Lagniappe: March 16 - March 22, 2017 by Lagniappe

2 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

WEEKLY

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••

LAGNIAPPE

MARCH 16, 2017 - MARCH 22, 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

5 12 16

BAY BRIEFS

The Mobile Housing Board is adopting federal suggestions after last year’s scathing audit.

COMMENTARY

With opposition and investigations on several fronts, is the Gov. Bentley debacle coming to a head?

BUSINESS

The Nature Conservancy recently acquired 32 acres in Bayou La Batre for preservation.

CUISINE

The rewards of cooking with kids.

KEVIN LEE Associate Editor/Arts Editor klee@lagniappemobile.com ANDY MACDONALD Cuisine Editor fatmansqueeze@comcast.net

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 LAURA RASMUSSEN Art Director www.laurarasmussen.com

COVER

With more than 230 exhibitors, the 65th annual Fairhope Arts & Crafts Festival will attract tens of thousands of visitors March 17-19.

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

ARTS

The latest exhibition at the Mobile Museum of Art commemorates Alabama’s bicentennial celebration.

MUSIC

Go green with your choice of St. Paddy’s Day concerts on both sides of the bay.

ROSS PRITCHARD Distribution Manager delivery@lagniappemobile.com JACKIE CRUTHIRDS Office Manager jackie@lagniappemobile.com CONTRIBUTORS: Lee Hedgepeth, Jeff Poor, Asia Frey, Brian Holbert, Tom Ward, Nancy Adams, Ken Robinson ON THE COVER: ARTS & CRAFTS BY DANIEL ANDERSON 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.

For Lagniappe home delivery visit

www.lagniappemobile.com/lagniappehd

28 34 38 40 46 FILM

“Rules Don’t Apply” is an intriguing but saggy excursion through Old Hollywood via the eyes of an underdeveloped character.

MEDIA

Local man explains his interview on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show.

SPORTS

University of Mobile junior Jonina Brinson excels on and off the field.

STYLE

Boozie found chili for all tastes at The Grounds last weekend.

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 3

GUEST COMMENTARY

COMIC COWBOYS EMANATE MALICE APLENTY By Cynthia Tucker Haynes/cynthia@cynthiatucker.com Without malice? Hardly. There was malice aplenty emanating from some of those placards riding atop the Comic Cowboys’ float on Fat Tuesday. Racism aplenty, too. As locals know, the Comic Cowboys, a Mobile Mardi Gras krewe whose history dates back to 1884, claim that they are just lampooning the foibles of public figures, satirizing the shortcomings of the political process and adding a dose of edgy humor to the proceedings. They have long hidden behind a prosaic slogan, “Without Malice,” to try to fend off criticism of that so-called humor, which offers up sophomoric sexual innuendo, crude bathroom jokes and patently offensive racial stereotypes. Since I’m still a relatively new resident of Mobile — I moved here in June 2014 — I hadn’t seen a Comic Cowboys float until this year’s Fat Tuesday festivities. My husband and I ventured downtown with the 8-year-old, looking for cheap family fun. I figured we could protect her from the riskier elements of the celebration, including inebriated party-goers and lunging throngs excited by flung ramen noodles. I hadn’t figured on the noxious stereotypes beaming down at us courtesy of the Cowboys. There was, for example, a placard featuring a drawing of President Donald Trump throwing what appeared to be dollar bills. The script read: “TRUMP’S AFRICANAMERICAN OUTREACH. MAKE AMERICA MO’ GREAT AGAIN.” How original. For generations now, bigots have mocked black Americans as unfamiliar with standard English. But that

4 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

placard was unintentionally infused with irony, since I’ve noticed that many of the locals, whether black, white or purple, have a distant relationship with the English language. White Mobilians, however, are not mocked for it. Then there was the drawing of a young African-American male running with a flat-screen TV on his shoulder, with the following script: “BLACK LIVES MATTER DEMANDS JUSTICE. But apparently it will settle for BIG SCREEN TVs.” Let me see if I understand the message: The black citizens who have carried out overwhelmingly peaceful protests against police violence are looters? The outrage over unarmed black men and women gunned down by overzealous police officers is akin to criminal activity? Mayor Sandy Stimpson, who announced his resignation from the Cowboys after this year’s floats met fierce criticism, said some of the placards were “divisive.” Others called them “offensive.” Ahem. In 2015, a placard showed a man urinating rainbow-colored pee, with the legend “COWBOYS FULLY SUPPORT THE LGBT COMMUNITY. LEGS GUNS BEER TITS.” That’s offensive. Casting Black Lives Matter protestors as looters is, quite frankly, racist. And that’s apparently a long-running tradition for the Cowboys. Yes, they do occasionally offer up a welldeserved satirical shot at a white politician. Perhaps that was best displayed this year with a placard lampooning Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was shown cutting Supreme Court robes into outfits resembling those worn by the Ku Klux Klan. But it’s been clear over the years that the Cowboys reserve much of their so-called satire for people of color. As the late Danielle Juzan, who analyzed Cowboy antics for years, once noted, “I found it interesting that while the Cowboys mostly stick to local laff topics, eight of the 10 national figures they chose to hold up for

scorn are black.” And Stimpson, who said he was a four-year member, should have noticed years ago. So should City Councilman Joel Daves, who recently resigned after 20 years in the group. After all, this is not the first year that complaints have come in about the bigotry evident in some of the placards. In 2015, the Cowboys satirized President Barack Obama’s immigration reform platform with a poster featuring a grossly stereotyped drawing of a Latino cutting a hedge into the shape of a buxom woman. The caption read: “IF YOU LIKE YOUR GARDENER, YOU CAN KEEP YOUR GARDENER.” Ha-ha. In 2013, the Cowboys featured a drawing of a Muslim man wearing a keffiyeh, standing behind a camel, with his pants around his ankles. His crotch had a panel across it reading, “Censored,” but you get the point. How is Mobile ever going to attract serious international investment with that sort of message being advertised annually? Perhaps the most disturbing thing about the Comic Cowboys is that their membership includes some of the city’s most distinguished civic and business leaders, as the recent resignations suggest. Of course, those pillars of the community have every constitutional right to continue parading their views about. I’m a staunch defender of the First Amendment, which gives every citizen the right to express views that are raunchy, rude, hateful and racist. But if they are so proud of their satire, why are they so secretive? They should publish their membership rolls. Show your faces, gentlemen. Take your hoods off. Cynthia Tucker Haynes, a native of Monroeville, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columnist. She lives in Mobile with her husband, Dr. Johnson Haynes Jr., and daughter, Carly.

BAYBRIEF | MOBILE

Adaptation

MOBILE HOUSING BOARD BEGINS TO IMPLEMENT HUD SUGGESTIONS BY DALE LIESCH

he Mobile Housing Board of Commissioners made another series of changes intended to adopt United States Department of Housing and Urban Development suggestions, following last year’s release of a scathing report from its Office of Inspector General. During a long and sometimes contentious board meeting on Wednesday, March 8, commissioners voted on a plan to repay $1.2 million in nonfederal funds related to a Mobile Development Enterprises contract involving a company owned by the half-brother of MDE Vice President and State Rep. Adline Clarke. Commissioners also approved a new occupancy plan based on HUD guidance and voted to sell two properties linked to decades-old Hope VI grants to local churches. Commissioners approved a plan to repay some $1.2 million in capital funds from nonfederalized money. HUD’s Birmingham office is requiring MHB to basically repay itself in capital funding, after the OIG found that the board’s contract with Superior Masonry for $3 million in “make-ready” work from 2011 to 2015 demonstrated a conflict of interest because Frank Seltzer, the president of the company, is Clarke’s half-brother. The plan would take $250,000 from the board’s central office cost center budget as well as $250,000 from developer fees to which it is entitled. In addition, the plan would call for $742,958 to come from developer fees from the Rental Assistance Demonstration closing of properties — including Oaklawn Homes, Boykin Tower and others — at the end of the year. Interim Executive Director Lori Shackelford said the repayment will be placed in MHB’s capital fund, per HUD, to be used for “future development activities.” Under the plan, the board will pay $500,000 up front and wait for the RAD closing to take place to pay the rest, Shackelford said. Commissioners Melvin Clark and Reid Cummings voiced concerns over the plan, but Chairwoman Kimberly Pettway said she preferred working to get out from under the repayment. “I like the idea of getting it over with,” she said. “We’ll have access to the money. We’re paying ourselves back.” The board also approved a new, more “aggressive” occupancy plan, outlined by Matthew McClammey, MHB vice president of asset management. McClammey told commissioners the plan would help the authority determine how many units could be turned over based on renovation and attrition. While the Renaissance properties downtown are basically full, McClammey told commissioners, other complexes are in need of a better effort to turn units around. He mentioned Orange Grove and Gulf Village, which together are roughly six units below MHB projections. McClammey said he doesn’t see any problem with getting six additional units ready for occupancy by March 31. In order to achieve that goal, McClammey said maintenance crews at Orange Grove, for instance, would have to increase occupancy from 230 units to 233 units by the end of the month. Complicating the situation is the attrition, or move-out rate, of 10 per month. This means, Mc-

Clammey said, to reach the goal of getting three more units ready, crews would actually have to turn over 13 units. In Gulf Village, MHB deals with about two move-outs per month, which means crews would have to turn over five units by March 31 to meet projections. In response to question from Cummings, McClammey said the top reason for attrition is nonpayment of rent. Further complicating the matter, McClammey said the entire crew employed to ready apartments for renters is currently at Gulf Village preparing it for a HUD inspection. “We’re working through some tough times,” McClammey said. “The entire make-ready crew is at Gulf Village. We’re spreading maintenance staff through other properties.” The attrition rate for all MHB properties is 38 per month. In order to meet occupancy projections for the end of March, MHB crews will have to turn over a total of 31 units. That means that a total of 69 units will need to be made ready for tenants by March 31. Pettway asked if turning over roughly 70 units by the end of the month was a realistic goal. She called it “aggressive.” McClammey said it was attainable. “The goals before this were … double that,” he said. While the attrition rate is 38 in total throughout all of the board’s property, MHB Attorney Raymond Bell said there are never 38 evictions. Many of those who leave do so on good terms, or on bad terms, like in the middle of the night, he said. Some tenants pass away. Bell said the board is usually in the single digits when it comes to evictions per month. Last month, for instance, he said MHB had zero evictions. “People who just leave is a big part of it,” he said. McClammey added that Prichard’s housing authority also reviews many MHB families for vouchers and the authority doesn’t get notice if a family leaves a unit after receiving a voucher from Prichard. Pettway and Commissioner Norman Hill also brought up concerns over the condition of units at Thomas James Place following a HUD inspection. Both were in favor of hiring subcontractors to help meet occupancy goals, while also improving conditions at Thomas James. “If we need subs to do that then let’s do it,” Pettway said. “I’m a little surprised we have not proceeded with small contractors there, given the need and a HUD revisit.” The board also approved a plan to hand over land it purchased in “2002 or 2003” — using Hope VI grant money — to Aimwell Baptist Church and Greater Nazaree Baptist Church, which plan to use the property for various community-oriented projects. Aimwell has proposed a new child care center, costing about $750,000; a family life center, costing $500,000; and a parking lot expansion, costing $100,000 on 2.95 acres. Nazaree is proposing an adult day care center on 2.41 acres. Hill asked Bell if there was any reason a prior board didn’t approve this move. Bell told commissioners there were a number of delays that prevented the matter from coming to the board.

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 5

BAYBRIEF | COURTS

Key Witness

SUSPECT IN ALLEGED VISA FRAUD CONSPIRACY CAUSING CONCERN BY JASON JOHNSON

man accused of helping foreign nationals enter the country in exchange for cash narrowly avoided preparing for his upcoming trial behind bars after prosecutors found he’d tried to contact multiple government witnesses, including one who owns a business in Mobile. As Lagniappe previously reported, David J. Jimenez of Miami is one of the known defendants in a visa fraud conspiracy federal prosecutors believe led to dozens of Chinese individuals entering the United States on illegitimate visas set up by businesses in Alabama and Florida. Fairhope resident Christopher Allen Dean was also indicted in the conspiracy and pleaded guilty in November to charges similar to those Jimenez has chosen to fight in court. Their role in the alleged scheme was to recruit business owners to file fraudulent visas for Chinese nationals in exchange for cash — generating $4.3 million between 2011 and 2016. Court records have mentioned companies and bank accounts tied to Mobile, Daphne, Saraland, Orange Beach, Pensacola and Brewton, but recent filings indicate a total of 35 businesses filed falsified immigration petitions related to the indictment. So far, the only area businesses Lagniappe has been able to identify are Dean’s company, Eco Strong Solutions LLC and McClure Electric — a Mobile-based business that operated for less than three months in 2010 before it was dissolved. According to state business records, McClure Electric is owned by Katherine McClure, 64, of Mobile. While motions in the criminal case suggest Jimenez purchased the business from McClure in 2010, a spokesperson with the Alabama Secretary of State’s office said they “couldn’t identify any records that were close to” that.

Either way, prosecutors secured McClure as a witness for their case before Jimenez was even indicted, which made text messages he sent her about the case on the night of his arraignment seem closer to witness tampering than an attempt to reach out to a former business associate.

What happens in Miami

According to a motion filed by prosecutors in Mobile, on Dec. 12, 2016 — just days after his initial appearance in court — Jimenez attempted to make contact with the coowners of a Miami-based business called Omni Consultants. The co-owners filed at least one of the immigration petitions mentioned in Jimenez’s indictment, and according to the government “will be called” as witnesses in his trial. After failing to reach those witnesses twice, prosecutors say Jimenez called to confirm the business’ address and then sent three men there personally. “Around 11 a.m., nearly simultaneous to the ending of the call, three Chinese men, dressed in black suits and carrying suitcases, walked into [the] business,” the motion reads. “The Chinese men stated they had an appointment with one of the owners of [the] business — the same person Jimenez had earlier asked to speak to.” One of the men reportedly said, “David is coming here right now” before employees were able to call security. The men were escorted off the premises, but prosecutors later said the women were “afraid to such a degree” that they “were going to call the police.” The incident likely violated Jimenez’s pretrial agreement to “avoid any contact” with “witnesses or victims” in the case. After a phone conversation with Jimenez’s lawyer, though, Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna Dobbins said she was assured “no further conduct of this type would occur.”

6 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

With that, Dobbins agreed not to seek a revocation of Jimenez’s bond, but to have it on the record she brought up the issue at his Dec. 21 arraignment before U.S. District Judge Katherine Nelson in Mobile. At their request, Jimenez and his team were also given a list of seven “unindicted co-conspirators” so there would be no more confusion. However, that didn’t stop Jimenez from sending a series of text messages to McClure the very same evening — an exchange that included brief discussions about his charges, the pair’s business history and a link to a Dec. 21 Lagniappe article mentioning Jimenez’s indictment.

Bold texting

When McClure notified prosecutors of Jimenez’s attempts to contact her, a motion was quickly filed to revoke his bond. A hearing on that matter was held in Mobile in January, where prosecutors came in seeking to put Jimenez behind bars. “I knew something like this was going to happen because he doesn’t abide by the rules,” Dobbins told the court. “He contacted [McClure], I submit to you, in hopes of being able to determine or schmooze her in such a way that she would not continue to be a witness.” However, attorneys for Jimenez — including two added from Miami — contended the conditions of his pretrial release had been vague because there was no way of knowing who he couldn’t talk to, as the government hadn’t provided a list of victims and witnesses. Dobbins rejected that notion, though, adding that a list of witnesses wouldn’t normally have been turned over so early in the course of a criminal trial. She also claimed Jimenez should have known better than to contact someone multiple times with whom he knew the government had discussed his case. Craig Underwood, a special agent with IRS Criminal Investigations, read excerpts from messages Jimenez exchanged with McClure on Dec. 21, 2016, including a portion in which Jimenez appears to suggest that God supported the way he ran his businesses. “[Jimenez] said: ‘The business belongs to Him. I am His child right here where He wants me. He will let the world know He anointed me,’” Underwood’s testimony reads. “Then Ms. McClure said: ‘I’m sorry, but if he wanted you to do this, it would have been for the right reason and for free, not $250,000 a person. You’re talking to the wrong person because this is why I no longer work electrical. I could be their best witness.’” Despite Jimenez contacting at least two witnesses the government plans to call at trial, Nelson declined to order him to prison. However, she did issue a stern warning, and said a U.S. Marshal in the back of the courtroom was “prepared to take you under arrest and lock you up.” After a pretrial conference next month, Jimenez’s trial is scheduled to start in May.

BAYBRIEF | POLITICS

Double trouble

IMPEACHMENT, CRIMINAL PROBE OF BENTLEY MOVING FORWARD

BY LEE HEDGEPETH

he Alabama House of Representatives committee considering the impeachment of Gov. Robert Bentley voted unanimously last week to move forward with its investigation of the state’s embattled chief executive. Bentley has been under fire since his extramarital relationship with a former staffer was revealed in early 2016. The 9-0 decision by the House Judiciary Committee was a reversal of the the body’s previous course of action, which — pursuant to a letter from former state Attorney General Luther Strange — had been to halt the legislative investigation into the governor until related work was completed by law enforcement. Just over two months after that letter effectively put the impeachment process on hold, Bentley appointed Strange to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions’ ascent to the position of U.S. Attorney General, a move some politicos said “stinks.” “By the attorney general vacating the office, the governor gets to single-handedly choose a lawyer to investigate him and his girlfriend,” Jim Zeigler, Alabama’s Republican state auditor, said of the appointment. “The whole thing stinks … We’ve had real problems in state government in Alabama over the past year. It’s got the potential to get much worse.” That sentiment — that Bentley would replace his own investigator — clearly held some weight, as Steven Marshall, Strange’s replacement as state AG, recused himself from the investigation of the governor soon after taking office, instead appointing former Montgomery County prosecutor Ellen Brooks to oversee the probe of the state’s top politician. The House Judiciary Committee originally

met last Monday to consider whether to move forward with its proceedings, but there were some concerns that a letter to the body from Brooks — Bentley’s new prosecutor — could muddy the legal waters. In her letter, Brooks cautioned the committee that an early 20th century legal precedent may cause double jeopardy concerns when it comes to whether the impeachment counts as legally binding against the state in future proceedings — a situation that could potentially tie the attorney’s hands if impeachment fell through. Rep. Chris England, a Democratic member of the committee — and a lawyer — said while he’d read both former AG Strange and Brooks’ letters, he’s convinced the impeachment investigation should move forward. “This is not to suggest that I personally believe that the governor should or should not be impeached,” England wrote to his followers on social media. “That is the purpose of the investigation. However, this needs to be brought to a close one way or another. I believe we owe that to you.” After reconvening last Tuesday, members of the House Judiciary Committee agreed with England, passing a resolution ordering the body’s investigator to “resume his activities and investigation and to coordinate as much as is practical and possible with any other related investigations and proceedings so that we will stand better ready to move forward with public hearings when appropriate.” The House Judiciary Committee will continue to meet periodically throughout the regular legislative session, although it’s unclear which will come first: a vote on impeachment or the conclusion of the criminal probe into the governor.

Challenge accepted

GERALD PATTERSON ENTERS RACE FOR MOBILE MAYOR

BY DALE LIESCH

candidate for Mobile mayor envisions a future where the city no longer owns some of its biggest and most debated structures. Gerald Patterson said that as mayor, he would sell to the Retirement Systems of Alabama a number of city-owned structures, including the Civic Center, the cruise terminal, Hank Aaron Stadium, Ladd-Peebles Stadium and GulfQuest Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico. The millions saved from the sell-off would be used, in part, to upgrade old fire stations, Patterson said. “I’d replace five fire stations,” he said. “They’re obsolete and it’s a disgrace.” Patterson said he would make sure first responders had everything they need to do their jobs. “For this city to not give those men and women in uniform everything they need and deserve to do their jobs effectively was the final straw for me,” he wrote in an email message explaining his platform. “God knows I don’t know everything and I doubt I ever will, but as mayor, our first responders will have the greatest ally in the history of that mayor’s office should I prevail.” He added that as mayor he would immediately reverse any cutbacks in the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department. These are just three of about 100 proposals the candidate is introducing for a run he said he started in order to give Mobilians a choice in August. Patterson, who works as a medical waste contractor for Mobile Infirmary, noticed many

candidates running unopposed in November’s general election and wanted to make sure Mayor Sandy Stimpson doesn’t run unopposed. “To understand the essence of my campaign, you only need to know that I am not worried about whether or not I win this election,” Patterson wrote. “All that I want to do is to bring my ideas out into the open and get the conversation changed and the issues that have been greatly ignored by our city, county and state lawmakers, news and citizens brought front and center.” While Patterson said the incumbent has done a good job with the city’s finances, he feels Mobile could use a mayor that focuses more on the concerns of everyday citizens. Those concerns include even more spending on infrastructure projects. Patterson said current infrastructure spending is for “pet projects.” He said he would spread the money around more. If elected mayor, Patterson said, he also would work to remove the city’s sales tax on groceries and push to implement more municipal funding from property taxes over a two-year trial period. Patterson’s other proposals include: 12 weeks’ paid parental leave for city employees; fouryear moratoriums on travel and raises; work to synchronize traffic signals within the city limits and repair railroad crossings citywide, among other ideas. Patterson is the first candidate to officially challenge Stimpson for mayor. Although he has a base of support on Facebook for a 2017 run, former Mayor Sam Jones has not officially announced. M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 7

BAYBRIEF | MOBILE COUNTY

Getting personal

HASTIE PUSHES CRIMINAL APPEAL TO 11TH CIRCUIT

BY JASON JOHNSON concluded that email addresses would constitute personal information in the context of the DPPA. However, Hastie’s attorneys have argued that by doing so, DuBose effectively took the power to make that determination out of the jury’s hands. Litigator Doug McCoy also asserted DuBose likely committed an error of law in her charging instructions to the jury by including “email addresses” when describing personal information, which jurors also had questions about during their deliberation of the case. In an attempt to show why certain types of personal information might have been expressly listed in the DPPA while others were not, McCoy briefly touched on the history of the law, which was introduced in response to information obtained from the department of motor vehicles being used to harass and even harm individuals — the most notable being the 1989 murder of actress Rebecca Schaeffer, who was killed by a stalker who obtained her address from DMV files. Fast forward to Hastie’s case, and McCoy claimed that an email couldn’t provide the type of information that “could lead to physical assaults, home invasions, and that kind of [thing].” One of the judges on the bench called that part of McCoy’s argument “nonsense,” though, reminding him that online predators use email addresses to “lure underage girls into sexual encounters.” When McCoy said “underage girls’ email addresses wouldn’t be in the [license commission’s] records, judge asked, “Really? Sixteen-year-old girls in Mobile don’t drive?” While the oral arguments of both sides were very brief, it could be months before a ruling comes down. The deci-

8 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

Photo | Jason Johnson

ormer Mobile County License Commissioner Kim Hastie sent a gaggle of attorneys to Atlanta last month to continue the year-and-a-half-long appeal of her criminal conviction for improperly disseminating the email addresses of thousands of motorists. Adding litigators from Hand Arendall to the roster, the Hanley Law Firm representing Hastie appeared before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals Feb. 24 to challenge her lone conviction from a 2015 trial that saw 16 other, more serious corruption allegations tossed out by a jury. Though there are multiple angles to Hastie’s appeal, it focuses on the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) she was convicted of violating, which prohibits employees of any department of motor vehicles from knowingly disclosing motorists’ personal information. As Lagniappe has reported, Hastie has been convicted by a jury, sued civilly and condemned by the Alabama Ethics Commission for turning over 30,000 email addresses from a license commission database to a former employee of Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s 2013 campaign. In an audio recording of his oral arguments, Stewart Hanley noted that in the two decades since the DPPA became law, Hastie’s charge is only the second attempted prosecution under the law and the only one to make it to trial. He argued the legislation is “not well written,” calling it “unconstitutionally vague” in a criminal context because it fails to specify exactly what is considered “personal information.” While DPPA never mentions email addresses, one of the judges said the law was written before “emails were as ubiquitous as they are today.” The trial court in Mobile took a similar position ahead of Hastie’s trial when U.S. District Judge Kristi DuBose

THEN-MOBILE COUNTY LICENSE COMMISSIONER KIM HASTIE WITH HER ATTORNEY NEIL HANLEY. sion, whatever it is, will likely affect Hastie’s pending civil suit and could have an impact on whether she faces charges at the state level. The Ethics Commission has unanimously agreed her actions violated Alabama’s ethics law. The findings of its investigation have been turned over to Attorney General Steven Marshall, whose office has declined to comment on the situation.

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 9

BAYBRIEF | FAIRHOPE

A hard reign BUDGET LOOKS TO BE FAIRHOPE’S NEXT BATTLEGROUND BY JANE NICHOLES

airhopians are getting a bit restless. They’re showing up at City Council meetings in droves and asking why everyone can’t just get along. They want to know what’s wrong with an occasional compromise. Their comments on social media are growing testy. “I really don’t see why you all can’t grow up and get along,” one woman said during the public comment period at Thursday’s council meeting. “I’m sorry, but i was a teacher for 34 years.” Mayor Karin Wilson and even some of the council members said they would like to stop the infighting and contentious verbal exchanges that have marked recent efforts to conduct city business. But in practice, old and new issues continue to generate controversy.

The budget

Wilson finally released a draft budget last week for the 2016-2017 fiscal year. The city has been running more or less on the previous year’s budget. Wilson said she rewrote the proposed budget she inherited from former Mayor Tim Kant to make it more transparent and to highlight some fiscal issues, such as how much money from Fairhope utilities is used to subsidize general spending. Overall spending is up by some $838,000 compared to the original proposed general fund budget, for a total of about $24.4 million. But the budget came with a number of proposals from Wilson to cut spending or save money. They include: • Safety training to reduce workers compensation claims. • Control of overtime, possibly using contract labor for short-term jobs such as putting up and taking down barricades for Mardi Gras parades. • Better management of fleet and fuel use. “We have 43 vehicles right now that are not in use. We’re going to liqui-

date those,” Wilson said. • Reducing the cost of the city’s tree lights that stay up from about Thanksgiving until after the arts and crafts festival in March. “We spent approximately $268,000 on tree lights. I love it, but we do have to look at that cost,” she said. • Putting the public library under the control of the city, a suggestion that has already drawn opposition from members of the independent library board. Library employees would receive better benefits as members of a city department, Wilson said. The city could contribute an additional $50,000 and still save $118,000, she said. • Eliminating annual cost-of-living increases in favor of a merit-based pay system. Goal setting and regular evaluations would be part of the new system. • Changing health insurance benefits. Health insurance costs are rising rapidly, and Fairhope employees get it free of charge. City residents have already shown they are particular about their tree lights. Employees won’t be happy if they are asked for co-pays and deductibles, even though few businesses in the private sector can still afford to over the full cost of health insurance. As for a library takeover, Councilman Jimmy Conyers, who is the council representative on the library board, said that group had already asked him to convey its displeasure with the idea. Council members said they would not be rushed into passing a budget, late or not, until they have taken a thorough look at it.

That hiring freeze

Wilson also presented the council with a stack of what she said were 43 job openings that needed to be filled as quickly as the budget could be passed. Earlier Thursday, she had issued a news release asking the council to lift the hiring freeze it quickly put into place the previous week after

Wilson abruptly fired two well-known and well-liked employees without giving a reason. “This has nothing to do with me,” Wilson said of the need to lift the hiring freeze. “It has to do with running our city.” She suggested that events such as this weekend’s arts and crafts festival could leave employees overworked if the positions are not filled. Wilson has frequently been at odds with Council President Jack Burrell. One point of contention during the latest controversy has been whether the council’s action was legal; Burrell, citing five attorneys he consults with regularly, insists the freeze is legal, while Wilson says the action was unlawful. Wilson indicated she was considering trying to get a court injunction against the hiring freeze. Burrell responded that the freeze was only for 60 days maximum and the council had not fired or hired anyone. One city planner position was exempted from the freeze Thursday, with Burrell saying it was his mistake that the planner position was overlooked when a handful of other positions were exempted.

The Airport Authority

The good news is that the $7.5 million bond issue to refinance the debt on land the city bought for the authority several years ago is moving forward, having received Airport Authority and City Council approval last week. The bad news is that the council and the mayor are stalemated on who the board members should be. The terms of three of the seven board members — Pam Caudill, Vincent Boothe and Tom Scheck — are up this month. Scheck has moved to South Florida and submitted his resignation. Wilson had vowed to replace the three, but the council has to approve her appointments. The Airport Authority earlier in the afternoon backed Caudill and Boothe for reappointment. There was no problem with appointing William Bruce to the vacant seat. And everyone acknowledged that Wilson’s other recommendations, Blake Waller and Kristine Kiernan, were highly qualified candidates with extensive aviation and military experience. But when the council voted it was 3-2 against Waller and Kiernan. Burrell, Kevin Boone and Robert Brown voted against them while Jay Robinson and Conyers voted for them. That action leaves Caudill and Boothe holding their positions as board members until they resign or are replaced by people on whom the mayor and council agree. Wilson wanted to know how much better qualified her appointees would have to be, and indicated she would keep bringing up new people for a vote. The wrangling seemed to bring more citizens to the podium to confront their elected officials. One speaker was Ron Allen, who said he is friends with both Wilson and Burrell and had not intended to speak. Allen said Fairhope citizens are split on whether they back Wilson or the council, and he pleaded for them all to be reasonable.

BAYBRIEF | MOBILE COUNTY Hudson said she was “agreeable” to delaying those raises until there’s more time to speak with Cochran about the need for increasing the salary for those positions. Despite that, Hudson said “the door is still open” for those raises to be approved. “The warden and deputy warden are included as merit system employees, MOBILE COUNTY COMMISSION HALTS RAISES FOR JAIL’S UPPER MANAGEMENT but they’re making over six figures,” Hudson said. “I think the issue here has been [finding a way] to recruit and retain qualified people at the starting level as BY JASON JOHNSON opposed to the upper management.” District 3 Commissioner Jerry Carl was the only commissioner who suphe Mobile County Commission voted Monday to how raises for top-tier employees fit into the narrative Co- ported extending the pay raise to all four employees Cochran suggested, saying, “I think we need to go ahead with it and move on to deal with other issues.” shelve a proposal that would have passed recent pay chran has given while pushing for the salary adjustments While some members of the MCSO staff attended the meeting, Cochran hikes for law enforcement on to the upper manage- over the past two years. did not, and thus was unable to address the commission about the subject. On ment of Mobile Metro Jail — halting a potential “I was under the impression the 7.5 percent [increase] $10,000 raise for warden Trey Oliver. was because we were having trouble attracting and retain- Monday morning, Oliver told Lagniappe he could “understand why” his salary wasn’t considered for an increase, but added that Houston’s salary definitely The decision comes less than a month after commising corrections officers and deputies. Are we also having “needs adjusting.” sioners approved a 7.5 percent raise for all Mobile County trouble keeping a warden, a deputy warden and inmate “His workload, responsibilities and exemplary performance more than Sheriff’s Office deputies and corrections officers. supervisors?” Ludgood asked. “What I heard was that it justify the increase, and if the two captains who report to him receive an However, Sheriff Sam Cochran asked the commission was supposed to help recruit and attract, but when you this week to extend the same pay increase to a handful have somebody in positions making in excess of $100,000, adjustment, which they richly deserve, then so should [Houston],” Oliver said. “Metro Jail is extremely fortunate to have someone of his background and of employees left out of the slate of raises in February, I think it’s pretty likely they’re going to stay there, but experience on board.” including some of the highest-grossing public safety emthat’s just me.” Though no action was taken, Ludgood and Hudson also discussed asking ployees on the county’s payroll. Though her comments were direct, Ludgood’s opposiCochran to “formally withdraw” a bill his office advertised at the beginning of According to records obtained from the Mobile County tion to extending the pay raise further wasn’t surprising the current legislative session that aims to earmark at least some of county’s Personnel Board, Oliver was making $123,543 in 2015 given that she also opposed extending the initial pay raise expected online sales tax revenue for his officers. along with another $20,398 in medical and retirement ben- last month, due to concerns over the county’s ability to That bill — proposed before the commission approved the 7.5 percent efits. At the same time, Deputy Warden Sam Houston was absorb the additional and ongoing expenses. making more than $80,000 plus another $7,000 in benefits, However, Hudson actually put together the $2.8 million raises in late February — caught all three commissioners off guard when it was though both he and Oliver have received cost-of-living plan the commission adopted last month — one that could initially advertised. While it hasn’t moved forward in the Legislature, it’s still adjustments since then. ultimately extend a 10 percent raise to law enforcement, as listed as “advertised but not yet introduced.” On Monday, Ludgood said she’d “feel a lot better” if Cochran would take Commissioners ultimately voted 2-1 to remove Oliver well as an additional 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment steps to formally withdraw the bill. and Houston from a pay raise they extended to a pair to all county employees. “I think there would have to be some agreement to [move forward on the of inmate work supervisors who also missed out on last On Monday, Hudson motioned to separate and postpone bill within the local delegation], and I think they are all well aware of the action month’s pay hike. the proposed raises for Oliver and Houston, despite the the commission has taken with the recent salary increases,” Hudson replied. In addition to the concerns over the upper managefact that they — like other MCSO employees — are emment’s current level of compensation, Commissioner ployed through the merit system established by the Mobile “But, you’re right. I think the only ironclad way to make sure is to ask that it be formally withdrawn, and I think we can do that.” Connie Hudson and President Mercia Ludgood questioned County Personnel Board.

Six figures

10 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 11

COMMENTARY | DAMN THE TORPEDOES

Is Bentley debacle coming to a head? ROB HOLBERT/MANAGING EDITOR/RHOLBERT@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

THE WORST-KEPT SECRET IN MONTGOMERY IS THAT THE ETHICS COMMISSION IS SUPPOSED TO MEET IN EARLY APRIL AND VOTE TO TURN ROBERT BENTLEY OVER TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE FOR PROSECUTION ON A NUMBER OF OFFENSES. ”

12 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

So it’s safe to say there is/was an investigation when Big Luther went on his job interview. The second problem with Strange’s excuse is that IF his office wasn’t investigating Bentley after the boatload of highly questionable activities we know to have occurred, then wouldn’t Strange be guilty of gross ineptitude in his job as AG? “I wasn’t doing my job!! Make me senator!” The pulse seems to be quickening a bit on all of this for sure, but we’ve seen it before. When the Luv Guv’s amorous behavior first became public the thought was he wouldn’t be long for this political world. But he’s hung in there, petulantly refusing to accept any real blame for his behavior and thumbing his nose at those who have the power to drag him kicking and screaming from the Governor’s Mansion. Maybe the political wags are right and the hi-jinx of our dermatologist governor are about to come to a head like a big nasty analogous zit on the face of Alabama politics. If so, it’s high time. But if the gang down at the Ethics Commission truly wants to break out the Clearasil for once, Luther Strange, Rebekah Mason and former Alabama Law Enforcement Agency head Spencer Collier all deserve a dab or two. How the commission could pass over taking a hard look at Strange’s meetings with Bentley and handling of the investigation would be a head-shaker for sure. But predicting the outcome of this bizarre political theater has been a loser for any who’ve chosen to try it. All I can say is if the political buzz turns out to be right, it would be a good day for Alabama.

THEGADFLY

If the EC does push the AG’s office to prosecute Bentley for his alleged misuse of state funds and personnel in his quest to keep his relationship with former chief adviser Rebekah Mason on the DL, the thinking goes, the House of Representatives will drop that into the gumbo they’ve been cooking up and it’ll be enough to get impeachment through the House. At that point, Bentley is suspended from office pending the outcome of his trial in the Senate and Kay Ivey takes over as governor. It’s a nice theory, but that’s all it is at this point. Guess we’ll have to stay tuned. Or maybe we won’t, because the other poorly kept Montgomery secret is that Bentley is supposed to be working behind the scenes to get himself a “deal” — a way to leave office without stepping straight into an orange jumpsuit. As the scuttlebutt goes, that will happen prior to the Ethics Commission having to do its thing. Again, that’s just what some politically connected people THINK will happen. The only thing we know for sure is the House Judiciary Committee has gotten a little more fire in its belly to impeach Bentley, voting unanimously last week to further the investigation into matters relating to the governor, Ms. Mason, Wanda’s desk, etc. …. Perhaps some of that new intensity is driven by the scuttlebutt about the coming Ethics Commission meeting or potential deals. But one has to also believe the way now-U.S. Senator Luther Strange head-faked the Judiciary Committee plays some role in its wanting to move forward with an investigation. Then-AG Strange

got a commitment from the committee to stop its investigation, claiming there to be some overlap with work his office was doing, while carefully not calling that work an investigation. While the House dutifully complied, Big Luther sauntered over to see the Luv Guv and ask him for an appointment to fill Jeff Sessions’ seat once the senator joined the Trump cabinet. Yes, it’s not typical for a law enforcement official investigating someone to go and ask the person he/she is investigating for a job, but why should that get in the way of political ambition? Strange has lamely tried claiming he never said his office was investigating Bentley, so it was OK for him to ask for the job. Let’s dissect that for a moment. The statement is more or less a tacit admission by Strange that if he were conducting an investigation, asking Bentley for a job would have been unethical. Otherwise he would have come up with another excuse. So, IF Big Luther asked the House to stop the investigation, but his office wasn’t investigating Bentley, it would be fine for him to ask Bentley for the job he really wanted, is his logic. But he never said there wasn’t an investigation, he just never said there was. Somehow Strange stood there in his bathroom mirror and convinced himself this was a logical answer. There are two problems, though: The first is that his successor, Steve Marshall, quickly recused himself from any involvement in an investigation of Bentley, something he’d told the press he would do if such an investigation existed.

Cartoon/Laura Rasmussen

he political underground is simply swirling in anticipation of what may be the final fate of our beleaguered Luv Guv. The worst-kept secret in Montgomery is that the Ethics Commission is supposed to meet in early April and vote to turn Robert Bentley over to the Attorney General’s office for prosecution on a number of offenses. How do we know that? Well, we don’t, but people sure are talking about it and writing about it, so it must be true. Forgive me if I cast my most jaundiced eye upon the Alabama Ethics Commission as an enforcer of legal or ethical behavior by our elected officials. Most communications with them go something along the lines of “It’s OK for them to do something that looks really unethical as long as they don’t actually do anything illegal in the process.” The commission’s traditional lack of intellectual curiosity about the many perplexing things that happen in this Wild West state don’t give me great hope they’ll call out Bentley’s rather obvious transgressions. But hey, as Mel Brooks’ goofy governor pointed out in the film “Blazing Saddles,” sometimes you’ve gotta protect your “phony-baloney jobs.” Maybe after all this time the pressure has gotten great enough for even the Ethics Commission to feel it.

RUMOR HAS IT THE SANDS OF TIME ARE RUNNING OUT ON GOV. ROBERT BENTLEY.

COMMENTARY | THE HIDDEN AGENDA

Living the good life in America’s most miserable/fun/unhappy city ASHLEY TRICE/EDITOR/ASHLEYTOLAND@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

ell, I guess we are miserable again. Or at least not very happy. Just last year, the website WalletHub ranked Mobile as one of the “Most Fun Cities in America for 2016.” Three years earlier, Business Insider ranked us one of the “most miserable” cities to reside in. Last September, WalletHub released its “2016 Happiest States in America” list. Sadly, Alabama ranked 50 out of 51. And no, it wasn’t our good friend Mississippi, which usually keeps us from coming in dead last on every list like this, but rather West Virginia. Mississippi was actually 48. Go on, ‘Sippi, with your bad self! But the bottom five featured the rest of the SEC states. Yes, basically the entire South is a land of misery. They considered such factors as social connectivity, physical and emotional health, sports participation and income levels to generate their rankings. Just this week, WalletHub put out another study of the “Happiest Places to Live for 2017,” which ranked how happy the residents of the 150 largest American cities are. According to the site, they “examined each city based on 30 key indicators of happiness, ranging from depression rate to incomegrowth rate to average leisure time spent per day.” Mobile came in a very sad 144th. And we ranked below every large city in Alabama except Birmingham, which came in an even sadder 147th, which leads me to believe the feelings of the residents of its tonier burbs were not considered. No one is ever depressed in Mountain Brook unless the renovations on their vacation home in Alys Beach or Rosemary are taking too long. I’ll have to say, though, I would have thought Mobile would have landed close to the top just by our score on “leisure time spent per day.” I’m guessing porch drinking, happy hour-ing and crawfish eatin’ must not qualify. Even the armpit of the state (aka Montgomery) ranked 16 spots above us at 128. Clearly, there was a math error there. Sorry to break it to you, Disney World, but California is apparently the happiest place on Earth. Seven of the top 10 cities were in the Golden State, including the Top 4 (1. Fremont, 2. San Jose, 3. Irvine, 4. San Francisco). Which, frankly, I find amazing. Every time my husband and I get sucked into watching that horrible show on HGTV “Flip or Flop,” which features a (now divorcing) California couple who renovates homes, I usually say in the midst of one their many very contrived home flipping setbacks, “I just don’t understand why would anyone want to live in California. Visit, sure. But live? No thank you.” In addition to the fires, floods and earthquakes, these annoying Flip Floppers are listing houses the size of gas station restrooms that are right next to loud freeways for over $300,000. I get how the cost of living works

and wages are higher there, but still. You really just get so much more bang for your buck here. And there is so much bangin’ here now in addition to our very affordable real estate market. We are entering my favorite time of year in this fair burg, where if you can’t find something to do every single weekend, you just aren’t looking. Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations, Downtown Cajun Cook-Off, Festival of Flowers, Fairhope Arts & Crafts Festival, the Azalea Trail Run, a hot new Christenberry exhibit at Mobile Museum of Art, countless spring fundraisers, multiple concerts at all of our great local music venues, SouthSounds and Hangout Fest are just a few of the many upcoming events. And we don’t really even need a special event to make Mobile feel special anymore. Go downtown on any given night and it is bustling. I met a couple of friends at the new Eugene’s Monkey Bar last Friday. We enjoyed sitting on its fabulous outdoor deck overlooking Bienville Square. It was packed. And as merchants were busy readying for that evening’s ArtWalk and hordes of people were walking around, the city and the streets just felt alive. They always do now. Sure, we still have things we can improve upon — what city doesn’t? – but there is no other place in this world I would rather call home than “sweet lunacy’s county seat.” There is just something about this place that infects you, and it’s incurable. Just ask those who have moved away. We live in one of the country’s best-kept secrets. People from places on the top 10 of that silly list just don’t get it. They look at the South as one big stereotype. We are all fat, shirtless, toothless, uneducated rednecks who spend our “leisure time” riding around on scooters in Walmart. When I visited a friend in New York City a couple of months ago, we went to a Broadway show. As we were waiting for the curtain to rise, we made small talk with the people who were seated next to us in the theater. When it came up in conversation that I was visiting from Alabama, the native New Yorker looked at me with a look of pity and puzzlement, as if he just couldn’t fathom why anyone would choose to live in the South. “Alabama? Really?” he asked incredulously, eyebrows raised. “Well, welcome to our country.” He thought he was being so clever. Bless his heart. I know no formula or silly survey can truly measure the soul of a city. Maybe we don’t eat enough tofu or spend enough time on “the Twitter” or go to therapy enough to be as “happy” as the folks in Fremont, California, but we all know those factors have very little to do with how great a city is. And I don’t care how you crunch the numbers, I couldn’t be happier to live in this oh-so-fun yet miserable place.

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 13

COMMENTARY | THE MONTGOMERY MINUTE

The end of marriage and other capital happenings BY LEE HEDGEPETH/COLUMNIST

South Carolina, by an avowed white supremacist, Alabama lawmakers are now prepared to protect the state against roving, activist leftists ready to remove every historic memorial in sight. After significant debate, the Senate passed a bill that would prohibit the removal or alteration of memorials built more than 20 years ago and would also make moving monuments newer than that a lengthy, multi-stage process. Let’s be clear, Alabama: History doesn’t change, interpretations do, and this bill doesn’t protect history: it protects the interpretation of history built decades ago. The monuments bill will move on to the House for consideration.

Leashing in lenders

he sixth week of Alabama’s regular legislative session is over, and state lawmakers already have a dozen of their 30 permitted workdays under their belt without much to show for it. The Senate, for example, has passed legislation ending marriage as we know it and protecting historic memorials from roving leftists, but neither of the state’s budgets — the general fund or the education trust fund — has passed either chamber. Other important efforts — such as passing pro-consumer measures and holding the governor accountable for his own misdeeds — haven’t yet gained real momentum. The clock is ticking fast on making change happen in Alabama’s capital.

The end of marriage

Legislators in Montgomery may not have solved any of the state’s priority problems yet, but they’ve sure sent signals that when it comes to “fixing” what’s not even broken, the State House is on the job. This has definitely been the case with marriage. This year, the Alabama Senate has passed a bill that would end marriage as we know it in the state. Sponsored by Sen. Greg Albritton, the bill would get rid of the traditional marriage licensing process for couples and instead replace it with a system that doesn’t, as Albritton says, “invite the state into those matters.” Under the legislation, instead of applying for a license, having a ceremony and then having the county’s probate judge issue a license, couples would merely sign a marriage contract and file it with the county, similar to a deed. Why this change? What problem does it solve? It depends on who you ask, and Sen. Albritton certainly won’t tell you the truth. The reality is that some — including Albritton — think that in the wake of the legal acceptance of

gay marriage, states should back away from endorsing the institution. Several of Alabama’s probate judges, charged with issuing marriage licenses in each of Alabama’s 67 counties, have taken this bigoted view and refused to issue licenses to any couple, gay or straight, as a way to stick to their fundamentalist guns and obey the law of the land at the same time. Albritton wants to back this view with law, taking the state out of marriage in a way that behooves only his intolerant cohort, not all people of the state of Alabama. When you ask Albritton himself, though, he won’t mention same-sex marriage: that’s politically gauche. On Goat Hill, as in the South more generally, bigotry comes with a smile and a glass of sweet tea. So, Albritton’s excuse? Big government. “When you invite the state into those matters of personal or religious import, it creates difficulties,” Albritton has said of the legislation. No word on what those difficulties are. Albritton’s bill so fundamentally changes the institution of marriage in the state that it even garnered some opposition from a fellow Republican, Sen. Phil WIlliams, who said he doesn’t agree with “the idea of reducing [marriage] to the idea of a contract between two parties.” “To take it and reduce it to a contractual arrangement like a mortgage or a deed feels a little concerning,” Sen. Williams said. The bill has moved on to the House for consideration.

Statues over students

Another non-issue the Legislature has taken upon itself to correct is that of historic memorials. In the wake of the removal of the Confederate flag from many public places after the massacre of black parishioners in Charleston,

COMMENTARY | THE GRIOT’S CORNER

Making Mobile the ‘Little Easy’ BY KEN ROBINSON/COLUMNIST

e Mobilians like to see ourselves as being different from other Alabamians. When we look for kinship, we often look west rather than north. The Big Easy, or New Orleans — which lies 140 miles to our west — is the city we claim as our bigger “sister city.” New Orleans got nicknamed the Big Easy some time ago, a reference to the easygoing, gentle and slow way of life pervasive in the city. New York City was the Big Apple, so New Orleans became the Big Easy. Seeing ourselves as a “Little Easy,” we claim sisterhood with New Orleans not just because of our shared history or heritage, but also because, from architecture to cuisine to our easygoing way of life, we Mobilians have more in common with our Creole cousins down in the bayous of Southern Louisiana than we do with most other residents of the Yellowhammer State. We love to point out that Mobile’s history has not been dominated by the racial ugliness and hatred that is so infamously associated with other Alabama cities. There is particularly one time of the year we love to highlight the distinctive history, culture and cosmopolitan feel of our Little Easy, and that is the season of Carnival or Mardi Gras. It’s a time that truly sets Mobile apart from other Alabama locales. We’ve even developed a

pretty cool official marketing strategy around it: Visit Mobile, the city that’s “Born to Celebrate!” Mardi Gras becomes a celebration of many things in Mobile, but most importantly it is a celebration by, and of, community. The last day of Mobile’s Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, turns into one big community party with fun, laughter and the smell of mouthwatering barbeque grills permeating downtown streets. For all the good times Fat Tuesday brings, unfortunately that spirit of collective community fun and merriment takes a dark turn when the Comic Cowboys take to the streets. For the sake of not offending its viewers, local television stations broadcasting the day’s festivities make quick decisions about what signs to air, and not air. On-air media personalities forgo commenting, and in some cases are left speechless by some of the messages displayed on the signs they see. Throughout the crowds, particularly where races are mixed together, there is a palpable awkwardness and, at times, tension. In other places on the parade route there is outright anger. The city that is “Born to Celebrate” becomes, as the Comic Cowboys make their way through downtown streets, a city that seems destined to be divided. The idyllic Little Easy becomes noticeably uneasy. It shouldn’t be this way. The Comic Cowboys’ motto

14 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

While lawmakers have spent lots of time on legislation we don’t really need, there are several bills pending in the Legislature that truly do deserve the time of day. The first would curb predatory lending. As I’ve mentioned in previous columns, predatory consumer lending is a huge problem in our state, with thousands of payday and title lending facilities (four times as many locations as McDonald’s restaurants) putting Alabamians in debt they could not have foreseen — loans with interest rates sometimes as high as 456 percent. To solve this problem, Rep. Ken Johnson and Sen. Arthur Orr have filed bills aimed at capping interest rates and comprehensively reining in predatory lending in the state, respectively. Alabama’s consumers deserve this legislation. Last week I wrote that the passage of Johnson’s bill capping loans at 36 percent annually “would be a huge victory for grassroots nonprofits such as Alabama Arise.” Alabama Arise has said “It’d be an even bigger victory for Alabama consumers,” and they’re right. Alabama deserves better. Both bills have yet to be debated by either the full House or Senate.

Buckle up, Bentley

The real silver lining of this legislative session thus far has been the willingness of state lawmakers to move forward with the impeachment of Gov. Robert Bentley. The House committee considering the articles of impeachment met last week to discuss the process and decide whether to have their special counsel — who helped impeach Bill Clinton — continue their investigation of the “Luv Guv.” After a sometimes fiery debate, lawmakers did just that: moved the process forward, and now Bentley is shaking in his boots. If impeached by the House, Gov. Bentley would be automatically removed from office pending his trial in the Senate — an institution presided over by his potential replacement, Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey. That’s a bumpy road for the governor to tread, and it’s a road that — according to several sources close to Bentley’s office — have him considering a pre-emptive resignation. As I’ve written before, though, given his blatant disregard of the law, of his duties and of his constituents, it’s long past time for the governor to go. Don’t let the mansion door hit you on the way out. is “Without Malice.” However, “Without Taste” is becoming a more accurate description. And increasingly, as well as rightly, many Mobilians are demanding that “Without Anonymity” be an added mantra. It is quite commendable that the organization has stated it will make efforts to better police itself. In a letter to Councilman Fred Richardson, the organization noted, “Please rest assured, in the future we will cease from comments which may be hurtful to our citizens. Our members respect the Mardi Gras viewers and our future parades will take everyone’s feelings into consideration.” However, it’s very unfortunate it took a great deal of negative publicity and scrutiny for the organization to own up to the harm and division it was causing on a holiday that, in its intent and purpose, is far removed from such negativity. In our society, there are no limits placed on free speech, but there should be some measure of accountability and responsibility for one’s speech. It’s time for the Comic Cowboys to take responsibility, and be held accountable, for the messages it puts out. If one writes it or draws it, one should own it. One shouldn’t hide behind a mask or the First Amendment. This issue is not going away. The Comic Cowboys is a parading society whose “comedy” has increasingly been out of step with a city that is trying to market itself as the family-friendly version of the Big Easy. It is becoming out of place in a community that is making real efforts to be more inclusive and promoting respect for its citizens regardless of race and socioeconomic background. That’s not to say there is no place for humor or satire — there is. But there is a big difference between true satire and downright meanspiritedness or cruelness that wounds its target and offends the sensibilities of the community at large. To a great extent Fat Tuesday is a day of selling and advancing the Mobile brand. It’s a day of giving reasons why visitors should want to return to the city that is “Born to Celebrate!” That brand is seriously undermined when there is a parading society that instead of channeling the spirit of lightheartedness, fun, inclusion and easygoingness the day represents, channels a spirit and image the state as a whole has had a hard time shaking off: one of backwardness, hatefulness and insensitivity. The latter is something that should make all Mobilians uneasy and propel us to work toward ensuring that no group is able to misrepresent us in such a fashion.

COMMENTARY | THE BELTWAY BEAT

Rethinking immigration: merit-based system is way to go BY JEFF POOR/COLUMNIST/JEFFREYPOOR@GMAIL.COM

he left would have you believe that the United States of America is a place that takes in all the world’s unwanted people with open arms and that — unless you’re a Native American — we are all immigrants. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore,” reads the inscription on the Statue of Liberty. Immigration activists have used that wellknown line to imply that unfettered immigration is America’s mandate and has been since its inception. That favorite line, however, was written by a wealthy New Yorker over a hundred years after the nation’s founding, and added to the base of the statute more than 15 years after its dedication. Nevertheless, they charge Donald Trump and his populist agenda with violating this allimportant creed. Many think if he had his way, we would have no immigration. Why, he wants to build a wall — just to keep people out! Aside from what his opponents perceive his motivations to be for rethinking immigration policy, Trump and some of his political allies are onto something, which is: Perhaps it is time to rethink U.S. immigration policy. In his joint address to Congress last month, Trump touched on immigration, proposing that it should be merit-based, which, he argued, would be a net benefit. “Switching away from this current system of lower-skilled immigration and instead adopting a merit-based system will have many benefits: It will save countless dollars, raise workers’ wages, and help struggling families — including immigrant families — enter the middle class,” he said. “I believe that real and positive immigration reform is possible, as long as we focus on the following goals: to improve jobs and wages for Americans, to strengthen our nation’s security and to restore respect for our laws.” That is certainly a departure from your tired, your poor and your huddled masses. Our country has not always lived by this open immigration policy of allowing “wretched refuse” to come here and start a new life. For a sizable chunk of the 20th century, U.S. immigration policy was very restrictive. After the period of mass immigration from Europe at the turn of the century, Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1924. That law limited immigration and established quotas based on nation of origin. That was a departure from your tired, your poor and your huddled masses as well. That pause in immigration allowed new immigrants in the country to assimilate into American culture and created positive outcomes for the country — positioning the U.S. to become an economic power. It was four decades later that Congress passed the Immigration and Nationality Act, which drastically changed immigration policy. Then-Sen. Ted Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, championed the legislation, which eliminated the quota system based on national-

ity, drastically raised the number of immigrants accepted to the U.S. and gave priority to those with family members already in the country. It also put an emphasis on resettling refugees from violence-stricken and war-torn regions. President Lyndon Johnson signed the bill into law. A country born of meritocracy still employs a largely family-based system to this day — and that still does not even take into account illegal immigration. There is a movement underway in Congress spearheaded by Republican senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia which seeks to implement a merit-based policy like Trump proposed in his joint address to Congress. Their bill, the Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment Act, or RAISE Act, would cut the number of green cards issued annually from 1 million to 500,000. Almost immediately, detractors have cried foul — as if reducing legal immigration is an endeavor motivated by racism, intolerance, xenophobia, discrimination and so on and so forth. For years as a senator, now Attorney General Jeff Sessions made a case for an immigration policy based on something that benefits the country and is more than just a feel-good gesture. As Ann Coulter has said, now is the time to stop thinking of the U.S. as a “battered women’s shelter.” Those who oppose a merit-based immigration policy might yell xenophobia, but the lobbying money supporting the low-skilled immigration push has less-than-honorable intentions. Many view legal and illegal immigration as a cheap source of labor, which is true — but it is cheap labor paid for in the long run by Americans who lose in jobs lost, wages cut and tax dollars spent on infrastructure and direct welfare payments that benefit low-skilled immigrant labor. For others, it is a new wave of largely Democratic voters. Such a demographic shift is already changing the political course of America, much as California changed over the past three decades. Restricting low-skill immigration would have some consequences. The cost of construction could increase. The price of food, especially produce, would increase. Many service industry jobs could eventually be impacted as well — costs for hotels, restaurants, retailers, etc., increase, and that cost would almost certainly be passed on to the consumer. In exchange, wages and benefits would increase for people in these sectors. Some sectors may try to do more with less. But with higher wages, there is less of a tax on our welfare system. For years, as noted, companies have had their labor subsidized by the government — by your tax dollars. No, we should not completely shut out immigrants. That is not even on the table. As a country, however, the U.S. has a right — and, indeed, a duty to those who are already here — to be selective in choosing who gets to come when much of the world sees the U.S. as the place to be.

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 15

BUSINESS | THE REAL DEAL

Nature Conservancy acquires 32 acres BY RON SIVAK/COLUMNIST/BUSINESS@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

he Nature Conservancy of the State of Alabama has purchased approximately 32 acres of historic property with almost one mile of frontage on the west bank of Bayou La Batre for $285,000. This acquisition brings practically the entire southern boundary of Mobile County, from the Mississippi-Alabama state line to the Bayou, into public hands. The 300-foot-deep tract comprises wetlands, historically filled spoil sites, longleaf pines and what is reputed to be the first site of French settlement on the Alabama mainland, according to a news release. The seller was International Oceanic Enterprises, which had owned the tract for several years. The transaction was initiated, managed and finalized under the supervision of NAI Mobile, which has handled the disposition of many maritime assists in the area. According to Pratt Thomas with the Merrill P. Thomas Co. Inc. a local investor paid $225,000 for a 5,800-squarefoot office/warehouse space at 356 State St., adjacent to the DeTonti Square Historic District. Oakleigh Custom Woodworks will occupy the building. Thomas represented the seller and John Peebles with NAI worked for the buyer. Fairhope-based Hartmann, Blackmon & Kilgore (hb&k) has merged with Gibbons Co., an accounting firm located in Mobile. The merger will add a fourth location for the company, which currently has locations in Fairhope, Brewton and Foley. Gibbons Co. has provided businesses and individuals with tax and accounting services for more than 50 years. The firm will become a division of hb&k and remain in its current location at 3601 Springhill Business Park, Suite 202. Pete Riehm with NAI-Mobile recently reported that maneuverings on the new Wal-Mart Distribution Center have officially been finalized. The transaction officially closed last week, equipment has been moved onsite and construc-

tion should be completed in roughly the next 18 months. Per Vallas Realty, $450,000 was paid by a local speculator for a commercial plot next to the new CVS Pharmacy at U.S. Highway 31 and Jimmy Faulkner Drive in Spanish Fort. Vallas Realty and Christmas Properties managed the transaction. Tupelo, Mississippi-based Renasant Corp. (NASDAQ: RNST) recently announced its entry into Mobile, as well as the hiring of Mark Fillers as its South Alabama president and multiple staffing hires for the local bank location. Renasant’s new office is located at 165 W. I-65 Service Road N. in Mobile and will house two mortgage lenders and three mortgage support team members along with banking and lending personnel. Renasant Corp. is the parent of Renasant Bank, a 113-year-old financial services institution. Renasant has assets of approximately $8.7 billion and operates more than 170 banking, mortgage, financial services and insurance offices in Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

ACP announces new partnership

ACP Real Estate announced in a news release a new partnership that will increase its presence and services throughout the region. The sales division of ACP Real Estate will now be known as RE/MAX Coastal Properties, and the rentals division as ACP Vacation Rentals. “ACP felt like we had somewhat plateaued in our growth rate on Dauphin Island and in south Mobile County. After much research, we chose to purchase a franchise to add to the ACP arsenal of sales tools,” RE/MAX franchise owner Kelby Linn said. According to Linn, the residential real estate market in the south Mobile County region is rapidly expanding. This move will not only provide additional sales opportunities,

16 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

she said, but will also enhance recognition of her business beyond the confines of Dauphin Island and Mobile. Local owners Kelby and Robin Linn started out in 2002 with seven rental units and one agent. To date they have seven real estate agents and manage more than 100 rental units. For more information visit www.ACPREsales.com.

App for minority-owned businesses

The Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce’s Growth Alliance Task Force recently partnered with local minority-owned BRC Design and Print in an initiative to connect minority businesses and advocates by uniting them through an easyto-use mobile app. The MACC Diversity and Inclusion App is available on the iTunes and Google Play stores. It contains a comprehensive list of minority-owned businesses in the Mobile Bay area that have active supplier-diversity initiatives. BRC Design and Print offers design services for print media, websites and is spearheading the introduction of the mobile app with the Mobile Chamber. According to experts, mobile apps are considered beneficial in today’s business landscape for small businesses that want to increase customer engagement by enabling more efficient interactions with clients. “BRC Design and Print offers an app designed for their specific demographic. We can help businesses connect with customers, promote their services and generate more revenue,” a spokesperson for the company said. For more information visit its website.

Fuse Project welcomes Morrissette

Fuse Project announced that Ann-Brooks Morrissette has been named the nonprofit’s new planning and development manager. For the past year, Morrissette has been involved with Fuse Project as an Order of Fuse volunteer member. “We are thrilled to have Ann-Brooks assuming the role of our planning and development manager. Her past experiences with our organization will serve her well in her new role to engage development and donor relations,” Adrienne Golden, executive director of Fuse Project, said. “She will play an integral role in advancing the mission of Fuse Project by developing donor strategies and increasing fundraising opportunities.” Morrissette is a certified public accountant and most recently worked as a recruiting manager for PangeaTwo where she was responsible for recruiting accounting, finance, sales, administrative support, IT and engineering professionals for clients in the Mobile area. Morrissette graduated from The University of Alabama with a bachelor’s in commerce and business administration in 2011 and a master’s in accounting in 2012. She is a member of the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants, and is active locally with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Outback America.

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 17

FOOSACKLY’S ($)

$10/PERSON • $$ 10-25/PERSON • $$$ OVER 25/PERSON

COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE ALL SPORTS BAR & GRILL ($) 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

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

CAMMIE’S OLD DUTCH ($) MOBILE’S CLASSIC ICE CREAM SPOT 2511 Old Shell Rd. • 471-1710

CARPE DIEM ($)

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

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

GULF COAST EXPLOREUM CAFE ($) HOMEMADE SOUPS & SANDWICHES 65 Government St. • 208-6815

GUMBO SHACK ($-$$)

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

HOOTERS ($)

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

JAMAICAN VIBE ($)

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

JERSEY MIKE’S ($)

AUTHENTIC SUB SANDWICHES 7449 Airport Blvd. • 375-1820

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

CHICKEN SALAD CHICK ($)

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

CHI-TOWN DAWGZ ($) CHICAGO STYLE EATERY 1222 Hillcrest Rd. • 461-6599

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

CREAM AND SUGAR ($)

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

DAUPHIN ST. CAFE ($)

HOME COOKING 4054 Government St. • 665-4557

LICKIN’ GOOD DONUTS ($) 3242 Dauphin St. • 471-2590

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

MAMA’S ($)

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

3011 Springhill Ave. • 476-2232

MICHELI’S CAFE ($)

6358 Cottage Hill Rd. • 725-6917

MCSHARRY’S ($-$$)

HOTDOGS SANDWICHES & COOL TREATS 3371 Dauphin Island Pkwy • 300–4015

MOMMA GOLDBERG’S DELI ($)

FRESH CARIBBEAN-STYLE FOOD & CRAFT BEER 6601 Airport Blvd. • 634-3445 225 Dauphin St. • 375-1576 107 St Francis St #115 • RSA Bank Trust Building MUFFINS, COFFEE & WRAPS 105 Dauphin St. • 433-9855

NEWK’S EXPRESS CAFE ($)

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 ($)

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

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

COTTON STATE BBQ ($)

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

DICKEY’S BARBECUE PIT ($-$$)

ROYAL STREET CAFE ($)

BAKERY 5638 Three Notch Rd.• 219-6379

SATORI COFFEEHOUSE ($)

SERDA’S COFFEEHOUSE ($)

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

SIMPLY SWEET ($)

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

STEVIE’S KITCHEN ($)

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

SUGAR RUSH DONUT CO. ($) 4701 Airport Blvd. • 408-3379

SUNSET POINTE ($-$$) THE BLIND MULE ($) THE GALLEY ($)

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

THE HARBERDASHER ($)

MIKO’S ITALIAN ICE ($)

EUGENE’S MONKEY BAR ($)

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

THE WASH HOUSE ($$)

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

SOUTHERN COOKING & THEN SOME 1716 Main St. Daphne • 222-4120

O’DALYS HOLE IN THE WALL ($)

FIREHOUSE SUBS ($)

BRICK PIT ($)

BBQ, BURGERS, WINGS & SEAFOOD 19170 Hwy 43 Mt. Vernon. • 839-9927

ROYAL KNIGHT ($)

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

562 Dauphin St.• 725-6429

GROWLER STATION AND BITES 1801 Old Shell Rd. • 345-4767

PANINI PETE’S ($)

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

PAT’S DOWNTOWN GRILL ($) BAR FOOD 271 Dauphin St • 438-9585

18 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

THE PIGEON HOLE ($)

THE SUNFLOWER CAFE ($) INSIDE VIRGINIA’S HEALTH FOOD 3055 A Dauphin St • 479-3200

THYME BY THE BAY ($-$$)

33 N Section St. • Fairhope • 990-5635

TIME TO EAT CAFE ($)

DOWN-HOME COUNTRY COOKIN 7351 Theodore Dawes Rd. • 653-0228 13665 N. Wintzell Ave. • 824-1119

TIN ROOF ($-$$)

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

TP CROCKMIERS ($)

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

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

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

WEDGIE’S ($)

GOURMET GRILLED CHEESE 5955 Old Shell Rd. • 287-6134

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

CHINA DOLL ($)

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

THE TRELLIS ROOM ($$$)

BBQ AND MORE Jubilee Sq.Ctr. Hwy 90, Daphne • 210-2151 McGowin Park Ctr. Satchel Paige Dr. • 471-1050 7721 Airport Blvd. • 380-8957

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

113 Dauphin St.• 436-0989

E WING HOUSE ($)

809 Hillcrest Rd. • 634-2285

ROSIE’S GRILL ($-$$)

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

MOSTLY MUFFINS ($)

FLOUR GIRLS BAKERY ($)

2906 Springhill Ave. • 479-4614

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

DEW DROP INN ($)

15 N Conception St. • 433-2299

ROSHELL’S CAFE ($)

MARY’S SOUTHERN COOKING ($)

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

MOON PIE GENERAL STORE ($)

195 S University Blvd. Suite H • 662-1829

WRAPS & SALADS 3220 Dauphin St. • 479-2480

MARS HILL CAFE ($)

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

DONUTS, COFFEE & SANDWICHES 1976 Michigan Ave. • 442-4846 3876 Airport Blvd. • 219-7369 505 Schillinger Rd. S. • 442-4845 29160 US Hwy 98 • 621-2228

ROLY POLY ($)

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

MONTEGO’S ($-$$)

DUNKIN DONUTS ($)

SANDWICHES, SUBS & SOUPS 2056 Gov’t St. • 476-2777

VON’S BISTRO ($-$$)

BAR-B-QUING WITH MY HONEY ($$)

HOME COOKIN’ LIKE MOMMA MADE. 2804 Springhill Ave. • 473-4739

DREAMLAND BBQ ($)

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

D’ MICHAEL’S ($)

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

REGINA’S KITCHEN ($-$$)

CHARM ($-$$)

MODERN GASTROPUB INSPIRED BY JAPANESE KITCHEN 455 Dauphin St • 433-0376

TAMARA’S DOWNTOWN ($$)

JOE CAIN CAFÉ ($)

SANDWICHES & MOMMA’S LOVE 3696 Airport Blvd. • 344-9500 5602 Old Shell Rd. • 287-6556

DELISH BAKERY AND EATERY ($)

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

SAISHO ($-$$)

BACKYARD CAFE & BBQ ($)

MOE’S ORIGINAL BAR B QUE ($)

HOT LUNCH, DAILY MENU (INSIDE VIA) 1717 Dauphin St. • 470-5231 PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS, GYROS & MORE 7101-A Theodore Dawes Rd. • 653-2979

PUNTA CLARA KITCHEN ($)

‘CUE

SALLY’S PIECE-A-CAKE ($)

JUDY’S PLACE ($-$$)

CHICK-FIL-A ($)

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

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

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

JIMMY JOHN’S ($)

CLARK’S KITCHEN ($-$$)

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

POLLMAN’S BAKERY ($)

YAK THE KATHMANDU KITCHEN ($-$$)

MEAT BOSS ($)

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

CHAT-A-WAY CAFE ($)

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

HOMEMADE LUNCH & BREAKFAST 104 N. Royal St. • 434-0011

DELI FOODS, PASTRIES & SPECIALTY DRINKS 4072 Old Shell Rd. • 304-0448 SANDWICHES, SOUTHERN CUISINE & CATERING 5817 Old Shell Rd. • 343-0200

PDQ ($)

5401 Cottage Hill Rd. • 591-4842

CASUAL FINE DINING 104 N. Section St. • Fairhope • 929-2219 CONTEMPORARY SOUTHERN CUISINE Battle House Hotel, Royal St. • 338-5493 17111 Scenic HWY 98 • Point Clear • 928-4838

A LITTLE VINO DOMKE MARKET

WINE, BEER, GOURMET FOODS, & MORE. 720 Schillinger Rd. S. Unit 8 • 287-1851

FATHOMS LOUNGE

A TAPAS RESTAURANT & COCKTAILS 64 S. Water St. • 438-4000

FOOD PAK

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

POUR BABY

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

FIREHOUSE WINE BAR & SHOP

BARBEQUE & MUSIC Bayfront Park Dr. • Daphne • 625-RIBS 701 Springhill Ave. • 410-7427 4672 Airport Blvd. • 300-8516

216 St Francis St. • 421-2022

SAUCY Q BARBQUE ($)

ROYAL STREET TAVERN

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

RED OR WHITE

323A De La Mare Ave, Fairhope • 990-0003 1104 Dauphin St.. • 478-9494 LIVE MUSIC, MARTINIS & DINNER MENU. 26 N. Royal St. • 338-2000

SOUTHERN NAPA

BISTRO PLATES, CRAFT BEERS & PANTRY 2304 Main St. • 375-2800

THE VINEYARD

UPSCALE WINE BAR 9 Du Rhu Dr. S 201 • 287-7135

BAY GOURMET ($$)

FALAFEL? TRY SOME HUMMUS

BRIQUETTES STEAKHOUSE ($-$$)

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

A PREMIER CATERER & COOKING CLASSES 1880-A Airport Blvd. • 450-9051 GRILLED STEAKS, CHICKEN & SEAFOOD 720A Schillinger Rd. S. S2. • 607-7200 901 Montlimar Dr • 408-3133

CORNER 251 ($-$$)

HIGH QUALITY FOOD & DRINKS 251 Government St • 460-3157

DAUPHIN’S ($$-$$$)

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

DUMBWAITER ($$-$$$)

SERVING LOCAL SEAFOOD & PRODUCE 167 Dauphin St. • 458-9573

CHUCK’S FISH ($$)

SEAFOOD AND SUSHI 551 Dauphin St.• 219-7051

7 SPICE ($-$$)

THAI KITCHEN & SUSHI BAR 960 Schillinger Rd. S • 660-4470 3966 Airport Blvd.• 343-5530

CUISINE OF INDIA ($$) LUNCH BUFFET 3674 Airport Blvd. • 341-6171

FUJI SAN ($)

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

GOLDEN BOWL ($)

HIBACHI GRILL & ASIAN CUISINE 309 Bel Air Blvd • 470-8033

HIBACHI 1 ($-$$)

2370 Hillcrest Rd. Unit B • 380-6062

ICHIBAN SUSHI ($)

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

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

LIQUID ($$)

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

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

ROCK N ROLL SUSHI ($$)

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

SAISHO ($$)

6455 Dauphin St. • 433-0376

STIX ($$)

610240 Eastern Shore Blvd. • 621-9088

TASTE OF THAI ($$)

9091 US-90 Irvington • 957-1414

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

WASABI SUSHI ($$)

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

FROM THE DEPTHS

ABBA’S MEDITERRANEAN CAFE ($-$$)

BAUDEAN’S ($$)

ISTANBUL GRILL ($)

THE BLUEGILL ($-$$)

4861 Bit & Spur Rd. • 340-6464

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

JERUSALEM CAFE ($-$$)

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

KAN ZAMAN ($-$$)

MEDITERRANEAN FOOD AND HOOKAH 326 Azalea Rd • 229-4206

MEDITERRANEAN SANDWICH COMPANY ($)

FRIED, GRILLED, STEAMED & ALWAYS FRESH 3300 River Rd. • 973-9070 A HISTORIC SEAFOOD DIVE W/ LIVE MUSIC 3775 Hwy. 98 • 625-1998

BONEFISH GRILL ($$)

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

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

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

FIVE ($$)

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

KITCHEN ON GEORGE ($-$$)

MINT HOOKAH BISTRO ($)

FELIX’S FISH CAMP ($$)

LAUNCH ($-$$)

OLLIE’S MEDITERRANEAN GRILL ($-$$)

FISHERMAN’S LEGACY ($)

GREAT FOOD AND COCKTAILS 609 Dauphin St. • 308-3105 CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN FOOD 351A George & Savannah St. • 436-8890 HIGH QUALITY FOOD & DRINKS 251 Government St. • 432-8000

MAGHEE’S GRILL ON THE HILL ($-$$) GREAT LUNCH & DINNER 3607 Old Shell Rd. • 445-8700

NOBLE SOUTH ($$)

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

MEDITERRANEAN RESTAURANT & HOOKAH 1248 Hillcrest St • 634-9820

TAZIKI’S ($-$$)

MEDITERRANEAN CAFE 1539 US HWY 98• 273-3337

LOCAL INGREDIENTS 203 Dauphin St. • 690-6824

FAR EASTERN FARE

NOJA ($$-$$$)

4513 Old Shell Rd.• 473-0007

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

OSMAN’S RESTAURANT ($$) SUPREME EUROPEAN CUISINE 2579 Halls Mill Rd. • 479-0006

ROYAL SCAM ($$)

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

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

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

ANG BAHAY KUBO ($$)

ED’S SEAFOOD SHED ($$)

FRIED SEAFOOD SERVED IN HEFTY PORTIONS 3382 Hwy. 98 • 625-1947 UPSCALE DINING WITH A VIEW 1420 Hwy. 98 • 626-6710

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

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 ($$)

BAMBOO STEAKHOUSE ($$)

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

BANGKOK THAI ($-$$)

CAJUN KITCHEN & SEAFOOD MARKET 2005 Government St. • 478-9897

SUSHI BAR 650 Cody Rd. S • 300-8383

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

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

BENJAS ($)

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

MUDBUGS AT THE LOOP ($) RALPH & KACOO’S ($-$$) THE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT 1595 Battleship Pkwy. • 626-0045

R&R SEAFOOD ($-$$)

LAID-BACK EATERY & FISH MARKET 1477 Battleship Pkwy. • 621-8366

RIVER SHACK ($-$$)

SEAFOOD, BURGERS & STEAKS 6120 Marina Dr. • Dog River • 443-7318.

THE GRAND MARINER ($-$$) LOCAL SEAFOOD & PRODUCE 6036 Rock Point Rd. • 443-5700

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

THE SEAFOOD HOUSE ($-$$)

HEROES SPORTS BAR & GRILLE ($) SANDWICHES & COLD BEER 273 Dauphin St. • 433-4376 Hillcrest & Old Shell Rd. • 341-9464

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

ISLAND WING CO ($)

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

751 Azalea Rd. • 301-7964

MANCIS ($)

TIN TOP RESTAURANT & OYSTER BAR ($$)

MCSHARRY’S IRISH PUB ($)

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

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

IS THE GAME ON?

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

BAUMHOWER’S ($)

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

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

1715 Main St. • 375-0543

GUIDO’S ($$)

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

HOUSE OF PIZZA ($)

3958 Snow Rd C. • Semmes • 645-3400

LA ROSSO ($$)

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

MACARONI GRILL ($$)

SMALL PLATES, PIZZAS, PASTAS & WINE 3250 Airport Blvd. • 450-4556

MARCOS ($)

BRILLIANT REUBENS & FISH-N-CHIPS. 101 N. Brancroft St. Fairhope • 990-5100

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

MUG SHOTS ($$)

MELLOW MUSHROOM ($)

BAR & GRILL 29740 Urgent Care Dr. • Daphne • 662-9639 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 ($)

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

MIRKO ($$)

PASTA & MORE 9 Du Rhu Dr. • 340-6611

NAVCO PIZZA ($$)

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

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

PAPA’S PLACE ($$)

MAMA MIA!

PINZONE’S ITALIAN VILLAGE ($$)

BUCK’S PIZZA ($$)

DELIVERY 350 Dauphin St. • 431-9444

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

GAMBINO BROTHERS ($) HOMEMADE PASTAS & SANDWICHES 873 Hillcrest Ave. • 344-8115

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

A TASTE OF ITALY. BYOB. 28691 U.S. Highway 98 • 626-1999 AUTHENTIC ITALIAN DISHES 312 Fairhope Ave. • Fairhope • 990-5535

RAVENITE ($)

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

PIZZERIA DELFINA ($) PIZZA & PASTA 107 Dauphin St. • 375-1644

ROMA CAFE ($-$$)

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

ROMANO’S MACARONI GRILL ($$) 3250 Airport Blvd. Springdale Mall• 450-4556

TAMARA’S BAR & GRILL ($)

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

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

VIA EMILIA ($$)

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

OLÉ MI AMIGO ($-$$)

HEARTY MEXICAN FARE 736 holcombe Ave.• 473-0413

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

POOR MEXICAN ($)

OLÉ MI AMIGO!

ROOSTER’S ($)

TASTE OF MEXICO 5452 Hwy 90 W • 661-5509

TAQUERIA MEXICO ($-$$)

AZTECAS ($-$$)

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 Ok Bicycle Shop • 661 Dauphin St. • 432-2453

EL MARIACHI ($)

763 Holcombe Ave • 473-0413

FUEGO ($-$$)

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

HACIENDA SAN MIGUEL ($-$$) TASTE OF MEXICO 880 Schillinger Rd. S. • 633-6122 5805 US 90 • 653-9163

LA COCINA ($)

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

LOS ARCOS ($)

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

3050 AL 181 • Spanish Fort • 621-7433 LATIN AMERICAN FOOD 211 Dauphin St. • 375-1076 AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FLAVOR 3733 Airport Blvd. • 414-4496

NO GAMBLING CASINO FARE BEAU RIVAGE:

875 Beach Blvd. Biloxi • 888-952-2582

BR PRIME ($$-$$$)

FINE DINING ESTABLISHMENT.

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

IP CASINO:

850 Bayview Ave. Bilox • 888-946-2847

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

TIEN ($-$$)

INTERACTIVE ASIAN DINING

HIGH TIDE CAFÉ ($)

CASUAL & RELAXING, EXTENSIVE MENU

ISLAND VIEW:

3300 W. Beach Blvd. Biloxi • 877-774-8439

BEACH BLVD STEAMER ($) SEAFOOD

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

COAST RESTAURANT ($-$$)

MIGNON’S ($$$)

BURGER, WINGS, PIZZA

JIA ($-$$)

PLACE BUFFET ($-$$)

STALLA ($$)

EXOTIC CUISINE AND SUSHI

STACKED GRILL ($-$$)

TERRACE CAFE ($)

TREASURE BAY:

HARD ROCK CASINO:

THE DEN ($-$$)

ITALIAN COOKING

BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER, LATE NIGHT

777 Beach Blvd.Biloxi • 877-877-6256

STEAKS, SEAFOOD, FINE WINE INTERACTIVE ASIAN DINING

BURGERS AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

1980 Beach Blvd. Biloxi • 800-747-2839 INTIMATE & CASUAL WITH DAILY SPECIALS

HALF SHELL OYSTER HOUSE ($-$$)

CQ ($$-$$$)

HARD ROCK CAFÉ ($)

BLU ($)

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE ($$$)

WIND CREEK CASINO:

SEAFOOD

AMERICAN FARE & ROCKIN’ MEMORABILIA EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE & TASTE

SATISFACTION ($-$$)

SOUTHERN FAVORITES BUFFET

HARRAH’S GULF COAST:

280 Beach Blvd. Biloxi • 288-436-2946

ELEGANT ATMOSPHERE & TANTALIZING ENTREES LOUNGE WITH COCKTAILS & TAPAS MENU

303 Poarch Rd. Atmore • 866-946-3360

FIRE ($$-$$$)

PRIME STEAKS, SEAFOOD & WINE

GRILL ($)

CONTEMPORARY & OLD-FASHIONED FAVORITES

MAGNOLIA HOUSE ($$-$$$) FINE DINING, SEAFOOD AND STEAKS

SEND LISTINGS TO LISTINGS@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 19

CUISINE THE REVIEW

Teach them you must. Help you they will. BY ANDY MACDONALD/CUISINE EDITOR | FATMANSQUEEZE@COMCAST.NET

THIS IS A HAPPY TIME IN THE MACDONALD HOUSEHOLD. WE CAN’T WAIT FOR OUR NEXT DINNER. IF I PLAY MY CARDS RIGHT I MAY ONLY HAVE TO COOK ONCE A WEEK.” either of them to butter their own toast, the next I am barking out safety precautions, quarantining the little one to the kitchen’s “danger-free zone” and checking to make sure the fire extinguisher is fully charged. This is a dream come true, as glorious as the day my first born asked me to throw the football instead of me pleading. This is almost as proud a moment as when my second born scored multiple goals in a single soccer game. This is better than a straight-A report card but don’t tell them. Having both of my kids interested in cooking has filled me with such joy that I feel compelled to share it with you. To get into this story you must understand the three subjects. First we have Lucas. Lucas is 11 going on 19; he’s read more books than I did by age 25, a budding musician and one of the smartest guys I know. I’m not just saying that. Graham just turned 7. He’s street smart, a bit of a comedian and a total ladies’ man with great timing. Last and certainly least is myself. I’m a bit of a jackass-of-all-trades but I love to play music and cook. I’ve actually done both of these things for a very long time. Before I was old enough for piano lessons I believed I was Elvis. But this is a food column so we won’t follow that thread any further. I was also into cooking, sort of. I remember making my own oatmeal one morning so as to not wake the parents. The water from the tap wasn’t hot enough so I

20 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

Photo | Facebook

t hasn’t been an issue until now. The boys have not expressed an interest in cooking over the past few years, but all of a sudden they are begging to get into the kitchen. I have no idea what brought this on. I cook maybe three or four meals per week during our three days of “man time” so why do they now desire to work alongside me? This is not a complaint in any form. I’m ecstatic. It’s just that it came out of nowhere. One minute I couldn’t get

The Cookery in Mobile encourages children in the art, science and gift of cooking. After-school classes start at $60. I seen either eat zucchini willingly until that gem came along. placed my bowl of gruel in front of a rinky-dink space heater Cranking out vegetable “pasta” was fun for a while, but we on a chilly morning and waited. And waited. No part of the oathaven’t overdone it with the gadget traps. meal was the least bit warm, save the side of the bowl, but I ate None of these methods ever set the boys on fire for cooking. it with pride because I’d made it myself. It’d be another year Then out of the blue a couple of weeks ago Graham announced before we were introduced to the magic of the microwave. that he wanted to be a chef. He didn’t giggle. He didn’t joke I won’t romanticize my childhood and tell you the “I about it. We played along and he kept talking about it. Next learned to cook standing on a chair next to my grandma” bit. thing you know he’s on a stool standing beside me and learning That old chestnut has been done to death. I’m just saying I to boil his own pasta. had an interest. I still have my “Peanuts He picked out the pasta. He read the Lunch Bag Cook Book” originally printed directions. He decided there would be no in 1970, years — maybe decades — before sauce, but instead a delicate sprinkling of my birth. It has a recipe and one of Charles Parmesan cheese (grated, of course, he’d Schultz’s cartoons on every opposing page. not stand for that powdery junk from the There is also the “Official Star Trek THIS IS BETTER THAN pizza parlors) would top his dish. Cooking Manual” that appeared from God A STRAIGHT-A REPORT The following week I cooked a frittata. knows where. It’s a bit racially divided Lucas loved it so much he had to learn to with Helmsman Sulu’s Chinese Walnut CARD BUT DON’T TELL make his own. As tired as I was of eggs, Chicken, Ensign Chekov’s Borscht and of my feeling of pride that he wanted to cook course Engineering Officer Scott’s (Scotty) THEM. HAVING BOTH OF for us overcame my fatigued palate and we Pot Haggis. These are really complicated MY KIDS INTERESTED had frittatas two nights in a row. His was recipes that no child should attempt and filled with shrimp, onion, red bell pepper, I’m still scratching my head as to how IN COOKING HAS FILLED sausage, spinach and leftover cod. The this came to be in my possession, but it’s onion was my only demand as Graham and a pretty good cookbook whether you’re ME WITH SUCH JOY THAT I told him he had to learn to love it. The traveling the final frontier or not. I FEEL COMPELLED TO taste was restaurant-worthy but the presenLater in my life someone, intending to tation suffered as a little of the center stuck inspire a future Lucas to cook with his dad, SHARE IT WITH YOU. to the skillet. gave me “The Star Wars Cookbook.” The This is a happy time in the MacDonintroduction begins, “Consider, young Jedi: ald household. We can’t wait for our next Why bake a plain old cookie when you can dinner. If I play my cards right I may only have to cook once bake a super-Chewie Wookie Cookie?” a week. To keep the ball rolling we have enrolled Graham in Yes, answer that. Why? after-school classes at The Cookery, a culinary experience for With creations like Yoda Soda, Han-burgers and Boba Fettsous-chefs ages 6 and up. Check them out at www.thecookeryuccine you can imagine that I have used this one as leverage to mobile.com. shut off the video games and get the boys into the kitchen. It’s Lucas is continuing his home education under my watchful been helpful having this book around because they just can’t say eye. If you want to join in the fun, I have a recipe for Obino to some of the recipe names, and they become so excited. Wan Kebabs. But these moments have been fleeting. There was a bit of Use the fork, Luke. participation when Catherine got them a Spiralizer. Never have

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 21

CUISINE | THE BEER PROFESSOR

Get your Irish up! BY TOM WARD/COLUMNIST

WORD OF MOUTH

Downtown Cajun Cook-Off returns Saturday BY ANDY MACDONALD/CUISINE EDITOR

It’s time for the 3rd annual Downtown Cajun Cook-Off this Saturday, March 18, at Cathedral Square. If you ever attend one of these you won’t miss another. More than 20 teams will be cooking up a storm and competing for bragging rights while you, the ticket holder, get to reap the benefits — tasting their creations, listening to live music and enjoying a cold beverage. The fun begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at www.cacmobile. org for $13 (advance) or $15 (day of the event). Grab an advance pair at Bugmaster locations, Mellow Mushroom (Midtown and Old Shell locations), and Moe’s Original Bar B Que downtown. Proceeds will benefit the Child Advocacy

is Beamish. More bitter than either Murphy’s or Guinness, Beamish is only available in Ireland. When I lived there, its main selling point was that it was always priced 30 pence (about 50 cents) cheaper than its two rivals, giving rise to the saying, “Beamish at the end of the month!” If you don’t like stout (?!?) but still want to celebrate the holiday and avoid green beer (which you most definitely should, for a whole host of reasons, including the fact that green beer is an American, not Irish, tradition), there are a number of great options for you to enjoy. Smithwick’s (pronounced SMIT-icks) — which actually predates Guinness, having been brewed in Ireland since 1710 — is a deep red ale that is surprisingly light tasting, especially to those of us who have gotten used to the American ales and IPAs put out by craft brewers here. It is excellent and worth a taste. Harp is a pale European lager brewed by Guinness since the 1960s. It is tasty but not distinctive. If you like Stella Artois or Heineken, you will like Harp. Another way to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day is to partake in the long tradition of mixing Irish beers. The most famous combinations are the “Black and Tan,” a combination of stout and ale, and the “Half and Half,” a combination of lager and stout (usually Guinness and Harp), with the lager on the bottom and the stout sitting on top. McSharry’s Irish Pub in Fairhope — which has Guinness, Harp and Smithwick’s on tap — actually has an entire menu of different beer combinations you can try, including creative concoctions such as the “Black Velvet” (Guinness and Angry Orchard Cider) and their “Special,” Fat Tire Ale with a Guinness head. Sláinte!

Center. It’s a wonderful event and a great way to start your Saturday before you hit the next event (see below).

Callaghan’s starts the party Friday

What would St. Paddy’s Day be without a little bit of Callaghan’s in your life? Of course Callaghan’s is famous for its burgers but may be more famous for its annual street party! This year the fun begins Friday night with live music from Peek and the Modern Eldorados. The gloves come off Saturday afternoon with live music all day. You may have to fight your way through the streets to get to the front door. Hey, it’ll be worth it. Make sure you get in the picture. Check out other St. Paddy’s events in this week’s music feature.

Bun-D opens downtown

I’ve had friends try these restaurants

22 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

Photo | Smithwick’s

t. Patrick’s Day is upon us again, and there’s never a shortage of opportunities in and around Mobile to get your Irish up. The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick parade and the annual street party hosted by Callahan’s are Mobile traditions. There are numerous other opportunities on both sides of the bay to celebrate your Irish heritage, no matter where you’re from. There is perhaps nothing more Irish than a Guinness stout, brewed at St. James’s Gate in Dublin since 1759. The “black stuff’ is certainly the most identifiable Irish brew, with its distinctive creamy head and roasted malt taste. While traditionally found in Irish pubs in the United States, Guinness is now readily available at most bars that have any beer selection at all. It is easily found on tap in bars in our area, as well as in bottles and cans at local grocery stores. If you don’t get your Guinness on draft, make sure to pour it into a glass, rather than drinking it straight from the bottle, to make sure you get that distinctive head. While certainly the most recognizable Irish stout, Guinness is not the only beer from the Emerald Isle you should try. When I was a young beer professor (actually no more than a beer lecturer at that time), I lived in Cork, on Ireland’s south coast. The second largest city in the Republic, Cork boasts two historic breweries of its own. Murphy’s — the “Stout of the South” — is very similar to Guinness, but many people (including myself) find it to be a bit tastier, richer with hints of chocolate. It is available in the U.S. on tap (almost exclusively in Irish pubs) and in cans, but is not nearly as widely available as the ubiquitous Guinness. The third traditional Irish stout, brewed in Cork since 1792,

SMITHWICK’S (PRONOUNCED SMIT-ICKS) IS A DEEP RED IRISH ALE THAT ACTUALLY PREDATES GUINNESS, HAVING FIRST BEEN BREWED IN 1710.

overseas, but Mobile is the first city in the Southeast U.S. to have its own Bun-D. Located at 1 S. Royal St. in the old Compass Bank Building, this sure-to-be hotspot is famous for its smoothies, salads, pitas and breakfast items. Keep an eye on this one.

Thanks, Sip and Chew

If you’re looking to hear the local food news live, raw and unfiltered, look no further than “Sip and Chew with Mike and Stu” on WNSP 106.5 FM Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. This past Sunday I was fortunate enough to be a guest on this show, as our pal Stu was enjoying some much-needed R&R on a camping trip. Nothing on air is more thrilling than live call-ins, and at some point our conversation turned to local oysters. There seemed to be some concern as to

why they are more expensive and harder to come by than other oysters. The short answer to this two-parter is a) they are in big demand because they are spectacular and b) people outside of our area are paying more for them than we would. Just a few hours later, I ran into Bob and Hunter Omainsky of Wintzell’s Oyster House who confirmed my point. It seems the Mardi Gras season put a damper on them getting premium local oysters but the highly coveted jewels of our coastline will be back on the menu shortly. I’ll shout it from the rooftops as soon as I know we can have these daily. I’m proud so many are coming here in search of oysters, but don’t make me catch a ride out of state to get them. Save some for us! Happy St. Patrick’s Day, and Happy Birthday, Catmac! Recycle!

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 23

COVER STORY

Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival weekend is a rite of spring BY JANE NICHOLES/REPORTER

ebaron Heathcoe is a retired boilermaker from was not prepared to name, will receive a percentage of Axis who creates articulated fish and an occasional the profits. alligator out of copper. “We’ve always had a great time working together and Stewart Rein is a photographer from Las Vegas putting the show together. This also gives them the opporwho prints landscapes and city scenes on paper, canvas, tunity to take some ownership in it, too,” English said. metal, note cards and tempered glass cutting boards. Nearly 350 artists and craftspeople from here to They are two of the hundreds of artists and craftspeoCalifornia will participate in both shows Friday through ple who will show their work in the 65th Fairhope Arts Sunday. and Crafts Festival and the Eastern Shore Art Center’s Heathcoe, 61, a native of Mobile County, was a career Spring Outdoor Art Show this weekend. boilermaker who now creates bowls, wall hangings, One of the best-known events of its kind in the Southsculptures and articulated fish and other creatures, all east, the two shows fill much of downtown Fairhope under the name Azalea City Copper. with paintings, pottery, jewelry and art pieces you never “My mom wanted me to make a copper trellis for her. thought of until you saw them under a tent. It’s a destinaI built that one, and she wanted some other things made tion event for tourists and an annual event for locals who out of copper. That’s how I got interested in doing copper come out to see what’s new. work,” Heathcoe said. This year’s format remains the same, but the festival’s That was about 20 years ago. “It’s just the workability organizational structure has changed. In the past, a of it and things I could do with it. Friends of mine would committee of volunteers worked with the Eastern Shore ask me to make something for them, some kind of little Chamber of Commerce, but now articulation device or a wind chime the committee has formed a nonor a mobile or something. I just kept profit federal 501(c)(3) foundation doing that.” called the Fairhope Arts and Crafts Copper is expensive but availFestival Foundation. able. Heathcoe said he’ll use ONE OF THE BEST-KNOWN The foundation will use a porrecycled copper if possible, and if EVENTS OF ITS KIND IN THE tion of the event’s proceeds for not he buys sheets locally from a scholarships and donations to nonroofing company. SOUTHEAST, THE TWO SHOWS profit groups “all promoting the arts He retired from Mitternight BoilFILL MUCH OF DOWNTOWN in Fairhope,” said Laura English, er Works in Satsuma in 2013. Just the festival’s co-chairman. before he retired, he took a copper FAIRHOPE WITH PAINTINGS, “The show has been going on art class in Grass Valley, California, POTTERY, JEWELRY AND ART for 65 years and it has always with David Burns. That was his first been a volunteer-run organizaformal art training. PIECES YOU NEVER THOUGHT tion, and we’ve always worked in Last year was his first year at the OF UNTIL YOU SAW THEM partnership with the Eastern Shore Fairhope festival, and he’s also done Chamber of Commerce.” shows in Ocean Springs, Orange UNDER A TENT. The foundation has a new workBeach, Birmingham and Gulf ing arrangement with the chamber Breeze, Florida. and city of Fairhope. “We just kind of did a little bit of Heathcoe’s most unusual piece? “I did an articulated an internal structure change and our volunteers are runalligator and I sold it to a gentleman in Louisiana. He ning the show. Part of that allows us to put things back had a spot on the back porch where he was hanging it.” into the show and into the community,” she said. The articulated fish “swim just fine” in high winds Neither the artists nor visitors should notice much of a and wet weather, Heathcoe said. change, English said. Rein, on the other hand, has been all over Europe All profits went to the chamber in the past, but the shooting landscapes and cityscapes which he prints on volunteers are from the Fairhope area while the chamber various surfaces under the name Stewart Rein Phoencompasses Daphne and Spanish Fort as well, English tography. He and his wife, Lill, didn’t actually travel said. They will work together on how proceeds are alto Fairhope straight from Las Vegas, but rather were located and distributed. visiting friends in South Carolina earlier in the week and Two college scholarships will be given to Eastern planned to come to Alabama from there. Shore art students and two organizations, which she Rein said he likes to document historic places from

24 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

Europe to downtown Mobile. Mobile’s historic districts offer great walking breaks after days of traveling, he said. “It’s a very beautiful city, so we do keep going back.” “We got the information about Fairhope, and it looked like a very well organized show and a big show,” he said. The couple has some new equipment to try out and decided to start their spring show season earlier than usual. The cutting boards and prints on metal have proved more popular than Rein anticipated. The cutting boards usually sell out. “It astounds us that it’s received such a great reception. It’s been amazing, to say the least,” he said. Overall, 40 percent to 45 percent of this year’s participants will be new, English said. The festival has joined ZAPP (www.zapplication.org), a website that allows artists and fine-craftspeople to apply to multiple shows and put their work online for juries to review. “Artists can go to one place and book their whole year,” she said. The move allowed more artists to learn about the Fairhope show, and overall applications were up “quite a bit.” For children, the Coldwell Banker Reehl Properties is again sponsoring a creative area, located in front of Greer’s Market on Section Street, where they can create a piece of artwork. “We have different artists who will come and work with the children,” English said. There will be one overall piece of art on which all can work that will eventually be displayed somewhere in Fairhope. Eastern Shore high schools and middle schools are given large boards with which to compete in an art competition. Festival artists judge the competition at their dinner on Friday night. Winners receive donations to their arts programs. This year’s theme is “what’s old is new,” English said. One other change in this year’s festival is actually a return. The entertainment stage was moved last year to the Faulkner State Community College campus, but this year it’s returning to the traditional location in the Regions Bank parking lot. The problem wasn’t with Faulkner; rather, the flow of people to the campus and back to the heart of the festival didn’t work, said Liz Thompson, director of tourism and special events for the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce. “Having it further away from the four corners of the festival just didn’t work out logistically,” she said.

COVER STORY

Photos | Denise Curtis, Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce

The Outdoor Art Show has a new feature this year that is child friendly. Called Fairhopia, it seeks to teach children about sustainability through exhibits and take-home projects. Expected participants include Mobile Baykeeper, the Alabama Coastal Foundation, the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center, the Master Gardeners, Alabama 4-H, FEEF and the Pelican’s Nest. Fairhopia will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday on Equality Street. Parents are asked to bring reusable bags to tote projects home.

If you’re going...

Just about all the information you need — times, directions, artists lists, food vendors, parking and shuttle buses — can be found at www.fairhopeartsandcraftsfestival.com or www.esartcenter.org/our-events/outdoor-artshow/. General hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The festival, outdoor art show and Fairhopia are free. Parking is free at shopping centers along Greeno Road, where you can pick up a BRATS shuttle bus to the festival for $2 each way. Leashed, well-behaved pets are welcome, but keep them away from the art. If you’re new to the festival, here are a few tips. Do not leave your house or hotel room without comfortable walking shoes and sunscreen, a hat or both. Between the festival and the outdoor art show, you’re going to be doing a lot of walking, and more walking if you park somewhere other than the BRATS

shuttle stops on Greeno Road. Take your time. You cannot hope to see everything in an hour. The festival sprawls over several city blocks. Stroll. Take a food break. Make a day of it. Check out all the food vendors before you make your lunch selection, lest you see something you wish you were eating instead. Also check out nonprofits such as churches or a certain high school football team that may be trying to raise money. Restaurants are open, too. Likewise, unless you fall in love with a particular item on the spot, look at all the exhibitors first, then decide what you want to buy. Avoid the disappointment of finding a piece of pottery you like better on the other side of the festival. If you have children along, visit the children’s activity area in front of Greer’s Market, and be on the lookout for child-friendly attractions such as the antique fire engine at the museum. With exhibitors lining the streets, you can miss a block’s worth of art if you aren’t paying attention to where you are and where you’ve already been. You don’t have to do it all in one day, unless you’ve waited until Sunday. It’s free. Go home, think some more about that painting you liked. Come back and get it the next day. Pick up exhibitor business cards. You’ll remember who you purchased something from. Or, you may want to visit a website later to see what else is available or to order something you wish you had bought while you were there.

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 25

ART ARTIFICE

MMoA shows cut to Dixie’s heart BY KEVIN LEE/ARTS EDITOR/KLEE@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

erhaps no other region in the United States mythologizes its past with the reverence found in the South. Central to the veneration are natives’ “sense of place,” which permeates their art and worldview. That same feeling runs through the trio of new exhibits at the Mobile Museum of Art, installed specifically to commemorate Alabama 200, the state’s bicentennial celebration. Each carries its own piece of a larger sentiment but remains unique and accessible all the same. At Southern identity’s core is a relationship to its natural world. Rene Culler’s glass installation spawned by the Mobile-Tensaw Delta cuts right to that bond. It lines an upstairs gallery dominated by a window of translucent glass 40 feet long and 16 feet high. The window itself serves as a canvas, a backdrop where Culler hung numerous sheets depicting the abundant variety of delta fauna drawn, painted and printed in vitreous enamel. At the window’s base, slumped glass symbolizing the Delta’s ubiquitous waters ribbon through the installation’s most breathtaking element. Culler’s tall blown pieces representing the delta’s grasses are exquisite fluid and bent forms that seem to supplely wave in some undetected breeze. The year Culler spent in research and creation is apparent. What’s amazing is that she turned out something this extensive within the constraints of that time frame. Good thing it will be in place for a year. The largest of the new shows is “Christenberry: In Alabama,” a look at the work and life of one of the state’s most iconic visual artists. Comprising more than 90 pieces, the exhibit takes up much of the first floor, and for good reason. It was assembled from collections at Auburn

University, the University of Alabama and the University of South Alabama in addition to museums in Birmingham, Huntsville and Montgomery. A native of the Alabama Black Belt, William Christenberry spent his formative years in Tuscaloosa and Hale counties and its impression embedded deeply in his psyche. He earned a bachelor’s degree at The University of Alabama in the 1950s, developed his reputation in New York City, then began teaching at the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, D.C. Initially an abstract expressionist, his background pushed forward into his artistic consciousness. Before long, he began regular visits to his ancestral home to recharge his creative batteries, drawing more and more from the inner and outer landscape of his youth. All of that is here. His lineage and relations stand watch in cross-stitch and embroidery on the walls, a collection of calendars marked with dates of personal significance, homemade family trees and other heirlooms. There are tales of his ancestors’ creativity, obvious genetic traits that flowered in him. Also recreated is the artist’s noted collection of signs plucked from rural environs, the ephemera of a bygone world. Gourds, church signs, feed signs, soft drink and snuff brands, some bearing the obligatory rusted pockmarks of long-ago gunshot. In a creative yet symbolic move, viewers are kept at a respectable distance by a barrier filled with red soil common to the region Christenberry cherished. The vast display of his photography is familiar. All the iconography, the decaying buildings, the kudzu, the forlorn past are there in abundance. What this viewer found most

Updated Shakespeare comedy at JJP

26 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

Choral concert for Lent

INITIALLY AN ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST, HIS BACKGROUND PUSHED FORWARD INTO HIS ARTISTIC CONSCIOUSNESS. BEFORE LONG, HE BEGAN REGULAR VISITS TO HIS ANCESTRAL HOME TO RECHARGE HIS CREATIVE BATTERIES, DRAWING MORE AND MORE FROM THE INNER AND OUTER LANDSCAPE OF HIS YOUTH.” Jared Ragland focus on subject matter tangential to Christenberry’s but with variations. There’s the same sense of place, of rural connection or time’s passage, but with fresher sensibilities. Jenny Fine’s dioramas stand out in their boldness and — combined with her essay on that staple of the Southern holiday table, the Jell-O mold — convey a wry perspective that buoys the overall show. Refreshing are the nebulous and abstract entries in Zach McCauley’s group, which reach mostly because they reach beyond expectation. The departure from the rustic is a nice counterbalance. The continuum from the ancient through the future is a full arc perfect for the momentous year. It’s another sure sign the museum’s outlook remains as bright as its glass foyer.

On Sunday, March 19 at 6 p.m., the Greater Mobile Bay Area Choral Society, along with members of the Spring Hill College Chorale, will present “Lenten Remembrance,” a special concert acknowledging the contributions and gifts of the departed who gave to their communities, families and lives. A special nod will be given to those in military service. The concert’s main masterwork will be Franz Schubert’s Mass in G. A massed choir is to be joined by a small chamber instrumental ensemble. This free performance is open to the public and will be presented at St. Joseph Chapel on the campus of Spring Hill College. For more information, contact Artistic Director Terry D. Maddox at 251-434-9325 or tmaddox@gspcmobile.org.

Locals advance in National Science Bowl

On March’s first weekend, middle school students from St. Ignatius Catholic School won the regional competition for the 2017 National Science Bowl and will advance to compete in the national finals in Washington, D.C. The finals will be held April 27 to May 1 for both middle school and high school students. The top 16 high school teams and top 16 middle school teams will win $1,000 for their schools’ science departments. Last year’s top high school team won a nine-day trip to Alaska while the second-place group won a five-day tour of national parks. More than 14,000 students participate annually in the competition. It is managed by the United States Department of Energy’s Office of Sciences. Congrats to the young Impalas and best of luck in the nation’s capital!

ARTSGALLERY

The Joe Jefferson Players have put a more modern twist on one of Shakespeare’s best comedies in their new rendition of “Much Ado About Nothing.” The zany tale — set in contemporary Mobile against the backdrop of Mardi Gras — matches the madcap oeuvre of the season. Through scuttlebutt, Benedick and Beatrice are tricked into confessing mutual love, while Hero and Claudio are manipulated into a breakup at the altar. To patch up things, further machinations build along with the hilarity. The play runs March 17 through April 2 at the playhouse located at 11 S. Carlen St. in Mobile. Friday and Saturday curtain is at 8 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $10 to $20. For more information, call 251-471-1534 or go to joejeffersonplayers.com.

intriguing are his more personal interpretations — the dream buildings, a lantern, a tornado table, the paintings — where the information available to all is digested, then reshaped by his singular vision. The show departs in June. While Christenberry’s exhibit is more anchored in the past, “Contemporary Alabama Photography” takes some of the same elements and examines them through fresh eyes. Richard McCabe, the curator of photography at New Orleans’ Ogden Museum of Southern Art, assembled the show and achieved a good smattering of tones and voices in a show that will remain through August. Of the 11 artists represented, Pinky M/M Bass’ installation seems most closely related to Christenberry’s exhibit, chiefly for its obvious look backward. Born of her fears of age’s frailties, it blends sewn garments with historical photos and books printed in years long past. Other artists such as April Dobbins, Celestia Morgan, Patrick Owen and

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 27

MUSIC

FEATURE

Get ready to shamrock out! BY STEPHEN CENTANNI/MUSIC EDITOR/SCENTANNI@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

Photo | Facebook | Sweet Crude

New Orleans band Sweet Crude will be capping off a two-day St. Patrick’s block party at Callaghan’s Irish Social Club, which hosts one of the largest and most popular in the area.

ver the years, local St.

Patrick’s Day celebrations

have become just as epic and decadent as any day during Mardi Gras. Irish pubs and local watering holes alike

have established traditional festivities that pack their interiors and exteriors with green-clad revelers imbibing whiskey and green beer. In addition to festive libations, great musical entertainment is a must for any local St. Paddy’s Day celebration. A number of venues, stretching from the Eastern Shore to north Mobile County, have lined up a number of great performers to provide background music for this annual wave of St. Paddy’s Day parties.

Considering the wealth of options, locals may want to consider a musical pub crawl through Mobile and Baldwin counties, which is totally plausible in this golden age of online ride-sharing apps. For decades, Callaghan’s Irish Social Club in the Oakleigh Garden District has prided itself on having one of the area’s largest and most popular St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. The Callaghan’s observance has grown so big that owners John Thompson and Richie Sherer have been forced to expand this annual event into a two-day block party. Callaghan’s will open its doors on March 17 with “traditional” Irish music followed by sets from two local favorites. PEEK will provide a performance filled with both original songs and crowd favorites. The Modern Eldorados will finish day one with their mix of old-school country and rockabilly. Day two of the Callaghan’s street party kicks off Saturday, March 18, with the band A Drunker Shade of Green, whose raucous take on traditional Irish sounds (called “pub-core”) should refresh anyone weary from the previous day’s activities. Next, The Mulligan Brothers’ modern Americana will ease the crowd into the afternoon. Paw Paw’s Medicine Cabinet will be up next. This band’s homegrown “indie Southern pop” should satisfy seasoned fans and new ones alike. Finally, Sweet Crude will use its mix of Acadian and indie pop to serenade the crowd through the evening. O’Daly’s Irish Pub will be the Lower Dauphin Street epicenter for the day’s festivities. This local pub takes great pride in its own two-day St. Paddy’s Day celebration, beginning with “Kegs ‘n’ Eggs” at 6 a.m. on March 17. That evening, Flow Tribe from New Orleans will take the stage with adrenalized Crescent City funk. The Phunky Monkeys also will be visiting from the Big Easy with party favorites that have made them a hit from Bourbon Street to the West Bank. Finally, Mobile band Yeah, Probably will begin a two-night run at O’Daly’s, with “funk, jazz, soul and pop to create a new sound that is sure to grab your attention” — and be featured on

28 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

the band’s upcoming EP. O’Daly’s will give Mobilians a break before reviving the party the next day with its annual Green Dress Run followed by an after party that promises to be just as memorable as the previous night’s. New Breed Brass Band will travel from New Orleans with a batch of Big Easy brass. Local party phenomenon The Tip Tops will make an almost obligatory appearance. From Motown to Michael Jackson, this group has a reputation for bringing a party everywhere they go. Yeah, Probably will finish the weekend with a late-night set. Those venturing into LoDa should not limit their St. Paddy’s Day pit stop to O’Daly’s. A number of other local establishments will be celebrating the day with music. Cathedral Square Gallery will attract crowds to their eclectic surroundings with green sangria and music from Bayou Rhythm, talented local musicians who pull from a repertoire of early 20th century jazz. On Joachim Street, Alchemy Tavern will rock St. Paddy’s into the late night with a performance from Super Bob. A regular visitor to the Azalea City, this D.C. outfit’s electrifying live show and original sound have earned it a number of dedicated local fans. Lucky Irish Pub & Grill opened in the former location of Paddy O’Toole’s, which was home to one of Mobile’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day parties. Lucky is continuing the tradition with Lucky Fest at both its Airport Boulevard and Saraland locations. Lucky Fest will bring a huge tent to its parking lot on Airport Boulevard with a lineup of great music courtesy of The Band U.S., the Marion Mena Band and D.J. Lynch. Infant Richard & the Delta Stones will keep the crowd on their feet into the evening with a set of homegrown music. At Lucky’s Saraland location, The Red Clay Strays will be in charge of the St. Patrick’s Day soundtrack. Their set of country soul and Southern rock should be a great preview of their set at SouthSounds 2017.

Dority’s Bar & Grill is giving the public a good reason to make the trip to Dauphin Island for St. Patrick’s Day 2017. This beachside establishment will take on the moniker O’Dority’s for its St. Patrick’s Day Fest on March 18. Lee Yankie & the Hellz Yeah will revive anyone hungover from the previous day’s activities. Yankie and his crew will win the crowd with their impressive, energetic jams. Next, Phil & Foster will take the stage with a down-home collection of old-school folk and country standards. With their combined experience and talent, Phil & Foster might give the crowd a new take on traditional Celtic songs. Gulf Coast blues and soul diva Lisa Mills will headline. Since returning from her annual run of European dates, Mills has been getting her Gulf Coast fix with numerous performances in the area. After making stops at all the celebrations in Mobile County, St. Paddy’s pub crawlers should head over into Baldwin County. The Old 27 Grill has built a reputation with its great burgers, serenaded bacon and musical entertainment. This Eastern Shore eatery’s St. Paddy’s gathering will feature The Leavin’ Brothers, led by songwriters Evans and Charles Davis. The Leavin’ Brothers’ rocking country should add even more flavor to Old 27’s musical bacon. Down in Gulf Shores, Big Beach Brewery will be releasing its Kiss Me I’m Irish stout and serving corned beef and cabbage plates. They’ll also be serving up the blues sounds of Big Daddy McKorkendale, and the band Strictly Isbell will be performing covers of its namesake songwriter. Obviously, die-hard St. Patrick’s Day revelers have quite a weekend ahead of them, with area establishments well stocked with green beer and fresh sounds. Ultimately, the local festivities have something for everyone. Whether you’re looking for brass, rock or covers, St. Patrick’s Day weekend will be a chance for the public to experience their favorite bands and hopefully discover some new favorites.

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 29

Beautiful offerings

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

obile’s Big Daddy Weave is considered by many to be one of the greats in the Contemporary Christian music scene. Originating at the University of Mobile, Big Daddy Weave has spent over a decade spreading its musical inspiration and releasing a number of studio albums, which has earned the band a number of Dove Awards in various categories. Currently, Big Daddy Weave is performing fan favorites

Photo | bigdaddyweave.com | Big Daddy Weave

BIG DADDY WEAVE, WE ARE MESSENGERS, ZACH WILLIAMS THURSDAY, MARCH 16, WITH DOORS AT 6 P.M. DAUPHIN WAY BAPTIST CHURCH, 3661 DAUPHIN ST., WWW.DWBC.ORG TICKETS: $20 (EARLY ENTRY, GROUP AND VIP TICKETS AVAILABLE), AVAILABLE AT WWW.TRANSPARENTPRODUCTIONS.COM as well as tracks from 2015’s “Beautiful Offerings.” Filled with emotion and inspiration, “Beautiful Offerings” features tracks appropriate for both the sanctuary and secular music venues. Before Big Daddy Weave takes the stage, two contemporary Christian groups will set the mood. Zach Williams will open the evening. This Pensacola native has found great success in the Contemporary Christian scene. His mix of rock

Lights out

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

and country is quite refreshing. The title track to his debut album “Chain Breaker” shot to the number one position across Billboard’s Christian charts. Hailing from Ireland, We Are Messengers will be delivering a spiritual memorandum to the Dauphin Way audience in time for St. Patrick’s Day. The group’s 2016 debut was released on both Curb Records and Word Records. This band has given its Christian sounds an indie pop edge.

360 degrees

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

Photo | Facebook | Luke Bryan

he Coal Miner’s Daughter is returning to the Gulf Coast. Country music icon Loretta Lynn’s contributions to modern music history make her a national treasure. Her reign as country music’s queen began in the mid-20th century and continues to this day. Lynn’s life has also been a source of inspiration for many female up-andcomers in country music. Her life story was recorded in the autobiography “Loretta Lynn: Coal Miner’s Daughter,” which was made into a successful feature-length film in 1980. Lynn found a new generation of fans with the release of her Jack White-produced album “Van Lear Rose.” Last year, she followed up that album with “Full Circle,” which earned two Grammy nominations. Featuring duets with Willie Nelson and Elvis Costello, “Full Circle” is Lynn’s successful attempt to give her listeners a look into country’s past. Her trademark delivery and selection of traditional and classic tunes demonstrates her significant contributions to country music, both past and present.

BAND: LUKE BRYAN WITH SPECIAL GUEST BRETT ELDREDGE DATE: MARCH 17-18 • VENUE: THE AMPHITHEATER AT THE WHARF, 23101 CANAL ROAD (ORANGE BEACH), WWW.ALWHARF. COM • TICKETS: $33-$286, AVAILABLE THROUGH TICKETMASTER

30 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

Photo | lorettalynn.com | Loretta Lynn

ost beach towns consider Memorial Day weekend the beginning of the vacation season, but The Amphitheater at The Wharf typically uses spring break as an excuse to start the concert season well in advance. While this venue hosts a variety of artists, it is widely known for bringing the hottest country acts on the road, such as country superstar Luke Bryan. This mainstream country artist’s scheduled performance proved so popular he decided to add an extra night. Bryan’s Kill the Lights Tour will bring out a multitude of his fans to enjoy music from his highly successful album “Kill the Lights.” Brett Eldredge joins Bryan on his two-night run at The Wharf. After the success of his 2015 release “Illinois,” Eldredge appears to be working on new material, and the single “Something I’m Good At” is a harbinger. Fans of this modern country artist might be treated to more new material during his stop in Orange Beach.

BAND: LORETTA LYNN • DATE: MARCH 17-18 VENUE: BEAU RIVAGE RESORT & CASINO, 875 BEACH BLVD. (BILOXI), WWW.BEAURIVAGE.COM TICKETS: $34.95-$49.95, AVAILABLE THROUGH TICKETMASTER

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 31

AREAMUSIC LISTINGS | March 16 - March 22

THUR. MARCH 16

Big Beach Brewing— Henry and Invisibles, 6p Bluegill— Bust Duo Blues Tavern— McNab Trio, 8:30p Cockeyed Charlie’s— JJ Fairhope Brewing— Bluegrass Jam Felix’s— Grits N Pieces Flora Bama— Tony Ray Thompson, 1p// Dublin Down, 2p/// Craig Gerdes, 4p//// Mario Mena, 5p//// Dueling Pianos, 5:30p//// JoJo Prez, 6p//// Mark Sherrill, John Joiner, Chris Newbury and Mel Knapp, 6p//// Jay Williams Duo, 9p//// Whyte Caps, 10p//// Wes Loper Duo, 10:15p//// Bobby McClendon, 10:30p Lulu’s— Adam Holy, 5p Manci’s— Mitch Johnson, 7p McSharry’s— The Lite Travelers, 7:30p Old 27 Grill— Songwriter’s Night Saenger— The Price is Right Soul Kitchen— Stars Fell on Alabama, 7:30p Tacky Jacks (Orange Beach) — Hippy Jim, 6p Wind Creek Casino— Clay Underwood, 8p

Swing Syndicate, 8p Moe’s BBQ (Foley) — Jason Justice Moe’s BBQ (Mobile) — Andrew and Bryan Ayers, 6:30p O’Daly’s— Gene Murrell,Tony Edwards and David White, 10p Old 27 Grill— Leavin Brothers, 6:30p Soul Kitchen— Stars Fell on Alabama, Donny Brewer & Dock Ro, 7:30p Tacky Jacks (Gulf Shores)— Alexa Burroughs, 5:30p Tacky Jacks (Orange Beach) — Jessie Howell, 6p Traders— The Lucky Doggs The Wharf— Luke Bryan Wind Creek Casino— Clay Underwood, 9p

SAT. MARCH 18

Beau Rivage— Loretta Lynn, 8p Big Beach Brewing— DieDra Ruff, 6:30p Bluegill— Rodger Fleshman, 12p// Jason Justice & Hung Jury, 6p Blues Tavern— Halfway Show & Band, 9p Callaghan’s— Mulligan Brothers, Sweet Crude, Paw Paw’s Medicine Cabinet Cockeyed Charlie’s— Jordan FRI. MARCH 17 Bramblett Alchemy— Super Bob, 7p Fairhope Brewing— Rondale All Sports Bar & Billiards— and the Kit Katz DJ Markie Mark, 10p Felix’s— Blind Dog Mike Beau Rivage— Loretta Lynn, 8p Flora Bama— Wes Loper Duo, Big Beach Brewing— Big 1p// Jay Hawkins Trio, 2p/// Rebecca Daddy McKorkendale, 2p// Stickily Barry and Bust, 2p//// Brittany Savannah, 6:30 Grimes, 4p//// Adam Brown, 5p//// Bluegill— LeeYankie, 12p// Blind Jack Robertson Show, 5:30p//// Big Dog Mike, 6p Muddy, 6p//// Johnny Barbato Trio, Blues Tavern— Tangerine 6p//// Dave Chastang, 9p//// Davis Station, 9p Nix Band, 10p//// Logan Spicer and Callaghan’s— Modern Eldorados Tony Ray Thompson, 10:15p//// Cathedral Square Gallery— Adam Doleac Band, 10:30p Bayou Rhythm Hard Rock (Center Bar) — Cockeyed Charlie’s— 3HG, Supercharger, 9p 10p IP Casino— Avant, 8p Crooked Martini— David Listening Room— Frankie Chastang, 9p Boots and Esther Rose Felix’s— Bust Duo Lulu’s— Stars Fell On Alabama Flora Bama— Lea Anne Parrothead Event, 10a// Light Creswell, 11a// Tim Kinsey, 11a/// Travelers, 5p Davis Nix, 1p//// 100 Dollar Car, Manci’s— Modern Eldorados, 2p//// Alabama Lightning, 2p//// 7:30p Destiny Brown, 4p//// Jack Robertson McSharry’s— DJ Lewis, 10p Show, 5:30p//// Mel Knapp, 6p//// The Merry Widow— Cold Southern Drawl Band, 6p//// Wes Hard Cash Show:ATribute to Johnny Loper, 6p//// Brandon White Trio, Cash & The Tennessee Three, 9p 9p//// Foxy Iguanas, 10p//// Brian Hill Moe’s BBQ (Foley) — Cary Trio, 10:15p//// Adam Doleac Band, Laine 10:30p Moe’s BBQ (Mobile) — Adam Hard Rock (Center Bar) — Holt Duo, 6:30p Supercharger, 9p Old 27 Grill— Retribution w/Kris Hard Rock (Live) — Pat Stoltz, 6:30p Benatar and Neil Giraldo, 8p Poor Nelson— Pearls of Trinity IP Casino— Reo Speedwagon, 8p USE, 10p Listening Room— Jamie Saenger— Nephew Tommy Adamson, 8p Tacky Jacks (Gulf Shores)— Lulu’s— Don Middlebrook, 5p Jimmy Lee, 12p// Destiny Brown, Manci’s— Grayson Capps & 5:30p Corky Hughes, 7p Tacky Jacks (Orange Beach) McSharry’s— St. PAtricks Day — Melissa Joiner, 12:30p// Beave and Party: Rondale and the Kit Katz, 5p// Cleave, 6p DJ Chi, 10p Traders— The Harrison The Merry Widow— Big Deal McInnis Trio Burlesque ft. Roxie Le Rouge, 9p The Wharf— Luke Bryan Moe’s BBQ (Daphne) — Delta

32 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

Wind Creek Casino— Clay Underwood, 9p

SUN. MARCH 19

Big Beach Brewing— Broken Down Car, 3p Bluegill— Matt Bush, 12p// Fly By Radio, 6p Blues Tavern— McBros, 6p Felix’s— Brandon Bailey Flora Bama— Dave McCormick, 11a// Smokey Otis Trio, 12p/// Al & Cathy, 1p//// Alabama Lightning, 3p//// Zachery Diedrich, 5p//// Jezebel’s Chill’n, 5:30p//// Perdido Brothers, 6p//// Rhythm Intervention, 9:30p//// Mario Mena Band, 10p//// Davis Nix Duo, 10:15p Frog Pond— Grayson Capps, Lisa Mills, Cary Morin,Andrew Duhon, Corky Hughes, Gram Rae, 2p Listening Room—Angela Perley and the Howlin Moons Lulu’s— Greg Brown, 1p Old 27 Grill— Barry Gibson, 11:30a Tacky Jacks (Gulf Shores)— Lisa Christian, 2p Tacky Jacks (Orange Beach) — Hippy Jim, 11a

MON. MARCH 20

Felix’s— Rodger Fleshamn Flora Bama— Gove Scrivenor, 2p// Brandon White, 5:30p/// Cathy Pace, 6p//// Logan Spicer and Tony Ray Thompson, 9:30p//// Josh Newcom Band, 10p//// Petty and Pace, 10:15p Lulu’s— Brent Burns, 5p

TUE. MARCH 21

Bluegill— Mobile Big Band Society Butch Cassidy’s— Jerry Powell Cockeyed Charlie’s— Jordan Bramblett Felix’s— Jamie Adamson Flora Bama—T. Bone Montgomery, 2p// Zachery Diedrich, 5:30p/// Perdido Brothers, 6p//// Mario Mena Duo, 9:30p//// Josh Newcom Band, 10p////Tim Kinsey Duo, 10:15p The Hot Spot— Brent Burns, 5p Lulu’s— Jimmy Lumpkin, 5p Moe’s BBQ (Mobile) — Denver Hawsey, 6p

WED. MARCH 22

Bluegill— Dale Drinkard Blues Tavern— John and Jerome, 8p Callaghan’s— Phil and Foster Felix’s— Tropic Flyer Flora Bama— Neil Dover, 2p// Tony Ray Thompson, 5:30p/// Rhonda Hart and Jothnathan Newton, 6p//// 100 Dollar Car, 9:30p//// Kyle Wilson Band, 10p//// Johnny Barbato Trio, 10:15p Listening Room— Dream it in Reason Lulu’s— JustinYawn, 5p The Merry Widow— Randy & Mr. Lahey of the Trailer Park Boys, 9p Shipp’s Harbour— Brent Burns,5p

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 33

FILMTHE REEL WORLD

Warren Beatty plays Howard Hughes with a twinkle

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

he impulse to make a film about eccentric billionaire, aviation and brassiere enthusiast Howard Hughes is not difficult to understand; there is ample material in his life story for juicy screen adaptations. Nevertheless, we recently got stuck with Warren Beatty’s “Rules Don’t Apply,” a confusing semi-comedy that gives Beatty plenty of fun stuff to do as Hughes and leaves the cute young stars, Alden Ehrenreich and Lily Collins, in characterization limbo. I suppose it’s a comedy in that it isn’t serious, but it also isn’t terribly funny. Ehrenreich, so unforgettable in the Coen Brothers’ “Hail Caesar” that he snagged the coveted role of young Han Solo in the upcoming “Star Wars” prequel, plays Frank Forbes, a determined young man trying to work his way up in the secretive world of Howard Hughes while maintaining his strict Christian upbringing. Another recent transplant who is also a strict Christian, Marla Mabry (Collins), is thrilled to find herself

in the stable of Hughes’ would-be starlets. Her setup is intriguing. Hughes maintains a bevy of beauties under contract and keeps them on a very short leash. They are given paychecks, lovely homes, personal chauffeurs, and singing and dancing lessons, but are also carefully controlled — and must fetch their paychecks from the end of a fishing line held out of a window. Marla’s mother, played by Annette Benning, is horrified by the overt sexism of the operation and thinks her daughter should go to college, but Marla decides to stick things out. Waiting is part of what makes this film so unsatisfying. It rambles around, waiting to reveal Hughes, while we are meant to start feeling things for the star-crossed young lovers. Their would-be relationship didn’t add up for me, and although Frank comes to love Marla, any emotions he shows, such as jealousy, seem random because there is no foundation of believability. Between the Oscars dustup and this

film, I reckon Warren Beatty’s year of comebacks went pretty badly. It’s not too difficult to see his Howard Hughes character as a surrogate for himself; Beatty is a Hollywood legend and a maverick. The most interesting reading of the film is to witness the hypocrisy, the enabling sycophants, the secrecy and general nonsense surrounding the legendary Hughes, and to imagine what Beatty has experienced during his years in Hollywood. If he hadn’t bothered to throw in the love story, the film might have been stronger. Also shorter, which would have been much appreciated. Beatty’s performance is memorable — even if his old-age makeup is terrible and he looks exactly like Grandpa from “The Munsters” — and he brings a knowing twinkle to the trope of the mad genius. No one could rein in Hughes, and no one reigns in “Rules Don’t Apply.” It’s an intriguing but saggy excursion through Old Hollywood via the eyes of an underdeveloped character. “Rules Don’t Apply” is currently available to rent.

RAVE MOTION PICTURE JUBILEE SQUARE 12 6898 U.S. 90 Daphne, (251) 626- 6266 CARMIKE CINEMAS 23151 Wharf Ln. Orange Beach (251) 981-4444 COBB THEATRES PINNACLE 14 3780 Gulf Shores Pkwy Gulf Shores (251) 968-7444

Photos | 20th Century Fox / Walt Disney Motion Pictures

FROM LEFT: “Rules Don’t Apply” is the unconventional love story about an aspiring actress, her determined driver and their boss, an eccentric billionaire named Howard Hughes. The latest adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast” renews the Disney fairy tale about a monstrous-looking prince and a young woman who fall in love. NEW IN THEATERS BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

EASTERN SHORE PREMIERE CINEMA 14 30500 Alabama 181 #500 Spanish Fort, Al (251) 626-0352

A sumptuous, live-action adaptation of the animated Disney classic musical, starring Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Emma Thompson and Kevin Kline. It will be interesting to see what, if any, updates to the story show up; the cast is fantastic. All listed multiplex theaters.

Information accurate at press time; please call theaters for showtimes.

I hope they scroll the words for the rather forgettable songs in this otherwise lovely film, which wasn’t exactly “The Sound of Music.” All listed multiplex theaters.

34 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

LA LA LAND SINGALONG

NOW PLAYING

LION Crescent Theater, Carmike Jubilee Square 12, Carmike Wharf 15 KONG: SKULL ISLAND All listed multiplex theaters. TABLE 19 Cobb Pinnacle 14, Regal Mobile Stadium 18 LOGAN All listed multiplex theaters. THE SHACK All listed multiplex theaters. BEFORE I FALL All listed multiplex theaters. GET OUT All listed multiplex theaters.

ROCK DOG MOONLIGHT All listed multiplex theaters. Carmike Wharf 15 COLLIDE HIDDEN FIGURES Cobb Pinnacle 14 All listed multiplex theaters. THE GREAT WALL LA LA LAND All listed multiplex theaters. All listed multiplex theaters. FIST FIGHT Regal Mobile Stadium 18, MANCHESTER Carmike Wynnsong 16, BY THE SEA Carmike Wharf, Carmike THE LEGO BATMAN Jubilee Square 12, Regal Mobile Stadium 18 MOVIE All listed multiplex theaters. A DOG’S PURPOSE FIFTY SHADES DARKER Eastern Shore Premiere All listed multiplex theaters. Cinema, Regal Mobile Stadium 18, Carmike Wynnsong 16 JOHN WICK: SPLIT CHAPTER 2 All listed multiplex theaters. All listed multiplex theaters.

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 35

CALENDAR OF EVENTS MARCH 16, 2017 - MARCH 22, 2017

GENERAL INTEREST Spring Fling Virginia College will host a Spring Fling Thursday, March 16, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 3725 Airport Blvd., Suite 165. The event is free and open to the public with a cookout, giveaways, music and springthemed activities for all ages. Call 251-3437227. Community Foundation luncheon The Community Foundation of South Alabama’s annual luncheon will be Friday, March 17, at the Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., featuring E.O. Wilson and writer Roy Hoffman as moderator. Visit communityfoundationsa.org. Plantasia! Mobile Botanical Gardens’ plant sale will be Friday and Saturday, March 17-18, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, March 19, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 5151 Museum Drive. Call 251-342-0555.

FUNDRAISERS Downtown Cajun Cook-Off The 3rd annual Cajun cooking festival with more than 20 competitive teams, live music, cold drinks, games and giveaways. Cathedral Square, Saturday, March 18, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. benefiting the Child Advocacy Center. $13 online or $15 day of event. Visit cacmobile.org. Touch a Truck Children may climb aboard fire trucks, garbage trucks and police cars at Hank Aaron Stadium on Saturday, March 18, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Proceeds will benefit MCI pediatric cancer research and Adoption Rocks. The first hour is noise free for sensitive ears. Call 251-341-4085.

ARTS Fairhope Arts & Crafts Festival The Fairhope Arts & Crafts Festival is set for March 17-19 — Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in downtown Fairhope. “Much Ado About Nothing” Joe Jefferson Players present Shakespeare’s play “Much Ado About Nothing” on March 17, 18, 24, 25, 31 and April 1 at 8 p.m. and March 19, 26 and April 2 at 2 p.m. JJP is located at 11 S. Carlen St. Call 251-471-1534.

Photo | Facebook/Mobile Botanical Gardens

Health fair On Saturday, March 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the USA chapter of the Student National Medical Association will host a health fair at UUFM Fellowship Hall, 6345 Old Shell Road. Call 251-656-4953. Science Café “Exploring Why Prescription Costs are So High,” presented by Dr. Sandra Stenson, USA professor of chemistry. Wednesday, March 22, 6-7 p.m. at Moe’s Original Bar B Que, 701 Springhill Ave. Call 251-4606106. Azalea Bloom Out at Bellingrath It’s an early spring at Bellingrath Gardens and Home, where guests are enjoying the blooms of vibrant azaleas. Visit bellingrath. org or call 251-973-2217. 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.

Green Dress Run A green-themed 5K Saturday, March 18, at 4 p.m. at O’Daly’s Irish Pub, 564 Dauphin St. Registrants receive a free event T-shirt, free pass to the after party and penny beer! Tickets at events.com.

Visit www.toastmasters.org for more information.

Sunday Funday Art Market The Sunday Funday Arts and Crafts Market will take place from 1-5 p.m. in Cathedral Square on March 19. Sponsored in part by Alabama Contemporary Art Center, Downtown Mobile Alliance and Visit Mobile. “Comediennes: Laugh Be a Lady” Come meet Darryl Littleton, author and stand-up comedian and comedy writer, as he describes the history of women in comedy. The event is Thursday, March 16, at 6:30 p.m. at Bernheim Hall at the Ben May Main Library, 701 Government St. Admission is free. Call 251-208-7097. Lenten music Christ Church Cathedral will host its “Meditation and Music in the Church” luncheon Wednesday, March 22, at 12:30 p.m. in the Chapter House, 115 S. Conception St. Gosia Leska and Katherine Powell will present the Lenten concert.

MUSEUMS Live at the Museum Della Memoria will perform original music Thursday, March 16, at 7 p.m. at Mobile Museum of Art, 4850 Museum Drive. $10 admission, wine and beer by donation. Call 251-208-5200.

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 features more than 500 authentic artifacts recovered from deepocean 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.

“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.

36 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

Spring Fever Chase The 39th annual Spring Fever Chase, a 10K run and 2-mile fun run/walk, takes place on Saturday, March 18, at 7 a.m., starting and ending on North Bayview at Fairhope Avenue in downtown Fairhope. Call 251-279-1684 or visit springfeverchase.com.

Windows of the Sea Dauphin Island Sea Lab announces the grand opening of “Windows to the Sea,” the Estuarium expansion, on Saturday, March 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Beginner Tai Chi Starting March 18, Tai Chi classes will be offered in Stirling Hall (behind All Saints Episcopal Church, 151 S. Ann St.) every Saturday morning from 10 a.m. to noon. You may join the classes at any time. Email rjvarley@comcast.net.

“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.

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

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 open daily (except Sunday and Monday) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 251-929-1471.

Fitness classes New fitness classes are in progress at Palmer Pillans Middle School: Tone It Up! Tuesday and Thursday, 5:30-6:15 p.m. and Yoga for Fitness & Relaxation, Thursday, 5:30-6:30 p.m. To register or more information, call 251-463-7980 or go to communityactivitiesprogram.com.

Photo | Provided by Dauphin Island sea Lab

Tea for Two Tuesday afternoons at 2 p.m. the Fairhope Museum of History hosts a tea with a lecture on Fairhope history. March 21 speaker will be Robert Brown. Call 251929-1471. 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 251-208-5200.

SPORTING EVENTS/ACTIVITIES Let’s Get it Benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project in memory of Justin Hasty is the Just Get It 5K run on Saturday, March 18, at 11 a.m. at Mellow Mushroom, 2032 Airport Blvd. Visit jmhletsgetit.com. Run the Blue Line 5K Saturday, March 18, at 8 a.m., the Run the Blue Line 5K run will be followed by a 1-mile fun run/walk at Shiloh Baptist Church in Saraland. All proceeds will go to the family of Saraland police officer Jackie Tucker, who was shot in the line of duty in December. Visit www.runtheblueline.com.

Dance classes New dance classes are in progress at Palmer Pillans Middle School: Belly Dancing for Beginners, Tuesday, 6-7 p.m.; Basic Ballroom, Monday, 6:30-8 p.m.; Beyond Basic Ballroom, Wednesday, 6:30-8 p.m. To register or for more information, call 251-463-7980 or go to: communityactivities.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.

WORKSHOPS Genealogy class Genealogy for beginners is offered at Palmer Pillans Middle School. Call 251-463-7980 or visit communityactivitiesprogram.com.

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 37

MEDIA MEDIA FRENZY

The ‘shark tank’ of a ‘Daily Show’ interview

BY ROB HOLBERT/MANAGING EDITOR/RHOLBERT@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

THE NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE IT’S ELEMENTARY BY TIMOTHY POLIN / EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ ACROSS 1 Big hits 5 Something repeatedly hit with a thumb 13 Flat bread 18 Zeitgeist 20 Recurring theme in Philip K. Dick novels 21 Cousin of a mandrill 22 [Circled letters]-filled contraption 24 Cry for more 25 Affirm one’s humanity? 26 Tangible 27 Swell 29 Capote, informally 30 World landmark built with [circled letters] 35 Being repaired, as a car 38 Spots 39 It’s hard to bear 41 Halfhearted, as support 42 Can’t wait to find out, in a way 45 [Circled letters]-baseddrugs 51 Check out 52 Unvarnished 53 Great confusion 54 Sea serpent of old cartoons 55 Citrus hybrid 56 Bomb developed in the 1950s 58 College party epicenter, often 59 Homeland of Spartacus 60 [Circled letters]-advertised establishment 63 “What did I tell you?” 64 Berried conifer 65 Existentialist Kierkegaard 66 Language heard along the Mekong 67 Banana-liqueur cocktail 69 Poorly 72 Letter on a dreidel 73 Picture displayed on a [circled letters] surface 78 Fails to 80 Kind of developer 81 Conservative portfolio asset, for short 82 Convinced 83 Worthless 84 Now hear this! 86 Obsolescent players 87 Put a stop to? 88 [Circled letter]-consuming activity 91 “That’s great!” 92 Strain to avoid? 93 Stinky 94 Underlying cosmic principle 95 Ones getting all the breaks 99 Sports implement often made from [circled letters] 105 Smokers should knock it off 106 Soldiers’ assignments 108 Betray surprise

109 Be behind 110 Evergreen State airport 113 [Circled letter]-fueled device 118 One given a citation 119 Not so awkward 120 Hair 121 Certain navel 122 Au courant 123 “What fun!”

posed to catch 32 Sylvan 33 Denouement 34 “A.S.A.P.!” 36 Beowulf or Gilgamesh 37 Jewelry-store gadget 40 Watch, as a criminals’ hiding spot 42 Do a wine steward’s job 43 Waffle brand DOWN 44 She, in Salerno 1 North American flycatcher 45 Incense 2 “S.N.L.” alum Cheri 46 ____ twins of 1980s-’90s 3 Unloading zone TV 4 Happy hour habitué 47 State confidently 5 Jack ____ 48 Mire 6 Guerrilla leader in “For 49 Minute ____ Whom the Bell Tolls” 50 Dispatched, as 7 Constellation near Scorpius a dragon 8 Low-____ 52 Foreign capital whose 9 8 x 10, e.g.: Abbr. name sounds like a water 10 Fool passage to San Francisco 11 Garlicky spread 57 He married Daisy Mae 12 Wouldn’t shut up in 1952 13 “Geez!” 59 Homes 14 Epitome of simplicity on the range 15 Condition contributed to 61 Lad by a lack of [circled letters] 62 Ride hard 16 Rider of the horse Tornado 63 Who wrote, “I exist, that is 17 Outdo all, and I find it nauseating” 19 Turns into confetti 67 Branded footwear with 21 Seaman’s chapel open backs 23 Ingredients in some 68 “Everything’s fine” London pies 69 Think piece? 28 Top story 70 Capital of Togo 31 Things bouncers are sup- 71 Fabled [circled letters]-

hiding trickster 73 Quatre halved 74 Exhibits one of the seven deadly sins 75 Modern acronym for “Seize the day!” 76 Trudge 77 Eliciting nervous laughter, say 79 Market share? 80 Poverty, e.g. 84 Issue for a noble family? 85 Tiny amount 89 W.W. II moniker 90 KPMG hiree 91 Certain platonic friend 94 Shock, in a way 95 Yogurt-based Indian drink 96 Employ against 97 Brand with classic “But wait, there’s more … !” infomercials 98 Leave at a loss 100 Everglades wader 101 Ballet-school supporter 102 Muff 103 Came to 104 To the point 107 Tartan wearer 111 Numerical prefix 112 Big heart? 114 British can 115 Itinerary abbr. 116 “Now I’ve got it!” 117 Image on a Wisconsin state quarter

ANSWERS ON PAGE 44

38 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

hen Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” called on Jim Mather recently and wanted to do an interview about his work locally with refugees and internationals, he agreed despite his own trepidations about appearing on a show where the expectation is that those being interviewed will probably end up looking foolish. Mather is the director of Friends International, an organization working primarily with international students at the University of South Alabama and some other local schools. He said the “Daily Show” sent its “reporter,” Desi Lydic, to interview him at his home last week. That opportunity came, he says, because of another interview he did last year with BBC America around the time of the presidential primaries when Donald Trump was taking a tough stance against illegal immigration. “I got a call a few weeks ago,” Mather said. “I guess they do their research and saw that BBC interview.” Mather said that while he’s not a regular viewer of “The Daily Show” — a blend of the day’s news squeezed through a political and comedic meat grinder — he knew enough to have some misgivings. But as an ordained minister Mather also felt like the interview could have a positive effect, even if he came off looking silly in the process. “If somebody’s going to look bad on TV, I don’t mind if it’s me. As long as something good comes of it,” he said. Mather set up the interview at his home, along with some international friends and Jeri Stroade, who heads up Dwell Mobile, an organization that helps refugees and internationals.

They served a dinner of ethnic foods — along with some Hart’s Fried Chicken for local flavor. Mather says he felt like the interview may not have quite lived up to Comedy Central’s expectations. He felt like Lydic was trying repeatedly to get someone to say something “racist or stupid,” but no one took the bait. “She seemed to struggle,” he said. “It took really long because they were trying for something that wasn’t there.” The show’s producers told him Alabama has the lowest ratings for “The Daily Show” in the country and at one point Mather says he offered them a bit of advice. “I told them at the end of the day if all they do is negative they’ll be burned out in three years,” he said. He admits to being a fan of “The Daily Show’s” former host Jon Stewart, but hasn’t watched much of his replacement, Trevor Noah. Though he has no idea when or even if his segment will air, Mather says he is comfortable with however the farcical news show ends up portraying his interview. They also did several others around the state for the story, so Mather says they may have gotten more of what they were looking for elsewhere. Ultimately Mather felt the potential “dangers” of being interviewed for a show that needs people to say dumb things to get laughs were outweighed by the potential good that could come from giving his and Stroade’s programs publicity. “It’s a shark tank,” he said, “But I enjoyed some aspects of it. At least they got to hear my heart…. But it’s not for the timid, that’s for sure.”

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 39

SPORTS UPON FURTHER REVIEW recently selected as a member of the first class of UM Student Ambassadors to represent the entire university. We could not be more proud of Jonina and glad she is a vital member of the Rams.”

Brinson excels as student, athlete for Lady Rams

Sports briefs

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

Photo | University of Mobile

UNIVERSITY OF MOBILE JUNIOR JONINA BRINSON WAS THE LONG JUMP NATIONAL TITLIST AT BOTH THE NAIA INDOOR AND OUTDOOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 2016.

he honors continue to pour in for the University of Mobile’s Jonina Brinson. The junior from Swainsboro, Georgia, has been named the South Region Field Athlete of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. “To God the glory,” Brinson told Lagniappe. “God has really blessed me this season to achieve this award for the second consecutive year for indoor track.” Brinson was the long jump national titlist at both the NAIA Indoor and Outdoor national championships in 2016. In the recent 2017 NAIA Indoor Championships, she again earned All-American honors in those events, in addition to the 60-meter dash. “It’s been a blessing to have the opportunity to coach Jonina,” UM track coach Andy Canegitta said. “For her to be recognized as the field athlete of the year is a great accomplishment for her and well deserved. She is a great leader and a relentless worker. “This indoor season she had to overcome some obstacles, but with her strong faith in God she allowed him to take

control and was able to perform to the best of her ability.” Brinson’s national competition started on May 2 in Johnson City, Tennessee, with the long jump. She finished with a mark of 5.84 meters, which placed her second in the NAIA. In the triple jump, her best effort of 11.77 meters earned her third place. In the 60-meter dash final, she recorded a time of 7.62 seconds to finish second. “I’m glad that I was able to compete and finish with All-American status,” Brinson said. “I’m ready to see what the outdoor season has in store for me.” Brinson’s triple and long jump marks broke her own school indoor record. She now holds the top seven times in the 60-meter dash, top four times in the 200-meter dash, top five long jump marks and top three triple jump marks in school history. “Jonina is an excellent representative of UM Athletics,” said UM Associate Athletic Director Kris Nelson. “She exemplifies hard work, commitment to excellence and class. “She is not only an All-American athlete, but was

40 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

• The University of Mobile women’s basketball team has captured the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament Championship. After upsetting top-seeded Loyola 65-59 in the semifinals, the Lady Rams completed the deal by defeating Bethel 68-58 in the title game. Starla Daggan, who scored 37 points in the finals, was selected as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. She and Kali Koenig were named to the All-Tournament team. Koenig scored 18 points against Bethel. UM is 22-10 and on a seven-game winning streak. The Lady Rams play this week at the NAIA National Championships in Billings, Montana. They open against Baker University of Kansas, which is 29-4. • Daggan had previously been named the league’s Player of the Year. She led the SSAC with a 19.75 average, which was fourth best in the NAIA. Joining her on the first-team unit was Koenig. Noelle Morris was on the Champion of Character roster as well as on the All-Academic unit with Koenig, Jazmine Atkins and Kerrie York. • Spring Hill College’s Elise Reilly has been named Freshman of the Year by the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The 5-foot-7 guard led the Badgers (14-12 overall, 8-8 SIAC) in scoring with a 15.0 average. Reilly set a SHC single-game record with nine 3-pointers against Kentucky State, finishing with 39 points for the second-best in program history. She establish a new school mark with 72 3-pointers. • University of South Alabama junior center Chyna Ellis has been selected to the Sun Belt’s third-team all-conference squad. She led the Lady Jags in scoring (10.8 ppg), field goal percentage (38.0), rebounding (7.9 rpg) and blocks (3.1 bpg). Ellis holds the school record with 212 rejections in a career and 87 in a season. • Members of the men’s basketball team at UM honored by the SSAC were Raykwon Fenton and Darius Curry on the All-Freshman list, Dillon Pollard on the Champion of Character roster and Lawrence Pierce on the All-Academic team. • Kaitlyn Beans, a senior at USA, has been named the Most Outstanding Women’s Field Athlete of the Year by the Sun Belt Conference. At the league championships, she won the long jump with a 6.14-meter effort that broke the school mark and was just .2 meters shy of the meet record. She also won the triple jump for the second straight year, this time with a leap of 12.80 meters. • USA teammate Sean Collins won the pole vault at the Sun Belt meet with a 5.37-meter effort. He had previously won the indoor title as a freshman, but an injury kept him from competing for the outdoor title. Rafael Scott won the 60-meter dash for a second straight season in a time of 6.67 seconds. Other USA wins came in the pentathlon by freshman Emilie Berge, who set a personal best with 3,947 points; and in the 4000-meter distance medley by Warno Potgieter, Ben Rolader, Larry Lombard and Nathan Riech in 10:01.07. • Danielle Clark of Spring Hill College has been named the SIAC Softball Pitcher of the Week. The sophomore from Saraland pitched a complete-game win over Armstrong State and then came on in relief to earn the victory against No. 4 University of North Georgia. Against UNG the next day, a two-run homer to the second batter led to a 2-0 loss as she allowed only five hits. She followed up the next day with a 2-hit shutout of Eckerd. • One of the largest high school track and field competitions in the South is set for March 22 with the 15th annual Lyon Newell Charity Throws meet. As many as 92 public and private schools from Alabama, Mississippi and Florida will compete at UMS-Wright. Proceeds go to the Wilmer Hall Children’s home, which provides services to help child abuse victims and their non-offending family members in Mobile County, and to the Lyon Newell Scholarship. This event has raised more than $150,000 over the previous 14 years. Newell was a football and track star at UMS-Wright who died in an accident shortly after graduating from the University of Alabama.

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 41

STYLE GARDENING

Landscaping at the University of South Alabama BY NANCY ADAMS/MOBILE COUNTY MASTER GARDENER | COASTALALABAMAGARDENING@GMAIL.COM

Photos | University of South Alabama

The landscaping at the intersection of Old Shell Road and University Boulevard is a result of a joint venture between USA and the city of Mobile, initiated by President Tony Waldrop, Dr. John Smith and Gina Gregory representing the Mobile City Council.

Q: The University of South Alabama’s cam-

pus is prettier every time I drive by. Who is the driving force behind this beautification?

Gary Carley, USA’s manager of landscaping and grounds operations, shares the story of his experience at USA and his hopes for its landscaping future. Carley has a long history in landscaping, having begun as a student at Spring Hill College in the 1970s. He owned a landscaping business for 24 years and a wholesale nursery for 16. Before transferring to USA’s main campus in 2009, Carley spent eight years with the grounds department at USA Hospitals, during which he helped to develop the Geri Moulton Children’s Park. He and his 55 dedicated and hardworking staff members have spent the past seven years implementing a plan initiated by then-President Moulton to give USA the beautiful campus you see today. Carley does all of the landscape design. He explains, “I see what’s here and what should be here; my brain is a camera.” He spoke of inheriting this gift and his work ethic from his dad. His goal is to create a better environment for students, faculty and staff, as well as for prospective students and parents. He also wants the community to enjoy the campus — walk the grounds, ride bikes and use the trails, as many already do. When asked the secrets of his success, Car-

42 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

ley began with one basic that he learned during the cleanup following Hurricane Frederic in 1979: Stick with what works. When seasons change, workers keep some replaced plants for campus projects and hold others in irrigated areas for repurposing. They buy plants and supplies as needed from local wholesale nurseries and suppliers. Carley has learned it is best to put plants directly into the natural soil, allowing them to become established before fertilizing. After they are established, they fertilize annuals with a 20-20-20 liquid monthly; for shrubs and perennials, they use a time-release fertilizer twice in a growing season. The many trees on campus create a challenge, so for shady areas they use autumn ferns, holly ferns, Endless Summer® hydrangeas, Shi-Shi Gashira sasanquas, native azaleas and plum yews. For sunny areas in spring and summer, they use Limelight hydrangeas, African irises, Drift® roses, buddleia, Sunpatiens®, vitex (which has long, purple spiked plumes) and Profusion zinnias. Some fall and winter plants are autumn ferns, Shi-Shi Gashira sasanquas, cyclamens, ornamental cabbages, muhly grass, purple fountain grass, dusty millers, pansies and petunias. One of Carley’s favorite projects is an area they call “Fern Gully,” where then-President Moulton incorporated a bronze statue of Santiago de Chile. They used boulders, ferns,

native azaleas and hydrangeas to create an inviting picnic area in this shady ravine on the north side of campus by the University Center. The landscaping at the intersection of Old Shell Road and University Boulevard is a result of a joint venture between USA and the city of Mobile, initiated by President Tony Waldrop, Dr. John Smith and Gina Gregory representing the Mobile City Council. Another is at the entrance to Municipal Park at Gaillard Drive and University Boulevard. Now they are working on the city’s medians bordering the USA campus. President Waldrop and his administration are conscientious about presenting USA’s campus and its surroundings in the most positive way. And Gary Carley hopes to continue developing the university’s curb appeal as it becomes an even greater asset to the community. YOU ARE INVITED TO THESE UPCOMING GARDENING EVENTS What: Plantasia! Spring Plant Sale When: Friday, March 17, & Saturday, March 18 (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.); Sunday, March 19 (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.) Where: Mobile Botanical Gardens, 5151 Museum Drive What: Mobile Master Gardeners Lunch & Learn When: Monday, March 20, noon to 1 p.m. Where: Jon Archer Center, 1070 Schillinger Road N., Mobile Topic: Fire Ant Control, Ellen Huckabay

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 43

STYLE HOROSCOPES CAPRICORN CAN’T CLAIM THE IRON THRONE

F U T U R E S H O C K 44 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

ANSWERS FROM PAGE 38

PISCES (2/19-3/20) — After pursuing it as a personal hobby, you’ll land a job in Washington, D.C., determining whether Barack Obama ever did things President Donald Trump will propose in the future. With constant claims supporting and refuting the notion, you’ll enjoy at least six months of job security. ARIES (3/21-4/19) — A much-needed update of your LinkedIn profile will get pushed to the top of your agenda after you discover Krispy Kreme uses the network to find donut testers. Tragically, you’ll get the job and its six-figure salary only to die three months later in a heap of sugary regret. TAURUS (4/20-5/20) — While trying to address an issue with a local water board, you’ll start a short novel to pass the time as you wait for a customer service representative. However, by the time your call is taken, you’ll be a certified plumber and tackle the problem yourself. GEMINI (5/21-6/21) — After interrupting their escalating conversation at a local bar, you’ll politely let a pair of friends know neither of them is qualified to discuss health care reform with any authority. Of all the pioneers of 21st century medicine, you’ll note that almost none drank Pabst Blue Ribbon. CANCER (6/22-7/22) — Assuming your dog’s weight gain is pregnancy related, you’ll decide to live-stream the potential puppy birth. You’ll be disappointed and disgusted to find out the extra weight was gas related. The good news is your video will still go viral. LEO (7/23-8/23) — You’ll be able to attend a news conference in 20 years announcing the opening of the new Interstate 10 bridge over the Mobile River. Unfortunately, two years later technology will make flying cars affordable and widely used. You’ll laugh as the bridge becomes obsolete. VIRGO (8/24-9/22) — You’ll “wake up” to discover the last year of your life was nothing more than a very realistic virtual reality video game. The fusion of fantasy and reality will force you to test the limits of mortality. You’ll run into traffic, eat hot wings and use Pert Plus. LIBRA (9/23-10/22) — Your garage band will gain entry into SouthSounds after one of the acts cancels. You call your sound a Southern version of the Polyphonic Spree, but the audience calls it “disappointing.” You’ll lose both French horn players and have to cancel. SCORPIO (10/23-11/21) — You’ll be the most interesting man in the world as you sip a mint julep and take control of a couth, Southern-accented tête-à-tête on the opening day of the Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival. Later you’ll return by boat to West Egg, where you’ll enjoy a street vendor’s hot dog. SAGITTARIUS (11/22-12/22) — Sometime during St. Patrick’s Day weekend, you’ll pull out your ancient flute and summon the Crichton Leprechaun. Turns out that’s just a euphemism for when you’re likely to have sex but then you vomit drunkenly and scare your partner away. CAPRICORN (12/23-1/19) — When you hear season 7 of Game of Thrones will not debut until the middle of July, you’ll spend the next four months in a northern tree cave repeating the word “Hodor.” You will be enchanted back to reality by either The Red Woman’s sorcery or a swift kick in the groin. AQUARIUS (1/20-2/18) — You’ll offer your professional services as a crisis management specialist to Gov. Robert Bentley in case of his impeachment. Stubborn as he is, you’ll only be able to encourage him to say “I’m sorry” and “I love you” with a few dozen roses from Publix.

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 45

STYLE BOOZIE

Chillin’ like a villain at Chili Cook-Off BY BOOZIE BEER NUES/SOCIAL BUTTERFLY

Photos | Boozie Spy

Hundreds of people braved chilis good and not-so-good at the American Cancer Society’s Chili Cook-Off at The Grounds last weekend.

oo much change for me! Between the time change and the weather change I am dying. I mean, the time change is bad enough — waking up what feels like an hour earlier for work on a Monday is the worst. Throw in cold weather that makes you want to stay under the covers, and you get the need to call in “sick.” Monday was National Napping Day and yet I didn’t get in a single nap! WTH! I should have called in sick. Luckily for you, there is no napping on the job so I’ve got all the latest gossip! Read now, nap later!

No chill at Chili Cook-Off

This past Saturday was the 28th annual American Cancer Society Chili Cook-Off out at The Grounds. I’ll be honest, it’s been a hot minute since the last time I went to the Chili Cook-Off. After Saturday, I was wondering what took me so long to come back. I mean, I love chili and I want researchers to find a cure for cancer, so it’s a win-win in my book. Anyway, about Saturday: The worst part of the day was that I decided to wear a sweater. I could have sworn it was going to be chillier that day, but I was wrong — the beer was the only chilled thing there. Moving on to the chili, we tested so many I can’t even remember which was which! A few stood out, though — like the chili that was more like chili cheese tots, or people serving hush puppies or cornbread, or the people with creative tables. Boozie’s two favorites, chili-wise, were Austal’s — they served a variety of toppings including cheese, sour cream and Fritos — and Merchants Transfer Co. — which kept it simple and didn’t stray from the basics. Maybe I am plain, or worse, basic, but some

46 | L AG N I A P P E | M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7

folks strayed so far from the basics I could only eat a few bites. For instance, one tasted like a pack of taco seasoning was poured into my mouth. Another tasted more like chicken soup instead of chili. Still others were cold. I mean, everyone is different. As one lady walked from a booth she exclaimed that the chili was “freaking terrible.” I didn’t think it was that bad. The winner for best overall chili (and first place for meat and beans) was Gulf States Engineering. I’ll be honest, I ate so much chili I don’t know if I tried theirs or not, but I do recall they had a comical sign that read “Pirates of the Chili-Bean.” Gulf States Engineering weren’t the only ones with creative signs. Hot Meat and Cool Beans took home first place in the wild game category. Their “Huntin’ for a Cure” went perfectly with their hunting/outdoor-themed table and wild game chili. The winner of best-decorated tent was Coastal Alabama Community College. I don’t recall their tent but I do recall a popular tent for kids was Orion Engineering. They had princesses outside their booth welcoming people and taking pictures, so of course they were popular. Another popular booth was Southern Light, which had Jermaine Funnymaine Johnson on the scene. You know Jermaine aka Funnymaine from the popular Facebook videos where he recreates how Alabama fans watched that weekend of SEC football. I’ve seen the videos and they are funny so of course he drew a crowd for pictures. Roll Tide. Well, kids, that’s all I’ve got this week. Just remember, whether rain or shine, dramatic or scandalous or just some plain ol’ chili lovin’, I will be there. Ciao!

LAGNIAPPE LEGALS | 251.450-4466 | legals@lagniappemobile.com 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 Charles C. Prince to Norbert L. Howell and Karen Y. Howell, on the 18th day of August, 1995, and recorded in Real Property Book 4285, Page 1866, (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 Vendor’s Lien 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 24th 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 address is 3854 Pickett Drive, Mobile, Alabama 36618 being the same property described in the above-referred to Vendor’s Lien Deed: Lot #7, Block C, Wolf Ridge Manor, Second Sector as recorded in Real Property Book 9, Page 334 of the records in the Office of the Judge of Probate Court of Mobile County, Alabama. 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. Karen Y. Howell Holder of said Vendor’s Lien Deed Deena R. Tyler, Esq. Druhan & Tyler, LLC Attorneys for Holder P.O. Box 6 Mobile, Alabama 36601 251-202-5529 Lagniappe HD March 2, 9, 16, 2017

FORECLOSURE NOTICE Default having been made and continuing by WILLA WASHINGTON in the payment of the indebtedness for condominium assessments as provided by Section 35-8-17, Code of Alabama (1975), as amended and as described in and secured by that certain Declaration of Condominium of Executive House, Condominium executed by AMERICAN CONDOMINIUM, INC., on the 24th day of March, 1981, and recorded in Apartment Ownership Book 13, Page 1, (all recording records herein cited refer to the records in the Office of the Judge of Probate of Mobile County, Alabama), and as provided by the ByLaws and amendments thereto recorded in the aforesaid Apartment Ownership Book and the latter, recorded in Book LR7314 at page 1192 and in Book LR7484 at page 1764, the undersigned EXECUTIVE HOUSE OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC. having declared indebtedness due and payable in accordance with the terms and conditions of said documents and the undersigned having filed a notice of lien recorded on the in Book 7486, page 107 in said records, 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 17th day of April, 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 address is Unit 13, 18 South Catherine Street, Mobile, Alabama 36604 being the property described as follows: Unit 13, Executive House, a condominium, according to that certain Declaration and Exhibits thereto dated 3-24-81 and recorded in Apartment Ownership Book 13, Page 1 of the records in the office of the Judge of Probate of Mobile County, Alabama, together with an undivided 1/26 interest in the common areas and facilities declared in said Declaration to be appurtenant to the above described unit. This sale is made for the purpose of paying the indebtedness above referenced, as well as interest thereon and expenses of foreclosure, including a reasonable attorney’s fee. Furthermore, the property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance AS IS, WHERE IS. Neither the undersigned, nor the officers, directors, managers, members, attorneys, agents or authorized representatives of the undersigned make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition, including those suggested by Code of Alabama (1975), Section 35-4-271, are expressly disclaimed. The sale is subject to all prior liens, encumbrances, exceptions, taxes and assessments in said records. The aforesaid per-

son is not to undersigned’s knowledge or belief a member of the Armed Forces of the United States of America, and not under any legal disability. The sale may be continued from time to time or cancelled. The undersigned reserves the right to bid at such sale and to credit the amount of the indebtedness to the purchase price thereof. Under certain circumstances, Alabama law gives some persons who have an interest in the property the right to redeem the property and may also afford programs to help persons to delay or avoid foreclosure. EXECUTIVE HOUSE OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC. ASSESSOR AND LIENOR J. Michael Druhan, Esquire Attorney for Assessor and Lienor P. O. Box 6 Mobile, Alabama 36601 (251) 202-5529 Lagniappe HD March 16, 23, 30, 2017

PROBATE NOTICE OF COURT PROCEEDING February 17, 2017 Case No. 2015-2263-2 IN THE PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of CRYSTAL LEE ELLIOTT, Deceased On to-wit the 10th day of April, 2017 at 10:30 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 AUDREY SEDDON. 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: HENDRIK S. SNOW, 50 ST EMANUEL ST, MOBILE, ALABAMA 36602 Lagniappe HD March 9, 16, 23, 30, 2017

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: WILLIAM LEROY, Deceased Case No. 2017-0377 Take notice that Letters of Testamentary have been granted to the below named party on the 8th day of March, 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. MEGAN ANNE LEROY as Executrix under the last will and testament of WILLIAM LEROY, Deceased. Attorney of Record: DEENA R. TYLER. Lagniappe HD March 16, 23, 30, 2017

NOTICE OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of: THOMAS JAMES FLOOD Case No. 2016-2407 Take notice that Ancillary Letters of Administration have been granted to the below named party on the 7th day of March, 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. JOAN ADGALANIS as Administratrix of the Ancillary Estate of THOMAS JAMES FLOOD, deceased. Attorney of Record: KENNETH A. WATSON. Esq. Lagniappe HD March 16, 23, 30, 2017

NOTICE OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of: JOHN WILLIS KANE, Deceased Case No. 2017-0381 Take notice that Letters of Testamentary have been granted to the below named party on the 8th day of March, 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. JAMES KANE as Executor under the last will and testament of JOHN WILLIS KANE, Deceased. Attorney of Record: JOHN R. PARKER. Lagniappe HD March 16, 23, 30, 2017

PUBLIC NOTICE STATE OF ALABAMA COUNTY OF MOBILE NOTICE OF COMPLETION In accordance with Chapter 1, Title 39, Code of Alabama, 1975, notice is hereby given that H&H Electric Co., Inc. has completed the contract for Mims Park scoreboard repairs PR-112-17 in Mobile, Alabama. All persons having any claim of labor, material, or otherwise in connection with this project should immediately notify the Architectural Engineering department, City of Mobile, P.O. Box 1827 Mobile, AL 36633. Lagniappe HD March 16, 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 and the countywide civil service system; to amend Act No. 470 of the 1939 Regular Session (Acts 1939, p. 298), as amended, which established the countywide civil service system; by amending Section XI relating to the pay plan; to remove public safety employees from the exception to hiring at midrange to allow all professional and technical classes of positions to be treated equally. Lagniappe HD March 9, 16, 23, 30, 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 prohibit the State Department of Public Health from regulating or requiring a permit for intermittent food service establishments that otherwise do not prepare, sell, or distribute food in its regular line of business when that food service establishment prepares or distributes food in association with a regional celebratory event or custom. Lagniappe HD March 16, 23, 30, April 6, 2017

NOTICE OF SALE following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April The

14, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 558 S Wilson Ave., Mobile, AL 36610. 2004 Honda Accord JHMCM568X4C010324 Lagniappe HD March 9, 16, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April 14, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 6300 C Maurice Poiroux Rd., Theodore, AL 36582. 2007 Mazda CX-7 JM3ER293470116386 Lagniappe HD March 9, 16, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April 14, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 917 Victoria Place E., Mobile, AL 36608. 1987 Monte Carlo 1G1GZ11Z8HP133219 Lagniappe HD March 9, 16, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April 14, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 5971 Hwy 90, Theodore, AL 36582. 2011 Chevrolet Impala 2G1WF5EK2B1151986 2000 Ford Mustang 1FAFP4042YF231027 Lagniappe HD March 9, 16, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April 14, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 10550 Fox Ridge Rd., Semmes, AL 36575. 2006 Suzuki GSX-R750K JS1GR7KA562109418 Lagniappe HD March 9, 16, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April 14, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed – at 2401 Octavia Dr. S., Mobile, AL 36605. 2013 Hyundai Sonata 5NPEB4AC1DH786559 Lagniappe HD March 9, 16, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April 14, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 22345-C Hwy. 59, Robertsdale, AL 36567. 1999 Ford LGT Convt 1FTRX08L2XKC03262 Lagniappe HD March 9, 16, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April 14, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 12450 Dailey Rd., Grand Bay, AL 36541. 1995 Toyota 4Runner JT3VN29V7S0047356

Lagniappe HD March 9, 16, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April 14, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 6425 Spanish Fort Blvd., Spanish Fort, AL 36577. 1994 Dodge Colt JB3EA31C4RU033460 2003 Ford Explorer 1FMZU62K03UA43467 2000 Honda Accord 1HGCG5641YA015842 Lagniappe HD March 9, 16, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April 14, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 713 Gilbert St., Prichard, AL 36610. 2000 GMC Sierra 1GTEC14V7YZ231607 Lagniappe HD March 9, 16, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April 21, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 4763 Lott Rd., Eight Mile, AL 36613. 2005 Volkswagen New Jetta 3VWSF71K05M615455 1997 Lexus ES300 JT8BF22G2V0014338 1999 Cadillac Catera W06VR52RXXR020526 2005 Pontiac G6 1G2ZH548854170513 2005 Hyundai Elantra KMHDN46D65U980804 2011 Toyota Camry 4T1BF3EK9BU631582 Lagniappe HD March 16, 23, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April 21, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 1050 N Hickory St., Loxley, AL 36551. 1995 Ford Taurus 1FALP52U0SG231096 2015 Dodge Dart 1C3CDFBB2FD159370 1998 Buick Riviera 1G4GD2219W4701492 2015 Chrysler 300 2C3CCAAGXFH891784 2010 Dodge Journey 3D4PG5FV8AT110120 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe KM8SC13D62U199809 2007 Ford Escape 1FMYU03Z37KA13756 Lagniappe HD March 16, 23, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April 21, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 15030 Butler Rd., Wilmer, AL 36587. 1997 Pontiac Bonneville 1G2HX52K4VH204971 2002 GMC Denali 1GKEK63U52J194589 Lagniappe HD March 16, 23, 2017

1999 Honda Accord 1HGCG5643XA103807 2005 Chrysler 300 2C3JA63H35H582396

Lagniappe HD March 16, 23, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April 21, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 1878 9th St., Mobile, AL 36615. 1991 Chevrolet P30 1GBJP32J8M3308033 Lagniappe HD March 16, 23, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April 21, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 5388 Hwy. 90 W., Mobile, AL 36619. 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix 2G2WR554871180050 Lagniappe HD March 16, 23, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April 21, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 1963 Canal St., Mobile, AL 36606. 2003 Mazda 6 1YVHP80DX35M31267 Lagniappe HD March 16, 23, 2017

These vehicles will be sold on 04/14/2017 at 5781 Three Notch Rd. Mobile, AL 36619 at 9.am MITS JA3AY26CX1U006276 CHEV 1GCBS14R5H2133449 FORD 1FAFP53S0XA213864 CHEV 1GNCS13WXT2223997 FORD 1FAFP42X83F342133 CHEV 2GCEC19R9V1208023 NISS 1N4AL21E89C144933 FORD 3FAHP0JA4CR294440 HONDA 1HGCM81644A006470 BUICK 2G4WY52M4X1505551 MERCURY 4M2ZU52E2WUJ47921 GMC 1GKCS13W3Y2378802 BUICK 2G4WB55K021114675 ISUZU 4S6CK58W324403790 PONT 1G2WR1219YF249034 BUICK 1G4HP53L2PH446305 NISS 1N6SD11SXLC346124 MERC WDBHA28E9TF457529 FORD 1FMZU32E2XZB46455 BUICK 1G4HP52K33U162983 HONDA 1HGEJ6572TL057798 MERCURY 2MELM74W9VX692131 KIA KNDJC733965524995 FORD 1FAFP552X4A196290 TOY JT4UD10D3S0003895 BUICK 1G4CW52L9RH617116 CHEVY 2G1WL52M5T9123343 CHRY 1C3EL46X42N224360 AUDI WAULC68E03A308627 FORD 1FMYU22XOXUA76118 HOND JH2PC0523CM003172 KAWA JKAKZLA188A007437 TOY 4T1BF3EK0BU134906

Lagniappe HD March 9, 16, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April 21, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 5971 Hwy. 90, Theodore, AL 36582. 2001 Chevrolet Impala 2G1WF52E019178912 Lagniappe HD March 16, 23, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April 21, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 30864-A Bryars Lane, Spanish Fort, AL 36527. 2003 Mercedes E500 WDBUF70J63A225988

Lagniappe HD March 16, 23, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April 21, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 2000 Halls Mill Rd., Mobile, AL 36606. 2007 Chevrolet Impala 2G1WT58K879226848 Lagniappe HD March 16, 23, 2017

Lagniappe HD offices are located at 1100B Dauphin St. Mobile, AL 36604.

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April 21, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 23291 McAvliffe Dr., Robertsdale, AL 36567. 1998 Chevrolet C/K1500 1GCEK19RXWR149835 Lagniappe HD March 16, 23, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April 21, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 217 Circle Dr., Prichard, AL 36610. 2003 Toyota Camry 4T1BE32KX3U641689 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix 2G2WC55CX71189793 Lagniappe HD March 16, 23, 2017

Deadline for legal advertising in Lagniappe HD is every Monday at 3 p.m. Lagniappe HD is distributed each Thursday.

For more information or to place your ad call Jackie at 251-450-4466. Or email at legals@lagniappemobile.com

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on April 21, 2017 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed - at 9540 Broughton Place, Stockton, AL 36579.

M a r c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 - M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 47