Lagniappe: January 24 - January 30, 2018

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WEEKLY

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LAGNIAPPE

JANUARY 24, 2018 - JANUARY 30, 2018 | www.lagniappemobile.com ASHLEY TRICE Co-publisher/Editor atrice@lagniappemobile.com ROB HOLBERT Co-publisher/Managing Editor rholbert@lagniappemobile.com GABRIEL TYNES Assistant Managing Editor gabe@lagniappemobile.com DALE LIESCH Reporter dale@lagniappemobile.com JASON JOHNSON Reporter jason@lagniappemobile.com KEVIN LEE Associate Editor/Arts Editor klee@lagniappemobile.com

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BAY BRIEFS

An attorney for the Prichard Water Board recommended bidding out a $1.5 million management contract rather than award it to the board’s preferred candidate.

COMMENTARY

Whoever the next governor is, they should consider a lottery.

BUSINESS

Highland at Spring Hill, a new 252-unit high-end apartment complex, is expected to initially open for tenants by June 2018.

CUISINE

ANDY MACDONALD Cuisine Editor fatmansqueeze@comcast.net STEPHEN CENTANNI Music Editor scentanni@lagniappemobile.com

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STEPHANIE POE Copy Editor copy@lagniappemobile.com DANIEL ANDERSON Chief Photographer dan@danandersonphoto.com LAURA RASMUSSEN Art Director www.laurarasmussen.com BROOKE O’DONNELL Advertising Sales Executive brooke@lagniappemobile.com

West Mobile’s Charm Thai Kitchen & Sushi Bar is the caliber of restaurant you would expect to command a much higher price.

COVER

Will bitcoin boom or bust? Local experts discuss the future of cryptocurrency as prices soar.

BETH WILLIAMS Advertising Sales Executive bwilliams@lagniappemobile.com

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ALEEN MOMBERGER Advertising Sales Executive aleen@lagniappemobile.com DAVID GRAYSON Advertising Sales Executive david@lagniappemobile.com MELISSA EDGE Editorial Assistant events@lagniappemobile.com ROSS PRITCHARD Distribution Manager delivery@lagniappemobile.com

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ARTS

The Mobile Arts Council presented the 2018 Arty Awards during a ceremony at The Steeple Jan. 18.

MUSIC

JACKIE CRUTHIRDS Office Manager jackie@lagniappemobile.com CONTRIBUTORS: J. Mark Bryant, Asia Frey, Gabi Garrett, Brian Holbert, Randy Kennedy, John Mullen, Jeff Poor, Ken Robinson, Ron Sivak ON THE COVER: BOOM OR BUST

BY LAURA RASMUSSEN POSTMASTER: Send address changes to P.O. Box 3003 Mobile, AL 36652.

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Abe Partridge will release his eight-song album “Cotton Fields and Blood for Days” at Skate Mountain Records HQ next Saturday night.

FILM

Despite some sleepy moments and lack of expression, “A Ghost Story” is a moving film about longing, love and loss.

NAME THAT SQUIRREL!

Lagniappe was tipped off to an unual resident of Spanish Plaza. Help us name it.

SPORTS

The 69th annual Reese’s Senior Bowl features talent from Mobile and Baldwin counties.

STYLE

Mardi Gras arrives on a sheet of ice.

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POLICE BLOTTER Mobile police officer accused of raping woman in police car

By Jason Johnson A Mobile Police officer has been accused of raping a woman in downtown Mobile inside his city-issued vehicle, but while the department says it’s taken “appropriate administrative actions” criminal charges have not been filed at this point.

Last fall, Lagniappe made attempts to confirm reports of an internal investigation and a subsequent trial board hearing into allegations against MPD narcotics officer Jamal Pettway.

At the time, officials with MPD and Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s administration declined to respond to multiple inquiries about the investigation on the record. Off-therecord sources told Lagniappe at the time the issue at the heart of the matter involved a consensual relationship between two police officers and that no rape was involved.

Though very few details have been confirmed, the alleged assault was said to have taken place in Pettway’s city-issued narcotics vehicle in downtown Mobile last October. Asked about the incident again this week, Public Affairs Officer Charlette Solis provided a written statement from the department about the allegations, confirming that “an internal affairs investigation was conducted and has been completed.”

“The findings were gathered and presented to the District Attorney’s Office. The case will go to a grand jury,” it read. “Appropriate administrative action was taken to address [the allegations].”

Attorney Ashley Rich did not return calls seeking information about the investigation, though it would be unlikely for the office to confirm an ongoing grand jury investigation.

It’s currently unclear what “appropriate administrative action” was taken against Pettway, if any at all. There’s also been no indication of Pettway being taken off active duty as an officer, and MPD has refused to confirm his employment status since November.

Asked if Pettway was still working with MPD, Solis said “at this time, Chief [Lawrence Battiste] is releasing no further information.”

According to MPD’s website, Pettway is in the special investigation section of the department’s Narcotics and Vice Unit, which received the chief’s recognition award in 2016. Records indicate Pettway joined the department in 2011.

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Registered sex offender arrested for attempted rape

By Jason Johnson Mobile police arrested a man with a history of sexual offenses after he was stabbed with a piece of jagged glass by a woman defending herself from an attempted rape during a home invasion.

James Powe, 36, was arrested for allegedly breaking into a woman’s home on Farnell Drive in Mobile. Police said they received a call about the home invasion around 3 a.m. Sunday morning.

Based on her statements to police, the victim — identified only as a 22-year-old female — said she woke up in the middle of the night to find Powe, a stranger, standing in her bedroom.

He said he was armed and would hurt her if she didn’t do as he said.

When the victim refused to remove her clothing, police say Powe attacked her physically, though she was “able to free herself after her shoulder broke a bedroom window.”

According to her statements to police, the victim then used a piece of broken glass from that same window to stab Powe multiple times in the head.

While the victim was hospitalized for injuries to her hand and shoulder sustained during the attack, those were not life threatening.

Powe was also treated at a local hospital for his stab wounds before being transported to the Mobile County Metro Jail and charged with first-degree attempted rape and burglary.

However, this was not Powe’s first sexual crime. In 2001, he was convicted of rape in another case in Mobile — an incident that occurred just months after he’d been charged with indecent exposure.

He served time in state prison for that conviction, and after his release was charged with second-degree rape and robbery in November 2003.

Powe’s criminal history indicates several previous charges over the past two decades for offenses such as robbery, burglary, receiving stolen property and writing bad checks.

He is also a registered sex offender in Conecuh County and, according to police, was in violation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act at the time of Sunday’s attack on Farnell Drive.

BAYBRIEF | PRICHARD

When in doubt, bid it out WATER BOARD ATTORNEY SUPPORTS BIDDING $1.5 MILLION CONTRACT

BY DALE LIESCH

Photo | Lagniappe

The Prichard water board considered awarding a $1.5 million no-bid management contract to Nia Bradley last week.

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proposed deal for a Prichard Water Works and Sewer Board (PWWSB) contractor has again pitted members of the board against each other.

In a recent meeting the board tentatively approved a $25,000-per-month contract for Nia Bradley to take over the day-to-day operations of the authority from former Executive Director Bill Swopes, who retired.

After a review of the contract, though, attorney James Laura is set to recommend to the board that the contract be bid out, per state law.

“The contract was awarded conditionally to address a need for leadership,” Laura said.

“The board needed to have someone for the day-to-day operations, but the contract wasn’t awarded.”

Commissioner Russell Heidelberg called out those members who voted in favor of the contract. He said in the five-year, $1.5 million contract, the board agreed to give Bradley a cell phone and a vehicle. Because of this, Heidelberg argued that the contract technically makes her an employee.

“You know you don’t do that for a contractor,” he said.

The proposed contract states Bradley is not considered an employee, but the language seems unclear.

“The parties agree the contractor is not an employee, but will act as an agent of Water and Sewer Board,” the contract states. “This agreement shall be interpreted and construed as

creating and establishing the relationship of employer and employee between Water and Sewer Board and Contractor.”

The contract does not provide health insurance, but notes company credit cards and a vehicle would be available for Bradley’s use.

Heidelberg also argued it allows the board to work around the Mobile County Personnel Board.

“They are getting her to do what Swopes was doing,” he said. “It’s unconscionable how much money they’re paying her.

Laura confirmed the deal was for $25,000 per month, but clarified it would allow Bradley to hire up to two employees to help. So, he said, the deal was $25,000 per month for three employees and not just one contractor.

The board expects to hire for the position through the personnel board, Laura said, but it will take time.

Bradley found herself in the middle of a board tug-of-war previously when the PWWSB awarded her a $7,500-per-month contract to help them with compliance issues. The terms of that deal forced the board to pay out the remainder of the contract if it was terminated for any reason. The same clause is part of the proposed contract as well.

In September 2015, the board terminated its $400,000-per-month agreement with its manager, Severn Trent. Since that time, the board and its employees have had control of the system’s day-to-day operations.

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BAYBRIEF | FAIRHOPE

Fiscal Fairhope

CITY WILL NEED UTILITY HIKE TO BALANCE 2017-18 BUDGET

BY JOHN MULLEN

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Brown said the city is projecting revenues of about $26.8 million, with expenses at about $26.1 million.

“The initial budget for general government expense was $26.5 million, so we reduced that by $400,000 which in the scheme of things is not a lot,” Brown said. “However, going through each department and looking at capital purchases as well as additional personnel, we felt like we’re getting better products through capital purchases looking at lease versus purchase.”

Included in the budget is a .5 percent item to be used for reducing debt in the upcoming fiscal year, Brown said.

“Jack wanted to make sure that the debt reduction, the half of a percent, was put back in as the ordinance stated and it doesn’t go into the general fund as we allowed last year,” Brown said. “Although we increased the appropriations and transfers, that includes the money set aside for debt.”

But Burrell said that doesn’t mean the city can use the money if situations arise where capital funding is needed.

“If something comes up that is necessary I’ll be flexible on that,” Burrell said. “We can say we can turn it over to the general fund if something comes up.”

Also during the sessions, the council and others discussed the city giving a one-acre retention pond in the Fig Avenue area to the Fairhope Single Tax Corporation.

On the Tatumville land, the Single Tax nonprofit owns land near the one-acre detention pond and wants to develop 12 lots there. Representatives said any profit from the development would be spent on improvements in the city as required by their nonprofit status.

Wilson presented a letter from a 2003 study that said the property was and will always be unbuildable.

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Photo | Lagniappe

he good news is Fairhope finally has a fiscal year 2017-18 budget. But it comes with bad news.

“Without a 1.5 percent across-the-board utility hike the budget numbers will not work,” Council President Jack Burrell said. “There were numbers that were presented to us initially and Councilman [Robert] Brown and I settled on 1.5 percent across the board. It was the only thing we felt comfortable with.”

Burrell said the increase can’t be counted on immediately, however.

“That revenue can’t be attained now because we cannot put that in the budget,” he said. “It has to be done via ordinance. We don’t have ordinances drafted for the four utilities.”

Burrell dispatched Brown to further study the increases and come up with a proposal for the increases to help balance the budget.

“What I’m going to do is ask Councilman Brown to go out between now and the next meeting and come up with a number,” Burrell said. “It may not land on 1.5 percent, it may be different numbers for different utilities.”

During work and regular sessions, Burrell and Brown went through highlights of the budget, which eventually passed unanimously about an hour and a half into the regular session. Mayor Karin Wilson, who had been sparring with council members since she presented a budget in September, didn’t comment on the measure.

Budget discussions began in September and the fiscal year started on Oct. 1. The city continued to operate on the 2016-17 budget while the new one was being developed.

Fairhope didn’t pass that budget until May 1, 2017, or eight months after the start of the fiscal year.

The Fairhope City Council approved a budget Monday, with a study underway to consider utility rate increases.

“Does the Fairhope Single Tax Corporation acting as a developer open up the possibility of other developers asking for the same treatment?” Wilson asked. “This is our most sensitive gully system.”

The council considered asking for unanimous consent to immediately consider the land transfer, but since Councilman Kevin Boone is part of the Single Tax group, his abstention wouldn’t allow that. The move will be considered at the next council meeting.

BAYBRIEF | MOBILE

All in all PUBLIX DEVELOPMENT FACES DELAY OVER RESIDENTS’ WALL OBJECTIONS

BY DALE LIESCH

Photo |Lagniappe

The city issued a stop work order on the midtown Publix development over this composite fence.

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evelopers of the Publix shopping center in midtown have been forced to stop work on a wall along North Edington Drive because of neighbors’ concerns about the materials in use.

Colleen Ausmus, an Edington Drive resident, argued developers promised the wall would be masonry, but the one currently in place at the shopping center is a composite material.

“As we understood it, it was supposed to be a masonry wall,” she said. “We emailed [Councilman] Fred Richardson and he forwarded it to planning. Nothing we did or said stopped it.”

Ausmus said she approves of the development and is excited about it opening, but wanted the brick wall as an extra layer of separation between the neighborhood and the store.

“Traffic is a concern, they’ve cut our [cable TV] … three times total — there’s a metal compressor or air conditioning unit making a humming noise; those are little things,” she said.

“We were excited to have new sidewalks and places to eat, but the final straw was the fence.”

The composite material, Ausmus fears, will negatively impact home values in the neighborhood.

Plans approved for the project do call for an 8-foot-high masonry wall along Edington Drive, according to a June 2017 letter of decision from the Mobile Planning Commission.

Developer John Argo said plans for the masonry wall along parts of Edington Drive are in place. In other areas, he said, a composite wall would make up part of the barrier.

Richardson argued that the developers have worked with residents as much as possible, but two heritage oak trees near the intersection of Edington Drive and Florida Street prevent them from building the masonry wall there.

“It’s not possible to build the brick wall back there,” he said. “The brick would have to go between the two trees. The trees would die.”

As for whether the city’s Tree Commission would grant the development a permit to cut down the oaks, Commissioner Jesse McDaniel said they generally weigh options.

For instance, he said, the commission would

look at the public benefit versus the cost of losing the trees. In many cases, he said, the commission would grant the permit and require the developer to pay into the tree bank to replace the trees taken down.

McDaniel said the commission recently allowed the removal of seven trees to help a developer complete drainage improvements and build a wall near the intersection of University and Airport boulevards for a new CVS. The delays due to the stop work order are costing the developers money, Richardson said.

As it stands now, the Publix will be open next month, but Richardson fears more planning delays could impact that.

This is not the first time the development has run afoul of city regulations. The city issued a notice of violation for the development over unauthorized tree removal in February 2017.

The trees and shrubs removed from the site were originally supposed to be part of a natural barrier incorporated into the development’s plans.

Richardson, at the time, confirmed the city had issued a notice of violation to the developer as well as a stop work order until the city “receives and approves a plan to address this situation.”

“I’m thankful for the quick work of the administration and look forward to a resolution,” the statement read. “I also appreciate the voice of all the concerned citizens in the area and hopefully, working together, this problem will be remedied. The trust and support of the local community and integrity of their homes, neighborhood and quality of life is paramount.”

At the time Jon Gray, a spokesman for Argo and MAB American Management, said plans approved by the Mobile City Council called for the retention of a natural buffer at that location, but added the words “as much as is practical.”

The removal of three trees, shrubs and vines from the location, Gray argued, was practical because they were taken out to remove an old fence and a “running track” from the former school property. Gray added only one of the trees, a 30-foot oak, was large and that particular tree was scheduled to be removed anyway.

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BAYBRIEF | MOBILE COUNTY

Rising tide

COUNTY: FLOOD MAPPING PROCESS UNFAIR TO CITIZENS

BY JASON JOHNSON

Photo | Movile County

Mobile County has identified coastal areas (shaded in red) that can be remapped in new FEMA flood maps.

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ore than 14,000 properties in Mobile County could be impacted by proposed changes to federal flood maps along the coast, but officials are concerned some of those who are affected might be forced to pay out of pocket to challenge the maps.

The changes are being made to the federal Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), which the federal government — primarily the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) — uses in floodplain mapping activities and to prevent loss of life, protect property and preserve national functions during strong storms.

Every few years, FEMA updates those flood maps to reflect current or more accurate hazards in various areas and to use the latest methods of calculation available. These maps will take effect in 2019. The current flood map has been in use since 2010.

In a briefing this week, Mobile County Commissioners took issue with the burden being placed on residents who are adversely affected by the most recent proposed changes to those maps.

Properties that fall in what FEMA defines as a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) are required to have flood insurance if the homeowner has a federally backed mortgage. The changes coming next year are expected to roll more homes into that category, likely forcing scores of homeowners to purchase flood insurance for the first time or add onto existing coverage.

Matthew Barclift, who works in the county’s public works department, said his staff has already been working to notify those who could be affected by the coming changes through a mass mailing campaign as well as a number of federally and locally organized public meetings.

“It’s different for different parcels of property, but the maximum rate increase is something like 18 percent per year until you reach the appropriate actuarial rate,” Barclift said. “But we’re not insurance agents, so we’re strongly encouraging people to speak with their own agents.”

While the increase could be high for some in more flood-prone areas, commissioners this week seemed more upset about the process FEMA has established to implement these new maps, which they say leave homeowners with little or no reasonable options for contesting changes.

Specifically, homeowners challenging their location in the new maps will be required to

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“prove the change was scientifically incorrect” and provide support documents to back up that claim — something they will have only 90 days to do and would have to pay for out of pocket.

Speaking to that, Commissioner Jerry Carl said he found it “unbelievably unfair to citizens.”

“The county has got very little input, if any at all, on this. FEMA is dictating this and they’ve only allowed a 90-day window to respond. Truly the only way you can respond is with documentation to back up what you’re actually asking for,” Carl said. “[People] are going to have to hire an engineer or something to do these studies in a 90-day period, which is unheard of.”

What’s more, FEMA has also put the county in the precarious position of accepting those appeals, reviewing them and approving or denying them before passing them up to Washington, D.C. They’re trying to make the county “the bad guy,” according to Carl. He also noted that FEMA had been working on its most recent flood maps for at least two years but had only allowed citizens a three-month window in which to address any concerns they may have.

According to Barclift, efforts are already underway to notify residents in areas that could be highly impacted by the parameters of the new flood zones. He identified those primarily as the coastal communities of Dauphin Island, Bayou La Batre, Fowl River and Hollinger’s Island, though he also mentioned the cities of Saraland and Creola.

While Commissioner Connie Hudson expressed similar concerns, Commission President Merceria Ludgood said the county might have no choice to but act in the best interest of its citizens, even if that means sending up an appeal that doesn’t meet FEMA’s standards.

“We can pass it on and say, ‘this looks like a good appeal, and it would work a hardship to this affected person, if they were not given a fair hearing,’” she said. “We may have to push back on this because that’s really … it’s really not fair.”

“Mobile, Alabama, is the rainiest place in the United States,” Cortinas said. It rains “on average 67 inches a year and 59 rain days a year.”

More information about the proposed changes to the flood maps in Mobile County can be found at alabamaflood.com/map including interactive graphs with a searchable database of addresses. The county has also established an email address, floods@mobilecountynet, to answer questions regarding flood mapping.

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BAYBRIEF | MOBILE

Parks and recreation MOBILE CITY COUNCIL APPROVES PLAN FOR PARKS DEPARTMENT

BY DALE LIESCH

Photo | Lagniappe

The Mobile City Council funded a study to reorganize the Parks and Recreation Department Tuesday.

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he Mobile City Council voted unanimously to approve a $244,000 contract with Lose & Associates for a comprehensive plan for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. The vote ended weeks of debate over the contract, which would find efficiencies within the department and find ways to fund larger parks projects using capital money.

Matt Capps, executive director of Parks and Recreation, said the proposed plan would improve the department as a whole.

“It would look at ways to fix operations as well as identify how to improve our parks through capital funds,” he said.

There were initially concerns among councilors

with how the plan would complement master plans for individual parks, such as Bienville Square. As discussion continued, councilors’ concerns evolved over the contract’s length, deliverables and other issues.

Council attorney Wanda Cochran, working with Assistant City Attorney Florence Kessler, ironed out a timeline for deliverables and added a contract end date the council ultimately found appropriate.

“March 31, 2019, is when the contract ends,” Cochran told councilors. “It could be extended without the council, but otherwise it’s good.”

The council also amended the contract to require approval of change-order increases of 10 percent or more.

Councilman Joel Daves cautioned the council was

getting “into the weeds” on contract details and said he was worried colleagues were getting too involved in the contract, adding administrations have done a good job of handling contracts in the past.

“I think we’re making a mistake here,” he said.

Councilman Fred Richardson said he was doing due diligence.

“We’re not sticking our nose into nothing,” Richardson said. “It was put on our agenda. We’re doing our job.”

Councilwoman Bess Rich said she wants council to be regularly informed on the contract because of her experience with a master plan at Medal of Honor Park, in her district. She complained that she can’t update constituents on the progress of the master plan because she hasn’t been able to see it.

“I’m really in the dark about it,” Rich said. “I assume the master plan is completed, but I don’t have a timeline for it. I thought I was doing a good thing by putting funds toward a master plan, but I can’t even see it.”

Rich said because of her experience she wants to know “there’s a timeline and it comes back to council” so she can explain it to people in her district.

During a pre-conference meeting Tuesday, Cochran and city attorney Ricardo Woods both suggested taking out the last sentence to allow for a hard deadline. Councilors and administration officials also agreed to regular progress reports on the contract moving forward.

Capps said he sees the plan as a way to improve larger parks at one time.

In other cities, Capps said, these planners have been able to help cities put together million-dollar contracts for park improvements.

“It would focus on big parks, in places with higher populations in our most diverse areas,” Capps said. “It would bring about overall system improvements.”

In other business, the council delayed a vote until Tuesday, Feb. 20, on creating a tourism improvement district in Mobile. The district, which was approved by local hoteliers, would add a fee to hotel bills in order to help fund local tourism marketing.

The idea initially came to light after Mayor Sandy Stimpson slashed Visit Mobile’s fiscal year 2017 budget by $650,000. The hope was that the improvement district would make up for the cut.

David Clark, president of Visit Mobile, told councilors during a pre-conference meeting Tuesday that some tweaks were needed before the amended ordinance would come up for a vote.

“A little more polish is needed,” he said.

Cochran asked for four weeks in order to work out “technical issues.”

A council committee also met at 1 p.m. Tuesday to discuss an extension of a sales tax increase that has been the basis of the city’s capital improvement program, or CIP. The meeting occurred after press time.

BAYBRIEF | MOBILE COUNTY

Class action MOBILE COUNTY LATEST MUNICIPALITY TO SUE OPIOID MANUFACTURERS

BY JASON JOHNSON

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obile County has joined a growing class action lawsuit against several top drug manufacturers and distributors for their alleged role in creating the nation’s ongoing opioid crisis. On Thursday, Jan. 18, County Commissioners cast a unanimous vote to enter into contract with a trio of law firms, including the Mobile-based personal injury law firm of Taylor-Martino.

Like the Mobile Infirmary and the city of Mobile before it, the county expects its forthcoming lawsuit to be swept into a ballooning class action that’s been consolidated before United States District Judge Dan Polster in Cleveland, Ohio, along with nearly 200 other cases.

One thing separating the county’s claim, however, is its operation of the Metro Jail. Discussing the impending lawsuit recently, Mobile Sheriff Sam Cochran said the majority of inmates are there because of drug abuse and a significant portion of those are opioid abusers or former users who have turned to heroin.

Speaking to attorney Steve Martino, Commissioner Jerry Carl, who himself has a background in the pharmaceutical business, said the jail would be a focus of the lawsuit because it’s where the county has suffered and will continue to suffer the most.

“I own a pharmacy and understand the importance of following federal law. We are in business to help people get well, not to turn them into addicts,” Carl said. “Manufacturers and distributors who skirt the law and ignore reporting larger, suspicious shipments month after month

have created this problem and must be held responsible.”

Some of those complaints, though still verbal at this point, echo line by line the claims in other lawsuits Martino filed on behalf of public and private entities in the area — all claiming the negligent and deceptive business practices of major producers and distributors of opioids have fueled a drug epidemic affecting millions of Americans every day.

Because of the pace set by Judge Polster in Cleveland, Martino said filing a lawsuit on the county’s behalf of getting into the litigation was more important at the moment than calculating what the possible financial impact of opioid abuse has been here.

However, it could be substantial given the inclusion of the jail’s expenses and the sheer scope of opioid drug use in the area, legal or otherwise. Of the 67 counties in Alabama — a state among the hardest hit by the fallout from opioid abuse — Mobile County has one of the highest rates of opioid prescriptions. Estimates put that figure at around 112 prescriptions for every 100 people.

Speaking to impending litigation, Commissioner Connie Hudson said some of the major companies behind the production of opioids have helped create a nationwide crisis through their lack of oversight and “should be held accountable.”

“They bear responsibility for helping to protect our citizens and communities from the devastating effects of opioid addiction that have shattered countless lives and perpetuated violent crime,” she added.

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As other plaintiffs have pointed out in their own lawsuits, the impacts of opioid abuse stretch much further than those using or abusing the drugs.

Commission President Merceria Ludgood said everyone is affected, including the children of addicts and the law enforcement officers who deal with criminal activity linked to drug abuse and the black market.

“We cannot stand by and let our families and community be ripped apart,” Ludgood added. “We want to help stop this cycle and help folks remain productive and happy members of society.”

Some of the same law firms involved in the recent spike of lawsuits against top opioid manufacturers and distributors also had a hand in the web of lawsuits that led to the 1998 master settlement between 46 state attorneys general and the five largest tobacco companies.

WE CANNOT STAND BY AND LET OUR FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY BE RIPPED APART. WE WANT TO HELP STOP THIS CYCLE AND HELP FOLKS REMAIN PRODUCTIVE AND HAPPY MEMBERS OF SOCIETY.” Asked about the county joining the litigation, Ludgood said there is an established precedent for cases like these, likening them to tobacco cases. An attorney herself, Ludgood said the lawyers representing the county were “experienced in this type of ligation.”

According to a county spokesperson, the county entered into a formal contingency contract with Taylor Martino and the Zarzaur, Mujumdar and Debrosse law firm of Birmingham for their representation in the lawsuit. The contract will provide a fee to the total group of attorneys equal to 30 percent of any damages recovered by Mobile County.

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COMMENTARY | DAMN THE TORPEDOES

Next governor should look to lottery ROB HOLBERT/MANAGING EDITOR/RHOLBERT@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

One of the most obvious solutions is scrapping the world’s longest and most patched-together constitution and resetting state and local budgets with property tax as a more important part of the equation.

But the average Alabama voter still would rather kiss Hillary Clinton on the lips than consider increasing property taxes, regardless of the fact that the people who benefit most from the current situation typically hold vast tracts of land.

So what then?

Get ready for a statewide lottery and even possibly the expansion of casino gambling to be major subjects in the upcoming gubernatorial election. Of course the lottery was shot down before, but that was nearly 20 years ago and certainly none of the other proposed fixes have really moved the needle much since then.

Sure, the same old objections will be trotted out — lotteries prey upon the poor, and the Bible says gambling is a sin. But I’m not sure continuing to rely upon regressive sales taxes that clearly take a bigger percentage of the poor’s money rather than the rich’s is any kind of moral victory.

And there are few places in this state more than an hour’s ride from a casino as it is, so why have Alabama citizens take their money to go sin in some other state?

Creating a lottery and expanding gaming isn’t a total fix for this state’s problems, but it would certainly bring in enough money to at least have a realistic chance of addressing the bigger issues looming on the horizon.

THEGADFLY

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change to move into the SSUT. So here’s the irony of that situation for John Q. Taxpayer in Mobile. JQT might be personally excited if some of his favorite online shopping sites suddenly were charging him 8 cents on the buck instead of 10, but at the same time he may still be longing for that magical day when “da’ penny” comes back off the city’s sales tax. But there’s zero chance of that ever happening if a $13 million hole is blasted in the city budget by an SSUT change.

The SSUT battle is just a symptom of the overall issue. As online shopping becomes more and more prevalent, municipal and county tax collections diminish. Meanwhile the state already has more holes in the boat than it can plug.

Alabama looks to sophisticated manufacturing in general as the wave of the future, even at a time when the future may well have “Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto” as its theme song. Reading just about any serious consideration of where the U.S. economy’s future challenges lie is nervewracking, to say the least. Many experts foresee humans becoming obsolete in manufacturing, retail, transportation and other fields as robots and other technological advances become more sophisticated. Even if the eggheads are only half right, that could mean a lot of people out of work.

The only way to be ready for those challenges is to retool our educational system, which leads back to addressing Alabama’s constantly empty pockets.

Cartoon/Laura Rasmussen

H

ere at the shiny new Lagniappe HQ on Government Street, we’ve been blessed with visits from a few of the folks running for governor this year. They’ve been from both political parties and stopped by to talk with us about their ideas, should they be fortunate enough to win over the hearts and minds of Alabama voters.

And while their plans vary, one bell is rung repeatedly on both sides of the political divide: the state needs more money.

Yeah, that’s nothing new. Alabama’s a poor state featuring the nation’s lowest property taxes. We lean as heavily on sales taxes as any state in this great country and are constantly at the mercy of the fluctuations inherent in such a revenue stream. To wit: When people decide not to buy things, the government runs out of money.

I’m a pretty big a fan of fiscal responsibility and frugal government spending and certainly don’t like giving government more of my money than I must, but over the years it’s become pretty obvious this state constantly runs on the fumes produced when two pennies are rubbed together. The one thing we hear over and over again from the people elected to run our state, cities and counties is that money is as rare as a Nick Saban smile.

And that’s to be expected, to a degree. Politicians don’t typically go around saying, “Well, folks, we’ve got so much of your money sitting in the bank right now we’re thinking of dumping half of it into bitcoin to really maximize profits!” There’s always something in need of more money, but in Alabama it’s hard to look at the schools, infrastructure and comparatively low tax burden and not wonder if our situation might be just a bit more dire than those of some of our brother and sister states.

We’ve hitched our wagon to the sales tax star and that’s always been a rather fickle relationship. But it becomes even more difficult in these times when online shopping is placing more and more pressure on brickand-mortar businesses, and consequently the sales tax streams coming into cities, counties and the state.

Just to give you an example of where things are, Alabama cities are currently fighting an effort at the state level to make changes in the Simplified Sellers Use Tax (SSUT) that municipal leaders call a Montgomery “money grab” and have decried as a statewide municipal budget-crusher. In a nutshell the bill, sponsored by local state Sen. Trip Pittman, would allow Amazon. com to continue participating in the SSUT despite its purchase of Whole Foods. As it has operated, the SSUT gathers an 8 percent voluntary sales tax from online retailers with no brick-and-mortar stores in the state.

While the law would allow Amazon to continue doing what it’s already doing, the fear is that others — Wal-Mart in particular — could claim their online entities are actually separate from their physical stores and attempt to save a couple of percentage points of sales tax by moving into the SSUT. The problem there, cities say, is that essentially will gravitate money from individual municipal coffers to the gaping maw known as the state’s general fund.

Confusing, I know. The point I’m trying to make is that money is so hard to come by in this state that should this law change actually do what cities fear it will, giant holes will be knocked in municipal budgets statewide. Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s office estimates a loss of $10 million to $13 million annually should other businesses actually be able to use the law

CITY OF MOBILE UNVEILS PLANS FOR ALTERNATE SENIOR BOWL. FIXODENT SIGNS ON AS PRESENTING SPONSOR.

COMMENTARY | THE HIDDEN AGENDA

Make shopping and living a pleasure ASHLEY TRICE/EDITOR/ASHLEYTOLAND@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

F

or some women, it’s shoes or jewelry.

For others, designer handbags, makeup or clothing. Maybe even furnishings for the house. For me, sadly, it’s groceries.

Every time I do a deep dive into the ol’ family budget to see where we may be overspending, it’s always in grocery stores. And when I say “we” I mean “me.” Once I add it all up, I am always dumbfounded about just how much cabbage and cheddar I have spent on, well, cabbage and cheddar, and a few other things.

I suppose it’s a bit of an addiction. But one I have never felt an ounce of guilt about because, unlike clothes or handbags that are just for you, groceries are for “the good of the family.”

And much like shoe addicts who patronize many different boutiques depending on what kind of shoe they are searching for, I treat grocery shopping the same way. There isn’t a grocery store chain in this town I don’t frequent.

I have one I head to if I need basic food staples at reasonable prices. I have one I go to if I need cleaning products, dog treats and food.

When I need a fancy Parmesan wedge, I have one I frequent and another when I want the cheap parm wedges. There is one I like when I want to cook international foods or need barbecue sauce and a couple when I want to cook something fancy and need special ingredients. There are ones I regard as having the best produce sections or baking aisles or grocery pickup services.

Others have better beer and wine selections.

When I want to load up on a lot of meat, I go to one of two places. (Geez, I hope the preceding sentence is never taken out of context.) And it’s the same with seafood. And prepared food and sparkling water selections and when I get a hankering for a delicious Tide Pod (That’s a joke, obviously, but what in the hell is wrong with these kids?). Anyway, I think you probably get the idea.

I love grocery stores. All of them.

There is an Avett Brothers song called “Murder in the City.” One of the lyrics of that lovely song has one of said brothers questioning, “I wonder which brother is better, which one our parents love the most.” The song goes on to say their father answered this question (as a tear fell from his eye) by saying “I love you and I’m proud of you both in so many different ways.”

While it’s not exactly the same as the different ways you love your children and a tear has never fallen from my eye over it, I do love all of my grocery stores and I am proud of them all in so many different ways.

And among those I love is Publix, where shopping is indeed a pleasure. You are always helped with your bags and asked if you need help getting them to your car. None of the cashiers ever complain that they are supposed be on break while they are checking you out (Sorry! Now I feel guilty for buying these groceries!) or force you to use the self-checkout aisle when you have a buggy full. (I don’t understand why some of them do this? There’s not enough room, people! I don’t want that dang woman in the machine yelling at me! “Please place item in the bagging area!” I did, grocery machine lady, I did!)

And I am just as excited as anyone about the new midtown Publix opening on Florida and Old Shell. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I will continue to “shop around” and spread the love,

as I am clearly a grocery store tramp. But they will certainly be in my rotation, as the Publix on University has already been. I foresee their magnificent strawberry balsamic salad being in my lunch plans at least several times a month, if not more.

The store is slated to open in February but part of the project has hit a bit of a snag, as the city issued a stop work order on a wall behind the development bordering Edington Drive.

Neighbors were under the impression there would be an 8-foot masonry wall but became concerned when they saw a wall made of a “composite material” going up.

Developer John Argo says the plans for the masonry wall are still mostly in place but Councilman Fred Richardson, who represents the area, said the composite wall had to go up in some places near Edington and Florida because two heritage oaks are in the way and a masonry wall would kill them.

The Mobile Tree Commission has not been asked about these specific trees and whether they could be removed as of yet, but when Lagniappe spoke to them they said, in general, they weigh the options and look at the public benefit versus the cost of losing the trees. In many cases, they said, “the commission would grant the permit and require the developer to pay into the tree bank to replace the trees taken down.”

I love Greer’s. I love Winn-Dixie. I love Rouse’s. I love Whole Foods. I love Fresh Market. I even tolerate Walmart when I need a small appliance and a kid birthday gift along with my groceries (don’t tell anyone). And I love the oh-so-pleasurable Publix and don’t want anyone getting in the way of me and my strawberry balsamic salad. But as much as I love them, I don’t want of any of them right behind my house.

And you know what I love more than grocery stores? Heritage oak trees. I often wax about their beauty when I am describing Mobile to people who have never been here. Government Street, downtown, Bienville Square and Oakleigh just wouldn’t be the same without them.

But in the case of the ones on Edington Drive, I say fire up the ol’ chainsaw and take them down and give these poor people their brick wall. They are taking it on the chin so the rest of us can have strawberry balsamic salads and a decent selection of fancy frozen pizzas and OPI fingernail polish. If they want a giant brick wall, give it to them. Their property values will no doubt be affected because some folks would never buy a house that backs up to a large development like this. #NOTapleasureforthem And let’s face it, who is really going to go gaze at the beauty of two oak trees that are by a composite wall (which does look really weird, by the way) and a brick wall, just behind a grocery store. “Oh, look at those gorgeous oaks. And those walls, especially that weird one, and also at that delivery guy unloading those cases of cat litter and tampons into the store. So beautiful!”

Cut the trees. Have the developer and/or Publix pay the Tree Commission to replace them. The money they make off of this project/ store will certainly be a pleasure for them. Build this wall for the neighbors and make sure that living in their beloved homes continues to be a pleasure for them.

J a n u a r y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8 - J a n u a r y 3 0 , 2 0 1 8 | L AG N I A P P E | 13

COMMENTARY | THE GRIOT’S CORNER

Geography is destiny, even in Alabama

BY KEN ROBINSON/CONTRIBUTING WRITER

G

eography is destiny” is a phrase rumored to have been uttered by Napoleon before he invaded Russia in 1812. Most often used in a geopolitical context, the phrase implies that certain geographical regions have inherent strategic, political or economic value and thus the control of them is paramount for any leader or nation seeking to wield political or economic power.

Napoleon may be rumored to have declared the words and then acted upon them, but he stands in a long line of rulers and nations that have taken up arms to gain territory seen as having innate worth and value.

The phrase also has another meaning. “Geography is destiny” can also be used to refer to the likely outcome or prospects for people unfortunate enough to live in certain geographic areas. Such areas are normally desolate economically, lacking in educational opportunities, hazardous physically and deprived culturally of those intangibles that serve as a stairway to upward social mobility.

In such places the prospects for a healthy, successful and fulfilling life are bleak. For many born into these geographic circumstances, geography becomes destiny, a destiny none would willingly seek.

One doesn’t need to travel far to find such places.

There is no need to go half a world away. Unfortunately, one could travel within the confines of the state of Alabama’s borders and encounter such areas.

For example, 14 of Alabama’s 67 counties, all located in what is known as Alabama’s Black Belt region, have a poverty rate higher than 25 percent. In one of them, Perry County, the poverty rate is 40 percent. Other Black Belt

“

counties are not far behind, though. Bullock County’s poverty rate is 39 percent. Greene and Lowndes counties are 37 percent and 35 percent, respectively. Dallas County is at 34 percent and Sumter at 33 percent.

Last year, United Nations official Philip Alston, at the invitation of the United States government, was invited to study the persistence of extreme poverty in America. One of the areas he visited in the U.S. was Alabama’s Black Belt, in particular Lowndes County. He released his preliminary findings in December. One of his observations?

He had never before seen conditions in the developed part of the world like those he saw in Lowndes County.

For example, one Lowndes County community he visited had homes in which “raw sewage flows … through exposed PVC pipes and into open trenches and pits.”

Alston’s discovery may be a causal link to something that officials thought had been pretty much eradicated in America between the 1950s and 1980s: hookworms.

Hookworm was pervasive in America a century ago. It was a particularly acute problem in the South because sewer systems weren’t widely available and many Southerners didn’t have hygienic outhouses.

Such conditions serve as a breeding ground for hookworms. They spread through exposed and infected human fecal matter. Eggs in the fecal matter hatch, the soil becomes infested with the worms, and the worms are able to attach themselves to the bare feet of those who walk by. The tiny worms work their way through a hair follicle and end up in the small intestine to feed on blood.

What are its effects? Impaired cognitive development, iron deficiency and stunted growth in children.

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Today, hookworm is generally associated with undeveloped nations that have areas with poor sanitation and extreme poverty, such as in South Asia, Southeast Asia and South America. Now, however, Alabama’s Black Belt can be added to the list, where last year 19 individuals tested positive for it.

Speaking of the findings released in November, George Washington University hookworm expert Dr. David Diemert noted: “I was very surprised by this, there has not been any documentation of people being infected in the U.S. [with hookworm] for the past couple of decades.” As stated earlier, for some Alabamians their geography, the areas they live in can bring about a perilous and uncertain destiny.

The Black Belt is not alone. There are other pockets scattered throughout the state, where for far too long geography has served as a painful and hopeless destiny for many.

Thankfully, state leaders are moving in earnest to address and hopefully begin to disrupt these geographic generational problems. Last summer, the House Standing Committee on Urban and Rural Development was formed to study and put forward policy recommendations to shatter these enclaves of poverty and deprivation that exist throughout the state.

Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon noted at the time, “For the past several years, Alabama has led the nation in attracting new jobs, opportunities and industrial development, but there are areas of our state that still struggle economically and they deserve our attention.”

Last month, Rep. Randall Shedd, who chairs the committee, held a legislative hearing in Scottsboro to elicit input from citizens and political leaders there about problems and solutions they see as pivotal to undoing the systemic poverty that has handcuffed struggling communities.

According to an economic analysis by the Atlanta Branch of the Federal Reserve, although the Southeast is experiencing “rapid urbanization,” there are two states that still remain “uncommonly rural — Mississippi and Alabama.” That means bringing change will take much effort and require surmounting serious obstacles, but positive change is possible.

From access to quality health care, economic renewal, quality education opportunities, infrastructure improvements, providing and increasing broadband access to combating drug addiction, the destiny of Alabamians living in these dire geographic regions can in time be altered to one that brings hope and opportunity, not despair and fear. To do so, we must be persistent in our resolve to ensure discussions and studies turn into action — purposeful and consistent action.

COMMENTARY | THE BELTWAY BEAT

A textbook case of higher education governed by cynicism

BY JEFF POOR/COLUMNIST/JEFFREYPOOR@GMAIL.COM

A

strange thing happened at the University of Alabama last week. One of its now-former female students, in a showing of horrific judgment, thought it would be appropriate to post a video online of herself offering commentary on society mixed with the repeated use of a racial slur.

To make matters even worse, after considerable backlash and apparently some reflection, she told herself to “hold my beer” and made another video proclaiming to be justified using the racial slur.

That part of this story is awful, but it wasn’t the strange part.

Immediately the University of Alabama issued a statement proclaiming the remarks “ignorant and disturbing” and informed the public this perpetrator had been reported to the Office of Student Conduct.

In the end, at least according to news accounts, this dreadfully misguided young lady was expelled from the university.

Luckily for the University of Alabama, she decided not to fight it. But what if she had?

Considering the University of Alabama’s Tuscaloosa campus has buildings labeled with the names of people who freely used the “n-word,” how can a state-run institution legally expel someone for speech they posted online, presumably off the grounds of the campus?

Is there a list of words one can’t utter in an online setting? When you submit your application to the University of Alabama, do you agree to surrender your freedom of speech if admitted?

It all seems very subjective and subject to legal challenges. It also appears to be a missed opportunity.

What may have been a teachable moment for students at the University of Alabama about why it’s morally and ethically wrong to use racial slurs, it ended up being a textbook case of corporate public relations.

The University of Alabama immediately issued a statement and promptly expelled the woman.

Perhaps they feared it would lead to the other recent race incidents at the university reappearing on the front pages of newspapers, and those in charge sought to make an example to prevent it from happening again.

They did what they thought they had to do: act immediately and decisively. Otherwise, there might have been an uprising among the students and faculty. That would have meant more bad press, and suddenly it’s flashbacks to 1963 and former Gov. George Wallace standing in front of the schoolhouse door.

The communications shop at the University of Alabama now seems to serve primarily the function of crisis management. That probably wasn’t the original intent of this office. It was to showcase the positives of the university — create positive press and show the public that its namesake institution is making the state proud.

The University of Alabama isn’t alone. Auburn, South Alabama, Montevallo, Jacksonville State, etc. — they all have public relations employees that have to be capable of responding to unfortunate incidents.

Why such an emphasis on this? It is a symptom of a more significant problem.

Consider all the components a university must take into consideration when doing anything.

For starters, you have a predominantly liberal

faculty. Their political leanings aren’t to be ignored with any major action a university takes.

Something like a vote of no confidence by the faculty senate would just create more negative press.

Next, you can’t offend the sensibilities of the school’s wealthy donors and financiers. The smallest of things can cause them to withhold a contribution. In addition to that, often they are politically connected.

Finally, in what is perhaps the most critical variable of this equation — you have to curry favor with state and federal legislators. They are the ones responsible for line items in budget and appropriations legislation that allocate money to the school.

A wrong move and this funding becomes subject to politics. That is why public universities have a lobbyist function. In the case of the University of Alabama, it has a team dedicated to government affairs. That includes Jo Bonner, the former congressman for southwest Alabama who left the House of Representatives to serve in this role.

With all of this taking place behind the scenes, what about one of the primary functions of a university — you know, to educate? If the emphasis shifts to protecting the brand, wouldn’t that detract from what is important?

Alabama’s public universities are dealt a peculiar set of circumstances. Given they are public and not private, they’re beholden to public funding and have to operate as a government institution.

They exist in a conservative, Republican-voting state. Unlike the public institutions in the Northeast and on the West Coast, tax dollars pay the salaries of staff and faculty that have views that aren’t necessarily in line with those of taxpayers.

For example, statistically the population of Alabama is highly evangelical. However, college faculty seek secular solutions to problems.

Alabamians rely heavily on the Bible for answers, while some professors urge looking to Plato’s “Republic.”

Therefore, when these problems arise, the solution often isn’t commensurate with the one you would expect from the philosophical laboratory known as the university classroom.

Why does any of that matter? College is now big business. Its costs are increasing at a rate of 6 percent annually, nearly three times the rate of inflation.

Everybody goes to college after high school, even if you can’t afford it. Student loan, government grants — it makes enrolling possible, and every school competes for that enrollment. Why? The more students, the more revenue — be it from tuition or directly from the government.

To lure more students, campuses have to be bigger and better. The quality administrators and faculty have to be paid more and more so that they don’t go to another school.

The result is a perpetual bubble fueled by public money.

What are the taxpayers getting in return?

Indeed, public higher education adds value to the state on a number of levels. That is not in dispute.

But over time the mission seems to have gone a little off track with the push for positive press and favor in Montgomery and Washington, D.C. The result is a very cynical approach to governing institutions that presumably exist to serve the public good. In the end, they are just serving themselves.

J a n u a r y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8 - J a n u a r y 3 0 , 2 0 1 8 | L AG N I A P P E | 15

BUSINESS | THE REAL DEAL

Highland apartment homes opening in Spring Hill

BY RON SIVAK/COLUMNIST/BUSINESS@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

H

ighland at Spring Hill, a new 252-unit high-end apartment complex at 151 Du Rhu Drive in Mobile, is expected to initially open for tenants by June 2018. The entire development is slated for completion by the end of the year, according to a news release.

The site encompasses approximately 260,000 square feet and sits on 9.7 acres. Capital investment on the project was upward of $37 million. The management company for the complex is Northport-based IMS Development.

The development will offer 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom units and feature four-story buildings with elevators. Amenities will include an athletic club, spa, a demonstration kitchen and a reflection garden.

• According to Pete Riehm and J.T. Jenkins with NAI Mobile, locally owned Cart Dr. paid $622,500 to acquire a 6,800-square-foot property situated on 1.5 acres at 5683 U.S. Highway 90 in Theodore. Plans are in place for the business to move from its current site at West I-65 Service Road in Mobile to the new location sometime this year. The company specializes in golf cart rentals, sales and servicing, according to its website.

• FusionPoint Media Inc., a multimedia company specializing in video, photography and web development, recently completed work on two full-service video/photography studios now available for lease, according to a news release.

The two studios encompass some 3,000 square feet of work area, have 14-foot ceilings, a kitchenette, lounge areas and a private makeup/changing room. In addition to studio space, FusionPoint Media offers equipment rental, including lighting and backdrops, grip equipment and production assistance.

• John Delchamps, associate broker with the Merrill P. Thomas Co. Inc., represented the seller in the transaction of a 1.5-acre lot on Rangeline Road for $250,000. Nick Stomski

with NAI Avant in Columbia, S.C., worked for the buyer.

• Gulf Shores-based owner of The Hangout entertainment center, Shaul Zislin, plans to open a new eatery called Big Blue Pizza, to be located at 200 Gulf Shores Parkway, replacing the former Blonde John’s Surf Shop space. There are also plans to tear down a former Surf Style retailer, at 101 West Beach Blvd., to share an off-site parking lot situated at East 1st Ave. in Gulf Shores.

• David Dexter with NAI Mobile reported that Momentum IT Services recently purchased a 1,800-square-foot building located at 3050 Dauphin Square Connector in midtown Mobile for $125,000. Matt Diamond with Diamond Properties represented the seller and Dexter worked for the buyer.

• According to Pratt Thomas with the Merrill P. Thomas Co. Inc., Southern Hearing Associates has leased some 1,500 square feet of office space inside the Highland Park office complex located at 2344 Schillinger Road, S., in West Mobile with plans in place to open in March. The company is an independently owned franchise of Miracle-Ear. Per David Rowe of Rowe Commercial Ventures, construction is also underway at the site for additional office space, to be completed by February. Floor plans for the new units will average 1,500 square feet, available for purchase with a starting price of approximately $270,000.

Hargrove Controls + Automation rises in rankings

Hargrove Controls + Automation was recently ranked No. 43 out of 100 in the annual list of System Integrator Giants, according to the 2018 Global System Integrator Report, jumping three spots from last year’s ranking of No. 46.

Published by Control Engineering and Plant Engineering magazines, the list recognizes the top global companies involved in system integration projects throughout manu-

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facturing. Companies making the top 100 list vary in size, ranging from more than 1,000 employees to fewer than a handful.

“Hargrove branched out in 2012 by launching Hargrove Controls + Automation, which has over 100 teammates today,” said Matt Burton, managing director of Hargrove Controls + Automation.

“By relocating to our new, more spacious location on Government Street in downtown Mobile, we have significantly expanded our capabilities, and we are excited to once again be among the system integrator giants. Our company is growing, and having publications like Control Engineering and Plant Engineering recognize us is a reflection of our team’s work and dedication,” Burton said.

Hargrove Controls + Automation is one of only a few multi-service automation groups in the country and serves clients in the refining, oil/gas, life sciences, chemical and automotive/heavy manufacturing industries with robotics and industrial system integration. The team consists of panel builders, instrumentation designers, programmers, certified process safety engineers and board-licensed process control engineers.

Hargrove Controls + Automation is a branch of Hargrove Engineers + Constructors, which implements control systems for manufacturing, process and other industrial facilities. Founded in Mobile in 1995, the company is a full-service EPC, automation, life sciences and technical services firm.

Ascension taps new CFO for Providence Hospital, Sacred Heart

Kim Shrewsbury has been tapped as the new chief financial officer for Providence Hospital in Mobile and Sacred Heart Health System in Pensacola, according to a news release. Shrewsbury was promoted to take over the regional role from Susan Cornejo, who was recently promoted to chief operating officer for Providence and Sacred Heart.

Shrewsbury has extensive experience in community not-for-profit and faith-based hospital systems. She served as regional vice president of finance for Providence and Sacred Heart for the past three years. Earlier in her career Shrewsbury served in finance leadership roles at Ascension’s St. Vincent’s HealthCare in Birmingham and at Decatur General Hospital in Decatur.

Currently she is enrolled in the MBA program at the University of West Florida and completed her bachelor’s degree in accounting at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

On the central Gulf Coast, Ascension operates Sacred Heart Health System and Providence Hospital. Together, these health care facilities have been in operation for more than 160 years and employ more than 6,600. Across the region, Ascension provided more than $113 million in community benefit and care of persons living in poverty in fiscal year 2016.

Ascension is the largest nonprofit health system in the U.S. and the world’s largest Catholic health system, operating 2,500 sites of care — including 141 hospitals and more than 30 senior living facilities — in 22 states and the District of Columbia.

J a n u a r y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8 - J a n u a r y 3 0 , 2 0 1 8 | L AG N I A P P E | 17

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COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE ALL SPORTS BAR & GRILL ($) 3408 Pleasant Valley Rd. • 345-9338

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CONTEMPORARY SOUTHERN FARE 61 Section St. • Fairhope • 928-4321

809 Hillcrest Rd. • 634-2285

HOT SUBS, COLD SALADS & CATERING 6300 Grelot Rd. • 631-3730

FIVE GUYS BURGERS & FRIES ($) BURGERS, MILKSHAKES & FRIES 4401 Old Shell Rd. • 447-2394 4663 Airport Blvd. • 300-8425 5319 Hwy 90 • 661-0071 1225 Satchel Page Dr.• 378-8768

FOOSACKLY’S ($)

FAMOUS CHICKEN FINGERS 29181 US Hwy 98 • Daphne • 375-1104 7843 Moffett Rd. • 607-6196 1109 Shelton Beach Rd. • 287-1423 310 S. University Blvd. • 343-0047 2250 Airport Blvd. • 479-2922 7641 Airport Blvd. • 607-7667 2558 Schillinger Rd. • 219-7761 3249 Dauphin St. • 479-2000

FOY SUPERFOODS ($) 119 Dauphin St.• 307-8997

GULF COAST EXPLOREUM CAFE ($)

MOSTLY MUFFINS ($) NEWK’S EXPRESS CAFE ($)

OVEN-BAKED SANDWICHES & MORE 1335 Satchel Page Dr. Suite C. • 287-7356 7440 Airport Blvd. • 633-0096 Eastern Shore Center • Spanish Fort • 625-6544

NOURISH CAFE ($)

HEALTHY WHOLE FOODS & MORE 101 N Water St. (Moorer YMCA)• 458-8572

O’DALYS HOLE IN THE WALL ($) 562 Dauphin St.• 725-6429

OLD SHELL GROWLERS ($) GROWLER STATION AND BITES 1801 Old Shell Rd. • 345-4767

PANINI PETE’S ($)

ORIGINAL SANDWICH AND BAKE SHOP 42 ½ Section St. • Fairhope • 929-0122 102 Dauphin St. • 405-0031

PAT’S DOWNTOWN GRILL ($)

CAMMIE’S OLD DUTCH ($)

HOMEMADE SOUPS & SANDWICHES 65 Government St. • 208-6815

CARPE DIEM ($)

SEAFOOD & SANDWICHES 212 ½ Fairhope Ave •Fairhope • 928-4100

PDQ ($)

CLARK’S KITCHEN ($-$$)

3869 Airport Blvd. • 345-9544 5470 Inn Rd. • 661-9117 28975 US 98 • Daphne • 625-3910

POLLMAN’S BAKERY ($)

MOBILE’S CLASSIC ICE CREAM SPOT 2511 Old Shell Rd. • 471-1710

DELI FOODS, PASTRIES & SPECIALTY DRINKS 4072 Old Shell Rd. • 304-0448 CATERING 5817 Old Shell Rd. • 622-0869

CHAT-A-WAY CAFE ($)

QUICHES & SANDWICHES 4366 Old Shell Rd. • 343-9889

CHICK-FIL-A ($)

107 St. Francis St. • 415-1700 3244 Dauphin St. • 476-0320 3215 Bel Air Mall • 476-8361 4707 Airport Blvd. • 461-9933 435 Schillinger Rd. • 639-1163 1682 US HWY 98 • Daphne • 621-3215 30500 AL 181 • Spanish Fort • 621-3020

CHICKEN SALAD CHICK ($)

GUMBO SHACK ($-$$) HOOTERS ($)

JAMAICAN VIBE ($)

MIND-BLOWING ISLAND FOOD 3700 Gov’t Blvd. Ste A • 602-1973

JERSEY MIKE’S ($)

AUTHENTIC SUB SANDWICHES 29660 AL-181 • DAPHNE • 626-3161 3151 Daupin St• 525-9917 7449 Airport Blvd. • 375-1820

JIMMY JOHN’S ($)

SANDWICHES, CATERING & DELIVERY TOO 6920 Airport Blvd. • 414-5444 9 Du Rhu Dr. • 340-8694 62 B Royal St. • 432-0360

CHICKEN SALAD, SALAD & SOUP 2370 S. Hillcrest Rd. Unit R • 660-0501 5753 Old Shell Rd. • 408-3236 1802 US Hwy 98 Suite F• 625-1092

JOE CAIN CAFÉ ($)

CHI-TOWN DAWGZ ($)

1252 Govenment St.• 301-7556

CHICAGO STYLE EATERY 1222 Hillcrest Rd. • 461-6599

CONNECTION FROZEN YOGURT ($) 1880 Industrial Pkwy. • 675-2999

CREAM AND SUGAR ($)

COFFEE, BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DESSERT 351 George St #B • 405-0003

DAUPHIN ST. CAFE ($)

HOT LUNCH, DAILY MENU (INSIDE VIA) 1717 Dauphin St. • 470-5231

D’ MICHAEL’S ($)

PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS, GYROS & MORE 7101-A Theodore Dawes Rd. • 653-2979

D NU SPOT ($)

22159 Halls Mill Rd. . • 648-6522

DELISH BAKERY AND EATERY ($)

PIZZAS, SANDWICHES, COCKTAILS 26 N. Royal St. • 338-2000

JONELLI’S ($)

JUDY’S PLACE ($-$$)

HOME COOKING 4054 Government St. • 665-4557

LICKIN’ GOOD DONUTS ($) 3915 Gov’t Blvd. • 219-7922

LODA BIER GARTEN ($) PUB FOOD AND DRAFT BEERS 251 Dauphin St. • 287-6871

MAMA’S ($)

SLAP YOUR MAMA GOOD HOME COOKING 220 Dauphin St. • 432-6262

MARS HILL CAFE ($)

GREAT SANDWICHES, COFFEE & MORE 1087 Downtowner Blvd. • 643-1611

MARY’S SOUTHERN COOKING ($) 3011 Springhill Ave. • 476-2232

BAR FOOD 271 Dauphin St • 438-9585

CHICKEN FINGERS, SALAD & SANDWICHES. 1165 University Blvd. • 202-0959

AT FLU CREEK 831 N Section St. • Fairhope • 990-7766

THE BLIND MULE ($)

DAILY SPECIALS MADE FROM SCRATCH 57 N. Claiborne St. • 694-6853

THE GALLEY ($)

OPEN FOR LUNCH, INSIDE GULFQUEST 155 S. Water St • 436-8901

THE HARBERDASHER ($) 113 Dauphin St.• 436-0989

5401 Cottage Hill Rd. • 591-4842 BARBEQUE & MUSIC Bayfront Park Dr. • Daphne • 625-RIBS 701 Springhill Ave. • 410-7427 4672 Airport Blvd. • 300-8516

SAUCY Q BARBQUE ($) AWARD-WINNING BARBQUE 1111 Gov’t Blvd. • 433-7427

SMOKEY DEMBO SMOKE HOUSE ($) 3758 Dauphin Island Pkwy. • 473-1401

THE PIGEON HOLE ($)

DROP DEAD GOURMET

THE SUNFLOWER CAFE ($)

A PREMIER CATERER & COOKING CLASSES 1880-A Airport Blvd. • 450-9051

SOUTHERN COOKING & THEN SOME 1716 Main St. Daphne • 222-4120 INSIDE VIRGINIA’S HEALTH FOOD 3055 A Dauphin St • 479-3200

THYME BY THE BAY ($-$$)

33 N Section St. • Fairhope • 990-5635

TIME TO EAT CAFE ($)

DOWN-HOME COUNTRY COOKIN 7351 Theodore Dawes Rd. • 654-0228 13665 N. Wintzell Ave. • 824-1119

TIN ROOF ($-$$)

SOUTHERN CASUAL FAMILY DINING 10800 US HWY 31 • Spanish Fort• 621-4995

TP CROCKMIERS ($)

AMERICAN RESTAURANT & BAR 250 Dauphin St. • 476-1890

THREE GEORGES CANDY SHOP ($) LIGHT LUNCH WITH SOUTHERN FLAIR. 226 Dauphin St. • 433-6725

17111 Scenic HWY 98 • Point Clear • 928-4838

DOMKE MARKET FOOD PAK

FOOD, WINE & MORE 5150 Old Shell Rd. • 341-1497

POUR BABY

WINE BAR, CRAFT BEERS & BISTRO 6808 Airport Blvd. • 343-3555

FIREHOUSE WINE BAR & SHOP 216 St Francis St. • 421-2022

RED OR WHITE

323A De La Mare Ave, Fairhope • 990-0003 1104 Dauphin St.. • 478-9494

BAY GOURMET ($$)

ROYAL STREET TAVERN

BRIQUETTES STEAKHOUSE ($-$$)

SOUTHERN NAPA

CHUCK’S FISH ($$)

FALAFEL? TRY SOME HUMMUS

CORNER 251 ($-$$)

HEALTHY, DELICIOUS MEDITERRANEAN FOOD. 3762 Airport Blvd. • 725-1177

GRILLED STEAKS, CHICKEN & SEAFOOD 312 Schillinger Rd • 607-7200 901 Montlimar Dr • 408-3133 SEAFOOD AND SUSHI 551 Dauphin St.• 219-7051 HIGH QUALITY FOOD & DRINKS 251 Government St • 460-3157

DAUPHIN’S ($$-$$$)

HIGH QUALITY FOOD WITH A VIEW 107 St. Francis St • 444-0200

LIVE MUSIC, MARTINIS & DINNER MENU. 26 N. Royal St. • 338-2000 BISTRO PLATES, CRAFT BEERS & PANTRY 2304 Main St. • 375-2800

7 SPICE ($-$$)

ABBA’S MEDITERRANEAN CAFE ($-$$) 4861 Bit & Spur Rd. • 340-6464

ISTANBUL GRILL ($)

AUTHENTIC TURKISH & MEDITERRANEAN 3702 Airport Blvd. • 461-6901

DUMBWAITER ($$-$$$)

JERUSALEM CAFE ($-$$)

FIVE ($$)

MEDITERRANEAN SANDWICH COMPANY ($)

9 Du Rhu Dr. Suite 201 167 Dauphin St. • 445-3802

GREAT FOOD AND COCKTAILS 609 Dauphin St. • 308-3105

MOBILE’S OLDEST MIDDLE EASTERN CUISINE 5773 Airport Blvd. • 304-1155

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE ($)

GREAT SMOOTHIES, WRAPS & SANDWICHES. Du Rhu Dr. • 378-5648 570 Schillinger Road • 634-3454

KITCHEN ON GEORGE ($-$$)

GREAT & QUICK. 3702 Airport Blvd. • 308-2131 274 Dauphin St. • 545-3161 2502 Schillinger Rd. Ste. 2 • 725-0126 6890 US-90 • DAPHNE • 621-2271

PUNTA CLARA KITCHEN ($)

UNCLE JIMMY’S DELICIOUS HOTDOGS ($)

LAUNCH ($-$$)

MINT HOOKAH BISTRO ($)

2550 Dauphin Island Pkwy S. • 307-5328

HIGH QUALITY FOOD & DRINKS 251 Government St. • 432-8000

WAREHOUSE BAKERY & DONUTS ($)

MAGHEE’S GRILL ON THE HILL ($-$$)

OLLIE’S MEDITERRANEAN GRILL ($-$$)

FUDGE, PRALINES & MORE 17111 Scenic Hwy 98 • Fairhope • 928-8477

R BISTRO ($-$$)

334 Fairhope Ave • Fairhope • 928-2399

REGINA’S KITCHEN ($-$$) SANDWICHES, SUBS & SOUPS 2056 Gov’t St. • 476-2777

ROLY POLY ($)

COFFEE AND DONUTS 759 Nichols Avenue, Fairhope • 928-7223

WILD WING STATION ($) 1500 Gov’t St. • 287-1526

CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN FOOD 351A George & Savannah St. • 436-8890

GREAT LUNCH & DINNER 3607 Old Shell Rd. • 445-8700

NOBLE SOUTH ($$)

LOCAL INGREDIENTS 203 Dauphin St. • 690-6824

WRAPS & SALADS 3220 Dauphin St. • 479-2480

THE WINDMILL MARKET ($)

85 N. Bancroft St. Fairhope • 990.8883

NOJA ($$-$$$)

ROSHELL’S CAFE ($)

YAK THE KATHMANDU KITCHEN ($-$$)

OSMAN’S RESTAURANT ($$)

2906 Springhill Ave. • 479-4614

ROSIE’S GRILL ($-$$)

SANDWICHES, SOUTHWEST FARE, 7 DAYS 1203 Hwy 98 Ste. 3D • Daphne • 626-2440

ROYAL KNIGHT ($)

LUNCH & DINNER 3004 Gov’t Blvd. • 287-1220

ROYAL STREET CAFE ($) HOMEMADE LUNCH & BREAKFAST 104 N. Royal St. • 434-0011

SALLY’S PIECE-A-CAKE ($) BAKERY 5638 Three Notch Rd.• 219-6379

SATORI COFFEEHOUSE ($)

COFFEE, SMOOTHIES, LUNCH & BEERS. 5460 Old Shell Rd. • 344-4575

SERDA’S COFFEEHOUSE ($)

MICHELI’S CAFE ($)

6358 Cottage Hill Rd. • 725-6917

COFFEE, LUNCHES, LIVE MUSIC & GELATO 3 Royal St. S. • 415-3000

DEW DROP INN ($)

MCSHARRY’S ($-$$)

SIMPLY SWEET ($)

AUTHENTIC IRISH PUB 101 N. Bancroft St.• 990-5100

4701 Airport Blvd. • 408-3379

RIBS, SANDWICHES & GREAT SIDES 3314 Old Shell Rd. • 479-9898

BAKERY, SANDWICHES & MORE 750 S. Broad St. • 438-1511 4464 Old Shell Rd. • 342-8546 107 St. Francis St. Suite 102 • 438-2261

GREAT DESSERTS & HOT LUNCH 23 Upham St. • 473-6115

CLASSIC BURGERS, HOTDOGS & SETTING 1808 Old Shell Rd. • 473-7872

SANDWICHES, SOUPS, SALADS & MORE 41 West I-65 Service Rd. N Suite 150. • 287-2793

CUPCAKE BOUTIQUE 6207 Cottage Hill Rd. Suite B • 665-3003

18 | L AG N I A P P E | J a n u a r y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8 - J a n u a r y 3 0 , 2 0 1 8

AUTHENTIC FOODS FROM HIMALAYAN REGION 3210 Dauphin St. • 287-0115 400 Eastern Shore Center • 459-2862

‘CUE

BACKYARD CAFE & BBQ ($) HOME COOKIN’ LIKE MOMMA MADE. 2804 Springhill Ave. • 473-4739

BAR-B-QUING WITH MY HONEY ($$) BBQ, BURGERS, WINGS & SEAFOOD 19170 Hwy 43 Mt. Vernon. • 829-9227

BRICK PIT ($)

A FAVORITE BARBECUE SPOT 5456 Old Shell Rd. • 343-0001

COTTON STATE BBQ ($)

DOWNTOWN LUNCH 101 N. Conception St. • 545-4682

DICKEY’S BARBECUE PIT ($-$$) BBQ AND MORE Jubilee Sq.Ctr. Hwy 90, Daphne • 210-2151 McGowin Park Ctr. Satchel Paige Dr. • 471-1050 7721 Airport Blvd. • 380-8957

GREAT MEDITERRANEAN FOOD. 5951 Old Shell Rd. • 450-9191

MEDITERRANEAN RESTAURANT & HOOKAH 1248 Hillcrest St • 634-9820

TAZIKI’S ($-$$)

MEDITERRANEAN CAFE 1539 US HWY 98• 273-3337

INVENTIVE & VERY FRESH CUISINE 6 N. Jackson St. • 433-0377

FAR EASTERN FARE

SUPREME EUROPEAN CUISINE 2579 Halls Mill Rd. • 479-0006

4513 Old Shell Rd.• 473-0007

ROYAL SCAM ($$)

GUMBO, ANGUS BEEF & BAR 72. S. Royal St. • 432-SCAM (7226)

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE ($$$) EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE & TASTE 271 Glenwood St. • 476-0516

SAGE RESTAURANT ($$) INSIDE THE MOBILE MARRIOTT 3101 Airport Blvd. • 476-6400

SOUTHERN NATIONAL ($$-$$$) 360 Dauphin St • 308-2387

VON’S BISTRO ($-$$)

SEAFOOD, ASIAN & AMERICAN CUISINE 69 St. Michael St • 375-1113

TAMARA’S DOWNTOWN ($$)

ANG BAHAY KUBO ($$)

BAMBOO STEAKHOUSE ($$) SUSHI BAR 650 Cody Rd. S • 300-8383

BANGKOK THAI ($-$$)

DELICIOUS, TRADITIONAL THAI CUISINE 28600 US 98 • Daphne • 626-5286 3821 Airport Blvd. • 344-9995

BANZAI JAPANESE RESTAURANT ($$) TRADITIONAL SUSHI & LUNCH. 312 Schillinger Rd. • 633-9077

BENJAS ($)

THAI & SUSHI 5369 D Hwy 90 W • 661-5100

CHARM ($-$$)

THAI KITCHEN & SUSHI BAR 960 Schillinger Rd. S • 660-4470

CASUAL FINE DINING 104 N. Section St. • Fairhope • 929-2219

CHINA DOLL ($)

THE TRELLIS ROOM ($$$)

CUISINE OF INDIA ($$)

CONTEMPORARY SOUTHERN CUISINE Battle House Hotel, Royal St. • 338-5493

3966 Airport Blvd.• 343-5530 LUNCH BUFFET 3674 Airport Blvd. • 341-6171

FUJI SAN ($)

THAI FARE AND SUSHI 2000 Airport Blvd. • 478-9888

FELIX’S FISH CAMP ($$) UPSCALE DINING WITH A VIEW 1420 Hwy. 98 • 626-6710

BUFFALO WILD WINGS ($) BEST WINGS & SPORTING EVENTS 6341 Airport Blvd. • 378-5955

GOLDEN BOWL ($)

FISHERMAN’S LEGACY ($)

BUTCH CASSIDY’S ($)

HIBACHI 1 ($-$$)

HALF SHELL OYSTER HOUSE ($)

CALLAGHAN’S IRISH SOCIAL CLUB ($)

HIBACHI GRILL & ASIAN CUISINE 309 Bel Air Blvd • 470-8033 2370 Hillcrest Rd. Unit B • 380-6062

ICHIBAN SUSHI ($)

JAPANESE & CHINESE CUISINE 3959 Cottage Hill Rd • 666-6266

KAI JAPANESE RESTAURANT ($-$$) QUALITY FOOD, EXCELLENT SERVICE 5045 Cottage Hill Rd. • 607-6454

LIQUID ($$)

AMAZING SUSHI & ASSORTMENT OF ROLLS. 661 Dauphin St. • 432-0109

RICE ASIAN GRILL & SUSHI BAR ($) 3964 Gov’t Blvd. • 378-8083

ROCK N ROLL SUSHI ($$)

273 S. McGregor Ave • 287-0445 6345 Airport Blvd. • 287-0555 940 Industrial Pkwy • 308-2158 6850 US HWY 98 • Daphne • 753-4367

STIX ($$)

610240 Eastern Shore Blvd. • 621-9088

TASTE OF THAI ($$)

9091 US-90 Irvington • 957-1414

TOKYO JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE ($$) UPSCALE SUSHI & HIBACHI 364 Azalea Rd. • 343-6622

WASABI SUSHI ($$)

JAPANESE CUISINE 3654 Airport Blvd. S. C • 725-6078

FROM THE DEPTHS

DELI, MARKET AND CATERING. 4380 Halls Mill Rd. • 665-2266

30500 AL-181 • Spanish Fort • 206-8768 3654 Airport Blvd. • 338-9350

LUCY B. GOODE ($$)

GULF COAST CUISINE, REINVENTED 200 E. 25th Ave. • Gulf Shores • 967-5858

LULU’S ($$)

LIVE MUSIC & GREAT SEAFOOD 200 E. 25th Ave. • Gulf Shores • 967-5858

MUDBUGS AT THE LOOP ($) CAJUN KITCHEN & SEAFOOD MARKET 2005 Government St. • 478-9897

OFF THE HOOK MARINA & GRILL($) CAJUN INSPIRED/FRESH SEAFOOD & MORE 621 N Craft Hwy • Chickasaw • 422-3412

BOUDREAUX’S CAJUN GRILL ($-$$) QUALITY CAJUN & NEW ORLEANS CUISINE 29249 US Highway 98 Daphne. • 621-1991

CRAVIN CAJUN/DIP SEAFOOD ($) PO-BOYS, SALADS & SEAFOOD 1870 Dauphin Island Pkwy • 287-1168

ED’S SEAFOOD SHED ($$)

FRIED SEAFOOD SERVED IN HEFTY PORTIONS 3382 Hwy. 98 • 625-1947

HURRICANE GRILL & WINGS ($-$$) WINGS, SEAFOOD, BURGERS & BEER 7721 Airport Blvd. Suite E-180 • 639-6832

ISLAND WING CO ($)

EVERYTHING BAKED OR GRILLED 2617 Dauphin St. • 476-9464

MANCIS ($)

1715 Main St. • 375-0543

R&R SEAFOOD ($-$$) RIVER SHACK ($-$$)

OLD 27 GRILL ($)

LAID-BACK EATERY & FISH MARKET 1477 Battleship Pkwy. • 621-8366 SEAFOOD, BURGERS & STEAKS 6120 Marina Dr. • Dog River • 443-7318.

THE GRAND MARINER ($-$$) LOCAL SEAFOOD & PRODUCE 6036 Rock Point Rd. • 443-7540

THE HARBOR ROOM ($-$$) UNIQUE SEAFOOD 64 S. Water St. • 438-4000

TIN TOP RESTAURANT & OYSTER BAR ($$)

ECLECTIC DINING & SPACE 6955 Airport Blvd. • 633-7196

SANDWICHES & COLD BEER 273 Dauphin St. • 433-4376 Hillcrest & Old Shell Rd. • 341-9464

MUG SHOTS ($$)

THE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT 1595 Battleship Pkwy. • 626-0045

THE BLUEGILL ($-$$)

BONEFISH GRILL ($$)

HEROES SPORTS BAR & GRILLE ($)

MCSHARRY’S IRISH PUB ($)

THE SEAFOOD HOUSE ($-$$)

A HISTORIC SEAFOOD DIVE W/ LIVE MUSIC 3775 Hwy. 98 • 625-1998

BURGERS & BEER 916 Charleston St. • 433-9374

RALPH & KACOO’S ($-$$)

BAUDEAN’S ($$)

FRIED, GRILLED, STEAMED & ALWAYS FRESH 3300 River Rd. • 973-9070

FAMOUS BURGERS, SANDWICHES & WINGS 60 N. Florida St. • 450-0690

751 Azalea Rd. • 301-7964

SEAFOOD, STEAKS, & EXTENSIVE WINE LIST 6232 Bon Secour Hwy County Rd. 10. • 949-5086

WINTZELL’S OYSTER HOUSE ($-$$) FRESH SEAFOOD FOR OVER 75 YEARS 605 Dauphin St. • 432-4605 6700 Airport Blvd. • 341-1111 1208 Shelton Beach Rd. • Saraland • 442-3335 805 S. Mobile St. • 929-2322

IS THE GAME ON?

ASHLAND MIDTOWN PUB ($-$$) PIZZAS, PASTAS, & CALZONES 245-A Old Shell Rd. • 479-3278

BAUMHOWER’S ($)

WINGS, BURGERS & PUB GRUB 6880 US-90 #14 • Daphne • 625-4695

BRILLIANT REUBENS & FISH-N-CHIPS. 101 N. Brancroft St. Fairhope • 990-5100 BAR & GRILL 29740 Urgent Care Dr. • Daphne • 662-9639 6255 Airport Blvd. • 447-2514 BURGERS, DOGS & 27 BEERS & WINES. 19992 Hwy.181 Old County Rd. Fairhope • 281-2663

LUCKY’S IRISH PUB ($)

IRISH PUB FARE & MORE 1108 Shelton Beach Rd •Saraland • 473-0757 3692 Airport Blvd • 414-3000

WEMOS ($)

WINGS, TENDERS, HOTDOGS & SANDWICHES 312 Schillinger Rd. • 633-5877

MAMA MIA!

BUCK’S PIZZA ($$)

DELIVERY 350 Dauphin St. • 431-9444

CORTLANDT’S PIZZA PUB ($-$$) GREAT PIZZA. LUNCH & DINNER 4356 Old Shell Rd. • 342-0024

GAMBINO’S ITALIAN GRILL ($) ITALIAN, STEAKS & SEAFOOD 18 Laurel Ave. • Fairhope • 990-0995

GRIMALDI’S ($)

Bel Air Mall • 476-2063

GUIDO’S ($$)

FRESH CUISINE NIGHTLY ON MENU 1709 Main St. • Daphne • 626-6082

HOUSE OF PIZZA ($)

3958 Snow Rd C. • Semmes • 645-3400

JONELLI’S ($)

1252 Gov’t St. • 301-7556

LA ROSSO ($$)

COMFORT FOOD 1716 Main St. Ste. C • Daphne • 281-2982

MARCOS ($)

5055 Cottage Hill Rd. • 308-4888 2394 Dawes Rr. • 639-3535 2004 US 98 • Daphne • 265-6550

MELLOW MUSHROOM ($)

PIES & AWESOME BEER SELECTION 2032 Airport Blvd. • 471-4700 5660 Old Shell Rd. • 380-1500 2409 Schillinger Rd S • 525-8431 29698 Frederick Blvd.• Daphne • 621-3911

MIRKO ($$)

PASTA & MORE 9 Du Rhu Dr. • 340-6611

NAVCO PIZZA ($$)

DAUPHIN ST. TAQUERIA ($)

ENCHILADAS, TACOS, & AUTHENTIC FARE Ok Bicycle Shop • 661 Dauphin St. • 432-2453

EL CAMINO TACO SHACK ($) 212 Fairhope Ave. • 928-8108

EL MARIACHI ($)

763 Holcombe Ave • 473-0413

FUEGO ($-$$)

PIZZA, PASTA, SALAD & MORE 102 N. Section St. •Fairhope• 929-2525

PIZZERIA DELFINA ($)

HACIENDA SAN MIGUEL ($-$$)

MAGNOLIA HOUSE ($$-$$$)

TASTE OF MEXICO 880 Schillinger Rd. S. • 633-6122 5805 US 90 • 653-9163

LA COCINA ($)

LOS ARCOS ($)

MARIA BONITA AGAVE BAR & GRILL ($-$$) MEXICAN CUISINE 3977 Gov’t Blvd. • 660-4970

OLÉ MI AMIGO ($-$$)

PIZZA & PASTA 107 Dauphin St. • 375-1644

ROMA CAFE ($-$$)

3050 AL 181 • Spanish Fort • 621-7433

TAMARA’S BAR & GRILL ($)

WINGS, PO-BOYS, BURGERS 210 Eastern Shore Center, Hwy. 98 • 929-0002

TRATTORIA PIZZA & ITALIAN ($$) ITALIAN FOOD & PIZZAS 11311 US HIghway 31 Spanish Fort• 375-0076

VIA EMILIA ($$)

HOMEMADE PASTAS & PIZZAS MADE DAILY 5901 Old Shell Rd. • 342-3677

OLÉ MI AMIGO! AZTECAS ($-$$)

TASTE OF MEXICO 5452 Hwy 90 W • 661-5509

CAFÉ DEL RIO ($-$$)

MOUTH WATERING MEXICAN FOOD 1175 Battleship Pkwy • 625-2722

CINCO DE MAYO ($) MEXICAN CUISINE 260 Azalea Rd. • 375-1095

EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE & TASTE

5713 Old Shell Rd.• 338-9697

HEARTY MEXICAN FARE 736 holcombe Ave.• 473-0413

PASTA, SALAD AND SANDWICHES 7143 Airport Blvd. • 341-7217

AMERICAN FARE & ROCKIN’ MEMORABILIA

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE ($$$)

HARRAH’S GULF COAST:

QUAINT MEXICAN RESTAURANT 5556 Old Shell Rd. • 345-7484

RAVENITE ($)

HALF SHELL OYSTER HOUSE ($-$$) HARD ROCK CAFÉ ($)

FUZZY’S TACO SHOP ($)

PINZONE’S ITALIAN VILLAGE ($$) AUTHENTIC ITALIAN DISHES 312 Fairhope Ave. • Fairhope • 990-5535

777 Beach Blvd.Biloxi • 877-877-6256

SATISFACTION ($-$$)

PAPA’S PLACE ($$)

A TASTE OF ITALY. BYOB. 28691 U.S. Highway 98 • 626-1999

BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER, LATE NIGHT

HARD ROCK CASINO:

OUTSTANDING MEXICAN CUISINE 2066 Old Shell Rd. • 378-8621

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN CUISINE 800 N Section St. • Fairhope • 990-0783 830 W I65 Service Rd. S • 378-5837 4663 Airport Blvd. • 342-5553

PIZZA, SUBS & PASTA 1368 ½ Navco Rd.• 479-0066

TERRACE CAFE ($)

POOR MEXICAN ($) ROOSTER’S ($)

LATIN AMERICAN FOOD 211 Dauphin St. • 375-1076

TAQUERIA CANCUN ($)

3172 International Dr. • 476-9967

TAQUERIA MEXICO ($-$$)

SOUTHERN FAVORITES BUFFET

280 Beach Blvd. Biloxi • 288-436-2946 FINE DINING, SEAFOOD AND STEAKS

FLAVORS BUFFET ($-$$) ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET

IP CASINO:

850 Bayview Ave. Bilox • 888-946-2847

THIRTY-TWO ($$$) SEAFOOD, STEAKS, WINE

TIEN ($-$$)

INTERACTIVE ASIAN DINING

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J a n u a r y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8 - J a n u a r y 3 0 , 2 0 1 8 | L AG N I A P P E | 19

CUISINE THE REVIEW

Charm Thai Kitchen in West Mobile charms with tasty food, generous portions

BY ANDY MACDONALD/CUISINE EDITOR | FATMANSQUEEZE@COMCAST.NET

THIS TOWN IS THAI CRAZY. WHEN I FIRST MOVED HERE IN THE MID ‘90S YOU WOULD ALWAYS HEAR ABOUT THAI FOOD “WAY OUT IN TILLMAN’S CORNER,” A TREK THAT WAS ASSUREDLY WORTH THE DRIVE.” mean Schillinger. Frank keeps on and on about it and though his lovely wife (who you read in these pages weekly) has my ear more so than he, I am now starting to pay close attention to Frank. He’s brought me gems such as Semmes House of Pizza and the award-winning Meat Boss, two great restaurants I first of heard from him. Spoiler alert: he’s three for three.

At Frank’s recommendation (he wanted a paragraph about how handsome and charming he is, but he won’t get it), Katie and I fueled up the family truckster, packed an overnight bag and researched hotel rooms in West Mobile in case we were

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Photo | Provided

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his town is Thai crazy. When I first moved here in the mid ‘90s you would always hear about Thai food “way out in Tillman’s Corner,” a trek that was assuredly worth the drive. Then came Busaba’s. That was downtown’s step toward revitalization where Noble South now stands, but certainly buzzworthy. Bangkok on Airport has had its share of ups and downs but is a safer bet than the Red Lobster around the corner.

In more recent times the king of Siam in our area has been Taste of Thai, once again west of our usual stomping grounds, this time in the St. Elmo area. I didn’t believe the hype until I made the journey. It’s incredible with its “Wall of Flame” and their quirky waiter who keeps me in stitches.

The current craze in Thai is Aroy, at the corner of Government and Common in the former China House restaurant.

Everyone in the OGD is head over heels for it, but my first visit was less than stellar, which tells me to give this place a chance to get up to speed before a true review. But there is another. …

Frank Trice has been in my ear about another “east meets west” hotspot called Charm Thai Kitchen. When I say west I

CHARM THAI KITCHEN AND SUSHI BAR 960 SCHILLINGER ROAD, STE. K • MOBILE 36695 251-660-4470

Crispy chicken and pad see ew shrimp at West Mobile’s Charm Thai Kitchen & Sushi Bar.

I knew as soon as I read the entrees that Katie was going to too tired to drive home and headed out Airport Boulevard. Siri order Pad Ginger ($9.95). No extra charge for the chicken, this says to hit Schillinger and take a left. Charm is on the right, in stir-fried mix of bell peppers, onions and black mushrooms in a the former location of Orleans Po’boys a little south of Target. light, transparent sauce didn’t exactly scream ginger at first, but I used to randomly perform in this space so I knew the a few bites in the flavor profile took off. building well. It was a frigid night with snow threatening, and Between the shrimp summer rolls, the shrimp Tom Kah and with many places closed we were one of the few couples there. the Tuna Tower, I was nearly seafooded out. I almost fell for a The perfect start was a pot of hot tea ($5 for two). It helped curry dish but my heart was in the Prik-Pao Chicken ($12.95). us shake off the cold and prepare ourselves for the other end This crispy chicken is cooked with roasted of the spectrum with summer rolls ($5.95). chili paste and stir fried with onions, carI’m a sucker for these things, with a record rots, bell peppers and cashews. Of course it of eating a half dozen in 20 minutes. sounds so similar to a million Thai dishes Tonight we behaved and shared four with from my spotted past but this was different. shrimp. The peanut sauce was a little sweet The marriage of the flavors, the crispness but a dollop of Sriracha evened that out, WITH ALL THIS STELof the chicken, the subtlety of the spices — and I couldn’t stay away from it. Luckily this dish was near perfect.

Katie and I are close enough that we can LAR THAI IN OUR AREA, Even the rice here was outstanding. I’m double dip.

THERE’S NO EXCUSE FOR a jasmine kind of guy these days and they I can live on appetizers alone in a place nail it. The presentations were charming such as this. Spicy Tuna Tower ($12.95) NOT ADDING A LITTLE as well. I’d say Charm is the caliber of is another irresistible dish for me. You can restaurant you would expect to command forget the beloved Tuna Tataki when this CULTURE TO YOUR DIET. a much higher price. This gigantic meal is in town. Rice, spicy tuna and crab with THIS IS ONE YOU DON’T that fed me the next day was less than $60 avocado is a combination well suited for my at dinner prices. Lunch specials are in the current diet. The trouble is in the self-conWANT TO MISS. $7.95 range and include soups and appetiztrol, when I want to order two. I was able to ers with the entrée! keep my composure this go-around.

Of course I exaggerate the long, arduous I’d heard their Tom Kah soup ($9.95) 25-minute drive from my house, but we was spectacular. With all of this food they agreed we won’t bat an eyelash if dinner is suggested. I’d say offered us a half size at $4.95, still enough to serve each of it’s good enough to take visitors when you’re burned out on us a couple bowls and some to take home. I paid $1 extra for downtown. shrimp. The spice in this soup balanced the sweetness of the With all this stellar Thai in our area, there’s no excuse for coconut, opening up those winter sinuses with the flavors of not adding a little culture to your diet. This is one you don’t cilantro and lemongrass. want to miss. Thanks for the tip, Frank.

Ever meet a ginger who loved ginger? Well I have one.

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CUISINE | WORD OF MOUTH

Heroes brings back the oysters!

BY ANDY MACDONALD/CUISINE EDITOR

L

ike it or not, Mardi Gras is here. Downtown is about to be much busier than usual, and right in the thick of it all is Heroes.

To celebrate the Carnival season, Heroes is again offering delicious oysters. You have your choice of fried or even more fried, but get them in a basket, a combo basket with shrimp or on a po’boy with Heroes’ new Leidenheimer bread.

Fans are calling them “legit.” A spokesman from Heroes tells me they plan to keep serving them for at least a few weeks.

I wish they would quit the McRib scam and put them on the permanent menu. I’d play hooky for those things.

Midtown Smoothie King moves

St. Mary’s Steak Out a huge success

There was a lot of trash talk leading up to this year’s Steak Out night of excessive beef intake at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. It seems some teams were out for first blood, and I’m talking cold center.

Photo | Flickr/Creative Commons

The Smoothie King on Airport near the loop moved across the parking lot to the former Sugar Rush Donuts building across the street from Mellow Mushroom and is now open for business.

Of course it’s a walk in, order a smoothie kind of place. But this one also has a drive-thru window for those of you suffering from agoraphobia or laziness.

Get there early. Most days they start serving at 7 a.m., so you can pound a 32-ouncer before school. Remember, these are the good kind of calories.

The parking lot was full last Saturday as teams got underway, with pounds of meat per person cooked to varying degrees of perfection.

Third place went to JT and the Callaghan’s gang. KK Ollis of Ashland Pub found second place with his Ollis Brothers team. Veteran’s Recovery Resources slid in with the People’s Choice Award. But first place went to Team Shane Rice Photography. They say the secret was the chimichurri sauce.

“This was way more fun than last year,” gloated winner Shane Rice. “My goal was just to beat Callaghan’s and rub it into JT’s face. Who knew Old Shell Road was such a battlefield?”

Defending champion JT had something to say about that.

“I told Shane Rice his steak was a solid No. 2. He needs to quit riding his wife’s coattails,” he said, speaking of awardwinning Chef Arwen Rice at Red or White. Let’s keep this classy, boys.

Attendees said the event was packed and will likely have to be moved to a larger venue if it continues to grow. Many commented on the wonderful beers provided by local brewers, such as Serda’s, Haint Blue and Southern Prohibition. This is turning into quite the event!

Fairhope Brewing Co. turns 5

While some of you were at the Steak Out, I was at Fairhope Brewing Co.’s Five Year anniversary party! I have never seen the taproom as jam packed as it was at this “Empire Strikes Back”-themed party. I expect many more years to come, as their beer has gotten better each year. Congratulations, boys!

Recycle!

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THE TWO LOCATIONS OF HEROES SPORTS BAR & GRILL HAVE FRIED OYSTERS FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY.

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COVER STORY

Boom or bust?

Local experts discuss the future of cryptocurrency

T

JASON JOHNSON/REPORTER

here’s no denying bitcoin, the world’s first as a system of payment for brick-and-mortar stores. decentralized digital currency, had a big year.

“At the time, I thought it would be a good thing to Since the beginning of 2017, the value of have a lot of businesses accept bitcoin for foot traffic, but a single bitcoin rose from $950 to more than I was the only person who would actually go around and $19,000 — pushing the net worth of some of the first buy coffee with bitcoin,” Ray said. “In hindsight, bitcoin investors to embrace “nerd money” into the billions makes more sense for the internet than it does for foot — only to plummet, then jump back up again. As of traffic. It’s just easier to use cash or a debit card.”

Jan. 22, a bitcoin was worth $11,500.

What started as a system for making anonymous What’s a bitcoin? transactions online has evolved into a commodity as the Ray’s experience in Mobile isn’t unique. Even value of the digital currency has increased. That has led among businesses accepting bitcoin, most do so for to a shift in what some of bitcoin’s earliest supporters online purchases but not at the point of sale. That is view as the best use for the technology. due, in large part, to a problem at the very heart of the In Mobile, Michael Ray has rightly earned the title program itself. of “the bitcoin guy.” In 2014, he launched a merchant With no centralized bank, government or a trusted payment processor for bitcoin transactions called Dixiethird party to verify the transactions, that task is disBit and began what was essentially a one-man effort to tributed across a vast computer network of users on the educate local businesses about the benefits of the new bitcoin system as individual transactions are requested. currency.

Those users — or more specifiHe also established bitcoin cally their computers — compete meetup groups in Mobile, Pensacwith one another to authenticate ola and New Orleans that also have and encrypt those requested transseen growth as national interest in actions before grouping them into bitcoin surged. Speaking with Lawhat’s called a block. Each block IN A WORLD WHERE MOST gniappe, Ray said today those three of approved transactions is then groups collectively have more than added to the blockchain, which is a MONEY, EVEN GOOD OL’ 274 active members. public ledger recording every bitUNITED STATES CURRENCY, “There has definitely been an coin transaction since the program increase in interest in all three of was created in 2009.

SEEMS TO BE MANAGED the bitcoin meetups since the reUnlike ledgers recording cash or DIGITALLY, IT CAN BE TOUGH cent price spike,” Ray said. “We’re other transactions, the blockchain is now frequently having to pull up the only place unspent bitcoins techTO BELIEVE SOMETHING LIKE additional tables and chairs to acnically exist. And because thousands commodate everyone.”

THAT IS EVEN POSSIBLE. of users have the same, automatiWhile the popularity of bitcoin cally updated copy of that ledger, it may be growing locally, its use is functionally fraud proof. in everyday transactions has not.

“If you’re playing a game of At the height of Ray’s efforts, pickup baseball and you hit a base only a handful of businesses were accepting bitcoin as hit and run straight to third, everyone is going to say, payment for services locally. Of those still in business, ‘you can’t do that,’” Ray said. “What keeps bitcoin none has continued the practice. honest is that it’s sort of like the world’s largest, real time, all-the-time audit. Everybody on the network is According to coinmap.org, which tracks businesses watching every transaction, and if anybody doesn’t play accepting bitcoin, there are only two in the Mobile area by the rules, that transaction will just be ignored.” today — Reed’s Jewelers in The Shoppes at Bel Air, Verifying, encrypting and updating those transacthough only for online payments, and a local photogrations is also what generates bitcoins, which users pher using a third-party service called Airbitz. receive for performing that work. It’s referred to as Ray said DixieBit still exists as “a latent company,” “mining” and those who do it are called “miners,” the and though he says he could find a use for it down the way gold — something bitcoin is often compared to road, he said he “miscalculated” when pushing bitcoin — is mined from the earth.

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Illustration | Laura Rasmussen

However, not only does this process take time, it increasingly costs more money.

Because there are only so many miners and a limited number of transactions that can fit within a single block, many prioritize transactions by the fees they receive. The higher the transaction fee, the more likely a miner is to process it in the block he or she is configuring.

This has actually been exacerbated by bitcoin’s growth because the more transactions there are to process, the longer each one takes and the higher transaction fees can rise. Ray said the increase over the past few months has made bitcoin “highly prohibitive for smaller purchases.”

However, developers have been testing a “lightning network” that would improve transaction speeds and make micropayments possible by postponing the validation of smaller transactions, which would typically occur in real time, by taking them offline and adding it to the blockchain later.

Paradise lost

“I was at the Silicon Valley Bitcoin Meetup back in 2014, when someone on the microphone asked, ‘who in this room has lost Bitcoin?’ Just about every hand in the room, mine included, went up in the air,” Ray said. “He went on to say that, until the people developing the tools of the bitcoin ecosystem could build tools that were easier and more intuitive to use, bitcoin was going to have limited application.”

While Ray says there have been many improvements over the past few years, he acknowledges quirks in the system created a painful side story to bitcoin’s giant price leaps last fall — sudden millionaires with no way of accessing their fortunes.

In a world where most money, even good ol’ United States currency, seems to be managed digitally, it can be tough to believe something like that is even possible. It can help to understand the differences between what bitcoin started out as and what it has grown into.

For Ray and other longtime supporters, bitcoin’s biggest value isn’t in its trading price, it’s in the original vision behind it: a decentralized

COVER STORY currency that could rival those backed by the world’s governments and central banks, if not one day rendering them obsolete altogether.

In the early going, it was often the users of bitcoin who drove the creation of and in some cases designed applications and services allowing the system to function. As Ray put it, “Because bitcoin is still nerd money, it can be difficult for a lot of lay people to use it securely and safely.

“In my case, I loaded a new bitcoin wallet on my smartphone, and I made up a new password of some, I don’t know, 30 characters or something,” he said. “Curiously, the application did not ask me to retype my new password a second time to ensure accuracy, and apparently, I mistyped some character in this password, because I could not, thereafter, access the wallet.”

“Bang! Bitcoin gone!” Ray added.

Ray declined to speak to what that slip of a finger might have cost him, as he doesn’t believe it wise to publicly disclose bitcoin holdings. However, a recent study conducted

by Chainalysis Inc. found nearly 20 percent of the known bitcoins today have been lost to circumstances such as crashed computers, forgotten passwords and smartphones that took an unexpected swim.

According the report and based on current prices, those bitcoins would be worth $25 billion were they cashed out today. Instead, they’ve fallen into the couch cushions of cyberspace, where they exist only as a line of encrypted data on the constantly expanding blockchain.

Because double entry for new passwords is a well established precedent, Ray said he blames his lost bitcoin on a design flaw, not within the bitcoin programming itself, but with the particular wallet app he was using at the time.

He also noted that bitcoin’s core technology, the blockchain, securely records bitcoin holdings on thousands of devices all over the world, adding that any wallet could be reconstructed using the same private keys or passwords that granted access to it before it was lost.

“However, the private keys are recorded somewhere. If you lose them, you lose your bitcoins,” he added. “This continues to be a problem in the bitcoin realm, but the progress has been dramatic. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is the bitcoin ecosystem.”

Who’s betting on bitcoin?

If you ask an economist, there are a number of factors behind bitcoin’s dramatic price fluctuations. For starters, its entire concept is based on a truly innovative technology and it also doesn’t suffer from a shortage of hype, speculation or media coverage at the moment.

It has also seemed to be gaining interest from more traditional investing forces, though not everyone is as sold on bitcoin as a serious asset just yet.

Kyre Lahtinen, an assistant professor of finance at the University of South Alabama, had some positive things to say about bitcoin, adding that making any firm prediction about where its value might head in the short term would be ill-advised.

Still, he thinks cryptocurrency will need to gain more legitimacy before it becomes something the average person

understands and might invest in. He said that could be aided by moving into more regulated markets investors feel more comfortable with, though some of the initial attempts with bitcoin have met regulatory roadblocks.

“There’s been some mixed success there. There are now futures contracts which trade on bitcoin, and that’s created some additional demand,” Lahtinen said. “The thinking being, if you can get futures listed based on the value of bitcoin, it will become a more stable, well-accepted financial product, but at the same time, efforts to set up exchange-traded funds and mutual funds that are traded continuously throughout the day have been turned down uniformly.”

Lahtinen was referring to attempts in 2017 to set up exchange-traded products through the New York Stock Exchange that, in practice, would have traded like a stock by tracking changes in bitcoin’s price. That could have given investors a more secure inroad to the marquee cryptocurrency, but it was shot down by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission twice.

Based on the SEC’s explanation, Lahtinen said there were likely concerns that products tied to bitcoin would still come with a significant amount of risk that average investors — such as those with a 401(k) they don’t actively manage

SINCE THE BEGINNING OF 2017, THE VALUE OF A SINGLE BITCOIN ROSE FROM $950 TO MORE THAN $19,000 — PUSHING THE NET WORTH OF SOME OF THE FIRST INVESTORS TO EMBRACE ‘NERD MONEY’ INTO THE BILLIONS — ONLY TO PLUMMET, THEN JUMP BACK UP AGAIN.” — wouldn’t grasp given its unique nature and volatile price.

Lahtinen also made it a point to note some of the risks associated with bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which he said anyone thinking of jumping on the bitcoin bandwagon should consider as well.

“Several major exchanges have been hacked, and one of the strengths and weaknesses is that you can’t falsify a transaction, but you also can’t reverse one because you can’t spend the same bitcoin twice and have them both count,” he said.

“If somebody gets your private keys they can transfer your bitcoins and leave you without recourse. To implement a blockchain for a payment system can be challenging because you need to be able to undo transactions in the event of fraud, which is why we all love Visa because we can call them up and say, ‘I didn’t’ spend that!’ and they’ll take it right off.

With bitcoin, you don’t have that option.”

Lahtinen is also the faculty advisor to the Jaguar Investment Fund, a student-managed investment fund at USA.

When asked, he said the Jags have not invested in bitcoin but they do own stock in Square, the mobile payment company that has been publicly considering adding support for bitcoin transactions to its platform.

Asked for advice about potential investments in bitcoin, Lahtinen said those interested should be cautious and understand the risks associated with it, adding that, without being a computer scientist, investors should still be able to “understand and explain how the underlying technology of bitcoin works.”

What’s more, he noted bitcoin is far from the only cryptocurrency today. Hundreds of similar digital currencies that have adopted its structure, many of which had their own banner years in 2017 but were overshadowed by the gains made by bitcoin, still dominate the market share.

“I think there’s still a lot of questions, but it remains a really interesting area,” Lahtinen said. “There’s lot of tech that’s been promising and really cool over the years but never works out into a broadly accepted tool or consumer device.

You know, is this VHS or a Betamax? Is it DVD or LaserDisc? I don’t know.”

While there are varying opinions on what bitcoin will be mean for the future of paper money and online transaction, James “Jim” Swofford, a professor of economics and finance at USA, said he’s already seeing things that have him pondering what currency will be in the future.

He said it’s already more common to pay with a bank card.

Then there are things like Apple Pay and mobile apps that allow people to pay for things like coffee before they pick them up. Swofford said he often sometimes wonders at what point it will become more difficult to give cash to someone.

“My students, they don’t have money. They don’t use currency at all, they just flash a bank card,” Swofford said.

“Maybe it will be the social pressure from the line, you know? You’re holding up the line by trying to pay cash, and there’s hipsters in the back of the line saying, ‘what are you doing trying pay cash, old man?’ It’s interesting. Could bitcoin become a big part of transactions in the future? That’s up to the public accepting it.”

One thing Swofford, Lahtinen and even Ray seemed to agree on, though, was that the idea and technology behind bitcoin likely isn’t going away anytime soon, if ever. Specifically, the blockchain itself has been broadly praised, with some even calling it “the new internet.”

It’s already spawned a number of non-cryptocurrency-related functions, such as “smart contracts” that could eliminate the need for escrow accounts by using a blockchaining network to vet, review and release documents and values at stake after certain contractual conditions are met.

More concerning for those drawn to bitcoin for its privacy is the possibility of governments developing their own cryptocurrencies that could track all transactions by reverse engineering the blockchain — effectively turning them into what Swofford called “cash with a paper trail.”

“I think cryptocurrencies, having been discovered, are going to be here. I don’t know that it’s going to be bitcoin,” Ray said. “It’s the first technology in history that allows an individual to send money over a distance without a third party.

Something’s going to be here, and we’re going to use it.”

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ART ARTIFICE

Arty Awards heighten pride of place in big night

The physical awards, with a nod to Mobile’s Creole heritage, were crafted by local sculptor April Livingston.

In a change-up, they invited special performances from local talent at intervals in the ceremonies. The first was a musical theater number from Joe Jefferson Players’ Whitney Upton and Jessica Head, accompanied by keyboardist Stacy Driskell.

BY KEVIN LEE/ARTS EDITOR/KLEE@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM The second was Mobile Opera tenor Tommy Rowell, accompanied by pianist Robert Holm. His selection? Well, Rigoletto’s “La donna é mobile,” of course.

When it has the town’s name in the title, is there any doubt? obile Arts Council had one goal with the 2018 MAC’s Lucy Gafford and Angela Montgomery handed out a special award of Arty Awards: to raise the bar on both experience gratitude to MAC Board Treasurer Debbie Stevens. and expectation. Consider it met.

Marcus took the lead in presenting the final awards of the evening. He nodded The Jan. 18 shindig was the council’s second to his three years as board president, to the need for a robust cultural scene to time around since revamping the previously tagged Greater generate vitality and its ultimate payoff in tourist dollars.

Mobile Art Awards. The aim was to inject more panache Though it was odd seeing him in a sportcoat, it wasn’t unusual that John with a change in name and format.

Thompson received the award for Patron. Since purchasing Callaghan’s Irish SoNominees in nine of the 11 categories were announced cial Club about 15 years ago, Thompson has made it a priority to feature popular in late November and winners unveiled in an “Oscars-style” music acts from around the region, often highlighting up-and-comers on their event. Winners of the Patron and Lifetime Achievement way to national stardom.

Award were released weeks before the big night.

The result is a business that has made several national lists for its unique vibe.

They traded last year’s setting of Alabama Contemporary Thompson has since expanded by purchasing Eastern Shore landmark Manci’s Art Center for The Steeple. It seemed a great fit, a little less Antique Club with plans for replicating the same success. cavernous and cozier.

Unlike the other award winners, the Patron and Lifetime Achievement are They swapped last year’s classic rock ensemble for a jazz Photo | Mobile Arts Counci allowed remarks once onstage. Characteristically, Thompson declined the trio, a highly welcomed move. Conversation was easier, the opportunity. ambience more sophisticated.

The Mobile Arts Council hosted the Arty Awards Jan. That certainly wasn’t the case for Lifetime Achievement winner Charles Roughly 150 souls braved the subfreezing temperatures 18. The awards, with a fleur-de-lis motif, were crafted Smith. The acclaimed potter is known for his outspoken manner and freeand influenza outbreak to bolster MAC Director Shellie by local sculptor April Livingston. flowing thoughts.

Teague’s opening remark, that “art matters because it speaks “My grandkids said ‘Don’t say anything crazy,’” Smith joked from the lectern, to our shared experiences.” to widespread laughter.

• Organization: Alabama Contemporary Art Center As the nominees in each category were read, their Smith said the most valuable thing artists can possess is “independence, stub• Performing Artist: Operatic soprano Lynn Campbell faces loomed on projection screens above the stage, bornness and a don’t-give-a-damn attitude” to keep them true to their muse. He • Visual Artist: Tattoo artist Sean Herman along with examples of their work. The deserving recipiAs far as examples of their work, Richardson showed up said Mobile’s creative community needs to better learn how to “brag about your ents were as follows: everyone with a pair of elaborate Mardi Gras trains mounted good artists.”

• Educator: Stephen French of Davidson High School “We have a number of local icons that don’t get the financial support they and splayed out onstage.

• Art Soldier: Joe and Donna McClung Camp Each winner paused for photos with Teague, MAC Board need,” Smith said. “Your artists should be your representatives, not your • Business: Kazoola politicians.

President Jeff Marcus and MAC Board Vice President • Cultural Innovation: Writer/blogger Lynn Henderson “If I go someplace else, I know I can muster with the best anywhere and if you Devin Ford. The exception was Gaillard, who sent UniOldshue don’t like it then I don’t give a damn,” he concluded to raucous applause.

• Design: Mardi Gras costume designer Patricia Richardson versity of South Alabama colleague Paige Vitulli to do the In a night filled with pride of place, Smith ended with the perfect punctuation. honors on his behalf.

• Literary Artist: Frye Gaillard

M

Late-night TV legend at USA

Civil War lunch with authors

Mobile is a historian’s treasure trove and various local writers have taken advantage over the years. Now a pair of them will meet at one of Mobile’s most picturesque landmarks to discuss their work on America’s bloodiest conflict.

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Well-known local historians and authors John S. Sledge and Frye Gaillard will discuss their books — “These Rugged Days: Alabama in the Civil War” and “Journey to the Wilderness: War, Memory and a Southern Family’s Civil War Letters,” respectively — covering the war’s effect on the lives of Alabamians.

It gets underway Wednesday, Jan. 31, at 10:30 a.m. in the Magnolia Room at Bellingrath Garden and Home (12401 Bellingrath Gardens Road in Theodore). After the presentation, Sledge and Gaillard will sign copies of their books, available for purchase in the gift shop.

The program is part of the Winter Wednesdays series in January and February. Sessions are held each week in the Magnolia Room, 10:30-11:30 a.m., through Feb. 28. Admission to the program is included in the regular gardens admission, and guests are encouraged to tour the gardens after the session.

Registration is requested. To register, call 251-459-8864.

ARTSGALLERY

The University of South Alabama Department of Music is proud to present a Gala Finale Concert for USA Trumpet Day on Saturday, Feb. 10, in the Laidlaw Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. The event, hosted by USA Professor of Trumpet Peter Wood, Ph.D., will feature the legendary Doc Severinsen and Cathy Leach, Ph.D., trumpet professor at the University of Tennessee and president of the International Trumpet Guild.

USA Trumpet Day participants will also perform.

Serverinsen, who will turn 91 in July, is the former bandleader for “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.”

Tickets for the Gala Finale Concert will be sold at the door only. Admission is $8 general and $5 for USA faculty and staff, USA students, youths under 18 and all senior citizens (cash or check only). Musical Arts Series season passes will, of course, be honored.

For more information, or for those needing special accom-

modation, call 251-460-7116 or 251-460-6136.

Need directions to Laidlaw? Just go to Google Maps and enter “USA Laidlaw Performing Arts Center.” It’s on the southwest corner of University Boulevard and USA Drive South.

Interested trumpet players of all ages and ability levels are welcome to attend and participate during USA Trumpet Day. More information about the event, including an online registration form, can be found on the USA Trumpet Day website (southalabama.edu/colleges/music/trumpetday.html).

Questions may be directed to Dr. Wood at 251-460-7821 or pwood@southalabama.edu.

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MUSIC

FEATURE

Abe Partridge: Raw yet defined

BY STEPHEN CENTANNI/MUSIC EDITOR/SCENTANNI@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

BAND: ABE PARTRIDGE ALBUM RELEASE PARTY DATE: SATURDAY, FEB. 3, 7 P.M. VENUE: SKATE MOUNTAIN RECORDS, 105 5TH ST. (DAPHNE), WWW.SKATEMOUNTAINRECORDS.COM TICKETS: $20, AVAILABLE THROUGH EVENTBRITE

T

wo years ago, Lagniappe introduced its readers to the world of local singer-songwriter Abe Partridge. At the time, Partridge was promoting his debut album “White Trash Lipstick,” one that showcased a style characterized by an acoustic-driven mix of folk and country and a delivery of lyrical poetry through raw vocals filled with broken glass and razor blades.

Since then, Partridge’s musical formula has gone unchanged, but his reputation as one of the Southeast’s most unique and promising singersongwriters continues to grow with each live performance.

Last year, Partridge signed with Mobile Bay

The Listening Room of Mobile inspired this song.

“I walked up to the corner of St. Francis and Royal,” he said. “You look down one side of the road, and they have the big Raphael Semmes statue. If you look down the other side, you see down into places that you might not want to be at night.

It became the title because it was representative of the feel of the album. It’s heavy, and it’s Southern.

It fit with the songs that ended up on my album.”

Even though Partridge’s musical formula has remained intact, “Cotton Fields and Blood for Days” displays a more complex level of production than his previous releases. The personality of the tracks flourishes through the studio prowess of producer Shawn Byrne. Partridge met this Nashville-based singer-songwriter/producer at his

It doesn’t matter how good

of a songwriter or a lyricist you are. If it doesn’t come across as

area label Skate Mountain Records. On Friday, Jan. 26, Partridge will release his label debut, “Cotton Fields and Blood for Days,” with a release party at Skate Mountain Records’ Daphne headquarters.

When it comes to his increasing notoriety on the Southeastern music scene, Partridge humbly cites providence. However, the emotional power of Partridge’s honest and dedicated approach to his craft cannot be denied.

“I guess the most important thing is honesty and believability in your material,” Partridge said.

“It doesn’t matter how good of a songwriter or a lyricist you are. If it doesn’t come across as believable, then it lies flat. I don’t like listening to stuff unless I believe, or at least, I believe that the artist believes it.”

“Cotton Fields and Blood for Days” demonstrates Partridge’s talent for mixing lyrical beauty with instrumental arrangements that are both gentle and melancholy no matter the subject. Even tunes such as “I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker” and “Our Babies Will Never Grow Up to Be Astronauts” give the impression he might provide a bit of lightheartedness for his listeners.

But even these seemingly offbeat songs preserve Partridge’s knack for weaving splendor with angst in a Southern context. This can also be witnessed through the evocative track “The Ghosts of Mobile,” from which the album takes its title.

The ethereal reverberation and thought-provoking lyrics of this track use Azalea City imagery to provide Partridge’s haunting commentary on the state of the New South.

Partridge says a late-night walk after a show at

very first performance at a songwriters contest in Gulf Shores.

Since his first album, Partridge has continued to look to Byrne for guidance in the studio. Byrne was instrumental in connecting Partridge with Mobile native Molly Thomas, who provides backing vocals. “Cotton Fields and Blood for Days” also includes percussionist Thelonious Jefferson Scruggs as well as “folk cellist” Courtney Blackwell (Honeyboy & Boots), who Partridge also met at the songwriters competition.

Through Byrne’s guidance, the album manages to maintain the raw nature of Partridge’s sound while a variety of instruments and studio effects expand his music reality. Partridge’s consideration of Byrne’s advice is based upon the producer’s recognition of Partridge’s own goals for his music.

“He gets my music, and he understands my approach,” Partridge said. “I might be a little different from other local artists in that I don’t view myself as a musician or an entertainer. I see myself as a communicator. I try to communicate with my art.

Going into a studio and saying that is different.”

Ultimately, the power of the music found on “Cotton Fields and Blood for Days” comes from Partridge’s unfiltered musical renditions of his various life experiences. He has spent time as a manual laborer, a soldier and even a Baptist minister, which led to a crisis of faith that kindled his career in music. With iconic songwriters such as Townes Van Zandt and Bob Dylan as muses, Partridge’s journey on this planet has given him a wealth of viewpoints and events as fodder.

“I feel like I’ve been in a really unique set of circumstances to have walked all these different

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Photo | Courtesy Skate Mountain Records

believable, then it lies flat.

Abe Partridge’s “Cotton Fields and Blood for Days” features eight original songs that draw in listeners with a combination of Southern Gothic storytelling and a dark humor reminiscent of the late Townes Van Zandt — delivered in a gravelly tone that conjures up images of Tom Waits in his barstool-warming days. walks over the past 37 years,” Partridge said. “I’ve been a whole lot of different stuff and lived a lot of different ways. It allows me to put myself into that mindset and write from different perspectives.”

In addition to performing cuts from his new album, Partridge will also be displaying another side of his artistic mind — specifically, his folk art pieces. This visual art came to life during the same crisis of faith that led him to find balance and solace within music.

These images, etched into plywood covered in roofing tar, take on the same raw nature of his visions of the South portrayed in his music.

This visual art was solely for Partridge’s personal enjoyment until publicist Michelle Roche and Jeff Wooding of Nature/Nurture Artist Management saw them.

“They [Roche and Wooding] came to my house one day when we were talking about releasing the record,” Partridge said. “They saw my art on the walls and started freaking out and saying that it’s great. I went back to my junk room and pulled out some of my other pieces, and they were flipping out about it. It’s weird and oddball, but some folks dig it.”

After the release party, Partridge will continue to maintain the positive creative momentum that began with the debut of his first album. He’s already making plans to start putting together his next album before the end of the year.

Partridge also wants to keep remain on the road as much as possible, which has not been a challenge for him. He hopes that “Cotton Fields and Blood for Days” will give him the boost to transcend the Southeast and move onto the national scene.

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MUSIC BRIEFS

M.O.O.R.E. betta

BY STEPHEN CENTANNI/MUSIC EDITOR/SCENTANNI@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

Band: 9th Annual M.O.O.R.E. Masquerade Ball Date: Friday, Jan. 26, with doors at 8:30 p.m.

Venue: The Merry Widow, 51 S. Conception St., www.themerrywidow.net Tickets: $10 in advance/$15 day of show (VIP available); via venue website

Mardi Gras metal

Band: Green Jelly, D.R.E.A.D., Curse the Flesh Date: Friday, Jan. 26, with doors at 9 p.m.

Venue: Alchemy Tavern, 7 S. Joachim St., www.alchemytavernmobile.com Tickets: $10 in advance/$15 day of show; available through Ticket Biscuit

Alchemy Tavern has put together a metallic bill that will add to the raucous Mardi Gras vibe the Conde Cavaliers bring each year. Two Azalea City metal groups will set the tone for the evening.

D.R.E.A.D.’s furious sound has made it a favorite with metalheads locally and beyond. Demonic vocals are set to arrangements that harken back to the early days of bands such as Anthrax and Slayer. Curse the Flash will perpetuate the darkness with its grand, vehement riffs and vocals conjured from the depths of Hell.

Headliner Green Jelly will spread equal parts potent metal and offbeat humor. In 1992, this band established its following with the multimedia breakout “Cereal Killer.” Using tracks such as “Three Little Pigs” and “Anarchy in Bedrock,” Green Jelly won listeners with its hilarious songs and companion music videos.

When it comes to the band’s live show, Green Jelly is known for featuring a vast menagerie of cartoonish characters from its catalog. Fans can expect the release of Green Jelly’s next effort, “Garbage Band Kids,” before the end of the year.

Winter Jam 2018 at USA

Band: Winter Jam 2018 Date: Thursday, Feb. 1, with doors at 6 p.m.

Venue: USA Mitchell Center, 5950 Old Shell Road, www.southalabama.edu Tickets: $15 donation at the door

For more than 20 years, the annual Winter Jam tour has traversed the nation with a lineup of superstars from the Contemporary Christian music world.

The tour’s website says iconic Christian pop group NewSong was founded with hopes of attracting crowds with its combination of modern music and spiritual inspiration. This year, NewSong will share the lineup with musical acts Addison Agen, Jordan Feliz, KB, Building 429 and Kari Jobe. Comedian John Crist and Evangelist Nick Hall will also be appearing.

Skillet will headline Winter Jam 2018. This coed group have used a mix of mainstream metal and Christian missive to establish a dedicated following, especially in the Azalea City.

Skillet has also crossed into the secular mainstream through such hit singles as “Monster” and “Sick of It.” “Unleashed” is the band’s latest album. Its fresh, edgy sound is a wave of otherworldly, harmonic hooks laced with heavy work on the guitar and synth.

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Photo | YouTube | Ryan Viser

A

fter the Conde Cavaliers roll, the Mystic Order of Revolutionary Enlightenment (M.O.O.R.E.) will accent the first night of Mardi Gras with a feast for mind, body and soul, bringing together regional artists and musicians for an evening of eclectic sensory overload representing the spirit of Mobile’s most revered holiday season. From hip-hop to funk, this year’s M.O.O.R.E. lineup will take revelers across the spectrum of sound.

Local DJ Charlie B from Invazzion Entertainment will mix up and mash up cuts of rhythmic goodness. The crowd will also meet the Neighbors through the Wall, a hip-hop project that shines with its ever-changing blasts of intricate verbal flow.

This year’s masked affair will also feature what is being described as the “MOB Town Super Jam.” This funky set will combine the talents of guitarist Ryan Balthrop, bassist Christian Heiden, drummer Daniel Clements, keyboardist Jacob Hall and “a guest horn section.”

The festive concoction of brass and EDM makes Shreveport’s Ryan Vizer the perfect headliner for the event. This trumpeter’s unique musical formula could almost be considered a new style of House music in the electronic world. Vizer’s bright, perky trumpet mingles well with modern dub elements. His live show is a charismatic personification of the spirit behind his sound.

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AREAMUSIC LISTINGS | January 24 - January 30

WED. JAN 24

Bluegill— Matt Neese Blues Tavern—Art, 8p Callaghan’s— Cotton Bird Cockeyed Charlie’s— JJ Felix’s— Matt Bush Duo Flora Bama— Rebecca Barry Trio, 11a// Neil Dover, 3p/// Albert Simpson, 7p//// Rhonda Hart Duo, 7p Listening Room— Jesse Terry, 8p

THUR. JAN 25

Bluegill— Shea White Blues Tavern— McBro Duo, 8:30p Callaghan’s— Lee Yankie Cockeyed Charlie’s— JJ Felix’s— Bobby and Jana Flora Bama— Gove Scrivenor, 1p// Dueling Pianos, 4:30p/// Mark Sherrill, Chris Newbury, James Daniel, 5p//// Bruce Smelley, 9p//// Al and Cathy, 9:15p Listening Room— John Coltore Tribute ft. John Cochran, John Milham, Jojo Morris and Chris Spies, 8p Lulu’s— Grits N Pieces, 5p Manci’s— Ross Newell McSharry’s— Jimmy Lumpkin and Eric Jones Duo, 7p Top of the Bay— Electric Sox Traders— Jay and Scott, 8p

FRI. JAN 26

Alchemy— Green Jelly, Curse The Flesh, DREAD, 9p All Sports Bar & Billiards—DJ Markie Mark, 10p Beau Rivage— Starship ft. Mickey Thomas, 8p Big Beach Brewing— My Girl Whiskey and Me, 6:30p Bluegill— Cary Laine, 12p// Blind Dog Mike, 6p Blues Tavern— Fat Lincoln, 9p Callaghan’s— Jimmy Lumpkin & The Revival Cockeyed Charlie’s— DJ Will the Chill El Camino— Johnny Hayes, 7:30p

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Felix’s— Grits N Pieces Flora Bama— J. Hawkins Duo, 2p// The Big Earl Show, 5:30p/// Chad Parker Duo, 6p//// Foxy Iguanas, 10p//// Tony Ray Thompson and Kevin Swanson, 10:15p Hard Rock (Live) — West Story Band, 9:30p IP Casino— Creedence Clearwater Revisited, 8p Lulu’s— Jeri, 5p Main Street Cigar Lounge— Blue Bicycle, 8p Manci’s— Delta Smoke McSharry’s— DJ Chi, 10p The Merry Widow— 9th Annual Moore Mardi Gras Masquerade, 8:30p Moe’s BBQ (Daphne) — East LA Fadaway, 8p Moe’s BBQ (Foley) — Lefty Collins, 6p Moe’s BBQ (Mobile) — The Ayers Brothers, 7:30p Moe’s BBQ (Semmes) — The Dunaway Brothers, 6:30p Soul Kitchen— Grayson Capps, Edward David Anderson, 9:30p Traders— Nanafalia, 8:30p Wind Creek Casino— Platinum Café, 8p

SAT. JAN 27

Big Beach Brewing— Edward David Anderson, 6:30p Bluegill— Jamie Adamson, 12p// Bust Dou, 6p Blues Tavern— Red Clay Strays, 9p Callaghan’s— Daddy Longlegs Cockeyed Charlie’s— DJ MBizzle El Camino— Robert Sully, 7:30p Fairhope Brewing— Flow Tribe Felix’s— Blind Dog Mike Flora Bama— Lauren Murphy and the Psycholdelics, 1p// Lea Anne Creswell Duo, 2p/// The Big Earl Show, 5:30p//// Johnny B Trio, 6p//// Yeah Probably, 10p//// Bruce Smelley Duo, 10:15p Hard Rock (Center Bar) — West Story

Band, 9:30p Hard Rock (Live) — Seether – Poison the Parish Tour, 8p Lulu’s— Broken Down Car, 5p Manci’s— Ross Newell McSharry’s— DJ Carter, 10p Moe’s BBQ (Mobile) — Doubleshot, 7:30p Moe’s BBQ (Semmes) — Stephen Sylvester, 6:30p Soul Kitchen— Frank Foster, Cole Jones, 9p Top of the Bay— Paw Paws Medicine Cabinet Traders— Doobious Wind Creek Casino— Platinum Café, 8p

SUN. JAN 28

Bluegill— Lee Yankie, 12p// Josh Ewing & Matt Neese, 6p Blues Tavern— John Hall Jam, 6p Callaghan’s— Johnny Hayes Felix’s— Joseph Turlington Flora Bama— Songs of Rusty, 12:30p// Perdido Brothers, 4p/// Kevin Swanson, 7p//// Smoky Otis Duo, 8:30p Frog Pond— Grayson Capps, Malcolm Holcombe, David Olney, R.B. Morris, Eric Taylor, Corky Hughes, Gram Rea, 2p Lulu’s— Brandon Coleman & Drew Nix, 1p// Phil and Foster, 5p Manci’s— The Krickets McSharry’s— Trad.

Irish Music, 6:30p Top of the Bay— Scott Morlock Piano Bar

MON. JAN 29

Felix’s— Rodger Fleshamn Lulu’s— Brent Burns, 5p

TUE. JAN 30

Bluegill— Matt Neese Butch Cassidy’s— David Jernigan, Doctor Tom & Karl Felix’s— Lee Yankie Listening Room— Comedy Whatever presents Austin Mann Lulu’s— Sticky Too, 5p Moe’s BBQ (Daphne) — Stephen Sylvester, 6p

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FILMTHE REEL WORLD

‘A Ghost Story’ that’s easy as pie

V

BY ASIA FREY/FILM CRITIC/AFREY@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

AREA THEATERS CARMIKE CINEMA’S Wynnsong 16 785 Schillinger Rd. S. (251) 639-7373 CRESCENT THEATER 208 Dauphin Street (251) 438-2005 HOLLYWOOD STADIUM 18 1250 Satchel Paige Dr. (251) 473-9655

isually memorable but somewhat demanding, “A Ghost Story” takes the simplest Halloween costume — a white sheet with eyeholes — and creates a touching story of loss and grief.

Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara star as a young couple torn apart when he dies in a car accident and lingers as a ghost — wearing an actual white sheet, complete with droopy black eyes, over his head and body. The simplicity of the image allows the depth of the film’s emotions to shine.

Whatever whimsy this costume and conceit suggests is tempered by a very somber and sometimes excessively slow pace. I’ll go ahead and admit that I dozed off (briefly!) during the scene when Mara eats an entire pie a friend brought her, but I kept waking up, and she was still eating the pie.

I do like Mara as an actress, but she is almost as expressionless as the guy with the sheet over his head. The always-sulky Mara seems to be in a state of stylish mourning in all her movie roles, so she is a natural here, but

a bit more dialogue might have kept my eyelids open more easily.

But once you get past the pie scene and experience the film as a whole, it really is quite moving. The widow sells their house and moves away, but the husband’s ghost remains. Eventually, we learn of his attachment — to his wife, of course, but also to the house itself.

The scenes of their married life are a welcome center to the film, giving us a more realistic grounding that enlivens the wordless, faceless ghost. (I’m also very curious to know if Affleck came to the set and stood under that sheet every day.)

The ghost sheet costume is more beautiful than it sounds, and exceeds the Charlie Brown costume you might imagine; it is quite graceful and, well, haunting. His trek from the morgue, across a wide plain to his modest, beloved little ranch home is marvelous. The frustrated, angry ghost proves periodically menacing, and genuinely, intentionally frightens the house’s subsequent occupants.

He tries in vain to pull a tiny note his wife left from a painted-over crack in a doorway. There is more to this film than

just artsy standing around. But there is also a lot of artsy standing around.

Without giving away too much of the plot, I’ll tell you that as time marches on for the housebound ghost, his surroundings change, and there are some beautiful, memorable scenes here. An event causes a major time shift, and themes of eternal recurrence are given a really nifty and satisfying treatment. Just when it is needed most, we get a beautiful and meaningful conclusion.

“A Ghost Story” is a short film that becomes more abstract and fable-like as it goes on, and its tight runtime suits it, four-minute real-time pie consumption notwithstanding. For all its potential pretension, it has a true emotional core, but I will admit that it took awhile to get there. However, taken as a whole, this film is a bit magical, romantic and profound, and the end justifies some of the earlier scenes.

Hang in there, and “A Ghost Story” has rewards. Maybe plan your own pie snack to get you through some of those dialogue-free slogs.

“A Ghost Story” is currently available to rent.

RAVE MOTION PICTURE JUBILEE SQUARE 12 6898 U.S. 90 Daphne, (251) 626- 6266 CARMIKE CINEMAS 23151 Wharf Ln. Orange Beach (251) 981-4444 COBB THEATRES PINNACLE 14 3780 Gulf Shores Pkwy Gulf Shores (251) 968-7444 EASTERN SHORE PREMIERE CINEMA 14 30500 Alabama 181 #500 Spanish Fort, Al (251) 626-0352 Information accurate at press time; please call theaters for showtimes.

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Photos | CBS Films / Dreamworks SKG

“A Ghost Story” is an exploration of legacy, love, loss and the enormity of existence, when a recently deceased, white-sheeted ghost returns to his suburban home to try to reconnect with his bereft wife.

In “Maze Runner: The Death Cure,” young hero Thomas embarks on a mission to find a cure for a deadly disease known as the “Flare.”

NEW IN THEATERS MAZE RUNNER: THE DEATH CURE

Thomas leads the Gladers into a WCKD-controlled labyrinth that may be the deadliest maze of all. If you know what any of that means, you will probably want to see this. All listed multiplex theaters.

MOLLY’S GAME

Aaron Sorkin directs the true story of an Olympicclass skier (Jessica Chastain) who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game and became an FBI target. Her players include movie stars, business titans and, unbeknownst to her, the Russian mob. AMC Classic Wharf 15, Cobb Pinnacle 14

NOW PLAYING THE SHAPE OF WATER Crescent Theater CALL ME BY YOUR NAME Regal Mobile Stadium 18 12 STRONG All listed multiplex theaters.

FOREVER MY GIRL All listed multiplex theaters.

DEN OF THIEVES All listed multiplex theaters.

PADDINGTON 2 All listed multiplex theaters.

THE POST All listed multiplex theaters.

THE COMMUTER All listed multiplex theaters.

ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD All listed multiplex theaters.

DARKEST HOUR

All listed multiplex theaters.

INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY All listed multiplex theaters.

JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE All listed multiplex theaters.

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN All listed multiplex theaters.

PITCH PERFECT 3 All listed multiplex theaters.

FERDINAND All listed multiplex theaters.

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI All listed multiplex theaters.

THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI AMC Classic Wharf COCO All listed multiplex theaters.

THOR: RAGNAROK All listed multiplex theaters.

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS JANUARY 24, 2018 - JANUARY 30, 2018

GENERAL INTEREST ACCW Meeting The Mobile Deanery of the ACCW will meet on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at St. Ignatius Catholic Church. Registration at 9:15 a.m., meeting at 9:45. Reservations call 251-533-4771, 251-661-6537 or email carlee.russell@icloud.com or shirley.alexander1@gmail.com.

“Guarding Mobile Bay” “Guarding Mobile Bay, A Day in the Life” on Saturday, Jan. 27, will highlight a day in the life of a Civil War soldier at Fort Gaines. Demonstrations include blacksmithing, cannon and rifle firing, drilling demonstrations, open-hearth cooking and more.

For more information or details, please visit dauphinIsland.org.

Reese’s Senior Bowl Rally The FCA Chick-fil-A Senior Bowl Rally will be held Wednesday, Jan. 24, at 6:30 p.m. at Mobile Convention Center. Includes player testimonies, live music and food provided by Chick-fil-A. Visit www. southalabamafca.org.

Delta cruise On Saturday Jan. 27, Blakeley State Park hosts a cruise of the lower Mobile-Tensaw River Delta.

Departing the Blakeley Park dock at 9:30 a.m., the cruise will be a narrated two-hour excursion. Call 251-626-0798.

Dauphin Island Boardwalk Talks Boardwalk Talks are held the first and third Wednesday of each month at 11:15 a.m. at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, 101 Bienville Blvd. Call 251-861-2141.

Rabies clinic The Mobile County Health Department offers $10 rabies shots. This Saturday’s clinic is at B&B Pet Stop, 5035 Cottage Hill Road, 1:30-4 p.m. Call 251-6908823.

Midtown Optimist Club Join Midtown Optimist Club every Wednesday at noon for lunch at Azalea City Golf Course. Call 251348-3542.

Mental Wellness Conference On Thursday, Jan. 25 at 8:30 a.m., there will be a discussion about issues and recommendations in mental health care services for families in South Alabama. Goodwill Easter Seals Center, 2440 Gordon Smith Drive, Mobile. Call 251-404-3924.

A Practical Gardening Class A six-week class at Mobile Botanical Gardens, leading attendees through the botany of gardening, how to look at your landscape and select plants, soil preparation, proper plant maintenance and more.

Thursdays, Jan. 25 through March, 6:30-8 p.m. Call 251-342-0555 or visit mobilebotanicalgardens.org.

Senior Bowl Meet the Players event The Coca-Cola Meet the Players event is Friday, Jan. 26, from 3:306 p.m. at the Mobile Convention Center and free to the public. Visit www.seniorbowl.com for more information.

Green Coast Council Sustainability Summit The Alabama Coastal Foundation hosts the 2018 Sustainability Summit, including sessions on sustainable business practices, ecotourism, energy conservation, green infrastructure, aquaculture and local government tools for sustainable development. For tickets and info visit www.joinacf.org.

Senior Bowl The 2018 Reese’s Senior Bowl is scheduled to kick off Saturday, Jan. 27, in Mobile’s Ladd-Peebles Stadium at 1:30 p.m. To purchase tickets, call 888-736-2695 or 251-432-4109, or online at www. seniorbowl.com.

Winter Walk at Bellingrath Learn about the interesting winter borders and containers throughout the gardens from Bellingrath’s horticulture management team.

Winter Wednesdays sessions are held each week in the Magnolia Room, 10:30-11:30 a.m., through Feb. 28. Call 251-459-8864.

TOPS Take Off Pounds Sensibly meets every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Spanish Fort Presbyterian Church.

Call 251-625-6888.

Toastmasters Toastmasters International meets regularly at six locations in Mobile and Baldwin counties. Visit www.toastmasters.org for more information.

FUNDRAISERS Charity Chase Run to win money for your favorite charity on Saturday, Jan. 27, at 8 a.m. University of South Alabama intramural fields. Visit thecharitychase.com.

Many More Miles Baldwin Bone & Joint’s annual collection of shoes for the homeless outreach program continues through Saturday, March 24. For drop-off locations, call 251-621-5387.

ARTS Mobile Jewish Film Festival The 2018 Mobile Jewish Film Festival, featuring 10 acclaimed Jewish films at venues around Mobile and Baldwin counties, concludes Jan. 28. Visit mobilejewishfederation.org.

Garden Sketch Club Join Mobile Botanical Gardens every Friday for art in the gardens.

Artists meet 2-4 p.m., with guidance and advice available

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from Derek Norman. All levels of experience welcome. General admission is $5 for non-members.

Call 251-342-0555 or visit mobilebotanicalgardens.org.

“Assassins” This musical revue takes a darkly humorous look at nine misfit men and women who attempted to assassinate U.S. presidents.

The performances run, Jan. 26-28. Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

The theater is at 14 S. Lafayette St. in Midtown. Visit www. mobiletheatreguild.org, email mtg. boxoffice@gmail.com or call 251433-7513.

“August: Osage County” The Joe Jefferson Playhouse production of “August: Osage County” concludes Jan. 28. Visit joejeffersonplayers.com, call 251-471-1534 or email info@ joejeffersonplayers.com.

Writing Nature: Poetry and Prose Class Find inspiration in nature at the Mobile Botanical Gardens for this six-week introductory class taught by Gai Gehlken and Poet Laureate of Alabama Emerita, Sue B. Walker. Wednesdays, Jan. 24 through Feb. 28, 10 a.m. until noon. Call 251-342-0555 or visit mobilebotanicalgardens.org.

Art demonstrations Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism’s 2018 Welcome Center Lecture and Demonstration Series is held weekdays through Feb. 28. Art demos will take place on various days at 10 a.m. at the Orange Beach Welcome Center (23685 Perdido Beach Blvd.), while lectures will take place each weekday at 2 p.m. at the Gulf Shores Welcome Center (3459 Gulf Shores Parkway). Visit GulfShores.com/WelcomeCenter.

MUSEUMS Titanic Film Festival In conjunction with its “Titanic: Honour & Glory” exhibition, the History Museum of Mobile is hosting a Titanic Film Festival Jan. 24-25. See the exhibit and enjoy a free movie. Admission to the exhibit costs $5; both films begin at 7 p.m. Contact gavin.snyder@ historymuseumofmobile.com.

“Titanic: Honour & Glory” “Titanic Honour & Glory” will run through April 15 at the History Museum of Mobile. In addition to the exhibition, the museum will host monthly events. Call 251-301-0273 or gavin.snyder@ historymuseumofmobile.com.

“Right on Course” The United States Sports Academy’s American Sport Art Museum and Archives is open free to the public weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. One of the newest exhibits is “Right on Course.” Visit www. asama.org.

Tuesday and Thursday, 1:30-3:30 “Windows to the Sea” “Windows to the Sea” is the latest p.m. Call 251-478-3311. permanent exhibit at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab Estuarium. Visit Bridge Lessons disl.org.

The Mobile Bridge Center offers free bridge lessons each Tuesday at 6 p.m. at 1510 University Blvd.

“Savage Ancient Seas” Arrive a few minutes early to “Savage Ancient Seas” will register. Call 251-666-2147, 10 transport GulfQuest guests to a a.m. to 2 p.m. time when the last of the great dinosaurs roamed Earth and swam the seas. Visit www.gulfquest.org.

Fitness and athletics classes Fairhope’s Founding Learn more about the 1894 founding of Fairhope at the Fairhope Museum of History, 24 N. Section St. The museum is open daily (except Sunday and Monday), 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 251-929-1471.

Little Discoveries “Outside the Box,” aimed at children age 6 and under, explores how innovation and creativity can lead to a world of possibilities, starting with a simple cardboard box. Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Call 251-208-6893 or email jholland@ exploreum.com.

Thursdays at MMoA Every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., the Mobile Museum of Art offers free admission to all visitors.

No reservations are necessary.

MMoA is at 4850 Museum Drive.

Call 251-208-5200.

SPORTING EVENTS/ACTIVITIES New classes for all ages Classes offered at LeFlore High School include Art For Kids (ages 6 and up), Art for Adults, Pre-Ballet & Tumbling (ages 4-6) and SelfDefense for Women & Girls (ages 12 and up). For more information, call 251-208-1610 or go to MOBILECAP.ORG. Big Beach Marathon The 2018 Big Beach Marathon will take place at The Hangout in Gulf Shores on Sunday, Jan. 28. Come join the fun! There will be awesome awards, great food and drinks, and plenty of beautiful views through the Gulf State Park and Gulf Shores beaches. Contact mike@junction311.com.

Group Rides South Alabama and Mississippi Mountain Bike Association invites all levels of cyclists to join them every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 p.m. at USA Bike Trails and Sunday at 9 a.m. at Chickasabogue Park. Email carrie@rideSAMBA.com.

Weekly 1K/5K Every Thursday evening at 6 p.m., join Red Beard’s Outfitter and Cortlandt’s Pub in the Spring Hill Village Shopping Center for a 1K or 5K run and walk. No cost to participate.

Bingo Join Via! Health, Fitness, Enrichment Center at 1717 Dauphin St. for bingo every

New fitness classes are offered at Palmer Pillans Middle School. Tai Chi, candlelit yoga, Core Fusion, small-group personal fitness training, basketball for ages 15 and up, basketball for ages 8-14 and sports conditioning for ages 8-17. Call 251-463-7980 or go to communityactivitiesprogram.com.

Dance and art classes New dance classes are offered at Palmer Pillans Middle School. Belly dance, pre-ballet and tumbling for ages 6-12, beginner piano for ages 8 and up. Call 251-463-7980 or go to communityactivitiesprogram.com.

Pickleball for adults (indoors) Offered at Palmer Pillans Middle School on Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon. Great sport for all ages combines tennis, pingpong and badminton on a court onefourth the size of a tennis court.

Call 251-463-7980 or go to communityactivitiesprogram.com.

Ballroom dance Azalea Ballroom Dance Club hosts dances the second and fourth Tuesday of every month, 7-9:30 p.m. at Via! Health, Fitness & Enrichment Center, 1717 Dauphin St. Call 251-623-9183 or visit azaleaballroomdanceclub. com.

Ballroom dance The Moonlight Chassé Ballroom Dance Society hosts dances the first and third Monday of every month, 7-9:30 p.m. at Hot Wheels Skating Rink in Daphne. Email cassief13@aol.com.

WORKSHOPS Bienville Square Public Workshop Help create a vision for the future of Bienville Square on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at 6 p.m.

Carbo Landscape Architecture will be leading a public workshop to gather input into making Bienville Square a truly great public space.

The workshop will be held at the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce; free parking behind the building.

How to use your smartphone In order to take advantage of your phone, you have to know they exist, how to navigate to them and how to make them work.

Class covers Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, texting and more. Classes are on Monday, 6-7 p.m., at Palmer Pillans Middle School. Call 251-208-1650 or go to mobilecap.org.

2018 MARDI GRAS 2018 MARDI GRAS PARADE SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, JAN. 26

SATURDAY, FEB. 10

• Conde Cavaliers, 6:30 p.m., Route A, Mobile

• Foley Mardi Gras Parade, 11 a.m., downtown Foley • Floral Parade, noon, Route A, Mobile • Knights of Mobile, 12:30 p.m., Route A, Mobile • Mobile Mystical Ladies, 1 p.m., Route A, Mobile • Order of Angels, 1:30 p.m., Route A, Mobile • Krewe of Mullet Mates, 2 p.m., Mullet Point • Mystics of Time, 6 p.m., Route A, Mobile • Mystics of Pleasure, 6 p.m., Orange Beach • Shadow Barons, 6:45 p.m., Daphne

SATURDAY, JAN. 27 • Bayport Parading Society, 12:30 p.m., Route A, Mobile • Pharaoh’s Mystic Society, 6:30 p.m., Route A, Mobile • Conde Explorers, 7 p.m., Route A, Mobile

THURSDAY, FEB. 1 • Order of the Polka Dots, 6:30 p.m., Route A, Mobile

FRIDAY, FEB. 2 • Order of the Inca, 6:30 p.m., Route A, Mobile • Apollo’s Mystic Ladies, 6:45 p.m., Daphne

SATURDAY, FEB. 3 • The Haven’s Mystic Mutts, 1 p.m., Fairhope • Mobile Mystics, 2 p.m., Route A, Mobile • Mobile Mystical Revelers, 2:30 p.m., Route A, Mobile • Maids of Mirth, 6:30 p.m., Route A, Mobile • Knights of Ecor Rouge, 6:45 p.m., Fairhope • Order of Butterfly Maidens, 7 p.m., Route A, Mobile • Krewe of Marry Mates, 7:30 p.m., Route A, Mobile

SUNDAY, FEB. 4 • Neptune’s Daughters, 6:30 p.m., Route A, Mobile • Order of Isis, 7 p.m., Route A, Mobile

MONDAY, FEB. 5 • Order of Venus, 6:30 p.m., Route A, Mobile • Order of Many Faces, 7 p.m., Route A, Mobile

TUESDAY, FEB. 6 • Order of LaShe, 6:30 p.m., Route A, Mobile

THURSDAY, FEB. 8 • Mystic Stripers, 6:30 p.m., Route A, Mobile

FRIDAY, FEB. 9 • Crewe of Columbus, 6:30 p.m., Route A, Mobile • Maids of Jubilee, 6:45 p.m., Fairhope

SUNDAY, FEB. 11 • King Elexis Parade, 2 p.m., Route E, Mobile • Joe Cain, 2:30 p.m., Route A, Mobile, • Loyal Order of the Firetruck, 2:30 p.m., Daphne • Joe Cain Marchers, 3 p.m., Route A, Mobile • Le Krewe de Bienville, 5 p.m., Route A, Mobile

MONDAY, FEB. 12 • King Felix and Floral Parade, noon, Route A, Mobile • MLK Business & Civic Organization, 3 p.m., Route D, Mobile • MLK Monday Mystics, 3:30 p.m., Route D, Mobile • Northside Merchants, 4 p.m., Route D, Mobile • Order of Mystic Magnolias, 6:45 p.m., Fairhope • Infant Mystics, 7 p.m., Route F, Mobile • Order of Doves, 7:30 p.m., Route F, Mobile

TUESDAY, FEB. 13 • Gulf Shores Mardi Gras Parade, 10 a.m., Gulf Shores • Order of Athena, 10:30 a.m., Route A, Mobile • Knights of Revelry, 12:30 p.m., Route A, Mobile • King Felix, 1 p.m., Route A, Mobile • Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association, 2 p.m., Route B, Mobile • Orange Beach Mardi Gras Parade, 2 p.m., Orange Beach • Comic Cowboys, 1:30 p.m., Route A, Mobile • Order of Myths, 6 p.m., Route C, Mobile For Mobile route maps, visit maps. cityofmobile.org/Event_MardiGras/ Parades.html.

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THE NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE SUPREME INTELLIGENCE

BY JOEL FAGLIANO / EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ ACROSS 1 Mike who was the 2017 N.B.A. Coach of the Year 8 Presidential advisory grp.

11 Covers 18 Worked on some screenwriting?

19 Major work 21 Like the French directors Eric Rohmer and Jean-Luc Godard 22 Poseur 23 Kid’s creation out of pillows 24 Kind of elephant 25 Last monarch of the House of Stuart 26 Destructive sort 29 Photographer Adams 30 Lines in geometry 31 Android’s counterpart 32 ____ Xtra (soda) 34 Scoundrel 36 Worked from home?

39 Cease communication 41 Bug-studying org.

42 Steinbeck novella set in La Paz 46 Topic for Sun Tzu 47 Has as a tenant 49 Shakespearean king 50 Retired chat service 51 Military term of address 52 Perry of fashion 53 “I knew that would happen!”

58 “Twelfth Night” twin 62 Thin pancake 63 Spa treatment 64 Flowery 66 ____ Nation (record label for Jay-Z and J. Cole) 67 Illegal interference … or what can be found in this puzzle’s 1st, 3rd, 7th, 15th, 19th and 21st rows?

71 Stewbum 72 Noted brand of guitars 73 Use an ice pack on 74 What a conductor might conduct 75 Online admin 77 Where a big bowl is found 79 Indication to bow slowly, say 80 Creator of the “Planet Money” podcast 82 Like a boiled lobster 83 Buoy 85 Poe ode 89 Nicknamed 90 Largest moon in the solar system 91 Got down 92 Discharges 94 Reasons for sneezin’ 95 They might be backless 97 Fan favorite 98 Frequent

Twitter poster 99 Thick hairstyle 103 For the case at hand 105 Hooded cloak 109 Home to the historic Moana Hotel 110 Connecticut city near New Haven 112 ____ speak 113 Kind of race 115 Dum-dums 116 In ____ (entirely) 117 Bit of advice before taking off?

118 Evasive basketball move 119 Brooding sort 120 Häagen-Dazs alternative DOWN 1 Big name in Scotch 2 Appliance brand 3 Word before goat or state 4 Sporks have small ones 5 Suffix with crap 6 Bird bills 7 Now there’s a thought!

8 Sign by a pool 9 Features of monarch butterfly wings 10 Add salt to, maybe 11 Santa ____ 12 Former Buick sedans 13 “Victory is mine!”

14 Covered with water 15 Sleek fabrics 16 Closest to base?

17 Dry, as wine 20 Daze 27 Jessica of “The Illusionist” 28 Empty 33 Chocolate purchase 35 Language with six tones 36 180s 37 Dallas pro 38 Limit on what can be charged 39 “All right, let’s play!”

40 Butcher’s stock 42 Nickname for Springsteen 43 Comics superhero with filed-off horns 44 Joins forces?

45 Run off 46 Actor Wheaton 48 Prefix with -nomial 50 Joins forces 54 Insurance giant whose name begins with a silent letter 55 Spoke tediously, with “on” 56 Just for laughs 57 Marble marvel 59 Cuban province where the Castros were born 60 Found (in) 61 Nail-polish remover 63 Trivia venue 65 Margarine container 68 Sign of wind on water 69 Range that’s home to the Mark Twain National Forest 70 Unit of 74-Across 76 It stands

for January 78 Raiders’ org.

79 Big name in chips 81 Hamlet’s plot in “Hamlet” 84 “To what ____?”

85 Bill 86 Italian castle town 87 Advance warning 88 Nancy Drew’s boyfriend 89 “Finally!”

90 Roman Empire invader 93 Part of S.S.N.: Abbr.

94 Wrap tightly 96 Looks for purchases 98 Crested ____ (Colorado ski resort) 99 Like Santa’s suit on Dec. 26 100 Short-story writer Bret 101 The slightest margin 102 Shows nervousness, in a way 104 Taking action 106 Kids’ character who says, “People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day” 107 What has casts of thousands?

108 Hair-removal brand 110 Grate stuff 111 Potent venom source 114 “____-haw!”

ANSWERS ON PAGE 44

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SPORTS UPON FURTHER REVIEW

Reese’s Senior Bowl to display local stars

BY J. MARK BRYANT/SPORTS WRITER/SPORTS@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM/TWITTER @GOULAGUY

High School, Tre’ Williams is a star at linebacker from Auburn. He recorded 46 tackles and 2.5 sacks this season despite missing two games and leaving early in three others because of injuries.

Coaching staff

The Houston Texans and Denver Broncos have been selected to coach the Reese’s Senior Bowl. The opportunity to see the players one-on-one for a week can make or break opportunities when the NFL Draft rolls around.

The Texans, led by their fourth-year head coach Bill O’Brien, will guide the South team. Vance Joseph, in his first year as head coach of the Broncos, will lead the North.

Houston has coached in the Senior Bowl one previous time, in 2003 under Dom Capers. It finished the 2017 season with a record of 4-12 and would have picked fourth in this year’s draft, but that pick was traded to the Browns.

Denver was 5-11 this season and will pick fifth in the draft. The Broncos have coached in the Reese’s Senior Bowl six times, going 2-2-2 in those games.

Game notes

Photos | Courtesy Senior Bowl

Quarterback Brandon Silvers from Troy and St. Paul’s/Auburn alum Tre’ Williams are on the roster for the South team at the Senior Bowl.

S

ome of the greatest stars of the National Football League first caught the attention of scouts during the Reese’s Senior Bowl. From Joe Namath and Bo Jackson to Bubba Smith and Ray Nitschke, the all-star contests have displayed the best of the best.

With this wealth of talent, the competition has been a popular attraction for fans who want to see tomorrow’s stars today. And often in attendance are youngsters who can picture themselves taking the field at Ladd-Peebles Stadium someday.

When the 69th edition kicks off Saturday, it will mark a homecoming for five gridiron stars hailing from the Alabama Gulf Coast. Also joining them will be a former member of the University of South Alabama program.

“Our Gulf Coast region is a hotbed for high school football,” Reese’s Senior Bowl Executive Director Phil Savage told Lagniappe. “We do pay attention to players who leave here and others who stay. It is important to monitor and track them.

“It is a reward to come back home and play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl. To have these six players is a tribute to the quality of football played in this area. It is also fun to have these guys back.”

• Cornerback Jamarcus King was mentioned in a previ-

ous column that discussed the group of area players who saw action at the University of South Carolina. A Blount High graduate, King led the Gamecocks with 12 pass breakups and two interceptions in 2017.

• Myles Pierce is a linebacker who played at The Citadel. The Daphne native led the South Carolina club with 91 tackles — 13 for loss — and six sacks.

• USA safety Jeremy Reaves grew up just down the road where he prepped at Pensacola Catholic High School.

This year, Reaves was the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year, leading the Jaguars with 104 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three interceptions and three forced fumbles. He was a first-team all-conference pick as a junior at cornerback and again this year at safety.

• Quarterback Brandon Silvers from Troy was the most valuable player of the New Orleans Bowl as he threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns. The Gulf Shores High grad and Orange Beach native finished his career with 10,436 yards and 69 touchdowns.

• Ito Smith rushed for 1,391 yards and 13 touchdowns last fall for the University of Southern Mississippi. A graduate of McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, he finished his high school career with more than 4,000 yards rushing.

• A former prep All-American at St. Paul’s Episcopal

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• Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield has accepted his invitation to the game. He is the first Heisman Trophy winner to play in Mobile since Tim Tebow in 2007 and the fourth overall in the past 15 years (Troy Smith, 2006; Carson Palmer, 2002).

“Baker is known for his competitive personality, so it’s not a surprise that he would want to be in Mobile to showcase his abilities and leadership qualities,” Savage said. “And it’s exciting for the Reese’s Senior Bowl to have a Heisman Trophy winner in our game.”

• The FCA Chick-fil-A Senior Bowl Rally is Wednesday, 6:30-8 p.m. at the Mobile Convention Center. More than 2,000 are expected to attend. For information, visit www.SouthAlabamaFCA.org.

• One of the highlights this week is the Coca Cola Meet the Players event on Friday. Fans can interact, get an autograph and snap a picture with their favorite player at the Exhibit Hall of the Mobile Convention Center. The event is divided into two sessions, the first 3:30-4:45 p.m. and the second 4:45-6 p.m. More information on the sessions, including when specific players will be attending, will be available at www.SeniorBowl.com on Thursday.

• Also at the Convention Center on Friday will be the Reese’s Senior Bowl Experience. From 3-6 p.m., football fans can enjoy interactive displays, run through drills on the indoor field and enjoy other special activities. Admission is free.

• On game day from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. is the Piggly Wiggly Tailgate Party in the stadium’s East Parking Lot. Admission is limited to the first 3,500 fans who purchased a sideline seat to the game. In addition to free food and drinks, partygoers will enjoy inflatable activities, face painters, clowns and the CocaCola Family Festival game trailer.

• The Baumhower’s Tailgate Challenge is back. The grand prize package worth $3,000 includes an all-terrain portable grill, satellite TV tailgate bundle, outdoor chairs and more. The winner will be presented with a trophy during the game.

• Reese’s has signed a three-year extension to remain the title sponsor.

Reese’s is also teaming up with Feeding the Gulf Coast, a local food bank. Fans who bring three non-perishable food items to the official Tailgate Party will receive a Reese’s T-shirt.

• The “clear bag” policy introduced last season will be enforced once again at both the game and the Senior Bowl Experience. For details on what is allowed, visit www.seniorbowl.com/clear-bag-policy.php.

• Both the NFL Network and ESPN will televise the practices during the week, and NFL Network will carry the game live on Saturday. All practices at Ladd-Peebles Stadium are open to the public.

• Tickets are available at the Senior Bowl office at 151 Dauphin St. Prices are $10 for end zone general admission, $20 sideline from the 10-yard line to the end zone and $30 sideline between the 10-yard lines. For more information, call 251-432-4109.

SPORTS FROM BEHIND THE MIC

Early signing period not the answer to cleaning up football recruiting

BY RANDY KENNEDY/CONTRIBUTING WRITER

C

ollege football recruiting is a dirty business.

Anybody who thought the early signing period enacted last month was going to make it less so wasn’t paying attention.

Just last week, St. Paul’s Episcopal defensive back Jalyn Armour-Davis was named the No. 1 recruit in the state of Alabama for the 2018 class, overtaking Central-Phenix City wide receiver Justin Ross, who had held that distinction for more than two years.

While Ross did not take advantage of the early signing period and will therefore sign with the college of his choice on the first Wednesday of February, Armour-Davis’ recruitment is already over. He followed through on his longtime commitment to Alabama and brought his recruitment to an end in the days after winning a state championship and before Christmas.

That’s the benefit of the early signing period that proponents always tout.

The same case could be made for Saraland quarterback Jack West and Mobile Christian defensive end Andres Fox, both of whom have already signed with Stanford.

There’s certainly no way Armour-Davis’ decision to sign with Alabama is a bad one. Every player who has signed with Alabama and stayed at least three years since Nick Saban arrived has won at least one national championship. Plus, it’s well documented that Saban himself takes an active role in coaching the Alabama defensive.

New Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt used to be Saban’s defensive backs coach. But to hear him tell it, it was in name only.

“I was the defensive backs coach at Alabama,” Pruitt said in his acceptance speech for winning the Broyles Award as the country’s best assistant coach. “And everybody in the country knows who the DB coach in Alabama is, and that’s Nick Saban.”

So, Armour-Davis made a good decision. But because of the early signing period, he did not make a completely informed decision.

When he signed with the Tide, Alabama’s defensive backs coach was Derrick Ansley. Today, Ansley is a member of Jon Gruden’s staff with the Oakland Raiders.

When he signed with the Tide he had never met — and likely never heard of — Pete Golding from the University of Texas-San Antonio or Karl Scott of Louisiana-Lafayette. Now those two men are listed as Alabama’s defensive backs coaches.

Again, there’s every reason to believe Armour-Davis will be a success on and off the field. But it makes no sense to take away valuable information that every recruit in the country factors into which school they will choose — that is, which assistant coach he will be in contact with most.

Saban has certainly not softened his stance on the issue.

“I didn’t like it when we did it. I don’t like it now,” Saban told USA Today following the initial early signing period. “I don’t think it’s in the players’ best interest. I don’t see how it benefits anybody. I think it’s really stressful for everyone. We’re all trying to get ready for bowl games and playoff games and we have a signing day right in the middle of when we’re going to be practicing for a playoff game. It was very stressful for a lot of guys to get out and

see as many guys as they could in December and accelerate everything.”

On the other end of the recruiting spectrum is Williamson High School defensive back Roger McCreary. The senior was committed to South Alabama for almost a year and likely would have signed with the Jaguars if not for some strong late interest from Auburn.

So, McCreary backed off and decided to take more time to explore all his options.

If you look at this situation through the eyes of a South Alabama Jaguars fan, it’s easy to understand why there would be excitement for signing a potentially great player before the larger schools took notice.

I would also love to see some of our best local players stay home to play.

But, again, it’s about choices and having all the information possible to make the best decision for each player.

Whether Auburn or any other Power 5 team will ultimately use one of their precious scholarships on McCreary remains to be seen.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL RECRUITING IS A DIRTY BUSINESS. ANYBODY WHO THOUGHT THE EARLY SIGNING PERIOD ENACTED LAST MONTH WAS GOING TO MAKE IT LESS SO WASN’T PAYING ATTENTION.” But with the looming early signing period it was necessary to do something to keep him on the line in case that turns out to be the ultimate decision.

So they extended a scholarship offer, knowing full well that they could change their mind if they decided to go a difference direction.

Where would that leave McCreary? The answer is as unfortunate as it is predictable. Nobody factored that into the decision.

Randy Kennedy writes a weekly column for Lagniappe and is co-host of “Sports Drive” every weekday from 3-6 p.m. on WNSP 105.5 FM, the country’s first all-sports FM station.

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STYLE FEATURE

Fictional Spectre of ‘Big Fish’ is just up the road

BY GABI GARRETT/CONTRIBUTING WRITER

“

H

“You’d be surprised,” Lynn began, “but we have more visitors from out of the country than we do locally.”

On one Saturday in particular, the Brights hosted two families from France. They did not know each other but both had traveled to the United States to visit the miraculous abandoned movie set.

“It wasn’t until social media that we began to receive visitors,” Bright said. “In fact, we thought it might have been a mistake asking Burton and his film crew to leave us the movie set because we were beginning to think no one really cared.”

About 2010, when social media began to boom, the Brights were overjoyed to find people coming, literally, out of the woodwork to find joy in becoming part of their favorite movie set.

One story that touched Lynn the most was a father who came to visit the set after his son passed away from cancer.

As it turns out, the movie has a deep storyline about a father and a son’s relationship. The father and son duo were able to watch this movie before the son passed away.

“The messaging about communication was able to heal their issues before it was too late,” Lynn said as she began to tear up.

It’s stories like these that keep the Brights going. Their parents were the ones who originally set up the land purchase for the film, and as both of them were middle-aged adults working full time, they were only involved on the weekends. The two now live on the property and maintain the set among other features of Jackson Lake Island.

“The film crew was incredible, they did everything they said they were going to,” the Brights said. “The level of

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Photo | Gabi Garrett

ave you ever heard a joke so many times you’ve forgotten why it’s funny? And then you hear it again and suddenly it’s new. You remember why you loved it in the first place,” said Will Bloom, fictional character from the Tim Burton film “Big Fish.”

“Big Fish” is a fan-declared “underrated” Burton film that has created an audience of devoted fans who connect to this story on personal levels. The quote by Bloom applies similarly to the experience guests have when they visit the set of Spectre, Alabama, a fictional town from their favorite film, “Big Fish.”

“When you watch the movie after visiting the set, it is a whole new experience,” shared Lynn Bright.

Lynn and Bobby Bright maintain the set of “Big Fish,” which is tucked away just about two and a half hours from the Mobile Bay area. Directly off Interstate 65, this miraculous piece of Hollywood is available to visit on your way to North Alabama, for a day trip or camping vacation. It will cost you just $3 per person to enter into Tim Burton’s dreamy world.

“It wasn’t our goal, and it still isn’t our goal to turn it into some big business, we just want it to be here for people to enjoy it. Now that we know there are people all over the world who have such meaningful connections to the story, we’re going to do our best to uphold the best we can,” said Lynn Bright.

The Brights have invested a great amount of time and money into maintaining the set after hearing the personal connections to the film. Lynn, in particular, loves to walk around the set of Spectre and find out what brought visitors to the location.

The fictional town of Spectre, Ala., is about a two-and-a-half hour drive north on I-65 from Mobile. detail of Burton is unparalleled. If the item was to be from the 1970s, believe me, it was.”

As the film came to an end and the idealistic Hollywood crew started to pack up and leave Jackson Lake Island, it was time to host a premiere.

“It’s a funny story,” Lynn began, “but, my husband was the mayor of Montgomery at the time, so at the premier, he presented Burton with a key to our city. Even though it was our family who hosted the movie set, he would have presented the key either way.”

This magical memory is available for you to visit anytime. Keep in mind, goats now run the town of Spectre, so be prepared for a unique Hollywood experience.

Want to go?

Take exit 176 off I-65 and travel about three miles down the road. Look for “Jackson Lake Island” on your Maps App and enjoy the scenery.

Address: Dirt road near Cypress Lane, Millbrook, AL 36054 Phone: 334-430-7963

NAME THIS SQUIRREL

T

BY GABRIEL TYNES/ ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR

he cards have been stacked against him, or her, since Day 1. Yet, in spite of daily threats from traffic, birds of prey and stray cats, the white squirrel of Spanish Plaza may be spotted by a discerning eye most likely in the morning and just before dusk, foraging with fellow eastern grey squirrels in the oaks of the plaza and neighboring Mobile Chamber of Commerce.

Spotting a lone white squirrel, as it turns out, is exceedingly rare. Lagniappe was tipped off to this squirrel’s presence by Edith Gray, an administrative assistant in the Deputy Administrator’s Office for the Mobile County Commission. On her way to work, she usually parks by Spanish Plaza and walks to Mobile Government Plaza.

“One morning, I think sometime in the fall … I saw a solid white squirrel in one of the oak trees near the park,” she recalled. “I saw him again some time later and looked up online about white squirrels and found out they are pretty rare. I’ve never seen one. I found out he was living in the oak trees at the corner of Church and Franklin. I have seen him two more times since.”

Gray researched and discovered that except for in a few communities where genetics have made their numbers more abundant, white squirrels rarely ever exist on their own. Rob Nelson, a biologist who maintains a website about the phenomenon, said the information he has collected is noteworthy.

White squirrels, as Nelson notes, “are almost always a white version of the eastern grey squirrel. There are a few types of genetic aberrations that cause the white coats. The first is albinism, caused by a mutation on a gene that codes for pigmentation. Albinos have red eyes. The other is a white morph, caused by a different gene. It is a naturally occurring trait of eastern grey squirrels that is very, very rare.

In our study, we’re trying to figure out just how

rare.”

While Lagniappe has been able to observe and photograph the white squirrel of Spanish Plaza on several occasions, whether it is an albino or a morph remains inconclusive. More so than the other squirrels, the white squirrel tends to stay high in the treetops when people are near. Once, he was found digging in the hedges of boxwood in the plaza, but darted up a tree almost immediately as he was approached.

White squirrels have good reason to be timid, Nelson notes: “It’s somewhat rare to see a white squirrel ... because white squirrels are likely highly selected against. In other words, predators to squirrels, such as hawks, really like it when their prey is highlighted white!”

More information, as well as a white squirrel spotter map, is available on his website, www. untamedscience.com.

Indeed, during Lagniappe’s very first observation of the squirrel, we witnessed one of his brethren being captured and eaten by a large, short-haired grey cat who, according to an employee, lives outside the Chamber. In a subsequent visit, the same cat was eyeing other squirrels from the shadows. It’s also not uncommon to see a hawk, eagle or osprey soaring above downtown Mobile.

So, in honor of this squirrel’s unlikely existence and possibly short life in our fair city, Lagniappe is sponsoring a white squirrel awareness campaign and naming contest. Feel free to submit your entry; Lagniappe will narrow the list of names to finalists, which we will put to a vote. The winner will receive a free one-year subscription to Lagniappe and a $50 gift card to Callaghan’s Irish Social Club.

To enter, just put “White Squirrel” in the subject line of an email, put the proposed name of the squirrel in the body, and send the email to editor@lagniappemobile.com. Bonus points if we can collectively confirm the squirrel’s genetic mutation.

J a n u a r y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8 - J a n u a r y 3 0 , 2 0 1 8 | L AG N I A P P E | 43

STYLE HOROSCOPES TIME FOR THE BOOM BOOM

F U T U R E S H O C K 44 | L AG N I A P P E | J a n u a r y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8 - J a n u a r y 3 0 , 2 0 1 8

ANSWERS FROM PAGE 38

AQUARIUS (1/20-2/18) — Weighed down by throws the Conde Cavaliers hurled upon you at Saturday’s parade in downtown Mobile, you’ll hail a pedicab back to your car, where said throws will remain for eight months. Your lucky Mardi Gras location is the Ben May Main Library.

PISCES (2/19-3/20) — In honor of the return of Senior Bowl activities in Mobile, you suit up in a helmet and jock strap and direct drivers to the best unlicensed parking lots around Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Your lucky Mardi Gras location is Bienville Square.

ARIES (3/21-4/19) — After reading a story about the wild jump in bitcoin value last year, you take it upon yourself to learn just enough about cryptocurrency to discuss it casually at bars, and probably never really think about it again. Your lucky Mardi Gras location is Mardi Gras Park.

TAURUS (4/20-5/20) — After hearing Abe Partridge’s new album, you’ll gargle with sand in an attempt to achieve the same gravelly vocal style. After that fails, you’ll succeed when you rinse it out with cheap bourbon. Your lucky Mardi Gras location is Broad Street at Springhill Avenue.

GEMINI (5/21-6/21) — Hearing that the remains of the slave ship Clotilda may have been discovered in the mud of the Mobile River Delta 150 years after it was scuttled, you’ll be inspired to finally track down your long-lost sunglasses. Your lucky Mardi Gras location is Central Fire Station.

CANCER (6/22-7/22) — You’ll venture outside to retrieve the mail while wearing your bathrobe, where you will be briefly mistaken for a white squirrel. However, you are more offended the observer thought you were an albino rather than a morph. Your lucky Mardi Gras location is at the corner of Nunya and Bizness.

LEO (7/23-8/22) — Looking at photos of the fictional ghost town of Spectre, Ala., you’ll note how many of the houses are in better repair than most of the inventory of the Mobile Housing Board. Your lucky Mardi Gras location is in front of the Mobile Housing Board.

VIRGO (8/23-9/22) — When you notice FEMA included your high-and-dry lot in its newest flood maps, you’ll dig a wide moat around it to accommodate excess water and contain your pet sharks and alligators.

Your lucky Mardi Gras location is The Merry Widow.

LIBRA (9/23-10/22) — You’ll reimburse Congressman Bradley Byrne for withholding his pay during the 36-hour government shutdown. Subtracting taxes, Social Security withholdings, insurance and his loss in the 2010 gubernatorial election, you owe him nothing. Your lucky Mardi Gras location is The Garage.

SCORPIO (10/23-11/21) — Heeding the call for a litter-free Mardi Gras, you propose to follow each parade with a squad of flame throwers, simultaneously clearing the crowd and incinerating every piece of trash that remains in its wake. Your lucky Mardi Gras location is the Athelstan Club.

SAGITTARIUS (11/22-12/21) ­­— Eager to get more miles out of the coat you bought during the Great Southern Freeze of 2018, you’ll ask various restaurants if they can serve you at a special table inside their walk-in coolers. Your lucky Mardi Gras location is Spanish Plaza.

CAPRICORN (12/22-1/19) — In a sleazy attempt to gain more Instagram followers, you’ll try to instigate Baker Mayfield while he’s in town for the Senior Bowl. Your lucky Mardi Gras location is The MoonPie General Store.

STYLE BOOZIE

Mardi Gras arrives on a sheet of ice

BY BOOZIE BEER NUES/SOCIAL BUTTERFLY

Y

’all, it’s here, it’s here! Mardi Gras parades are officially here in the Port City! I can already hear the sounds of the barricades scraping the pavement, people pushing carts full of the knickknacks children beg for, police sirens, bands drumming and parade goers yelling “beads!” I have already had some King Cake and love finding the single pieces at the store. The countdown to moonpies and peanuts are on!

Maybe I’ll even score some ramen noodles or yellow rice again this year.

Alright, enough about what is to come, let’s talk about what has happened, weather-, Mardi Gras- and cheesewise!

Baby, it’s cold outside

First up, the weather. Y’all, what the heck is happening around here? We have had two “snow” days in one “winter” season! I’m no expert but I can’t recall a time that happened.

As y’all already know, roads and schools were closed, and work was canceled or delayed for some. The Mobile County Public Schools’ Facebook page had an announcement about schools being closed again on Thursday due to cold temperatures and the possibility of ice on the roads. In the comments, someone said “Good cause I wasn’t finto to catch new moan ya,” which quickly went viral, so to speak. No word if pneumonia was contracted.

Let’s hope not!

Then meanwhile over in Gulf Shores, we were having a problem as well: thousands and thousands of mullet all died from the extended cold snap! All the fish were

floating on top of the water! It was like a sign of the apocalypse. What are we going to do about Mullet Toss and my friends’ delicious smoked mullet dip?! Hopefully some survived.

So after our two days of ice we had the most beautiful Sunday ever! The warm, sunny weather had everyone out and about. Downtown was slammed with people eating outside, walking around and biking. I hope y’all weren’t too hungover to enjoy that perfect day!

Dancing the night away

Friday night, Fort Whiting was taken over by the ladies of Nereides! My spy in attendance said there was a good-sized crowd and with a theme having to do with solid gold — everyone’s night was gilded. She mentioned that some of the ball attendees were older than her but that didn’t stop everyone from cutting loose. Hello, mom’s night out!

Once again the main road on Dauphin Island was taken over with revelers for the Dauphin Island People’s Parade this past Saturday! Since this past Saturday’s weather was better than the Saturday before, the crowds were out in full force, ready to catch throws. And they did just that. My spy said people racked up on beads, stuffed animals and moonpies! One spy caught a teddy bear that had a band-aid on it (a real one). Ewww!!!

Local celebrities such as Kelly Finley and Dalton Orwig of FM Talk 106.5 were spotted in the parade, as well Bob Grip of Fox 10, who many wished a happy retirement (scheduled for this time next year). And of course, since this a people’s parade, Chief Slac was present as

well! I think it’s safe to say Dauphin Island got us in the Mardi Gras spirit!

While the partying was happening at Dauphin Island, back in Mobile people were gearing up for more balls! La Luna Servante were rocking the Civic Center with their “Fire and Ice” theme. My spy said she spotted some interesting dresses; one had some major cutouts that made my spy wonder how the woman even got the thing on. Oh, Mardi Gras fashion, I love you so!

Meanwhile, around the corner at the Mobile Carnival Museum, Jonesy Jones was putting on quite the show for girls of Spinsters. Boozie is told the theme was ‘70s and everyone was moving and grooving! Jonesy even had one guy doing a crablike dance on the floor! Needless to say things got wild with this younger crowd!

Not too cheesy

Ahh, the long-awaited opening of The Cheese Cottage has finally come!

Last Friday, the new business at St. Louis between Washington and Dearborn had its official grand opening and Boozie had a spy there!

Y’all may remember me talking about The Cheese Cottage back at the Grilled Cheese Cook-Off and Reese’s Senior Bowl Girls of Fall events. Well anyways, they have some tasty cheeses and this basic girl loves that we have a new cheese shop in town. Hello, wine and cheese!

More about the opening and less drooling. The Cottage’s patio was rocking with the “bargrass” sounds of Andy MacDonald and John McCook.

People enjoyed the music and their own spirits — the Cottage ran into a delay getting its liquor license — but more importantly got to sample some fabulous cheeses.

My spy said she spotted Mayor Sandy Stimpson buying a hunk of brie cheese to take to a hunting camp. Interesting choice of cheese, Mr. Mayor.

I’m going to assume it was a mainly brie! I personally think of brie with fruits or salads, just saying that wouldn’t have been my first pick for a hunting weekend!

Boozie is excited, though, because The Cheese Cottage is just a few blocks from Lagniappe’s new headquarters. With an estimated 800 people coming through for the grand opening, I’d say they’re already a hit. Welcome to the neighborhood!

Well, kids, that’s all I’ve got this week. Just remember, whether rain or shine, dramatic or scandalous or just plain ol’ Boom Boom lovin’, I will be there. Ciao!

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LAGNIAPPE LEGALS | 251.450-4466 | legals@lagniappemobile.com FORECLOSURES MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE SALE Default having been made in the payment of the indebtedness secured by that certain mortgage executed by Patrice R. Corbin and George Corbin a/k/a George Corbin, III husband and wife, originally in favor of Wells Fargo Financial Alabama, Inc. , on the 30th day of November, 2006, said mortgage recorded in the Office of the Judge of Probate of Mobile County, Alabama, in Book 6095, Page 1513; the undersigned Wells Fargo USA Holdings, Inc. successor by merger to Wells Fargo Financial Alabama, Inc., as Mortgagee/Transferee, under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in said mortgage, will sell at public outcry to the highest bidder for cash, in front of the main entrance of the Courthouse at Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama, on February 22, 2018, during the legal hours of sale, all of its right, title, and interest in and to the following described real estate, situated in Mobile County, Alabama, to-wit: Lot 24, Hunters Cove, Unit 3, according to plat thereof recorded in Map Book 107, Page 19, of the records in the Office of the Judge of Probate of Mobile County, Alabama.

Property street address for informational purposes: 8299 Mossberg Dr N, Theodore, AL 36582. THIS PROPERTY WILL BE SOLD ON AN “AS IS, WHERE IS” BASIS, SUBJECT TO ANY EASEMENTS, ENCUMBRANCES, AND EXCEPTIONS REFLECTED IN THE MORTGAGE AND THOSE CONTAINED IN THE RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF THE JUDGE OF PROBATE OF THE COUNTY WHERE THE ABOVE-DESCRIBED PROPERTY IS SITUATED. THIS PROPERTY WILL BE SOLD WITHOUT WARRANTY OR RECOURSE, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED AS TO TITLE, USE AND/OR ENJOYMENT AND WILL BE SOLD SUBJECT TO THE RIGHT OF REDEMPTION OF ALL PARTIES ENTITLED THERETO. Alabama law gives some persons who have an interest in property the right to redeem the property under certain circumstances. Programs may also exist that help persons avoid or delay the foreclosure process. An attorney should be consulted to help you understand these rights and programs as a part of the foreclosure process.

This sale is made for the purpose of paying the indebtedness secured by said mortgage, as well as the expenses of foreclosure. The successful bidder must tender a nonrefundable deposit of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) in certified funds made payable to Sirote & Permutt, P.C. at the time and place of the sale. The balance of the purchase price must be paid in certified funds by noon the next business day at the Law Office of Sirote & Permutt, P.C. at the address indicated below. Sirote & Permutt, P.C. reserves the right to award the bid to the next highest bidder should the highest bidder fail to timely tender the total amount due. The Mortgagee/Transferee reserves the right to bid for and purchase the real estate and to credit its purchase price against the expenses of sale and the indebtedness secured by the real estate.

This sale is subject to postponement or cancellation. Wells Fargo USA Holdings, Inc. successor by merger to Wells Fargo Financial Alabama, Inc., Mortgagee/Transferee Ginny Rutledge SIROTE & PERMUTT, P.C. P. O. Box 55727 Birmingham, AL 35255-5727 Attorney for Mortgagee/ Transferee www.sirote.com/foreclosures 428372 Lagniappe HD Jan. 24, 31, Feb. 7, 2018

MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE SALE Default having been made in the payment of the indebtedness secured by that certain mortgage executed by Caroline Vanderbilt, an unmarried woman, originally in favor of Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as nominee for Quicken Loans Inc., on the 28th day of August, 2015, said mortgage recorded in the Office of the Judge of Probate of Mobile County, Alabama, in Bk: LR7300 Pg: 359; partially released in Bk: LR7575 Pg: 522; the undersigned Quicken Loans Inc., as Mortgagee/Transferee, under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in said mortgage, will sell at public outcry to the highest bidder for cash, in front of the main entrance of the Courthouse at Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama, on February 15, 2018, during the legal hours of sale, all of its right, title, and interest in and to the following described real estate, situated in Mobile County, Alabama, to-wit: Commencing at the Northeast corner of the Southwest Quarter of the Southwest Quarter of Section 4, Township 5 South, Range 2 West and run North 89 degrees 42 minutes West 556.0 feet; run thence South 502.73 feet to the point of beginning; run thence North 87 degrees 56 minutes East 20 feet; run thence South 57.5 feet; run thence South 87 degrees 56 minutes West 20.00 feet; run thence North 57.5 feet to the point of beginning. Commence at the Northeast corner of the Southwest Quarter of the Southwest Quarter of Section 4, Township 5 South, Range 2 West: and run North 89 degrees 42 minutes West, 556.0 feet; thence run South, 455.73 feet; thence run West, 25.0 feet to the point of beginning of the property herein described; thence continue West, 29.0 feet; thence run North 69.0 feet; thence run East 29.0 feet; thence run South 69.0 feet to the point of beginning. From the Northeast corner of the Southwest Quarter of Southwest Quarter, Section 4, Township 5 South, Range 2 West; run North 89 degrees 24 minutes West along the North line of the Southwest Quarter of the Southwest Quarter, Section 4, Township 5 South, Range 2 West, a distance of 987.3 feet to a point; thence South 1 degrees 24 minutes West a distance of 661.17 feet to a point; thence North 89 degrees 46 minutes East a distance of 232 feet for the point of beginning, continue thence North 89 degrees 46 minutes East, a distance of 212.0

feet to a point; thence North 1 degree 24 minutes East a distance of 155.0 feet to a point; thence South 89 degrees 46 minutes West a distance of 212.0 feet to a point; thence South 1 degree 24 minutes West a distance of 155.0 feet to the point of beginning. Commence at the Northeast corner of the Southwest Quarter of the Southwest Quarter of Section 4, Township 5 South, Range 2 West and run North 89 degrees 42 minutes West 556.0 feet, thence run South 560.23 feet to the point of beginning; thence run North 87 degrees 56 minutes East 20.0 feet, thence run South 50.5 feet, thence run South 87 degrees 56 minutes West 20.0 feet, thence run North 50.5 feet to the point of beginning.

Property street address for informational purposes: 2620 Rose Ct, Mobile, AL 36693 THIS PROPERTY WILL BE SOLD ON AN “AS IS, WHERE IS” BASIS, SUBJECT TO ANY EASEMENTS, ENCUMBRANCES, AND EXCEPTIONS REFLECTED IN THE MORTGAGE AND THOSE CONTAINED IN THE RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF THE JUDGE OF PROBATE OF THE COUNTY WHERE THE ABOVE-DESCRIBED PROPERTY IS SITUATED. THIS PROPERTY WILL BE SOLD WITHOUT WARRANTY OR RECOURSE, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED AS TO TITLE, USE AND/OR ENJOYMENT AND WILL BE SOLD SUBJECT TO THE RIGHT OF REDEMPTION OF ALL PARTIES ENTITLED THERETO. Alabama law gives some persons who have an interest in property the right to redeem the property under certain circumstances. Programs may also exist that help persons avoid or delay the foreclosure process. An attorney should be consulted to help you understand these rights and programs as a part of the foreclosure process. This sale is made for the purpose of paying the indebtedness secured by said mortgage, as well as the expenses of foreclosure.

The successful bidder must tender a non-refundable deposit of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) in certified funds made payable to Sirote & Permutt, P.C. at the time and place of the sale. The balance of the purchase price must be paid in certified funds by noon the next business day at the Law Office of Sirote & Permutt, P.C. at the address indicated below. Sirote & Permutt, P.C. reserves the right to award the bid to the next highest bidder should the highest bidder fail to timely tender the total amount due. The Mortgagee/Transferee reserves the right to bid for and purchase the real estate and to credit its purchase price against the expenses of sale and the indebtedness secured by the real estate. This sale is subject to postponement or cancellation. Quicken Loans Inc., Mortgagee/ Transferee Pam King SIROTE & PERMUTT, P.C. P. O. Box 55727 Birmingham, AL 35255-5727 Attorney for Mortgagee/Transferee www.sirote.com/ foreclosures 420275 Lagniappe HD Jan. 17, 24, 31, 2018

MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE SALE Default having been made in the payment of the indebtedness secured by that certain mortgage executed by Geroice O. Jackson, a married person and Dawn Jackson, a married person, as husband and wife, originally in favor of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. , on the 24th day of May, 2011, said mortgage recorded in the Office of the Judge of Probate of Mobile County, Alabama, in Book 6782 Page 603; the undersigned Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as Mortgagee/Transferee, under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in said mortgage, will sell at public outcry to the highest bidder for cash, in front of the main entrance of the Courthouse at Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama, on March 8, 2018, during the legal hours of sale, all of its right, title, and interest in and to the following described real estate, situated in Mobile County, Alabama, to-wit: Lot 96 of Winchester Subdivision, Unit Two, according to the plat thereof recorded in Map Book 121, Page 96, of the records in the Office of the Judge of Probate of Mobile County, Alabama.

Property street address for informational purposes: 9772 Winchester Dr South, Semmes, AL 36575. THIS PROPERTY WILL BE SOLD ON AN “AS IS, WHERE IS” BASIS, SUBJECT TO ANY EASEMENTS, ENCUMBRANCES, AND EXCEPTIONS REFLECTED IN THE MORTGAGE AND THOSE CONTAINED IN THE RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF THE JUDGE OF PROBATE OF THE COUNTY WHERE THE ABOVE-DESCRIBED PROPERTY IS SITUATED. THIS PROPERTY WILL BE SOLD WITHOUT WARRANTY OR RECOURSE, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED AS TO TITLE, USE AND/OR ENJOYMENT AND WILL BE SOLD SUBJECT TO THE RIGHT OF REDEMPTION OF ALL PARTIES ENTITLED THERETO. Alabama law gives some persons who have an interest in property the right to redeem the property under certain circumstances. Programs may also exist that help persons avoid or delay the foreclosure process. An attorney should be consulted to help you understand these rights and programs as a part of the foreclosure process.

This sale is made for the purpose of paying the indebtedness secured by said mortgage, as well as the expenses of foreclosure. The successful bidder must tender a nonrefundable deposit of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) in certified funds made payable to Sirote & Permutt, P.C. at the time and place of the sale. The balance of the purchase price must be paid in certified funds by noon the next business day at the Law Office of Sirote & Permutt, P.C. at the address indicated below. Sirote & Permutt, P.C. reserves the right to award the bid to the next highest bidder should the highest bidder fail to timely tender the total amount due. The Mortgagee/Transferee reserves the right to bid for and purchase the real estate and to credit its purchase price against the expenses of sale and the indebtedness secured by the real estate. This sale is subject to postponement or cancellation. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Mortgagee/ Transferee. Ginny Rutledge SIROTE & PERMUTT, P.C. P. O. Box 55727 Birmingham, AL 35255-5727 Attorney for

46 | L AG N I A P P E | J a n u a r y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8 - J a n u a r y 3 0 , 2 0 1 8

Mortgagee/Transferee www.sirote.com/foreclosures 360270 Lagniappe HD Jan. 10, 17, 24, 2018

MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE SALE Default having been made in the payment of the indebtedness secured by that certain mortgage executed by Jerome Taylor and Dashan Taylor, husband and wife, originally in favor of Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as nominee for Brand Mortgage Group, LLC, on the 30th day of November, 2012, said mortgage recorded in the Office of the Judge of Probate of Mobile County, Alabama, in Book 6964 Page 290; modified in Book LR7458, Page 152; the undersigned Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as Mortgagee/Transferee, under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in said mortgage, will sell at public outcry to the highest bidder for cash, in front of the main entrance of the Courthouse at Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama, on March 8, 2018, during the legal hours of sale, all of its right, title, and interest in and to the following described real estate, situated in Mobile County, Alabama, to-wit: Lot 27, Torrington Place, according to plat thereof recorded in Map Book 119, Page 78, of the records in the Office of the Judge of Probate of Mobile County, Alabama.

Property street address for informational purposes: 9862 Torrington Drive S, Semmes, AL 36575. THIS PROPERTY WILL BE SOLD ON AN “AS IS, WHERE IS” BASIS, SUBJECT TO ANY EASEMENTS, ENCUMBRANCES, AND EXCEPTIONS REFLECTED IN THE MORTGAGE AND THOSE CONTAINED IN THE RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF THE JUDGE OF PROBATE OF THE COUNTY WHERE THE ABOVE-DESCRIBED PROPERTY IS SITUATED. THIS PROPERTY WILL BE SOLD WITHOUT WARRANTY OR RECOURSE, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED AS TO TITLE, USE AND/OR ENJOYMENT AND WILL BE SOLD SUBJECT TO THE RIGHT OF REDEMPTION OF ALL PARTIES ENTITLED THERETO. Alabama law gives some persons who have an interest in property the right to redeem the property under certain circumstances. Programs may also exist that help persons avoid or delay the foreclosure process. An attorney should be consulted to help you understand these rights and programs as a part of the foreclosure process.

This sale is made for the purpose of paying the indebtedness secured by said mortgage, as well as the expenses of foreclosure. The successful bidder must tender a nonrefundable deposit of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) in certified funds made payable to Sirote & Permutt, P.C. at the time and place of the sale. The balance of the purchase price must be paid in certified funds by noon the next business day at the Law Office of Sirote & Permutt, P.C. at the address indicated below. Sirote & Permutt, P.C. reserves the right to award the bid to the next highest bidder should the highest bidder fail to timely tender the total amount due. The Mortgagee/Transferee reserves the right to bid for and purchase the real estate and to credit its purchase price against the expenses of sale and the indebtedness secured by the real estate. This sale is subject to postponement or cancellation. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Mortgagee/ Transferee Ginny Rutledge SIROTE & PERMUTT, P.C. P. O. Box 55727 Birmingham, AL 35255-5727 Attorney for Mortgagee/Transferee www.sirote.com/foreclosures 427033

programs as a part of the foreclosure process. This sale is made for the purpose of paying the indebtedness secured by said mortgage, as well as the expenses of foreclosure.

The successful bidder must tender a non-refundable deposit of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) in certified funds made payable to Sirote & Permutt, P.C. at the time and place of the sale. The balance of the purchase price must be paid in certified funds by noon the next business day at the Law Office of Sirote & Permutt, P.C. at the address indicated below. Sirote & Permutt, P.C. reserves the right to award the bid to the next highest bidder should the highest bidder fail to timely tender the total amount due. The Mortgagee/Transferee reserves the right to bid for and purchase the real estate and to credit its purchase price against the expenses of sale and the indebtedness secured by the real estate. This sale is subject to postponement or cancellation. LoanCare, LLC, Mortgagee/Transferee. Pam King SIROTE & PERMUTT, P.C. P. O. Box 55727 Birmingham, AL 35255-5727 Attorney for Mortgagee/Transferee www.sirote.com/foreclosures 426420 Lagniappe HD Jan. 10, 17, 24, 2018

MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE SALE

Default having been made in the payment of the indebtedness secured by that certain mortgage executed by Cecelia J. Oliver and Elbert Ray Oliver, wife and husband, originally in favor of Ameriquest Mortgage Company, on the 24th day of December, 2002, said mortgage recorded in the Office of the Judge of Probate of Mobile County, Alabama, in Book 5298 Page 1554; modified in Book 6607, Page 1358; along with Judgment of Consent in Bk: LR7095, Pg: 776; the undersigned Deutsche Bank, National Trust Company, as Trustee for GSRPM Mortgage Loan Trust 2006- 1, as Mortgagee/Transferee, under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in said mortgage, will sell at public outcry to the highest bidder for cash, in front of the main entrance of the Courthouse at Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama, on February 8, 2018, during the legal hours of sale, all of its right, title, and interest in and to the following described real estate, situated in Mobile County, Alabama, to-wit: That lot of land bounded by a line described as beginning at a point on the East side of Monterey Street 300 feet Southwardly from the Southeast intersection of Monterey and Government Street; thence running Southwardly along the East line of Monterey Street 55 feet to a point; thence running Eastwardly 197 feet 9 inches to a point; thence running Northwardly and parallel with Monterey Street 55 feet to a point; thence running Westwardly 197 feet to Monterey Street and the point of beginning an being Lot No. 3, according to a plat of lots made by A.S. Towle, C.E., made for W.F. McDonnell and the Southern Realty Company recorded in Deed Book 138, N.S., Pages 116-117 on the records in the Office of the Judge of Probate Court of Mobile County, Alabama; being the same property conveyed by M.J. Oren and Halldis K. Oren, husband and wife, to James F. Farrar and Edna Maye Farrar December 9, 1946, by deed recorded in Deed Book 419, Page 79.

Property street address for informational purposes: 261 South Monterey St, Mobile, AL 36604. THIS PROPERTY WILL BE SOLD ON AN “AS IS, WHERE IS” BASIS, SUBJECT Lagniappe HD Jan. 10, 17, 24, 2018 TO ANY EASEMENTS, ENCUMBRANCES, AND EXCEPTIONS REFLECTED IN THE MORTGAGE AND THOSE CONTAINED IN MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE SALE THE RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF THE JUDGE OF PROBATE Default having been made in the payment of the indebted- OF THE COUNTY WHERE THE ABOVE-DESCRIBED PROPERTY ness secured by that certain mortgage executed by Kat- IS SITUATED. THIS PROPERTY WILL BE SOLD WITHOUT WARtie M. Mims, a single woman, originally in favor of First RANTY OR RECOURSE, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED AS TO TITLE, Community Bank, on the 2nd day of February, 2007, said USE AND/OR ENJOYMENT AND WILL BE SOLD SUBJECT mortgage recorded in the Office of the Judge of Probate TO THE RIGHT OF REDEMPTION OF ALL PARTIES ENTITLED of Mobile County, Alabama, in Book 6126 Page 1859; the THERETO. Alabama law gives some persons who have an undersigned LoanCare, LLC, as Mortgagee/Transferee, interest in property the right to redeem the property ununder and by virtue of the power of sale contained in said der certain circumstances. Programs may also exist that mortgage, will sell at public outcry to the highest bidder help persons avoid or delay the foreclosure process. An for cash, in front of the main entrance of the Courthouse attorney should be consulted to help you understand these at Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama, on February 8, 2018, rights and programs as a part of the foreclosure process. during the legal hours of sale, all of its right, title, and This sale is made for the purpose of paying the indebtedinterest in and to the following described real estate, situ- ness secured by said mortgage, as well as the expenses ated in Mobile County, Alabama, to-wit: Commence at the of foreclosure. The successful bidder must tender a nonNorthwest corner of the Southeastern One Quarter of the refundable deposit of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) Southeastern One Quarter of Section 13, Township 2 North, in certified funds made payable to Sirote & Permutt, P.C. at Range 3 West, County of Mobile, State of Alabama, City the time and place of the sale. The balance of the purchase of Citronelle; thence South 89 degrees 50 minutes East price must be paid in certified funds by noon the next busi632 feet to a point; thence South 00 degrees 12 minutes ness day at the Law Office of Sirote & Permutt, P.C. at the East 30 feet to a point, this being the Point of Beginning; address indicated below. Sirote & Permutt, P.C. reserves thence South 00 degrees 12 minutes East 125 feet to a the right to award the bid to the next highest bidder should point; thence North 89 degrees 50 minutes West 151 feet the highest bidder fail to timely tender the total amount to a point; thence North 00 degrees 12 minutes West 125 due. The Mortgagee/Transferee reserves the right to bid feet to a point; thence South 89 degrees 50 minutes East for and purchase the real estate and to credit its purchase 151 feet back to the Point of Beginning. Property street price against the expenses of sale and the indebtedness address for informational purposes: 21165 J E Turner secured by the real estate. This sale is subject to postponeCir, Citronelle, AL 36522. THIS PROPERTY WILL BE SOLD ment or cancellation. Deutsche Bank, National Trust ComON AN “AS IS, WHERE IS” BASIS, SUBJECT TO ANY EASE- pany, as Trustee for GSRPM Mortgage Loan Trust 2006- 1, MENTS, ENCUMBRANCES, AND EXCEPTIONS REFLECTED IN Mortgagee/Transferee. Pam King SIROTE & PERMUTT, P.C. THE MORTGAGE AND THOSE CONTAINED IN THE RECORDS P. O. Box 55727 Birmingham, AL 35255-5727 Attorney OF THE OFFICE OF THE JUDGE OF PROBATE OF THE COUNTY for Mortgagee/Transferee www.sirote.com/foreclosures WHERE THE ABOVE-DESCRIBED PROPERTY IS SITUATED. 425215 THIS PROPERTY WILL BE SOLD WITHOUT WARRANTY OR Lagniappe HD Jan. 10, 17, 24, 2018 RECOURSE, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED AS TO TITLE, USE AND/OR ENJOYMENT AND WILL BE SOLD SUBJECT TO THE MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE SALE RIGHT OF REDEMPTION OF ALL PARTIES ENTITLED THERETO. Default having been made in the payment of the indebtedAlabama law gives some persons who have an interest in ness secured by that certain mortgage executed by Patricia property the right to redeem the property under certain A. Goff, an unmarried woman and Terry R. Toomer, an circumstances. Programs may also exist that help persons unmarried man, originally in favor of Mortgage Electronic avoid or delay the foreclosure process. An attorney should Registration Systems, Inc., as nominee for Countrywide be consulted to help you understand these rights and Home Loans, Inc., on the 31st day of December, 2007, said

mortgage recorded in the Office of the Judge of Probate of Mobile County, Alabama, in Book 6316 Page 1457; the undersigned Nationstar Mortgage LLC, as Mortgagee/ Transferee, under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in said mortgage, will sell at public outcry to the highest bidder for cash, in front of the main entrance of the Courthouse at Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama, on March 8, 2018, during the legal hours of sale, all of its right, title, and interest in and to the following described real estate, situated in Mobile County, Alabama, to-wit: Lots 1 and 2, Pecan Valley Subdivision, Unit III, according to the plat thereof recorded in Map Book 70, Page 55 of the records in the Office of the Judge of Probate, Mobile County, Alabama. Property street address for informational purposes: 7930 One Mile Road, Irvington, AL 36544.

THIS PROPERTY WILL BE SOLD ON AN “AS IS, WHERE IS” BASIS, SUBJECT TO ANY EASEMENTS, ENCUMBRANCES, AND EXCEPTIONS REFLECTED IN THE MORTGAGE AND THOSE CONTAINED IN THE RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF THE JUDGE OF PROBATE OF THE COUNTY WHERE THE ABOVEDESCRIBED PROPERTY IS SITUATED. THIS PROPERTY WILL BE SOLD WITHOUT WARRANTY OR RECOURSE, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED AS TO TITLE, USE AND/OR ENJOYMENT AND WILL BE SOLD SUBJECT TO THE RIGHT OF REDEMPTION OF ALL PARTIES ENTITLED THERETO. Alabama law gives some persons who have an interest in property the right to redeem the property under certain circumstances. Programs may also exist that help persons avoid or delay the foreclosure process. An attorney should be consulted to help you understand these rights and programs as a part of the foreclosure process. This sale is made for the purpose of paying the indebtedness secured by said mortgage, as well as the expenses of foreclosure. The successful bidder must tender a non-refundable deposit of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) in certified funds made payable to Sirote & Permutt, P.C. at the time and place of the sale.

The balance of the purchase price must be paid in certified funds by noon the next business day at the Law Office of Sirote & Permutt, P.C. at the address indicated below.

Sirote & Permutt, P.C. reserves the right to award the bid to the next highest bidder should the highest bidder fail to timely tender the total amount due. The Mortgagee/Transferee reserves the right to bid for and purchase the real estate and to credit its purchase price against the expenses of sale and the indebtedness secured by the real estate. This sale is subject to postponement or cancellation. Nationstar Mortgage LLC, Mortgagee/Transferee Rebecca Redmond SIROTE & PERMUTT, P.C. P. O. Box 55727 Birmingham, AL 35255-5727 Attorney for Mortgagee/Transferee www. sirote.com/foreclosures 396502 Lagniappe HD Jan. 10, 17, 24, 2018

NOTICE OF COMPLETION STATE OF ALABAMA COUNTY OF MOBILE NOTICE OF COMPLETION In accordance with Chapter 1, Title 39, Code of Alabama, 1975, notice is hereby given that J. Hunt Enterprises, General Contractors, LLC, has completed the contract for Copeland-Cox Tennis Center–Drainage Repairs– Courts 5 through 8 – PR-170-17 at 851 Gaillard Avenue, Mobile, AL 36608. All persons having any claims for labor, material or otherwise in connection with this project should immediately notify the Architectural Engineering Department, City of Mobile, P.O. Box 1827, Mobile, AL 36633-1827. J. Hunt Enterprises, General Contractors, 4657 Gold Mine Rd. East, Mobile, AL 36619 Lagniappe HD Jan. 24, 2018

STATE OF ALABAMA COUNTY OF MOBILE NOTICE OF COMPLETION In accordance with Chapter 1, Title 39, Code of Alabama, 1975, notice is hereby given that J. Hunt Enterprises, General Contractors, LLC, has completed the contract for Bishop State Community College Package P: Building Demolition, Southwest Campus Mobile, AL. All persons having any claims for labor, material or otherwise in connection with this project should immediately notify Lathan Associates Architects, P.C. 1550 Woods of Riverchase Dr., Suite 200 Hoover, AL 35244. J. Hunt Enterprises, General Contractors, 4657 Gold Mine Rd. East, Mobile, AL 36619 Lagniappe HD Jan. 24, 2018

PUBLIC NOTICE I, Don Davis, Judge of Probate in and for Mobile County, Alabama, do hereby certify that the following resolution of the Mobile County Commission was filed with the Probate Court on the 22nd day of January, 2018, viz: RESOLUTION WHEREAS, Alabama legislative districts have been altered pursuant to court order; and WHEREAS, the legislative redistricting created many split precincts among Mobile County election precints, that is, precincts which include portions of one or more county commission districts, Alabama House of Representative districts, and Alabama Senate districts; and WHEREAS, the Mobile County Commission has sole authority to change the configuration, boundaries, and designation of county election precincts, and may do so in order to make it more convenient for voters to vote, or to facilitate the election process; and WHEREAS, the Mobile County Commission has developed a proposal for the adjustment of the boundaries of county election precincts, so as to be coterminous with the boundaries

LAGNIAPPE LEGALS | 251.450-4466 | legals@lagniappemobile.com of Alabama legislative districts, and for other reasons, and finds that the adoption thereof will make it more convenient for voters to vote and will facilitate the election process; NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises, it is hereby resolved: That the boundaries of the following county election precincts be adjusted and established as shown on the map available for inspection and viewing during regular business hours in the Election Center, Office of the Judge of Probate of Mobile County, Alabama, with the voting center for each precinct as shown: Precinct 6: Turnerville Baptist Church, 13992 Roberts Road, Chunchula, AL 36521 Precinct 11: Lafitte Baptist Church, 3201 Lafitte Road, Saraland, AL 36571 Precinct 12: Satsuma High School Annex Building, 1 Gator Circle, Satsuma, AL 36572 Precinct 14: Indian Springs Baptist Church, 4241 Lott Road, Eight Mile, AL 36613 Precinct 16: Collins-Rhodes Elem. School, 5110 St. Stephens Rd., Eight Mile, AL 36613 Precinct 23: Semmes First Baptist Church, 4070 Wulff Road East, Semmes, AL 36575 Precinct 28: Moffett Road Assembly of God, 6159 Moffett Road, Mobile, AL 36618 Precinct 33: Sunlight Auditorium, 809 Seminary Street, Prichard, AL 36610 Precinct 43: Three Circle Church Midtown, 150 S. Sage Avenue, Mobile, AL 36606 Precinct 44: New Shiloh Missionary Bapt. Church, 2756 Old Shell Rd., Mobile, AL 36607 Precinct 46: Sonrise Baptist Church, 140 Snow Road North, Mobile, AL 36608 Precinct 51: Saving Grace Lutheran Church, 1500 Snow Road, Mobile, AL 36695 Precinct 54: City Church of Mobile, 3750 Michael Blvd., Mobile, AL 36609 Precinct 55: Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2921 Airport Blvd., Mobile, AL 36609 Precinct 59: Our Savior Catholic Church, 1801 South Cody Road, Mobile, AL 36695 Precinct 60: Regency Church of Christ, 501 University Blvd.

South, Mobile, AL 36609 Precinct 61: Apostolic Church of God, 4050 Cottage Hill Road, Mobile, AL 36609 Precinct 62: Kate Shepard Elementary School, 3980-B Burma Road, Mobile, AL 36693 Precinct 65: Living Word Church, 2900 Dawes Road, Mobile, AL 36695 Precinct 67: Connie Hudson Mobile Regional Sr. Community Ctr., 3201 Hillcrest Rd., Mobile AL 36695 Precinct 68: Dodge Elementary School, 2615 Longleaf Drive, Mobile, AL 36693 Precinct 69: Tree of Life Christian Church, 4548 Hall Mill Road, Mobile, AL 36693 Precinct 70: Christ Anglican Church, 3275 Halls Mill Road, Mobile, AL 36606 Precinct 79: Callahan Boys & Girls Club, 6585 Carol Plantation Rd., Theodore, AL 36585 Precinct 82: Mt. Ararat Baptist Church, 5201 Washington Blvd., Theodore, AL 36582 DONE and ADOPTED this 22nd day of January, 2018.

STATE OF ALABAMA } COUNTY OF MOBILE } I, John F. Pafenbach, County Administrator, certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of a resolution adopted by the Mobile County Commission in regular meeting convened the 22nd day of January, 2018. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and the official seal of the Mobile County Commission on this the 22nd day of January, 2018. John F. Pafenbach County Administrator Lagniappe HD Jan. 24, 2018

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT MOBILE, ALABAMA PURSUANT TO THE ZONING ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF MOBILE, adopted the 16th day of May 1967, as amended, the City of Mobile’s Board of Zoning Adjustment will hold a Public Hearing on February 5, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. to consider a request at 3255 Airport Boulevard (Southeast corner of Airport Boulevard and East I-65 Service Road South.) for a Tree Planting Variance to allow the planting of frontage trees elsewhere on the property in a B-3, Community Business District; the Zoning Ordinance requires all frontage trees to be planted along the corresponding right-of-way in a B-3, Community Business District. The meeting will be held in the Auditorium at 205 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama. This notice is to advise you of the public hearing so that you may attend the meeting and present your views to the Board concerning this request. Dated this 12th day of January, 2018. BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT Lagniappe HD Jan. 17, 24, 2018

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT MOBILE, ALABAMA PURSUANT TO THE ZONING ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF MOBILE, adopted the 16th day of May 1967, as amended, the City of Mobile’s Board of Zoning Adjustment will hold a Public Hearing on February 5, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. to consider a request at 3244 Dauphin Street (North side of Dauphin Street, 170’ + East of Northgate Drive.) for an

Off-Street Parking Variance to allow 30 off street parking spaces for a 4,210 square foot restaurant in a B-3, Community Business District; the Zoning Ordinance requires 42 parking spaces for a 4,210 square foot restaurant in a B-3, Community Business District. The meeting will be held in the Auditorium at 205 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama. This notice is to advise you of the public hearing so that you may attend the meeting and present your views to the Board concerning this request. Dated this 12th day of January, 2018. BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT Lagniappe HD Jan. 17, 24, 2018

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT MOBILE, ALABAMA PURSUANT TO THE ZONING ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF MOBILE, adopted the 16th day of May 1967, as amended, the City of Mobile’s Board of Zoning Adjustment will hold a Public Hearing on February 5, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. to consider a request at 4686 Airport Boulevard (Northeast corner of General Bullard Avenue and Airport Boulevard.) for an Sign Variance to allow a digital gas pricer sign within less than 300’ of residentially zoned property in a B-2, Neighborhood Business District; the Zoning Ordinance requires a 300’ buffer between residentially zoned properties and digital gas pricer signs in a B-2, Neighborhood Business District. The meeting will be held in the Auditorium at 205 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama. This notice is to advise you of the public hearing so that you may attend the meeting and present your views to the Board concerning this request. Dated this 12th day of January, 2018. BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT Lagniappe HD Jan. 17, 24, 2018

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT MOBILE, ALABAMA PURSUANT TO THE ZONING ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF MOBILE, adopted the 16th day of May 1967, as amended, the City of Mobile’s Board of Zoning Adjustment will hold a Public Hearing on February 5, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. to consider a request at (Southwest corner of South Sage Avenue and Eslava Creek Parkway.) for an Height, Setback, Landscape, and Access and Maneuvering Variances to allow a 140’ tall telecommunications tower 26.25’ from the property line with a gravel access road and no tree planting in a B-1, Buffer Business District; the Zoning Ordinance limits the structures to a 45’ height, requires telecommunications towers to be setback a distance equal to the height of the tower, requires compliance with all tree and landscaping requirements, and requires all access and maneuvering areas to be paved with concrete, asphaltic concrete, asphalt, or approved alternative surfaces in a B-1, Buffer Business District. The meeting will be held in the Auditorium at 205 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama. This notice is to advise you of the public hearing so that you may attend the meeting and present your views to the Board concerning this request. Dated this 12th day of January, 2018. BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT Lagniappe HD Jan. 17, 24, 2018

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT MOBILE, ALABAMA PURSUANT TO THE ZONING ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF MOBILE, adopted the 16th day of May 1967, as amended, the City of Mobile’s Board of Zoning Adjustment will hold a Public Hearing on February 5, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. to consider a request at 3535 Spring Hill Avenue (South side of Spring Hill Avenue, extending to the West terminus of Irene Street.) for a Side Street Side Yard Variance to allow a 12’ reduced side street side yard setback in an R-1, Single Family District; the Zoning Ordinance requires a 20’ side street side yard setback in an R-1, Single Family Residential District. The meeting will be held in the Auditorium at 205 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama. This notice is to advise you of the public hearing so that you may attend the meeting and present your views to the Board concerning this request. Dated this 12th day of January, 2018. BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT Lagniappe HD Jan. 17, 24, 2018

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT MOBILE, ALABAMA PURSUANT TO THE ZONING ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF MOBILE, adopted the 16th day of May 1967, as amended, the City of Mobile’s Board of Zoning Adjustment will hold a Public Hearing on February 5, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. to consider a request at 358 St. Louis Street (Area bounded by St. Louis Street, North Franklin Street, St. Anthony Street, Gliddon Place and North Claiborne Street.) for a Frontage, Sign, Building Materials, and Parking Variances to allow a 1,097 square foot pedestrian forecourt, an individual storefront sign 10’ in height, metal siding and roofing as well as vertical polycarbonate skylights, and parking spaces without wheel stops in a T5.1 Sub-District of the Downtown Development District; the Zoning Ordinance prohibits pedestrian forecourts exceeding 600 square feet, limits individual storefront signs to 2’ in height, does not allow metal siding, roofing or vertical polycarbonate skylights, and requires all parking spaces to have wheel stops in a T5.1 Sub-District of the Downtown Development

District. The meeting will be held in the Auditorium at 205 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama. This notice is to advise you of the public hearing so that you may attend the meeting and present your views to the Board concerning this request. Dated this 12th day of January, 2018. BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT Lagniappe HD Jan. 17, 24, 2018

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT MOBILE, ALABAMA PURSUANT TO THE ZONING ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF MOBILE, adopted the 16th day of May 1967, as amended, the City of Mobile’s Board of Zoning Adjustment will hold a Public Hearing on February 5, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. to consider a request at 1711 Taylor Lane (South side of Taylor Lane at the South terminus of Rotterdam Court.) for a Residential Buffer and Dumpster Enclosure Variances to allow a dumpster less than 10’ from a residentially zoned property with no enclosure at a church in an R-1, Single Family Residential District; the Zoning Ordinance requires dumpsters to be located a minimum of 10’ from residentially zoned property, and must be enclosed on three sides with either a privacy fence or wall at least as tall as the dumpster at a church in an R-1, Single Family Residential District. The meeting will be held in the Auditorium at 205 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama. This notice is to advise you of the public hearing so that you may attend the meeting and present your views to the Board concerning this request. Dated this 12th day of January, 2018. BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT Lagniappe HD Jan. 17, 24, 2018

TECHNICAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE (TCC)/CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMITTEE (CAC) of the MOBILE METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION (MPO) MEETING The Mobile MPO Technical Coordinating Committee/Citizen Advisory Committee (TCC/CAC) will meet on Wednesday, January 31, 2018 at 10:00 am at the GM&O Building on the Second Floor at 110 Beauregard Street. The purpose of the meeting is to review and recommend Safety Performance Measures and the following modification to the FY 2016-2019 Transportation Improvement Program: New Cost Estimate 100060153 ( CN ) SR-158 Extension from 0.5 Mile East of Glenwood Road to West of Lott Road (SR217). Grade Drain, Base, Pave has a new cost estimate from $17,721,177 to $30,005,229. The Mobile MPO Policy Board will vote on the recommendations by the TCC/CAC at a meeting on Wednesday, February 14, 2018 at 2 pm at the GM&O Building in the Board Room. Physically challenged persons who need special accommodations should contact SARPC in advance so arrangements can be made to meet their needs. Transportation Planning Coordinator South Alabama Regional Planning Commission P. O. Box 1665 Mobile, AL 36633-1665 PHONE: (251)433-6541 FAX: (251)433-6009 EMAIL: transportation@sarpc.org Lagniappe HD Jan. 10, 17, 24, 2018

STATE OF ALABAMA COUNTY OF MOBILE Notice is hereby given that a bill as described in the synopsis below will be introduced in the 2018 Regular Session of the Legislature of Alabama and application for its passage and enactment will be made: A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT. SYNOPSIS: This bill would relate to Class 2 municipalities operating under a countywide civil service system and would authorize the municipality to establish an optional program for the hiring and pay of public safety employee.

Lagniappe HD Jan. 3, 10, 17, 24, 2018

STATE OF ALABAMA COUNTY OF MOBILE Notice is hereby given that a bill as described in the synopsis below will be introduced in the 2018 Regular Session of the Legislature of Alabama and application for its passage and enactment will be made: A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT. SYNOPSIS: Relating to Class 2 municipalities; to require a landlord to register any rental property with a Class 2 municipality and to maintain the condition of any rental property up to code, and to require the registration of any vacant property with a Class 2 municipality; to establish a fine for a landlord who does not adhere to the registration and maintenance requirements, and to require a bank to register any foreclosed property.

Lagniappe HD Jan. 24, 30, Feb. 7, 14, 2018

PROBATE NOTICE OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of: WESLEY N. HENDERSON, Deceased Case No. 2017-1655 Take notice that Letters Testamentary have been granted to the below named party on the 11th day of January, 2018 by the Honorable Don Davis, Judge of Probate of Mobile County Probate Court, Alabama and that all parties having claims against said estate should file the same with the Probate Court of said county within the time allowed by law, or they will be barred. DORENE P. HENDERSON as

Executrix under the last will and testament of WESLEY N. HENDERSON, Deceased. Attorney of Record: PRO SE Lagniappe HD Jan. 17, 24, 31, 2018

NOTICE OF SALE The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on February 23 , 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 1817 Spanish Dr., Saraland, AL 36571.

2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee 1J4GW48SFYC120357 Lagniappe HD Jan. 17, 24, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on February 23 , 2018 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 261 Bishop G W Ayers St., Mobile, AL 36617.

2009 Dodge Ram 1D3HB13TX9S777450 Lagniappe HD Jan. 17, 24, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on February 23 , 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 309 E Verbena Ave., Foley, AL 36535.

2000 GMC Sierra 1GTGK29U1YE162230 Lagniappe HD Jan. 17, 24, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on February 23 , 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 558 S Wilson Ave., Mobile, AL 36610.

2012 Toyota Camry 4T1BF1FK3CU605435 Lagniappe HD Jan. 17, 24, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on February 23 , 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 7960 Two Mile Rd., Irvington, AL 36544.

2005 Chevrolet Venture 1GNDV23E35D100543 2013 Chrysler 200 1C3CCBAB3DN686774 2007 BMW328I WBAVA375X7NL12780 Lagniappe HD Jan. 17, 24, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on February 23 , 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 9130 County Rd.11, Fairhope, AL 36532.

2001 Chevrolet Silverado 2GCEC19V411131004 Lagniappe HD Jan. 17, 24, 2018

These abandon vehicles located at 5781 Three Notch Rd. Mobile, AL 36619 will be sold on 02/21/2018 if not redeemed TOYO 4T1BF28B4YU025640 NISS 5N1AR2MN5FC659710 MITS 4A4MN21S54E096448 FORD 1FALP42T9RF179582 TOYO 5TFLU4EN5DX076954 VW 3VWCA21C2YM471099 FORD 2FAFP71V58X131291 CHEV 1GNET16S866116863 Lagniappe HD Jan. 17, 24, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 02 , 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 7960 Two Mile Rd., Irvington, AL 36544.

1999 Ford Explorer 1FMDU32E3XUA80361 Lagniappe HD Jan. 24, 31, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 02 , 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 887 Imperial Dr., Mobile,AL 36608.

2010 Chevrolet Cobalt 1G1AB5F50A7153056 Lagniappe HD Jan. 24, 31, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 02 , 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 5388 US Hwy 90, Mobile, AL 36619.

2009 Chevrolet Impala 2G1WT57K191290037 2012 Chrysler 200 1C3CCBAB7CN268460 Lagniappe HD Jan. 24, 31, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 02 , 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 2024 Halls Mill Rd., Mobile, AL 36606.

2010 Ford Taurus 1FAHP2EW2AG163349 Lagniappe HD Jan. 24, 31, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 02 , 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 2008 Hathcox St., Mobile, AL 36617.

1996 Chevrolet Caprice 1G1BL52P5TR153196 Lagniappe HD Jan. 24, 31, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 02 , 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 3927 St Stephens Rd., Prichard, AL 36610.

2004 Toyota Camry 4T1BE32K74U808382

Lagniappe HD Jan. 24, 31, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 02 , 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 7576 Linda Smith Dr., Theodore, AL 36582.

2005 Chevrolet Silverado 2GCEC13T651251948 Lagniappe HD Jan. 24, 31, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 02 , 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 8255 Old Gulfcrest Rd., Chunchula, AL 36521.

2007 Saturn Aura 1G8ZS57N87F220262 Lagniappe HD Jan. 24, 31, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 02 , 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 1153 Anders Dr., Mobile, AL 36618.

2000 BMW 328I WBAAM5348YFR18167 Lagniappe HD Jan. 24, 31, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 02 , 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 4750 Hamel Dr., Eight Mile, AL 36613.

1990 Buick LeSabre 1G4HR54C4LH498862 Lagniappe HD Jan. 24, 31, 2018

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 02 , 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 2206 Airport Blvd. Suite E, Mobile, AL 36606.

2001 GMC Yukon 1GKEC13V51R227115 2013 Nissan Altima 1N4AL3AP4DN519480 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix 2G2WR554261213784 2003 Nissan Altima 1N4AL11D53C162296 2005 Dodge Durango 1D4HD48N55F573076 2009 Dodge Avenger 1B3LC46B29N563699 2007 BMW 328I WBAVA375X7NL14027 2000 Lexus GS400 JT8BH68X5Y0022902 2005 Chrysler Pacifica 2C4GM68415R654628 2010 Chevrolet Aveo KL1TD5DE2AB081827 2006 Toyota Scion JTKDE177960075907 1995 Ford Ranger 1FTCR14A8SPA05503 2003 Chevrolet Impala 2G1WF52E939373393 2002 Honda Accord JHMCG56482C011554 2010 Chevrolet Impala 2G1WB5EK4A1212684 2005 Lexus GS430 JT8BL69S150016222 2003 VW Jetta 3VWSE69MX3M112726 2006 Hyundai Sonata 5NPEU46F06H068632 2002 Nissan Altima 1N4AL11D92C166379 2006 Kia Optima KNAGE123265020370 2004 Nissan 350Z JN1AZ34D34T160261 2002 Ford Escort 3FAFP11302R138912 2010 Dodge Avenger 1B3CC4FBXAN105817 2001 Chrysler 300 2C3AE66G21H589728 Lagniappe HD Jan. 24, 31, 2018

These abandon vehicles located at 5781 Three Notch Rd. Mobile, AL 36619 will be sold on 02/15/2018 if not redeemed.

FORD 1FA6P8CF9H5270997 ACUR 19UUA66204A023712 TOYO 4T1BK36B78U294087 PONT 1G2WK52J4YF301777 Lagniappe HD Jan. 24, 2018

These abandon vehicles located at 5781 Three Notch Road Mobile Al. 36619 will be sold on 02/25/18 if not redeemed.

FORD 3FAHP0HA5CR448885 CADI 1GYEK13R0XR418655 NISS 1N6AD07UX8C427663 GMC 1GKDS13S232215388 CHEV 1GNGR26N2LF136089 CHEV 2G1WB5EK5A1217960 TOYO 4T1BG22K31U860320 Lagniappe HD Jan. 24, 31, 2018

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