Inweekly May 12 2022 Issue

Things To Do Before Spring Is Over

Independent News | May 12, 2022 | Volume 23 | Number 19

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winners & losers

outtakes

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It would be a great connection.

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publisher Rick Outzen editor & creative director Joani Delezen

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

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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. © 2022 Inweekly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

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UWF DAY OF GIVING The University of West Florida raised $161,407 during its 2022 Day of Giving, setting a new fundraising record for the event.

The 24-hour online, social media-driven initiative was held on April 14 during UWF's Founders Week.

With a theme of "Battle of the Decades," the '60s and '70s decades brought in the most dollars, totaling $34,370. The 2020 and Students decade group brought in the most donors with 211 donors. A member of the inaugural fast-pitch softball team at UWF, Natalie Patterson, donated $10,000, which made UWF Athletics the largest recipient of gifts.

The UWF Athletics fund received $65,420 from 187 donors. Throughout the day, matching gifts were made by the Ambersley Family Foundation, Drs. Fatema and Muhammad Rashid, and alumna Pam Schwartz. For each gift of $30 or more, participants received a pair of exclusive Argo-print socks.

MATT GAETZ Northwest Florida's congressman has taken to Twitter to attack the women who have protested the apparent overturning of the Roe vs.

Wade decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Last week, he tweeted, "How many of the women rallying against overturning Roe are overeducated, under-loved millennials who sadly return from protests to a lonely microwave dinner with their cats and no bumble matches??" Gaetz followed that barb with, "How many of the women protesting the overturning of Roe are on meal delivery subscriptions…for one?" In April 2021, the women in his congressional offices issued a written statement supporting their boss after reports that Gaetz was being investigated by the FBI, writing, "In our office and under Congressman Gaetz's leadership, women are not only respected, but have been encouraged time and time again to grow, achieve more, and ultimately, know our value." Since then, Gaetz has married, and it looks like he has changed his opinion of single women.

LARUBY MAY Eckerd College honored the Pensacola High graduate and local attorney with practices in Pensacola and Washington, D.C. with its 2020 William H. Kadel Alumni Medal for Outstanding Career Achievement. The medal is awarded to an alumnus who has demonstrated a clear commitment to excellence in her or his career as evidenced by public recognition, achievement or leadership that positively reflects the college's vision. May was recognized for making her life's work a "vessel of service for underserved communities."

The focus of law practice has been identifying and supporting plaintiffs from a grassroots level, specifically black and brown communities that are often disproportionately impacted and excluded from mass tort litigation.

WARREN AVERETT CPAS AND ADVISORS

The accounting and advisory firm is celebrating its 50th anniversary during 2022. To honor five decades of helping local communities thrive, Warren Averett introduced a "50 Acts of Service" challenge, where team members will complete 50 community service projects throughout the Southeast this year. The firm also plans to celebrate team members and clients through 50th anniversary limited edition merchandise, employee Spirit Week in the fall and numerous other client appreciation events.

WALGREENS Last week, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced the state had reached a $683 million settlement with the pharmacy chain, the sole remaining defendant in a 2018 lawsuit targeting opioid manufacturers, distributors and retailers. Before the trial, Moody reached $2.4 billion in settlements with all defendants except Walgreens. The settlement announcement happened as the state was presenting its witnesses in the trial that began in mid-April. The agreement includes no admission of wrongdoing or liability by Walgreens.

FENTANYL Five years ago, Inweekly reported how local drug dealers were lacing heroin with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid analgesic (Inweekly, "Heroin Crisis Hits Home," 10/26/17). A recovering addict told us, "The dealer knew when the addict shoots it, he's going to die, and what that does is increase his sales 150% for the next 30 days." The problem has escalated. According to Florida Medical Examiner's Office, deaths due to fentanyl overdoses went from 65 deaths in 2020 to 295 last year—a 454% increase. Law enforcement and paramedics expect the cases to continue to rise. inweekly.net

outtakes

By Rick Outzen

Practicing Since 1974 INJURED? (ALL TYPES OF ACCIDENTS)

ARRESTED? (ALL FEDERAL & STATE COURTS)

HIDING DATA FROM US Gov. Ron DeSantis doesn't like it when statistics don't support his policies, but he hasn't let inconvenient data stifle his political ambitions.

No, Gov. DeSantis orders state agencies to quit tracking and reporting it.

Florida's governor has declared the state free of COVID-19 and crushed any county, city, school district or business that dared to impose any mask or other safety precautions. To avoid any embarrassing pandemic statistics being reported, he gradually tapped down on the reports being released.

In early June 2021, the Florida Department of Health ceased the daily COVID-19 reports that the media and the public had used to track changes in the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in every Florida county. We were told it was because the positivity rate was down and "our state is returning to normal." The state had already halted providing daily reports on the infections and deaths in long-term care facilities.

When the FDOH stopped the daily reports, Florida had suffered 2.3 million COVID cases and experienced 37,717 deaths. Since then, in DeSantis's "Free Florida," the total cases have grown to nearly six million, and deaths have nearly doubled to over 74,000. While Floridians continued to die from the virus, DeSantis' popularity soared, putting him in contention for the presidency in 2024.

Gov. Jeb Bush created an accountability system for Florida public education that lasted two decades. Parents had an objective measurement system when deciding where to enroll their children. Escambia County struggled during the early years of the system, but the district began to see significant improvements toward the end of Superintendent Jim Paul's second term.

Then Gov. Rick Scott raised the standards. Superintendent Malcolm Thomas and other superintendents struggled to keep the higher grades, even though the grade scale was lowered significantly.

So what did Gov. DeSantis do? He announced a legislative proposal to eliminate the Florida Statewide Assessments and created his one-ofa-kind Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (F.A.S.T) plan. The state lawmakers passed the bill, and DeSantis signed it into law, leaving us

without data to compare schools' performance over the past two decades.

And it gets worse. DeSantis pushed through the legislation that critics believe will make it difficult to teach students about the civil rights movement, slavery or history that might make them uncomfortable. Any mention of any gender orientation that isn't heterosexual may subject a teacher to termination or a lawsuit. Books can be banned from school libraries.

How do these laws impact the lives of our children? What are they going through daily at home and in our public schools? How have the pandemic and virtual classes affected them?

Apparently, DeSantis is worried about what our high school students might say. The Florida Department of Education has dropped out of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the confidential questionnaire from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first survey was conducted in 1991 and has been done statewide in public high schools every other year since then.

The purpose of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey is to monitor priority health-risk behaviors that contribute substantially to the leading causes of death, disability and social problems among youth, which contribute to patterns in adulthood.

The data provides school districts and communities with information to identify the needs of their public high school students and any trends in potentially harmful behavior.

The last survey was in 2019, DeSantis' first year in office. Nearly one in five female high students said they had been bullied on school property, and 15% had been bullied electronically.

More than 10% of all students said they had been teased for being gay, bisexual or lesbian. When asked about dating violence, 9% said they had experienced physical violence, and 7% dealt with sexual violence on dates.

Have those statistics improved? We won't know.

I worry about how much information will be removed from the public arena because it might contradict the political agenda of those in power. This hiding of data has to stop. {in} rick@inweekly.net

How do these laws impact the lives of our children?

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THE SCENIC ROUTE

Landscape design created by University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources and Environment / Courtesy of pensacolascenicbluffs.org

By Jeremy Morrison The approximately 11-mile route that winds its way along Scenic Highway heading away from downtown Pensacola provides a pretty idyllic space of majestic oaks and magnolias on tumbling bluffs overlooking Escambia Bay. Local leaders are currently considering the possibility of developing a pedestrian and cycling trail along this stretch of Scenic Highway. Such a trail would connect areas on its southern and northern points, establishing regional connectivity and also providing pedestrians and cyclists dedicated infrastructure along one of the area's more scenic roadways.

"There's a lot of people that would like to see it happen," said Escambia County Commissioner Robert Bender, stressing the community support the effort has generated.

Recently, a sketch of this potential pedestrian trail was laid out by the Florida Department of Transportation for a collection of local municipal and county government officials that sit together on the Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization. Though any trail would be a long way down the road, it appears that local officials support exploring this route, figuring out if it's really feasible and affordable.

"Right now, this is just kind of us saying to the TPO, 'Yes, this is a project that could be looked at,'" explained Ian Satter, FDOT's District 3 spokesperson.

TALE OF A TRAIL

The details of the Scenic Highway trail remain to be mapped out. Still, what tangibles do exist look pretty interesting. The picture FDOT 66

painted for the TPO features a picturesque path with multiple offshoot connector routes that connect Pensacola to Milton.

Currently, the Scenic Highway Trail project has just wrapped up the feasibility study phase. The state has studied the project preliminarily, at least, and determined its worth further exploration.

"The long-story-short is, we conduct the feasibility study; it's then up to the TPO if they want to prioritize it," Satter said.

The next step in this process is project design and engineering, or PD&E. This is when engineers drill down into the details, assess exactly how possible, difficult and expensive this project is. Satter said that this PD&E phase could run between 18-36 months.

"It really depends on the project," he said, "depending on the complexity."

The trail along Scenic Highway, running from Perry Avenue on the south end to U.S. 90 on the north end, may seem fairly straightforward—with the trail simply winding alongside the roadway— but the project presents a number of challenges and considerations.

A couple of challenges that FDOT has identified include the fact that much of this stretch of Scenic Highway is very steep. While creating a powerful overlook of the bay, the topography makes the trail development difficult or costly in some areas. Much of the route is also broken up by residential driveways. As a possible alternative, the state has identified a lower route, nearer the railroad tracks further down the bluffs.

In addition to identifying challenges associated with developing a trail along Scenic Highway, FDOT's feasibility study noted benefits that would be gained through the creation of a trail. These benefits included regional connec-

tivity, connectivity to points of interest, such as schools, churches and community spaces, as well as connecting with existing trail systems.

Along with the direct route running on Scenic Highway, FDOT's study also included associated routes, so-called connector routes. Running off of the trail on Scenic, these routes connect that main run to other popular runs on Summit Boulevard, Spanish Trail, Langley Avenue, Creighton Road and Olive Road.

FDOT has broken this overall project into separate parts. Each stretch has an associated estimated price tag, but Satter stressed that the numbers were very preliminary.

"The PD&E kind of bears that out," he said, explaining that firmer cost estimates would come later.

At this point, cost estimates are all over the road. For instance, the stretch of Scenic Highway running from Summit Boulevard to Creighton Road could cost somewhere between $1.8 million-$8 million, depending on a number of variables. Other stretches, such as Creighton to Interstate 110 or Olive to U.S. 90, feature varying estimates to the tune of millions of dollars.

THE NEXT STEP

The next step in the development of a trail along Scenic Highway involves securing funding for the project, most immediately for the PD&E phase, which will assess issues like erosion and ADA access. And while the details for this Scenic Highway Trail project are still coming together, local officials on the TPO appear keen on prioritizing the effort.

Commissioner Bender said he's excited about what he's seeing so far. He relishes the idea that locals and visitors can bike from Pen-

sacola Beach and keep going north all the way to the University of West Florida's trail system and, beyond that, Milton.

"It would be a great connection," Bender said.

Plus, the trail will jive nicely with plans at the state level. He added, "The state is looking at prioritizing this type of project. They're looking at a trail across the state."

Pensacola City Councilman Jared Moore also thinks a trail along Scenic Highway is an effort worth investing in. The councilman said he feels the trail would fall in line with the city's focus on walkability issues and that it will help fulfill people's natural want to be nearer the water.

"I do find the concept in alignment with the city's direction. Much of our revitalization relates to activating the waterfront," Moore said. "We've embarked on adopting an active transportation masterplan. I look at the Boy Scouts' park benches along Scenic as a very simple proof of concept that people what to be near the water."

Fellow Councilman Casey Jones, whose District 3 the trail will fall in, agreed. He described the path as "an important connector between city and county residents and downtown Pensacola" and also as in alignment with the city's broader walkability goals.

"Currently, it is a daunting task to walk or bike down Scenic Highway, and this FDOT project will go a long way toward improving the walkability and bikeability of Pensacola," Jones said.

"Currently, it is a daunting task to walk or bike down Scenic Highway, and this FDOT project will go a long way toward improving the walkability and bikeability of Pensacola." Casey Jones One group that will benefit from this potential trail project along Scenic will be cyclists.

Members of the local West Florida Wheelmen routinely cycle the route, and this proposed trail, along with its associated offshoots, would provide its members better connectivity.

"Yes, this is much needed and way overdue as it hopes to link the city for cyclists from various areas of the community," said Chris Huffman, who serves as the Wheelmen's membership chair, adding that the trail would also be "a good start in providing much-needed resources for bikers who are looking for a safer alternative" to traveling alongside vehicular traffic on Scenic Highway.

Huffman pointed out that not only local cyclists would benefit from a multi-use trail along Scenic Highway. Visitors, some cycling through on a much longer journey, will also benefit.

"Few people realize that Scenic Highway is a portion of the Southern Tier that serves as a roadway for cyclists traveling from San Diego to St. Augustine," Huffman said. "A multi-use trail would help make the stretch of road safer for those cross-country cyclists." {in} inweekly.net

A FATAL DECISION

Photo Courtesy of Escambia County Sheriff’s Office

By Rick Outzen In Pensacola, we rarely ask ourselves, "What if?" We avoid dealing with the results of decisions and move on to the next problem. What if the downtown YMCA was built at the Maritime Park instead of Intendencia Street? What if the county had figured out how to extend Interstate 110 north to Nine Mile Road? What if the city of Pensacola had approved Avalex's plans to build its headquarters in downtown Pensacola?

April 30 was the eighth anniversary of the explosion of Escambia County's Central Booking and Detention Facility (CBD) that left two prisoners awaiting trial dead, a correction officer paralyzed and over 200 others injured. On social media, area residents shared stories about where they were when the blast occurred. Some wondered what if the main jail and CBD had never been taken over by the Board of County Commissioners and left under the control of Sheriff David Morgan. Would the explosion have been avoided?

Inweekly reached out to talk with Morgan about the political fight with Commission Chairman Gene Valentino and Interim County Administrator George Touart over funding to hire additional correction officers and make the improvements mandated in the Department of Justice's report of jail issues dating back to Sheriff Ron McNesby's administration. Was that the decision that set off the dominoes?

Morgan pointed to another fatal decision that led to the 2014 CBD explosion that was made two years earlier after another "100-year" storm event had flooded the same building.

In June 2012, Escambia County received 20 inches of rainfall over a Saturday and Sunday, May 12, 2022

flooding the CBD's basement. The flood knocked out the kitchen, laundry, computer server room, sheriff's office record storage and the inmate storage area.

"It flooded down there and lifted the dryers up, causing a gas leak," recalled Morgan. When personnel reported a strong gas odor, Pensacola Energy was called out to shut off the natural gas to the building.

He said, "The only injury we had was one of our female correctional officers slipped in one of the stairwells because the humidity was so high."

After the flood, the county needed to decide what to do with the CBD basement. Morgan had his chief financial officer, Enrique Diaz, and grants director, Derek Whidden, research possible grants to relocate the kitchen, laundry and other functions to a higher floor.

"Well, come to find out, there's a lot out there," said Morgan. "They found a couple of grants that would've literally paid for us to move everything out of that first level and make it an area where it could be an employee break area with benches. And so if it flooded again, you just go out and hose them off."

Meanwhile, County Administrator Randy Oliver had a falling out with three commissioners— Valentino, Wilson Robertson and Kevin White.

By a 3-2 vote, they terminated Oliver's contract and named Larry Newsom the interim administrator with the intent of bringing back Touart.

The county wasn't interested in administering any grants, according to Morgan. He heard the plan was to keep the kitchen and laundry in the basement. The former sheriff told Inweekly, "So I wrote them a very strongly worded letter."

The letter, dated Nov. 14, 2012, stated, "I am writing to express my strong objection to such a

plan because this solution leaves Escambia County Sheriff's Office vulnerable to the same severe consequences that were suffered in this recent flood. If the CBD basement is restored back to its original 'pre-flood' condition, without any safeguards against flooding, the risk of a repeat of the consequences of the event of June 9, 2012, remains."

"It is not possible to justify again placing the infrastructure of the CBD's operations at risk because of flooding when the consequences of a flood are already known, and other options are now available to prevent this from recurring." David Morgan Morgan added, "It is not possible to justify again placing the infrastructure of the CBD's operations at risk because of flooding when the consequences of a flood are already known, and other options are now available to prevent this from recurring."

The sheriff's office moved its computer servers and storage areas out of the basement, but the county kept the kitchen and laundry there. Morgan recalled, "The county just said, 'We're going to install some additional pumps.'"

A month later, Touart was hired as interim county administrator. By October 2013, the county had assumed control of the main jail, CBD and all correction functions after refusing Morgan's budget request to meet the DOJ recommendations.

In late April 2014, the basement flooded again, weeks after the kitchen and laundry had been reinstalled. The state fire marshal's investigation determined the gas dryers hadn't been bolted to the floor. The dryers floated, severing the gas connection. The room filled with natural gas and exploded when the water receded.

The promised additional pumps had yet to be installed. Despite inmates and some correction officers complaining of a strong gas odor, no one called Pensacola Energy to cut off the natural gas.

After the explosion, county officials asserted the explosion was unavoidable and would have happened even if the sheriff's office ran the jail and CBD. The sheriff's office released to the media the November 2012 letter objecting to putting the kitchen and laundry back in the basement.

Two weeks after the explosion, the county released a statement defending its 2012 decision.

"The Escambia County Commission and Administrative staff had a difficult decision to make," said county officials. "Moving all flooddamaged equipment to the next floor of the CBD building, possibly the best way to prevent issues caused by a 100-year storm event, was not considered cost feasible. However, the insurance holder for the County's correctional facilities had no issues with the County's plan to repair the damaged facilities, as long as there were proactive improvement measures included in the plan."

Unfortunately, those proactive improvements that would have mitigated the threat posed by severe weather had not been made. The pumps planned for the basement had not been installed.

Property had been purchased for an additional retention pond, but the construction had not begun.

They didn't mention the potential grants that Diaz and Whidden had discovered but added, "There was no FEMA Disaster declaration following the storm which flooded the CBD building in 2012. This meant that any large-scale changes and improvements would have been paid for solely by the taxpayers of Escambia County."

In November 2014, a state grand jury reviewed the state fire marshal's report and other evidence.

The jury returned a No True Bill finding because of insufficient evidence to establish criminal charges. However, the jury recommended the jail be returned to the supervision of the Escambia County Sheriff and that no future jail should be built on the site of the old CBD. After the 2012 floods, the CBD should not have been rebuilt on the same site. The grand jury asked for the county to give full disclosure as to how that decision was made.

Today, the CBD has been demolished, and the Board of County Commissioners still controls corrections, but there has been some talk of negotiating a return of the jail to the sheriff's office.

Morgan believes the domino effect of the decision to rebuild the CBD basement points to a systemic problem with local government. He said, "I found in government that if you can defer and deflect long enough, people will eventually think about something else."

Unfortunately, the 2012 decision was a costly one. {in} 7

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TELLING A BIGGER STORY freedom became known to the enslaved and enslavers "and how it became a beacon for fugitives who found northern routes to liberation inaccessible," Clavin continued.

Rosiecki says it's a history that isn't widely known within the academic world.

"I would even go as far as to say it isn't widely known along the northern Gulf Coast or even here in West Florida," he says.

Pensacola's involvement in slavery wasn't all positive before abolition, though. In the mid-1820s, the U.S. Navy rented the enslaved to build the Pensacola Navy Yard. "The Army Corps of Engineers also used slave renting to construct the string of Army forts in West Florida," says Rosiecki.

In a twist of fate, after completion, the forts became Pensacola's sites where fugitive slaves sought their freedom. They're the products and consequences of slavery in the United States, but they became tools to dismantle it.

GETTING THE WORD OUT

View of Fort Pickens and 15-inch Rodman Cannon / Photo Courtesy Gulf Islands National Seashore

By Joshua Encinias If you grew up on the Gulf Coast, chances are you visited Fort Pickens, Fort Barrancas, Santa Rosa Island or Pensacola Pass, whether for a school field trip, a visit to the beach or star gazing with local astronomers. The next time you visit, there's a new dimension to discover—their roles as sites in the Southern Underground Railroad.

Even locals sometimes assume that in order to travel on the Underground Railroad, escaped slaves would simply go north to the free states.

On March 29, Santa Rosa Island was the fourth site managed by Gulf Islands National Seashore admitted into the National Park Service's National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program. With that fourth designation, park ranger Casimer Rosiecki hopes to show the Gulf Coast that the network of freedom wasn't only pointed north.

"You could go south to get to places like the British Bahamas," says Rosiecki. "During the Civil War, if you could get to a U.S. Army camp in Pensacola, the officers in command could save you from your enslaver or other slave catchers."

One reason why northern cities like Philadelphia, New York City and Boston are more associated with the Underground Railroad has to do with literacy. Abolitionists in those urban areas who knew how to read and write preserved the stories of freedom seekers. In the South, people trying to escape slavery preserved their stories through oral tradition among themselves, but oral histories can be difficult for historians to track down, corroborate and verify.

May 12, 2022

A new initiative undertaken at the Gulf Islands National Seashore and other national park sites empowers park rangers and park managers to widen the historical lens to tell a fuller story that includes local involvement in abolition.

Rosiecki, who moved to the area five years ago, took up the cause by using his time working from home during the pandemic to help declare multiple sites at Gulf Islands as part of the Underground Railroad.

"I have a personal drive to uncover and share more history around the timeframe of the Civil War and early Reconstruction Era," says Rosiecki, "all in an effort to help myself with my job as a park ranger, but also to help people who come here to get a better understanding of this important history on the Gulf Coast."

Rosiecki has a lifelong interest in U.S. history, with an emphasis on the mid-19th century. When the pandemic closed Gulf Islands and he transitioned to telework, it gave him the time to research, read and prepare applications so that sites within Gulf Islands could be considered for federal designation in the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program.

PENSACOLA HISTORY IS NATIONAL HISTORY

Gulf Islands' four sites included in the network show our area's history is nationally important.

"It's a history that belongs to the American people, present and future generations," says Rosiecki.

National Park Service designations bring prestigious national recognition to Gulf Islands.

They also add to our understanding of the Underground Railroad's history. Inclusion places the four sites in a database managed by the Na-

tional Park Service Network that allows anyone to learn about Underground Railroad destinations, programs or facilities and visit those places if they are publicly accessible. Rosiecki told us it can help promote tourism and economic development along the coast.

"During the Civil War, if you could get to a U.S. Army camp in Pensacola, the officers in command could save you from your enslaver or other slave catchers." Casimer Rosieck One of the resources Rosiecki used for his research came from University of Houston historian Matthew Clavin, who published the book "Aiming for Pensacola" through the Harvard University Press. The book looks at the Underground Railroad history here in the Pensacola region.

Pensacola's decades of rule by Spain, Great Britain and the United States left it isolated from antebellum Southern society. As other Gulf Coast seaports like New Orleans developed and flourished based on slavery, Pensacola became an enclave of freedom.

In the book, Clavin wrote, "Pensacola became known for something else—as an enclave of diverse, free peoples of European, African and Native American descent. Farmers, laborers, mechanics, soldiers and sailors learned to cooperate across racial lines and possessed no vested interest in maintaining slavery or white supremacy."

Our reputation as an easier access point to

Phase one of Rosiecki's initiative was made up of researching, writing and editing applications for federal designation. In phase two, he's moving to share our local Underground Railroad sites and human-interest stories with the public.

For example, there are a few published and unpublished memoirs, diaries and letters from Civil War soldiers who write about enslaved people being present and coming to U.S. military sites in our area.

One of the enslaved was Henry Stalburt, a Union soldier in the 86th United States Colored Troops. His journey to freedom began in August 1863 when he escaped the Burnett plantation in Sparta, Ala. Two weeks later, Stalburt was captured in Pensacola and tortured by Confederate soldiers. When he was returned to the plantation, a tire iron was fit around Henry's right ankle and formed a hook under his foot.

Despite everything, Stalburt escaped again in November 1863. Miraculously, he made the 100mile trek to Fort Barrancas, where union soldiers removed the stabbing device from his foot. After, he served in the Union army until 1965 when he left for medical reasons. While in the service, Stalburt helped liberate hundreds of men, women and children through various expeditions.

Rosiecki is working to install outdoor interpretive waysides relevant to his discoveries at the Gulf Islands parks, and he's working to establish relationships with organizations in the community to share these stories. He also wants to create an in-person, ranger-guided program through Underground Railroad history in the parks.

"I'm hopeful that members of the community will learn about these stories and want to volunteer at Gulf Islands," says Rosiecki. "As a volunteer, you can work with park rangers to develop programs and lead visitors through these sites and share our Underground Railroad history."

For volunteer opportunities, you can email the Gulf Island National Seashore at guis_information@nps.gov. {in} 9

workforce. The program will run from Friday, June 3-Friday, July 29. Interns may work up to 20 hours per week and will be paid $12 per hour.

Applications are due Friday, May 20, at 4 p.m.

To be considered for the Summer Youth Intern Program, a participant must be an Escambia County resident, 16-24 years old and have no felony convictions. If under the age of 18, the applicant must have parental/guardian consent to be considered for participation and provide a letter of recommendation and complete a job readiness preparatory training class on Friday, June 3. The applicant must meet the hiring criteria of the temporary employment agency.

Applications can be found online at bit. ly/3MPxBbO. Please email applications and supporting documents to kpowell@cityofpensacola.com, mail or hand-deliver to the Neighborhood Services Office, located at City Hall, 222 W. Main St.

Photo Courtesy of Santa Rosa Island Authority

TRAIL RENOVATIONS COMPLETED Just in time for sea turtle season to start back up, the Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA) recently announced the completion of its Footprints in the Sand Eco Trail renovation project.

Created in 2013, the Footprints in the Sand Eco Trail consists of informative, educational signs spanning over 7 miles along Pensacola Beach, highlighting the island's ecology and biodiversity–including the four species of endangered sea turtles that nest on our shores. The trail helps answer many questions about the island's common plants, animals and birds, complete with colorful photos.

"The SRIA's mission is to preserve our natural resources, manage growth and promote ecofriendly tourism in a clean, safe community environment," said SRIA Executive Director Leigh Davis. "The Pensacola Beach Footprints in the Sand

Eco Trail helps visitors learn about and, in turn, preserve our barrier island's many natural wonders."

Over the past year, the trail has undergone a facelift, with expanded species and topics added to certain kiosks along the trail. In total, 14 new educational panels were added, each one highlighting a new subject. The Pensacola Beach Eco Trail now consists of 38 distinct panels on 28 kiosks along the beach.

"The Eco Trail has transformed in the past year with the help of subject matter experts and photographers who generously donated their time and talents to create the content for the new website and the replacement panels," said Lila Cox, the volunteer who coordinated the project on behalf of the SRIA. "It was a pleasure to share their knowledge with the public and to do so with so many local images that reflect the unique 'nature' of the beach."

Pensacolabeachecotrail.com is an extension of the physical Pensacola Beach Footprints in The Sand Eco Trail. The website features stunning imagery and videos that further illustrate the wide variety of plant and animal life that can be found on Pensacola Beach. An interactive map hosted on the website guides visitors along the physical trail, too.

SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT The City of Pensacola is offering internship opportunities for eligible youth ages 16-24 through the City of Pensacola Summer Youth Intern Program. Internships are available in several city departments and promote career development while providing paid on-the-job work experience.

The City of Pensacola Summer Youth Intern Program was created to provide an opportunity for participants to gain meaningful work experience designed to prepare them for today's

HOSPITALITY HEROES Visit Pensacola announced its annual Hospitality Hero Winners on Wednesday, May 4, in front of industry peers, partners and community stakeholders. The Hospitality Hero Award Ceremony and Luncheon is an annual event dedicated to celebrating the hospitality and tourism industry members.

"This is always one of the best days during National Travel and Tourism Week," Visit Pensacola Board Chair Deandra Holcomb said. "Day after day, the people we're celebrating today are making things happen in the hospitality and tourism industry—servers, tour operators, maintenance and more. Without these people, tourism in the Pensacola area simply wouldn't happen."

This year's winners include, under Lodging, Rosendo Morillo Peralta of Surf & Sand Hotel; under Restaurant/Dining, Chef Chris Dickens of Flora-Bama, LLC; under Shopping/Service, Unity Spurlock of ProHealth; under Transportation, Tim Jones of zTrip; and under Attractions/Venues, Jean Marie Jones of the Saenger Theatre.

Year-round, Visit Pensacola invites people to nominate industry members to celebrate their hard work and service throughout the year. If you receive or witness exceptional service, make your nomination at visitpensacola.com.

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ANOTHER EXPANSION Thanks to the FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance and the University of West Florida, ActiGraph is moving its headquarters and expanding into the Regions Center, located at 70 N. Baylen St. in downtown Pensacola.

ActiGraph is a leading provider of wearable technology-enabled scientific solutions for clinical trials and academic research. The company received an Industry Resilience and Diversification Fund (IRDF) grant that made the relocation and expansion possible. The Florida Legislature, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and UWF established the IRDF fund to help Northwest Florida businesses grow, innovate and thrive.

"FloridaWest EDA embraced the opportunity to work with ActiGraph and UWF to utilize the IRDF grant opportunity," said FloridaWest CEO Scott Luth. "Our work together is enabling ActiGraph to realize its high growth potential here in Pensacola-Escambia County and will add important job growth for its headquarters, technical research and development, software and product development operations."

"The University of West Florida is proud to support FloridaWest and other regional partners in facilitating the retention and expansion of businesses in Northwest Florida for the joint benefits of creating new jobs and diversifying our regional workforce," said Matthew Schwartz, UWF associate vice president of Research Administration. "As ActiGraph has demonstrated, the IRDF fund can play a substantial role in supporting those efforts."

ActiGraph CEO Jeremy Wyatt described his company's relocation and expansion as "truly a defining moment for the future of ActiGraph." He added, "This new facility will enable us to deliver technology and scientific services to drive better measurements for drug research."

FUNDS FOR ESTUARY PROGRAM On Tuesday, May 3, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the award of nearly $20 million from the Resilient Florida Grant Program to support 98 projects across the state to develop or update comprehensive vulnerability assessments in inland and coastal communities.

Included in the announcement was the award of $687,500 to the Pensacola & Perdido Bays Estuary Program for resilience planning. The Estuary Program, working in partnership with Florida State University's RIDER Center, will oversee the development of a compound flood model to aid local governments and private landowners in capital improvement project planning and development decisions. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will help the program update regional rainfall data, which is critical for stormwater management planning.

The end result will be an Adaptation Plan based on the results of the compound flood model scenarios and community engagement to determine priority resilience projects, policies and initiatives that not only protect inland and coastal communities but serve to benefit area natural resources as well.

"This is an excellent step forward to enhance the resilience of all of our communities in the Pensacola and Perdido watersheds," said Escambia County Commissioner Robert Bender, chairman of the Pensacola & Perdido Bays Estuary Program. "This project will better equip us to prepare for the impacts of inland flooding and sea-level rise while ensuring we are prepared for future resilience grant opportunities."

May 12, 2022

VETO VICTORY Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson doesn't always prevail when he makes a request of Florida's governor. Still, he's feeling pretty good about one recent win—Gov. Ron DeSantis' veto of a piece of legislation pertaining to rooftop solar energy and net metering.

"We were very happy that the governor was supportive of our request to veto the net metering," Robinson said Monday, May 2, during his weekly press conference. "We sent a letter. I think I'm like two for six on letters to the governor when he does something I've asked him to do."

Net metering is a billing mechanism that allows residential solar users to sell back power to the utility company. A bill championed by utility corporations, but considered by solar advocates to hobble the use of solar for homeowners, was passed by Florida's legislature and the vetoed by DeSantis.

Robinson credited Mark Jackson, the city's sustainability coordinator, for advising the city to push back against the net-metering bill. He told reporters, "They continue to identify things that we're trying to lead on, and this is just another example of what we communicated and sent to the governor as well."

ST SIGNS UNITED The new MRO hangars under construction at the Pensacola International Airport already have their first customer.

The Commercial Aerospace business of ST Engineering and United Airlines, Inc. (United) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the end of April at the MRO Americas 2022 conference in Dallas.

Under the MOU, ST Engineering will extend its heavy maintenance support to United by ser-

vicing additional narrowbody aircraft at the airframe Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) complex that ST Engineering is constructing at the Pensacola International Airport.

The MRO complex is an expansion to an existing two-bay widebody hangar facility currently operated by ST Engineering. Estimated to be completed by the end of 2024, the expansion will add three large state-of-the-art hangars, associated support shops and around 1.5 million manhours to ST Engineering's annual capacity in Pensacola.

"We are committed to the long-term and growth needs of our customers in the U.S.," said Jeffrey Lam, President of Commercial Aerospace at ST Engineering. "In expanding the current partnership arrangement with United under this MOU, we look forward to growing our 11

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support for them at our expanded MRO complex in Pensacola when it is completed."

ECUA ONBOARD Mayor Grover Robinson told

Inweekly that the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority is onboard in figuring out how sewage is getting into the stormwater system that feeds into the waters off Bruce Beach (Inweekly, "Bruce Beach's Poop Problem," 5/5/22).

"Bruce Woody, the ECUA executive director, has sent a letter to David Forte (city's deputy city administrator)," said the mayor. "He indicated ECUA has a willingness to work with us and get this done."

Robinson said in downtown Pensacola, especially in the Tanyard neighborhood, there may be places that have sewage flowing into the stormwater lines. He said, "Sometimes you'll have sewer connections that will go into the stormwater because a 100 years ago, they didn't have a separate place to do treatment."

The mayor hopes the issue will be resolved as part of the improvements slated for Bruce Beach later this year. He told Inweekly, "That's when you do it when we're going to be putting in all the infrastructure money to get (Bruce Beach) fixed up. I'm excited to see that coming up here shortly."

ONE WEEK READY When Hurricane Sally was approaching Pensacola in September 2020, county officials told residents that the first 72 hours were on them. Now they are asking residents to stock hurricane supplies to last much longer.

"We're actually using the phrase—'be one week ready.' That way, you do have supplies for an extended period of time," Escambia County Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore told Inweekly.

"During Sally, we did get pods up within 72 hours, fortunately. But we did have a delay in some of the product coming in because we had river flooding to our east, which impeded the Interstate. Then the trucks had to reroute through Alabama, then come around and down Highway 29, which delayed us on getting more product out."

He continued, "We can't ever fully anticipate what's going to be open and what's going to be closed as far as transportation routes. Then, of course, we don't know how bad our infrastructure's going to be damaged, our electrical grid.

Those buildings and stores that we rely on, those brick and mortars, did they sustain damage? We're now saying, 'one week ready.' That way, it gives everybody a little bit of breathing room."

CELEBRATING 145 YEARS Myrtle Grove Elementary will host a celebration of the school's 145-year history on Saturday, May 14.

Myrtle Grove is the oldest continually operating elementary school in Escambia County, having been created in 1877 as a one-room schoolhouse next to the Methodist Church on Lillian Highway. In 1938, the school was moved to the present brick building after the original school burned over the Christmas holidays.

Today, that building stands to be replaced by a

new, modern facility that will continue serving the community for generations to come.

"Although we have loved teaching and learning in a school building that has touched the lives of many generations of Pensacolians, we are very excited to continue to keep traditions, pride and excellence as the driving force as we prepare to teach the future generations," said Robin Maloy, Myrtle Grove Principal. "While we appreciate the tradition and history of this current facility, we can't wait to open up our new facilities for our students, teachers, staff and community."

The history of Myrtle Grove School is welldocumented with PTA-created scrapbooks from the 1930s, pictures, stories and historical artifacts. The school staff invites the public to come and see the displays and share their own memories of the school. Community members are encouraged to take a "walk down memory lane" on Saturday, May 14, from 1-3 pm. Displays will be assembled in the cafeteria, and refreshments will be served. Myrtle Grove Elementary School is located at 6115 Lillian Highway.

BAYVIEW PLAYGROUND CLOSED The Bayview Park Playground will be closed to the public beginning Monday, May 16, for the installation of new playground equipment. The completion of the new Bayview Park Playground is expected to be in mid-June.

Public access is prohibited during demolition and construction for safety reasons. The features of the newly installed park playground include age-appropriate playgrounds for ages 2-5 and 5-15, ADA accessible equipment and eco-friendly equipment produced from recyclable materials.

Bayview Park is located at 2001 E. Lloyd St. DYI WAHOO JERSEYS Fans will have the opportunity to design their own jersey as the Pensacola Blue Wahoos become the first Minor League Baseball team ever to offer fans the opportunity to fully customize the jerseys worn by the team on the field.

On DIY Jersey Night, Saturday, Aug. 13, every player and coach on the Blue Wahoos will wear a different jersey custom-designed by a different Blue Wahoos fan.

"Never before has a team had every player and coach take the field in a different uniform created by a different fan," team president Jonathan Griffith said. "It will be a lot of fun to see the creativity and unique ideas of our fans come to life and take the field."

Fans have the opportunity to purchase a jersey now at milbauctions.com. The all-white uniforms feature the outline of the Blue Wahoos logo on the chest as well as a jersey number on the front and back in which fans can add their designs. After purchasing a jersey, fans will be invited to Blue Wahoos Stadium to custom-design their respective uniform. Those jerseys selected will be worn on-field by the team in their Aug. 13 game against the Birmingham Barons. A complete list of uniform guidelines is available at bluewahoos.com. {in} inweekly.net

Things To Do Before Spring Is Over

In case you haven't noticed, we're currently in the midst of a pretty great spring here on the Gulf Coast, and all of us at Inweekly are trying our best to make the most of it.

Of course, our deadlines keep getting in the way, but our goal is to continue sneaking in park lunches and afternoon walks every chance we get while the getting is good.

To help you get on our level spring fever-wise, we've put together this handy to-do list full of things to see, hear and do over the next few weeks. So read up and get ready to enjoy what's left of this actually enjoyable season.

May 12, 2022

13

Photo Courtesy of Alga Beer Co.

•Walk or bike the recently reopened Bay Bridge multiuse path facebook.com/mypensacolabaybridge

•Attend an outdoor concert

Bonus points if it's free like Bands on the Beach or Bands on the Blackwater visitpensacolabeach.com, miltonfl.org

•Stream "Hacks"

Season 2 premieres Thursday, May 12 On HBO Max hbomax.com

•Get your fill of crawfish season •Sip on a Poly Lobby

A Dole Whip-inspired sour ale at Alga Beer Co. algabeerco.com, @algabeerco 414 1

•See "Everything Everywhere All at Once"

Sorry, "Top Gun: Maverick," but the movie of the summer is already here, and it's currently playing at AMC theaters and is coming soon to Pensacola Cinema Art a24films.com/films/everything-everywhereall-at-once

•Swap some threads

•Celebrate Palafox Market

At their 15th anniversary block party this Saturday, May 14 facebook.com/downtownpensacola

•Spice things up

With Whim Cotton Candy and their chili mango with Tajin flavor @whimcottoncandy

At the spring cleaning clothing swap at Easy Going Gallery next Saturday, May 21 @easygoinggallery

•Explore "Harry's House"

•Try a Cuban sandwich

•Take yourself out to a ballgame

•Buy a plant you can't kill

•Read "This Time Tomorrow"

By Emma Straub

At the Truck Stop Diner @thetruckstopdiner

From Papergirl Plants @papergirl_plants

Out Friday, May 20 hstyles.co.uk bluewahoos.com

Out Tuesday, May 17 emmastraub.net

•Or "My Life in the Sunshine"

By Nabil Ayers If nonfiction is more your thing Out Tuesday, June 7 nabilayers.com

•Make plans to attend Waterboyz's annual Skateboard Art Show On Saturday, June 4 waterboyz.com, @waterboyz

•And the Beginning of Summer Beach Bummer V On Saturday, June 18 at Odd Colony facebook.com/fauxfoxmusic

•See "Everything Everywhere All at Once" again Because once just isn't enough {in}

inweekly.net

WEEK OF MAY 12-18

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

On Belonging: Asian Identity and Art in AAPI Heritage Month

By Sydney Robinson

Photo Courtesy of Kyle Miller

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. In honor of that, Inweekly spoke with a few local Asian American creatives about their art, culture and the intersection of the two in 2022.

BELONG IN A SONG

Japanese American musician Morgan Churchill has spent her life in the musical world— both singing and playing a range of instruments.

In her latest project, local band Mid Evil Times, Churchill is achieving a musical dream of hers by learning how to play the drums.

"When Ryan, who is our lead singer, suggested making a band with a few of us, I was like, 'Yeah, why not?' I also was like, 'Can I play drums?'" said Churchill.

The band, which was started in the summer of 2021, is composed of bandmates Ally Ryan, Ryan Holtzen, Seb Wynn, Cintia Nelson and Churchill.

The young group plays both covers and originals at local venues like Easy Going Gallery.

Churchill says that her love for music is influenced and informed by her Japanese American heritage, having grown up attending cultural festivals in Pensacola.

"We have quite a bit of dancing in Japanese culture," said Churchill. "I quite often get involved in that because I love dancing and I love singing.

So being a part of that makes me happy."

Churchill's Japanese American mother was another primary source of musical inspiration.

"I've always been involved in music, my sister and I, because my mom believes that music is very important," said Churchill.

When it comes to creating new music with May 12, 2022

Mid Evil Times, Churchill takes inspiration from other Japanese musicians.

"Japanese indie bands really inspire me to practice more and try and get to the level where I can make more complicated beats because I'm still in the beginning of my drum journey."

The band is also looking to explore cover songs of Japanese music. For those songs, Churchill will take over the mic as she is the only band member who speaks some Japanese.

"I'm excited for that because I love singing," said Churchill.

BELONG IN WHAT'S FOUND

Chinese American Crystal Barrineau has been a working creative in the Pensacola area since she graduated from the University of West Florida in the early aughts. But her recent foray into the vintage market scene has given her a new lease on creativity and online expression.

On Instagram, her shop Wild Willow Shop is positioned as "vintage home decor for the wild at heart." It promotes slow living and sustainability since its creation in 2020.

"I love styling the objects and I love creating the brand, the graphics and visual images on that side," said Barrineau.

Familiar with graphic design and more traditional visual mediums, Barrineau has become enamored with Instagram reels.

"Honestly, I probably spend too much time on reels," said Barrineau. "I didn't realize I would enjoy short-form video content as much [as I do]."

Born in the U.S., Barrineau's parents immigrated from Communist China and instilled in her a respect and appreciation for the arts, an avenue they felt restricted from engaging in during their time in China.

"My parents are both creative at heart, but my dad wouldn't be able to play any songs that were not propaganda songs without getting essentially persecuted or going to jail," said Barrineau. "So they were creatively stifled until they were able to come over to the states."

Barrineau resisted the traditional push for a more practical education and chose a more creative path in graphic design.

"I did push to study art—and, in this case, graphic design—and now I don't regret it one bit," said Barrineau. "I'm just more grateful that I'm allowed to thrive in this environment."

A story from Barrineau's mother influenced her decision to focus on vintage home goods with Wild Willow Shop.

"When my mother was growing up, she remembers as a little girl, like eight or nine years old, having to try to trash all their jewelry and throw away all of these beautiful antiques, glass vases and marble and things like that."

Barrineau says Chinese officials would confiscate or destroy valuable items, taking with them the history of those items.

"You've got all this history, these beautiful pieces, just completely eradicated," said Barrineau.

"It makes me appreciate even more the pieces that have lasted through these generations."

BELONG IN THE CLAY

Asian American ceramicist Kyle Miller moved to Pensacola in 2018 after leaving the military.

Choosing to attend the University of West Florida, Miller has pursued a bachelor's degree in fine art, with a focus on studio art, particularly involving ceramics.

"Mostly what I focus on is immersive installations through a line of ceramic," said Miller. "Ceramics is the medium I'm most passionate about.

But really with art, what I try to do is create a full sensory experience."

The child of a Thai single mother, Miller has shifted focus to exploring Asian American identity and the sometimes-fraught role of a multi-racial individual in America after a run-in with a fellow student left them feeling unsupported by the academic institution.

During a class discussion about cultural appropriation, another student insinuated that Miller was too white passing to be able to speak as a minority on cultural appropriation in art. Miller's eye shape and skin tone were used as examples of their supposed whiteness.

"This individual did not understand the implications of what they're saying when they mention skin color to an Asian American who grows up in a culture where the lighter your skin is, the 'better' you are, or the more socially presentable you are," said Miller.

"Because my eyes are more round, because my skin is lighter, because I don't have an accent, am I not Asian enough to be Asian?" asked Miller. "Is my value or my identity determined by how others perceive me or how I perceive myself?"

When Miller asked for administration to

provide education to students on cultural sensitivity, the impression they left with was that those in charge were not interested in drawing more attention to the issue.

"I think it's harmful for people to be around these comments that are being made without being checked, or at least without the understanding that like, you don't know who's in the room when you're saying stuff," said Miller.

"It brought up in me a lot of internal struggle and internalized feelings of even when I was a child, like, 'Where do I fit? Do I fit into Asian culture? Do I fit into American culture? Who am I in terms of what people see me as? Do I even need to concern myself with that?'"

Miller has since transformed the conflict into new art, using a childhood photo and a watereddown ceramic glaze on two identical vessels to symbolize the differences between themself and their mother.

"The vessels are technically the same as they technically have the same makings, the same elements," said Miller. "It's just one is a little more diluted, and what does that mean?"

By probing where it hurts, Miller hopes to subvert the urge by many Asian Americans and immigrants to suppress the effects of racism and micro-aggressions.

"I think it's just a big cultural element to not talk about it and just like, work, work, work," said Miller. "A lot of, like, the immigrant experience and a lot of Asian-American experiences is to push past it and work harder and be better. But talking about it helps."

After graduation, Miller plans to pursue a series of solo shows exploring queerness and the idea of queer utopia.

"It is a show that relates to the queer experience, traversing the world that we live in, and what it would be like to kind of escape that into a utopia," said Miller. "It's not necessarily about the utopia or the world that we live in but the journey from one to the other." {in}

MID EVIL TIMES

@themideviltimes mideviltimes.bandcamp.com

WILD WILLOW SHOP

@wildwillowshop facebook.com/itswildwillow

KYLE MILLER @kilnboi

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a&e happenings NONPROFITS & FUNDRAISERS

ESCAMBIA COUNTY COMMUNITY BABY SHOWER FOR HEALTHY START The Escam-

bia County Healthy Start Coalition and Florida Department of Health in Escambia County are partnering with various organizations to host the first-ever North Escambia Baby Shower, an event designed to serve families in Century, Molino, Walnut Hill, McDavid and surrounding communities.

This is a free event, inviting parents who are expecting or have recently had a baby, their partners and their families. The event will be held on Sunday, May 15, in Century at Nadine McCaw Park, on the corner of North Century Boulevard and Hecker Road, from noon-3 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, the shower will be held at the Town of Century Agricultural Center, 6001A Highway 4.

Visit healthystart.info for more information.

ANIMAL ALLIES BINGO Animal Allies Florida

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

Dates are May 24, June 7 & 21, July 12 & 26, Aug. 9 & 23, Sept. 6 & 20, Oct. 4 & 18, Nov. 8 & 22 and Dec. 6 & 20. Proceeds go to help local animals.

The fun starts at 7 p.m. $10 gets you 30 cards.

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

JUNIOR LEAGUE OF PENSACOLA'S MAY DINNER CELEBRATION The Junior League of Pensacola's 2021-2022 May Dinner Celebration will be held at the Pensacola Yacht Club on Tuesday, May 17, at 6 p.m.

The May Dinner program will include a series of awards to recognize individuals and organizations who made a significant contribution to the league's success this year.

This year's celebration will have a Roaring ‘20s theme. All attendees are encouraged to come dressed to impress in their best 1920s attire. Social time will be 5:30-6 p.m., and the official meeting program will run from 6-7 p.m., with the rest of the evening spent dancing to tunes from DJ Hale and having fun in the photobooth.

Tickets are $45 and include your meal. A cash bar will be available. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite.

PAWS ON PALAFOX On Saturday, May 21, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., hundreds of animal lovers will take to the streets of historic downtown Pensacola for Paws On Palafox, a family friendly 3K dog walk to support the Pensacola Humane Society.

This event is truly the most dog-friendly event in the community because it is hosted your dog in mind. Each registered walker receives a bandana for their pet. Along the route will be water and cooling stations for you and your four-legged friends. As you cross the finish line, you will be back in Phineas Phogg's for a one-of-a-kind celebration. Pre-registration rates end on Saturday, May 14, at 4 a.m. Day-of registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 9:40 a.m. For more information, visit pensacolahumane.org.

ARTS & CULTURE

2022 TROUBADOUR ISSUE RELEASE Art

and literature contributors to the 2022 issue of Troubadour will read from and discuss their work May 12, 2022

BLUE MOON ANTIQUE MALL

at the issue release event Thursday, May 12 at the Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. The reading will begin at 7:30 p.m. and a reception will precede the event at 7 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. A limited number of copies of this year's issue will be available for free to attendees. Visit pensacolamuseum.org.

BROADWAY LIGHTS DANCE CENTER

MUSIC AND ART AT 309 Rugh and Dylan Kevin Grover will be performing at 309 starting at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 13. Communal art begins at 6 p.m. Located at 209 N. Sixth St. Visit 309punkproject.org for more information.

meetup following their read of "Anxious People"

by Fredrick Backman on Wednesday, May 18, from 6-7, at End of the Line Café, 610 E. Wright St. No membership required. Anyone looking to spend time meeting book lovers is welcomed to hang out. Visit facebook.com/groups/wuwfpublicmediabookclub for more information.

OPERAZZI UNDER THE BIG TOP Operazzi,

Pensacola Opera's annual spring fundraising event, is heading under the big top this year on Friday, May 13, from 6:30-10:30 p.m. at Sanders Beach– Corinne Jones Resource Center, 913 S. I St. Tickets are $150. The evening's main attraction features a live auction of unique items and experiences in support of the Artists in Residence program. Visit pensacolaopera.com for more information.

REPURPOSED PLASTIC PLANTER Turn your

leftover plastic bags into treasures. Recycle your plastic bags into yarn and make plant pots at Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St. Friday, May 13, 3-5 p.m. Suggested for teens and adults. Visit mywfpl. com for more information.

BEACH BAGS CRAFT SESSION Join staff at Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St., for a Saturday afternoon craft session on May 14 from 1:30-3 p.m. Decorate and personalize your very own canvas tote bag for beach trips or other family adventures. Suggested for youth and their families but open to everyone. All materials provided while supplies last.

CABARET TAKES A HOLIDAY Pensacola Little Theatre's annual celebration of art is back on Saturday, May 14, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $150 and include access to five open-bar venues, live music, exclusive performances, classic cuisine and an array of local talent, including drag shows, aerialists, dancers, singers, musicians and more. Visit pensacolalittletheatre.com for more information.

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

Institute, 220 W. Garden St. "Death on the Nile" will be playing Friday, May 13, and Saturday, May 14. Tickets are $10 cash donation per person. Face masks are recommended. Reservations are not required. Visit pensacolacinemaart.com for more information and the latest showtimes.

KWM MOVIE NIGHT: MARY MAGDALENE (2018) Watch a free screening of the 2018 film

"Mary Magdalene" on Saturday, May 14, at 9 N. J St. BYOB. Cost is free. For more information, visit facebook.com/diypensacola.

CHORAL SOCIETY OF PENSACOLA: TRIPTYCH The Choral Society of Pensacola presents "Triptych" 20th and 21st century works for soloist, chorus and percussion 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 15, at UWF Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 11000 University Parkway, Bldg. 82. Tickets are $15-$20. More information at choralsocietyofpensacola.org.

Watch the Broadway Lights Dance Center at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 15, at the Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. Tickets are $24-$32. Visit pensacolasaenger.com for more information.

WUWF BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION: ANXIOUS PEOPLE Join WUWF Book Club for their

POPULAR LITERARY BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION: MALIBU RISING Join the Popular Liter-

ary Book Club for a discussion of "Malibu Rising"

by Taylor Jenkins Reid on Wednesday, May 18, from 10:30-11:30 a.m., at Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St.

CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM DAY Join Pensacola Arts and Cultural Institutions

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on Wednesday, May 18, by celebrating International Museum Day. Residents and visitors to Pensacola can celebrate the holiday by expanding their cultural, historical and artistic knowledge through vibrant representations of the city's community and history at The Chappie James Museum, Pensacola's Historic Village, the Pensacola Museum of Art, the Pensacola Children's Museum and the National Naval Aviation Museum, among other places. For more information on Pensacola's museums or how to vacation artfully in Pensacola, visit acepensacola.org.

DREAM DEFENDERS FREEDOM LUNCH Join

Dream Defenders for a free lunch and community on Thursday, May 19, from noon-2 p.m., at The Busy Bee, located at 3002 N. Ninth Ave. RSVP at bit.ly/frdmlunch522.

BROADWAY BOOGIE: GROWN-UPS Join this weekly class on the basics of boogie in a fun, easygoing, non-judgmental setting. Classes are Fridays, April 1-May 20, from 5-6 p.m., at The Gordon Art Center, 306 N. DeVilliers St. This class teaches the fundamentals of musical theatre style dancing including jazz, tap, ballet, ballroom, fosse and more. This class is a beginner-level class for teens and adults, ages 16 and up. Registration is open through March 15 at myneighborhoodtheatre.com.

SM 2014

Cristi Dees BAD JUJU | May 17 Rock, Top 40, Blues, Motown and more

Bay Bridge Band | May 24 60’s, 70’s, 80’s

RED John Logan's RED is the final Studio 400

production of the '21-'22 season at Pensacola Little Theatre. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on Fridays, May 20 & 27; Saturdays, May 21 & 28; and Thursday, May 26; and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 22. Tickets are $14-$22. Pensacola Little Theatre is located at 400 S. Jefferson St. Get tickets at pensacolalittletheatre.com.

LIFE DRAWING GROUP AT ARTEL Artel's life drawing group meets every Monday, except holidays, from 6-9 pm in Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox.

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

PENSACOLA ARTS MARKET Enjoy shopping for a variety of handcrafted wares at Pensacola 17

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

EASY GOING GALLERY ART MARKET Every

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

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

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

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

To the Maroon people who lived there, however, the fort at Prospect Bluff was a beacon of freedom worth fighting for.

For more information, visit fpan.us.

"KEEP IT 100" AT ARTEL GALLERY Back by

popular demand for the third year is the "Keep it 100," where all pieces are for sale and priced at $100. The exhibit is a juried show with Jimmy Rhea, professor at Pensacola State College, as juror. The exhibit will be on view through June 24. The opening reception will be Thursday, May 19, from 4-7 p.m. Artel Gallery is located at 223 S. Palafox. Visit artelgallery.org for more information.

ART OF THE POSTER One of the latest Artel

exhibits will be posters from Rick Otoupalik, the artist behind all of Artel's promotional posters for the past 20 years. The exhibit will be on view through June 24. Artel Gallery is located at 223 S. Palafox. Visit artelgallery.org for more information.

to coincide with First City Art Center's resumption of it's Hot Glass/Cold Brew series.

The show is free and open to the public during normal Gallery 1060 open hours. More information can be found at gallery1060.com.

on view on the second floor of the Pensacola Museum of History until August.

For more information about the UWF Historic Trust or to purchase tickets, visit historicpensacola.org.

PMA MEMBERS SHOW The PMA Members Show is on view at Pensacola Museum of Art through May 29. View works of art from local artists. For more information, visit pensacolamusuem.org.

2000 MEN: BLACK POLITICIANS DURING RECONSTRUCTION A new exhibit at the

INTO THE MIRROR: CARRIE ANN BAADE

Pensacola Museum of History shares the stories and histories of Black politicians during the Reconstruction period. The Pensacola Museum of History is located at 330 S. Jefferson St. For more information, visit historicpensacola.org.

MAPPING NORTHWEST FLORIDA EXHIBIT AT THE PENSACOLA MUSEUM OF HISTORY Visualized Landscapes: A Selection of

FINDING 1821 Finding 1821 is part of the UWF Historic Trust's Suddenly American exhibit. Using historic newspapers, maps and documents, it is possible to locate where businesses stood in the 1820s. From taverns to parasol shops, each site on the Finding 1821 trail reflects a local establishment that was near that location 200 years ago.

Outside each business is a QR code that links to a corresponding advert from an early 1820s newspaper. Over a dozen sites have been identified so far. Take a stroll around town, visit local shops and explore the history of Pensacola through today's technology. Visit historicpensacola.org for more information.

2021 Members Show winner Carrie Ann Baade describes herself as steward and axman, returning to the haunting moments in art history in order to reclaim them. By using the "bone yard" of Western painting with reverence, she cuts them up into fragments resulting in collage. In their repainting, these are fierce feminist parables. Paintings made of paintings; the old masterworks are infused with the artist's own experience. The exhibit is on view through May 29. For more information, visit pensacolamusuem.org.

DON MANDERSON AT ARTEL GALLERY

Graphic artist Don Manderson will have an exhibit on view at Artel Gallery through June 24. Artel Gallery is located at 223 S. Palafox. Visit artelgallery.org for more information.

SYNTHESIS, A GROUP BFA EXIT EXHIBITION The Art Gallery at the University of West Florida (TAG) and the Pensacola Museum of Art (PMA) present "SynThesis, a Group BFA Exit Exhibition." This exhibition will be on display at the PMA through May 15. For more information, visit pensacolamuseum.org.

Northwest Florida Maps is now on view at Pensacola Museum of History.

The exhibit explores the shifting topography of Northwest Florida through a series of maps selected from the Trust Archive. Visualized Landscapes: A Selection of Northwest Florida Maps is

NEW BEGINNINGS Gallery 1060's newest ex-

hibit, "New Beginnings," runs through June 11 with a show reception to be held the evening of May 6

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ola Little Theatre's Script Reading Club invites you to monthly script readings at PLT, 400 S. Jefferson St. Want to bring your scripts for the group to read

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

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a&e happenings and discuss? Contact Pensacola Little Theatre to get in queue. The group reads prospective scripts for future seasons as well as new scripts that need a table read before the next edit. Not a playwright but love to read out loud? This is your easy, fun theatre night. Fascinated by the play selection process? Sit in for a listen and usually a lot of laughs. Visit facebook.com/pensacolalittletheatre for more information and the latest dates.

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

OPEN MIC COMEDY AT BIG TOP BREWERY

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

NEW CLASSES AT MIXON MAGIC PERFORMING ARTS Mixon Magic Performing

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

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

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

FRESH GULF COAST FISH, GRITS & COLLARDS Join Bodacious and their in-house chef

for a demonstration class on the Gulf Coast staple Fresh Fish, Grits and Collards 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, May 17, at Bodacious, 407-D S. Palafox. Cost is $65.

Visit bodaciousshops.com for more information.

BBQ MAHI MAHI COOKING DEMONSTRATION Join guest Chef Phil Brown as he makes his

world-famous Datil BBQ Mahi at this Bodacious cooking class 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, May 18, at 407D S. Palafox. Cost is $65. Visit bodaciousshops. com for more information.

CHARCUTERIE NIGHT AT BODACIOUS En-

joy a hands-on demonstration that focuses on the art of preparing a charcuterie tray and serving it to guests Thursday, May 19, from 6-8 p.m., at Bodacious, 407-D S. Palafox. Visit bodaciousshops.com for more information.

COOKING WITH CHEF IRV MILLER: SPRING HARVEST TASTING Join Chef Irv Miller for a cooking demonstration Wednesday, May 18, at Jackson's Steakhouse, 400 S. Palafox. Classes are at 5 and 7:30 p.m. Cost is $45 per person.

Reservations are required and available by calling (850) 686-3149 or emailing jessica@ goodgrits.com.

MONTHLY WINE TASTING IN AGAPI GARDEN Visit Agapi Garden, at 555 Scenic Highway, from 5-7 p.m., to sample five wines for $10. For more information, call (850) 813-5683.

SUNDAY FUNDAY BRUNCH AT THE WELL

The Well, located at 42 E. Garden St., has expanded its offerings with a Sunday Funday Brunch cocktail menu including items such as Spicy Paloma made with Mezcal, a cold brew cocktail with Irish whiskey, a cucumber-infused spritz and a Bloody Mary spiced with house-made hot sauce and garnished with fresh pickled vegetables. Price range is $9-$12. Brunch hours are Sundays from noon-4 p.m. Other small plate offerings are available Thursday-Saturday from 4 p.m.-one hour before closing. For more information, visit facebook.com/thewellpensacola.

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

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

FIRST FRIDAY FINE WINES Visit The Nest General Store at 11 S. Palafox, Ste. C, on the first Friday of every month for a wine tasting from 6-8 p.m.

Visit bluejaysbakery.com for more information.

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

ville Savories Food Tour will host a coffee tour of downtown Pensacola Tuesdays-Fridays from 8:3011:30 a.m. Tickets are available online at sevillesavoriesfoodtour.com.

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

FOOD + DRINKS

RESONANCE SUMMER KICK OFF AT GARDEN & GRAIN Join Garden & Grain for a night of

bright lights and music to welcome in the summer season with music from Dr0ne and HDYCVT on Monday, May 16, starting at 8 p.m. Garden & Grain is located at 50 E. Garden St. Visit facebook.com/ perfectplainbrewingco for more information.

May 12, 2022

BAYOU BUZZ COFFEE TASTING TOUR Se-

BURGERS AND BORDEAUX AT UNION PUBLIC HOUSE Every Tuesday night, enjoy a

specialty burger and a glass of Bordeaux for $18 at Union Public House, located at 309 S. Reus St. For more information, visit facebook.com/ unionpensacola.

WEEKNIGHT HAPPY HOUR Every weeknight before 6 p.m. at The 5 Barrel, get $1 off all The 5 Barrel pints, $2 wine by the glass and half off hummus plates when you buy a pint of beer. Visit the5barrel.com for more information.

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a&e happenings TABLETOP TUESDAYS AT THE 5 BARREL

Join The 5 Barrel for a special Tabletop Tuesday event at 6 p.m. every Tuesday in March. A wide variety of games ranging from the classic chess to the crowd favorite Catan will be available. Players are welcome to bring their own games.

ARAGON WINE TASTINGS Wine tastings at

Aragon Wine Market are back every Thursday from 5-7 p.m. in store at 27 S. Ninth Ave. For more information, visit aragonwinemarket.com.

THURSDAY TRIVIA NIGHT AT THE 5 BARREL Gather a group for Trivia Night Thursdays

from 7-9 p.m. at The 5 Barrel. There will be prizes for every round and select drafts for $3.

Find out more at facebook.com/the5barrel.

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

PALAFOX MARKET Palafox Market is back at

its regular location in MLK Jr. Plaza. In a carefully planned, phased reopening, Palafox Market has launched with about half its regular vendors, showcasing food, farm produce and products geared toward safety and sanitation such as handmade soaps and face masks. For more information, visit facebook.com/downtownpensacola.

020 2

EVER'MARKET AT NINE MILE ROAD Visit

Ever'Man at 1000 E. Nine Mile Road on the fourth Saturday of each month for the Ever'Market with food, music, giveaways, activities and more. Visit everman.org for more information.

200 SOUTH SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY Every first Saturday of the month, the

businesses at 200 South will host Small Business Saturday to show support for local businesses. Bring a receipt from a purchase from any other downtown business and receive 10% off your bill at Graffiti Pizza, World of Beer, Taco Agave and Blend Lounge.

PENSACOLA POSITIVITY'S SUNDAY MARKETS Sunday Markets on Palafox Street

happen each Sunday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in MLK Plaza on Palafox. Local makers, growers and creators gather each under the oak trees to sell their goods to the community. Interested vendors can request an application by emailing requeaskmikellah@gmail.com. For more information, visit facebook.com/palafoxmarkets.

SATURDAYS AT THE MARKET OUTDOOR VENDOR EVENT Located at 5300

Berryhill Road, the outdoor market features artisans and crafters alike from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays. Social distancing guidelines will be in effect. For more information, email saturdaysatthemarket@gmail.com.

PENSACOLA POP-UP FARMERS MARKET

Check out fresh and organic produce, milk, eggs, meat, fresh-baked bread, mushrooms, lumber, grits, cornmeal, pies and plants Saturdays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at East Hill Market, located at 1216 N. Ninth Ave. For a list of vendors, visit facebook. com/easthillmarket.

UPTOWN PENSACOLA MARKET Check out local vendors of art, produce and other local treasures every Saturday at 7201 N. Ninth Ave. from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information, visit facebook. com/uptownmarketpensacola.

TWILIGHT THREE-COURSE SPECIAL The District's Twilight Three-Course special is back Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4:306 p.m. Guests enjoy three courses for $35 per person. Diners must be seated by 6 p.m. for offer to be valid. To make a reservation, call (850) 3325224, or go to districtstreaks.com. The District is located at 123 E. Government St.

LIVE MUSIC

CHRISTOPHER'S CONCERTS Bring your

folding chair, favorite beverage and dancing shoes to enjoy the great music Thursdays at 3200 N. 12th Ave. Mirage will be playing on May 12. Visit scpen.org/christophers-concerts for more information.

EASY GOING GALLERY SHOW Cavae

Mundi, Surfwax, Paid to Pretend and Valleyfire are performing at Easy Going Gallery,

701 N. V St., Friday, May 13. Doors open at 8 p.m. Cost is $10. Visit facebook.com/easygoinggallery for more information.

BANDS ON THE BLACKWATER Erick Baker will be playing Bands on the Blackwater at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 13. The concert is held at Jernigan's Landing, 5158 Willing St., in Milton.

BLUES ANGEL MUSIC'S BLUES ON THE BAY The City of Pensacola and Blues Angel

Music have partnered for the return of their annual free concert series every other Sunday at 6 p.m. at Community Maritime Park, located at 301 W. Main St. 2022 Blues Angel Music's Blues on the Bay Free Concert Series dates and performers: •May 22 - Nobius •June 12 - Not Quite Fab •June 26 - Still Standing •July 10 - Classic June •July 24 - Goldmine •Aug. 7 - Reunion Band •Aug. 21 - Modern Eldorados

COWBOY MOUTH Cowboy Mouth will be playing at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox, on Friday, May 13. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20. Visit vinylmusichall.com for more information. for more listings visit inweekly.net

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21

free will astrology WEEK OF MAY 12 ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): "Choose the

least important day in your life," wrote Aries author Thornton Wilder. "It will be important enough." I recommend that you make those your words to live by in the next two weeks.

Why? Because I suspect there will be no tremendously exciting experiences coming your way. The daily rhythm is likely to be routine and modest. You may even be tempted to feel a bit bored. And yet, if you dare to move your attention just below the surface of life, you will tune into subtle glories that are percolating.

You will become aware of quietly wondrous developments unfolding just out of sight and behind the scenes. Be alert for them. They will provide fertile clues about the sweet victories that will be available in the months ahead.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): "Every successful person I know starts before they feel ready," declared life coach Marie Forleo. Author Ivan Turgenev wrote, "If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything, is ready, we shall never begin." Here's what educator Supriya Mehra says—"There's never a perfect moment to start, and the more we see the beauty in 'starting small,' the more we empower ourselves to get started at all." I hope that in providing you with these observations, Taurus, I have convinced you to dive in now. Here's one more quote, from businesswoman Betsy Rowbottom—"There's never a perfect moment to take a big risk."

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): Poet Rana-

ta Suzuki writes, "There comes a point where you no longer care if there's a light at the end of the tunnel or not. You're just sick of the tunnel." That's good advice for you right now, Gemini. The trick that's most likely to get you out of the tunnel is to acknowledge that you are sick of the damn tunnel. Announce to the universe that you have gleaned the essential teachings the ride through the tunnel has provided you. You no longer need its character-building benefits because you have harvested them all. Please say this a thousand times sometime soon—"I am ready for the wide-open spaces."

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): In the coming weeks, your imagination will receive visions

By Rob Brezsny

of the next chapter of your life story. These images and stories might confuse you if you think they are illuminating the present moment. So please keep in mind that they are prophecies of what's ahead. They are premonitions and preparations for the interesting work you will be given during the second half of 2022. If you regard them as guiding clues from your eternal soul, they will nourish the inner transformations necessary for you to welcome your destiny when it arrives. Now study this inspirational quote from poet Rainer Maria Rilke—"The future glides into us, so as to remake itself within us, long before it occurs."

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): "Remember that

you will never reach a higher standard than you yourself set," wrote author Ellen G. White.

That's true! And that's why it's so crucial that you formulate the highest standards you can imagine—maybe even higher than you can imagine. Now is a favorable phase for you to reach higher and think bigger. I invite you to visualize the best version of the dream you are working on—the most excellent, beautiful and inspiring form it could take. And then push on further to envision even more spectacular results. Dare to be greedy and outrageous.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): Before Virgoborn Leslie Jones achieved fame as a comedian and actor, she worked day jobs at United Parcel Service and Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles. Her shot at major appreciation didn't arrive until the TV show "Saturday Night Life" hired her to be a regular cast member in 2014, when she was 47 years old. Here's how she describes the years before that—"Everybody was telling me to get a real job. Everybody was asking me, ‘What are you doing? You're ruining your life. You're embarrassing your family.'"

Luckily, Jones didn't heed the bad advice. "You can't listen to that," she says now. "You have to listen to yourself." Now I'm suggesting that you embrace the Leslie Jones approach, Virgo.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): "A person must

dream a long time in order to act with grandeur, and dreaming is nursed in darkness." Author Jean Genet wrote that, and now I'm offering you his words as the seed of your horoscope. If you've been attuned to cosmic rhythms,

you have been doing what Genet described and will continue to do it for at least another ten days. If you have not yet begun such work, please do so now. Your success during the rest of 2022 will thrive to the degree that you spend time dreaming big in the darkness now.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): "Cursed are

those who feel floods but who can only express a few drops." So says an internet proverb.

Luckily, this principle won't apply to you in the coming weeks. I expect you will be inundated with cascades of deep feelings, but you will also be able to articulate those feelings. So you won't be cursed at all. In fact, I suspect you will be blessed. The cascades may indeed become rowdy at times. But I expect you will flourish amidst the lush tumult.

Keep up the good work! The coming weeks should bring influences and adventures that will dramatically deepen your capacity to be untamed, soulful and intensely yourself.

a great deal of experience to become natural," wrote Sagittarian author Willa Cather. I'm happy to report that in recent months, you Sagittarians have been becoming more and more natural. You have sought experiences that enhance your authenticity and spontaneity. Keep up the good work! The coming weeks should bring influences and adventures that will dramatically deepen your capacity to be untamed, soulful and intensely yourself.

tend to live forever," proclaims 66-year-old comedian Steven Wright, who then adds, "So far, so good." I offer you his cheerful outlook in the hope that it might inspire you to dream

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): "Stop in-

sisting on clearing your head," advised author Charles Bukowski. "Clear your f---ing heart instead." That will be a superb meditation for you to experiment with in the coming weeks. Please understand that I hope you will also clear your head. That's a worthy goal. But your prime aim should be to clear your heart. What would that mean? Purge all apologies and shame from your longings. Cleanse your tenderness of energy that's inclined to withhold or resist. Free your receptivity to be innocent and curious.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): "The winner

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): "It takes

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): "I in-

and scheme about your own longevity. Now is a great time to fantasize about what you would love to accomplish if you are provided with 90 or more years of life to create yourself. In other words, I'm asking you to expand your imagination about your long-term goals. Have fun envisioning skills you'd like to develop and qualities you hope to ripen if you are given all the time you would like to have. (P.S. Thinking like this could magically enhance your life expectancy.)

will be the one who knows how to pick the right fights," wrote author Jane Ciabattari. Heed her advice, please, Pisces. You will soon be offered chances to deal with several interesting struggles that are worthy of your beautiful intelligence. At least one will technically be a "conflict," but even that will also be a fruitful opportunity. If you hope to derive the greatest potential benefit, you must be selective about which ones you choose to engage. I recommend you give your focus to no more than two.

THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK: Is there somewhere in your life where you try to exert too much control—and should loosen your grip? newsletter.freewillastrology.com.

freewillastrology.com

freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com Rob Brezsny © Copyright 2022

Winner Best Late Night Eats & Runner Up Best Bar–West Pensacola/Perdido Key, Best Bar Ambiance, Best Bar Food & Best Bar for Games

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inweekly.net

news of the weird THEY'RE LOVIN' IT Rob and Grace Jones wanted to replace a built-in toilet paper holder in their home in Crystal Lake, Illinois, on April 16, which required them to cut into the wall of their bathroom, NBC New York reported. That's when they came across a most unusual find: a towel containing two McDonald's hamburger wrappers and a full order of french fries inside.

Vintage 1959. "We were expecting the worst," Grace said. "I was shielding my kids in case there was any dried blood." More like dried ketchup.

"Not a cold case, just some cold fries," she said.

"They were very well preserved." Must not be many mice in Crystal Lake.

QUESTIONABLE JUDGMENT An American family returning to the United States from a trip to Israel on April 28 set off a chaotic bomb scare at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv when they tried to take an unexploded artillery shell through a security check, the BBC reported. They had found the shell in the Golan Heights and picked it up as a souvenir; at the airport, a family member pulled it from a backpack and asked if it could be put in a suitcase. The security official called for her immediate area to be cleared, but someone misheard her, and panic ensued. The family members were later questioned and allowed to board their flight.

THAT'S ONE WAY TO DO IT As his United Airlines flight taxied to its gate at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on May 5, one passenger apparently couldn't wait to deplane, WLS-TV reported. So he opened the emergency exit and walked onto the wing, then slid down the wing and onto the runway. The ground crew stopped the man, and he was turned over to law enforcement officers.

SEEING DOUBLE ... AND MORE The Mansfield Independent School District in Texas will celebrate an unusual graduation this year, feting 35 pairs of twins in its senior class, along with one set of triplets. Anthony and Angela Morka are among the twins who will graduate at the end of May, CBS News reported. "Knowing that it's almost over is exciting, but it's also kind of sad," Angela said. "It will definitely be a change because we're not going to be together like we've always been," Anthony added. The district held a special event for the multiples on April 29 at Vernon Newsom Stadium.

'SCUSE ME As Pinellas County (Florida) Sheriff's Deputy Todd Brien drove away from St. Pete Beach to check on a 911 hang-up call on May 4, he inadvertently drove over Robin Diffenderfer, a 23-year-old woman sunbathing on her back in the sand, ClickOrlando.com reported. He struck her right side and mid- to upper back area. She was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, and an investigation is ongoing.

RECENT ALARMING HEADLINE During a funeral in Lambayeque, Peru, on April 26, pallbearers were stunned to hear knocking com-

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

ing from within the coffin of Rosa Isabel Cespedes Callaca as they carried it, Metro News reported. They lowered the box to the ground and opened the lid to find that Callaca was weak, but alive, following a serious car accident. Cemetery caretaker Juan Segundo Cajo said that Callaca "opened her eyes and was sweating." She was rushed to a hospital, where she was shown to have faint signs of life, but sadly, she expired a few hours later. Her family members suspect she may have been in a coma following the accident, rather than deceased. Police are now investigating the incident.

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FLORIDA OG Even the retirees are getting crazy in the Sunshine State. On April 24, as Herbert Merritt, 64, walked his dog near the Kings Point golf course in Delray Beach, Robert Levine, 74, drove up in his golf cart and confronted him about walking too close to the course. Next, the victim said, Levine pulled out a handgun and started shooting as Merritt ran away. CBS12-TV reported that Merritt was shot in the ankle, causing him to fall, but Levine couldn't leave it there; he kicked Merritt in the head, then retrieved a golf club from his cart and hit him with it several times. Levine is being held on attempted first-degree murder charges along with aggravated battery and discharging a firearm in public.

WELCOME HOME! After a trip to Sacramento, Gary and Patti Reitemeyer returned to their home in Redding, California, on April 22 to a most unwelcome surprise: hundreds of swallows that had apparently entered their home through the chimney, KRCR-TV reported. A neighbor had noticed a few birds earlier when he stopped by to feed the cat, but the numbers had increased dramatically by the time the couple got home. "We open the door and it's like an Alfred Hitchcock movie," Gary said.

"It was crazy. We were ducking and dodging."

They called a restoration company to help clean the house, as it was uninhabitable. "All of the furniture is gone, all of the carpet is gone, the blinds are gone," Gary said. Sadly, their homeowner's insurance won't cover the damage from the bizarre incident.

DON'T MAKE ME DANCE Police who arrested Amy Ann Harrington, 38, after she rear-ended a car on April 28 in Madeira Beach, Florida, suspected she was driving under the influence, so they attempted to do field sobriety tests with her, The Smoking Gun reported. They asked her to do a one-leg stand and walk and turn, but instead, Harrington broke into "multiple ballet and Irish folk dance moves," according to the arrest report. Harrington also refused to take a breath test; she was charged with DUI and booked into the county jail. {in}

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