P O S S I B L E C OV E R U P O F G R A D E TA M P E R I N G
Independent News | May 7, 2015 | Volume 16 | Number 19 | inweekly.net
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I think it is a tad irrational on their part.
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winners & losers
Let’s see how many lionfish we can remove from Florida waters in one weekend Don’t miss the first annual
winners PENSACOLA OPERA The Yale School
May 16–17 10am–5pm Plaza de Luna, Pensacola
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Lionfish Tastings Fillet Demonstrations Family Activities Celebrity Chefs Raffles & Prizes Over 40 Vendors
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of Music selected the Pensacola Opera to participate in the fifth Yale Symposium on Music in Schools, which will take place June 4–7 on the Yale campus. Pensacola Opera’s Education Director, Amanda Cook, and Escambia County School District music teacher Mary Holway will each receive the Yale Distinguished Music Educator Award for the partnership program “From Words to Music,” an in-school program offering students in grades K through 8 a unique experience that introduces them to the world of opera, the arts and creative thinking.
CONNIE BOOKMAN The founder and CEO
of Pensacola nonprofit Pathways for Change has been appointed to the Advertising Committee of the Florida Bar Association. Bookman received the Florida House of Representatives “Unsung Hero” award in 2008; The National Association of Social Worker’s NWF Chapter “Social Worker of the Year” award in 2009; Department of Children and Families recognition for collaborative efforts in Circuit One; and the “Dedicated and Deserving Social Worker” award from the National Association of Social Workers.
GULF RESTORATION NETWORK My
Morning Jacket recently announced a longterm philanthropy effort called The Waterfall Project, which is named after their new album. The Gulf Restoration Network , Kentuckians for the Commonwealth and Climate Justice Alliance are some of the existing organizations that The Waterfall Project will benefit.
losers FLORIDA HOUSE Rather than try to work out a budget compromise with the Florida Senate, the Florida House of Representatives abruptly adjourned for the session. In its wake, the lawmakers left the state without a 2016 state budget and hundreds of bills of that died without a final vote. Meanwhile, Gov. Rick Scott filed suit against the federal government to try to stop the Obama administration from linking $2.2 billion in funding for health-care providers to a potential expansion of Medicaid. And we thought Pensacola City Hall was dysfunctional. MATT GAETZ State Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, apologized for a Twitter post about a lawsuit filed by Senate Democrats challenging a House decision to adjourn the regular legislative session early. “This lawsuit reads like it was researched and drafted by Sen Joyner … and spell checked by Sen Bullard,” Gaetz wrote, referring to Senate Minority Leader Arthenia Joyner and Sen. Dwight Bullard. The racist overtones immediately drew criticism. Please think before hitting “send.” BAYVIEW COMMUNITY CENTER One
of Pensacola’s oldest community centers will be demolished, a casualty of the April 2014 floods. Mayor Ashton Hayward announced during his “Flood Recovery Tour” that it’s more fiscally prudent to demolish the building rather than repair and renovate it. The Vickery Center, the other community center damage in the April 2014 flooding, will reopen this fall.
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Marital and Family Law New Location: 127 Palafox Place Suite 100 Pensacola, Florida | 466-3115 inweekly.net
outtakes
by Rick Outzen
IN PURSUIT OF TRUTH Superintendent Malcolm Thomas is in hot water. Public records appear to show that he covered up allegations of grade tampering at one of his highest performing charter schools, Newpoint High School, and held back his staff from fully investigating a litany of serious complaints at the school. Since School Board member Jeff Bergosh went to State Attorney Bill Eddins with the allegations and evidence provided by a whistleblower, Thomas and his deputy superintendent, Norm Ross, have changed their stories several times. Ross told Inweekly when the allegations broke in late March that the district had been investigating the grade tampering for two weeks. He acknowledged that Superintendent Thomas received the whistleblower’s information several months ago and he said the district looked into those allegations. The facts are the allegations first surfaced a year ago, and the district may have looked into the allegations but abruptly stopped the investigation without any explanation. A few days after Inweekly spoke with the deputy superintendent, Thomas told the daily newspaper he had been investigating the grade tampering for a while—“more than months.” He said that the district was involved with the State Attorney's office in a “complex, very active investigation” of Newpoint. He didn’t mention that Bergosh is the one who brought the allegations to Eddins, not him, and the state attorney had no
knowledge of any earlier investigations into grade tampering. Since early April, Thomas has tried to block the release of the public records that were the foundation of this week’s investigative report. He and his attorney, Joe Hammons, claimed the documents were part of an active criminal investigation and did not have to be released to Newpoint or the media. School Board attorney Donna Waters objected, citing Florida Attorney General Opinion 91-75. Still Thomas insisted Waters was wrong. Chief Assistant District Attorney Greg Marcille intervened and agreed with Waters. He wrote that while the State Attorney’s Office has disclosure exemption because of its criminal investigation, Thomas does not, “even for records from the District as part of our investigation.” The public records given to Inweekly regarding the grade tampering don’t appear to be complete. Missing is the packet of information that Rev. Ken Sutek delivered to Thomas’ office in May 2014 and four emails sent this past month to district investigator Gary Marsh containing evidence from Newpoint teachers regarding the allegations. Inweekly has asked for those documents, too. We are hopeful that the truth will be revealed. We have little faith in the Superintendent’s doing so without the State Attorney’s investigators also being on the case. The taxpayers deserve the truth, not a cover up. {in} rick@inweekly.net
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WHAT’S IN THAT CUP?
By Rick Outzen The Downtown Improvement Board caught many of the downtown bars and restaurants off guard when it voted unanimously to limit alcohol sales to only beer and wine at the numerous temporary outdoor bars that line Palafox Street during its popular Gallery nights. According to DIB chairman John Peacock, the board was concerned the open bars that served liquor from 5 p.m. to midnight were an invitation to drunkenness and rowdiness. “If there is an incident from some group coming from outside victimizing somebody that comes to our event or some big fight breaks out, it will destroy the image of downtown Pensacola being a safe and family-friendly,” Peacock said. “We don't need any of that down here, so what we're trying to do is keep people from getting crazy drunk.” He said, “I'd like for all the bar and restaurant owners to take some responsibility and use the same level of caution they use when they serve outside as they do when they're inside the establishment.” Peacock expects the downtown bar owners to come back with some alternative plans before the May 22 Gallery Night. He 66
said the DIB vote was to get their attention and begin the discussion of how to keep the event family-friendly. “This was our attempt to say ‘hey, let’s get everybody's attention,’” he said, “but we left the caveat in the vote that said if the bar and restaurant industries can come together and come up with a better mousetrap, we are willing to listen to that.” Peacock added, “What we're trying to do is say we've identified a problem. Here's one solution before a solution is given to us by somebody that we don't want that solution from. So if you guys can work with us to try to come up with a better solution, I'm all ears.” He said, “This isn't a dictatorship, man. We're just trying to find the best way to solve a problem before it happens.” The DIB chairman scoffed at the idea the loss of outdoor hard liquor sales would impact the financial viability of downtown bars. “Their business model couldn't have been made up by that because it wasn't there,” Peacock said. “So I think it is a tad irrational on their part. The goal is certainly not to harm business, but I can tell you their business will be harmed much more if Gallery Night is shut down because of a safety issue.” He said he had talked with downtown businesses about the ban since the vote. He doesn’t believe the limitation to only beer and wine sales will hurt the businesses.
“I talked to one owner and he said only about 20-percent of the outside alcohol sales is actually liquor, so you can't tell me that it's going to affect things that much because they can still go inside and get it,” he said. He said that DIB doesn’t want to hurt Gallery Nights, which have expanded over the past two years from a few times a year to monthly. “This is not an attempt to hurt Gallery Night,” Peacock said. “It is actually an attempt to preserve it long term and make sure that we don't have an issue that would be horrific for downtown and that's shutting it down altogether or curtailing them back to four or five times.” New York Nick’s owner Nick Zangari isn’t convinced the liquor ban would make a difference. “One beer equals one mixed drink equals one glass of wine,” Zangari said, whose restaurant has been on Palafox Street for over 12 years. “What's the difference?” He said that in the early years of Gallery Night the outdoor bars were set up for the convenience of those attending the event. “We only had a handful of bars and restaurants on Palafox,” he said. “The outdoor stations were for the convenience of the patrons that were outnumbering the amount of restaurants and bars that actually served. Now there's an overabundance of restaurants and bars.” Zangari said, “Gallery Night is a street party. You close the streets, and you have a multitude of people around the streets. They're eating, they're drinking, they're enjoying music, they're enjoying the setups of retailers that are out there. It's a street party; it is what it is.” He added, “You can't put the genie back in a bottle.” What has been the buzz among his fellow bar owners? “There is an almost one hundred percent consensus of not being very happy with the decision,” Zangari said. “I don't think anybody was aware that this was going to be happening until the vote was taken.”
On Monday, May 4, the Palafox Street bar and restaurant owners and managers met at Hopjacks to discuss the DIB action. Inweekly was allowed to attend under the condition that no one would be quoted directly so everyone could speak freely. The common interest of the 30 people gathered was to preserve Gallery Night. One owner had been told by the mayor’s Chief Operations Officer, Tamara Fountain, if it was up to the mayor’s office there would only be six Gallery Nights or none— which must be what Peacock meant by “a solution is given to us by somebody that we don't want that solution from.” The group at Hopjacks wondered how the perception of Gallery Night had gotten so far from what they have seen. Since they were not invited to the DIB board meeting, they weren’t able to discuss the issue and hear the arguments before the vote. Some felt the lack of proper notice made the vote invalid. After two hours of discussion, the bar and restaurant owners agreed to ask City Attorney Lysia Bowling for her legal opinion on the rights and obligations of the DIB, Mayor Ashton Hayward, Pensacola City Council and the downtown business owners in regard to liquor sales on Gallery Nights and at other downtown events. They also wanted a written statement from Mayor Hayward on his official position on the issue, since the DIB board serves at his pleasure. They were open to discussing any issues concerning Gallery Nights and asked for a workshop with the mayor, city council, DIB board, downtown business owners and the public to discuss the future of the event and how to improve the Gallery Night experience for everyone. Meanwhile, Pensacola City Councilman Charles Bare had already asked Bowling to review the matter. As Inweekly was going to press, Bare called to say that the city attorney had found nothing that gave the DIB the power to limit or control alcohol sales. The next Gallery Night is three weeks away. Stay tuned. {in}
“There is an almost one hundred percent consensus of not being very happy with the decision. I don't think anybody was aware that this was going to be happening until the vote was taken.” Nick Zangari
inweekly.net
THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX
X
Purcell’s 1778 Plan of Pensacola with 21st century street names (Library of Congress)
By Rick Outzen As the city of Pensacola works to prevent a repeat of the April 2014 flooding that damaged much of downtown, one of the options being considered is reopening a creek along Spring Street that has been buried for over a hundred years. Spring Street was named for the series of natural springs that flowed through the heart of Pensacola many years ago. Three springs, San Miguel Creek, Avansada Spring and Small Spring, formed a stream that ran south along modern-day Spring Street and emptied into Pensacola Bay near the offices of Baskerville-Donovan. The unlimited flow of fresh water was a great resource for Pensacola residents in 1700s and 1800s. The stream provided clean drinking water for most of the west side of town. The water was commonly used for doing the family wash.
One branch of the water flow was dubbed "Washerwoman's Creek" because women, usually servants, came to the waters to slap their laundry against slatted wooden tables and hang it on bushes to dry in the Florida sun. The dawn of indoor plumbing and the expansion of downtown did not allow for the spring to remain intact. In the early 1900's, the springs were capped and channeled into underground aqueducts during the tenure of Mayor Charles Bliss. Over the past year, the city has conducted studies of downtown Pensacola and Long Hollow areas with the goal of preventing future flooding. The idea of “daylighting” part of Washerwoman’s Creek, aka San Gabriel, has surfaced as an innovative option for resolving downtown drainage problems. Daylighting is the redirection of a stream that has been previously diverted into a culvert, pipe or a drainage sys-
“Preserving and protecting small streams is the best approach to ensure environmental and community benefits such as clean water and flood reduction.” Ann Trice
May 7, 2015
tem into an aboveghistoric path of Washerwoman's Creek. round channel. The The tour is facilitated by UF IFAS Extenaim is to restore sion Coastal Sustainability Agent Carrie the stream of water Stevenson and USGBC Chapter Advocacy to a more natural Chair Christian Wagley in partnership with state and create a Dr. Elizabeth Benchley, director of the more attractive and UWF Archaeology Institute and a memholistic approach to ber of the Escambia County Stormwater deal with stormwater Advisory Team, and Erick Mead, a city drainage. resident and attorney who handles issues American River, of construction and design. a national environThey would like the tour to be an opmental group, issued portunity to explore innovative options a report on daylightfor resolving local drainage problems that ing, “Daylighting came to light when the heavy rains of April Streams: Breathing 29-30, 2014 inundated much of the old Life into the Urban creek basin and renewed the discussion Streams and Comabout how to deal with flooding throughout munities.” downtown Pensacola. “Preserving and “Communities around the world have protecting small begun embracing their historic waterways streams is the best as both practical solutions to flooding and approach to ensure stormwater problems as well as focal points environmental and for community redevelopment,” Stevenson community benefits said. “Many of these urban waterways have such as clean water become gathering places for public recreand flood reducation and commercial enterprises.” tion,” wrote author The tour begins 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Ann Trice. “Stream May 15 on the sidewalk along the west side daylighting is a relatively new approach of Spring Street just east of the Suntrust that brings these buried waterways back to Bank Building located at 220 W. Garden St. life by physically uncovering and restorin downtown Pensacola. Parking is available ing them." It is an applicable technique to immediately to the east in the large lot assist communities in reducing polluted serving the Suntrust Building on the east runoff, addressing flash flooding concerns side of Spring Street. The tour will trace the and improving the livability of the built path of the creek from Garden Street to environment. Pensacola Bay, so participants are asked to The report pointed out daylighting wear comfortable walking shoes. provides economic benefits to communi Stevenson said, “We are specifically ties through cost effective alternatives interested in having downtown residents, to ongoing culvert maintenance and by workers and business owners in joining us keeping stormwater out of combined sewer and giving feedback, so if you know anyone systems, thereby reducing water treatment who would be interested please pass this costs. along to them.” {in} According to the report, daylighting streams helps restore floodplains by increasing hydraulic storage, reducing channelization that slows water thereby decreasing WHEN: 1:30 p.m. Friday, May 15 flooding potential, and reWHERE: Outside Suntrust Bank, 220 W. Garden moving choke points such as St. culverts where water backs COST: Free up and causes localized DETAILS: Contact Carrie Stevenson—ctsteven@ flooding. ufl.edu Locals have organized a walking tour along the
WASHERWOMAN’S CREEK WALKING TOUR
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Mayor Ashton Hayward / Photo by Jeremy Morrison
FLOOD RECOVERY TOUR As better weather sparkled across the freshly laid blacktop, Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward thought back to last year. “I can remember Chief Simmons picking me up and driving through the city,” Hayward said. “When I showed up on Piedmont, it was like a river running through it.” On the first anniversary of the historic 2014 floods that wreaked havoc last April, the mayor took what the city billed as a recovery tour—making the rounds to discuss the city’s post-flood progress. He stopped by BLAB TV’s “Daily Brew,” as well as a flood-related project site on Piedmont Road and the Airport Regional Stormwater Project site. Speaking to reporters on the corner of Piedmont and Drake, where the flood washed out the road, sending it into Bayou Texar, Hayward talked about work the city had completed thus far and projects yet to come. He talked about dissolving egos and collaborating with Escambia County, how infrastructure was being repaired to “bigger and better” standards and about how “we have to be patient with FEMA.” According to the city, preliminary storm damage in Pensacola comes to about $17.6
M ay 7, 2015
million. The city has spent almost $6 million so far, with just over a million of that having been reimbursed. The remainder of the funding needed is being sought from grants, both from FEMA as well as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s grant offered through its National Disaster Resilience Competition. “We have to get these dollars to bring these efforts to reality,” Hayward said, later adding, “You have to chase every dollar that’s out there to pay for these solutions.” The mayor noted that the city may also need to look at upping the amount it charges citizens each year in the way of its stormwater management fees. “No one wants to raise fees,” Hayward said, “[but] it’s a conversation we might have to have with our citizens.” While the anniversary recovery tour was mostly a recap and update of previously available information, the news nugget to emerge during the mayor’s stop on Piedmont was the closing of the community center at Bayview Park. “What I’ve heard recently is that they’re recommending going ahead and tearing the Bayview Community Center down,” Hayward said. “It’s probably outlived its usefulness,” added Derrick Owens, director of public works. The community center is currently being assessed for asbestos and lead paint. Demolition is expected to take place by the end of summer. Hayward noted Bayview is a popular park for the city and is “like our Central Park.” He said that in the near term at least there were no plans to rebuilt the community center. “We’ll probably leave it a passive area right now,” he said, “and we’ll see what we do.”
HOUSE GOES HOME EARLY In an unexpected move on Tuesday, April 28, the Florida House of Representatives adjourned for the 2015 session, leaving the state without an approved budget for next year. House Speaker Steve Crisafulli told his fellow lawmakers that the budget negotiations were at a complete standstill over policy differences with the Florida Senate over Medicaid expansion and Low Income Pool funding. “Recognizing that this is a process based on two equal legislative partners, the House made genuine and legitimate offers, which demonstrate a willingness to address some of the Senate’s stated positions,” Crisafulli said. “However, the Senate continues to assert their demand that we agree to expand Medicaid before we can start budget negotiations.” He pointed out that the Senate’s Medicaid expansion bill has been sitting on their calendar since March, but they did not find anyone in the House to sponsor a companion bill. “Members, I made a promise when you elected me as your Speaker that I would never ask you to vote for something that I would not vote for myself. Accordingly, I will not force anyone to expand Medicaid,” he said. “And so, for now, we stand at an impasse.” On News Talk 1370 WCOA’s “Pensacola Speaks,” State Rep. Clay Ingram said he was shocked when Speaker Steve Crisafulli called for a Sine Die adjournment. “It was a shock,” Ingram said. “They’re mixed emotions. You have bills that you’ve worked on for months and months and months that have been courted, things that you would like to see instituted. Those are just dead…It’s bitter sweet, it’s a shock I’m still trying to process it, too.” He said the differences with the Senate over Medicaid expansion and Low Income Pool had caused the impasse. “The House position had been what it is for months, years since previous sessions,”
he said. “We had made budget offers to the Senate. We were the first to formally make them an offer and say here’s a formal offer please take it or submit the counter. They were a few counters back and forth but neither one were any closer to any real agreement.” Ingram said that when the Speaker felt he was getting no compromise or movement from the Florida Senate, he made the decision to call it a day. He was asked about the status of all the bills that were still being debated. “Since it was an actually Sine Die adjournment, it wasn’t an extension of session,” Ingram said. “Bills that had not been heard on the floor year are just dead. Bills that had been amended in one chamber and were on their way back to the other or any bills were coming back from the House to the Senate—those are dead.” He said the Senate has several House bills that it had not taken up yet. “They could potentially stay for a few days and finish bills that the House had voted on. But, if those bills are amended that obviously kills the bill…There is a certain finality to it now, there’s no back and forth play.” Ingram said he expected a special session to be called for the budget by early June, but other than that, he isn’t sure what’s ahead. “This is totally uncharted territory for me certainly and probably (for) most people in the political process that haven’t been doing this for 20 years,” he said. “I wish I can give you a little more insight, but we’ll just see how it plays out. Coming back, we’ll have to get a budget done, we don’t have a choice.” Ingram, forever the optimist, added, “I look forward to getting to work on that, that’s what I’ve been preparing to do for a year. I would love to dig in and get that done.” {in}
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Some Newpoint High School teachers pressured to change the grades of seniors became livid. Others broke down in tears. Cheat? It wasn’t who they were or wanted to be. They were caught between losing their jobs if they didn’t comply or losing their teacher certificates if authorities found out. A year ago, a Newpoint employee called the office of the Escambia Superintendent of Schools Malcolm Thomas. She knew the call might get her fired, but she could no longer stand the lying and deceit at her charter school. Teachers were being pressured to change grades. Students in the companion middle school, Newpoint Academy, were complaining of being harassed by a teacher. Funds raised by the student government association had disappeared. Principal John Graham had chosen to ignore the complaints from teachers, parents and students. Superintendent Thomas was her last hope. Maybe he would intervene and investigate. Thomas did not. The Newpoint schools finished their school years with no report to the Escambia County School Board of any problems. On March 16, 2015, Gov. Rick Scott handed Newpoint High and Newpoint Academy checks for $11,392 and $15,861 respectively for their high performance during the 201314 school year. Fearing for their jobs and worried their families might be harmed, whistleblowers agreed to interviews with the paper under the condition that Inweekly wouldn’t reveal their names until the state attorney’s investigation was completed. The story of Newpoint is more than whistleblowers coming forward with allegations of altered grades, cheating on tests, harassment and mismanagement. The documents received and interviews conducted show that Thomas knew of the allegations for nearly a year. However, the superintendent did little to help the teachers and students at the Newpoint schools. He didn’t began investigating Newpoint in earnest until School Board member Jeff Bergosh, the media and State Attorney Bill Eddins began asking questions this past March.
Newpoint Hierarchy
Since the State Attorney’s office announced its investigation in April, teachers, students and parents have come forward with information of improprieties. The Escambia County School District's charter school agreements for the Pensacola Newpoint schools, which also include an elementary school, Five Flags 212 1
Academy, are with 21st Century Academy of Pensacola, Inc., a nonprofit Florida corporation that was formed in 2010. The company only added local board members last year, according to annual reports filed with the Florida Secretary of State. The registered agent is Cambridge Education Group, a charter school management company based in Ohio that assumed controlled of several charter schools once run by White Hat Management, which got in trouble with school districts in Ohio and Florida for poor performance and reportedly taking high management fees. Cambridge’s executive director, John Stack, and head of operations, David Stiles, both worked for White Hat. Stiles is also the vice president of operations for Newpoint Education Partners (NEP), the for-profit Florida corporation formed in 2008 with Carla Lovett, former Supervisor of Secondary Education for the Bay County School District, as its registered agent. Lovett heads up curriculum for Cambridge and she is the principal of a Newpoint charter school in Bay County. NEP has the contract to manage the Pensacola Newpoint schools. On its website, NEP states its executives have “collectively led the development and launch of over 75 schools and is keenly aware of the financial and support resources necessary to facilitate the startup of a new school or the take-over and continuation of an existing school.” The company manages 10 charter schools in Florida. Its Pensacola high school was the only one with an A grade. Four have F grades; one has a D grade, and four have C grades. The Pensacola high school has had an "A" every year since it opened in Escambia County in the 2012 school year. West Florida High is the only other "A" high school in the county.
May 2014 Phone Calls
When the superintendent’s office received the call in May 2014, Thomas was out. His administrative assistant, Cathy Irwin, was told Newpoint teachers were changing student’s grades so seniors would meet graduation requirements. Irwin took notes and read them back to the whistleblower to be sure she had the facts correct. "Teachers were crying, they were angry because they were being told to change grades," the whistleblower told Inweekly. "I called and said if you look in the system you will see them changing the grades right before your very eyes." When she finished the call, other teachers came forward with similar stories, so the whistleblower went outside and called the district again to report the additional information. She said that Irwin told her, "Ok, Mr. Thomas knows. He's aware of the situation, and we are looking into it." The employee thought, Oh good, they are sitting at their computers and watching this happen. With graduation only a week away, she
thought that the district would place a hold on Newpoint’s graduation until the grade tampering could be investigated. District emails verified the phone calls and showed communication between Irwin and Vickie Mathis, the Director of Alternative Education. On May 22, 2014, Irwin sent an email to Mathis informing her that the whistleblower had reported the Spanish and Chemistry teachers told her they were told to give seniors "A's" so they would graduate. Newpoint Superintendent Malcolm Thomas principal John Graham backed up the "I talked with Malcolm about all kinds order, according to the Newpoint employee. of things, and thought, ‘wow, this guy is reIrwin wrote, "The Superintendent really available. He is the top dog.’ I was just quested that I provide you with this tidbit of honest with him, and he asked me quesinformation." tions: what about this, how does he (John Mathis replied that she would call the Graham) handle that, what did he say when Florida Department of Education for advice this happened? I said, ‘Sir, I just want you and contact the Newpoint board chair. In to do the right thing. Please help us here.’ a second email to Irwin and Thomas, the “He said, ‘I will. I'm looking into this.’" Alternative Education director said the data She expected the district investigator specialist had identified two seniors with to show up at the school the next week. low GPAs. Mathis said he had left a phone She said, “If he had, the teachers would message for the principal. have told them everything.” Later, Irwin emailed Mathis again, "... Unfortunately, she heard nothing more to mimic a telemarketer. But wait! There's from the district about the grade tampermore." ing. Frustrated she asked My Father's VineThe whistleblower had given the names yard associate pastor Kirk Sutek for advice. of teachers who had been told to change Sutek had met Thomas when he visited his grades and the stuchurch. He felt the dents whose grades best course was for were changed. She her to put together told Irwin that two all her evidence, and teachers had made the minister would copies of all studeliver the packet to dents' current grades the superintendent. and commented, On May 28, 2014, "If grades need to be changed, they would Sutek dropped off the packet of informahave to change them." tion at district headquarters for SuperinThese emails were part of a records tendent Thomas, but he told Inweekly that harvest done by Superintendent Thomas to he had no way of knowing if the superincomply with a public record request made tendent reviewed the material. by Newpoint management. The records "I handed it to a secretary behind the were gathered into a notebook. Inweekly desk," he told the paper. "I have no idea if received all the records under the tab, he received it or not." "Grade Changes." Did he hear back from the superintenThere were no follow-up emails bedent? tween Mathis and Irwin after May 23 or any "No sir, not one word," Rev. Sutek said. documentation that shows if the district's The school district did not include Sutek's investigator Gary Marsh investigated the packet in the information received by allegations. Inweekly. Did the whistleblower ever talk directly Sutek said that he had heard of the with Superintendent Thomas? alleged grade tampering and other misconYes, she said he called her, and they duct from his daughter and other youth talked for about 28 minutes.
“...to mimic a telemarketer. But wait! There's more.” Cathy Irwin
inweekly.net
who attended the church's youth group. He has since pulled his daughter out of Newpoint. She now attends another private school. While the whistleblower and Sutek were reaching out to the superintendent for help, two Newpoint students sent Thomas an email. The subject was “Urgent: From Students at Newpoint Pensacola High School.” The junior and sophomore provided documentation that they believed showed a Newpoint teacher had stolen money raised by the Student Government Association over the school year. “This incident was reported to Mr. Graham (our school director), Mrs. Koziara (our assistant director), students of SGA, David Stiles (Marcus May’s assistant) and Marcus May, the owner of Newpoint,” the students wrote. “No one has decided to take action of any kind.” They added, “We know you are busy, but we just want things handled appropriately. Please help us if you can.” Superintendent Thomas replied to them that he would take care of it, but nothing happened. The students enrolled in other district high schools for the 201415 school year.
More Allegations Surface
This past winter, allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior by a teacher surfaced prompting investigations by the school district and the Florida Department of Children and Families. Middle school students complained of being forced to watch a film about Japan's annual "Festival of the Steel Phallus." Students circulated photos of the teacher standing before a screen with a large pink penis on it. They also watched a video of women playing soccer wearing thongs. Inweekly received a few documents about the winter investigations from School Board member Jeff Bergosh, whose records were also part of the Newpoint public record request. Bergosh is the one who brought forth the Newpoint allegations. The documents he released in late March were the catalyst for the State Attorney’s investigation. On March 25, Bergosh was contacted by a whistleblower, who was frustrated that conditions at the charter school had deteriorated, and it appeared no one within the Newpoint organization or the district seemed to care. The whistleblower sent Bergosh a 22-page report that detailed not only the grade tampering, but also told of unqualified teachers and substitutes and of teachers who stole school funds, watched porn in their classrooms, and inappropriately touched and interacted with high school and middle school students. Bergosh wrote the next day on his blog, “The worst example a public charter school can set is cheating. Cheating to boost
M ay 7, 2015
graduation rates, which ultimately raises school letter grades, that ultimately assists a school in receiving funds from the state for bonuses—is about the worst example any school could set." He was upset that the superintendent had not informed him of the allegations last summer and that the school was allowed to receive a check from Gov. Scott. “I greeted the director of this school that allegedly cheated last week, congratulating him on this great accomplishment,” Bergosh wrote. “I feel like a sucker, based upon what I am now learning today. I feel like I got used like a useful idiot. And the Governor, he's brought in for the photoop—terrible!” He said, “At a minimum, staff should have not invited this school to this ceremony because of all of the allegations of misconduct; why would they have this school come to an event celebrating hard work by schools that actually did the work to earn these grades?” Bergosh told Inweekly that he was frustrated with the lack of openness from Superintendent Thomas. His text messages showed that Bergosh contacted both Thomas and the school board attorney, Donna Waters, about the phone call from the whistleblower. He asked if Thomas had any recollection of receiving the packet from Rev. Sutek. The superintendent was evasive, never answering his question. In Bergosh’s records, there were several references to the winter investigation of Newpoint. He forwarded to Waters his text messages from whistleblowers: “Jan. 4 I asked Jeff Whitehurst by cell to speak to the district about the grade changing since he was part of it. I texted him their phone number since he teaches in Georgia now. He said he would speak to them by phone. He never did. He left Newpoint angry because he and (Tanya) Pope arranged the grade changing. He thought he was proving to John (Graham) how crooked he could be because he wanted Korziara’s job.” “Jan. 21 Jennie Senter was scheduled three times to go speak to the district. She kept chickening out. She was going to tell them about the grade changing and (a student) grabbing her butt and leaving bruises.” “DCF was at Newpoint Feb. 23 asking seniors if (Chris) Fowler told them to cut school or not a couple weeks prior. Two kids told the truth. The rest of the kids discussed the issue and decided to lie to DCF and told them Fowler did not say it.” The text messages also indicated that Carolyn Reese, a former social studies
teacher for the 7th and 8th grades, planned to talk with the district. In the public records compiled by Superintendent Thomas is a handwritten, sworn statement by Reese. It’s dated Jan. 5, 2015 and witnessed by Vickie Mathis. Reese worked at Newpoint Academy from August 2011-August 2014. Reese wrote about teachers leaving and how dirty the school was. She had to teach her students “mostly by paper due to the computers were always down.” During the 2013-14 school year, she often had 26 students, both middle and high school grades, in her class, a violation of the state's class-size law. She wrote that she had heard high school teachers had to change grades for seniors to graduate. Reese said there had been numerous cases involving DCF, and one mother had come to the school with a sheriff’s deputy. The U.S. marshals had arrested
“You rock. You are the only person, besides Vickie Mathis and Susan Rigby at Alt Ed., who thinks these issues were mishandled by the school. Their hands are tied now.” “You need to call Pamela Anderson of DCF. Malcolm has gotten her to say the school is safe, even though the directors never reported teachers to them. DCF was outraged ‘til Malcolm got ahold of her. Politics at play.” Bergosh asked the whistleblower if there was ever an investigation of the grade tampering. “Never by Malcolm, last year or this
“Cheating to boost graduation rates, which ultimately raises school letter grades, that ultimately assists a school in receiving funds from the state for bonuses—is about the worst example any school could set.” Jeff Bergosh someone (the name was redacted) at the school. “Newpoint Academy has lots of issues and needs fixing,” Reese wrote.
Why No Action
Escambia School Board member Jeff Bergosh
Even with this new evidence, the investigation appeared to go nowhere. Superintendent Thomas didn’t tell the board. The records don’t indicate that he contacted the governor’s office about the grading issues before the governor presented in March to Newpoint Academy and Newpoint High checks for their outstanding performances for the 2013-14 school year. The public records obtained from Bergosh gave some clues to why the Newpoint investigation may have stalled. His written notes contained a quote that appeared to be attributed to district investigator Gary Marsh at the end of January 2015: “The next step is I need statements from teachers. Nobody has given me the go ahead.” In a recap of his phone conversations and text messages with an unidentified whistleblower, Bergosh had notes where the whistleblower talked about how the investigations were handled by the District: “They (Vickie Mathis and her assistant, Susan Rigby) are not happy that he shut them down. They worked for months on this stuff.”
year. Only recently by Alt. Ed. ladies, until Malcolm’s investigator told them to stop after they discovered three should not have graduated ‘cause they did not meet any requirements. The investigator said Malcolm said stop (pushing) it. Shut it down.” The whistleblower was happy that the district was renewing the investigation into Newpoint and emailed six documents to Gary Marsh, the district investigator, according to Bergosh’s notes: “Make sure the state gets copies of the six documents I emailed Mr. Marsh tonight. Four were about the grade issue. Someone came forward and sent them to me. I promised him I would not send them to anyone but him.” Those emails were missing from public records given to Inweekly.
Scrambling for the Truth
Since the initial March 25 phone call, Bergosh has heard from several parents, teachers and students about problems at Newpoint. When interviewed by the media,
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Bergosh has made it clear that he doesn’t know if the allegations are true. That is for the state attorney to decide. However, he is upset over the lack of communication from the Superintendent, especially in light of how Thomas has dealt with problems at other charter schools in the past. “We had an unpleasant experience with a couple of charter schools in my time on the board,” Bergosh said. “What I found was the board was typically kept up-todate on things, and they were given phone calls (about problems).” He wrote on his blog, “The school board was not made aware of this or of any other significant investigation the district was conducting during any quarterly charter school meetings we have had in the last year—so why not?” Bergosh said Thomas made mention of a few issues at Newpoint at the December workshop, but those appeared to be minor. Principal John Graham answered most of them. “However, nothing about grade tampering, nothing about other onerous allegations about teachers, nothing about an investigation,” Bergosh said. He said during the March 16, 2015 quarterly meeting on charter schools, Thomas and his staff mentioned no issues with Newpoint. Bergosh said, “Actually everyone was agreeing to allow the principals from all the charter schools to not attend the quarterly meetings going forward, unless the board or staff specifically requested them to be present.” The school board member doesn’t know what Superintendent Thomas did or didn’t do in regards to the allegations at Newpoint, but he wants the truth to come out. “This communication dissonance, the board's lack of knowledge about specific issues at Newpoint, points to some significant dysfunction with respect to the way the board is kept abreast of allegations this explosive,” he said. “It’s particularly acute because the allegations were leveled multiple times throughout the month of May 2014---almost a full year ago!” The State Attorney's Office is investigating the allegations of grade tampering at Newpoint Academy and Newpoint High School. On April 2, State Attorney Bill Eddins told WEAR TV that his office had opened the investigation “because of the seriousness of the allegations that it would be appropriate to have us look into the matter to determine if there’s any basis for criminal charges.” He said the charges could be theft or fraud, but also reminded viewers these were only allegations at that point. For the past month, investigators have conducted interviews and reviewed documents.
Chief Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille told Inweekly, “We are reviewing the information to determine what action should be taken, if any.” Marcille said the final determination by the state attorney’s office was probably still weeks away. Inweekly called Pamela Anderson with DCF about her investigation of Newpoint and whether Superintendent Thomas had interfered. She referred the reporter to the agency’s media contact. DCF spokeswoman DaMonica Rivas said the agency’s investigation into child abuse, neglect or abandonment was closed. She said the operations manager for Escambia County said that DCF has had “a flaw-
the Newpoint statement. In a May 20, 2014 email obtained through the public record request, Principal John Graham told his faculty that school's grade and their jobs were tied to the graduation rate. Graham wrote, “Seniors last day will be Friday—some will need every minute of time before being cleared to walk. Please be responsive as the school grade and your spot are impacted by graduation rate.” When Inweekly recently called the school, the paper found that Graham is no longer the principal at Newpoint. Jeff
“Obviously we now have a fullblown investigation, and we’ve brought the state attorney in.” Malcolm Thomas
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less relationship” with the school district. The Newpoint administration has denied the allegations of grade tampering. In a press release issued in early Photo by Rick Outzen April, Newpoint said, “These allegations are baseless, unfounded and utterly false.” The school said that the insinuation that changing grades was the reason for the school’s "A" grade was also false and misinformed. According to the school, the state grading formula is based only on the student’s scores on state assessments and not related to classroom grades. “Therefore, there is no correlation between false allegations of grade tampering and the school’s success as an ‘A’ rated school.” The school blamed the allegations on a “disgruntled former employee” whom the school said had been recruiting employees to spread negative messages to the district and others with the intent of getting the administrators fired. The memo ended with: “We encourage the district and the community to make sure that they have all the facts before drawing conclusions based on any misinformation spread with the sole purpose of harming the school.” Inweekly has evidence that contradicts
Garthwaite, a retired Escambia County School District principal, is Newpoint’s new principal. Graham resigned “about two or three weeks ago for a whole host of medical issues” that prevented him from managing the charter school. Garthwaite said the Newpoint “hierarchy” is dealing with the Escambia County allegations. It took a couple phone calls, but Inweekly did talk with Superintendent Malcolm Thomas. On interfering with the investigation by DCF, he told Inweekly, “Interference? Interference? No. I’m not sure where you got that. There has been nothing but cooperation between the school district and DCF and the school district and state attorney’s office.” Thomas said that he would need to make a judgment on the future of Newpoint based on the outcome of the investigations. He said, “I don’t want to interfere
with what the state attorney is doing or what my own investigator is doing. I will have to make a judgment. I feel like I will have to make a judgment quick.” He refused to pinpoint the most serious allegations, such as grade tampering. “Obviously we now have a full-blown investigation, and we’ve brought the state attorney in," Thomas said. "I will not be specific (about which allegations are most serious). I will let them do their work and make their recommendations." The paper has found out that it was Bergosh who brought the Newpoint allegations to the State Attorney's Office, not the superintendent. Inweekly pressed to find why nothing was done with the Newpoint allegations when they surfaced in May 2014. Thomas said the school district had been investigating Newpoint for months. “We’ve gotten calls about them from the first day they were created,” he said. "Have we received complaints and allegations? Of course, we have. Every allegation is looked at. The first year was pretty problematic.” On investigating Newpoint, he said, “I’ll be clear that we’ve looked at them over time on a number of fronts.” What about keeping the school board informed of the issues at Newpoint? Thomas said, “Communication is a challenge. We have thousands of things happen in the course of a day. We’re charged with day-to-day operations. The school board is brought in on things that we can substantiate and document.” Thomas said he has not contacted the governor’s office but has consulted with the Florida Department of Education on Newpoint’s charter. He said, “If I could take immediate action, I would. But with a charter school, I don’t have that authority.” Since the allegations became public, life inside Newpoint High and Newpoint Academy has been difficult. Some are glad the allegations are being investigated, but others wish the issues could have been handled internally. Students have been playing a game trying to guess the whistleblowers. A few teachers have resigned. How do the whistleblowers feel? One shared that she hoped the students would one day appreciate what she did and why. "They don't understand now," she said. "But in the long run, they are going to look back and say, 'Wow, she was the only one, out of 19 adults, that did the right thing.’"{in} Note: Duwayne Escobedo contributed to this article. inweekly.net
WEEK OF MAY 7-14
Arts & Entertainment In the Car With NPR art, film, music, stage, books and other signs of civilization...
by Jennifer Leigh
feeling, dreamfor events and other live experiences—like ing and talking the listening party we are hosting.” about in their Pawlowska said she hopes Generation day-to-day lives Listen will produce even more conversamore broadly,” tions and events in the future. Pawlowska said. “We hope the night inspires our guests It should to tell a friend about an interesting story be no surprise they heard or something they learned—and that the average maybe even host their own listening party NPR listener is with friends in their home, or office or middle-aged. wherever.” {in} However Pawlowska pointed out public radio offers plenty for young minds. “NPR and Instagram via @nprgenlisten its network of Twitter via @nprgenlisten member stations Facebook via NPR Generation Listen offer listeners something that is so special and Want to change up your morning so important, commute with some public radio? especially in a Try these programs on for size. You crowded media can listen to radio all day using your landscape: great WUWF app, Pawlowska also suggests storytelling and the NPR One app to discover new rigorous reporting that seek out the human content. side of the story,” she said. “Plus, there’s something so powerful and intimate about Pop Culture Happy Hour sound that gets people to form a very Microphone Check close and special connection with public Invisibilia radio. I think introducing young people to Ted Radio Hour All Songs Considered that experience of connectedness is really Ask Me Another exciting.” Radiolab While NPR has its own online community—users can create profiles, playlists and discuss articles and interviews—Generation Listen aims to do something similar and take it to the next level. It’s about making NPR feel more accessible, hence the listening tour and live events. “Generation Listen is different because it bridges the WHEN: 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 13 online and offline worlds,” WHERE: The Leisure Club Coffee Bar & Restaurant, Pawlowska said. “Generation 1151 Office Woods Dr., Suite A Listen programs spearheadDETAILS: RSVP to the listening party at listeninged by local NPR member tourwuwf.splashthat.com stations, like WUWF, bring together listeners in real life
FOLLOW ALONG WITH THE LISTENING TOUR NPR NEOPHYTE?
NPR is taking a road trip from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. and they want you to listen along. As part of the promotion for Generation Listen—a new online community geared toward engaging young people—a handful of NPR folks are heading out on a listening tour and making stops at affiliate stations on the way, including the Pensacola station WUWF. “Armed with a minivan and an amp, we’re taking the concept of listening on the road with a simple formula: gathering good people to listen to great public radio content, together,” said NPR community manager, Joanna Pawlowska. At each stop, the touring crew will enjoy a different NPR program. In Pensacola, the tour will play an episode of the podcast “Pop Culture Happy Hour.” Stopping at member stations is not just
a way to break up the 2,600-mile trip, but an effective way to launch the mission of Generation Listen. “Affiliate stations are the heartbeat of public radio,” Pawlowska said. “They have their fingers on the pulse of their community and develop that very special connection with their local audiences. To engage younger listeners in their cities requires that special local touch and knowledge.” Beyond just listening to the radio, the listening party meet-up is your chance to give ideas and insight firsthand. “We hope to uncover what our peers think about NPR, media, radio, the content we feature, but also what they are thinking,
“Armed with a minivan and an amp, we’re taking the concept of listening on the road.” Joanna Pawlowska
M ay 7, 2015
NPR'S TRAVELING LISTENING PARTY
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Ears & Fingers by Jason Leger
My Morning Jacket “The Waterfall”
The mighty My Morning Jacket have returned with new album, “The Waterfall,” the follow-up to 2011’s “Circuital,” and it finds them back at the top of their folk-infused rock ’n' roll game, which they have been a tad wishy-washy about since 2005’s “Z.” In all honesty, MMJ have been a band that hasn’t sounded entirely confident in some time and they’re aware of it. “I don't quite feel like faking it again tonight. Don't really feel like saying everything is all right,” frontman Jim James postures on the album’s lead single, ‘Big Decisions.’ While it may seem easy to overlook the nu-metalness of ‘Highly Suspicious,’ the awkward soul of ‘Holdin’ on to Black Metal,’ or the making-it-up-to-us feel of, well, most of “Circuital,” it’s difficult to deny that the band took a certain path that brought them to the limelight in the
first place, and then took a hard right for a couple of albums. “The Waterfall” does much to right My Morning Jacket and positions them where they should be: shoulder to shoulder with Wilco as American rock ’n' roll treasures. The album is soulful when it needs to be, hazy when it needs to be, bombastic when it needs to be and quiet when it needs to be. It really meets the listener where they are and provides a warmth, which mostly comes from James’ fluid and powerful voice that has often been the centerpiece of MMJ albums. I’m of the strong opinion that “The Waterfall” is MMJ’s strongest release since 2003’s “It Still Moves,” and hopefully is a strong indicator of things to come, as the band have actually recorded two albums worth of material. The second helping will be served next year. “The Waterfall” is out now via ATO Records and you can catch My Morning Jacket on Sunday, May 17 at Hangout Fest.
TRACK OF THE WEEK: Future
Islands 'The Chase'
Last week, proto-punk goliaths Future Islands unveiled a new song on Late Night with David Letterman and promptly released the track on iTunes. Following in the tradition of their massive 2014 release, “Singles,” ‘The Chase’ is a pop gem crafted to perfection with the passion in vocalist Samuel Herring’s vocals. If this is any indication of what’s to come from the North Carolina band, their steam will not be slowing any time soon. Check out the track now anywhere you stream music or purchase it on iTunes with the b-side
THURSDAY 5.7
WINE TASTING AT AWM 5 p.m. Try some-
thing new every week at Aragon Wine Market’s regular wine tasting, only a few blocks from downtown. Aragon Wine Market, 27 S. 9th Ave. aragonwinemarket.com
B4 BOURBON, BEER, BARBEQUE, AND HOT SAUCE 6-8 p.m. Guests will sample
over 50 small batch bourbons, which are wildly popular right now. There will also be a beer tasting, barbeque and bluegrass music. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. $30. sevillequarter. com WINE DINNER 6 p.m. Enjoy a dinner with dishes and wine from Rocca May 7, 2015
‘Haunted by You.’ Future Islands will also be rolling into Gulf Shores for Hangout Fest next weekend—playing on Saturday, May 16.
Torres / Photo by Shawn Brackbill
IF YOU HAVEN’T HEARD: Torres
Nashville singer-songwriter Mackenzie Scott, known by her stage name Torres, is slowly and quietly making her name known across the country, and you should get in on the ground floor. Making somber rock songs that sound like they were written on a bedroom floor and then presented to a band, Scott balances the emotionality of intimacy with the commonality of pop. “My physical voice can give out, but my writer's voice has been the only aspect of my little world that I can control. That’s my source of power,” Torres told Pitchfork in an interview earlier this month. She is promoting her sophomore album, “Sprinter,” which is being pinned as dark and stirring, and the first couple of singles, ‘Cowboy Guilt’ and ‘New Skin,’ live up to those descriptors. Keep an eye out for more from Torres. “Sprinter” is out now via Partisan Records. {in}
Di Montemassi in Tuscany. SoGourmet, above Bodacious Olive, 407 S. Palafox. $65. sogourmetpensacola.com BLUE WAHOOS BASEBALL 6:35 p.m. Pensacola Bayfront Stadium, 351 W. Cedar St. Ticket prices vary. bluewahoos.com BALL ROOM DANCING 6:30 p.m. Learn how to waltz, hustle, and tango at this weekly class, which is followed by a social dance at 8:45 p.m. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. $10. dancecraftfl.com NAHKO & MEDICINE FOR THE PEOPLE 7 p.m. With Damien Louviere. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. $20. vinylmusichall.com BUFFALO BUFFALO 9:30 p.m. Sluggo’s Vegetarian Restaurant, 101 S. Jefferson St. $5. sluggospensacola.squarespace.com 17
calendar FRIDAY 5.8
WINES WITH HILARY: THE REGIONS 4-5
p.m. Wine education and tasting gathering. SoGourmet, above Bodacious Olive, 407 S. Palafox. $15. sogourmetpensacola.com WINE TASTING 5-7 p.m. Out and about in East Hill on Friday night? Stop by City Grocery for their free weekly wine tasting before settling in or heading out for the night. City Grocery, 2050 N. 12th Ave. LATIN DANCING 6:30 p.m. Learn the basics of salsa dancing. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. $10. dancecraftfl.com BLUE WAHOOS BASEBALL 6:35 p.m. Pensacola Bayfront Stadium, 351 W. Cedar St. Ticket prices vary. bluewahoos.com COUPLES COOK: SUSHI TECHNIQUES 7-9 p.m. Learn how to make your own sushi with your partner. Feel free to bring your own wine. Pensacola Cooks, 3670 Barrancas Ave. $50. pensacolacooks.com SHOWTIME 7:30 p.m. Pensacola Children’s Chorus presents “Showtime.” 118 S. Palafox. $25-$41. pensacolasaenger.com
SATURDAY 5.9
1ST ANNUAL GULF COAST GEAR SWAP 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Buy, sell, or trade quality outdoor gear. Enter to win great prizes, including Costa Del Mar and Maui Jim sunglasses, plus many more. Proceeds benefit Heroes On The Water. Register at intracoastaloutfitters.com. Intracoastal Outfitters, 701 E. Gregory St. $20 booth fee for vendors, $10 at the door for shoppers. intracoastaloutfitters.com PALAFOX MARKET 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Fresh produce, live plants, baked goods, fine art and antiques are just a few of the items offered at the weekly Palafox Market. Items originate directly from participating vendors, including dozens of local farmers, home gardeners and area artists. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza, N. Palafox. palafoxmarket.com MOTHERS DAY TEA 4 p.m. Enjoy tea with your mom or daughter, complimented by finger sandwiches and pastries on the Main Street Terrace. . SoGourmet, above Bodacious Olive, 407 S. Palafox. $40. sogourmetpensacola.com BLUE WAHOOS BASEBALL 6:35 p.m. Pensacola Bayfront Stadium, 351 W. Cedar St. Ticket prices vary. bluewahoos.com SHOWTIME 7:30 p.m. Pensacola Children’s
Chorus presents “Showtime.” 118 S. Palafox. $25-$41. pensacolasaenger.com WILLIE SUGARCAPPS
8 p.m. With Grayson Capps, Will Kimbrough and Sugarcane Jane. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. $10. vinylmusichall.com AUSTIN MILLER 9:30 p.m. With Jupiter Machine, Andrew Hynes, Hover Hands, Dalton Wright and Biscuits and Gravy. Sluggo’s Vegetarian Restaurant, 101 S. Jefferson St. $5. sluggospensacola.squarespace.com
SUNDAY 5.10
MOTHERS DAY BRUNCH 10:30 a.m.-4
p.m. Treat Mom to Seville Quarter’s Willie Sugarcapps / Photo by MCE Photography / Chad Edwards award winning Sunday Brunch in Apple day. Monday marks the first day of American Annie’s courtyard. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Craft Beer Week, an annual celebration of Government St. sevillequarter.com small and independent craft brewers, their craft beer and American craft beer culture. MOTHERS DAY AT RED FISH BLUE FISH 11 Seville Quarter, in conjunction with The a.m. Head to the ‘best backyard on the Brewers Association, will have a vast tap beach’ for a delicious Mother’s day brunch lne-up with great food pairings all week long. and enjoy live music and backyard games. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevilleRed Fish Blue Fish, 5 Via De Luna Dr. quarter.com Pensacola Beach. redfishbluefishpensacolabeach.com COUNTRY & WESTERN DANCING 6:30 p.m. Learn the Country Two-step at this weekly SHOWTIME 2:30 p.m. Pensacola Chilclass, which is followed by a social dance at 8 dren’s Chorus presents “Showtime.” 118 S. p.m. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. $10. Palafox. $25-$41. pensacolasaenger.com dancecraftfl.com BLUES ON THE BAY 6 p.m. Reunion Band will play in this installment of the “Blues On the Bay” summer concert series. Community TUESDAY NIGHT POETRY NIGHT 7 p.m. Free Maritime Park, 301 W. Main St. pensacolaopen mic poetry event every Tuesday. Slugcommunitymaritimepark.com go’s Vegetarian Restaurant, 101 S. Jefferson St. STICK FIGURE 7 p.m. With Ballyhoo. Vinyl Mufacebook.com/TNPNS sic Hall, 2 S. Palafox. $13. vinylmusichall.com BANDS ON THE BEACH 7 p.m. Not Quite OPERATOR 9 p.m. The Handlebar, 319 N. Fab will perform at this week’s Bands on the Tarragona St. $6. pensacolahandlebar.com Beach—which is a free outdoor concert series featuring regional artists held every Tuesday night through Oct. 27. Gulfside Pavilion at AMERICAN CRAFT BEER WEEK Monday-Fri-
TUESDAY 5.12
MONDAY 5.11
Casino Beach, 735 Pensacola Beach Blvd. visitpensacolabeach.com DANCECRAFT BALL ROOM DANCING & SWING CLASS 6:30-9 p.m. This class teaches the skills
necessary to become a practitioner of Ball Room and West Coast Swing, a popular partner dance that can be enjoyed with virtually any kind of music. Tuesday class fee is $10 per person or free for people 30 years of age and younger. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. dancecraftfl.com VAMPIRATES 9:30 p.m. The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. $7. pensacolahandlebar.com
WEDNESDAY 5.13
LUNCH CLASS 12 p.m. A class dedicated to the
cuisine of Calabria, Italy. SoGourmet, above Bodacious Olive, 407 S. Palafox. $35. sogourmetpensacola.com THE SUPERVILLAINS 7 p.m. With Heritage. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. $10. vinylmusichall.com ABIOTIC 9:30 p.m. The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. $8. pensacolahandlebar.com
Voted “Best Lunch” 2 years running! Lunch Bar 11-4 * Tapas & Wine Bar 4-8 * Open Monday-Saturday 407-B S. Palafox St. | 850-542-4334 | facebook.com/carmenslunchbar 818 1
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"Queen of Spades" by Guy Harvey
arts & culture
≥exhibits
BETWEEN THE LAYERS The Pensacola Museum of Art, in partnership with First City Arts Center, presents a dual exhibition that explores the imagery of artist, Rachael Pongetti, and her creation of the “Pensacola Graffiti Bridge Project.” On display through June 13. Museum hours and location: TuesdaySaturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults; $8 for members, children 17 and under, seniors and active duty military. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. pensacolamuseum.org THE LURE OF THE OCEAN ORIGINAL WORKS BY GUY HARVEY Also on display at Pensacola Museum of Art and opening May 7, 2015
this week, this exhibition features original paintings, watercolors, mixed media and penand-ink drawings by celebrated artist, Guy Harvey. Recognized today as the world’s finest marine wildlife artist, Harvey relies on his talents as a marine biologist, diver, photographer, and angler to visually represent the authentic underwater wildlife. On display through Aug 9. Museum hours and location: TuesdaySaturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults; $8 for members, children 17 and under, seniors and active duty military. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. pensacolamuseum.org MODERN RETRO Includes the work of Valerie Aune, Tammy Casperson, and Suzanne Tuzzeo,
and incorporates the old and the new with a twist. On display through May 30. Gallery hours and locations: Monday-Wednesday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m.; Sunday 12:304:00 p.m. Blue Morning Gallery, 21 S. Palafox. bluemorninggallery. com
≥call for art
GREAT GULFCOAST ARTS FEST Artist applications are now open for the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival, to be held Nov. 6 - 8 in Seville Square. The three-day, juried art show draws thousands of visitors and more than 200 of the nation's best painters, potters, sculptors, jewelers, graphic artists, craftsmen and other artists. Cash prizes totaling $25,000 will be
awarded. Jury fee is $40; deadline for entry is May 31. Artists can apply at ggaf.org/apply. 61ST ANNUAL MEMBERS’ JURIED EXHIBITION Pensacola Muesum of Art is accepting submissions for their annual Member’s Juried Exhibition now until June 1. In order to participate in this exhibition you must be a member of the PMA at the time of submission. Artists can apply at pensacolamuseum. org/2015-membersjuried-exhibitionrules--application. html.
≥ classes & workshops
“MAKE-YOUROWN-GLASS” CLASS 10a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, May 8th and Saturday, May 9th. Held weekly on Friday and Saturdays, First City
Art Center offers weekly “MakeYour-Own-Glass” classes, no previous glassblowing skills necessary. The classes are open to anyone age 8 and older and range in price from $25-$45. Pre-registration and pre-payment is required and can be made by calling 429-1222. First City Art Center, 1060 N. Guillemard St. firstcityart.org “MOSAIC PENDANT” 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Artist Gila Rayberg will instruct her workshop in The Vault at Artel. Cost includes all materials for two 1’’ square pendants. All supplies and use of tools included. To reserve a spot call (850)791-8070 or email info@ artelgallerly.org. Artel Gallery, 223 N. Palafox. $60. artelgallery.org INTRODUCTION TO POTTERY ON
THE WHEEL 6-8:30 p.m. Monday, May 11. During this weekly workshop held on Monday evenings at First City Art Center, instructor Pearl VanHoove works individually with students to develop consistency in throwing on the wheel. Participants receive and introduction to materials, equipment and throwing techniques. Each session begins with a brief demonstrations followed by hands-on time at the wheel. The class is $40 and open to individuals age 14 and up. Pre-registration and pre-payment is required and can be made by calling 429-1222. Class is limited to two participants. First City Art Center, 1060 N. Guillemard St. firstcityart.org 19
bars & nightlife
≥bar games
Thursdays POKER 8 p.m. The Ticket 1, 7250 Plantation Rd., ticketsportsbar.com POOL TOURNAMENT 8 p.m. The Ticket 2, 2115 W. 9 Mile Rd., ticketsportsbar.com Fridays DRAG BINGO 6-8 p.m. Ages 21 and over. Emerald City’s The Other Side,
406 E. Wright St. emeraldcitypensacola.com POOL TOURNAMENT 8 p.m. The Ticket 1, 7250 Plantation Rd., ticketsportsbar.com Mondays TEXAS HOLD ‘EM FOR FUN AND TRIVIA 7 p.m. The Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker.com TRIVIA NIGHT 7-9 p.m. World of Beer, 200 S. Palafox.
wobusa.com/locations/Palafox BAR BINGO 8 p.m. Apple Annie’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com MONDAY NIGHT TRIVIA 9:30-10:30 p.m. Mugs and Jugs, 12080 Scenic Highway. facebook.com/ MugsJugs Tuesdays TUESDAY TRIVIA 8 p.m. The Bridge Bar and Sunset Lounge, 33 Gulf Breeze Parkway.
facebook.com/thebridgebargb TICKET TEAM TRIVIA 8 p.m. The Ticket 1, 7250 Plantation Rd., ticketsportsbar.com POKER 8 p.m. The Ticket 2, 2115 W. 9 Mile Rd., ticketsportsbar.com DRAG BINGO 10 p.m.-Midnight. Ages 18 and over. Emerald City’s The Other Side, 406 E. Wright St. emeraldcitypensacola.com Wednesdays PUB TRIVIA NIGHT 7-9:30 p.m. Goat Lips Beer Garden, 2811 Copter Road. facebook. com/goatlipsdeli WEDNESDAY QUIZ TRIVIA 8 p.m. The Cabaret, 101 S. Jefferson St. cabaretpensacola. com TICKET BAR BINGO 8 p.m. The Ticket 1, 7250 Plantation Rd., ticketsportsbar.com TEAM TRIVIA 8
p.m. Hopjacks. 10 S. Palafox. hopjacks. com BAR BINGO 10 p.m. Play, 16 S. Palafox, Suite 200. iplaypensacola.com
≥karaoke
Thursdays VFW Post 706, 6 p.m. 5000 Lillian Highway. vfw706.org Lili Marlene’s at Seville Quarter, 8 p.m. 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com The Cabaret, 9 p.m. 101 S. Jefferson St. cabaretpensacola. com Hub Stacey’s At the Point, 9 p.m. 5851 Galvez Road. hubstaceys.com Saturdays Hub Stacey’s Downtown, 9 p.m. 312 E. Government St. hubstaceys.com Sundays Lili Marlene’s at Seville Quarter, 8 p.m. 130 E. Government St.
sevillequarter.com The Sandshaker Lounge, 9 p.m. 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker.com Mondays The Cabaret, 9 p.m. 101 S. Jefferson St. 607-2020 or cabaretpensacola.com Tuesdays The Sandshaker Lounge, 8 p.m. 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker.com Play, 9 p.m. 16 S. Palafox, Suite 200. iplaypensacola.com
≥live music
THURSDAY 5.7
TIM SPENCER 6 p.m. Peg Leg Pete’s, 1010 Ft. Pickens Rd, peglegpetes.com THE MUMBLES 6 p.m. Paradise Bar and Grille, 21 Via De Luna Dr. paradisebar.com LUCAS CRUTCHFIELD 6 P.M. The Deck, 600 S. Barracks St. fishhousepensacola.com
FRIDAY 5.8
LUCAS CRUTCHFIELD 5 P.M. The Deck, 600 S. Barracks St. fishhousepensacola.com JOHN HART BAND 6 p.m. Paradise Bar and Grille, 21 Via De Luna Dr. paradisebar.com PLATINUM SOUL 6 p.m. Peg Leg Pete’s, 1010 Ft. Pickens Rd, peglegpetes.com THE BLENDERS 7 p.m. Hub Stacey’s Downtown, 312 E. Government St. hubstaceys.com THE MODERN ELDORADOS 9 p.m. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com
SATURDAY 5.9
TYLER MAC 6 p.m. Paradise Bar and Grille, 21 Via De Luna Dr. paradisebar.com PAUL KILLOUGH 12 p.m. Peg Leg Pete’s, 1010 Ft. Pickens Rd, peglegpetes.com
THE MODERN ELDORADOS 9 p.m. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com
SUNDAY 5.10
BLAKE BROCK 12-4 p.m. Peg Leg Pete’s, 1010 Ft. Pickens Rd, peglegpetes.com RAY COLEY 4:30 p.m. Hub Stacey’s Downtown, 312 E. Government St. hubstaceys.com THE UPSTARTS 3 p.m. Paradise Bar and Grille, 21 Via De Luna Dr. paradise-bar.com
MONDAY 5.11
MIKE VANN 6-10 p.m. Peg Leg Pete’s, 1010 Ft. Pickens Rd, peglegpetes.com THE UPSTARTS 6 p.m. Paradise Bar and Grille, 21 Via De Luna Dr. paradisebar.com PAPER STREET SOAP CO. 8 p.m. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com
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culture
by Hana Frenette
A Book In Bloom
Nick Soulsby’s second novel, “I Found My Friends: The Oral History of Nirvana,” offers details about the life of Nirvana, told by the people who were in the closest proximity to the band—fellow musicians who played alongside Nirvana, producers, friends, and many frequenters of the grunge scene in the Washington state area in the late ‘80s and ‘90s. Soulsby interviewed over 200 people, with the interviews comprising around 90 percent of the book. Soulsby interjects ev-
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ery so often only to tie a reference together or to offer a minimal amount of commentary on an event, show or development, but lets the people who interacted with Nirvana offer the brunt of the insight. The interviews that appear in “I Found My Friends” range from the slight observations of a band who may have interacted with Nirvana in a garage before a show, to a photographer who photographed the band for the last time before Kurt’s suicide in 1994. The interviews and commentary Soulsby harvested for the book aren’t simply sanctimonious compliments made to put Nirvana on a pedestal—for every person claiming admiration upon first hearing Nirvana, there’s another person who admits to being underwhelmed. Every time someone talks of Kurt’s charisma, someone mentions his shyness. The book is an interesting mix of personal, opinion-based contradictions that ultimately offers a more intimate, honest look at the inconsistent and partially manic lifespan of Nirvana. “In 2013, I was looking through a list of every show that Nirvana had ever played, outside of festivals, and I got really interested,” Soulsby said. “I’d see all these band names, some would come up several times, and I was thinking, who are all these people, all these bands?”
The year before looking at the list of bands, Soulsby saw an advertisement in a music magazine for a publisher who was taking proposals for single volume books and manuscripts focusing on music. “I thought I’d give it a try,” Soulsby said. “They replied and said that I had no experience and weren’t interested. And I got to thinking, why would someone take a chance on me if they had never seen me write?” Soulsby continued to work on a piece about Nirvana, despite being rejected by the initial publisher and also started a blog that he posted on regularly. He self-published “Dark Slivers: Seeking Nirvana in the Shards of Incesticide” a year later. After his first book on “Incesticide” and looking through the long list of shows Nirvana played, Soulsby began searching out individuals from the first few bands that played with Nirvana. “I thought I’d just find one or two people to answer a few questions for me— and then I just kept finding more and more people,” Soulsby said. Soulsby spent night after night talking with people about what it was like to play with Nirvana, be around them as people and party with them. “I really felt like I owed it to a lot of people after doing all those interviews, to do something with them,” Soulsby said. Soulsby began piecing the interviews together chronologically for a book, all the while gathering more insights and details from dozens of people willing to talk to him about their experiences. Just before completing the book, Soulsby lost both his grandfather and his father. “When I was visiting Seattle for the
first time, my grandfather passed away, and in the last few months of finishing the book, I slept on the tile floor of a hospital in Spain where my father was, before he also passed,” Soulsby said. “He’s ask me if it was finished from time to time while I was there with him.” Losing two loved ones while in the process of researching and writing the book was difficult and emotional for Soulsby, but it also reminded him of a key element he wanted to keep in mind for all the people he talked with about Nirvana. “These people that I was interviewing, a lot of them felt the same way about Kurt as I did my loved ones. He was someone they deeply cared about and were fond of, close to, these were people who truly thought of his a friend, not just an idol or artist,” Soulsby said. The book was completed and released on March 31, just a few weeks shy of the release date for the latest Nirvana documentary, “Nirvana: Montage of Heck” on May 4. “Every couple of years there’s somewhat of an onslaught of things that are released that relate to Nirvana,” Soulsby said. “There’s always an anniversary of an album, Kurt’s death, or a new piece of music that is pulled out from the archives.” With the release of music, unseen photos, or documentaries comes a resurgence of interest, and with that, a band or a person can live on outside the realm of their own mortality. Soulsby’s collection of poignant thoughts and musings on Nirvana and Kurt are certainly helping make that possible.
“These people that I was interviewing, a lot of them felt the same way about Kurt as I did my loved ones.” Nick Soulsby
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“I Found My Friends: The Oral History of Nirvana” out now and available in paperback and e-Book form. For more from Soulsby, visit nirvana-legacy.com. {in}
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by Jennifer Leigh
High times with Doug Benson tor between me and my fans. I'm in their ears all day—it's like they are part of whatever I'm doing on a podcast, whether it be eating or smoking or talking about movies. I love that since I host podcasts about movies, weed and food I get all of those things in abundance now. And yes, eating and smoking and watching films do go hand in hand in hand! I was doing all those things everyday anyway, why not podcast about them? Next up: "Doug Loves Sleeping." I'm only kinda kidding about that.
legalization. I'm healthy, happy, having fun. This country is finally figuring out that people shouldn't be locked up for smoking weed, and my podcasts and comedy and films are all about how a person can live their life using this glorious plant and not bother anybody else in the process. Look, marijuana has been legal in Colorado for over a year now, and nothing bad has happened as a result of it.
“This country is finally figuring out that people shouldn't be locked up for smoking weed.” Doug Benson
IN: Can people start listening to your podcasts now, or do they need to start from the beginning to understand certain jokes and premises? BENSON: With "Getting Doug With High," every show pretty much stands alone as I just get high and chat with my guests. "Dining With Doug and Karen" is basically a meal with my co-host Karen Anderson and a comedian guest. So you can listen to any of those and not get confused. It's the trivia games on "Doug Loves Movies" that some people have problems with. But the more you listen the more you'll get it. Plus you can look for help from . "Doug Loves Minis," a spinoff podcast where I talk people through everything that's going on with DLM and my life in general. If I go to an amusement park or the theater, I'll talk about it there. Plus I'm doing a thing where I'm trying to watch 365 movies in 365 days this year, and I'm saying a little bit about each film, and whether or not Doug digs it, on "Doug Loves Minis."
IN: You'll be doing stand-up at your show in Pensacola, versus a live taping of your podcast. How are the two shows different? What can the Pensacola crowd look forward to? BENSON: When I travel around doing stand-up, I figure out which markets have enough podcast fans to fill a club and then I go back to that town to do one. Considering my show on May 14 in Pensacola sold out and we added a second one that night, there's a good chance it will be the right spot to bring the podcast. But the standup shows will feature a game we play on "Doug Loves Movies," so people will be bringing movie themed name tags to the shows in hopes of being selected to participate and win some prizes.
“I had spent my whole life listening to and admiring comedians in general. I knew I was going to do something show business related, like acting or writing or maybe even being a critic ” Benson
Photo by Robyn Von Swank You don’t have to be a stoner to laugh with Doug Benson, but it is safe to say that he’s a favorite in cannabis culture. Even though his resume includes the web series “Getting Doug with High” and the documentary “Super High Me” (a play on the doc “Super Size Me”), Benson has also gained popularity with his commentary on “Best Week Ever” and was a contestant on “Last Comedian Standing.” The actor/comedian will take the stage at Vinyl next week as part of his stand-up tour. IN: Legend has it that you entered the comedy world on a dare. What was that like to find your calling on a whim? 222 2
BENSON: I guess it wasn't a whim because I had spent my whole life listening to and admiring comedians in general. I knew I was going to do something show business related, like acting or writing or maybe even being a critic. But since I've been doing stand-up, I've been given opportunities to do all of those things. IN: A lot of comedians have podcasts nowadays. You have three. How have podcasts helped you reach out to diehard fans and newcomers? BENSON: I have four podcasts, actually. And a fifth one that I do from time to time that's called "The Benson Interruption." Podcasts have been an amazing connec-
IN: You don't hide your love of marijuana. Yet, I believe you didn't start smoking until 28. Have you worked toward efforts to legalize marijuana in the country? BENSON: Other comedians got me hooked on it. And I am grateful to them. My life is argument for
IN: You're in movies, TV, podcasts...is there a medium that you like most? Is there anything else you haven't done, but wish to do? BENSON: I like radio, wish I could do more of it. That's how I discovered podcasting, because it's so similar to radio. I like just showing up and joking around and seeing what happens. Stand-up is a stricter discipline, you need to prepare. So be sure to come down to Vinyl to see my sloppy show! {in}
DOUG BENSON
WHEN: 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Thursday, May 14 WHERE: Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox COST: $18-22 DETAILS: vinylmusichall.com
inweekly.net
news of the weird DONATING FOR DOLLARS Already, healthy people can donate blood, sperm and eggs, but now the nonprofit OpenBiome offers donors $40 for bowel movements—to supply "fecal transplants" for patients with nasty C. difficile bacterial infections. ("Healthy" contents are transplanted into the infected gut via endoscope or frozen swallowed capsules so that the good bacteria drive out the antibioticresistant bad.) Over 2,000 transplant units have been shipped to 185 hospitals so far, and OpenBiome allows daily "donations" so that, with bonuses, a donor could earn $13,000 a year. However, extensive medical questioning and stool-testing is required, and only about 4 percent of potential donors have exquisite-enough feces to qualify. REMEMBRANCE TECHNOLOGY In March, the U.S. patent office approved Google's application covering robot software that mimics human personalities (voice, mannerisms) using a variety of moods (happiness, fear, surprise) with a notable use that family members might employ it to continue to "interact" with a loved one after he has passed. One disquieting possibility might allow a deceased person to be directed to act in ways that the person never acted while alive. Entrepreneurship: (1) A curious woman, inspired by her own mother's attachment to her unlaundered pillowcases following the death of her dad, has partnered with France's Universite du Havre to produce a person's bottled scent by processing old clothing. A September rollout is planned, with the probable retail price of about $600. (2) Artist Mark Sturkenboom has described plans for an even more remarkable remembrance device (if the deceased is male): a dildo that holds 21 grams of cremated ashes (accessorized, perhaps for non-sexual "cover," by a necklace and music player). "After passing," Sturkenboom explained, "the missing of intimacy" is "one aspect of the pain and grief." BRIGHT IDEAS Prison breaks in Latin American countries are often staged with cooperative, corrupt guards. However, the escape by 28 inmates in February from the Nova Mutum prison near Cuiaba, Brazil, was engineered by three make-believe "dominatrixes" (in police costumes), who playfully handcuffed the guards, knocked them out with sedatives and unlocked the cells. (The guards were found the next day, still handcuffed and naked.) WALL STREET MIRACLE Two March instances of gleaning insight and using it to buy stock "options" were executed so quickly (1 to 3 seconds each) that experts consulted for a Slate.com analysis said they couldn't possibly have been made by
by Chuck Shepherd
human securities traders. Their conclusion: A robot so intelligent exists that it can "read" a news wire report, "analyze" it for hints whether to place bets on a company's future price, and execute the order—before human traders even finish reading the news report. Profits on the seconds-long trades: $2.4 million on one and "between $1 million and $2 million" on the other. DEMOCRACY IN ACTION Just west of Ferguson, Missouri, is Kinloch (pop. 299), where newly elected mayor Betty McCray was unable to start work on April 23 because the losing incumbent administration merely locked her out of City Hall ("impeaching" her for "voter fraud" in the April 7 election, despite St. Louis County election officials having already certified her victory). Of McCray's two predecessors, one was once also locked out of office by police, and the other had to go to court to get his mayoral job back after admitting that he had missed child-support payments. SUSPICIONS CONFIRMED The controversial ex-Greenpeace campaigner who years later turned against the environmental group's program walked out of an interview in March for a French documentary in which he assured viewers that Monsanto's Roundup weed killer was safe for humans. "You can drink a whole quart of it, and it won't hurt you," Patrick Moore told the interviewer for Canal Plus. The interviewer then offered Moore a swig of Roundup he had on hand. "I'd be happy to, actually," Moore reportedly said on camera, but then quickly changed his mind. "No, I'm not an idiot." At that point, Moore declared, the interview was "finished." IS THIS A GREAT COUNTRY OR WHAT? The owner of a New York City condominium apartment that sold for $100.5 million recently received a property tax reduction of $360,000 last year—and is likely to keep receiving reductions over as many as 25 years, based on "Section 421-a" benefits the state enacted to encourage "affordable" housing in the most desirable parts of New York City. The tax abatements are available to developers that promise to create "affordable" units in the same zones ("affordable" to families making under about $40,000 annually), but in recent years, the new "millionaire" units (with tax breaks) have outnumbered the new affordable units by about 11-to-1, according to a February New York Times report, costing the city over $1 billion a year in revenue. {in}
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Join us for Wine Tastings Thursdays 5-7 p.m.
From Universal Press Syndicate Chuck Shepherd’s News Of The Weird © 2015 Chuck Shepherd
Send your weird news to Chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, Fla., 33679 or weirdnews@earthlink.net, or go to newsoftheweird.com May 7, 2015
Personal Injury • Criminal Justice
a neighborhood bar & restaurant
facebook.com/themagnoliaeph
27 S. 9th Ave.
433-WINE or 433-9463
www.aragonwinemarket.com 23
Independent News | May 7, 2015 | inweekly.net