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WEEKLY
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LAGNIAPPE
FEBR UARY 23, 2017 - MARCH 1, 2017 | www.lagniappemobile.com ASHLEY TRICE Co-publisher/Editor atrice@lagniappemobile.com
ROB HOLBERT Co-publisher/Managing Editor rholbert@lagniappemobile.com STEVE HALL Marketing/Sales Director shall@lagniappemobile.com GABRIEL TYNES Assistant Managing Editor gabe@lagniappemobile.com DALE LIESCH Reporter dale@lagniappemobile.com JASON JOHNSON Reporter jason@lagniappemobile.com JANE NICHOLES Reporter jane@lagniappemobile.com
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BAY BRIEFS
Mobile’s homeless population is scrambling for new resources after 15 Place closed last week.
COMMENTARY
Is Gov. Bentley’s clever “plan” going to bite him in the butt?
BUSINESS
Foley-based UTC Aerospace was recently listing among the “best plants in North America.”
CUISINE
Chuck’s Fish brings a new upscale dining experience to Mobile’s casual seafood scene.
KEVIN LEE Associate Editor/Arts Editor klee@lagniappemobile.com ANDY MACDONALD Cuisine Editor fatmansqueeze@comcast.net
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STEPHEN CENTANNI Music Editor scentanni@lagniappemobile.com J. MARK BRYANT Sports Writer sports@lagniappemobile.com STEPHANIE POE Copy Editor copy@lagniappemobile.com DANIEL ANDERSON Chief Photographer dan@danandersonphoto.com
COVER
During Mardi Gras, King Cake is definitely king.
LAURA RASMUSSEN Art Director www.laurarasmussen.com
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BROOKE O’DONNELL Advertising Sales Executive brooke@lagniappemobile.com BETH WILLIAMS Advertising Sales Executive bwilliams@lagniappemobile.com ASHLEY KILLIAN Advertising Sales Executive akillian@lagniappemobile.com ALEEN MOMBERGER Advertising Sales Executive aleen@lagniappemobile.com MELISSA EDGE Editorial Assistant events@lagniappemobile.com
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ARTS
Defendants in a lawsuit involving the board and staff of the Mobile Ballet respond to complaints.
MUSIC
Svet the Violinist had his big break on “America’s Got Talent” in 2012. See him at Alchemy Tavern Feb. 25.
ROSS PRITCHARD Distribution Manager delivery@lagniappemobile.com JACKIE CRUTHIRDS Office Manager jackie@lagniappemobile.com CONTRIBUTORS: Lee Hedgepeth, Jeff Poor, Asia Frey, Brian Holbert, Ken Robinson ON THE COVER: KING CAKE BY LAURA RASMUSSEN POSTMASTER: Send address changes to P.O. Box 3003 Mobile, AL 36652. Editorial, advertising and production offices are located at 1100B Dauphin St. Mobile, AL 36604. Mailing address is P.O. Box 3003 Mobile, AL 36652. Phone: 251.450.4466 Fax 251.450.4498. Email: ashleytoland@lagniappemobile.com or rholbert@lagniappemobile.com LAGNIAPPE is printed at Walton Press. All letters sent to Lagniappe are considered to be intended for publication. Member: Association of Alternative Newsweeklies and Alternative Weeklies Network All rights reserved. Something Extra Publishing, Inc. Nothing may be reprinted, photocopied or in any way reproduced without the expressed permission of the publishers. Individuals may take one copy of the paper free of charge from area businesses, racks or boxes. After that, papers are $3 per issue. Removal of more than one copy from these points constitutes theft. Violators are subject to prosecution.
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30 38 44 46 50 FILM
“Genius,” a film about the relationship between writer Thomas Wolfe and editor Maxwell Perkins, is surprisingly not boring.
SPORTS
Since its founding in 2011, Mobile’s GO Kickball league has expanded and spread across the bay.
MEDIA
New public records rules in Baldwin County are going to stifle the media.
STYLE
Boozie was back on the parade route and spotted the rich and famous.
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POLICE DISPATCH
POLICE: TEEN MURDER SUSPECT ‘VERY EVIL PERSON’ By Lagniappe Staff The shooting death of a 68-year-old woman in Semmes gained national attention after it was reported the trigger allegedly had been pulled by her 13-year-old grandson. According to the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, Mary Williams Faulk was found shot to death inside her home on Floyd Circle in the Semmes community the afternoon of Feb. 16. Investigators say her vehicle had been stolen from the property after the shooting. Later that evening, the vehicle was spotted by a sheriff’s deputy more than 20 miles away in Grand Bay — occupied by three people detectives say “jumped out of the car and fled into the woods” when they spotted the responding deputy. After setting up a perimeter, officers apprehended all three, which included Faulk’s grandson, a 15-year-old juvenile and 19-year-old Erick James Toomer. All three suspects later confessed to the murder, although investigators say it was Faulk’s grandson who confessed to pulling the trigger. Mobile County Sheriff’s Office Captain Paul Burch told reporters last week the 13-year-old
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“wasn’t remorseful in the least” when interviewed by police, describing the juvenile as “a very evil person.” Both of the juveniles were charged with murder and transported to the Strickland Youth Center, although the 13-year-old cannot be tried as an adult, according to Mobile County District Attorney Ashley Rich. There’s been no indication from Rich’s office how the 15-year-old will be prosecuted. Toomer appeared in court last week, where a judge set a $25,000 bond for being an accomplice to the murder after the fact. According to Mobile Metro Jail, Toomer’s official charges are listed as murder and second-degree possession of marijuana. His only previous arrest in Mobile was for a third-degree harassment charge in 2016. Man charged in two sexual assaults in Mobile A Chickasaw man arrested for a sexual assault that occurred earlier this month has also been charged in connection with a violent rape reported near downtown Mobile in August 2016. Mobile Police officers arrested 47-year-old Roger Lee McCreary on Feb. 12, charging him in connection with sexual assaults reported last week at the Salvation Army on Dauphin Street and another reported near Fort Conde in August 2016. According to the MPD, that incident occurred
on Aug. 25 after a female victim allegedly met McCreary — who identified himself to her as “Silk” — in the area near Fort Conde on S. Royal Street. Police say the pair were walking by Fort Conde when “Silk armed himself with a knife and forced [the victim] into unwanted sexual contact.” The more recent incident occurred Friday, Feb. 10. Police say in that case, another female victim reported that after she was offered a place to stay by a man she knew, he led her to an abandoned house near the intersection of Conti Street and Washington Avenue where he forced her into unwanted sexual contact. The victims in each case were transported to local hospitals for sexual assault examinations immediately following their assaults. Through a subsequent investigation, McCreary was identified as a possible suspect in both sexual cases, though MPD officials haven’t disclosed evidence explaining the connection at this time. McCreary was located, interviewed, arrested and charged with two counts of firstdegree rape earlier this week. According to records kept by the Mobile County Metro Jail, McCreary has a local criminal record that stretches back nearly 30 years and includes multiple charges of public intoxication, harassment, domestic violence, assault and burglary.
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BAYBRIEF | MOBILE
No place CITY, COMMUNITY MULLING FUTURE FOR HOMELESS BY DALE LIESCH
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he city, civic organizations and churches are still scrambling to help those in need following the shutdown of several of the services offered at a local homeless shelter. Housing First announced earlier this month that it would be halting the ancillary services at 15 Place after Feb. 14. The shelter no longer serves lunch or offers showers, mail service or bag dropoff to members of the homeless community. The decision is still causing a ripple effect among local service organizations. Despite several groups with the same focus, it appears it will be tough to fill the void left by 15 Place. Michon Trent, the city’s senior director of civic engagement, said groups such as Feeding the Gulf Coast and local churches have stepped up to provide meals. She suggested Ransom Ministries could begin offering shower and laundry services as well. The mail service, however, is more complicated, she said. It was one of the more popular services provided by 15 Place and was extremely helpful in giving homeless men and women an address to put on employment applications and other documents. Other than regular meetings with homeless advocacy groups, Trent said the city has been reluctant to take on a role, for good reason. “It’s too premature to say there is no plan,” she said. “The city hasn’t taken a role. We don’t want to arbitrarily tell providers what they need. “They have to come to us,” she added. “They have to tell us what they need.” Councilman Levon Manzie, who represents the downtown area, is in favor of the city doing more to help. In a letter to fellow councilors and Mayor Sandy Stimpson, Manzie asked for the city to fund an “emergency performance contract” to bring the services back. Manzie asked for the mayor and his colleagues to consider giving Housing First $162,000, an amount equaling what Executive Director Eric Jefferson said the organization expected to lose on the services in 2017. Manzie called the performance contract “the most immediate and most effective” way to help 15 Place. “I think it’s the most humane thing we can do until other funding is available,” he said. “We have to make this a priority.” Trent said Jefferson hadn’t asked the city for help and while the city had, at one time, given Housing FIrst a performance contract, it wasn’t near the level of funding Manzie seeks. In fact, the last performance contract for Housing First, in 2015, equaled $39,000. “Giving an emergency contract for ancillary services, I think they’re going to have to talk about that,” Trent said. “I haven’t been in any conversation about that.” At a pre-conference meeting after Manzie’s letter was released, councilors agreed that something needed to be done, but it appears some balked at the idea of a performance contract. Councilman John Williams said the city will have to address the homeless situation, especially given a federal funding cut that is at the heart of Housing First’s issues. “We need to have a public discussion about how we’ll address homelessness,” he said. “ … It’s a public safety issue, it’s a quality of life issue … and it’s the right thing to do.”
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Councilman Joel Daves said he didn’t disagree, but added that if the council were to fund 15 Place the money would have to be cut from somewhere else in the budget, as revenues remain flat. “There’s no free money,” he said. “If we’re going to do this, we need to find something to cut.” If his fellow councilors want to look elsewhere for a solution to the issues at 15 Place, Manzie said, he is fine with that — although the answer cannot be to do nothing. “In the interim, something needs to be done,” he said. “We are lacking vital services.” As for the money issue, Manzie said the council finds money “for what we want to find it for” every week. Even before 15 Place stopped serving lunch, local churches had pitched in with meals and a shelter for the homeless. Government Street Presbyterian Church is one. The Rev. Dr. George Sinclair said a ministry called Coffee Club serves hot breakfasts to the homeless Monday through Friday at 7 a.m. The breakfasts are open to transients, the working poor and the homeless, he said. Sinclair also said the church is part of an interfaith ministry called Family Promise, which includes 16 churches and allows homeless families to stay on church grounds. The Archdiocese of Mobile also offers services to the homeless through Catholic Social Services on Florida Street, executive director Marilyn King said. Catholic Social Services can provide clothing, bus tickets and other items to the homeless population. The Salvation Army and the Mobile Rescue Mission each provide services to the homeless, but their shelters have various restrictions and are for men only.
McKemie Place
The shutting down of 15 Place services also affect residents of the overnight women’s homeless shelter McKemie Place. McKemie Place doesn’t own its own building, so women can’t stay there during the day. The women’s shelter sent its residents to 15 Place during the day and the majority of its residents made up the center’s lunch service each day, with about 45 attending. McKemie Place now drops off its residents at public facilities, like local recreation centers. Trent said the centers offer daytime services to the McKemie Place residents. Bailey Norman, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, said the city’s eight Episcopal congregations are pulling together now to provide lunches for McKemie Place residents. The shelter has been eyeing locations for a permanent shelter for some time. Last year, McKemie Place leadership was “interested” in property across from 15 Place on Washington Avenue downtown, McKemie Place board President Garrett Rice said. Rice and acting Chief of Staff Paul Wesch confirmed the city outbid the shelter for the property. The city bid $41,000 and now owns the property. Wesch, who was the bidder on the property, said the city wanted to maintain the ability to designate a use for the property. Both Rice and Wesch expressed optimism that the shelter and city could reach a deal for use of the property. However, Wesch said they are not in discussion with McKemie Place right now.
BAYBRIEF | POLICY
‘Hold them longer’
IMMIGRATION CHANGES COULD AFFECT LOCAL JAILS, POLICE BY JASON JOHNSON
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hile an executive order banning certain travelers from entering the United States captured more attention, another change to national immigration enforcement already has some local attorneys and law enforcement officials wondering what compliance might look like. The “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States” executive order was signed by President Donald Trump in late January, bringing some of his more notable campaign promises — like a wall along the Mexican border — to the forefront of his administration’s early agenda. As recently as Feb. 18, Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly issued a memorandum putting those directives into practice. Lindsay Mims, an immigration attorney in Mobile, said that based on what she’s seen, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is already picking up the pace. “They’re picking up pretty much anybody in jail on an ICE hold now, which is different than it was before the administration changed,” Mims said. “Now, ICE is showing up and telling cops in places like Bayou la Batre, ‘You need to hold them longer and keep them until we get there.’” Mims said that could prove challenging because not all jails have the authority or funding to house someone until ICE can transport them to a detention facility. For smaller municipal jails, that means using limited space to hold someone brought in on a misdemeanor without any reimbursement from the federal government. Even at Mobile Metro Jail, Deputy Warden Sam Houston said there’s currently “no agreement with the government” to take in persons for immigration violations. He said Metro only houses removable aliens if they have been brought in on another federal or local charge. “The person would be turned over to ICE, and they would relocate them to a facility that’s designed to help them with an immigration violation,” Houston said. “We’re not obligated to hold them, and there’s no method for us to be reimbursed for housing those people here.” According to Mobile County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Lori Myles, the only way Metro would hold an inmate due to their immigration status is if the federal government sent a written request for detention, and then it would only be done “temporarily.” Mims, however, claimed she’s never received documentation of ICE holds placed on clients she’s had in custody at Metro, and in fact has never been able to find any official record of where a recent client was taken after he was picked up by ICE in Mobile. “If I wasn’t in touch with family members speaking to him on the phone as he’s being transported, I wouldn’t have any way to represent him until he was picked up by the federal system,” Mims said. “You should have a paper trail on people if you’re going to lock them up, and right now they don’t.” Once their criminal charges are addressed, aliens on an immigration hold are typically transferred to detention centers by federal immigration officials, as most local law enforcement agencies don’t have the resources or funding to relocate them. There is no ICE facility in Alabama; currently, the closest facility is in Louisiana. In the past, if ICE has failed to pick up inmates by the time their criminal charges are
resolved, Mims said some jails and city lockups have released them regardless of their immigration status, mostly because the jails lack the authority and resources to keep them. Going forward, though, that practice could put facilities out of compliance with Trump’s executive order, which also authorizes ICE to publish weekly reports of all “non-federal jurisdictions that release aliens from their custody” and potentially withhold unspecified federal funding. Mims said she expects the number of aliens subject to ICE holds in local jails will increase as well now that Trump has rescinded an Obamaera policy that focused deportation efforts on aliens engaged in or suspected of terrorism, gang activity or convicted of certain offenses. Under Trump, though, the definition for those priority removals has been expanded to include those convicted of or charged with “any criminal offense” as well as those who “committed acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offense.” The American Immigration Lawyers Association, of which Mims is a member, has been critical of how abrupt the implementation of Trump’s executive order changes have been, which they claim has caused confusion among local jails and immigration attorneys trying to comply with the changing law. “One of the issues with these changes, frankly, is that when they were rolled out, nothing was defined — there was nothing to say, ‘this is how this is going to go into effect,’” Mims said. “That just leaves people at the local level scrambling, especially in an area like Mobile that is very pro-Trump, generally. Our government and our localities will want to try and comply.” Local law enforcement agencies might soon be asked to directly participate in Trump’s immigration overhaul through two programs that allow qualified local law enforcement and corrections officers to take on some federal immigration duties. The Etowah County Sheriff’s Department is currently the only agency in Alabama that has such an agreement with the U.S. government, although the Department of Homeland Security is currently in the process of expanding the use of those programs “in any willing jurisdiction.” Officials with the Mobile Police Department and the MCSO say they’ve not yet been asked to participate, and that it is unclear at this time how they would respond to such a request. Myles would only say that the MCSO typically has a cooperative relationship with federal officers. For the MPD, though, making active attempts to identify and detain illegal aliens would be a notable turnaround. According to a memo from Maj. John Barber, commander of MPD’s Field Operations Division, the department’s standard procedure is that a person’s immigration status is to “solely and exclusively be determined by the federal government.” “Law enforcement officers cannot check the citizenship or immigration status of a person if the person has not committed a crime nor is a suspect of a criminal offense,” the memo reads. “Individuals who are encountered through casual contact or who contact police as victims cannot have their immigration status checked under the Alabama Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act.” Multiple calls to the a regional field office in New Orleans seeking input for this report were not returned.
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BAYBRIEF | BALDWIN COUNTY
Easier for whom?
NEW POLICY ON PUBLIC RECORDS COMPLICATES THE PROCESS BY JANE NICHOLES
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he Baldwin County Commission has changed its policy on access to public records in ways that may prove costly to people seeking information. One of the major changes appears to run afoul of attorney general opinions on the subject. The Alabama Public Records Law states: “Every citizen has a right to inspect and take a copy of any public writing of this state, except as otherwise expressly provided by statute.” In practice, however, attorney general opinions have agreed that a government body may charge citizens for reasonable costs of making copies or of retrieving and preparing records. The updated policy passed unanimously by the commission Tuesday not only sets such fees, but stipulates that members of the public may be billed for attorney fees if the county attorney reviews a request to determine whether releasing the record is legal. The fee is $225 per hour, billed in increments of a quarter of an hour. That change appears to go against attorney general opinions dating back to at least 1998. In 1998, the state Attorney General’s Office said that if a request for public records requires an agency to incur legal expenses, it is “a ministerial function, the costs of which should be born [sic] by the public as a whole. Assessing legal fees against a citizen to enable the custodian to decide whether his or her records are public would seriously restrict access to public records.” The new policy also allows the county to require a deposit in advance if staff determines that more than one hour of staff time will be required to respond to a public record request. And if more than 15 minutes is required, the person making the request would be charged at the hourly rate of the lowest-paid staff member who could respond. Hypothetically, then, a member of the public
who wants to look at a box of old records in storage could find the costs adding up. Standard copying fees would be 25 cents per page for copies up to 11 inches by 17 inches. Individual county departments could charge more for maps, plats and similarly larger documents. Commissioner Charles Gruber said Monday the proposal came from Commission Chairman Chris Elliott and County Administrator Ron Cink. The goal was to recover the costs to the county of fulfilling public records requests, he said. Gruber also pointed out that the county puts a great deal of information online for the public to access at will without charge. That information includes sometimes hundreds of pages of supporting material for commission meetings, as well as checks written by the county, ordinances, salaries, contracts, current bids and the county budget. The new policy commits the commission to responding to a public records request within 10 working days unless more time is needed. A citizen seeking to inspect or obtain a copy of a document will need to fill out a request form which is sent to the record manager’s office. Then it will be forwarded via email to the appropriate department head. An appointment will be made for the person requesting the records to come to the county facility where they are located to view them. The policy doesn’t address situations in which the requestor may have to drive from one end of Baldwin County to the other to get to a document, nor does it address whether people must pay by check or credit card; not all county offices accept credit cards. It is also not clear whether an email request for a document will suffice or whether a check written in advance would have to clear the bank before the request would be honored.
Taking it to the people FIRST TOWN HALL MEETING IN FAIRHOPE A POPULAR EVENT BY JANE NICHOLES
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f Fairhope Mayor Karin Wilson’s first town hall meeting is any indication, she’s going to need a bigger room. About 180 people showed up for the meeting at the public library Feb. 16. Even after extra chairs were brought in, the meeting was still standing room only. “The number one concern is the way we grow,” Wilson said. “That is taking most of our time.” Wilson plans to hold town hall meetings every other week in various locations. Future meetings will cover specific issues. The idea, she said, is “keeping you engaged with not only what we’re doing, but listening to you.” Wilson announced that she will create what she called a community design center, where citizens and developers can learn about the city’s rules and regulations in matters of planning and zoning. The center is still in the planning stage. She said she hopes to be able to use Restore Act funds available because of the BP oil spill to study stormwater runoff and flooding issues regionally as well as putting together a comprehensive plan for Fairhope. People attending the meeting asked questions
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about the mayor’s conflicts with the City Council, sewer discharge problems in Daphne, Fairhope schools, the need for diversity, the amount of construction taking place, walkability and the conflict between the mayor and the Airport Authority. Wilson was asked what citizens can do to help the mayor and council members get along better. “It is a fight,” she said. “Don’t think that this is something everybody wants about smart growth, protecting our assets, doing all these things that we just talked about. I promise you there is going to be a group that is fighting me night and day to not change anything. I am going to fight for it. We are going to get along. “We get along great,” she said, drawing laughter in the audience. Only one City Council member was seen at the meeting, that being Jimmy Conyers who sat at the head table with Wilson. Conyers, in his first term, said the initial months since Wilson and three new council members took office have sometimes been like “drinking out of a fire hose. I think you’ll see things smooth out,” he said. The next town hall meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. March 7 at Quail Creek Golf Course.
BAYBRIEF | COURTS
Awaiting judgment
JURY DELIBERATES EXPANSIVE ‘PILL MILL’ CASE
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BY JASON JOHNSON
fter six weeks of testimony and calling 81 witnesses, the fate of Dr. John Patrick Couch and Dr. Xiulu Ruan is in the hands of jury that will decide whether the Mobile pain doctors ran a legitimate medical practice or a criminal enterprise. Co-owners of Physicians Pain Specialists of Alabama (PPSA) and C&R Pharmacy, Ruan and Couch face a combined 22 federal charges ranging from conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, health care fraud, violating anti-kickback statutes and several others. In closing arguments last week, prosecutors accused the doctors of putting their financial interests ahead of patient care. By running their practice as a “money mill,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah Griffin said the accomplished doctors had become “drug dealers with a pen,” “This was not your standard pill mill where somebody comes in the back door and pays $100 for oxycontin. This was big time,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Bodnar said. “Why try and get $150 when you can prescribe $18,000-a-month [drugs] and have someone’s insurance pay for it?” Attorneys for Couch and Ruan said the allegations were the product of “speculation” and “cynicism,” accusing the government of inserting itself into the decisions doctors make when treating their patients. Couch’s attorney, Jeffrey Doss, said the case focused on the number of prescriptions when it should have been about the “medical judgment” behind them. “[Dr. Couch] was cross-examined for more than an hour and never once did the government ask him about a single decision related to the prescriptions he wrote,” Doss said. “They had every opportunity to ask ask about his medical judgment, but they chose not to because there’s no evidence Dr. Couch ever intended to do anything other than help his patients.” One undisputed fact is that Ruan and Couch prescribed a lot of controlled medications, which was evident in data from Alabama’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). The duo wrote more than 300,000 prescriptions for controlled substances from 2011 to 2015, including a combined 223 grams of the powerful opiate fentanyl in drugs like Subsys (manufactured by Insys Therapeutics) and Abstral (by Galena Biopharma). Ruan and Couch were once among the nation’s leading prescribers of Subsys and Abstral at times when prosecutors say they had financial interests in the companies making those drugs — collecting speaking fees from Insys and owning stock in Galena Biopharma. The defense, however, called Ruan and Couch leaders in their field who used the relatively new drugs because they were “highly effective.” They also said the doctors never allowed their medical judgment to be compromised by any personal financial interest. The prosecution has also focused on testimony from former employees who claimed PPSA routinely used improper billing practices and issued pre-signed and sometimes forged prescriptions bearing Ruan or Couch’s name. It is worth noting that at least some of those witnesses accepted plea deals requiring their cooperation in the government’s case. When Ruan and Couch took the stand themselves, both doctors said they weren’t aware of
those kind of practices and that any pre-signed prescriptions found at PPSA would have been left with a “trusted nurse practitioner” to use “in case of an emergency.” In his closing statements, Doss put the blame on PPSA employees themselves, saying that even if Couch had shown “negligence” or “carelessness,” it would take “knowing or intentional conduct” to prove he violated the law. “No organization, small or large, ever operates without a hiccup,” Doss continued. “Were there charting mistakes? Yes. Where there problem employees? Sure. Maybe there were even billing mistakes, but the law — and you should be thankful for this — does not demand perfection.” In most of the charges, jurors will have to decide whether Ruan and Couch were writing unlawful prescriptions, which the law defines as any prescription written without “a legitimate medical purpose” or “outside the usual course of professional practice.” Because that definition leaves room for interpretation, both sides have heavily relied on testimony from expert witnesses in the medical field. Attorney Dennis Knizley, who has represented Ruan, used his closing argument to attack the credibility of the prosecution’s experts and specifically the testimony of Dr. David Greenberg. While Greenberg said some of the practices at PPSA were “way outside the practice of legitimate medicine,” Knizley claimed Greenberg’s testimony had a number of mistakes, including a claim that PPSA had never used the PDMP, when it had been accessed over 10,000 times. “Your government cannot bring that type of person up here and ask a jury of its citizens to rely upon something like that to make the serious determination you’re going to have to make,” he said. “That’s $58,000 of your tax money, and he’s gotten $325,000 of your tax money over the years. You need your money back.” However, the prosecution also tried to cast a shadow over some of the experts that testified for the defense, including two that testified to having a previous relationship with Ruan. Dr. Christopher G. Gharibo, who has co-edited an industry publication with Ruan, acknowledged the two had exchanged emails on a number of topics, while another witness, Dr. Jeffrey Gudin, said he helped Ruan’s daughter get an internship. Gutin has has also received thousands of dollars from Insys, one of the drug companies accused of giving illegal kickbacks to Ruan. “There are a lot of doctors in this country they could have brought in to give you information on whether Dr. Raun and his prescribing patterns were inside the usual course of professional practice,” Bodnard said. [The defense] had the opportunity to bring in a neutral third party like the United States did, and instead they chose to bring in two of Dr. Ruan’s buddies.” A verdict is expected later this week, and if convicted of all or even most of the counts against them, Ruan and Couch could potentially face significant prison time, the loss of their medical licenses and large fines. But no matter what the jury decides, it will likely have implications beyond Mobile because of the case’s ties to a number of other federal charges brought against former Insys top executives last December.
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BAYBRIEF | POLITICS
Marshall law
AS AG CONFIRMS INVESTIGATION, IMPEACHMENT EFFORTS PERSIST BY LEE HEDGEPETH
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tions Division of the Attorney General’s Office concerning the status of a possible investigation of Gov. Bentley, I have determined to recuse myself from the aforementioned related work and have appointed former Montgomery County District Attorney Ellen Brooks to serve as supernumerary district attorney leading the investigation,” Marshall’s statement continues. Brooks served for 35 years in the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, where she served as DA from 1993 to 2014. “Ellen is an experienced prosecutor, handling a variety of matters throughout her career, and I am confident she will ensure that all the facts are pursued in this investigation,” Marshall’s statement reads. Prior to being sworn in as AG, Marshall said he was not aware of any investigations into Gov. Bentley, and vowed to look into the matter during his first days on the job. Despite Marshall’s announcement, Rep. Mike Jones has yet to schedule further impeachment hearings, although he has told members of the media that he believes the work of the committee will be completed by the end of the legislative session, likely late May. However, Republican Reps. Corey Harbison and Randall Shedd are circulating new articles of impeachment they hope to pass without consideration by the Judiciary Committee — considered by some to be a real legislative longshot. But Shedd and Harbison say the time for action is now. “Something has to give,” Harbison said. “Public trust toward all of us is at an all-time low. We have to get some answers.”
Photo | State of Alabama
ewly appointed Alabama Attorney General Steven Marshall confirmed just after Valentine’s Day that Gov. Robert Bentley is the subject of a criminal investigation. Marshall recused himself from the case, but in the process has reinvigorated efforts by some state lawmakers to impeach the embattled chief executive. Marshall, whom Bentley appointed to replace nowU.S. Sen. Luther Strange, released a statement headlined “Attorney General Steven T. Marshall Statement Regarding Status of Attorney General Office Investigation of Governor Robert Bentley,” in a single phrase confirming more about the criminal probe than former AG Strange had in months. “In his letter of Nov. 3, 2016, Attorney General Strange requested that the House Judiciary Committee cease active interviews and investigation until necessary related work of the Attorney General’s Office has been completed,” Marshall’s statement explains. Following that letter from former AG Strange, the committee — which is charged with vetting articles of impeachment — halted its proceedings. Committee chairman Rep. Mike Jones said that stopping the process was an effort to “work cooperatively” with Strange’s office to investigate allegations stemming from Bentley’s rumored affair with a top aide. Bentley later appointed Strange to the U.S. Senate, a move that has some of the state’s Democrats and Republicans alike crying foul, and may have influenced Marshall’s decision to recuse himself and appoint an independent prosecutor to handle the Bentley probe. “After meeting with the staff of the Special Prosecu-
GOV. ROBERT BENTLEY, SEATED, APPOINTED STEVEN MARSHALL ATTORNEY GENERAL FEB. 10, FILLING THE SEAT VACATED BY LUTHER STRANGE.
BAYBRIEF | UTILITIES
Prices may vary
MAWSS LOOKS AT WIDE-RANGING BIDS FOR SPANISH FORT WATERLINE FIX BY DALE LIESCH
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he Mobile Area Water and Sewer Service’s (MAWSS) Board of Commissioners delayed a decision Monday on a permanent fix to a waterline running to Spanish Fort. Following the opening of bids, the board decided to allow the finance committee to review several multi-million-dollar options. “They are asking for bids on several options,” according to MAWSS spokeswoman Barbara Shaw. “They will need time to review them and decide which option to recommend and how to finance it. It will then come back to the board for the award.”
A MAWSS water main along the causeway burst Jan. 1, resulting in a disruption of service for about 30 Spanish Fort Water System customers, including several restaurants. A temporary fix is currently in place. The bids appear to mostly fall in line with estimates previously announced by MAWSS Assistant Director Douglas Cote. MAWSS accepted bids on four different options. For the first series — the replacement of the 18-inch line at a series of crossings underneath the water — the board received bids from three companies for this work.
The companies are Boan Contracting Co. of Fairhope, Construction Labor Services Inc. of Eight Mile and REV Construction of Tuscaloosa. For work on just the middle-bay crossing, the bids from both Boan and Construction Labor Services came in at around $5.8 million each. The bid from REV for the same section came in at about $13.1 million. The low bidder for the other work — which includes crossings at the Apalachee River, Blakeley River and Highway 90 — was Construction Labor Services at $4.3 million. The Boan bid for those same areas came in at $500,000 more. The REV bids came in at $10.2 million. The totals for both options came in at about $10.1 million for Construction Labor Services, $10.6 million for Boan and $23.6 million for REV Construction. The MAWSS estimate for the combined project was $10.1 million. Four companies also bid on work to widen the lines from the tunnel to the Interstate 10 on-ramp and then from there to the Tensaw River. The lowest bid for that portion of the project came from Ballcon Inc. of Mobile, at $1.4 million. The second lowest bidder was Construction Labor Services, at $1.9 million. The next lowest bidder was W.R. Mitchell Contractor Inc. out of Eight Mile, at $1.8 million. The highest was Nordan Contracting out of Mobile, at $2.3 million.
BAYBRIEF | BALDWIN COUNTY
Case closed ELLIOTT’S DRIVER’S LICENSE SUSPENDED 45 DAYS
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BY JANE NICHOLES
aldwin County Commission Chairman Chris Elliott and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency have resolved the matter of Elliott’s driver’s license suspension in his DUI case, according to a court order. The order, signed by appointed Circuit Court Judge William A. Shashy of Montgomery, says Elliott was to
have had his license suspended for 45 days, or until Feb. 3. A first-time offender who refuses a Breathalyzer test is subject to an automatic license suspension apart from the outcome of the case. Instead, Elliott challenged the suspension in Baldwin County Circuit Court this summer. He was pulled over for running a flashing red light in
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Fairhope after a Rotary Club fundraising event in May. Fairhope police arrested him for DUI. He entered a guilty plea in Municipal Court, but the case will be nolle prossed if he completes the requirements of an alcohol education program and commits no more offenses for a period of two years. The court order in the driver’s license case was signed by Shashy on Feb. 15. The order said the parties announced to the court Jan. 6 that they had reached a settlement, although that announcement did not appear in the case record until last week. However, all circuit judges in Baldwin County recused themselves because of conflicts of interest before the trial date of Jan. 9, so a new judge had to be appointed. Shashy was not appointed until Jan. 24. Elliott’s attorney, Rob Stankoski, could not be reached for comment before Lagniappe went to press Tuesday. The order dismissed the case, with Elliott paying all costs.
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COMMENTARY | DAMN THE TORPEDOES
More edible throws and celebs pumping up Mardi Gras ROB HOLBERT/MANAGING EDITOR/RHOLBERT@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM
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personal preference. Many years ago I was watching a parade in New Orleans and Mr. Van Damme was the grand marshal. As he went by, three attractive young ladies screamed his name; he looked, and they flashed him in the way that has become a standard Mardi Gras greeting in The Big Easy. So I know he’s been to that much newer Mardi Gras, and such an experience may have made him more partial to New Orleans’ version of our party. Having been there, it would be easy to understand why he might feel that way. But what Mobile lacks in the breast-flashing department we more than make up for in the hurling-of-snacks category. (OK, maybe snacks aren’t necessarily better than THAT, but they’re good.) I’m certain the first time Jean-Claude and Dolph get hit upside the head with nanner MoonPies, their worlds are going to be rocked. How can a bunch of poorly raised women hope to compete with the wholesome deliciousness of a MoonPie? This would be an even more lopsided contest if our paraders hadn’t suddenly stopped throwing the thin mint or peanut butter MoonPies. It was cruel to take them off the menu and a blow to the city. What has to be even more impressive to these Hollywood hunks who — let’s face it — probably aren’t raking in top dollar any more is the ever-growing menu of food being tossed from floats. MoonPies and
ramen noodles have carried the load for many years, but I’d have to say the variety of edibles being hurled to the starving masses this year has been impressive. We’ve caught so many different types of cookies, as well as popcorn, potato chips, corn chips, brownies and candy. A friend even told me about catching a package of Conecuh sausage! I also caught a roll of toilet paper Saturday night, which might have been meant for the guy who caught the sausage. Can you imagine how grateful a couple of B-list actors or some frugal billionaire computer geeks would be to catch a few links of sausage along with Twinkies, offbrand cookies and toilet paper? Pocket that per diem and head back to the hotel room for a feast washed down with the best tap water MAWSS can provide! It’s hard to believe they wouldn’t be telling all their buddies about their raging good times in the Azalea City on Mardi Gras. With Zuck, JC and Dolph as our emissaries it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion future Mardi Gras will be star-studded affairs, and those people are going to expect us to constantly improve our game. I would encourage riders from now on to simply empty out your refrigerators by Fat Tuesday. Frozen steaks, Hot Pockets, leftovers, old pizza — whatever you have. And if all that’s not enough to win their hearts and stomachs, we still have the litter card to play.
THEGADFLY
t’s truly an amazing time of the year in our area — a time when even people like me take a break from our otherwise rigid and humdrum lives and take a walk on the wild side by joining in the massive littering so many Mobilians enjoy even when it’s not Mardi Gras. I can’t tell you how satisfying it is to finally feel free to toss candy wrappers, beer cans and even the occasional adult diaper onto city streets after being a litter teetotaler during the rest of the year. They say true Mobilians are born under an azalea bush during Mardi Gras, but I’m not so sure even those of us who were late to the game shouldn’t be awarded “real” citizenship after creating our body weights in carnival-related street trash. While Mardi Gras’ traditions may have become rote for some, to me there always seem to be enough nuances to make every year uniquely exciting. This year one of those nuances is the addition of HUGE celebrities. Yes, this past weekend Mobile played host to Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the man who finally made taking pictures of your meals or cats and showing them to your friends part of daily life. Zuck — as I imagine I’d call him if we were friends — hung out in and around Mobile over the weekend, enjoying drinks downtown, visiting Bayou la Batre to Gump it up with some shrimpers, and even catching the Neptune’s Daughters parade Sunday night. Maybe catching isn’t the right word. Ladies, put a little more oomph into those throws next year! Some of these parading societies might want to talk with a few major league baseball pitchers about juicing up those arms. But I digress. Anyway, from all accounts the billionaire businessman and his wife had a lovely time here. And you can’t deny feeling an added level of excitement knowing there’s some small chance you might actually meet Zuck while taking a pee in the men’s room at the Garage, and next thing you know he’s paying waaaay too much to buy your small, local newspaper. That’s an exciting Mardi Gras thought for sure. As if Zuckerberg hadn’t brought enough star power to our “family Mardi Gras,” Dolph Lundgren and JeanClaude Van Damme have been filming a new movie in the area. That’s right, Drago from “Rocky IV” and Gibson Rickenbacker from “Cyborg” are right here in town. Just imagine — you could be standing at the parade trying to catch some ramen noodles and Drago would snatch them out of the air, look at you and say, “You will lose.” Or Van Damme could spinning-heelkick you in the head over a pair of “good beads.” It’s entirely possible! I’m hoping these celebs getting to experience the Mobile Mardi Gras will mean they’ll head back to Tinseltown or Silicon Valley and encourage friends to visit the Port City during next year’s festivities. With a little good word of mouth from Zuck, Bill Gates and some other loaded computer geeks might find their way to Mobile next year. And if Dolph and JC have a kick-ass (see what I did there?) time, can The Rock or Stallone be that far from jamming someone’s head in a filthy toilet at Hayley’s on Joe Cain Day? Or Vin Diesel, at least? In fact, I’d rather see our streets flooded with has-been action heroes than geeky billionaires, but maybe that’s just a
Cartoon/Laura Rasmussen
LIFE BEGINS AT CONFECTION
COMMENTARY | THE HIDDEN AGENDA
That golden ticket may not be so golden ASHLEY TRICE/EDITOR/ASHLEYTOLAND@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM
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here always seems to be something rotten in the state of Alabama. Even when we seemingly rid ourselves of such moral decay, a more aggressive and virulent form replaces it. Gov. Guy Hunt was convicted of buying marble showers and riding lawnmowers with campaign funds. Gov. Don Siegelman just got out of jail for trading government favors for campaign donations. Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard will soon be heading to the pokey for using his office for personal gain. And after the revelation that our lovesick septuagenarian governor was having an “inappropriate relationship” with his top adviser, Rebekah Caldwell Mason, it looked like he may be the next person in the long line of Alabama politicos to face removal from office, criminal or ethics charges and/or jail time. After Bentley axed his top law enforcement officer, Spencer Collier, last year over alleged financial misappropriations, Collier spilled the beans on the man he said was like a father to him by confirming Montgomery’s worst-kept secret — the governor was madly in love and his lady had a whole lotta influence over him. Though Bentley viagra-ously, I mean vigorously, denied having a physical relationship with her, a mysterious recording soon came out where we got to hear about the wonders of his mistress’ 50-something-year-old boobs. Apparently, they’re fabulous things to behold! More and more details and accusations would continue to emerge, from the sad to the sordid. The sad being how this ended the governor’s marriage of 50 years and tore his family apart, with secret tapes, alleged interrogations and shipments of Viagra being delivered to the governor’s mansion among the sordid. After everyone in our state finished collectively saying, “EEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWW,” we wanted answers. Had he used taxpayer funds to facilitate or cover up this affair? And after it was revealed some sort of “dark money” campaign fund was paying her salary, we wanted to know who was pulling the strings of the woman who was pulling the governor’s, well, you-knowwhat. (I meant heartstrings. Get your minds out of the gutter!) The Alabama Legislature moved to investigate but stopped when Attorney General Luther Strange stepped in asked them to hold off, saying his office “was conducting related work.” Even though it was hard to see the Lovernor continue to govern in light of this scandal, we tolerated it because we thought the wheels of justice were moving … slowly, but moving nonetheless. After all, a man who campaigned on cleaning up Montgomery and putting an end to those who were “abusing the public trust” was in charge of this mess. Bentley’s horndog head on a platter would fulfill this promise and certainly help the ambitious Big Luther move up another rung on the political ladder. And it was no secret Big Luther had even Bigger dreams of his own. But then it all changed with Trump’s surprise victory in November. This would unexpectedly shift the tectonic plates of Alabama politics as Trump’s first big supporter, Sen. Jeff Sessions, would be nominated and ultimately confirmed as U.S. Attorney General. Suddenly, Bentley would be able to name his replacement. The ground began shaking. Speculation immediately began about to whom Bentley would give his unexpected golden
ticket. Almost jokingly, talking heads said the good governor would be able to exchange that ticket for a get-out-of-jail-free card if he appointed Strange, which would allow him to also appoint the next state attorney, who was allegedly investigating him. But surely the embattled governor wouldn’t have the cajones to do such a thing, knowing it would absolutely reek of corruption. But it didn’t really matter, because even if he did offer the gig to Big Luther, the man who vowed to clean up “Montgomery corruption” and put an end to “insider deals” certainly wouldn’t accept. How could he? Such a scenario would be as crazy as the governor taking his mistress and her husband with him to Trump’s inauguration on the state plane. Oh wait, that happened. Talk about cajones. And obviously so did the Strange appointment to Sessions’ seat. A political earthquake registering 8.9 on the Ridiculous Scale. Can you say “conflict of interest?” Wouldn’t this be the textbook example of an “insider deal?” Remember, Ol’ Large Lu, you told the Legislature your office was investigating him so they didn’t really need to bother. Well you did at least until the moments right after Bentley announced your appointment. “We have never said in our office that we are investigating the governor,” the new senator said. “And I think it’s somewhat actually unfair to him and unfair to the process that that has been reported out there.” Say what? Yes, you did! And they still are! Strange has since said he and the governor never discussed the investigation during the interview for his new gig, but even if that is the case, he had to have known how this would look and that most people would see this as yet another “abuse of public trust” and “insider deal” that would surely derail the inquiry into the governor. It just looks Big Shady, Big Lu. But perhaps, in a Strange way, this shadiness will end up being a good thing. If the governor had picked any of the other names that were floating out there, the investigation may have lost steam. But with renewed public outrage over this, all eyes are focused now more than ever on the office of the new Alabama Attorney General Bentley appointed, Steven Marshall. Marshall has recused himself, as he should have, and appointed former Montgomery County District Attorney Ellen Brooks. There is no political upside for any of the remaining players to sweep this under the rug for Bentley as a reward for appointments. His career is over. He has nothing else of value that could benefit them, except his aforementioned horndog head on a platter. Even though Ellen Brooks is retired, the manner in which she conducts this investigation will still reflect on Marshall, despite his recusal. And Big Luther now has to be hoping the man who just gave him his new job (and all this new criticism) will get put under the microscope and through the wringer. Voters next year would most likely be a lot more forgiving of Strange’s own ethical faux pas here if Bentley is investigated in the appropriate manner. It’s easy to imagine the governor chuckling at his good fortune and how this appointment must have been a gift from the love gods. But this move that he thinks saved him may be exactly the one that finally sinks him. Fe b r u a r y 2 3 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 1 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 13
COMMENTARY | THE MONTGOMERY MINUTE
Legislature debates justice measures BY LEE HEDGEPETH/CONTRIBUTING WRITER
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labama’s regular legislative session is well underway, and lawmakers are considering several bills that — if passed — would work toward achieving something the State House rarely considers: justice.
Crime costs
The first bill, SB211, sponsored by Sen. Paul Bussman, would right a wrong Alabama committed for years. Until 2015, for nearly three decades, Anthony Ray Hinton sat on death row for a crime he didn’t commit. Hinton had been convicted of the murder of two Birmingham restaurant managers despite eyewitness testimony placing him miles away at a church-run barbecue fundraiser. The only physical evidence linking Hinton to the murders — bullets found at the crime scene that the state claimed matched his mother’s gun — went missing for years. Once they resurfaced, the bullets were retested and found not to be a match. With that revelation, the only real evidence against a man incarcerated for 30 years had fallen through. Equal Justice Initiative, a Montgomery-based nonprofit that focuses on death penalty cases, represented Hinton on appeal, and the case eventually snaked its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that Hinton’s defense had been “constitutionally deficient” and ordered a new trial. With all evidence pointing to Hinton’s innocence, the state of Alabama refused to try him again, and in April 2015 Jefferson County Judge Laura Petro overturned Hinton’s original conviction. Now, nearly two years later, Hinton hasn’t seen a pen-
ny of compensation for the nearly 30 years of his life he spent behind bars, despite an Alabama law that provides for no less than $50,000 per year of wrongful incarceration. One state senator is aiming to change that, though. Senate Bill 211 would allocate $500,000 from the general fund to Hinton. While that’s not the nearly the $1.5 million he’s due, it’s better than what’s been done for Hinton thus far. Last year, a nonbinding resolution simply apologizing for Hinton’s imprisonment failed to pass even one chamber of the Legislature. Here’s hoping Senate Bill 211 has a much brighter legislative future.
Conviction for construction
The second justice-related issue before the Legislature this year is the prison overcrowding problem. Gov. Robert Bentley seeks to solve overcrowding by borrowing $800 million on a bond issue to build four new prisons across the state. State prisons are currently well over double capacity, housing more than twice the number of inmates they were built to hold and running on skeleton staffs. “Alabama has some of the oldest facilities; Draper [Correctional Facility] was built in 1939, followed by Tutwiler in 1942, and what you had for decades is prisons that have been double occupied, so their life span has been diminished considerably,” Alabama Department of Corrections Associate Commissioner Jeffery Williams said. For years, Alabama’s prison system has been seen as ripe for a federal takeover because of its inability to provide even basic necessities to inmates and the risk overcrowding poses to corrections officers and the general public. Now these dire circumstances have forced politi-
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cians to the table and some type of legislation seems inevitable. Gov. Bentley has said that while the $800 million bond issue will cost the state $50 million each year until it is repaid, the state would have to spend a similar amount, if not more, repairing the old facilities. So whether they build new prisons, revamp the old ones, or even just reduce the prison population itself, the Alabama Legislature has a prison problem, and it’s time they solve it.
Jury knows best
The third justice issue up for debate this legislative session is ending the practice of judicial override. Legislation filed by Dick Brewbaker in the Senate and Chris England in the House would prevent judges from overturning the sentence of a jury in death penalty cases. After a U.S. Supreme Court decision that ruled Florida’s similar scheme unconstitutional, Alabama is the only state where judges still have the ability to ignore the vote of a jury in choosing a sentence in a capital case. Both the Senate and House bills ending the practice have passed out of committee and will soon be up for a vote by the full Legislature.
Locked up then left behind
Also up for debate this session is providing identification to those leaving prison or jail. When a person who has served their time in jail or prison is released, they are given few, if any, resources with which to move forward in finding a job and becoming a productive member of society. The most basic of these necessities is identification, and in Alabama, if you’re unfortunate enough to be sentenced to prison, when you are released you’re on your own, and that includes with proving who you are — even to a prospective employer. Lagniappe recently spoke to a local pastor and social justice advocate, Micah Weech, who emphasized the need to fix this problem. Weech said that too often those released from jail or prison have difficulty doing the very things society encourages — getting a job, opening a bank account, paying taxes — because they don’t have something as simple as identification. “What politicians do I need to talk to to solve this? It’s a problem nobody seems to want to solve,” Weech said. A solution may be on the way. Quinton Ross, the Senate Minority Leader, has filed legislation that would solve this issue by authorizing the Department of Corrections to create a program to provide non-driver IDs to those released from incarceration, giving those who have served their time the ability not just to re-enter society but to integrate into it. The legislation has passed the full Senate and now moves to the House for consideration.
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COMMENTARY | THE BELTWAY BEAT
Early Trump struggles mean little for Democrats BY JEFF POOR/COLUMNIST/JEFFREYPOOR@GMAIL.COM
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here are protests in the streets, endless headlines claiming political controversy and members of Congress already discussing articles of impeachment — and it is only the first full month of Donald Trump’s presidency. All these early measures suggest Trump and the Republican Party are headed for massive defeats in the 2018 midterm elections. Then a funny thing happened over the weekend. Trump was able to draw 9,000 supporters to an event at an airplane hangar in Melbourne, Florida — with perhaps 1,000 more outside the venue in overflow staging areas. He did this in the face of an ever more hostile press, public exhaustion from the recent campaign and recent turmoil within his administration. Big deal, right? So what if Trump can draw thousands of sycophants? Those people are still in the minority, especially if you gauge the popular vote in last year’s election. Trump opponents and the media will say, given his falling poll numbers since taking office a month ago, it should be very easy for Democrats to regain their footing against Trump. As Tony Montana was warned in “Scarface,” “Don’t get high on your own supply.” Conventional wisdom suggests things can only improve for Democrats following the last election. But there are things working against them in the 2018 and 2020 elections. For starters, there is not much of a bench left over following the Obama presidency. Despite all the airy-fairy “hope and change” rhetoric from President Barack Obama, his presidency did not inspire very many to follow in his footsteps and seek out careers in politics. For that, the Democrats are at a real disadvantage. Yes, it certainly is early, but the biggest names on the Democrat side being discussed for a 2020 presidential run, which will begin immediately after the midterms in 2018, are Sens. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, and Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts — two characters growing more stale by the day, whose messages are not suited to what worked for the last two Democratic presidents. Presidents Obama and Bill Clinton both won on the idea of a different and new brand of politics. Booker and Warren doubled down on their liberal ideology post-election. Running on liberalism failed Hillary Clinton. Even if they are more true to that orthodoxy than she was, there is little indication that Americans are longing for a more liberal ideology. No doubt about it — Democrats have a lot of work to do over the next three years. As for Congress, the maps don’t line up favorably for Democrats in 2018. Thirty-three Senate seats will be up for grabs in 2018, 25 of which are currently occupied by Democrats and independents who caucus with the Democrats. The other eight seats are occupied by Republicans. If you recall, the last time these members of the Senate were running, Obama was at the top of the ticket. So the Democrats, even with all the negativity about Trump as a backdrop, are
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playing defense instead of offense. It also has been a while since the Democrats have done well in an off-year election. The last time it happened was in 2006. The country was very war weary from Iraq and Afghanistan. The Bush administration was blamed for mishandling the response to Hurricane Katrina. And there were some bad actors in the U.S. House on the Republican side. (Remember Mark Foley?) Other than that, in recent history midterm elections have been a struggle for Democrats. Ever since the 1994 Republican revolution led by Newt Gingrich, Democrats largely have not had a successful midterm election, with the exception of 2006. There are many theories as to why, but a prominent one has to do with turnout. Republican voters are far more likely to participate in midterms than Democratic voters. Also, the Democratic Party has had a difficult time mobilizing on a local level. Look no further than GOP dominance in governors’ mansions and statehouses throughout the country. If we go back to Trump’s rally in Melbourne — not a part of the red conservative Florida Panhandle, but rather a swing, purple area in the bellwether Interstate 4 corridor — having that kind of draw suggests Trump could push a midterm election for a Republican. Furthermore, imagine what a Trump appearance might do for a candidate’s fundraising efforts to unseat one of these 25 members playing defense. While it is far from a foregone conclusion that 2018 will be a GOP year, the difficult path forward for Democrats is not something they have acknowledged. This is evidenced by their slate of candidates in the running to lead the Democratic National Committee, none of whom is running with plans designed to pick the voters the party lost in 2016. As for the media, that is certainly a problem for Trump and Republicans, and there does not seem to be any quick fix. A hostile press will always be a reality for Trump. There are a few problems with relying on the press to do the hard work. As for now, Trump’s approval ratings, although low for a new president, still far exceed those of the media. A June 2016 survey by Gallup found that only 20 percent of the public views television and newspaper press positively. The latest Gallup tracking poll has Trump at 41 percent, double how the public views the media. The media also give Trump an adversary to run against outside of the campaign season and, frankly, during it as well. Trump got some of his most boisterous cheers when he attacked the media. If an election comes down to Trump versus the media, you might have to give an edge to Trump for now. While we are a long way from a meaningful election, all this early handwringing about Trump will not mean a lot. It will work to slow him down. But as for stopping him, that is best done at the ballot box, and the early controversies of his administration will not matter much when that time comes.
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COMMENTARY | THE GRIOT’S CORNER
A fundamental freedom BY KEN ROBINSON/CONTRIBUTING WRITER
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f all printers were determined not to print anything until they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed.” So said the venerable Benjamin Franklin. From my time writing for Lagniappe, I’ve found this simple, yet oddly paradoxical statement to be true; many public officials don’t like public scrutiny. Yes, I know you may ask: “But they voluntarily sought public support to be elected to a public position, and work on behalf of the public’s interest, why would they not want their actions publicly examined?” That’s a good question. But for some reason there are elected officials, at various levels of government, who operate with the belief that if you question their actions you are somehow biased or unfair. Pointed or nuanced questions and penetrating analysis are, in such politicians’ mind, evidence of an orchestrated effort to undermine them. Rather than viewing press scrutiny for what it is, a routine and necessary part of public office and public interest, they see it as an unwanted intrusion. Well, here’s my take: If you’re in public office and you have a problem with your actions on the people’s behalf being publicly scrutinized, then you should go back to private work. Period. It’s of late been implied that our founders favored a press whose message could be controlled or perhaps saw its value to society as minimal. Nothing could be further from the truth. It was our second president, John Adams, who stated, “The liberty of the press is essential to the security of the state.” Also, as one of the principal individuals involved in our founding, with great authority he noted, “But none of the means of information are more sacred, or
have been cherished with more tenderness and care by the settlers of America than the press.” It must be remembered that the press during the early years of our nation had very little oversight, and sharp personal attacks as well as outright partisanship were common in newspapers. Someone who suffered greatly as a politician from this “wild west” type of media environment was Thomas Jefferson. However, even though he weathered some very pointed attacks and at times complained of these, he never lost his faith in the importance of a free press and how dispensable it was to a democracy. Jefferson observed: “The only security of all is in a free press. … The agitation it produces must be submitted to. It is necessary to keep the waters pure.” He further declared, “Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it.” Today, although the right of a free press is guaranteed by the First Amendment, news organizations can’t just publish whatever they want without consequences. The rights of the libeled or slandered are often held by the courts today to be more important than those of other parties’ rights to freedom of speech or expression. This was not so much the case during Jefferson’s time. Yet, as one scholar vividly made clear, Jefferson remained firm in understanding that “A press that is free to investigate and criticize the government is absolutely essential in a nation that practices self-government.” Jefferson was so convinced of this belief that he declared, “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter … I should mean that every man should
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receive those papers and be capable of reading them.” Astonishing. The president who suffered at the hands of the press didn’t advocate destroying it, or government controlling the flow of information to the people. No, he understood that if any one of those two options ever happened, America’s attempt at self-government would be over. Jefferson knew that a government that can’t be questioned is no true government of the people. Accordingly, he was well aware that any people who would consent to live under such a government are no longer fit to govern themselves. They deserve the tyranny that is sure to follow. The press was never meant to be the politician’s friend, but his or her conscience. It’s meant to be that entity which functions outside the realm of government, but is so essential to the honest and transparent operation of government. All political leaders should understand this. Unfortunately, individuals are drawn to the power and visibility of public office, but are annoyed and in some cases angered by the accountability that
TODAY, ALTHOUGH THE RIGHT OF A FREE PRESS IS GUARANTEED BY THE FIRST AMENDMENT, NEWS ORGANIZATIONS CAN’T JUST PUBLISH WHATEVER THEY WANT WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES. THE RIGHTS OF THE LIBELED OR SLANDERED ARE OFTEN HELD BY THE COURTS TODAY TO BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THOSE OF OTHER PARTIES’ RIGHTS TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH OR EXPRESSION. ” comes with it. When a public official tries to diminish or subvert the transparency and accountability that should be a part of holding a public position, that’s a really good indicator that such a person is operating more out of self-interest than the public interest. It should serve as a huge red flag of warning. Regardless of whether one is serving as a politician on the local level, in a state position, in Congress or as president of the United States: Stop whining about the press doing their job and just concentrate on doing yours. Besides, openness and transparency have never been an enemy to a political leader seeking to do good.
Fe b r u a r y 2 3 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 1 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 19
BUSINESS | THE REAL DEAL
UTC Aerospace named among best BY RON SIVAK/COLUMNIST/BUSINESS@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM
F
oley-based UTC Aerospace Systems recently earned the distinction of being named one of IndustryWeek magazine’s 2016 Best Plants in North America. The facility is part of the company’s aerostructures business. UTC Aerospace Systems is a unit of Farmington, Connecticut-headquartered United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX). “We’re extremely proud of the dedicated workforce in Foley,” aerostructures president Marc Duvall said. “Their expertise and outstanding ongoing performance have made Foley a site to be benchmarked. This award shows the world what we’ve known for years: The people in our Foley location are a highly engaged team that strive to make their aircraft more intelligent, more electric and more integrated.” As part of aerostructures’ original equipment (OE) business, the Foley site employs about 600 people who assemble nacelle components and oversee the integration of propulsion systems for the Airbus A320neo platform. In addition, the site will provide support for other new airplane platforms including the Bombardier C Series, the Embraer E2 and the Mitsubishi Regional Jet. The OE manufacturing facility currently has a footprint of about 230,000 square feet. Later this year an 80,000-square-foot expansion site, currently under construction, will open primarily to house engine integration activities. The OE facility is co-located with the Alabama Service Center — a 210,000-square-foot maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility for nacelle systems serving customers in the Americas. It employs upwards of 200 workers. Together, the two businesses are Baldwin County’s largest manufacturing employer, encompassing some 520,000 square feet to house engine integration operations
along with existing nacelle assembly, propulsion systems integration and MRO operations. Established in 1990, the IndustryWeek “Best Plants” awards program annually recognizes plants located in North America that are on the leading edge of efforts to increase competitiveness, enhance customer satisfaction and create stimulating and rewarding work environments. UTC Aerospace Systems designs manufactures and services integrated systems and components for the aerospace and defense industries. The company supports a global customer base with significant worldwide manufacturing and customer service facilities.
Local broker establishes endowment
According to a news release, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Cooper & Co. Inc. has established a $20,000 endowment scholarship in memory of its founder, Aden Jack Cooper. The Aden Jack Cooper Endowed Scholarship will be awarded annually to an outstanding junior or senior real estate student within the University of South Alabama’s Mitchell College of Business. It will be presented at the college’s annual business honors convocation, held in April. “There is no more fitting tribute to the life and career of Jack Cooper than the establishment of this scholarship that will assist deserving real estate students,” said Lynnell Morrow, company vice president. “We are excited to help promising students from our community achieve their full educational potential and at the same time honor the memory and work of our founder.” The merit-based scholarship will be available to junior or senior college students majoring in the Mitchell College of Business with a concentration in real estate. Applicants
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must have a minimum 3.0 GPA and be a resident of Mobile or Baldwin county. Applications for the 2017-2018 school year are now available on the USA website. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Cooper & Co. Inc. was founded in 1970 by Jack and Patricia Cooper and has grown to more than six offices serving both Mobile and Baldwin counties. They offer a full menu of services including residential, commercial, property management, resort beach properties and timberland sales in both Alabama and Mississippi. The company is the largest locally owned real estate brokerage in the area. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is based in Irvine, California. It is an affiliate of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
Spay-a-thon lottery
For the seventh consecutive year, central Gulf Coast veterinarians and vet techs will join together to participate in a spay-a-thon. Beginning at 8 a.m. and continuing until 10 p.m., local animal care specialists will volunteer their time to alter as many cats and dogs as possible. The event, sponsored by Save a Stray, will take place at Spring Hill Animal Clinic (SHAC) on Friday, March 10. The event is in support of National Spay Day, dedicated to encouraging pet owners to be responsible by spaying or neutering pets to prevent unwanted offspring and to assist low-income families with pet alteration. The date was chosen to help prevent many unwanted animals from ending up in animal shelters and on the streets. Services are provided free of charge. An appointment is necessary and a lottery system will be used to fill spots. Until Thursday, March 2, at 5 p.m., those who desire to have their pet spayed or neutered during the spay-a-thon can submit their pets for the lottery by calling SHAC. Those who are drawn by random selection will be notified by phone Friday, March 3. There is a 60-pound weight limit and each household may bring a maximum of two animals for alteration. Donations and veterinary supplies are welcomed to help support this event. Other needed items include paper towels, bleach, hand soap, hand sanitizer, blankets and towels. These items can be dropped off at 488 Springhill Ave. Save a Stray is a nonprofit organization in Mobile designed to help pets in the area. For more information, visit the organization’s website. SHAC offers alterations for cats and dogs throughout the year with the goal of decreasing pet overpopulation. Prices for alteration are $35 for male cats, $50 for female cats, $55 for male puppies, $60 for female puppies, $60 for adult male dogs and $65 for adult female dogs. SHAC also offers full veterinary care services, including vaccinations, wellness care, dental cleanings, blood work and general surgery. For more information, visit its website.
Fe b r u a r y 2 3 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 1 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 21
5319 Hwy 90 • 661-0071 1225 Satchel Page Dr.• 378-8768
FOOSACKLY’S ($)
$10/PERSON $$ 10-25/PERSON $$$ OVER 25/PERSON
COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE
ALL SPORTS BAR & GRILL ($) CLASSIC HOTDOGS, GYROS & MILKSHAKES. 3408 Pleasant Valley Rd • 345-9338
AL’S HOTDOGS ($)
CLASSIC HOTDOGS, GYROS & MILKSHAKES. 4701 Airport Blvd. • 342-3243
ATLANTA BREAD COMPANY ($-$$) SANDWICHES, SALADS & MORE. 3680 Dauphin St. • 380-0444
BAKE MY DAY ($)
OLD-FASHIONED SOUTHERN BAKE SHOP 156 N. McGregor Ave • 219-7261
THE BLIND MULE ($)
DAILY SPECIALS MADE FROM SCRATCH. 57 N. Claiborne St. • 694-6853.
BOB’S DINER ($)
GOOD OLD AMERICAN COOKING 263 St. Francis St • 405-1497
CAFE 219 ($)
SALADS, SANDWICHES & POTATO SALAD. 219 Conti St. • 438-5234
CAMELLIA CAFÉ ($-$$$) CONTEMPORARY SOUTHERN FARE. 61 Section St., Fairhope • 928-4321
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
THE GALLEY ($)
OPEN FOR LUNCH, INSIDE GULFQUEST 155 S. Water St • 436-8901
GULF COAST EXPLOREUM CAFE ($) HOMEMADE SOUPS & SANDWICHES 65 Government St • 208-6815
GUMBO SHACK($-$$) SEAFOOD AND SANDWICHES 212 ½ Fairhope Ave • 928-4100
1165 University Blvd. • 202-0959
PITA PIT ($)
211 Dauphin St. • 690-7482
POLLMAN’S BAKERY ($)
BAKERY, SANDWICHES AND MORE 750 S. Broad St • 438-1511, 4464 Old Shell Road • 342-8546, 107 St. Francis St. Suite 102 • 438-2261
REGINA’S KITCHEN ($-$$) SANDWICHES, SUBS AND SOUPS. 2056 Gov’t St. • 476-2777
ROLY POLY ($)
WRAPS & SALADS. 3220 Dauphin St. • 479-2480
ROSIE’S GRILL ($-$$)
SANDWICHES, SOUTHWEST FARE, 7 DAYS. 1203 Hwy 98 Ste. 3D, Daphne • 626-2440
ROYAL KNIGHT ($)
LUNCH & DINNER. 3004 Gov’t Blvd • 287-1220
JAMAICAN VIBE ($)
ROYAL STREET CAFE ($)
JERSEY MIKE’S ($)
SATORI COFFEEHOUSE ($)
MIND-BLOWING ISLAND FOOD. 3700 Gov’t Blvd. Ste A • 602-1973 AUTHENTIC SUB SANDWICHES 7449 Airport Blvd • 375-1820
JIMMY JOHN’S ($)
SANDWICHES, CATERING & DELIVERY TOO. 6920 Airport Blvd. • 414-5444 9 Du Rhu Dr. • 340-8694 62 B Royal Street • 432-0360
JOE CAIN CAFÉ ($)
PIZZAS, SANDWICHES, COCKTAILS. 26 N. Royal St. • 338-2000
JUDY’S PLACE ($-$$)
HOME COOKING. 4054 Government St. • 665-4557
HOMEMADE LUNCH & BREAKFAST. 104 N. Royal St. • 434-0011
COFFEE, SMOOTHIES, LUNCH & BEERS. 5460 Old Shell Rd. • 344-4575
SERDA’S COFFEEHOUSE ($) COFFEE, LUNCHES, LIVE MUSIC & GELATO. 3 Royal St. S. • 415-3000
STEVIE’S KITCHEN ($)
SANDWICHES, SOUPS, SALADS & MORE. 41 West I-65 Service Rd. N Suite 150.
THE SUNFLOWER CAFE ($) INSIDE VIRGINIA’S HEALTH FOOD 3055 A Dauphin St • 479-3200
TIME TO EAT CAFE ($)
MOBILE’S CLASSIC ICE CREAM SPOT. 2511 Old Shell Rd. • 471-1710
LODA BIER GARTEN ($)
DOWN-HOME COUNTRY COOKIN 7351 Theodore Dawes Rd. • 653-0228 13665 N. Wintzell Ave. • 824-1119
DELI FOODS, PASTRIES & SPECIALTY DRINKS. 4072 Old Shell Rd. • 304-0448
MAMA’S ($)
SOUTHERN CASUAL FAMILY DINING 10800 US hwy 31 • 621-4995
SANDWICHES, SOUTHERN CUISINE & CATERING 5817 Old Shell Rd. • 343-0200
MARS HILL CAFE ($)
QUICHES & SANDWICHES. 4366 Old Shell Rd. • 343-9889
MARY’S SOUTHERN COOKING ($)
CAMMIE’S OLD DUTCH ($) CARPE DIEM ($)
CLARK’S KITCHEN ($-$$) CHAT-A-WAY CAFE ($)
CHICKEN SALAD CHICK ($) CHICKEN SALAD, SALAD & SOUP. 2370 S. Hillcrest Rd. Unit R • 660-0501 5753 Old Shell Road • 408-3236, 1802 US Hwy 98 Suite F• 625-1092
CHI-TOWN DAWGZ ($) CHICAGO STYLE EATERY 1222 Hillcrest Rd. • 461-6599
CREAM AND SUGAR ($)
COFFEE, BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DESSERT 351 George St #B • 405-0003
DAUPHIN ST. CAFE ($)
HOT LUNCH, DAILY MENU (INSIDE VIA) 1717 Dauphin St. • 470-5231
D’ MICHAEL’S ($)
PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS, GYROS & MORE. 7101-A Theodore Dawes Rd. • 653-2979
DELISH BAKERY AND EATERY ($)
PUB FOOD AND DRAFT BEERS 251 Dauphin St • 287-6871
SLAP YOUR MAMA GOOD HOME COOKING. 220 Dauphin St. • 432-6262 GREAT SANDWICHES, COFFEE & MORE. 1087 Downtowner Blvd. • 643-1611
3011 Springhill Ave. • 476-2232
MICHELI’S CAFE ($)
6358 Cottage Hill Rd. • 725-6917
MCSHARRY’S ($-$$) AUTHENTIC IRISH PUB 101 N. Bancroft St • 990-5100
MIKO’S ITALIAN ICE ($)
HOTDOGS SANDWICHES & COOL TREATS 3371 Dauphin Island Pkwy • 300–4015
MOMMA GOLDBERG’S DELI ($)
CLASSIC BURGERS, HOTDOGS & SETTING. 1808 Old Shell Rd. • 473-7872
NEWK’S EXPRESS CAFE ($)
DEW DROP INN ($)
DUNKIN DONUTS ($)
DONUTS, COFFEE AND SANDWICHES 1976 Michigan Ave • 442-4846 3876 Airport Blvd • 219-7369 505 Schillinger Rd. S. • 442-4845 29160 US Hwy 98 • 621-2228
E WING HOUSE ($)
195 S University Suite H • 662-1829
FIREHOUSE SUBS ($)
HOT SUBS, COLD SALADS & CATERING. 6300 Grelot Rd. • 631-3730
FIVE GUYS BURGERS & FRIES ($) BURGERS, MILKSHAKES & FRIES 4401 Old Shell Rd. • 447-2394 4663 Airport Blvd. • 300-8425
THREE GEORGES CANDY SHOP ($)
LIGHT LUNCH WITH SOUTHERN FLAIR. 226 Dauphin St. • 433-6725
TROPICAL SMOOTHIE ($)
GREAT SMOOTHIES, WRAPS & SANDWICHES. Du Rhu Dr. • 378-5648 570 Schillinger Road • 634-3454
UNCLE JIMMY’S DELICIOUS HOTDOGS ($)
2550 Dauphin Island Pkwy S. • 307-5328
WAREHOUSE BAKERY & DONUTS ($)
COFFEE AND DONUTS 759 Nichols Avenue, Fairhope • 928-7223
WILD WING STATION ($)
MUFFINS, COFFEE & WRAPS. 105 Dauphin St. • 433-9855
OVEN-BAKED SANDWICHES & MORE. 1335 Satchel Page Dr. Suite C. • 287-7356 7440 Airport Blvd. • 633-0096 30500 State Hwy 181 #132 • 625-6544
OLD SHELL GROWLERS($) GROWLER STATION AND BITES 1801 Old Shell Rd. • 345-4767
PANINI PETE’S ($)
GOURMET GRILLED CHEESE 5955 Old Shell Rd. • 287-6134 1500 Gov’t St. • 287-1526
YAK THE KATHMANDU KITCHEN ($-$$)
AUTHENTIC FOODS FROM HIMALAYAN REGION. 3210 Dauphin St. • 287-0115 400 Eastern Shore Center • 459-2862
‘CUE
BACKYARD CAFE & BBQ ($) HOME COOKIN’ LIKE MOMMA MADE. 2804 Springhill Ave. • 473-4739
BAR-B-QUING WITH MY HONEY ($$)
BBQ, BURGERS, WINGS & SEAFOOD 19170 Hwy 43 Mt. Vernon. • 839-9927
ORIGINAL SANDWICH AND BAKE SHOP. 42 ½ Section St., Fairhope • 929-0122 102 Dauphin St. • 405-0031
BRICK PIT ($)
PAT’S DOWNTOWN GRILL ($)
COTTON STATE BBQ ($)
BAR FOOD 271 Dauphin St • 438-9585
PDQ ($)
CHICKEN FINGERS, SALAD & SANDWICHES.
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THAI FARE AND SUSHI 2000 Airport Blvd. • 478-9888
A TAPAS RESTAURANT & COCKTAILS 64 S. Water St. • 438-4000
HIBACHI GRILL & ASIAN CUISINE. 309 Bel Air Blvd • 470-8033
FOOD, WINE AND MORE. 5150 Old Shell Rd. • 341-1497
2370 Hillcrest Rd. Unit B • 380-6062
WINE BAR, CRAFT BEERS & BISTRO 6808 Airport Blvd. • 343-3555
QUALITY FOOD, EXCELLENT SERVICE 5045 Cottage Hill Rd. • 607-6454
MOE’S ORIGINAL BAR B QUE ($) BARBEQUE & MUSIC. Bayfront Park Dr., Daphne • 625-RIBS 701 Springhill Ave. • 410-7427 4672 Airport Blvd. • 300-8516
SAUCY Q BARBQUE ($) AWARD-WINNING BARBQUE. 1111 Gov’t Blvd. • 433-7427
SMOKEY DEMBO SMOKE HOUSE ($)
3758 Dauphin Island Pkwy. • 473-1401
TILMO’S BBQ ($)
FAST BBQ W/ DRIVE-THRU 3249 Dauphin St. • 652-3508
DROP DEAD GOURMET BAY GOURMET ($$)
A PREMIER CATERER & COOKING CLASSES. 1880-A Airport Blvd. • 450-9051
BRIQUETTES STEAKHOUSE ($-$$)
GRILLED STEAKS, CHICKEN & SEAFOOD. 720A Schillinger Rd. S. S2. • 607-7200 901 Montlimar Dr • 408-3133
CORNER 251 ($-$$)
HIGH QUALITY FOOD AND DRINKS 251 Government St • 460-3157
DAUPHIN’S ($$-$$$)
HIGH QUALITY FOOD WITH A VIEW 107 St. Francis St • 444-0200
DUMBWAITER ($$-$$$)
TP CROCKMIERS ($)
MONTEGO’S ($-$$)
MOSTLY MUFFINS ($)
WINE, BEER, GOURMET FOODS, & MORE. 720 Schillinger Rd. S. Unit 8 • 287-1851
SEAFOOD AND SUSHI 551 Dauphin St.• 219-7051
WEDGIE’S ($)
GREAT DESSERTS & HOT LUNCH. 23 Upham St. • 473-6115
RIBS, SANDWICHES & GREAT SIDES. 3314 Old Shell Rd. • 479-9898
DREAMLAND BBQ ($)
TIN ROOF ($-$$)
SANDWICHES & MOMMA’S LOVE. 3696 Airport Blvd. • 344-9500 5602 Old Shell Rd. • 287-6556
FRESH CARIBBEAN-STYLE FOOD & CRAFT BEER. 6601 Airport Blvd. • 634-3445 225 Dauphin Street • 375-1576
4671 Airport Blvd. • 344-7414
SERVING LOCAL SEAFOOD & PRODUCE 167 Dauphin St. • 458-9573
AMERICAN RESTAURANT & BAR 250 Dauphin St. • 476-1890
A FAVORITE BARBECUE SPOT. 5456 Old Shell Rd. • 343-0001
DOWNTOWN LUNCH 101 N. Conception St. • 545-4682
DICKEY’S BARBECUE PIT ($-$$)
CUISINE OF INDIA ($$)
BBQ AND MORE. Jubilee Sq.Ctr. Hwy 90, Daphne • 210-2151 McGowin Park Ctr. Satchel Paige Dr. • 471-1050 7721 Airport Blvd • 380-8957
CHUCK’S FISH ($$) FIVE ($$)
GREAT FOOD AND COCKTAILS 609 Dauphin St. • 308-3105
KITCHEN ON GEORGE ($-$$) CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN FOOD. 351A George & Savannah St. • 436-8890
MAGHEE’S GRILL ON THE HILL ($-$$) GREAT LUNCH & DINNER. 3607 Old Shell Rd. • 445-8700
A LITTLE VINO DOMKE MARKET
FUJI SAN ($)
FATHOMS LOUNGE
GOLDEN BOWL ($)
FOOD PAK
HIBACHI 1 ($-$$)
POUR BABY
KAI JAPANESE RESTAURANT ($-$$)
FIREHOUSE WINE BAR & SHOP
LIQUID ($$)
216 St Francis St. • 421-2022
RED OR WHITE
323A De La Mare Ave, Fairhope • 990-0003 1104 Dauphin St.. • 478-9494
ROYAL STREET TAVERN
LIVE MUSIC, MARTINIS & DINNER MENU. 26 N. Royal St. • 338-2000
SOUTHERN NAPA
BISTRO PLATES, CRAFT BEERS AND PANTRY. 2304 Main St. • 375-2800
THE VINEYARD
UPSCALE WINE BAR 9 Du Rhu Dr. S 201 • 287-7135
FALAFEL? TRY SOME H-UMMUS 7 SPICE ($-$$)
HEALTHY, DELICIOUS MEDITERRANEAN FOOD. 3762 Airport Blvd. • 725-1177
ABBA’S MEDITERRANEAN CAFE ($-$$) BEEF, LAMB & SEAFOOD. 4356 Old Shell Rd. • 340-6464
MEDITERRANEAN SANDWICH COMPANY ($)
OSMAN’S RESTAURANT ($$)
OLLIE’S MEDITERRANEAN GRILL ($-$$)
SAGE RESTAURANT ($$) INSIDE THE MOBILE MARRIOTT. 3101 Airport Blvd. • 476-6400
SAISHO ($-$$)
MODERN GASTROPUB INSPIRED BY JAPANESE KITCHEN 455 Dauphin St • 433-0376
VON’S BISTRO ($-$$)
SEAFOOD, ASIAN AND AMERICAN CUISINE 69 St. Michael St • 375-1113
TAMARA’S DOWNTOWN ($$) CASUAL FINE DINING. 104 N. Section St., Fairhope • 929-2219
THE TRELLIS ROOM ($$$)
CONTEMPORARY SOUTHERN CUISINE Battle House Hotel, Royal St. • 338-5493
ZEA’S ($$)
GOURMET ROTISSERIE. PRIME RIB & SEAFOOD.
TASTE OF THAI ($$)
9091 US-90 Irvington • 957-1414
TOKYO JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE ($$) UPSCALE SUSHI & HIBACHI. 364 Azalea Rd. • 343-6622
WASABI SUSHI ($$)
JAPANESE CUISINE. 3654 Airport Blvd. S. C • 725-6078
FROM THE DEPTHS BAUDEAN’S ($$)
FRIED, GRILLED, STEAMED & ALWAYS FRESH. 3300 River Rd. • 973-9070
BOUDREAUX’S CAJUN GRILL ($-$$)
MEDITERRANEAN FOOD AND HOOKAH 326 Azalea Rd • 229-4206
GREAT MEDITERRANEAN FOOD. 5951 Old Shell Rd. • 450-9191
EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE & TASTE. 271 Glenwood St. • 476-0516
273 S. McGregor Ave • 287-0555, 6345 Airport Blvd. • 287-0555, 940 Industrial Pkwy • 308-2158
KAN ZAMAN ($-$$)
INVENTIVE & VERY FRESH CUISINE. 6 N. Jackson St. • 433-0377
RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE ($$$)
ROCK N ROLL SUSHI ($$)
BONEFISH GRILL ($$)
MOBILE’S OLDEST MIDDLE EASTERN CUISINE. 5773 Airport Blvd. • 304-1155
MINT HOOKAH BISTRO ($)
GUMBO, ANGUS BEEF & BAR. 72. S. Royal St. • 432-SCAM (7226)
3964 Gov’t Blvd. • 378-8083
JERUSALEM CAFE ($-$$)
NOJA ($$-$$$)
ROYAL SCAM ($$)
RICE ASIAN GRILL & SUSHI BAR ($)
THE BLUEGILL ($-$$)
AUTHENTIC TURKISH & MEDITERRANEAN 3702 Airport Blvd. • 461-6901
LOCAL INGREDIENTS 203 Dauphin St. • 690-6824
SUPREME EUROPEAN CUISINE. 2579 Halls Mill Rd. • 479-0006
AMAZING SUSHI & ASSORTMENT OF ROLLS. 661 Dauphin St. • 432-0109
ISTANBUL GRILL ($)
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
NOBLE SOUTH ($$)
LUNCH BUFFET 3674 Airport Blvd. • 341-6171
MEDITERRANEAN RESTAURANT AND HOOKAH 1248 Hillcrest St • 634-9820
FAR EASTERN FARE BAMBOO BISTRO ($$) 3662 Airport Blvd. • 378-5466
BAMBOO FUSION ($$) 2400 Airport Blvd. • 307-5535
BAMBOO STEAKHOUSE ($$) SUSHI BAR. 650 Cody Rd. S • 300-8383
BANGKOK THAI ($-$$)
DELICIOUS, TRADITIONAL THAI CUISINE. 3821 Airport Blvd. • 344-9995
BANZAI JAPANESE RESTAURANT ($$)
TRADITIONAL SUSHI & LUNCH. 312 Schillinger Rd. • 633-9077
A HISTORIC SEAFOOD DIVE W/ LIVE MUSIC. 3775 Hwy. 98 • 625-1998 ECLECTIC DINING & SPACE. 6955 Airport Blvd. • 633-7196
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 ($$)
FRIED SEAFOOD SERVED IN HEFTY PORTIONS. 3382 Hwy. 98 • 625-1947
FELIX’S FISH CAMP ($$) UPSCALE DINING WITH A VIEW. 1420 Hwy. 98 • 626-6710
FISHERMAN’S LEGACY ($) DELI, MARKET AND CATERING. 4380 Halls Mill Rd. • 665-2266
THE GRAND MARINER ($-$$) LOCAL SEAFOOD & PRODUCE. 6036 Rock Point Rd. • 443-5700
THE HARBOR ROOM ($-$$) UNIQUE SEAFOOD. 64 S. Water St. • 438-4000
HALF SHELL OYSTER HOUSE ($) 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 ($)
BENJAS ($)
CAJUN KITCHEN & SEAFOOD MARKET. 2005 Government St. • 478-9897
CHARM ($-$$)
THE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT! 1595 Battleship Pkwy • 626-0045
THAI & SUSHI 5369 D Hwy 90 W • 661-5100 THAI KITCHEN AND SUSHI BAR 960 Schillinger Rd. S • 660-4470
RALPH & KACOO’S ($-$$) R&R SEAFOOD ($-$$)
LAID-BACK EATERY AND FISH MARKET 1477 Battleship Pkwy. • 621-8366
RIVER SHACK ($-$$)
SEAFOOD, BURGERS & STEAKS. 6120 Marina Dr., Dog River • 443-7318.
TIN TOP RESTAURANT & OYSTER BAR ($$)
HURRICANE GRILL & WINGS ($-$$)
WINGS, SEAFOOD, BURGERS AND BEER 7721 Airport Blvd. Suite E-180 • 639-6832
ISLAND WING CO ($)
SEAFOOD, STEAKS, & EXTENSIVE WINE LIST. 6232 Bon Secour Hwy County Rd. 10. • 949-5086
EVERYTHING BAKED OR GRILLED 2617 Dauphin St. • 476-9464
WINTZELL’S OYSTER HOUSE ($-$$)
1715 Main St. • 375-0543
FRESH SEAFOOD FOR OVER 75 YEARS 605 Dauphin St. • 432-4605 6700 Airport Blvd. • 341-1111 1208 Shelton Beach Rd., Saraland • 442-3335 805 S. Mobile St. • 929-2322
IS THE GAME ON?
ASHLAND MIDTOWN PUB ($-$$) PIZZAS, PASTAS, & CALZONES. 245-A Old Shell Rd. • 479-3278
BAUMHOWER’S ($)
WINGS, BURGERS, PUB GRUB 6880 US-90 #14, Daphne • 625-4695
BISHOP’S ($)
A SOUTHERN GRILL & BAR. 3673 Airport Blvd. • 344-2131
BUFFALO WILD WINGS ($) BEST WINGS & SPORTING EVENTS. 6341 Airport Blvd. • 378-5955
BUTCH CASSIDY’S ($)
FAMOUS BURGERS, SANDWICHES & WINGS. 60 N. Florida St. • 450-0690
CALLAGHAN’S IRISH SOCIAL CLUB ($) BURGERS & BEER. 916 Charleston St. • 433-9374
HEROES SPORTS BAR & GRILLE ($) SANDWICHES & COLD BEER. 273 Dauphin St. • 433-4376 Hillcrest & Old Shell Rd. • 341-9464
MANCIS ($)
MCSHARRY’S IRISH PUB ($) BRILLIANT REUBENS & FISH-N-CHIPS. 101 N. Brancroft St. Fairhope • 990-5100
MUG SHOTS ($$)
BAR & GRILL. 6255 Airport Blvd. • 447-2514
OLD 27 GRILL ($)
BURGERS, DOGS & 27 BEERS & WINES. 19992 Hwy.181 Old County Rd. Fairhope • 281-2663
LUCKY’S IRISH PUB ($) IRISH PUB FARE & MORE. 3692 Airport Blvd • 414-3000
WEMOS ($)
WINGS, TENDERS, HOTDOGS & SANDWICHES. 312 Schillinger Rd. • 633-5877
LA ROSSO ($$)
COMFORT FOOD. 1716 Main St. Ste. C, Daphne • 281-2982
MACARONI GRILL ($$)
SMALL PLATES, PIZZAS, PASTAS AND WINE 3250 Airport Blvd. • 450-4556
MELLOW MUSHROOM ($)
PIES & AWESOME BEER SELECTION. 2032 Airport Blvd. • 471-4700 5660 Old Shell Rd. • 380-1500 29698 Frederick Blvd, Daphne • 621-3911
NAVCO PIZZA ($$)
PIZZA, SUBS & PASTA. 1368 ½ Navco Rd.• 479-0066
PAPA’S PLACE ($$)
A TASTE OF ITALY . BYOB. 28691 U.S. Highway 98 • 626-1999
PINZONE’S ITALIAN VILLAGE ($$)
AUTHENTIC ITALIAN DISHES 312 Fairhope Ave, Fairhope • 990-5535
RAVENITE ($)
PIZZA, PASTA, SALAD & MORE 102 N. Section St. • 929-2525
PIZZERIA DELFINA ($)
MAMA MIA!
PIZZA & PASTA 107 Dauphin St. • 375-1644
DELIVERY. 350 Dauphin St. • 431-9444
PASTA, SALAD AND SANDWICHES. 7143 Airport Blvd. • 341-7217
BUCK’S PIZZA ($$) CORTLAND’S PIZZA PUB ($-$$) GREAT PIZZA. LUNCH & DINNER. 4356 Old Shell Road • 342-0024
ROMA CAFE ($-$$)
ROMANO’S MACARONI GRILL ($$)
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 ($) MEXICAN CUISINE 260 Azalea Rd. • 375-1095
DAUPHIN ST. TAQUERIA ($) ENCHILADAS, TACOS, & AUTHENTIC FARE. 661 Dauphin St. • 432-2453
LOS ARCOS ($)
EXOTIC CUISINE AND SUSHI
STALLA ($$) ITALIAN COOKING
BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER, LATE NIGHT
777 Beach Blvd.Biloxi • 877-877-6256
HALF SHELL OYSTER HOUSE ($-$$) SEAFOOD
BEACH BLVD STEAMER ($) CARTER GREEN STEAKHOUSE ($$-$$$) RICH TRADITIONS, STEAK, SEAFOOD
C&G GRILLE ($)
LARGE BREAKFAST, LUNCH OR DINNER MENU.
PALACE CASINO:
158 Howard Ave. Biloxi • 800-725-2239
MIGNON’S ($$$)
STEAKS, SEAFOOD, FINE WINE
PLACE BUFFET ($-$$) INTERACTIVE ASIAN DINING
RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE ($$$)
TREASURE BAY:
AUTHENTIC MEXICAN CUISINE. 4633 Airport Blvd. • 342-5553
MARIA BONITA AGAVE BAR & GRILL ($-$$)
WINGS, PO-BOYS, BURGERS. 210 Eastern Shore Center, Hwy. 98 • 929-0002
HEARTY MEXICAN FARE 736 holcombe Ave.• 473-0413
TRATTORIA PIZZA & ITALIAN ($$)
ROOSTER’S ($)
HOMEMADE PASTAS & PIZZAS MADE DAILY. 5901 Old Shell Rd. • 342-3677
JIA ($-$$)
3300 W. Beach Blvd. Biloxi • 877-774-8439
LA COCINA ($)
GAMBINO’S ITALIAN GRILL ($)
FRESH CUISINE NIGHTLY ON MENU. 1709 Main St., Daphne • 626-6082
BURGER, WINGS, PIZZA
STACKED GRILL ($-$$)
Springdale Mall 3250 Airport Blvd. • 450-4556
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ISLAND VIEW:
COAST RESTAURANT ($-$$)
CASUAL & RELAXING, EXTENSIVE MENU.
HARD ROCK CAFÉ ($)
OLÉ MI AMIGO ($-$$)
GUIDO’S ($$)
INTERACTIVE ASIAN DINING
QUAINT MEXICAN RESTAURANT. 5556 Old Shell Rd. • 345-7484
MEXICAN CUISINE. 3977 Gov’t Blvd. • 660-4970
ITALIAN FOOD & PIZZAS. 11311 US HIghway 31 Spanish Fort• 375-0076
TIEN ($-$$)
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TASTE OF MEXICO 880 Schillinger Rd. S. • 633-6122 5805 US 90 • 653-9163
SEAFOOD, STEAKS, WINE
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OUTSTANDING MEXICAN CUISINE. 2066 Old Shell Rd. • 378-8621
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875 Beach Blvd. Biloxi • 888-952-2582
TERRACE CAFE ($)
TAMARA’S BAR & GRILL ($)
ITALIAN, STEAKS & SEAFOOD. 18 Laurel Ave. Fairhope • 990-0995
BEAU RIVAGE:
FUEGO ($-$$)
GAMBINO BROTHERS ($) HOMEMADE PASTAS & SANDWICHES. 873 Hillcrest Ave. • 344-8115
NO GAMBLING CASINO FARE
LATIN AMERICAN FOOD 211 Dauphin St. • 375-1076
TAQUERIA MEXICO ($-$$) AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FLAVOR. 3733 Airport Blvd. • 414-4496
AMERICAN FARE & ROCKIN’ MEMORABILIA.
EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE & TASTE.
SATISFACTION ($-$$) SOUTHERN FAVORITES BUFFET
HARRAH’S GULF COAST:
280 Beach Blvd. Biloxi • 288-436-2946
MAGNOLIA HOUSE ($$-$$$) FINE DINING, SEAFOOD AND STEAKS
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BURGERS AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN 1980 Beach Blvd. Biloxi • 800-747-2839
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IP CASINO:
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Fe b r u a r y 2 3 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 1 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 23
CUISINE THE REVIEW
Newly opened Chuck’s Fish
CHUCK’S FISH 551 DAUPHIN ST. MOBILE 36602 251-219-7051
offers sea fare, both cooked and raw BY ANDY MACDONALD/CUISINE EDITOR | FATMANSQUEEZE@COMCAST.NET
T
WORD OF MOUTH
NATIONAL CHILI DAY IS HERE BY ANDY MACDONALD
Thursday, Feb. 23, is National Chili Day. It’s a little early for the days we regularly celebrate, given the Mobile American Cancer Society’s chili cook-off is Saturday, March 11, and the South Alabama College of Medicine’s Gumbo Chili Showdown is Saturday, April 8. Chili, however, is special any day on my calendar. With Mardi Gras in full swing, the best we can do is incorporate chili into our festivities. Dreamland BBQ is selling bags of its secret-recipe chili seasoning so you can bring the magic home with you. Get a little practice in before you sign your team up for
Photos | Daniel Anderson
his has most certainly been the busiest week I’ve had in the past couple of years. I am not complaining. The MacDonald family has been blessed/ slightly cursed with too many birthdays in the month of February and as I age we meet more who join our extended family. It’s uncanny. The month begins with my Aunt Lynn. She’s a fave. My brother-in-law’s brother Wally is Feb. 11. Then it’s my sister, Andrea; her birthday is Feb. 12. My old man would have been 63 on the 13th. Valentine’s Day was its usual 14th. My birthday was the 15th. My nephew John Brooks’ always falls on the 16th. And I cannot leave out my Lagniappe family: Ashley Trice’s birthday is Feb. 17. It’d be great if we could just get the Dallas, Laurel, Mobile and Fairhope folks all under one roof for a single soiree but that won’t happen. So my sister and I decided to spend our birthday celebration at a Dave Chappelle show with her husband, John, and our brother, Big Al. For our Mobilians, Ashley and I were the honored guests Thursday night at the newly opened Chuck’s Fish. Chuck’s Fish in Mobile is the third location for this small chain, which began in Tuscaloosa and was followed by a Birmingham location. It’s also a part of the family of restaurants that includes Five Bar, a Dauphin Street neighbor to Chuck’s. The common factor is that all of the seafood comes from their wholesale seafood market, Harbor Docks of Destin, Florida. All are owned by Charles Morgan III, who named the restaurants in honor of his father, a civil rights attorney during the 1960s. Obviously known for its fish — hence the name — Chuck’s Fish has a rather small dinner menu that barely outsizes its Five Bar counterpart. I like that. Focusing on some top-notch items and throwing in a special or two is the way to go. Between Rob, Beth, Ashley, Frank, Catherine and me, we managed to cover a good portion of it. But when you flip the menu over there is a sushi section that dominates! We decided to order appetizers and share. Frank and Ashley went straight for the Crack Fries in a bag ($5). “Fries worth $5?” you may ask. You bet they are. Thin fries served in a bag with seasonings and Parmesan cheese, fantastic. Beth had the Uptown Shrimp ($13), which is a lot like the Uptown Chicken at Five, served over Asian slaw in a wonton bowl. A couple of these would make a meal. Rob was head over heels for the West Indies Salad ($16) and I could tell why. After he claimed it the best he’d ever had, I stole a forkful. I will say it does Bayley’s proud. Catherine didn’t put up much of a fight when I ordered Fried Oysters ($14). She’s not the biggest oyster fan I know, but she’s coming along. While these are nothing like the famous Queen G version, they are fantastic. Topped with a dash
A SELECTION OF SUSHI AND NIGIRI AT CHUCK’S FISH. of thick hot sauce, these eight or nine bad boys were arguably better than the West Indies salad. The sauce was so great that leftover fries were used to sop up the remainder. Ash and I, being the birthday queen and king, were on the same page and identically ordered the Red Snapper with artichoke hearts ($32). We both felt the same about it. The artichoke hearts with the fish were really a great idea and the lightly breaded snapper was OK but could have been a bit crispier. The snap peas were stellar, but sadly the chef’s risotto (tonight’s was pearl onion) was cold and a little on the gummy side. It wasn’t inedible. We just thought it could have been a touch better. Beth is the smallest carnivore I’ve ever known, so of course she ordered the Filet of Beef ($34). This 8-ounce center cut was ordered rare and came out almost blue. That was a nice piece of beef any chop shop would be glad to serve. Her garlic butter mashed potatoes weren’t too shabby, either. Now here is the game changer. Everyone else at the table ordered from the sushi side. There is an appetizer section on this menu, but we were already appetizered out. I remember Rob had the Nigiri Combo ($31), which came with three each of tuna, yellowtail and fresh salmon. I was treated to one of the tuna and was in love. Catherine let me try a piece of her Rainbow Roll ($15), which
one of the upcoming contests. Chili originated in Texas, where the poorer classes came up with a way to stretch their rations of meat when the going got tough. Recipes developed and spread throughout the South until you could find “a bowl of red” just about anywhere. Funny how we now celebrate one of the cheapest meals at some of the highest-attended contests. I’ll start a pot Thursday and roll it on into the Joe Cain weekend. It’s always better the next day anyway.
GSA’s Operation Cookie Care Package
I’ve got a hookup for Girl Scout cookies if you need any last-minute boxes. My little
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I sometimes find a bit boring in other establishments but loved this one due to how fresh the tuna, yellowtail and salmon were on top. She was a bit stingy with her Kenji Roll ($13). This seems to be her favorite and I believe she has ordered it every time we’ve been to Chuck’s. It’s tuna, bacon, green onion, fried tempura and spicy sauce topped with avocado, sweet soy reduction, Japanese mayo and fresh ground black pepper. Next time we will order two. Frank was ordering like he knew what he was doing. He had a conversation going on with the sushi lady and was spouting off sushi facts and figures like an expert. TNT Roll ($16) was his poison for the evening. Tuna, green onions, spicy sauce and fried tempura on the inside are compounded with flavors of more tuna, avocado, sweet soy reduction and sambal chili paste on top. He also grabbed a single piece of salmon nigiri ($4) and tuna sashimi ($14). It was the happiest I’ve seen him since I took him to the barbecue place. Although we were stuffed to the gills, they brought out a Blondie Sundae ($7) served with Cammie’s Old Dutch vanilla ice cream and caramel. Holy smokes, that was great. So I couldn’t get my entire family together for one night, but I got most of my Mobile family together. Chuck’s is the real deal. Don’t delay. Visit as often as you can afford. Service is attentive and not overbearing, food is great, sushi is spectacular and the price is what you’d expect.
friend Dakota is keeping me knee deep in Thin Mints (which I, of course, freeze like any sane person would) and Samoas. (The latter are double the calories of the former, but there are fewer in the box. No harm, no foul.) This year the Girl Scouts of America are extending the season, but only for some special cookie lovers. Operation Cookie Care Package is a program through which customers can make donations that will be used to send cookies to the brave men and women in veterans’ hospitals so they can enjoy a little taste of home. Donate to your local troop and at the end of the season the donations will be used to place a special order with the bakery. From one group of troops to another, in April the
cookies will be delivered to the designated military organizations such as the USO and local branches. “Operation Cookie Care Package provides a wonderful way for individuals in our community to both support our Girl Scouts and our brave members of the military,” says Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama CEO Karlyn Edmonds. “We are delighted to share with the girls we serve yet another opportunity to make a difference in the world around them.” Act fast and find your troop. Email communications@girlscoutssa.org or call 1-800-239-6636. Recycle!
Fe b r u a r y 2 3 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 1 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 25
COVER STORY
Let them eat King Cake BY ANDY MACDONALD/CUISINE EDITOR
S
o you’re in town visiting for Mardi Gras. You grab a few throws, down a few corn dogs, maybe take in a museum tour, but in restaurant after restaurant, bakery after bakery, you keep hearing about King Cake. Indeed, if you are not from the stretch of coastline that crowns the Gulf of Mexico from Texas to Florida, you have good reason to take interest. It is a regional confection that remained fairly standard in its preparation until about 20 years ago, when variations on a theme sparked a powder keg of a trend that had every bakery from Houma, Louisiana, to Destin, Florida, attempting to place their personal stamps on King Cakes, all in the name of “making them better.” Truth is, you don’t have to “Make King Cake Great Again.” It’s always been great. How great each style is would be subject to opinion. You just have to make something that actually qualifies as King Cake in your region, and the region I know best would be from New Orleans to Mobile. So what is it that qualifies something to be a King Cake? Other parts of the world have celebrated the Epiphany with King Cakes for centuries, some as simple as French bread with icing. The modern King Cake was more than likely brought here by colonists from France and Spain, with parties in Mobile dating back to the 18th century. The “cakes” were in honor of the three wise men, or kings, who brought gifts for the baby Jesus. Epiphany marks this meeting of the Christ Child and is celebrated on the Twelfth Night, which is when we start seeing King Cakes in our stores and bakeries. Anything before that would be like eating red beans and rice on Friday; you just don’t. We keep serving them until the Ash Wednesday cut-off date, so a later Easter gives you a larger window of opportunity. The cake to which we have grown accustomed is actually a lot closer to bread than what most consider cake. It’s usually a brioche-type dough formed into a circle, sort of like a crown. You have to proof it and proof it and all those other things that you needn’t do
with cake batter. Globally the second most popular would be a puff-pastry style, but we don’t allow that over here. We usually fill it with something, be it cream cheese, fresh fruit or preserves and often cinnamon is involved. But to be an authentic Gulf Coast King Cake you must have the three-colored sugar sprinkled on glazed topping. Some guess the purple, green and gold stand for the gold, frankincense and myrrh, but really that isn’t the case. These are the colors of Mardi Gras supposedly created in 1872 in New Orleans by the Krewe of Rex. Purple stands for justice. Green is for faith. Gold represents power. Now, in the modern world we use a plastic baby Jesus (cue the “Cool Hand Luke” soundtrack), but in days of yore there may have been a bean or pea hidden in the cake before slicing. If you get the baby Jesus, the next King Cake party is on you. That’s it. That’s how we do the King Cake celebration down here. Differences from cake to cake largely depend on the filling. It wasn’t too long ago that filling was a sacred topic of conversation. Nowadays we have bakers willing to please everyone by filling the bready cakes with chocolate, coconut, pineapple and whatever you can dream up. There are now more fillings for King Cakes than there were for Hubig Pies (RIP), and frankly it’s a little annoying. But I’m not the cake police so let them do what they want. I just prefer something classic. For me the consistently favored King Cake at my household is the beauty from Lighthouse Bakery on Dauphin Island. It was worth catching up with Mary Scarcliff, who has owned the bakery with her husband, Daniel, since December 1997. She was generous enough with her time to give me a bit of insight as to why I think her version stands out. “We do everything from scratch. There are no preservatives or stabilizers. It’s just all natural ingredients from start to finish,” Scarcliff says. With all the variations around I had to ask where she draws the line as to what is not a King Cake anymore.
TRUTH IS, YOU DON’T HAVE TO ‘MAKE KING CAKE GREAT AGAIN.’ IT’S ALWAYS BEEN GREAT. HOW GREAT EACH STYLE IS WOULD BE SUBJECT TO OPINION.
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After a brief pause she answered, “It wouldn’t be right for me to comment on that. I myself am doing my own version. Ours is more like a giant cinnamon roll, rolled out and filled if the customer wants filling. If the customer wants amaretto cream cheese, it is real amaretto in there. If it’s strawberry you want, we use really high-quality preserves for the fruit.” Going the extra mile seems to be working for the Scarcliffs. They stay busy Wednesday through Sunday keeping the island on a steady sugar buzz. “This isn’t a cake that has been cut in half, filled and then put back together,” Scarcliff adds. “Every filling we do is hand-piped into the King Cake. You’ll notice ours rises well. It’s not as flat as others.” True, the well-risen King Cake does make for an excellent presentation that is different from what you normally see in more mass-produced versions. If you’d like to try one for yourself, the phone number is 251861-2253 (BAKE). Located at 919 Chaumont Ave. on Dauphin Island, they open at 6 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday, closing at 3 p.m. on weekdays and 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Sundays are an abbreviated day of 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Order fast. My suggestion is the amaretto, but you can’t go wrong either way.
ANOTHER IMPRESSIVE KING CAKE I WAS INTRODUCED TO THIS YEAR WAS FROM FLOUR GIRLS BAKERY. I CAME ACROSS IT IN AN ODD WAY LAST WEEK WHEN I STOPPED INTO BUTCH CASSIDY’S. I WAS THERE FOR CHICKEN WINGS AND FRIED JALAPEÑO RINGS BUT LEFT WITH A BELLYFUL OF KING CAKE WHEN OWNER ROY SEEWER FORCED A PIECE ON ME SAYING, ‘YOU’VE GOTTA TRY THIS.’ ” Another impressive King Cake I was introduced to this year was from Flour Girls Bakery. I came across it in an odd way last week when I stopped into Butch Cassidy’s. I was there for chicken wings and fried jalapeño rings but left with a bellyful of King Cake when owner Roy Seewer forced a piece on me saying, “You’ve gotta try this.” Now, I have known the inside of the Flour Girls Bakery for their amazing cupcakes but I’d not been exposed to their King Cake. Bready but moist, almost salty but sweet, this cream cheese version is worth the drive to 809 Hillcrest Road. The fact that they have amazing King Cake is news enough. Even better is that they offer it in individual sizes, too. A measly $3 will get you the single serving but we both know it’s big enough for two. A small cake serves 6-8 people at $15, a medium can feed 15-20 at $25 and the large will serve more than 35 revelers at $35. Though the most popular flavors are cream cheese, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry and apple, the Flour Girls are eager to please and will gladly fill your cake with anything they have in the store. That’s easy to do when everything is made in-house fresh daily. They usually have some available in the case, but to be on the safe side you may as well call and order at 251-634-2285. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Don’t forget to snag a box of cupcakes while you’re there, fellas. A dozen of those in your hand are better than any flowers or cologne.
Photo/ Facebook
COVER STORY
Flour Girls Bakery offers King Cakes in individual sizes.
THE DIY KING CAKE For those of you interested in making your own King Cake, I have done some research … lots of research, tasting and tasting until I am now ready for a salad. Whether you fill the cake before baking or pipe in your filling like Mary Scarcliff does is up to you. Here is a recipe for the cake. You’ll need a good stand mixer with a dough hook. • 2 envelopes of active dry yeast • ½ cup granulated sugar • 1 stick unsalted melted butter • ½ cup of warm milk • 5 egg yolks at room temperature • 4½ cups bleached all-purpose flour • 2 teaspoon salt • ½ teaspoon cinnamon • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil Combine yeast, sugar, melted butter and warm milk in stand mixer, beating at low speed for about a minute. Next, add the yolks and increase the speed to mediumlow for another minute. Incorporate the flour, salt and cinnamon, then increase the speed to high. Once the dough pulls away from the
sides and climbs the hook you can shut it down. Using the vegetable oil, you may lightly oil a large mixing bowl. Remove the dough from the mixer and form it into a smooth ball. Place the ball into the bowl and turn it, oiling all sides. Cover it with a damp towel and let it proof for two hours. It should double in size. At this point you should roll out the dough on a floured work surface into a large rectangle maybe 30 inches long. It would be at this point you would add the filling of your choice and flip the top half over the filling. Roll this cylinder seam side down on a baking sheet and form a ring. Again cover with the towel and let it proof until it doubles in size. This cake will cook in about 30 minutes at 350 F. You can add your personal touches but for all that is sacred about Mardi Gras, please alternate the purple, green and gold-colored sugar on the icing! I don’t care if it rains or freezes as long as you have your plastic Jesus. We insert him from the bottom when no one is looking, but after the cake is totally decorated. Food traditions are my favorite. They are a quirky part of what makes a culture a culture. Let us not slip into a boring slump. Let’s have a King Cake party!
Fe b r u a r y 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - Fe b r u a r y 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 27
ART ARTIFICE
Embattled ballet board responds BY KEVIN LEE/ARTS EDITOR/KLEE@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM
M
obile Ballet’s board president has issued a statement of resolve to fight recent allegations she called “false and reckless.” Sandra Parker, M.D., answered a lawsuit filed Jan. 27 by one former and two current board members naming 10 directors and Karen Kennedy, the managing director/development director, as agents of “misconduct, breach of fiduciary duty and self-dealing.” “It is full of untrue, mean-spirited and wholly unwarranted statements. We plan to do the only thing you can do with such nonsense, to contest it,” Parker wrote. The one-page letter begins “Dear Mobile Ballet community” and is dated Feb. 18, 2017. “I think this was sent to parents and some other folks,” said current board member Marie Grip, who is one of the board members not named in the suit. In the second year of her second three-year term, though, Grip supports her colleagues who brought suit against the majority of the board and its director. The 52-page complaint was reported in the Feb. 16 Artifice. Notice of action was first given to defendants during a Jan. 31 Mobile Ballet board meeting. “[The lawsuit] purports to have been brought for the benefit of Mobile Ballet. However, the lawsuit does not benefit or serve the interests of the ballet in any way. It is actually harmful to the organization and has wrongfully besmirched 10 loyal and committed volunteer board members and our managing director/development director,” Parker wrote in response to the lawsuit. Neither Parker nor any other ballet board members in the suit responded to attempts to get their side of the story prior to Lagniappe’s
Feb.16 article. Parker characterized motivations for the legal maneuver as, “an attempt by two directors with views different from the overwhelming majority of the board to usurp control of the Mobile Ballet.” “She is referring to Monty [Thull] and Beverly [Davis]. Catherine [Ashbee] and I have voted with Monty and Beverly and completely agree with them,” Grip said. The lawsuit is filled with allegations of improper procedure, circumvention of the bylaws and irresponsibility with Mobile Ballet funds. It accuses board officers of actions that culminated in the sudden departure of Artistic Director Winthrop Corey in December 2016. Corey had been with Mobile Ballet for three decades. “I’m kind of a law-and-order board member. I’ve done this for a very, very long time and am very familiar with the way this is supposed to work and this is appalling,” Grip said. Grip said she tried to warn other board members about the dangers of their behavior. The correspondence she sent to board officers and members delineating those breaches are included among the 25 pages of exhibits. “I have the Alabama Association of Nonprofits standards for excellence and they’re supposed to know this stuff. Karen Kennedy is supposed to know this stuff because she’s a member, since Mobile Ballet pays her membership in the Alabama Association of Nonprofits,” Grip said. Plaintiffs’ attorney Ray Thompson said he initially offered settlement proposals to all 11 defendants. His stipulations were immediate withdrawal from the board or
Shakespeare storms Playhouse
CCT stages doublewide hilarity
In the modern world, few things set eyes to twinkling like the question “Do you want to be on television?” That goes double for
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THE LAWSUIT IS FILLED WITH ALLEGATIONS OF IMPROPER PROCEDURE, CIRCUMVENTION OF THE BYLAWS AND IRRESPONSIBILITY WITH MOBILE BALLET FUNDS. IT ACCUSES BOARD OFFICERS OF ACTIONS THAT CULMINATED IN THE SUDDEN DEPARTURE OF ARTISTIC DIRECTOR WINTHROP COREY IN DECEMBER 2016. ” individuals alleged to have done damage to Mobile Ballet Inc.? How is that not a conflict of interest? I put in a call to Hand Arendall to discuss this. I will say this: They have not filed an appearance in my lawsuit yet,” Thompson said. Grip said an additional Hand Arendall attorney, Windy Bitzer, was at the last meeting. Parker’s statement left little doubt it is unlikely much more will be coming from the suit’s defendants until the case is settled or a trial takes place. “Given that the matter is in litigation, we will not be able to comment further on the lawsuit at this time; however, we do want to assure you that your Board of Directors remains committed to providing superior dance education and presenting quality performances. We also want you to know that this meritless litigation will not deter or distract us from working to fulfill the ballet’s mission,” Parker concluded in her commentary. Thompson is unsure when the matter will appear before Circuit Judge Jay York.
the residents of the Hampton Court Trailer Park when a reality TV show beckons to its oddball characters in playwright Pat Cook’s low-rent comedy “Mobile Home, Sweet Home.” Chickasaw Civic Theatre brings the trailer park to life at Lola Phillips Playhouse (801 Iroquois St.) March 3-12. Director Leonora Harrison and the 14-member cast bring life to a collection of oddballs with ubiquitous metal detectors, hands stuck in toilets or metal plates in their heads. Tickets are $15, $12 for seniors, students and military. Cash and local checks only. For more information, call 251-457-8887 or go to cctshows.com.
Photo exhibit at MMoA
An impressive slate of new exhibits open at the Mobile Museum of Art on March 10. One with perhaps the widest breadth is a collection of contemporary Alabama photography curated by Richard McCabe. Built around the idea of Alabama’s identity, culture and history in light of its bicentennial, the show will complement
the William Christenberry exhibit soon to appear. The wide-ranging show features the talents of April Dobbins, Jenny Fine, Zachary McCauley, Jerry Siegel, Chuck Hemard, Patrick Owens, Michael Meads, Marion “Pinky” Bass, Devin Lunsford, Celestia Morgan and Jared Ragland. Also opening with the other exhibits is glass artist Rene Culler’s commissioned installation inspired by the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. It’s been in development for about a year. The museum is also calling for visual art entries from area educators for an upcoming show. They are seeking works that explore Alabama’s identity, in any medium. Artists must be educators in Mobile or Baldwin counties. They can submit up to three works of visual art, new media, photography, works on paper and small sculpture completed in the last two years, detailed in JPEG or video format. Deadline is April 30. For more information, go to mobilemuseumofart.com.
ARTSGALLERY
Of course William Shakespeare would know how to go out with a bang. As his last solo work, “The Tempest” has got sorcery, spirits, monsters, shipwrecks and, naturally, the titular storm. No wonder Playhouse in the Park (4851 Museum Drive), Mobile’s longest-running youth playhouse, chose it as its spring 2017 production. This 70-minute adaptation is designed for middle and high school-aged viewers and suitable for ages 12 and up. While there are school-day performances slated for Feb. 21, 22 and 23, public shows take place Friday, Feb. 24, and Saturday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $16, $14 for students and seniors. For reservations, call 251-602-0630. For more information, call 251-422-5434 or go to playhouseinthepark.org.
resignation from Mobile Ballet employment along with written acknowledgement of such. “The deadline for response was 5 p.m. on Feb. 15. I got zero takers,” Thompson said. Instead, an emergency board meeting was called for that same evening. “The only thing that occurred at the meeting was for the majority to vote to hire Hand Arendall to defend them all and to pay for their defense with ballet funds, then to have the ballet pay for Karen Kennedy’s defense,” Thompson said. The attorney feels there might be an inherent conflict in the arrangement owing to Hand Arendall attorney Brooks Milling’s preceding status as legal counselor for Mobile Ballet. “How does the law firm that represents Mobile Ballet Inc. represent 10
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tones and progressions and chords. I want to see what fits. I never know what’s going to come out on the other end. I go into it blind. If I make myself feel good in the studio, then I know it’s going to work for the audience. Centanni: What kind of reaction did you get from your first live performance of this music style? Radoslavof: It was actually in high school. I hen he was 3 years old, Svet had been performing with the violin since I was 5 Radoslavof fell in love with the years old and doing tournaments and concerts and violin. After moving from his whatnot. In high school, I thought, “Why not try to birthplace of Bulgaria to the bring it out at my high school talent show?” United States, he found a new In 11th grade, I went to Brighton High School in musical passion in the form of hip-hop and EDM. Rochester, New York. We had a talent show, and I Radoslavof’s passions for both led him to begin ex- wanted to play the violin with hip-hop. When I got perimenting with a unique, hybridized sound. After onstage, I started playing classical tunes. Everybody his appearance on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” at my school knew that I was with an orchestra and the world fell in love with Svet the Violinist. played the violin. When I started playing, the music Radoslavof is bringing his exotic sounds to the cut off about 30 seconds in. I walked offstage and Azalea City just in time for Mardi Gras. He recently was like, “I can’t do this.” Everybody was like, gave Lagniappe an inside look into both his life and “What’s going on? Come back!” his music. All of a sudden, the beat dropped. I just threw on Stephen Centanni: You picked up the violin some hip-hop beat and started playing the violin rewhen you were just 3. How does something like that ally fast. People just went crazy. That was probably happen at such an early age? one of the most surreal feelings that I’ve gotten to Svet Radoslavof: (chuckles) That’s a good questhat point. tion! Being 3 years old, you’re not really aware of Centanni: What kind of reaction have you what’s really good for you at that point. All you gotten from classical violinists? Have you had any know is what attracts you. When my mom took me haters? to my first violin lesson, the violin really, really atRadoslavof: You know what? Going through my tracted me in a sense. I just picked it up and started journey, I thought that I would’ve had that. Being a playing. I developed a passion for it and wanted to classically trained violinist, people can be critical, keep going. The rest is history. but it hasn’t happened that much. I do something Centanni: What first inspired you to start exunique with the violin, and a lot of purists appreciploring beyond the classical sounds? ate that. Purists like to stick to their own certain Radoslavof: It was probably when I came to style of classical. What I do is try to combine the the states. We came over here from Bulgaria when I was 11 years old. That was in 1998. When I heard violin with different tunes that they don’t expect. That’s what gives people a treat. hip-hop for the first time, it opened my eyes to that I haven’t had that much criticism from too direction. I remember practicing classical tunes. many purists. I love criticism. I think it’s great for One day, I heard some Dr. Dre on the radio. I was like, “Why not try to play to it?” I started playing to building character. I’m always open to it. When I it, and it was so cool that I kept going. Eventually, I perform for my audience, they seem thrown off by what I do. It’s really, really cool. started producing my own beats at home and going Centanni: What would you consider your “big back and forth with the violin and experimenting. I got into doing EDM music and rock ‘n’ roll and al- break”? Radoslavof: I would say it’s “America’s Got ternative stuff. So, I love combining music to make Talent.” When I was on the show in 2012, I flew out it sound different. I think that’s what got me going to St. Louis to audition. It was in the Fox Theatre with the violin and hip-hop. with 3,000 people. That was the first time that I ever Centanni: How much of your accompanying heard a crowd chanting my name. It was, “Svet! music is self-produced? Svet! Svet!” Until then, I had to spell my name out to Radoslavof: I have a lot of produced music. pronounce it right. I couldn’t believe that I had 3,000 Basically, when I go into the studio, I like to think people screaming for me in front of the judges. of a show. When I do a show, I want to bring out different emotions for the crowd. When I sit down, Once they showed that piece on TV, I started I want to use different emotions and feelings and touring. I have been lucky enough to tour through
MUSIC
BY STEPHEN CENTANNI/MUSIC EDITOR/SCENTANNI@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM
FEATURE
Svet’s string theory Band: Svet the Violinist Date: Saturday, Feb. 25, at 8 p.m. Venue: Alchemy Tavern, 7 S. Joachim St., 251-441-7741 Tickets: $10, available at venue and through TicketBiscuit
W
Photo | svetmusic.com
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SVET RADOSLAVOF HAD HIS BIG BREAK ON “AMERICA’S GOT TALENT” IN 2012. SINCE THEN, HE’S PERFORMED HUNDREDS OF TIMES FOR AUDIENCES LARGE AND SMALL. 150 schools across the nation. I’ve been to some of our bases in the Middle East to perform to our troops. It’s been really a cool feeling to have fans wanting your music and asking for your releases. Centanni: What’s been your favorite performance so far? Radoslavof: I have so many different performances on different stages. It’s hard to pick a favorite one. It’s one thing to perform for millions of people at home. It’s another thing to perform at a huge arena. I did the Barclays Center for the opening game for the Brooklyn Nets when they moved into the new stadium. I’ve also done stuff for intimate crowds of 10 people. I think those are the more memorable shows. When you perform for a smaller crowd, you get to know your audience. You get to share a story in a way that you couldn’t share if you were in an arena. I like the big stage, but I like the small stages too. Centanni: What’s your show in Mobile going to be like? Radoslavof: For my live show, I want my audience to be one with me. I like to perform different covers and recognizable tunes that people might have heard on the radio. I also like to throw it off with originals from my album “String Theory.” I love to perform my originals, so people can see that I’m more than a violinist. I’m a producer and composer. The violin is one aspect of me. People like to hear the violin with different tunes. Once people hear my originals, they are intrigued and give me more respect in a way. The audience can definitely hear a little bit of everything across the spectrum. I like to surprise my audience too, so I won’t give it all away.
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MUSIC BRIEFS
The gettin’ is good
BY STEPHEN CENTANNI/MUSIC EDITOR/SCENTANNI@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM
Band: Corey Smith Date: Friday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m. Venue: The Steeple on St. Francis, 251 St. Francis St., www.thesteeplemobile.com Tickets: $30-$49, available through Ticketfly and venue website
Photo | Facebook.com/coreysmithmusic | Corey Smith
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orey Smith will get the good times rollin’ to kick off Mardi Gras weekend at The Steeple on St. Francis. Since the release of his 2003 debut “Undertones,” Smith has made the Alabama Gulf Coast a regular stop on his tour schedule. While this singer-songwriter may not be considered a stereotypical superstar, Smith’s music has an extensive and dedicated cult following that seems to grow each year. His modern country sound — forged on the outskirts of Athens, Georgia — is the number-one reason this singersongwriter has spent more than a decade on stage. His dedication and the support of his fans have led to eight successful studio albums and one live release, and full venues at each tour stop. Smith returns to Mobile on his current “Great Wide Underground Tour.” Local fans will get to enjoy their favorites plus tracks from his latest release, “While the Gettin’ Is Good.” The new album features Smith’s trademark alto vocals again weaving smoothly through a collection of infectious pop country tracks. But Smith also shapes the new release with versatile elements; offbeat country anthems such as “Feet Wet” and “Flip Flop” mix well with wholehearted songs such as “Taking the Edge Off” and “Blow Me Away.”
Phat Tuesday
Band: Tony Tornado, Daikaiju Date: Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 9 p.m. Venue: The Merry Widow, 51 S. Conception St., www.themerrywidow.net Tickets: Visit The Merry Widow’s Facebook page for more info After Folly and Death wage their eternal battle on the streets of Mobile, Fat Tuesday will reach a fevered intensity as celebrants indulge in debauchery before Ash Wednesday descends. The Merry Widow will match the insanity on the streets with a double shot of local underground favorites. Tony Tornado’s return to his hometown will be the highlight of the evening as he entertains the crowd with cuts from his release “The Tony Tornado EP.” Tornado’s winning musical formula remains the same. His rock ‘n’ roll ballads begin as simple random thoughts within his mind. They might be nostalgic memories such as “Dinosaurs,” or simple observations such as “Aquaman Ain’t That Bad.” Ultimately, Tornado uses these mind trips to create analytical tracks that are comedic, insightful and true. The EP’s closer, “You Might Not Be M’Lady,” is probably its most memorable. This testament of unrequited love could be considered a modern reboot of T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.”
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MUSIC BRIEFS
Buffett’s Boom Boom
BY STEPHEN CENTANNI/MUSIC EDITOR/SCENTANNI@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM
Band: LuLu’s Mardi Gras Celebration & Parade Date: Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 10 a.m. Venue: Lucy Buffett’s LuLu’s, 200 E. 25th Ave. (Gulf Shores), www.lulubuffett.com Tickets: Free
Photo | Facebook | Cedryl Ballou
M
obile may be both the “Mother of the Mystics” and the birthplace of Mardi Gras in the United States, but this holiday season is celebrated all along the Gulf Coast, especially in Gulf Shores. For the past 16 years, Lucy Buffett has opened her establishment LuLu’s for an alternative to the typical float-and-bead parade. This seaside celebration features food, fun and a floating Mardi Gras parade. In true regional fashion, it also features musical entertainment to amplify the festive ambiance. This year, LuLu’s is bringing its patrons the sounds of South Louisiana with Cedryl Ballou & The Zydeco Trendsetters on hand to get the party started. As with many zydeco musicians, Ballou’s family nurtured him in this regional musical style. His multi-instrumental talents give his zydeco group an edge as he shifts among vocals, drums and accordion. His group’s raucous bayou sounds should be perfect for LuLu’s waterfront Fat Tuesday.
Navy Week
Mardi Gras attracts a multitude of visitors to the Azalea City. This year’s revelers will also include a number of uniformed individuals as Mobile hosts Navy Week, Feb. 22-28. After the USS Mitscher (DDG 57) docks in Mobile, hundreds of sailors and officers will join civilians in the streets for all the Mardi Gras festivities the city has to offer. In addition to giving our military men and women a taste of the Azalea City, Navy Week is intended “to give area residents an opportunity to learn about the Navy, its people and its importance to national security and prosperity.” This mission will include several local performances by the Navy Band Southeast and its performing units. Each unit has its own musical specialty. The Windward Brass Quintet will perform at the USS Alabama on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 9 a.m. The Top 40-based pop group Pride will join the ranks of the Crewe of Columbus during its parade on Feb. 24. The following day, Pride will perform at the USS Alabama before marching with the Mystics of Time and in the Floral Parade. On Feb. 26 the Ceremonial Band will give a noon performance at Mardi Gras Park before marching with the Krewe de Bienville. Navy Band Southeast will end the week among the court of King Felix III on Fat Tuesday.
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AREAMUSIC LISTINGS | February 23 - March 1
THUR. FEB. 23
Retrobution Moe’s BBQ (Foley) — Lefty Bluegill— Johnny Barbato Duo Collins Blues Tavern— McNab Trio, Moe’s BBQ (Mobile) — 8:30p Andrew and Bryan Ayers, 8p Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— O’Daly’s— Gene Murrell,Tony David Chastang, 6p Edwards and David White, 10p Bone and Barrel— Adam Holt, Soul Kitchen— Riley Green, 7p Tyler Reeve, 10p Callaghan’s— Chris Powell The Steeple— Corey SMith Felix’s— Soulshine Wind Creek Casino— The Flora Bama— Gove Scrivenor, Springs, 9p 1p// Dueling Pianos, 4:30p/// Mark Sherrill, Chris Newbury, John Joiner SAT. FEB 25 and Mel Knapp, 5p//// Wes Loper, Big Beach Brewing— John 9:15p Hart Duo, 6:30p Listening Room— Noelle Bluegill— Cary Laine, 12p// Light Tannen Travelers, 6p Lulu’s— Light Travelers, 5p Blues Tavern— Pearls of Trinity Manci’s— Brittany Bell U.S.A., 9p McSharry’s— Rock Bottom, Callaghan’s— Phil and Walon 7:30p The Merry Widow— Jonathan Cockeyed Charlie’s— DJ Chill, 10p Richman ft.Tommy Larkins, 9:30p Moe’s BBQ (Mobile) — Emily Felix’s— Bust Duo Flora Bama— J. Hawkins Trio, Stuckey and Gabe Willis, 8p Soul Kitchen— Zewmob & Exit 1p// LeaAnne Creswell and Darrel Roberts, 2p//// Jack Robertson 9, 9p Show, 5:30p//// Al & Cathy, 6p//// Jay Wind Creek Casino— The Williams Band, 10p//// Wes Loper, Springs, 8p 10:15p Hard Rock (Center Bar) — FRI. FEB 24 Phil Vaught, 9p All Sports Bar & Billiards— Hard Rock (Live) — DJ Markie Mark, 10p Neptunalia, 8p Beau Rivage— Johnny Mathis, 8p Lulu’s— Albert Simpson, 5p Big Beach Brewing— Johnny Main Street Cigar Lounge— No, 6:30p Elmo and the Bluesmen, 8p Bluegill— Lee Yankie, 12p// Blind Manci’s— Ryan Balthrop Dog Mike, 6p McSharry’s— DJ Carter, 10p Blues Tavern— Smokin’ The Merry Widow— Jefferson Toasters, 9p Street Parade Band, 9p Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— Moe’s BBQ (Foley) — Broken Delta Smoke, 6p Down Car Cockeyed Charlie’s— Sherry Moe’s BBQ (Mobile) — Court, 10p Harrison McInnis and Lee Yankie, 8p Felix’s— Tropic Flyer Moe’s BBQ (OBA) — Flora Bama— Wes Loper, 1p// J. Soul Kitchen— Project Mardi Hawkins Duo ft.Troy Martin, 2p//// Gras, 10p Jack Robertson Show, 5:30p//// Top of the Bay— The Whyte Johnny Barbato Trio, 6p//// Lucinda Caps and Michael, 7p//// Lee Yankie and Wind Creek Casino— The the Hellz Yeah, 10p//// Brian Hill Trio, Springs, 9p 10:15p Hard Rock (Center Bar) — SUN. FEB 26 Phil Vaught, 9p Bluegill— Lee Yankie, 12p// Multi Hard Rock (Live) — The Feb N Funk, 6p Four, 8p IP Casino— Jennifer Nettles, 8p Blues Tavern— Disciples of the Crow, 8p Lionz Den— Pearls of Trinity Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— U.S.A, 9p Tim Kinsey, 6p Lulu’s— Albert Simpson, 5p Callaghan’s— Grayson Capps Manci’s— Brittany Grimes Felix’s— Brandon Bailey McSharry’s— DJ Chi, 10p The Merry Widow— Elements: Flora Bama— Perdido Brothers, 4p// Jason Justice, 12:30p//// Alabama Hip Hop Showcase, 10:30p Lightning, 8:30p Moe’s BBQ (Daphne) — Lulu’s— Greg Brown, 5p
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Manci’s— Light Travelers McSharry’s— Trad. Irish Music, 6:30p The Merry Widow— Pine Hill Haints,The Underhill Family Orchestra, Dirty Bournon River Show, 7p Pirates Cove— Tommy Morse Band, 4p Soul Kitchen— DJ Drama, 10p
MON. FEB 27
Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— Blind Dog Mike, 6p Felix’s— Bobby Butchka Flora Bama— Rick Whaley, 12p// Cathy Pace, 4p/// Petty & Pace with donna Slater, 8p Listening Room— John David Anthony with Lewis Ross Lulu’s— Brent Burns, 5p Manci’s— Grayson Capps and Corky Hughes The Merry Widow— Tyler Kinchen and the Right Pieces, 9p Moe’s BBQ (Mobile) — Phil and Foster, 8p Soul Kitchen— YFN Lucci & Friends, J Simon, ENRUN, 10p
TUE. FEB 28
Big Beach Brewing— Bayou Rhythm Band, 3p Bluegill— Tim Kinsey Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— Jon Maddox, 6p Cockeyed Charlie’s— Jordan Bramblett Felix’s— Bryant Gilley Flora Bama— Al & Cathy, 11a// T-Bone Montgomery, 12p/// Rebecca Barry & Bust, 3p//// Perdido Brothers, 4p//// Lucky Doggs, 7:30p//// Zachery Diedrich Duo, 8:30p The Hot Spot — Brent Burns, 5p Lulu’s— Cedryl Ballou & The Zydeco Trendsetters, 10:30a// Ronnie Presley, 5p The Merry Widow— Daikaiju, Tony Tornado, 9p Moe’s BBQ (Mobile) — Light Travelers, 1p// Anna McElroy Dui, 8p
WED. MARCH 1
Callaghan’s— Phil and Foster Flora Bama— Tophat & Jackie, 11a// Neil Dover, 2p/// Rhonda Hart and Jonathan Newton, 6p//// Logan Spicer and Tony Ray Thompson, 10:15p Lulu’s— Jon Cowart, 5p Shipp’s Harbour and Grill— Brent Burns, 5p
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Law, Firth portray brilliant men brilliantly in ‘Genius’
FILMTHE REEL WORLD
T
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
wo brilliant actors portray two brilliant men in “Genius,” a handsome biopic about wordy Southern author Thomas Wolfe (Jude Law) and his fruitful, fractious relationship with his brilliant editor, Maxwell Perkins (Colin Firth). Firth brings the necessary intelligence to his character, a man with a close but secondary relationship to the lofty realm in the title. Based on the National Book Award-winning “Max Perkins: Editor of Genius,” this film introduces us not just to the real, legendary editor, but to some of his most famous writers, including F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. If the idea of a book-editing montage with lots of close-ups of red pencils drawing through lines of typeface doesn’t bore you, then you will enjoy this film. I’m able to concede that this is, however, a boring set-up for some people. Law, as Wolfe, does his best to liven things up, pushing the crazed artistic genius concept a bit over the top from time to time. Of course, and ap-
propriately, he has a Southern accent, but this adds to the ham factor. Other than writing mountains of deeply felt prose, Wolfe has a married lover, Aline Bernstein, and Nicole Kidman is more than able to hold her own in this literary boy’s club portraying an intelligent woman who has thrown away a conventional life to live with her true love, Wolfe. While Firth and Law have all the good, flowery dialogue as they go back and forth on the details of Wolfe’s lengthy novels, Kidman’s role is more complicated. She is a strong enough woman to leave her husband and take up with Wolfe, financially supporting him, and has her own artistic career as a theatrical set designer, but ultimately Wolfe’s attention is the most important thing to her. Kidman makes Bernstein a character who has endured a great deal trying to get satisfaction from someone who is unsteady. When she sees that his (brotherly!) love for his devoted book editor threatens her role in his life, she grows
extremely bitter. Her weary confrontation with Firth on this subject, warning him of the loss he will inevitably feel himself, is one of the film’s best. The film asks what behavior genius excuses, and Wolfe pushes the limit. When world-class literary party animals F. Scott Fitzgerald (a wonderfully careworn Guy Pierce) and even Ernest Hemingway (Dominic West) disapprove of you, it might be time to rein yourself in. There are times I might ask that of the film itself, as Law can’t resist chewing on the scenery. Firth’s pained expression, watching someone he loves and respects go overboard, might be my own. We find ourselves facing a barrage of onscreen Fitzgeralds, from “Midnight in Paris” to the new show “Z,” but isn’t that a good problem to have? “Genius” is a bit of a retread of drunk writer selfdestructs tropes, but if you can’t resist yet another trip down memory lane with your favorite writers, no matter how many times you may have taken it before, then “Genius” will give you another chance. “Genius” 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 Photos | Pinewood Films No. 12 Ltd. / Universal Pictures
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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FROM LEFT: Jude Law as writer Thomas Wolfe and Colin Firth as editor Maxwell Perkins in “Genius.” The locally filmed horror-comedy “Get Out,” starring Allison Williams and Daniel Kaluuya, was written and directed by Jordan Peele. NEW IN THEATERS GET OUT
It’s time to play spot the location again, in a film shot in Mobile and Baldwin counties that does not star Nicolas Cage. The horror-comedy — written and directed by Jordan Peele and starring Allison Williams and Daniel Kaluuya — brought the cast to town for several weeks last year. The film has been called a “racial horror movie,” in which Peele takes the real fears of a young black guy with a white girlfriend and spins it into a true horror movie. Opening this weekend at Cobb Pinnacle 15, Regal Mobile Stadium 18 and Eastern Shore Premiere Cinema.
20TH CENTURY WOMEN
Written and directed by Mike Mills (“Beginners”), this is the anecdotal story of multiple generations of women living in 1979 Santa Barbara, California, at a moment brimming with cultural change and rebellion. Starring Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig and Billy Crudup. Carmike Wharf
COLLIDE
To pay for his girlfriend’s medical emergency while abroad, a man (Nicholas Hoult) hatches a scheme to pull off a drug heist for an eccentric gangster (Anthony Hopkins). Regal Mobile Stadium 18, Carmike Wharf, Eastern Shore Premiere Cinema, Cobb Pinnacle 14
NOW PLAYING THE COMEDIAN
THE GREAT WALL All listed multiplex theaters. FIST FIGHT All listed multiplex theaters. A CURE FOR WELLNESS All listed multiplex theaters. THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE All listed multiplex theaters. FIFTY SHADES DARKER All listed multiplex theaters. JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2 All listed multiplex theaters. THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW Crescent Theater
All listed multiplex theaters. GOLD All listed multiplex theaters. RINGS All listed multiplex theaters. THE SPACE BETWEEN US All listed multiplex theaters. MOONLIGHT Carmike Wharf 15 HIDDEN FIGURES All listed multiplex theaters. FENCES Regal Mobile Stadium 18, Carmike Wynnsong 16 LA LA LAND All listed multiplex theaters. MANCHESTER BY THE SEA Carmike Wharf,
Carmike Jubilee Square 12, Regal Mobile Stadium 18 LION Carmike Jubilee Square 12, Carmike Wharf 15 THE FOUNDER Carmike Wharf 15 RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER Regal Mobile Stadium 18, Carmike Wynnsong 16 A DOG’S PURPOSE All listed multiplex theaters. SPLIT All listed multiplex theaters. PATRIOTS DAY Cobb Pinnacle 14 SING All listed multiplex theaters. ARRIVAL Carmike Wharf
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS FEBRUARY 23, 2017 - MARCH 1, 2017
Trek the new Tree Trail By Jane Nicholes
Historic Blakeley State Park opens its new Champion Tree Trail on Saturday, Feb. 25, as part of its Arbor Day celebration. The Champion Tree Trail stars two Alabama Champion Trees as well as many other native species that will have signs identifying them. The Champion Trees are a Sweetbay Magnolia, which has 18-inch-long leaves, and a Hercules Club, more commonly known as the “toothache” tree because because chewing on the leaves or bark causes numbing of the teeth, mouth and gums.
GENERAL INTEREST Navy Week Mobile Navy Week is Feb. 22-28 and includes a port visit from the USS Mitscher, Navy Band Southeast performances, the Navy parachute team, the ordnance disposal team, divers and officers. Visit www.outreach. navy.mil. Tax holiday Mobile County residents can stock up on emergency supplies tax free during Alabama’s tax holiday Feb. 24-26. Visit www. revenue.alabama.gov for complete list of tax-free items. Tomatopalooza Mobile Botanical Gardens will be selling tomato plants from its greenhouse. Pickup will be Friday, Feb. 24, 9 a.m. to noon. Visit mobilebotanicalgardens.org. Mensa testing Saturday, Feb 25, at 10 a.m., South Coast Mensa will have a testing session in Mobile. Email SCMensaProctor@yahoo.com. Rabies clinic The Mobile County Health Department offers $10 rabies shots. This Saturday’s clinic is at Dauphin Island Town Hall, 1011 Bienville Blvd. Call 251-690-8823.
Native Americans used the toothache tree for medicinal purposes, Jo Ann Flirt, director of the park, said. “It is an incredibly ugly tree,” she admitted. But it is also large, historic and unusual. The day begins at 8:15 a.m. with a tree tour led by Dean Trawick, a forester and project manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The narrated trail walk is free with regular park admission of $4 for adults and $3 for children ages 6-12. Families are welcome to bring well-behaved dogs on leashes, Flirt said. Blakeley will also be giving away tree seedlings for people to plant at home, courtesy of the Alabama Forestry Commission. A Delta Adventure boat tour of the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. The two-hour
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.
socializing. Dauphin Island Art Gallery is located at 918 Bienville Blvd. For more information, call 251-861-3300.
Midtown Optimist Club Join Midtown Optimist Club every Wednesday at noon for lunch at Azalea City Golf Course. Call 251-348-3542.
“Shipwreck! Pirates and Treasure” A new, highly interactive exhibit at GulfQuest featuring more than 500 authentic artifacts recovered from deep-ocean shipwrecks. Visit www.gulfquest.org.
Toastmasters Do you want to learn how to deliver a speech like a pro or gain leadership skills to advance your career? Toastmasters International meets regularly at six locations in Mobile and Baldwin counties. Visit www. toastmasters.org for more information.
ARTS “The Tempest” Playhouse in the Park presents William Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest” Feb. 24-25. Call 251602-0630. Last Friday Art Night Dauphin Island Art Gallery is where it’s happening on the Island on the last Friday of each month. Last Friday Art Night features local art and history, food, beverages, music and
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MUSEUMS
“Faces of Africa” The History Museum of Mobile’s exhibit “Faces of Africa: A Mystical View of Tribal Heritage” runs through Monday, July 31. Call 251-208-7420. “Drugs: Costs and Consequences” The Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration team up to present a powerful interactive exhibit of the effects of drugs on individuals and society. Through August. Visit exploreum. com. Fairhope’s founding There is quite a story behind Fairhope’s founding in 1894. Learn more about it at the Fairhope Museum of History, 24 N. Section St. The museum is
tour costs $25 for adults and $15 for children ages 6-12. Seats are first-come, first-served or may be reserved by calling 251-626-5581 and paying with a major credit card. The Tree Trail is about three-quarters of a mile long and takes 45 minutes to walk. “The trail begins by going down into the bottom area of what was Jackson Springs, the source of the water supply in the 1800s for the town,” Flirt said. The trail is moderate in difficulty, with steps, steep spots and walkways through low-lying areas but not through the entire trail. It begins and ends at a parking area. Flirt said the park’s natural attributes work together with its Civil War historic sites to encourage mutual preservation. For more information, go to www.blakeleypark.com.
open daily (except Sunday and Monday) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 251-929-1471. Little Discoveries “Outside the Box,” aimed at children 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 251-2085200.
SPORTING EVENTS/ ACTIVITIES Bridge lessons The Mobile Bridge Center offers free bridge lessons each Tuesday at 6 p.m. 1510 University Blvd. Arrive a few minutes early to register. Call the Bridge Center at 251-666-2147, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fitness classes Palmer Pillans Middle School has new exercise classes: yoga; Guts, Butts & Thighs; Guns & Buns; Ab Attack and Yoga
Tone. Call 251-463-7980 or visit communityactivitiesprogram.com. Dance classes Palmer Pillans Middle School offers new dance classes: Beginning Ballroom, Beyond Basic Ballroom, Dance Fit Line Dance, and beginner and intermediate Belly Dancing. Call 251-463-7980 or visit communityactivitiesprogram.com. Holy yoga Tamara William leads lunchtime holy yoga at The Steeple on St. Francis every Wednesday. Cost is $15. Participants will connect with Christ in mind, body and spirit. Call 251-656-3269. 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. Email cyoungblood9278@gmail.com, call 251-623-9183 or visit www. azaleaballroomdanceclub.com. Ballroom dance The Moonlight Chasse 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.
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2017 MARDI GRAS SCHEDULE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23
(Daphne) • 2:30 p.m. - Joe Cain Procession (Mobile, Route A) • 5 p.m. - Le Krewe de Bienville (Mobile, Route A)
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27 (LUNDI GRAS)
• 10 a.m. - Order of Impalas <kids> (St. Ignatius Catholic School) • 6:30 p.m. - Mystic Stripers Society (Mobile, Route A) • 6:30 p.m. - Crewe of Columbus (Mobile, Route A) • 6:30 p.m. - Mystical Order of Mirams (Orange Beach) • 6:45 p.m. - Maids of Jubilee (Fairhope)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25
• 11 a.m. - Foley parade (Foley) • 11 a.m. - Krewe of Kids <kids>, Krewe of Goats, Prichard Carnival Association (Krewe of Goats Prichard route) • Noon - Floral Parade, Knights of Mobile, Mobile Mystical Ladies, Order of Angels (Mobile, Route A) • Noon - Mystic Revelers (Bay Minette) • 2 p.m. - Krewe of Mullet Mates (Mullet Point) • 5:30 p.m. - Mystics of Pleasure (Orange Beach) • 6 p.m. - Mystics of Time (Mobile, Route A) • 6:45 p.m. - Shadow Barons (Daphne)
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26 (JOE CAIN DAY AND OSCARS)
• 2 p.m. - King Elexis I Motorcade (Mobile, Route E) • 2:30 p.m. - Loyal Order of the Firetruck
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• Noon - King Felix III, Floral parade (Mobile, Route A) • 1 p.m. - Prichard Mardi Gras Association Parade (Prichard) • 3 p.m. - MLK Business and Civic Organization, MLK Monday Mystics, Northside Merchants (Mobile, Route D) • 6:45 p.m. - Order of Mystic Magnolias (Fairhope) • 7 p.m. - Infant Mystics, Order of Doves (Mobile, Route F)
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28 (FAT TUESDAY)
• 10 a.m. - Gulf Shores Parade (Gulf Shores) • 10:30 a.m. - Order of Athena (Mobile, Route A) • 12:30 p.m. - Knights of Revelry, King Felix III, Comic Cowboys (Mobile, Route A) • 2 p.m. - Orange Beach Parade (Orange Beach) • 2 p.m. - MAMGA Mammoth Parade (Mobile, Route B) • 6 p.m. - Order of Myths (Mobile, Route C)
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SPORTS UPON FURTHER REVIEW
Kickball provides opportunities for exercise, social networking BY J. MARK BRYANT/SPORTS WRITER/SPORTS@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM/TWITTER @GOULAGUY
M
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Photo | Daniel Anderson
any years ago, schools required students to the word of mouth. We are getting plugged into social media participate in physical education, better known and seeing benefits of that.” as PE class. This was usually 20 to 30 minutes of As for the game itself, Zarzour said the rules have not exercise or some type of team sport. changed much since the days of PE classes. He said any One of the most popular activities was kickball, an inforunderstanding of baseball will allow someone to participate. mal game that combined baseball and soccer. Students would One major key to the league’s growth has been the use of kick an inflated rubber ball and proceed to run the bases. paid referees. Players did not have to jump high, run fast or throw hard. “We pay the highest in the country,” Zarzour proudly It was a popular playground outing that any young child said. “We have a really good group. They don’t leave us could enjoy. and they run a smooth game. Hiring them is one of the best Now fast-forward to today. The national “GO Kickball” things we’ve ever done.” organization combines the sport of kickball with social In Mobile, the games are played on the artificial turf socnetworking. Co-ed teams in Mobile and Baldwin counties cer fields at Sage Park. Using the 60-foot base paths, four are now preparing for the spring season. games can be played simultaneously on one soccer field. On The first league in Mobile was formed in 2011, when the large softball field at Sage, three to four games can be Grant Zarzour was in his fourth year of medical school. played at once. He was playing softball in a city league, but knew that not At Al Trione Park in Daphne, the kickball games take everyone wanted to do that. place on the football field. “A friend told me about a GO Kickball league in Bir“We really take advantage of any space we have,” mingham,” Zarzour said. “I called them and said we wanted Zarzour said. “We don’t need five full soccer fields to play a Mobile market. five games.” “No one else really wanted to do Games last one hour or seven init. I hate to hear people moan and not nings, whichever comes first. Teams be part of a solution. So my brother, play every week. There are 11 players Gaines, helped me get it started.” on defense, of which at least four must The gamble paid off, but in a debe female. TATE ARRIVED AT ST. PAUL’S layed manner. In their first season, the Once the game ends, the second Mobile league sold 90 percent of its attraction of the league kicks in. Each IN 1978 AS THE BOYS’ registration in the final 36 hours, and city has a “league bar” where players 50 percent in the last hour. BASKETBALL COACH. SINCE meet to mingle and get to know each “We were shocked,” Zarzour said. other. In Mobile, players gather at 1983, HIS TRACK AND “It was the second-largest first season O’Daly’s Irish Pub. In Daphne, it’s ever for GO Kickball. We had 300 Moe’s Original BBQ. CROSS-COUNTRY TEAMS people that first year, which was just “At least half of the players go to 30 people less than Atlanta.” the bars after we play,” Zarzour said. ALSO HAVE 51 STATE He added Atlanta and Birmingham “It is really a decent crowd. You meet RUNNER-UP FINISHES. have more people playing, but Mobile so many new people that you can use has the largest league for the city’s to build a new team or join another size. group.” The popularity has grown across Players must be at least 21 years the bay. A year and half after starting in Mobile, Zarzour old to participate in the league. In Daphne, one team combegan a league in Daphne. A separate group has now prises only senior citizens. begun its own league in Gulf Shores. “It is really for anyone who wants to have fun on a A normal season in Mobile has about 40 teams, while Thursday night,” Zarzour said. “We are still competitive. We the Daphne league has around 10 clubs. With an average have playoffs where we give out a trophy and gift certifiof 15 to 18 players on each roster, this comes to almost cates.” 800 players. The deadline to sign up is March 6 at 6 p.m. To join any “Our league has really grown,” Zarzour said. “We have league in Mobile or Baldwin counties, visit www.gokickdone some marketing and handed out flyers. Plus there is ball.com and pick the city where you want to play. Those
GO KICKBALL BEGAN IN MOBILE IN 2011. NEW LEAGUES HAVE SINCE ORGANIZED IN DAPHNE AND GULF SHORES. not having a team can join as a free agent and be assigned. The leagues also have Facebook pages at “gokickballsouthalabama” and “gkbesh.” The first games will be played March 16 and the season continues for eight weeks. Theme weeks encourage members to dress up and show their creative side. “This is not only a fun game, but it is a big social time for everybody,” Zarzour said. “You can forget about being serious for awhile.”
St. Paul’s coach hits century mark
Jim Tate, who coaches the boys and girls track and cross-country teams at St. Paul’s Episcopal School, recently directed the Lady Saints to their eighth consecutive indoor state title at the Birmingham CrossPlex. The Class 4A-5A crown marked the 100th career Alabama championship the Mobile school has claimed under his tenure. Tate arrived at St. Paul’s in 1978 as the boys’ basketball coach. Since 1983, his track and cross-country teams also have 51 state runner-up finishes. The girls’ cross-country team set a national record by winning 16 straight state titles from 1983-98. Almost 60 of his former students have gone on to perform in the college ranks. Tate has won several national and state coach of the year honors, and was inducted into sports hall of fames for Mobile in 2008, Alabama in 2011 and National High School in 2013. The track and cross-country field house at St. Paul’s is named for him. Tate is a native of Mobile who attended University Military School. Prior to becoming a coach, he spent five years in the U.S. Army that included a tour in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
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MEDIA MEDIA FRENZY
Baldwin County’s new records regs will hinder press BY ROB HOLBERT/MANAGING EDITOR/RHOLBERT@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM
F THE NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE DO THE SPLITS BY LYNN LEMPEL / EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ ACROSS 1 Topic for Dr. Ruth 7 Reimbursed expense for a commuter, maybe 14 As yet 19 Sound system? 21 Major export of Florida 22 Blue hue 23 Berate some guy for getting too much sun? 25 Like most “Quo Vadis” characters 26 Altar spot 27 “A bit of talcum / Is always walcum” writer 28 Banquet 29 For whom Nancy was first lady 30 Gives an order 32 Remain undecided 33 Fabric from flax 34 Bearded animal 37 Suggestion to a bored short-story writer? 40 Book reviewer?: Abbr. 43 Having less heft 45 Swinging Ernie 46 35-nation alliance, briefly 47 Drive-____ 48 Fasten 49 Kids’ TV character who refers to himself in the third person 51 Greenhorn on the force 54 Horse for hire 55 Result of a serious wardrobe malfunction at the beach? 57 Hit one out 58 Clean with a pressurized spray 60 First name in daredevilry 61 Turbid 62 Weighty matters? 63 He can be seen at the western end of the National Mall, informally 64 Pens for hens 65 Toast word 67 M, on a form 69 March movement 73 It may deliver a punch 74 Scientist’s dilemma regarding work vs. play? 76 “My only love sprung from my only ____!”: Juliet 77 Entry 79 Wild revelry 80 Archives material 81 Gist 82 Sight at Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park 83 Gist 84 It’s a drain 85 Entry on an I.R.S. form: Abbr. 86 Dismaying announcement about disaster aid? 91 What’s right in front of
15 Worry of stratospheric proportions 16 “That villain in comics has sure gotta be sore!”? 17 Desiccated ____ Sea 18 Tear apart 20 Plunger alternative 24 Deputy: Abbr. 29 Dentist’s directive 31 Tip 32 Traffic cone 33 Those who need sound memories, per Montaigne 34 See 8-Down 35 W. Hemisphere treaty of 1994 36 What a cash-strapped beau might take you on? DOWN 38 Pay 1 Tour grp. since 1950 39 Certain rod 2 Breakfast chain 41 Was a busybody 3 Disapproving sounds 42 See 12-Down 4 Gather 44 Beatrix Potter’s genre 5 “What’s the ____?” 47 Conveyance for soldiers 6 Alito’s Supreme Court 49 Timeline sections predecessor 50 ____ Palmas 7 Creature on the movie poster (Spanish province) for “The Silence of the Lambs” 51 Talk wildly 8 With 34-Down, longtime 52 Way to go: Abbr. public radio host 53 Pricey French fashion label 9 Some space vehicles 55 Club cousins 10 It must turn over to start 56 Utah’s ____ State University 11 Docket 59 Cap similar to a tam-o’12 With 42-Down, “Frosty the shanter Snowman” singer 61 London tea accessory 13 Super suffix? 63 Fleshy-leaved succulent 14 Pacific island wrap 64 1950s French president the tee? 92 Photographer Arbus 94 Old gang weapons 95 Heart of the matter? 97 Bit of cushioning 99 Arrears 100 Glitch 101 “Waterloo” band 105 Corroded 106 Roker’s appeal before gastric bypass surgery? 109 Turn aside 110 Bad look 111 Five-alarmer 112 Irritable 113 Spreadsheet contents 114 Dripping
René 65 Steamed seafood dish 66 Abductor of Persephone 67 Exhibitor at 1863’s Salon des Refusés 68 Something easy, so they say 69 “Grand Hotel” star, 1932 70 A.A. or AAA 71 Group’s basic beliefs 72 Tool parts used for bending things 74 Run out 75 High hairdos 78 Jeer 80 Take some shots 83 Annoys 84 Ad-agency output 86 Devil-may-care 87 “Aha!” 88 Mystical doctrine 89 Talk wildly 90 Gaming trailblazer 93 Sluggish 96 Having no room for more 97 Fuel from a fen 98 Building’s rain diverter 99 Sobel who wrote the Pulitzer-nominated “Galileo’s Daughter” 100 Editor’s override 102 One with a lot of tweets 103 Treat for a dog 104 Presently 106 Supplied 107 Parliamentary support 108 Corp. bigwig
ANSWERS ON PAGE 48
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ar too often government officials at various levels seek ways to block the dissemination of public information by members of the press. Often that is most effectively done by creating a negative consequence for those seeking public records. In the case of new rules passed by the Baldwin County Commission last week, the politicians appear to be trying to price reporters out of doing stories. Even though stewardship and dissemination of public records is part of the work conducted by public entities, and even though the Alabama Public Records Law states “Every citizen has a right to inspect and take a copy of any public writing of this state, except as otherwise expressly provided by statute,” some public officials believe it is their right to charge outrageous fees on the time it takes employees to produce public records. In this case, Baldwin commissioners voted to charge information seekers $225 an hour for anything that might require the involvement of the attorneys’ group used by the county. And the charges are made in intervals of 15 minutes. So, in other words, if we asked for records and someone wants to run it by legal first, we are now required to pay $56.25 to have some lawyer give his okey-doke. Making matters worse, the commission also says any request taking more than one hour of staff time will require a down payment equivalent to that employee’s pay for completing the task. So that adds a time cost to the financial costs. It is all reminiscent of a few years back when former Mobile County Revenue Commissioner Marilyn Wood attempted to charge this newspaper $1,800 for three pieces of paper, simply
because she’d decided that was a fair rate. It required us paying our own lawyer to make Ms. Wood follow the law. But no news outlet can litigate every record request. Baldwin’s commissioners frequently talk a big game about transparency and integrity, but this move is clearly an attempt to keep reporters and private citizens away from public records. Their new rules are out of line with both state and federal standards. The commissioners who voted for those changes have shown themselves to be no friends of transparency in government.
Acclaimed photojournalist/priest to speak at SHC
An internationally acclaimed Catholic priest who is a photographer and journalist will be speaking at Spring Hill College March 7. The Rev. Donald Doll, S.J., will give this year’s Jesuit Heritage Lecture in the college’s Gautrelet Room at 7:30 that evening. Doll, who is a Jesuit priest, is known for his photojournalistic work with Native Americans. He has received a tremendous amount of professional recognition for that work, including a Kodak Crystal Eagle Award for Impact in Photojournalism. Doll’s work has graced the pages of National Geographic magazine, as well as many others, and he has traveled the world capturing images of migrants and refugees in places such as Uganda, southern Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, southeast Asia and the Middle East. Doll has published two collections of his photos and a third publication has just come out. His lecture March 7 is free of charge and open to all.
STYLE FEATURE
Expansive book documents black Baptist community BY BY GABRIEL TYNES/ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR
Photo | Lagniappe
Ada Minor-Pair and her son Herbert E. “Mannie” Pair Jr. co-authored “The History of Black Baptist Churches of Mobile County Alabama.”
A
da Minor-Pair, surrounded by artwork at the Victorian Teal Gallery owned by her son Mannie in DeTonti Square, calls the 400-page book her “life’s work.” The widow of a preacher and matriarch of a deeply reverent family, MinorPair and Mannie — formally artist Herbert E. Pair III — recently published “The History of the Black Baptist Churches of Mobile County Alabama,” an illustrated reference of the 141 black baptist churches between Bayou la Batre and Citronelle. In addition to providing never-before-seen photographs, background information, phone numbers and pastor listings for each, the book also includes a broader history about the black Baptist community in Mobile, not limited to its role in civil rights, education, music and worship. “It goes back to slavery, when Mobile was a Catholic city and no other church was allowed within eight miles of downtown,” Minor-Pair said. “That’s how the Eight Mile area got its name.” Indeed, the book includes church minutes of black services and incorporation documents of black churches in Mobile dating back to the 1830s. It starts with the history of how the denomination came to America and Alabama and eventually trickled to Mobile County. When Baptist churches became more common, they also became a safe space for racial reconciliation. During slavery, [black people]
were not allowed to assemble for service without five members of the white church present,” she said. “But eventually that changed. Church became the first place black and white people could assemble without violating segregation laws.” In addition to being married to pastor Herbert Pair Jr., Minor-Pair also spent 40 years as a secretary for the Mobile Baptist Association. Over the past 10 years, she pored over the archives there, the Mobile County Probate Court and elsewhere gathering information for the book. “I wanted names and specific dates,” she said, recalling when she found a list of slaveowners and their slaves among other documents. “It was so amazing and enchanting for me to see that.” Local historian John Sledge called the book “an absorbing and useful volume … to peruse its pages is to come to a profound appreciation for this faith community’s immense contributions to local history.” The book is $60 and available at the gallery at 357 Congress St. Book signing events begin this Sunday, Feb. 26, from 3-5 p.m. at the gallery. On Wednesday, March 1, from 4-6 p.m. the Pairs will sign books at First Baptist Church of Mobile and Saturday, March 4, from 4-6 p.m. they will be at the Sunlight District Auditorium in Prichard. For more information call 251-432-9022. Fe b r u a r y 2 3 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 1 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 47
STYLE HOROSCOPES SAGITTARIUS FEELS FAT AND CRAFTY
ANSWERS FROM PAGE 42
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PISCES (2/19-3/20) — You’ll discover your grandmother has secretly hosted strip poker in her nursing home for years. Despite some concerns, the strength of Mima’s bluff game will convince you to join the weekly festivities. Your lucky Mardi Gras throw is a Frisbee too light to reach parade goers. ARIES (3/21-4/19) — An evening at B’Bob’s will cause an awkward situation in traffic court next week once you realize one of the “ladies” you met during your night on the town is apparently a local stenographer. Your lucky Mardi Gras throw is a banana hammock. TAURUS (4/20-5/20) — After successfully escaping the Mardi Gras crowds, you’ll return home to find your house ransacked and desecrated by MoonPies, in a clear message urging you to respect Mobile’s carnival traditions … or else. Your lucky Mardi Gras throw is a bag of angry spiders. GEMINI (5/21-6/21) — Your attempt to pass time rewatching the pilot for “Breaking Bad” will backfire, something you won’t even realize until you’ve been fired from work and witnessed the tragic death of Gale Boetticher yet again. Your lucky Mardi Gras throw is an entire large pizza. CANCER (6/22-7/22) — You’ll decide to run for City Council on an anti-candy corn platform. You’ll poll surprisingly well. Your lucky Mardi Gras throw is a wet, moldy stuffed bunny. LEO (7/23-8/23) — In protest of what appears to be a shortage of MoonPies at local Mardi Gras parades, you’ll stand on the corner and pelt people on oncoming floats with snack cakes. Your lucky Mardi Gras throw is the 15th Little Debbie oatmeal pie. VIRGO (8/24-9/22) — You’ll give up doughnuts for Lent because you have a real problem, but forget that Krispy Kreme gives doughnuts away for beads. You decide you have to recycle the beads. Your lucky Mardi Gras throw is a pair of men’s x-large briefs that hit you in the face. LIBRA (9/23-10/22) — Your neighborhood will be gentrified after Mark Zuckerberg decides to make Mobile his spring home. As a form of protest you’ll sign off Facebook for good. You won’t “like” the decision. Your lucky Mardi Gras throw is a five-hour glow stick. SCORPIO (10/23-11/21) — You’ll “Forrest Gump” the Joe Cain Footmarchers and lead them as they go beyond the parade and continue marching across the country. A true Native American will shed a tear at the spectacle. Your lucky Mardi Gras throw is anything imprinted with the Absolut Vodka logo. SAGITTARIUS (11/22-12/22) — You’ll eat your weight in funnel cakes and chickenson-a-stick. You’ll repurpose the sticks and greasy, powdery plates to make beautiful artwork to display on your refrigerator. Your lucky Mardi Gras throw is an empty bead bag. CAPRICORN (12/23-1/19) — You’ll scavenge Bienville Square after Fat Tuesday for lost treasures and gently used furniture. Once mended, the slightly bent and torn Crimson Tide camping chair will shine in your foyer. Your lucky Mardi Gras throw is an elegant spiral of confetti. AQUARIUS (1/20-2/18) — You’ll declare your personal space by roping off 20 square feet of pavement behind the barricades. You’ll employ an agent to check passports and enforce gender neutrality. Your lucky Mardi Gras throw is beef-flavored ramen noodles.
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STYLE BOOZIE
Rich and famous enjoy Mobile’s Mardi Gras
Spotted
BY BOOZIE BEER NUES/SOCIAL BUTTERFLY
W
hew, what a weekend! I hardly know where to begin. I mean, it’s not even Mardi Gras weekend and you kids went hard in the pint. Come Monday I was still hung over, and as gossip rolled in I quickly realized I wasn’t the only one! At least I didn’t have a moral hangover like a few of you might’ve had. No worries, though. Before long you’ll have 40 days to make up for it. So live it up now and make up for it later — it’s Mardi Gras time!
View from the viewing stand
Oh, the Athelstan Club, it’s every parent’s dream. If you are a member, you can take the kids and pretty much chug drinks while they run around with the other kids as they try to get a front-row view in the stands that sit along the parade route. Not a bad gig, if you ask me. Well, on Thursday night as the Polka Dots took to the street, the Athelstan Club viewing stand got a view of more than they’d probably bargained for. As one of the floats toward the beginning of the lineup passed by, the stand erupted in laughter. The back door of the float had swung wide open, and a masked rider was sitting on the portable toilet for all the world to see. She obviously didn’t care, as she didn’t move as the float rolled by. When you gotta go, you gotta go! While on the subject of the Polka Dots, let’s talk about the queen’s entrance into the ball. Typically the queen is
escorted in, since the theme was something to do with goddesses (my spy was a little drunk and can’t remember the exact theme). Well, the queen goddess took things to a whole new level. She was carried out on a platform by four muscular men wearing nothing but shendyts — you know, those kilt-like garments worn in ancient Egypt. RRRROOOOOWWWWW! Way to make an entrance!
Saturday shenanigans
This past Saturday was the Comic Cowboys’ annual barn party, and this year they weren’t backing down from poking fun of lots of stuff. A lot has happened since last Mardi Gras so you can imagine they had to pick to choose from all the craziness that happened during the year. Mayor Sandy Stimpson was spotted at the party. No word on whether he laughed at the sign referencing some of the city shenanigans. But the way Boozie sees it, it’s best to just laugh about it and leave it at that. Also spotted were members of the Mardi Gras court including queen Caroline Meacham. The party didn’t stop there. The good times continued to roll until the parade that night and afterward. One guy was caught taking a dirt nap outside Moe’s when the night was still very young. He at least made it to after the parade but it wasn’t long after. A few folks tried to help him up but he seemed content where he was. Ahhhh Mardi Gras!
F U T U R E S H O C K 50 | L AG N I A P P E | Fe b r u a r y 2 3 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 1 , 2 0 1 7
I told y’all last week of a film called “Black Water” being shot here and Dolph Lundgren being spotted. Well, this week Jean-Claude Van Damme was spotted downtown, who is also in the film. Monday filming took place at Dauphin Island, including a scene that was shot in island favorite Fins. Where will they be next? And in case you aren’t on Facebook (cough, mom), then you might have missed Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg bopping around town. Yep, one of the world’s richest men came not only to Mobile but also Bayou la Batre. Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla, were spotted all over downtown, from the Haberdasher to Wintzell’s. He was asking people where to go and what to
I TOLD Y’ALL LAST WEEK OF A FILM CALLED “BLACK WATER” BEING SHOT HERE AND DOLPH LUNDGREN BEING SPOTTED. WELL, THIS WEEK JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME WAS SPOTTED DOWNTOWN, WHO IS ALSO IN THE FILM.” do. Hopefully the kind folks of Mobile handed him a copy of Lagniappe. But even if they didn’t, it sounds like he did some #somobile things, like eating a Reuben at Serda Brewing Co., sipping The Haberdasher’s Fig Newton cocktail and, of course, attending a Mardi Gras parade. Zuckerberg didn’t just party while he was in town, he also attended Sunday service at Aimwell Baptist Church and got to pretend to be Forrest Gump for a day and take a ride on a shrimp boat down on the Bayou. Safe travels to the Zuckerbergs on their tour of the South! Now y’all come back and see us, ya hear? Well, kids, that’s all I’ve got this week. Just remember, whether rain or shine, dramatic or scandalous, or just some plain ol’ Mardi Gras lovin’, I will be there. Ciao!
LAGNIAPPE LEGALS | 251.450-4466 | legals@lagniappemobile.com FORECLOSURES FORECLOSURE NOTICE Default having been made in the payment of the indebtedness described in and secured by that certain Vendor’s Lien Deed executed by CODEN VILLAGE, LLC to RONALD P. SPURLOCK and BEATRICE M. SPURLOCK, on the 4th day of June, 2007, and recorded in Real Property Book 6196, Page 1518, (all recording records refer to the records in the Office of the Judge of Probate of Mobile County, Alabama), and the undersigned having declared indebtedness due and payable in accordance with the terms and conditions of said Deed, notice is hereby given that the undersigned will sell at public outcry for cash to the highest bidder, during the legal hours of sale between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on the 6th day of March, 2017 at the Mobile County Courthouse, 205 Government Street, Mobile Government Plaza, Mobile, Alabama, the following described real property in the County of Mobile, State of Alabama which property address for informational purpose only is Hemley Road, Coden, Alabama, being the same property described in the above-referred to Deed: Lot 22 & 23, Historical Coden Village, according to the plat thereof recorded in Map Book 1111, Page 14, of the records in the Office of the Judge of Probate, Mobile County, Alabama. EXCEPTING THEREFROM, such oil, gas and other minerals in, on and under said real property, together with all rights in connection therewith as have previously been reserved by or conveyed to others; it being the intention of the Grantor to convey to the Grantees only the interest Grantor owns therein, if any; THIS CONVEYANCE MADE SUBJECT TO: 1. Restrictive covenants as contained in instrument by Coden Village, LLC, dated April 18, 2007 and recorded in book 6169, Page 344; 2. Easement and/or building line as shown on recorded map. 3. Rights of the United States, State of Alabama or other parties in and to the bed, shore and waters of Bayou Como. 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 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, including reasonable attorney’s fee. The Holder 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. CODEN VILLAGE, LLC Holder of said Vendor’s Lien J. Michael Druhan, Esq. Druhan & Tyler, LLC Attorney for Holder 1106 Dauphin Street Mobile, Alabama 36604 251-202-5529 Lagniappe HD Feb. 16, 23, March 2, 2017
PROBATE NOTICE OF COURT PROCEEDING February 15, 2017 Case No. 2010-1601-10 IN THE PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of ELSWORTH BYRD SR., Deceased On to-wit the 10th day of April, 2017 at 9:30 AM in COURTROOM 1, THIRD FLOOR, Mobile County Government Center Annex, 151 Government Street the court will proceed to consider the PETITION FOR FINAL SETTLEMENT as filed by ELSWORTH BYRD, JR.. NOTICE is hereby given to all parties in interest who may appear and contest same or file a proper responsive pleading thereto if they then think proper. Don Davis, Judge of Probate Attorney: JOHN M. LASSITER JR., 2500 DAUPHIN STREET Mobile, AL 36606 Lagniappe HD Feb. 23, March 2, 9, 16, 2017
NOTICE OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION
PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of JIAN AN CHEN Case No. 2017-0096 Take notice that Letters of Administration have been
granted to the below named party on the 30th day of January, 2017 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. TIE ZHENG as Administrator of the estate of JIAN AN CHEN, deceased Attorney of Record: ROBERT H MUDD JR, Esq. Lagniappe HD Feb. 9, 16, 23, 2017
NOTICE OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION
PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of CAROL ANN SIMMONS, Deceased Case No. 2017-0160 Take notice that Letters Testamentary have been granted to the below named party on the 2nd day of February, 2017 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. CLAUDE R. SIMMONS as Executor under the last will and testament of CAROL ANN SIMMONS, Deceased Attorney of Record: IRVIN GRODSKY Lagniappe HD Feb. 9, 16, 23, 2017
ADVERTISMENT FOR BIDS Notice is hereby given that the University of South Alabama (Owner) will accept sealed Bids for the following Work: CLEVERDON PARKWAY TURNING LANE University of South Alabama Mobile, AL USA Job #16-59 - Bid #7013001 Bids will be received and clocked in at 2:00 p.m. local time on Thursday, March 30, 2017, in Room AD245 of the USA Administration Building, on the Main Campus of the University of South Alabama. Bids will not be accepted after the time indicated herein and will be returned unopened. A cashier’s check or bid bond payable to the University of South Alabama in an amount not less than five (5) percent of the amount of the bid, but in no event more than $10,000 must accompany the bidder’s proposal. Bid Documents shall be available only through the USA Purchasing Office. Contact as follows: University of South Alabama Purchasing Department 307 University Blvd., N., AD245 Mobile, AL 36688 PH# (251) 460-6151 FX# (251) 414-8291 (rbrown@southalabama.edu) Bids must be submitted on Proposal Forms furnished in the Bid Documents or copies thereof. The preceding is an abbreviated advertisement. The complete advertisement may be obtained from the location listed above. A Pre-Bid Conference will be held at 10:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday, March 14, 2017, in Room AD 023 of the Administration Building. Those in attendance will include the Owner, Engineer, and Consultants. Contract bidders, subcontractors and suppliers are encouraged to attend. A tour of the Project site is scheduled immediately after the conference. All questions concerning the Project should be submitted in writing to the Project Manager at the address listed below. 307 University Blvd. N., AD001 Mobile, AL 36688 PH# (251) 460-6601 FX# (251) 461-1370 (mmayberry@southalabama.edu) Lagniappe HD Feb. 23, March 2, 9, 2017
AltaPointe Health Systems, Inc., based in Mobile, Alabama, is issuing a request for proposals for the provision of food services for its two psychiatric hospitals, child and adolescent residential programs and day school program. The selected vendor must be able to meet and follow Child Nutrition Program and Joint Commission standards. The RFP is available for review, contact Noel Andrews, AltaPointe Director Patient Accounting, at (251) 660-2387. Lagniappe HD Feb. 16, 23, March 2, 9, 2017
PUBLIC NOTICE STATE OF ALABAMA COUNTY OF MOBILE Notice is hereby given that a bill as described in the synopsis below will be introduced in the 2017 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 Mobile County and the 13th Judicial Circuit; to repeal Act No. 82-675, 1982 1st Special Session, and Act No. 88-423, 1988 Regular Session, providing supplemental funding for certain salaries and expenses for the office of the District Attorney of the 13th Judicial Circuit in Mobile County. Lagniappe HD Feb. 9, 16, 23, March 2, 2017
STATE OF ALABAMA COUNTY OF MOBILE Notice is hereby given that a bill as described in the synopsis below will be introduced in the 2017 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 Mobile County; to amend Act No. 470, H. 952 of the 1939 Regular Session (Acts 1939, p. 298), as amended, which creates and establishes the countywide Civil Service System in Mobile County; This bill would propose local amendments to the civil service system; to provide for non-elected members of the Supervisory Committee; to provide for when the Supervisory Committee meets; to provide for how notice of the Supervisory Committee meeting is advertised; to provide for the qualifications for members of the Personnel Board; to provide for Personnel Board districts; to provide for Personnel Board member compensation; to provide for definitions of disabled persons; to provide for the establishment of pay ranges; to provide for the establishment of pay for entry level employees; to provide for pay steps for promotional employees; to provide for the methods of dismissals and suspensions of employees; to provide for the Personnel Board receiving legal services; to provide for the Personnel Board being a party in court proceedings. Lagniappe HD Feb. 9, 16, 23, March 2, 2017
STATE OF ALABAMA COUNTY OF MOBILE Notice is hereby given that a bill as described in the synopsis below will be introduced in the 2017 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 repeal Sections 11-40-50 through 11-40-54, Code of Alabama 1975 relating to the use and occupancy of buildings; to create a new Section of the Code relating thereto; to grant to any Class 2 municipality the authority to enact by ordinance provisions for enforcement of local and state building regulations for the maintenance of structures; provide for a judicial in rem foreclosure on non-owner occupied properties; and provide for recovery of taxpayer costs and transfer of title to property under certain circumstances. Lagniappe HD Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23, 2017
NOTICE OF COMPLETION In accordance with Chapter 1, Title 39, Code of Alabama, 1975, notice is hereby given that Thomas Industries, Inc., P.O. Box 485, Mobile, AL 36601. Contractor, has completed the Contract for Mobile Museum of Art Roof Penetrations, Project #MU-098-17 located at 4850 Museum Dr., Mobile, Al 36608. All persons having any claim for labor, materials, or otherwise in connection with this project should immediately notify City of Mobile, Architectural Engineering Department, and P.O. Box 1827, Mobile, AL 36633-1827. Thomas Industries, Inc. 550 Saint Michael St., Mobile, Al 36602 Lagniappe HD Feb. 23, 2017
NOTICE OF SALE
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Lagniappe HD Feb. 16, 23, 2017
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 24, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed at 1015 N. Craft Hwy., Prichard, AL 36610. 2006 Dodge Charger 2B3KA53H36H338423 2007 Chevrolet Impala 2G1WB58K079247521 2001 Cadillac DeVille 1G6KD54Y21U145337 Lagniappe HD Feb. 16, 23, 2017
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 24, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed at 5281 Schillinger Rd. S., Mobile, AL 36619. 1996 Toyota Tacoma 4TAVL52N6TZ128452 Lagniappe HD Feb. 16, 23, 2017
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 24, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed at 887 Cochran Causeway, Mobile, AL 36602. 2008 GMC Savana 1GDGG31C081907207 Lagniappe HD Feb. 16, 23, 2017
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 24, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed at 5891 Sunshine Lane, Mobile, AL 36619. 2007 Saturn Aura 1G8ZS57N07F188410 Lagniappe HD Feb. 16, 23, 2017
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 24, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed at 1408 Montlimar Dr., Mobile, AL 36609. 2015 Toyota Prius JTDKN3DU7F0436216 2014 Kia Forte KNAFX4A66E5159659 Lagniappe HD Feb. 16, 23, 2017
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 24, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed at 1111 Oakdale Ave., Mobile, AL 36605. 2001 Mercury Marquis 2MEFM75W41X601305 Lagniappe HD Feb. 16, 23, 2017
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 24, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed at 5670 Woodchase Circle E., Theodore, AL 36582. 2003 Lincoln Town & Country 1LNHM81W93Y615673 The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 24, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 14 West Elm St., Mobile, AL 36610. 2008 Chrysler Town & Country 2A8HR54P68R844003
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 24, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed at 4763 Lott Rd., Eight Mile, Al 36613. 2007 BMW 750LI WBAHN83597DT74441 2002 Infiniti I35 JNKDA31A32T029919 2013 Hyundai Elantra 5NPDH4AE6DH223261
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 31, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 4763 Lott Rd., Eight Mile, AL 36613. 2005 Dodge Dakota 1D3HE22K75S243449 2008 Chevrolet Impala 2G1WT58K281212931 2003 Toyota Corolla 2T1BR38E63C115311 2015 Chevrolet Malibu 1G11C5SL2FF349806 2000 Ford Mustang 1FAFP4046YF166439 2008 Toyota Prius JTDKB20U783375430 2006 Chrysler 300 2C3KA53G36H294563 1993 Chevrolet C1500 2GCEC19K1P1180823
Lagniappe HD Feb. 16, 23, 2017
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 24, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed at 6445 Todd Acres Dr., Theodore, AL 36582. 2000 Ford Explorer 1FMZU62X8YZA05538 1995 Cadillac Deville 1G6KD52B0SU252564 Lagniappe HD Feb. 16, 23, 2017
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 24, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 5713 Three Notch Rd., Mobile, AL 36619. 2010 Dodge Ram Truck 1D7RB1GPXAS162692 2009 BMW 328I WBAPH77519NL83736 Lagniappe HD Feb. 16, 23, 2017
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 24, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed at 5971 Hwy 90, Theodore, AL 36582. 2001 Volvo S40 YV1VS29511F611075 1996 Honda Accord 1HGCE6674TA025795 1996 Nissan 200SX
Lagniappe HD Feb. 23, March 2, 2017
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 31, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 18330 S 3rd St., Citronelle, AL 36522. 2010 INTL 8000 1HSHXSJR4AJ181985 Lagniappe HD Feb. 23, March 2, 2017
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 31, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 6650 McDonald Rd., Theodore, AL 36582. 2010 Chevrolet Impala 2G1WB5EK4A1229534 Lagniappe HD Feb. 23, March 2, 2017
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 31, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 1102 Bishop Wilmer Dr., Mobile, AL 36605. 2001 Chevrolet C1500 1GNEC16T71J219738 Lagniappe HD Feb. 23, March 2, 2017
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 31, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 526 Barton St., Mobile, AL 36610. 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis 2MEFM75W13X698630 Lagniappe HD Feb. 23, March 2, 2017
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 31, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 5971 Hwy. 90, Theodore, AL 36582. 2006 Saturn Ion 1G8AJ55F96Z186406 Lagniappe HD Feb. 23, March 2, 2017
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 31, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed at 2008 Hathcox St., Mobile, AL 36617. 2006 Nissan Altima 1N4AL11D26N322403 Lagniappe HD Feb. 23, March 2, 2017
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 31, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 14558 County Rd. 32, Summerdale, AL 36580. 2013 Chevrolet Spark KL8CD6S91DC507034 Lagniappe HD Feb. 23, March 2, 2017
Lagniappe HD Feb. 16, 23, 2017
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 24, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 168 Esplanade Ave., Mobile, AL 36606. 1996 Toyota Camry 4T1BG12K2TU695535 Lagniappe HD Feb. 16, 23, 2017
18775 E Hammond St., Robertsdale, AL 36567. 1989 Acura Integra JH4DA3357KS027676
Lagniappe HD Feb. 16, 23, 2017
Lagniappe HD Feb. 23, March 2, 2017
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 31, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 6425 Spanish Fort Blvd., Spanish Fort, AL 36577. 2004 Dodge Stratus 4B3AG42G14E147857 Lagniappe HD Feb. 23, March 2, 2017
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 31, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 21106 US Hwy. 98, Foley, AL 36535. 2003 Toyota Camry 4T1BE32K33U769045
EARLY DEADLINE
NOTICE Due to the Mardi Gras
holiday, the deadline for legal advertising in the
MARCH 2, 2017, ISSUE will be
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH AT 2 P.M. Please email Jackie at legals@lagniappemobile. com for more information.
Lagniappe HD Feb. 23, March 2, 2017
The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on March 31, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at
Fe b r u a r y 2 3 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 1 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 51