8 p.m. The

Ticket 1, 7250 Plantation Rd., ticketsportsbar.com Saturdays

MEMBERSHIP APPRECIATION NIGHT 8 p.m. Seville

Quarter Membership Card Holder Appreciation Night at Phineas Phogg's. 130 E. Government St., sevillequarter.com Sundays BAR AND RESTAURANT EMPLOYEE (B.A.R.E. NIGHT) 7

p.m. Special prices for B.A.R.E. Card membership holders.

Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St., sevillequarter.com Mondays

TEXAS HOLD ‘EM FOR FUN AND TRIVIA 7 p.m. The

Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker. com TRIVIA NIGHT 7-9 p.m. World of Beer,

200 S. Palafox. wobusa.com/locations/ Palafox BAR BINGO 8 p.m.

Apple Annie’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com MONDAY NIGHT TRIVIA 9:30-10:30

p.m. Mugs and Jugs, 12080 Scenic Highway. facebook.com/ MugsJugs Tuesdays TUESDAY TRIVIA 8 p.m. The Bridge Bar and Sunset Lounge, 33 Gulf Breeze Parkway. facebook.com/ thebridgebargb TICKET TEAM TRIVIA 8 p.m. The Ticket

1, 7250 Plantation Rd., ticketsportsbar. com POKER 8 p.m. The Ticket 2, 2115 W. 9 Mile Rd., ticketsportsbar.com TEAM TRIVIA 9 p.m. Hopjacks. 10 S. Palafox. hopjacks. com Wednesdays WINE DOWN WEDNESDAYS 11

a.m. Half- priced bottles of wine every Wednesday.

Jackson's Steakhouse, 226 S. Palafox. jacksonsrestaurant. com LADIES NIGHT ON THE DECK 5 p.m. $2

drinks and music.

The Deck Bar, 600 S. Barracks St. fishhousepensacola.com

PUB TRIVIA NIGHT

7-9:30 p.m. Goat Lips Beer Garden, 2811 Copter Road. facebook.com/ goatlipsdeli RECORD NIGHT 8 p.m. Bring a record in and get $1 your first drink. Sluggo's, 101 S. Jefferson St. facebook.com/sluggospensacola WEDNESDAY QUIZ TRIVIA 8 p.m. The

Cabaret, 101 S. Jefferson St. cabaretpensacola.com

TICKET BAR BINGO

8 p.m. The Ticket 1, 7250 Plantation Rd., ticketsportsbar.com BAR BINGO 10 p.m.

Play, 16 S. Palafox, Suite 200. iplaypensacola.com

≥karaoke

Thursdays Lili Marlene’s at Seville Quarter, 8 p.m.

130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com Saturdays Krazy George 9 p.m.

Hub Stacey's 312 E. Government St. hubstaceys.com Sundays The Sandshaker Lounge, 9 p.m. 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker.com Mondays The Cabaret, 9 p.m.

101 S. Jefferson St. 607-2020 or cabaretpensacola.com Tuesdays Sandshaker Lounge, 8 p.m. 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker.com Play, 9 p.m. 16 S. Palafox, Suite 200. iplaypensacola.com

≥live music

THURSDAY 6.9 JOHN RIPLEY 6-9

p.m. Skopelos at New World, 600 S. Palafox AL MARTIN 6 p.m.

The Piano Bar, Quality Inn, 7601 Scenic Hwy. LUCAS CRUTCHFIELD 6 p.m. The

Deck, 600 S. Barracks St. fishhousepensacola.com JOSH TYRONE 6-10 p.m. Peg Leg Pete's, 1010 Fort Pickens Road, Pensacola Beach. peglegpetes. com MICHAEL WHEELER BAND 7 p.m. Hub

Stacey's 312 E. Government St. hubstaceys.com

DUELING PIANOS 8

p.m. Rosie O' Grady's Dueling Piano Show.

Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St., sevillequarter.com PAUL KILLO BAND

8 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker.com MOSSY MORAN

9 p.m. McGuire's

Irish Bar Pub, 600 E. Gregory St. mcguiresirishpub.com sandshaker.com WHYTE CAPS 9 p.m.

End o' The Alley.

Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

FRIDAY 6.10

JOSH TYRONE 12-4

p.m. Peg Leg Pete's, 1010 Fort Pickens Road, Pensacola Beach. peglegpetes. com

LUCAS CRUTCHFIELD & LOCAL BROADCAST 5 p.m.

The Deck, 600 S. Barracks St. fishhousepensacola.com AL MARTIN 6-11 p.m.

The Piano Bar, Quality Inn, 7601 Scenic Hwy.

PLATINUM PREMIER 6-10 p.m. Peg

Leg Pete's, 1010 Fort Pickens Road, Pensacola Beach. peglegpetes.com PAXTON NORRIS BAND 6 p.m.

Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via De Luna Dr., Pensacola Beach. paradisebar-grill.com JOHN RIPLEY 7-10 p.m. Skopelosat New World, 600 S. Palafox DUELING PIANOS 8 p.m. Rosie O' Grady's Dueling Piano Show.

Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St., sevillequarter.com GLEN PARKER 8:30 p.m. Hub Stacey's 312 E. Government St. hubstaceys.com CLASS X 9 p.m.

Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker. com THE RED FIELD 9 p.m. End o' The Alley.

Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com KATEGORY 5 9 p.m. Lili Marlene's.

Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com MOSSY MORAN 9 p.m. McGuire's Irish Bar Pub, 600 E. Gregory St. mcguiresirishpub.com

BANANA REPUBLIC

10 p.m. Apple Annie's. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter. com

SATURDAY 6.11

DAVID DUNN 12-4 p.m. Peg Leg Pete's, 1010 Fort Pickens Road, Pensacola Beach. peglegpetes. com AL MARTIN 6-11 p.m.

The Piano Bar, Quality Inn, 7601 Scenic Hwy. THREE BEAN SOUP

6-10 p.m. Peg Leg Pete's, 1010 Fort Pickens Road, Pensacola Beach. peglegpetes. com

LOCAL BROADCAST

6 p.m. The Deck, 600 S. Barracks St. fishhousepensacola.com RETROBUTION 6 p.m. Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via De Luna Dr., Pensacola Beach. paradisebar-grill.com MOSSY MORAN

9 p.m. McGuire's Irish Bar Pub, 600 E. Gregory St. mcguiresirishpub.com sandshaker.com CLASS X 9 p.m.

Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker.com KATEGORY 5 9 p.m. Lili Marlene's.

Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com THE RED FIELD 9 p.m. End o' the Alley.

Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com BANANA REPUBLIC

10 p.m. Apple Annie's.

Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

SUNDAY 6.12

SEVILLE QUARTER JAZZ BRUNCH 11

a.m.-3 p.m. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com GREG LYON 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Hemingway's

Island Grill, 400 Quietwater Beach Rd. LEE MELTON 12-4 p.m.

Peg Leg Pete's, 1010 Fort Pickens Road, Pensacola Beach. peglegpetes.com CORPORATE AMERICA 3 p.m. Paradise

Bar & Grill, 21 Via De Luna Dr., Pensacola Beach. paradisebargrill.com GLEN PARKER 3:30 p.m. Hub Stacey's 312 E. Government St. hubstaceys.com CROSSTOWN 4-8 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker.com MODERATE CHOP

6-10 p.m. Peg Leg Pete's, 1010 Fort Pickens Road, Pensacola Beach. peglegpetes. com BROOKS HUBBERT

9 p.m. McGuire's Irish Bar Pub, 600 E. Gregory St. mcguiresirishpub.com JORDAN RICHARDS

9 p.m. End o' The Alley. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

MONDAY 6.13

JAZZ GUMBO 6 p.m.

Phineas Phogg's.

Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com MIKE VANN 6-10 p.m. Peg Leg Pete's, 1010 Fort Pickens Road, Pensacola Beach. peglegpetes. com MONDAY NIGHT BLUES 8 p.m. Blues

Society of Northwest Florida presents and open jam at Lili Marlene's. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com BROOKS HUBBERT

9 p.m. McGuire's Irish Bar Pub, 600 E. Gregory St. mcguiresirishpub.com

SCOOT AND JEREMY

10 p.m. End O' the Alley. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

for more listings visit inweekly.net inweekly.net

news of the weird WHO'S A GOOD BOY? Life is good now for British men who "identify" as dogs and puppies, as evidenced by a BBC documentary ("Secret Life of the Human Pups") showing men in body outfits (one a Lycra-suited Dalmatian, "Spot"), exhibiting "sexual" expressions (stomach-rubbing, ear-tickling and nuzzling their "handlers"), eating out of bowls, gnawing on chew toys, wearing collars (so as not to be a "stray"), and jumping in the air for "treats." (However, decency demands that a Pup must only feign urinating against a lamppost.) Said Spot (aka Tom), "It's about being given license to behave in a way that feels natural, even primal." Added "Bootbrush," "(We) are trying to grasp the positive elements of the archetype of the dog."

NEW WORLD ORDER As an alternative to the more costly in vitro fertilization, researchers at a Dresden, Germany, institute announced (in the recent Nano Letters journal) that they had developed a motorized device tiny enough to fit around a sperm's tail and which could be commanded to propel it to "swim" faster toward the target egg, increasing the chances of fertilization. A prototype is still in the works.

THE CONTINUING CRISIS As Libya's central bank struggles to stabilize a halting economy, it could surely use the estimated $184 million in gold and silver coins that Moammar Gadhafi minted but left buried in an underground vault in the coastal city of Beyda, but the treasure is inaccessible because central bank officials don't know the lock's combination (as The Wall Street Journal reported in May). The latest plan is to have a locksmith squeeze through a 16-by-16-inch hole in the outer vault's concrete wall and once inside to try his hand. If unsuccessful, the government's bureaucrats likely cannot get paid, but even if successful, various anti-government factions may go to extremes to snatch the coins.

BRIGHT IDEAS Argentina's TV channels have many of the same taboos as U.S. broadcasting, including restrictions on women's hands-on demonstration of how precisely to examine themselves for breast cancer. However, as AdWeek reported in March, the agency David Buenos Aires apparently solved the problem with an explicit TV public service announcement featuring a model (facing the camera, topless) showing exactly how such an exam should go, e.g., where to press down, where to squeeze. The secret? The model was an overweight man with generous-sized "manboobs."

EVERYONE DESERVES A SECOND CHANCE (1) Efrain Delgado-Rosales was sentenced to five years in prison in March for smuggling noncitizens into the country. (The Border Patrol had caught him 23 times previously, but had declined to file charges.) (2) Sean Pelfrey, 38, told his judge in May that the two assault charges against him in Framingham, Massa-

by Chuck Shepherd

chusetts, do not make him a "threat to society," even though the current arrest was his 38th. (3) Matthew Freeland, 29, was convicted of several home-invasion offenses in Kingston, Ontario, in May, and the judge, considering a proper sentence, found only two previous probation orders—but then, looking further, found 59 convictions and sentenced Freeland to more than two years in prison.

WEIRD ANIMALS Among the critters for which life is most difficult are male nursery web spiders that (according to May research in Biology Letters journal) instinctively "court" females with food wrapped in silk—offerings that (a) increase the males' chances of scoring and (b) decrease, by 84 percent, their chances that the female will spontaneously eat the male. The study also found that males sometimes try to mate using nonfood items wrapped in silk (with mixed results) and also that sometimes unscrupulous females accept food gifts but nevertheless immediately devour the male.

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINALS South Carolina Chutzpah! (1) James Kinley III, 27, was charged in York County, South Carolina, in May with dealing marijuana.

He apparently had the (unfounded) belief that York County deputies do not monitor Craigslist—because that is where Kinley advertised ("I Sell Weed"), in a notice with his photo, address and price ($200). (2) Grady Carlson, 58, went to the Carolina Title Loans office in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on May 25 to apply for a high-interest "payday" loan—and nervously paced while answering questions. The Carolina employee asked if anything was wrong, and Carlson allegedly disclosed that he needed money—fast!—to purchase methamphetamine. A subsequent police search turned up a glass container and drugs.

JUNE 17, 2016 DOWNTOWN PENSACOLA Gallery Night is Sponsored by:

Enjoy Responsibly

NEWS OF THE WEIRD CLASSIC (JUNE 2012) All U.S. states have forms of no-fault divorce, but England still requires that couples prove adultery, abandonment or "unreasonable behavior," which leads to strange claims, according to an April (2012) New York Times dispatch from London. For instance, one divorcing woman's petition blamed her husband's insistence that she speak only in Klingon. Other examples of "unreasonable" behavior (gathered by the Times of London): a husband's objecting to the "malicious" preparation of his hated tuna casserole, another's 15-year silence (except for writing him Post-It Notes), a husband's distorting the fit of his wife's outfits by frequently wearing them, and one's insistence that a pet tarantula reside in a glass case beside the marital bed. {in}

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

Send your weird news to Chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, Fla., 33679 or weirdnews@earthlink.net, or go to newsoftheweird.com June 9, 2016

19

ON SALE THIS FRIDAY

SAENGER THEATRE SEPTEMBER 20 & 21 PENSACOLA, FL • ON SALE FRI. JUNE 10 AT NOON WWW.WIDESPREADPANIC.COM

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Independent News | June 9, 2016 | inweekly.net

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