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WEEKLY
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LAGNIAPPE
D E C E M B E R 1 , 2 0 1 6 – D E C E M B E R 7 , 2 0 1 6 | w w w. l a g n i a p p e m o b i l e . c o m 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
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BAY BRIEFS
The city of Fairhope is considering administrative changes proposed by new mayor Karin Wilson.
COMMENTARY
The normal level of lunacy settles back in as another lawsuit alleges bad behavior by the Luv Guv.
BUSINESS
Thanks to a local endowment, the Mitchell Cancer Institute is making strides in the treatment of pancreatic and ovarian cancer.
JANE NICHOLES Reporter jane@lagniappemobile.com
With sandwiches, soups, salads and more, PDQ is more than just a chicken tender restaurant.
KEVIN LEE Associate Editor/Arts Editor klee@lagniappemobile.com ANDY MACDONALD Cuisine Editor fatmansqueeze@comcast.net
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STEPHEN CENTANNI Music Editor scentanni@lagniappemobile.com J. MARK BRYANT Sports Writer sports@lagniappemobile.com STEPHANIE POE Copy Editor copy@lagniappemobile.com DANIEL ANDERSON Chief Photographer dan@danandersonphoto.com LAURA RASMUSSEN Art Director www.laurarasmussen.com
COVER
The president of the Mobile County Constable Office is hoping legislative action will restore legitimacy to the volunteer service.
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BROOKE O’DONNELL Advertising Sales Executive brooke@lagniappemobile.com BETH WILLIAMS Advertising Sales Executive bwilliams@lagniappemobile.com ASHLEY KILLIAN Advertising Sales Executive akillian@lagniappemobile.com MELISSA EDGE Editorial Assistant events@lagniappemobile.com ROSS PRITCHARD Distribution Manager delivery@lagniappemobile.com
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ARTS
The holiday season is the perfect time to give the gift of local cultural institutions.
MUSIC
JACKIE CRUTHIRDS Office Manager jackie@lagniappemobile.com CONTRIBUTORS: Asia Frey, Lee Hedgepeth, Brian Holbert, Jeff Poor, Ken Robinson, Ron Sivak ON THE COVER: LEO BULLOCK BY DANIEL ANDERSON LAGNIAPPE HD Periodicals Permit #17660 (Volume 2, Issue 10) Copyright 2015 is published weekly, 52 issues a year, by Something Extra Publishing, Inc., 1100B Dauphin St. Mobile, AL 36604 (P.O. Box 3003 Mobile, AL 36652). Business and Editorial Offices: 1100B Dauphin St. Mobile, AL 36604 Accounting and Circulation Offices: 1100B Dauphin St. Mobile, AL 36604. Call 251-450-4466 to subscribe. 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: atrice@lagniappemobile.com LAGNIAPPE HD is printed at Signature Offset, 2610 Lakeview Rd. Hattiesburg, Mississippi. All rights reserved. Something Extra Publishing, Inc. Nothing may be reprinted. photocopied or in any way reproduced without the expressed permission of the publishers.
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With Skate Mountain Records, the husband and wife team of Scott and Kate Lumpkin are bringing their experience in film to the music industry.
FILM
The screen adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is a beautiful distraction.
MEDIA
Prostitutes mugshot ban another unconstitutional prior restraint.
SPORTS
Orange Beach is playing host to the NAIA women’s soccer national championship.
STYLE
Boozie talks Turkey Day, the Iron Bowl and “American Pickers.”
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GOING POSTAL
Local family grateful for Salvation Army Before the Cisco family became homeless, life was great. They were living in Atlanta and both parents, Charity and Lakeem, had steady jobs. They had a nice home; everyone was happy and healthy. But all of this quickly changed the day the Ciscos received a call no parents want to receive: they were told to come pick up their 1-year-old son Peyton from daycare immediately. When they got there it was far worse than they could have imagined. Peyton had sores and blisters all in his mouth and could hardly breathe. Knowing of Peyton’s severe allergy to peanuts, Charity Cisco immediately gave him a shot of epinephrine, which did not take. When they arrived at the hospital, Peyton was given multiple breathing treatments as well as more injections of epinephrine, all of which didn’t take, and Peyton was transferred to the children’s ICU where he spent around three weeks. During this terrifying time, Charity and Lakeem would take shifts being at the hospital with Peyton while the other was at work or with their other children. This became very trying and tiring both physically and mentally for both of them, and as hard as they tried to keep up, they subsequently had to miss some work. Still unable to breathe on his own, Pey-
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ton ended up having to have emergency surgery. “I never thought I would have to choose between being at the hospital for my 1-year-old son’s surgery and my job … and I would choose him every time,” said Charity, recollecting what she called the easiest decision of her life. Both Charity and Lakeem chose to be at Peyton’s surgery, and both lost their jobs. Now both without jobs, a child just out of the hospital and children at home, the Ciscos felt hopeless. As the bills began to pile up, they started selling their possessions and reaching out to agencies and shelters for help, all of which turned them down because they are a two-parent family. After the continuous rejection they decided to call neighboring states in search of help. After speaking with someone from Alabama they were directed to come to Mobile. “We had nothing left but our car, and some clothes … We knew we had to get to Mobile so we sold my wedding band for gas money and food,” Charity said. When we got to Mobile, everywhere they were planning on going was already closed for the evening. “With no money, food or a place to go,” Charity said, “we prayed, we always prayed, and by the grace of God he led us to The Salvation Army Family Haven
… and Ms. Angel, she told us we were going to be OK, and we were going to be able to stay together … and I was so scared my family was going to be torn apart.” After about three months, Charity is employed, Lakeem is looking for employment and they have moved out of the Family Haven and into their own apartment. Walking into the Cisco family’s new apartment, the sounds of laughter immediately hit you, followed by the sounds little feet. Though the joy and excitement of moving into their own apartment is overwhelming, they now face the challenge of furnishing their new home. “Even though we don’t have much (my kids don’t have beds), we came here 90 days ago with nothing, and now we have our own place, I have a job, and my kids are happy and healthy … but without the Family Haven we couldn’t have done it. My kids were able to go to a good school and not worry about people finding out they are homeless, I was able to focus on finding a job and not where are we going to sleep or what are we going to eat tonight, and we were able to stay together as a family. All of this is because of God and The Family Haven,” Charity said. Submitted by The Salvation Army
BAYBRIEF | FAIRHOPE
A new page NEW ADMINISTRATIVE JOBS, AIRPORT DEBT CAUSE CONTROVERSY IN FAIRHOPE BY JANE NICHOLES
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ew Fairhope Mayor Karin Wilson promised change, and on Monday night she introduced some big ones. Wilson proposed two new hires, an operations director and an economic and community development director, each with a salary ranging between $114,868 and $183,791. Without those positions, she said, “The alternative is that I will have to replace some people.” The City Council approved the positions. Wilson, who recently took office after defeating longtime incumbent Tim Kant, also announced she wants the city to take control of 251 acres of Airport Authority land and wants the city to direct the future of the airport. In other council news, citizen activist and blogger Paul Ripp got into an acrimonious confrontation with Council President Jack Burrell over Ripp’s allegations of insider dealing involving an airport hangar.
Jobs already filled
Although the two new jobs must be posted for applications for a minimum of three days under personnel system rules, Wilson made it clear she had two candidates in mind. The name of the operations director was not made public, but that job includes the utilities superintendent post previously held by Kant along with some public works functions. As for the economic and community development director, Wilson refused to answer questions from Lagniappe after the meeting, but Burrell confirmed the person Wilson wants to hire is Sherry-Lea Bloodworth Botop. According to Botop’s LinkedIn page, she has been national vice president of Catholic Charities USA since April. Based in Washington, D.C., Botop previously served as executive director of the American Institute of Architects Foundation. From 2008-2011 she was vice president, advocacy and development, for Mercy Medical in Mobile. Wilson said Botop was involved in Hurricane Katrina relief and recovery efforts, and repeatedly sang her praises. She said the hire was part of “a plan that has never been seen in the history of Fairhope.” Wilson said the position was needed because Fairhope spends “not one dollar” on tourism or economic development. She said the job needs to be filled quickly. Mayors have the option to bring in their own teams of supervisors and administrators when they take office, she said, but she didn’t want to replace any existing supervisor. “I could have come in and said, ‘Thank you for your service, supervisors, but I’m going to bring my own team in,’” Wilson said. Pandora Heathcoe, director of human resources, said
the salary range was arrived at by comparing the salary levels of similar positions in 20 other cities. However, Personnel Board members indicated they would have to review the salary levels to ensure they comply with the city’s personnel system. In response to questions from council members about the expense of the new positions, Wilson said they would pay for themselves by creating more profit in the city’s utility system and by bringing new businesses to Fairhope. The $60,000 salary paid to Kant as utilities supervisor and the salary of a recently retired city supervisor would defray some of the cost. Although the council approved the positions on a unanimous vote with Kevin Boone absent, there was a bit of criticism. Councilman Robert Brown noted he did not receive job descriptions until about 2 p.m. Monday and did not appreciate how the matter had been handled. Brown noted the city has not passed a budget for the current fiscal year and is operating on an extension of the most recent budget. “We’re trusting you here,” he said. Members of the news media did not receive the job descriptions in their agenda packets. Lagniappe made a verbal request for the descriptions as passed and received them Tuesday morning from the city clerk’s office. Wilson said, as she did frequently on Monday, that her actions were what the citizens of Fairhope wanted. “Would you rather me come in and say, ‘Here’s my new team?’”
Taking back a piece of the airport
In 2007, the Aviation Authority purchased 251 acres of property that made a horseshoe around the H.L. “Sonny” Callahan Airport. The City Council turned over control of the airport to the Airport Authority several months earlier, according to a news report at the time. The city financed $8.75 million for the property and related expansion and upgrades through a bond issue. According to a story originally printed in the Baldwin Register, the city was to pay interest on the first five years of the loan and then the Airport Authority would take over responsibility for it. Wilson said the city has since been paying $500,000 a year, and the airport loan makes up 20 percent of Fairhope’s total debt service. But a provision of the agreement allowed the city to take back the property in 2012 for $10 if the principal had not been paid off by the Airport Authority, Wilson said. Now, she said, she intends to exercise that right. Wilson noted that none of the current council members had anything to do with the original decision, but that it was wrong. “The city should never have purchased the
land to begin with,” she said. Wilson said she and her new economic and community development director would take the airport in a different direction from that pursued by the Airport Authority, with one goal being elimination of the debt. “I have to think of my citizens,” she said. She said the city would continue to work with the Airport Authority, and the takeover would not interfere with the authority’s plans or any grants or other programs being funded by outside agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration. But, she said, the authority had nine years to take care of the debt and had not done so. While council members did not discount the idea, they asked many questions of Wilson, Authority Chairman Joe McEnerney and Lee Lawson, president and CEO of the Baldwin County Economic Development Authority. At one point, Wilson asked, “Did you all get together and have a conference before this meeting?” No action was taken and the question of whether the council would have to approve the takeover was not answered. Lawson, summoned from the audience to take questions from the council, said he would offer no opinion on the matter of whether the city or the Airport Authority should own the land. He did say a full-time manager is needed because of its growth and that the airport was in a better position than ever to attract second-tier suppliers to Airbus. Current economic development prospects are interested in the east side of the airport where most of the expansion is taking place, Lawson said. Some 80 percent of all prospects in Baldwin County want existing facilities, not empty land. Lawson also said authorities, industrial development boards and specialty financing entities are in a better position to develop such properties than elected officials, because elected officials have to answer to citizens’ complaints about noise and traffic. He advised that whatever is decided, “the people we’re talking to want to know who the clear path of communication is with.” The alliance needs to talk with one person, not 10, he said. McEnerney said the authority wants to at least retain control of the eastern portion of the property. He presented the council with a three-page summary of economic impact and challenges facing the airport. It included $18.6 million in capital investment and 142 new jobs.
Angry confrontation
A red-faced Burrell and a shouting Ripp argued about a story published Friday on Ripp’s blog, The Ripp Report. Headlined, “You don’t know Jack,” the blog questioned last year’s award of a hangar lease to Ray Hix, an Airport Authority board member. Burrell was among the officials whom Ripp claimed had a conflict of interest. Burrell produced an advisory opinion requested from the Alabama Ethics Commission. The opinion, released in February, said board members could seek business from the airport provided they did not “vote, attempt to influence or in any manner participate in the bid process.” Burrell and the opinion noted that Hix regularly left meetings or did not attend meetings when the hangar lease might be discussed. Burrell, who represents the council on the Airport Authority, said he and board member Vince Boothe were appointed to evaluate the bids for the hangar, and they concluded that Hix’s bid would bring in the most revenue. During the meeting, Ripp told Burrell his report was based on documents and he stood by it. Burrell replied, “Mr. Ripp, you are not even close to the truth.” Later, he said, “You have done nothing but make false accusations over and over and over.” Ripp has said The Ripp Report will continue to investigate and present its finding to Wilson and others.
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BAYBRIEF | MOBILE
In the red
FINANCIAL, ATTENDANCE ANALYSIS SHOWS GULFQUEST WAS NEVER SOLVENT BY DALE LIESCH
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ulfQuest National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico struggled to attract attendance in each of its 13 months in operation. Records provided by outgoing Executive Director Tony Zodrow indicate the museum was unable to maintain a steady admission base, which ultimately led Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson to take over the $60 million facility and temporarily close it to the public. A GulfQuest activity report released during a Sept. 8 meeting of the museum’s board of trustees, shows the facility attracted 73,343 visitors in the 11 months it was open, between September 2015 and August 2016. A report from the museum in October 2016 put the total attendance at about 80,000. Before it opened, museum officials had estimated 200,000 visitors would be required each year for the museum to operate in the black. Attendance projections had the number of visitors well beyond that. In its first 35 days of operation, from Sept.
“We have to maintain the integrity [of the museum], but make it fun so it can be successful,” Stimpson said. “We want to maintain the integrity of the concept, but we have to make revenue.” Stimpson envisions a third party running the museum and the city paying off the more than $2 million in debt each year on the building. The museum held a series of camps on various topics throughout the summer. Those camps, held from the last week of June through the end of July, attracted 45 campers. The first week and third week of the camps brought in eight visitors each, according to the report. GulfQuest had 114 classroom programs scheduled for 2016 and 2017, according to the report. Most of the scheduled visits came from third- and fifth-grade classrooms with 30 students each. A total of 40 schools planned field trips to the museum for 2016 and 2017. Stimpson has called for the field trips scheduled from this month through 2017 to be canceled. For the time being, a “gray period,” as StimpIN ITS FIRST 35 DAYS OF OPERATION, son calls it, will see the museum open FROM SEPT. 26, 2015 — WHEN IT its doors only for OPENED AFTER YEARS OF DELAYS — THROUGH special events already on the books THE END OF OCTOBER OF THAT YEAR, GULFQUEST and days when the WELCOMED JUST 8,763 VISITORS THROUGH ITS Carnival Fantasy is in port. DOORS. THE ATTENDANCE NUMBERS DIDN’T “It’ll be open for special events,” IMPROVE FROM THERE. Stimpson said in an interview early last 26, 2015 — when it opened after years of delays week. “We take cruise day as a special event, — through the end of October of that year, Gulf- but we’re not currently scheduling events. It’ll Quest welcomed just 8,763 visitors through its be directed at cruisers until we get better at what doors. The attendance numbers didn’t improve we’re doing.” from there. The activity report also reveals the revenue In June 2016, GulfQuest welcomed 8,709 GulfQuest brought in from admission during the visitors, its second-highest attendance total in 13 first and second quarters of 2016 and projections months. The museum saw its lowest attendance for quarters three and four. in August 2016, when just 4,229 visitors passed During the first quarter of 2016, the museum through its doors. Attendance levels vary from made $125,189 in “general and group admisthere, with the summer months of June and July sion,” $63,468 in “educational programs,” seeing 8,709 and 7,097 visitors, respectively. $16,410 in “special events” and $20,033 in March saw a total of 7,009 visitors as well. “memberships,” according to the report. The Stimpson has said from the beginning that in first quarter total was $225,100. Admission order to attract more visitors, the museum would revenue increased in the second quarter of 2016 need to be more fun. The city has already conto $292,819, but the revenue from memberships tacted representatives with the parent company dropped significantly to $8,739. of Ripley’s Believe It or Not to get ideas on how Revenue projections for the third quarter of to make the museum more popular. Stimpson 2016 dropped to $203,971, while they increased added that the city has also been in contact with for the fourth quarter to $357,193. The total Hugh Darley, from Idea Inc., for suggestions. revenue projections for 2016 came to just over Darley, Stimpson said, has worked with the USS $1 million. Other revenues for the year to date Alabama and a number of cruise lines. in September included the lease of The Galley “The word ‘museum’ sends a message to a restaurant at $14,063, parking fees of $8,910 lot of people of ‘boring,’” Stimpson suggested. and vending machine commissions of $898. “In today’s society, we want to do things that As for expenses, the report shows GulfQuest are fun.” paid $710,000 on “operating expenses” in the The administration acknowledges the second quarter alone. The expenses for the challenges of what they’re trying to do. In a quarter included $293,612 in salaries, $107,000 previous interview, Zodrow said most of the in “accrued utilities,” $57,153 in advertising and museum’s exhibits were funded through new $84,238 in “interest expense.” market tax credits. The credits remain in place The numbers mean the museum lost a total until 2020 and 2021, respectively, he said. This of $417,181. In fact, according to the numbers means that the city will most likely have to provided, admission in the second quarter alone maintain the exhibits the tax credits paid for didn’t cover the museum’s expense for salaries until those dates. during the same time period.
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BAYBRIEF | MOBILE
Ferguson effect
LEGAL SPENDING STEADY DESPITE MORE LAWSUITS BY DALE LIESCH
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hile the city of Mobile has seen an uptick in lawsuits defending law enforcement in the past two years, the amount of legal fees and expenses it has paid to outside firms has not dramatically increased in fiscal years 2015 and 2016. Legal fees for 2016 totaled just slightly more than $2 million, while the total for 2015 was more at just over $2.3 million. In 2013 and 2014, legal fees totaled more than $4 million. City attorney Ricardo Woods, of Burr & Forman, said he couldn’t discuss any specific officer-involved lawsuits, but added there had generally been an uptick since the shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. Woods said cities around the country are dealing with an increase in lawsuits since that shooting. Possibly leading to the uptick, Woods suggested, is a shift in how similar cases are handled since Ferguson. For instance, based on the interpretation of a recent Supreme Court case, some attorneys go after individual officers to work around municipal caps on liability exposure, which limit the award a victim or a victim’s family can receive from a municipality. The cap is set at $300,000, Woods said. “Some take that case to mean there’s no cap on exposure for individual officers,” he said. “If in an individual capacity, some argue the cap doesn’t apply.” Ferguson also changed the level of scrutiny for these types of cases, Woods said. “There has been a recent rash of settlements nationally,” he said. “There aren’t more lawsuits, but the lawsuits are handled in a different way.” Multiple firms and attorneys also have to be used in some law enforcement defense cases, Woods said, to avoid conflicts of interest. For example, if multiple officers are included in a suit, the level of possible culpability for each of the officers is usually different, Woods said. Different attorneys and firms are used in this scenario to avoid a conflict, he said. In Mobile, a situation arose where there were four officers involved in a lawsuit with five law firms involved, Woods said. Burr & Forman represented the city in the suit, while four other firms defended each of the involved officers, he said. Woods named Burr & Forman; Armbrecht, Jackson; Maynard, Cooper & Gale; The Brandyburg Firm; and Bell Law Firm as firms that have helped the city defend officer-involved lawsuits. According to city records, those firms were paid a total of $1.1 million in 2016 for various legal work, including law enforcement liability defense. “None of these lawsuits have occurred while [Mayor Sandy Stimpson] has been in office,” Woods said. “It was just a matter of timing when they were filed.” Burr & Forman were paid the most of the firms on the list, at $875,139 in 2016, according to city records. The firm charged the city slightly more in 2015 at $898,816. It employs Woods, so the firm bills the city for a variety of work. For instance, the firm has a hand in every lawsuit filed. “It’s anything we need,” Woods said. “It’s full-service for the city. We defend an overwhelming number of lawsuits.”
Woods is continuing the policy of not simply settling “nuisance” lawsuits, he said. By refusing to settle, Woods said, fewer attorneys will file “nuisance” suits. “It saves money and time,” he said. Armbrecht, Jackson charged the city $127,179 in 2016, records indicate. Woods said in addition to police defense, the firm also handles some employment work for the city. The firm was paid $206,244 in 2015. Maynard, Cooper & Gale charged $106,071 to the city in 2016. In addition to the law enforcement defense, the firm helps the city issue bonds and receive new market tax credits. “We make a very concerted effort to hire expertise in certain areas,” Woods said. “We get good lawyers who know how to deal with public entities and have that knowledge base. That’s very important to the city.” Jaime Betbeze, an attorney with Maynard, Cooper & Gale, is currently representing Waste Management, which is fighting the city’s Solid Waste Authority in a $6 million breach of contract lawsuit. A U.S. District Court jury found in Waste Management’s favor, but the case was appealed by the authority and is currently awaiting a decision by a three-judge panel in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Brandyburg Firm was paid $30,987 and the Bell Law Firm was paid $3,440 for work in 2016. City Council attorney Jim Rossler’s firm was also paid more than $98,000 over the last two years for liability defense work, which included the Solid Waste Authority and law enforcement, Woods said. In addition, Rossler was paid roughly $220,000 for his work with the council over the same time period. The firm of Adams & Reese was paid the second most of any firm on the list over the past two years. The firm charged the city $458,948 in 2015 and $384,401 in 2016. Adams & Reese handles economic development agreements for the city, Woods said. For instance, the firm helped the city negotiate its contribution to the Wal-Mart distribution center, as well as set up deals with Meridian at the Port and the Shoppes at Bel Air. The firm also assists with legislative affairs and with the city’s federal grants, like the $14.5 million TIGER grant for Broad Street rehabilitation, Woods said. Bradley S. Waterman billed the city for $190,666, according to records. Waterman served as special tax counsel for the city, Woods said, and handled one particular case where the city was accused by the Internal Revenue Service of improperly managing bond funds. Woods wouldn’t provide an original asking amount, but said the case had been settled for less than 1 percent of the amount sought. In 2015, the city’s legal department actually brought in more money than it spent, Woods claims. The city received $4.8 million net payment from the BP oil spill settlement. The city initially took some heat for paying more than 30 percent of the $7.1 million total settlement in fees by allowing independent attorney Mary Beth Mantiply to take the case on contingency. A chunk of the settlement also went to Burr & Forman. The administration and City Council spent the remaining funds on new garbage trucks last year.
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BAYBRIEF | MOBILE
Jury’s still out
FEDERAL APPEALS COURT HEARS GARBAGE AUTHORITY’S APPEAL OF $6 MILLION VERDICT BY DALE LIESCH Jaime Betbeze, an attorney for Waste Management, told the judges the issue was never raised at trial. In fact, he argued, the defendants affirmed the original court had jurisdiction. “They admitted jurisdictional fact,” Betbeze said. “They were satisfied before trial that Madison, Mississippi, was the nerve center of operations.” Betbeze asked the court would would happen if attorneys were allowed to admit a jurisdictional fact and take it back after two years of discovery and a trial. “It would encourage gamesmanship the court would like to avoid,” he said. Further, Betbeze argued precedent allows for the “nerve center” of operations to be a test of jurisdiction. He added that business activities are not used. “The evidence has no power to controvert the stipulated fact,” Betbeze said. In raising another jurisdiction issue, Jordan told the judges that the Solid Waste Authority was actually an arm of the state and therefore not “a citizen” and is therefore immune to litigation of this nature. He compared it to a university, or a board of health. Jordan argued city officials, outside of appointments, lack any control over how the authority operates because it was established by state law. Betbeze argued that much like the other jurisdiction issue, the authority’s trial attorneys failed to bring this to the court’s attention over two years of preparation. “It is absolutely clear-cut …,” Betbeze said. “Neither issue was brought to the court.” When asked by Hull if the issue of immunity was raised during trial, Betbeze had an answer. “It was never raised at trial because it has no basis in reality,” he said.
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Photo | Dale Liesch
MONTGOMERY — An attorney for Mobile’s Solid Waste Authority argued to a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals that as an arm of the state, the authority should have immunity against a $6 million federal court judgment awarded last year. Bert Jordan also argued that the jury’s verdict following a breach of contract trial in U.S. District Court in Mobile should be vacated because the plaintiff, Waste Management Mobile Bay Environmental Center, does the majority of its business in Alabama and not in Mississippi, where it’s headquartered. The appeal, brought by the city’s Solid Waste Authority, stems from a $6 million breach of contract verdict in favor of Waste Management in January 2015. A jury determined the authority owed Waste Management roughly $5 million for breach of contract related to the perceived failure of the authority to raise the rate it allowed Waste Management to charge the city as a tipping fee. The jury set a higher tipping fee and, as a result of the judgment, the city was also ordered to dump yard waste at the landfill managed by Waste Management. Waste Management Mobile Bay Environmental Center filed its lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Mobile because its “nerve center” is in Madison, Mississippi, despite the bulk of its enterprise taking place in the Port City. Jordan told the panel that this fact presents a question about the court’s jurisdiction in the case. Judge Frank Hull seemed to disagree with Jordan’s line of thought on this point, given the trial attorneys didn’t challenge jurisdiction before the judgment. “Mississippi is what you admitted until you lost,” Hull told Jordan. “You don’t have to prove facts someone admits … Is that what you’d have us rule?”
MOBILE’S SOLID WASTE AUTHORITY IS STILL FACING A $6 MILLION JUDGEMENT. Betbeze added that state law allows the authority to “sue and be sued” and it’s clearly not an instrumentality and not an arm of the state. “There’s no connection to the state whatsoever,” Betbeze said. “Other than the fact it’s a public corporation of the state and a citizen.” Betbeze said neither argument for vacation of the verdict holds water. “The court had jurisdiction for this case. The authority obviously recognized that by not bringing up it was an instrumentality of the state and by admitting [Waste Management] was a citizen of Mississippi.” There has been no announced decision in the appeal. Despite the 2015 verdict that would force the city to send yard debris to Waste Management’s landfill, the city’s Executive Director of Finance Paul Wesch told Mobile City Council members in June the city would continue to send the trash to the Dirt Inc. landfill. Wesch said sending the debris to Chastang, which was stipulated in the award, would cost the city $1.8 million per year because it is designed for regular household garbage. In comparison, dumping the yard trash at Dirt Inc. cost the city about $600,000, he said. At the meeting councilors approved moving forward with this year’s payment to Dirt Inc.
BAYBRIEF | EDUCATION
‘Survey says’
TEACHERS CONCERNED WITH INCREASED TESTING BY JASON JOHNSON
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survey compiled by the Alabama Education Association suggests some teachers in the Mobile County Public School System are feeling overburdened by new testing and paperwork requirements that many believe aren’t even helping students. Conducted in November, the survey questioned hundreds of educators about the system’s use of Common Formative Assessments (CFAs), tests created, administered and analyzed by classroom teachers as an indicator of how well students are mastering their curriculum. Asked about the tests last month, MCPSS Superintendent Martha Peek compared them with the diagnostic tests a doctor might perform on a new patient. “When you go to a doctor, they give you a test to see what may be needed, and then they give you medication. If that doesn’t work, they come back and test again,” Peek said. “Any time this kind of assessment is given, it’s simply to narrow the focus in on what students’ understanding of the knowledge being presented is.” However, reaction to the CFA process has been mixed. While some doubt its effectiveness because preparing for the tests can take away from regular classroom instruction, others simply said the new requirement is asking too much of teachers. In the recent survey, which was collected and shared with Lagniappe by AEA, more than 200 teachers said they spend an average of 10 hours every week preparing, reviewing or retesting CFAs — hours often put in during teachers’ planning periods or after school. Teachers in some schools said they are required to administer as many as three CFAs every quarter, which is in addition to the End of Quarter Tests teachers also create and preparing students for annual standardized tests. “Unfortunately, the survey results confirmed what we already knew: the CFA process places an unreasonable burden on MCPSS teachers and the rewards of that work do not even come close to justifying the cost of their time,” AEA representative Jesse McDaniel said. “Teachers are writing, administering or grading so many tests in addition to all the lesson planning and data meetings, they don’t have enough time in the classroom just working with kids.” Among those teachers surveyed, there were some fairly universal concerns over a lack of time to prepare and teach the subject matter in between each CFA, as well as the loss of planning and “personal time” the extra workload has caused for some. However, the majority of those teachers, around 80 percent, also said they don’t think CFAs are helping their students learn, and in some cases might even be “detrimental to them.” One teacher said the time spent creating the “useless CFAs” could be better spent “planning effective lessons and activities for students.” Others said MCPSS students were “already tested to death” before CFAs became a requirement in August. “Teachers feel their students are being tested far too often, and classroom creativity is almost nonexistent,” McDaniel said. “This year the pressure has been increased to such a degree, some teachers feel like test robots and not the
professionals they truly are.” However, not all feedback was negative. Many said CFAs can provide insight about students’ knowledge of the curriculum, and others said they are “useful” and “effective” in preparing for standardized tests such as the ACT Aspire. According to Peek, that’s one of the benefits of CFAs — they “check student knowledge and guide teaching” ahead of each quarterly test and ultimately help prepare students for state standardized tests, which she called “the ultimate summative assessment.” “They don’t affect anything we report of the state, but it helps students have the knowledge and skills necessary to take those once-a-year tests,” Peek said. “It’s the cycle of learning.” Those quarterly tests, or EQTs, were originally created by the central office staff, but most teachers have been required to create, administer and analyze them since 2014. When that change was made, MCPSS saw some of the same complaints it is seeing now from teachers having to work additional hours without additional compensation. However, Peek said teachers are supposed to work collaboratively with co-workers on the same grade level or subject area to generate their CFAs — something she said is instrumental in gauging where a student’s comprehension level is compared to their peers. “In education, we have to be careful to avoid grading in isolation, because you don’t want your students’ grades to be inflated because you’re grading just against your class,” Peek said. “You also want to make sure, on the opposite end, that you’re not aligned with standards and tests that are so hard students can’t complete them.” However, some teachers said the material is too difficult, specifically for special education students and others in the general population that may have ADHD or other learning disadvantages. And though there’s no impact on a school’s standing with the state, Peek said, students’ grades are affected by their CFA scores. There’s also been some frustration because not every school or every teacher is being asked to the do the same thing. In March, an MCPSS spokesperson told Lagniappe teacher participation in CFAs would not be mandatory, but in August the system began requiring CFAs in reading. Peek recently said “some schools may be doing them in other subject areas,” which seems to align with some of the comments in the AEA’s survey. One teacher said she was being asked create three CFAs and an EQT every quarter in the subjects of math, reading and science. MCPSS officials have been presented with the data the AEA collected, and Peek has said the district is “cognizant” of the concerns some teachers have expressed about the CFA process. “We know how hard our teachers are working, but we need a detailed, quality measurement of students’ progress so we can make sure they’re meeting the standards,” she said. “Paperwork is a part of all of our jobs, just as it is in medicine, banking or law. If anybody has anything they want to share about the process, there’s a paperwork committee that meets every month they can sent their comments to, and they will be considered.”
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BAYBRIEF | MOBILE COUNTY
Salary standoff
RULING EXPECTED SOON IN DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S FUNDING LAWSUIT BY JASON JOHNSON
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judge encouraged Mobile County commissioners and District Attorney Ashley Rich again this week to “lower the temperature” and attempt to settle a lawsuit over funding for local prosecutors that’s been dragged out more than five years. Since at least 2011, Rich has tried unsuccessfully to get county officials to increase the salaries of her staff, and for the last five years those efforts have been part of a lawsuit that has cost taxpayers more than half a million dollars. On Nov. 28, Monroe County Circuit Judge George Elbrecht held a status hearing in the case that could very well see a final ruling in December. However, Elbrecht said it would be “beneficial for everybody” if the parties could reach a settlement before then. “This case has been very well litigated by both sides, but these are public funds that we’re dealing with,” Elbrecht said. “I’m going to encourage the parties again to resolve this case, but if they cannot, I will.” The crux of the lawsuit has been two local laws passed in the 1980s that require the County Commission to match salary increases passed at the county level and also the state level — though previous district attorneys have ignored those laws for a number of years. Originally, Elbrecht ruled in the county’s favor, but that decision was overturned when Alabama’s Supreme Court found the local statutes constitutional. In October, the court denied the county’s request for rehearing and sent the case back to Elbrecht. “I’m not sure about other judges, but I understand the pecking order,” Elbrecht said. “I’ve been told to render
an opinion that’s consistent with [the Supreme Court’s], and I’m going to try very hard to do that.” Attorney Boyd Miller has been serving as a mediator between the parties as they’ve worked behind the scenes to reach a settlement. However, Miller said despite some progress, he “can’t report that there’s been a settlement.” Put simply, the two main issues boil down to finding an adjusted salary schedule the county and the DA’s office can agree to, and what — if any — damages the county owes for failing to provide raises for nearly 30 years that were required by law. Of the two, there seems to be more of a consensus around a possible salary schedule, as both parties have said there’s “potential” for an agreement on that issue. The problem, though, is figuring out what those pay ranges will look like. The Supreme Court’s ruling authorized a pay range from $103,000 to $245,000, but Rich’s office has already said they’re willing to compromise on those figures. The county’s attorney, LaVeeta Battle, believes those new salaries should only account for cost-of-living adjustments and not merit increases. Jeff Hartley, who represents Rich, said the law doesn’t make that distinction, though he did describe the merit component as “tiny.” Much more complicated is what the county might have to pay out in damages, which have often been characterized in this case as “back pay” for the raises employees of the DA’s office never received. Previously, Rich and her attorneys have asked for around $5 million, but the county maintains it doesn’t owe any money for salary adjustments that predate the
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original legal claim filed in 2011. Any raises since then, though, the county says are fair game. “There have been two county raises since then,” County Attorney Jay Ross said. “The county has held that money in escrow and we owe that for the number of actual assistant district attorneys that work in the office.” That money has been set aside as various COLAs were approved by the county, but while other employees saw those raises immediately, Rich’s office has not. In April, Commissioner Connie Hudson told Lagniappe that was a byproduct of the ongoing lawsuit. Paraphrasing the Supreme Court’s ruling, Battle said “the county is to provide funding for the actual salaries and not for the potential funding levels the local acts anticipate,” which the opinion from March acknowledged could be “shockingly high.” However, Rich’s attorney Alan Alexander said the county’s interpretation would undermine the entire point of the local laws that the Supreme Court has already found to be constitutional. In his argument, Alexander said even if the county only provides funding for raises that have occurred within the timeframe of the lawsuit, the statutes would require any baseline in those calculations to include all of the raises the county failed to provide the DAs from 1982 to 2011. “The issue becomes, were those [local laws] constitutional and were they operative from the time they passed in 1982 and 1888?” he added. “The Supreme Court said they were … and there were a number increases that never got paid to anybody that built up to that point.” As an example, if an employee in the DA’s office was making $50,000 in 2011 and should have been making $64,000 based on those statutes, Rich’s attorneys believe the damages due for that single employee would be $14,000. The county, on the other hand, believes they should not be required to pay those damages because those “potential funds” were never actually paid to anyone. Rich’s attorneys have called that argument “illogical,” saying their client couldn’t have possibly paid salaries for which the county never provided funding. Alexander said if they had, Rich’s lawsuit would not have been filed in the first place. A final hearing before Elbrecht has been scheduled in early December, after which the court will likely issue a ruling on any outlying issues in the case. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the legal row would be over, as the county still has the option to appeal Elbrecht’s ruling back to the Supreme Court again.
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COMMENTARY | DAMN THE TORPEDOES
Now back to our regularly scheduled insanity ROB HOLBERT/MANAGING EDITOR/RHOLBERT@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM
ASK ALMOST ANYONE WHO OWNS A BUSINESS AND THEY’LL TELL YOU, PEOPLE JUST STOPPED BUYING THINGS OVER MUCH OF THE PAST THREE MONTHS. FORTUNE 500 COMPANY DIRECTORS HAVE NOTED THE SAME PHENOMENON. ”
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because they didn’t keep a manifest. Lewis claims Bentley also wanted his secretary Wanda “gone” after he suspected she’d become aware of the affair. As in some previous reports, it appears Collier may also have been helping keep things quiet at first. Lewis’ lawsuit claims Collier moved money around to pay members of the governor’s staff in such a way that almost half a million dollars in salary wouldn’t show up in the governor’s budget. Lewis says he was told those funds came from Homeland Security. And Lewis also throws Collier under the bus concerning his own alleged affair. The suit says that when Lewis and Collier talked to Bentley about ending things with Mason, “The governor, crying, replied ‘Spencer, how did you end yours?’ and Collier allegedly told him, ‘Governor, I just cut it off at the nub. You’re gonna have to cut it off at the nub …. It’s gonna bleed, but you will eventually get over it.’” So now, even as he’s faced with picking who might take Sessions’s seat, Bentley’s love life continues to take center stage. At the same time Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange’s office investigates whether Bentley misused state funds and property in carrying on this affair, Big Luther is telling everyone that whoever Bentley appoints, he’s going to beat them when an election is held in 2018. If it hadn’t all come on the heels of the strangest national election ever, I’d imagine all eyes would be focused on Montgomery. But with things starting to calm down it is nice to know Alabama’s taking back its rightful place at the head of the political loony bin.
THEGADFLY
Fortunately in Alabama the normal level of insanity is worthy of its own cable channel. As we’ve been caught up in the national insanity, our own craziness has kind of taken a back burner — particularly as it relates to the antics of our own Luv Guv and whether he may be impeached. But the focus has come back to Gov. Robert Bentley in the past couple of weeks, primarily because it looks likely he’ll get a chance to appoint a U.S. Senator to replace Jeff Sessions if our current junior senator is confirmed as the next U.S. Attorney General. Yes, the spotlight is burning white-hot on Bentley right now as one of Alabama’s favorite new parlor games is guessing who’ll be appointed and explaining why you’re able to read the mind of a man who’s done some of the most politically baffling things anyone has ever seen. But even as the Luv Guv is having a moment when he can try to focus on being gubernatorial, a new lawsuit landed with a thud that makes him once again look far more “goobernatorial.” Last week, Wendell Ray Lewis, the governor’s security chief and part of his “crew” filed a wrongful termination suit against Bentley and dropped a few more bizarre details about “the affair.” Lewis’ suit just adds more spice to an already boiling boil of political gumbo that has Bentley and his top adviser, Rebekah Mason, as its roux. As we all know by now, Bentley is accused of having an affair with Mason, and that has spawned criminal investigations and impeachment efforts with the governor at its center. While Lewis’ lawsuit doesn’t move things in an entirely different direction, it does paint a more detailed picture of what exactly was happening with our lovelorn leader. Frankly the picture Lewis paints is somewhat remi-
niscent of middle school, with professions of love to friends, sudden breakups, equally sudden reconciliations and even some illicit drug activity. Oh my! Let’s get one thing straight, Lewis’ claims are just that — claims. Bentley denies a lot of what was filed in the suit. He’s called it “baseless, malicious, slanderous, salacious and poorly constructed” and simply an “attempt to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars from state of Alabama taxpayers, myself and my family.” But by the same token the governor has consistently claimed he didn’t have a physical relationship with a woman whose breasts he was recorded extolling the virtues of holding, so draw your own conclusions. Lewis backs up others’ claims, including those of former Alabama Law Enforcement Association Director Spencer Collier, that Bentley admitted to the affair among his inner circle. Bentley allegedly told Lewis he was in love with both his then-wife Dianne and Mason, but he loved Mason more. I can just see him scratching Dianne’s name off his Trapper-Keeper notebook. Supposedly many people pleaded with Bentley to end his affair, but he wouldn’t. Lewis claims to have at one point “broken up” with Mason on Bentley’s behalf, only to have the randy governor come into the room, rub her shoulders and tell her “Baby, it’s gonna be alright.” Bentley supposedly also used his wife’s name to order generic Viagra and had it shipped to the governor’s mansion. Ouch! There’s info about how the two allegedly met at the Blount House in Montgomery because it didn’t keep a visitor’s log, and how they began taking private jets places
Cartoon/Laura Rasmussen
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as the pre-/post-election insanity finally started to subside? Are people coming out from under their beds and daring to go back outside? Have canned food sales at the grocery store finally fallen back to normal levels? Perhaps. Most anecdotal evidence, as well as firm research on the subject, suggests Americans went technically “batshit crazy” in the months surrounding the presidential election. Ask almost anyone who owns a business and they’ll tell you, people just stopped buying things over much of the past three months. Fortune 500 company directors have noted the same phenomenon. “I’m not buying a car! I don’t know if that (insert appropriate expletive) is going to end up being president!” seems to have been a common attitude. “I’m not buying a ballpoint pen until I know who the next president is!” was a bit more extreme, but maybe just as common, attitude. People even stopped watching the NFL! Face it, collectively we lost our minds. But the NFL ratings are coming back up and people are starting to focus again on what outlandishly overpriced toy they’re going to buy their 3-month-old nephew. Slowly the insanity meter is being rolled back to its usual DEFCON 3.
WHO KNEW ALL YOU NEEDED WAS A FEW WRITE-INS TO GET A BADGE?
COMMENTARY | THE HIDDEN AGENDA
Don’t stop believing
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ASHLEY TRICE/EDITOR/ASHLEYTOLAND@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM
don’t remember the exact moment I stopped believing in Santa Claus. I think my belief in the jolly old, jelly-bellied man just eroded slowly over time. For my husband, his illusion was shattered suddenly when one Christmas Eve, out on his carport there was such a clatter, he arose from his bed to see what was the matter. Unfortunately, he did not see a miniature sleigh with a driver so lively and quick, but rather his parents unloading the trunk of their Thunderbird with all of the presents that were “allegedly” from Saint Nick. (Womp, womp, womp…) Of course, he was smart enough not to tell them. No belief in Santa = no toys. Other friends lost the faith when they found their parents’ Santa stashes in closets or garages. I guess that’s what naughty little boys and girls get for plunderin’. And evil older siblings will definitely put you on the expressway to the land of shattered candy canes and melted snowmen. But do you remember the time when visions of sugarplums (or Cabbage Patch Kids or Nintendos or Teddy Ruxpins or Furbies) still danced in your head? When you still truly, truly believed with every fiber of your being that Santa would be sliding down your chimney that night and carefully placing a Lite Brite and an Easy-Bake oven under the tree just for you? It is really hard to think of many times in life when such pure exhilaration is felt. Christmas morning as a child ranks right up there with falling in love for the first time and the birth of your children. Moments you wish you could catch in a jar. My uncle, who was a policeman when I was a little girl, would always call into the station on Christmas Eve and ask the dispatcher on duty if they had received reports of any sleigh sightings. My cousin and I would squeal in delight with every update. Oddly enough, for some reason, Santa would always be in Australia until right about the time the adults were ready for the kids to go to bed, so they could get into the “special eggnog.” Then Rudolph and the gang were somehow able to get Santa back to Alabama in a matter of minutes. Seconds, maybe. How could he get across the whole world so quickly, we would ask. It’s magic, magic, magic, they would say. While my uncle filled us full of visions of reindeer and kangaroos, my aunt made sure we were also terrified by telling us about “The Sandman” just before tucking us in for a long winter’s nap. You see, if we even so much as thought about opening our eyes or coming out of our rooms before Christmas morning, she said, The Sandman would come into our bedrooms in the dark and still of night and fill our tiny eyes with so much sand, we wouldn’t be able to see. (Not sure if the blinding was temporary or not. I didn’t want to know.) I would squinch my eyes together so tightly so no grain could enter. I attribute several of my crow’s feet to The Sandman to this day. Pretty evil stuff. But it was quite effective. So effective, in fact, I may have to bring this one back, as my two kids are fond of nocturnal wandering, especially on Christmas Eve. I certainly wouldn’t want them to walk in on the “elves” while they are in the middle of constructing something with 3,464 tiny pieces — a project that may or may not require an Allen wrench, whatever that is. Those same elves have been known to have real potty mouths while they are finishing up those last-minute toys for Santa. “I can’t get this stupid, (blanking) elevator to work right in Barbie’s (blanking) Dreamhouse,” one elf was overheard saying in frustration last year. Very unbecoming of said elf. And certainly being awakened by your parents screaming profanities in the middle of the night is
no way to learn there may not be a Santa. Our youngest, Ellen, is 4 and still believes, without question. Our biggest problem with her is the ever-changing list. The last ad she sees for something is what she “really, really” wants and she no longer “really, really” wants what she “really, really” wanted 10 minutes ago. She’s like a schizophrenic Spice Girl who has sniffed a few too many cinnamon sticks. “I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want. No, I’ll tell you what I want what I really, really want. I wanna, wanna …” Some doubt is creeping into the 7-year-old’s mind, though. Predictably, an elder statesman at school told him Santa is not real. Damn you, all ye dream-crushing 10-year-olds! But in addition to the proclamation by the thirdgrade punk, Anders has been putting in way too much time thinking about Santa’s Christmas Eve logistics. He seriously may end up being a FedEx executive one day. Even if there are magical flying reindeer, how can they make it all around the world to so many stops so fast? How can ALL of those toys possibly fit in ONE sleigh? Geez, son, it’s magic, magic, magic, I say. Unfortunately, that magic is battling logic in his mind right now. Thus, he has seemingly created some “tests” for Ol’ Saint Nick. When I first asked him what he wanted for Christmas this year, he told me he was only going to think about the things he wanted and not tell anyone and that Santa would be able to read his mind. Santa is not a Jedi, kid, but well played. But this would be a problem. I wormed my way out of that one by telling him that while Santa could probably read his mind, he needed his list to give to the elves, who could not read minds (and who swear like sailors) and it would be rude of him to make Santa stop what he was doing to write down his list for him. He seemed to accept this explanation and went on to make said list. And what a list it was! It included such “modest” requests as “real pokeballs” (not the toys, real ones), a trampoline, a bike, a computer and an iPhone 7. (Rest in heavenly peace, Steve Jobs. Your legacy lives on.) Santa will probably be able to accommodate a couple of these requests, minus the magic balls and products made by Apple. But the list didn’t end there, as he also threw in a Ferrari for my husband and a Porsche for me. It seemed really sweet at first. It really did. And I think Frank was trying really hard to believe in Santa again too. When I told Anders that although it was very thoughtful of him to think of us, we really didn’t need luxury Italian and German sports cars. (He can buy those for us with his FedEx Christmas bonus in 20 years.) And those cars were too expensive to ask Santa to bring and he really only wanted to bring toys for kids, not their parents, blah, blah, blah. He thought about it for a minute and then said no, he really wanted to ask Santa for this and it wasn’t asking for too much because Santa doesn’t have to worry about money because his elves can make anything and it’s free. And if what he really wanted for Christmas was for us to have these presents, then Santa had to make that his present. Yep, this was just another test. Grrrrrrrrr. I swear. This kid. I was going to launch into my next cover story about how the supply side economic system of the North Pole worked, as well as “Santa-nomics” in general (things “trickle down” the chimney, son!), but I just gave up and changed the subject. Anders, have I ever told you about The Sandman? D e c e m b e r 1 , 2 0 1 6 - D e c e m b e r 7 , 2 0 1 6 | L AG N I A P P E | 13
COMMENTARY | THE GRIOT’S CORNER
The tide is rising BY KEN ROBINSON/CONTRIBUTING WRITER
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ince the night of Nov. 8, the nation’s new president-elect has been grappling with the very serious and weighty demands of running the greatest and most consequential nation on earth. His is a tall task indeed. Imagine, however, the predicament and pressures of a president who is currently trying to preserve the actual physical existence of the land they’ve recently been elected to govern. This president’s country is disappearing — literally. Hilda Heine was elected president of the Marshall Islands earlier this year. She is the first female leader of any Pacific Island nation, but has had little time to revel in her accomplishment. The five islands and 29 atolls that make up the Marshall Islands, land which saw intense fighting during World War II, is now under attack — not by a foreign invader, but by nature itself. The sea, the very waters that surround the Marshallese people, is the assaulting enemy threatening to literally wipe the island nation off the map. Sea level rise is leading to parts of President Heine’s territory being claimed by the Pacific Ocean. Those parts that aren’t being threatened and overtaken have been wracked by flooding, while some areas have been decimated by intense drought. The Marshallese are not alone. The Pacific Island nations of Palau and Kiribati, and others, are also under threat. Anxiety and fretting over future sustainability are not just acute concerns borne by those half a world away, they also exist much closer to home. Referring to the land south of New Orleans, which serves as a protective barrier against storm surges for the city, New Orleans
Mayor Mitch Landrieu recently observed they’ve lost land equivalent to the size of the state of Delaware. With the Gulf of Mexico claiming a football field-sized piece of land every 45 minutes in south Louisiana, he sees sea level rise as an imminent threat to the city’s longevity. Landrieu stated rather emphatically, “There is no greater threat to the future of south Louisiana than coastal erosion, and if it ain’t there no more … you can’t put up hospitals, build roads, build playgrounds … you’re not going to have a place to work, not going to have a place to live. You cease to exist.” The main driver in this slow, steady rise in global sea levels is a changing climate. When I queried Dr. Ronald Kiene of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab about this subject, he observed that we’re not in danger of the sea flooding everything along the Gulf Coast, but because global warming is real, within the next 50 years sea level rise will be significant enough that “there will be regular flooding of some coastal structures.” He emphasized that “the important thing is that the rising water will erode the beaches, marshes and make them more susceptible to flooding events driven by storms and exceptionally high tides. All those things will force development to retreat further inland, or it will cost lots and lots of money to fight off the rising sea.” Kiene used Dauphin Island as an example. The west end of Dauphin Island is “eroding significantly.” He noted how in January of this year, with a price tag of close to $7 million, a huge amount of sand was placed onto the beach at the east end of Dauphin Island. It’s not even a year later, and already a large fraction of that sand has eroded off the beach. According to Kiene, “It is inevitable that this will
COMMENTARY | THE MONTGOMERY MINUTE
Montgomery’s political wheels are turning BY LEE HEDGEPETH/CONTRIBUTING WRITER
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ast week Gov. Robert Bentley’s house of cards (what’s left of it) began to tumble. Bentley’s longtime body man Wendell Ray Lewis, who retired early in 2015, filed a lawsuit against the Bentley and his alleged former mistress, Rebekah Mason, in which the longtime chief of protection leaves little to the imagination when it comes to the governor’s indiscretions. The lawsuit, which alleges wrongful termination (that Lewis effectively was forced into retirement) and defamation, lays out the paranoid, intense environment Montgomery has become under Bentley’s lack of leadership, and outlines what Lewis sees as the reality of the governor’s closetful of skeletons. The lawsuit includes Lewis’ recollection of events involving some of Bentley’s most intimate moments. “One time, on the front porch of the Governor’s Tuscaloosa home,” one section of the lawsuit reads, “[the governor] told (Lewis), ‘I love Dianne. But I love Rebekah more.’” Later, the lawsuit says Lewis tried to get clarification about the depth of Bentley’s relationship with Mason. “Governor, there’s a lot of talk going on. Was it a physical relationship?” Lewis reportedly asked Bentley. The governor replied: “Yeah, it was physical.” Revelations like that one may come as a surprise to the few who still take Bentley at his word. Even now, Bentley denies his relationship with Mason was physical, despite his referencing fondling her in a previously released recording of Bentley speaking to Mason, and despite the new allegations in Lewis’ suit. The lawsuit also claims the governor asked Lewis to break off the affair on his behalf, something Bentley then backed down on: “We use state vehicles, we use state planes, to move about. You’re requesting to put her [Mason] in there, that’s a problem,” the lawsuit says Lewis told Bentley. The governor’s response? “Ray, I know. I need you to go upstairs and
break up with Rebekah for me.” According to the complaint, Lewis obliged, going to meet with Mason in Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey’s conference room in the Capitol. “You can’t be his girlfriend and have him take you around in state cars and planes,” Lewis claims he told Mason. “I know,” she reportedly replied, but Bentley entered and began rubbing Mason’s shoulders, saying to her: “Baby, it’s gonna be alright.” According to another part of the lawsuit, Bentley allegedly asked Spencer Collier, former Alabama Law Enforcement Agency head, for advice as to how to end an affair. “The governor, crying, replied ‘Spencer, how did you end yours?’ Collier replied ‘Governor, I just cut if off at the nub. You’re just gonna have to cut it off at the nub … It’s gonna bleed, but you will eventually get over it.’” Aside from the morally dubious behavior detailed in the lawsuit, Lewis recounts events that call into question the governor’s ethics while in office. Lewis says the source of Mason’s and others’ salaries were shifted in order to make the governor’s office look more fiscally responsible. Bentley also reportedly ordered generic Viagra in the former First Lady’s name, having it delivered to the Governor’s Mansion. Dianne Bentley allegedly intercepted it and brought it to Lewis’ attention. Lewis also claims to have knowledge of Bentley prescribing Mason medications. As for Bentley, he released a statement after the suit was filed denying its truthfulness. “The outrageous claims are based on worn-out internet rumors, fake news and street gossip,” Bentley said. “These bogus claims are an attempt to smear my administration, to distract from the important matters facing our state and to attempt to assign wrongdoing where it does not exist.” The issue certainly is “distracting from the important matters facing our state,” but that’s certainly not Lewis’ fault. It’s Bentley’s.
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continue as the sea rises.” In various communities on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, “the sea,” as one observer put it, “has crept up to the point that a high tide and a brisk wind are all it takes to send water pouring into streets and homes.” Referred to as “sunny-day flooding,” places such as Miami Beach are gearing up to spend around $400 million to install pumps, elevate sea walls and raise streets in order to keep the creeping water out. Climate change is not something many like to talk about, but the effects of recent and current sea-level rise, which are quite evident, will force many coastal communities to confront the issue whether they want to or not. Mayor Landrieu rather plainly observed, “I know that it’s sacrilege to say the words ‘climate change’ in Louisiana, but you know what? The climate’s changing and human actions are contributing to it. That is a scientific fact. As soon as we face
… IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR, WITH A PRICE TAG OF CLOSE TO $7 MILLION, A HUGE AMOUNT OF SAND WAS PLACED ONTO THE BEACH AT THE EAST END OF DAUPHIN ISLAND. IT’S NOT EVEN A YEAR LATER, AND ALREADY A LARGE FRACTION OF THAT SAND HAS ERODED OFF THE BEACH.” that in Louisiana, the more thoughtful we’re going to be about how to fix it.” Kiene stated, “I always emphasize that climate change is not the end of the world, but is something that should be of concern to citizens now.” Sea level rise, heavier flooding, more frequent and intense hurricanes, more pronounced and prolonged droughts, a basic intensification of weather and climate extremes will become the norm as our climate continues to change. “To the climate-change skeptics out there, I ask: Do you trust hurricane predictions nowadays?” said Kiene. “The climate models that predict hurricane intensities and tracks are incredibly good and help to save lives and infrastructure by letting people prepare. I think most will agree with that statement. Well, the same quality of scientists and climate models are making the confident predictions about advancing global warming and sea-level rise.” For those of us living on the coast, denial is not a particularly prudent option. The tide is rising.
Jockeying for Sessions’ senate seat has begun
The jockeying for Jeff Sessions’ U.S. Senate seat has begun even before the Selma Republican has been officially nominated to the post of Attorney General of the United States, as is expected. Almost every major (and minor) player in Alabama politics has announced their willingness to serve in the soon-to-bevacant seat if appointed by Gov. Bentley. One person in particular, though, has been forceful about his intention to replace Sessions. Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange has thrown his hat in the ring, even pledging to run during the next election cycle regardless of who gets the interim appointment. “The people of our state sent me to Montgomery to fight corruption and fight for them. I’ve worked hard to honor that trust,” Strange said in a statement. “We’ve led the fight against the Obama administration’s illegal executive overreach, we’ve put conservative principles into action and we’ve held wrongdoers accountable, even if they were in my own party. I plan on doing the same in Washington.” To his potential challengers, Strange even issued an electoral warning: “If you accept the appointment from Gov. Bentley, you’re going to have to beat me to keep the job.” That will be a tough fight, but one Strange may very well not have to fight, as he seems to be in the best position to receive Bentley’s appointment. Only time will tell.
Alabama deserves a strong opposition party
After President-elect Trump is sworn into office in January, Republicans will dominate virtually all of U.S. government, controlling the federal government and a significant majority of state governments. Here in Alabama, Republicans have had a supermajority in the state Legislature since the 2010 election, when then-state GOP chairman Mike Hubbard led a takeover he termed “storming the Statehouse.” That storm didn’t come without its acid rain. Hubbard is now a convicted felon, having been found guilty of using his office for public gain. Almost half a dozen lawmakers, almost all Republicans, have been arrested, indicted, convicted or a combination thereof since then. For all these reasons, and because Alabama’s real policy challenges deserve honest and robust debate, Alabama deserves a strong opposition party. Although the Alabama Democratic Party has its problems (and they’re serious and stubborn), Alabamians deserve real choices at the ballot box, and that’s not something we’re currently getting. Many have called for Joe Reed and Nancy Worley, the party’s longtime leaders, to step down. Many have called for party unity. I’m calling for common sense: Elections are about choices. Give voters some.
COMMENTARY | THE BELTWAY BEAT
Democratic Party is in shambles, but not dead yet BY JEFF POOR/COLUMNIST/JEFFREYPOOR@GMAIL.COM
S
tarting with Barack Obama’s election in 2008 — through as recently as last month — pundits and experts have penned dozens of obituaries and eulogies for the Republican Party. In 2008, many thought Obama’s rise signaled an end to Reagan conservatism. In that moment, the country was moving away from the Reagan philosophy of economics and the Cold War mentality of peace through strength to something more resembling a Western European socialist democracy. In 2012, the argument was that former Michigan Gov. Mitt Romney’s loss to Obama in the presidential election was due to shifting demographics. No longer would the country be majority white. If the GOP were to ever be a national party again, it would have to embrace things like immigration reform in order to lure Hispanics. Otherwise, a path to a win in a national election would not exist. Throughout this last election cycle, the Republican Party’s nomination of Donald Trump was certainly viewed as a death knell. Not only was it thought that Trump would face a wipeout of McGovern and Goldwater proportions, but he would take down Republicans further down the ballot in congressional contests as well. As it turned out, that didn’t happen. Somehow, despite all the conventional wisdom stating what Republicans had to do to win nationally, they pulled off what even they would have to admit was an unlikely feat of taking the White House and maintaining control of both chambers of Congress. It is apparent in the early going before he even takes office that Trump’s critics are doing all they can to raise doubts about his presidency. The purpose of this full court press isn’t entirely clear, as most Americans are tuning out of politics for the holidays. But let’s assume they really are seeking to get a head start for the 2018 midterms and then the 2020 presidential election. If those vocal opponents really want to see Trump ousted or have his ability to alter the shape of the country limited by taking control of a portion of Congress, the opposition Democratic Party has a lot of rebuilding to do. Since Obama took office in 2009, Democrats have lost 900-plus state legislature seats, 12 governorships, 69 U.S. House seats and 13 U.S. Senate seats. It’s not entirely clear if there is any kind of plan to retake some of the ground lost. Critics of the way the party is currently constituted, including Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who is challenging current Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, for her leadership post, say the party is neglecting voters in Middle America. “We’re not even the national party,” Ryan said in an interview with NBC on Sunday. “We’re a coastal party. And we’ve got to move forward. If we’re not going to get voters in Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, go back down South — when I first came to Congress we had members from Tennessee. We have to go back there and campaign and get those folks in the fold.” That’s similar to the argument about the GOP post-2008 and 2012 elections, that it had become a party of the South and was going to be
able to expand the map with its current positions on issues. Prior to 1994, Democrats controlled the House of Representatives for 40 years, and had the Senate as well for 34 of those 40 years. Democrats did so by creating a coalition of Southern Democrats, who dominated in the South down-ballot all those years going all the way back to post-Civil War Reconstruction, and those that represent the current mindset of the Democratic Party represented by those who support traditional liberal policies. After the 1994 midterm elections, that coalition fell apart. Of the Southern Democrats who didn’t lose in that election, many wound up swapping parties, including Alabama’s Sen. Richard Shelby. Democrats managed to hold onto some power statewide for the next 16 years. Prior to 2010, Democrats had controlled the Alabama Legislature for 136 years. Six years later, the Democratic Party in Alabama is practically nonexistent. Democrats have one congressional seat and a handful of elected offices in the urban areas of the state. Even with all the scandalous antics of Republican control of Montgomery, it’s difficult to see how the Democratic Party can mount any sort of threat to Republican control. There is a battle within the Democratic Party about what the proper course of action looks like after this presidential election defeat. There’s not much of a bench, so the hope of relying on charismatic figures like Obama doesn’t appear to be an option. The two strongest bets seem to be waiting out the GOP and allowing the demographic changes in the country to make it impossible for Republicans. For many, that means doubling down on the liberal policies and following the direction of failed presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont. If there are more social welfare programs on the line, then ultimately you’ll not only get out the base but also the new wave of voters. The other is by moderating the party, which seems to be what Tim Ryan is proposing. Instead of focusing on a breadbasket of disaffected constituencies, pushing for liberal social policies that have little impact on most Americans, put the focus on winning over the Midwestern voters. Give more attention to the country’s manufacturing economy and less to transsexual bathrooms in elementary schools. If the Democratic Party is to make a comeback in Alabama, Democrats had better hope for the Ryan strategy to prevail. Republicans can’t be overconfident from the outcome of this election as many Democrats were after the past two presidential elections. Many left-leaning national columnists on the day after Election Day in 2008 and 2012 were speculating about the idea of permanent Democratic control of the White House. How did that work out? The GOP still has a lot of work to do, particularly given the unknowns of what lies ahead with Trump as commander-in-chief. How the Democratic Party chooses to rebuild will have a lot to do with what approach Republicans should take. D e c e m b e r 1 , 2 0 1 6 - D e c e m b e r 7 , 2 0 1 6 | L AG N I A P P E | 15
BUSINESS | THE REAL DEAL
MCI advances cancer research BY RON SIVAK/COLUMNIST/BUSINESS@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM
T
he physicians at USA Mitchell Cancer Institute are making remarkable strides toward reducing pancreatic and ovarian cancer mortality rates. Pancreatic cancer is now the third most fatal type of cancer — recently surpassing breast cancer — within a family of more than 100 cancers affecting the population. Pancreatic cancer in particular has a shorter average life expectancy among those newly diagnosed, of three to six months. This is because there currently is no early-warning test for what is an exceptionally virulent form of cancer that is difficult to detect. According to Dr. Michael Finan, director of MCI, the precancerous gestation period for pancreatic cancer spans 10 to 15 years but it is usually discovered at Stage 4 metastasis — which has a 75 percent fatality rate over a year and is a virtual death sentence within five. Ninety-five percent of those diagnosed do not survive. According to the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, it is also the only form of cancer where no significant mitigating advancements have been made in 40 years. It is expected to pass colorectal cancer as the second leading killer in the United States by the year 2030 and is one of the lowest-funded ailments among the continuum of cancers as ranked by mortality rates. Locally, the family-sponsored Gailliard Pancreatic Cancer Research Endowment, established in 2011, hosts the Salty Worm Delta Bash fishing tournament every October, which raises roughly $60,000 annually toward research. According to Finan, MCI has more than 50 cancer-related patents and four biotech company spinoffs established as a result of new research toward advancements in addressing pancreatic and ovarian cancer.
Finan also described recent breakthroughs that may create an early-warning detection test for both pancreatic and ovarian cancer. In both types of cancer, mortality rates could be reduced significantly by establishing a test that detects signs of the disease during the precancerous phase (pancreatic only) or Stage 1 and Stage 2 metastasis, in which fatality rates are significantly lower. Test results and technological feasibility studies remain at least two to three years from legitimate validation by the medical community at large. However, if the studies are eventually confirmed via independent third-party research, one possible implication is the influx of hundreds of millions dollars in local revenue from biotech technology applications and the creation of numerous medical jobs locally, since the research is not being replicated anywhere in the world, according to Finan. Listen to Episode 11 of Lagniappe’s “Real Deal” podcast for additional information on MCI’s remarkable progress in fighting pancreatic and ovarian cancer.
Zipline reopening in 2017
According to a news release, a tourist attraction located near heavily frequented Alabama beaches during the spring and summer seasons has found a new home. Gulf Adventure Center (GAC) has reached an agreement to relocate its popular zipline course to The Wharf in Orange Beach, subject to final approvals and permits. “Our planning with management at The Wharf is going very well. They’ve got a fantastic property, great infrastructure, established traffic and a sharp business development team,” GAC managing partner Tom Schlinkert said. After its lease at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores was not renewed, GAC was forced to close at the beginning
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of October. According to the master plan for Gulf State Park, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources plans to use the land GAC formerly occupied for a parking lot and an elevated pedestrian walkway over Alabama Highway 182, providing access to the new Gulf State Park Lodge. With contract renewal off the table, GAC managing partner Tom Schlinkert searched for a new location and believes The Wharf site is ideal. “We’re looking forward to bringing new activities to The Wharf and attracting new customers to the complex,” he said. “Once plans are complete, GAC will reveal details for the new course and expansions to the business.” “The Wharf is thrilled to welcome Gulf Adventure Center to the property as it continues to provide unique entertainment options to the community and visitors alike,” Kristen Guenther, management team leader at The Wharf, said. “We are confident in the success of this venture and look forward to what’s to come.” The target launch date for GAC’s reopening is spring 2017.
Centenarian recognized as oldest active agent
Locally owned Roberts Brothers Inc. recently announced that sales associate Lucille Tutwiler will turn 100 on Dec. 3. Tutwiler has been employed with the firm for the past 47 years. She has the distinction of being the oldest “active” real estate licensee in Alabama, as recognized by the Alabama Real Estate Commission. Tutwiler was born in 1916 in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and moved to Mobile in 1945 to join her late husband, Peyton Tutwiler, who was employed by International Paper. With her spouse known locally as “Big Tut,” Tutwiler earned the nickname “Little Tut,” standing 4-feet, 7-inches tall in her prime. In 1965, Tutwiler earned her real estate license at the age of 51 and worked locally for Dot Gandy, the first female to own a real estate brokerage in the Mobile area. After several years with Gandy, she pursued an interest in new construction and transferred her license to a company owned by residential home builder Mickey Miller. Eventually Tutwiler moved to the residential sector and joined Roberts Brothers in 1969. “Real estate sales are hard work, but very rewarding. It’s been one of my life’s loves and I would still be working today if I could hear well,” Tutwiler said. “I still plan to continue gardening in my yard, going to my Jubilee Club at church and visiting with Realtor friends every now and then.” “With her professionalism, empathy and service, Tut continues to epitomize the ideal real estate associate. Roberts Brothers and the real estate community as a whole are proud to have her as part of our legacy,” said Johnny Roberts, chairman emeritus.
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FOOSACKLY’S ($)
$10/PERSON $$ 10-25/PERSON $$$ OVER 25/PERSON
COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE
ALL SPORTS BAR & GRILL ($) CLASSIC HOTDOGS, GYROS & MILKSHAKES. 3408 Pleasant Valley Rd • 345-9338
AL’S HOTDOGS ($)
CLASSIC HOTDOGS, GYROS & MILKSHAKES. 4701 Airport Blvd. • 342-3243
ATLANTA BREAD COMPANY ($-$$) SANDWICHES, SALADS & MORE. 3680 Dauphin St. • 380-0444
BAKE MY DAY ($)
OLD-FASHIONED SOUTHERN BAKE SHOP 156 N. McGregor Ave • 219-7261
THE BLIND MULE ($)
DAILY SPECIALS MADE FROM SCRATCH. 57 N. Claiborne St. • 694-6853.
BOB’S DINER ($)
GOOD OLD AMERICAN COOKING 263 St. Francis St • 405-1497
CAFE 219 ($)
SALADS, SANDWICHES & POTATO SALAD. 219 Conti St. • 438-5234
CAMELLIA CAFÉ ($-$$$) CONTEMPORARY SOUTHERN FARE. 61 Section St., Fairhope • 928-4321
CAMMIE’S OLD DUTCH ($) MOBILE’S CLASSIC ICE CREAM SPOT. 2511 Old Shell Rd. • 471-1710
CARPE DIEM ($)
DELI FOODS, PASTRIES & SPECIALTY DRINKS. 4072 Old Shell Rd. • 304-0448
CHAT-A-WAY CAFE ($) QUICHES & SANDWICHES. 4366 Old Shell Rd. • 343-9889
CHICKEN SALAD CHICK ($) CHICKEN SALAD, SALAD & SOUP. 2370 S. Hillcrest Rd. Unit R • 660-0501 5753 Old Shell Road • 408-3236, 1802 US Hwy 98 Suite F• 625-1092
CHI-TOWN DAWGZ ($) CHICAGO STYLE EATERY 1222 Hillcrest Rd. • 461-6599
CREAM AND SUGAR ($)
COFFEE, BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DESSERT 351 George St #B • 405-0003
DAUPHIN ST. CAFE ($)
HOT LUNCH, DAILY MENU (INSIDE VIA) 1717 Dauphin St. • 470-5231
D’ MICHAEL’S ($)
PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS, GYROS & MORE. 7101-A Theodore Dawes Rd. • 653-2979
DELISH BAKERY AND EATERY ($) GREAT DESSERTS & HOT LUNCH. 23 Upham St. • 473-6115
DEW DROP INN ($)
CLASSIC BURGERS, HOTDOGS & SETTING. 1808 Old Shell Rd. • 473-7872
DUNKIN DONUTS ($)
DONUTS, COFFEE AND SANDWICHES 1976 Michigan Ave • 442-4846 3876 Airport Blvd • 219-7369 505 Schillinger Rd. S. • 442-4845 29160 US Hwy 98 • 621-2228
E WING HOUSE ($)
195 S University Suite H • 662-1829
FIREHOUSE SUBS ($)
HOT SUBS, COLD SALADS & CATERING. 6300 Grelot Rd. • 631-3730
FAMOUS CHICKEN FINGERS. 310 S. University Blvd. • 343-0047 2250 Airport Blvd. • 479-2922 7641 Airport Blvd. • 607-7667 2558 Schillinger Rd. • 219-7761 3249 Dauphin St. • 479-2000
THE GALLEY ($)
OPEN FOR LUNCH, INSIDE GULFQUEST 155 S. Water St • 436-8901
GULF COAST EXPLOREUM CAFE ($) HOMEMADE SOUPS & SANDWICHES 65 Government St • 208-6815
GUMBO SHACK($-$$) SEAFOOD AND SANDWICHES 212 ½ Fairhope Ave • 928-4100
211 Dauphin St. • 690-7482
POLLMAN’S BAKERY ($)
BAKERY, SANDWICHES AND MORE 750 S. Broad St • 438-1511, 4464 Old Shell Road • 342-8546, 107 St. Francis St. Suite 102 • 438-2261
REGINA’S KITCHEN ($-$$) SANDWICHES, SUBS AND SOUPS. 2056 Gov’t St. • 476-2777
ROLY POLY ($)
WRAPS & SALADS. 3220 Dauphin St. • 479-2480
ROSIE’S GRILL ($-$$)
SANDWICHES, SOUTHWEST FARE, 7 DAYS. 1203 Hwy 98 Ste. 3D, Daphne • 626-2440
SAUCY Q BARBQUE ($)
FOOD PAK
KAI JAPANESE RESTAURANT ($-$$)
SMOKEY DEMBO SMOKE HOUSE ($)
POUR BABY
LIQUID ($$)
TILMO’S BBQ ($)
FIREHOUSE WINE BAR & SHOP
RICE ASIAN GRILL & SUSHI BAR ($)
RED OR WHITE
ROCK N ROLL SUSHI ($$)
AWARD-WINNING BARBQUE. 1111 Gov’t Blvd. • 433-7427
3758 Dauphin Island Pkwy. • 473-1401 FAST BBQ W/ DRIVE-THRU 3249 Dauphin St. • 652-3508
LIVE MUSIC, MARTINIS & DINNER MENU. 26 N. Royal St. • 338-2000
JAMAICAN VIBE ($) JERSEY MIKE’S ($)
SATORI COFFEEHOUSE ($)
DAUPHIN’S ($$-$$$)
JIMMY JOHN’S ($)
SERDA’S COFFEEHOUSE ($)
SANDWICHES, CATERING & DELIVERY TOO. 6920 Airport Blvd. • 414-5444 9 Du Rhu Dr. • 340-8694 62 B Royal Street • 432-0360
LUNCH & DINNER. 3004 Gov’t Blvd • 287-1220
GRILLED STEAKS, CHICKEN & SEAFOOD. 720A Schillinger Rd. S. S2. • 607-7200 901 Montlimar Dr • 408-3133
HOMEMADE LUNCH & BREAKFAST. 104 N. Royal St. • 434-0011
HIGH QUALITY FOOD AND DRINKS 251 Government St • 460-3157
TIN ROOF ($-$$)
LEGACY BAR & GRILL ($$$)
TP CROCKMIERS ($)
MAGHEE’S GRILL ON THE HILL ($-$$)
AMERICAN RESTAURANT & BAR 250 Dauphin St. • 476-1890
THREE GEORGES CANDY SHOP ($)
CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN FOOD. 351A George & Savannah St. • 436-8890 AMERICAN, SEAFOOD,STEKHOUSE. 9 Du Rhu Dr. S. • 341-3370
GREAT LUNCH & DINNER. 3607 Old Shell Rd. • 445-8700
MARY’S SOUTHERN COOKING ($)
MICHELI’S CAFE ($)
UNCLE JIMMY’S DELICIOUS HOTDOGS ($)
OSMAN’S RESTAURANT ($$)
AUTHENTIC IRISH PUB 101 N. Bancroft St • 990-5100
MIKO’S ITALIAN ICE ($)
HOTDOGS SANDWICHES & COOL TREATS 3371 Dauphin Island Pkwy • 300–4015
MOMMA GOLDBERG’S DELI ($) SANDWICHES & MOMMA’S LOVE. 3696 Airport Blvd. • 344-9500 5602 Old Shell Rd. • 287-6556
MONTEGO’S ($-$$)
FRESH CARIBBEAN-STYLE FOOD & CRAFT BEER. 6601 Airport Blvd. • 634-3445 225 Dauphin Street • 375-1576
MOSTLY MUFFINS ($)
JAPANESE CUISINE. 3654 Airport Blvd. S. C • 725-6078
KITCHEN ON GEORGE ($-$$)
NOJA ($$-$$$)
MCSHARRY’S ($-$$)
WASABI SUSHI ($$)
THE SUNFLOWER CAFE ($)
GREAT FOOD AND COCKTAILS 609 Dauphin St. • 308-3105
GREAT SMOOTHIES, WRAPS & SANDWICHES. Du Rhu Dr. • 378-5648 570 Schillinger Road • 634-3454
6358 Cottage Hill Rd. • 725-6917
UPSCALE SUSHI & HIBACHI. 364 Azalea Rd. • 343-6622
ISTANBUL GRILL ($)
SERVING LOCAL SEAFOOD & PRODUCE 167 Dauphin St. • 458-9573
NOBLE SOUTH ($$)
3011 Springhill Ave. • 476-2232
TOKYO JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE ($$)
FIVE ($$)
HIGH QUALITY FOOD WITH A VIEW 107 St. Francis St • 444-0200
LIGHT LUNCH WITH SOUTHERN FLAIR. 226 Dauphin St. • 433-6725
GREAT SANDWICHES, COFFEE & MORE. 1087 Downtowner Blvd. • 643-1611
9091 US-90 Irvington • 957-1414
STEVIE’S KITCHEN ($)
SOUTHERN CASUAL FAMILY DINING 10800 US hwy 31 • 621-4995
MARS HILL CAFE ($)
TASTE OF THAI ($$)
FROM THE DEPTHS
COFFEE, LUNCHES, LIVE MUSIC & GELATO. 3 Royal St. S. • 415-3000
LODA BIER GARTEN ($)
SLAP YOUR MAMA GOOD HOME COOKING. 220 Dauphin St. • 432-6262
273 S. McGregor Ave • 287-0555, 6345 Airport Blvd. • 287-0555, 940 Industrial Pkwy • 308-2158
ABBA’S MEDITERRANEAN CAFE ($-$$)
INSIDE VIRGINIA’S HEALTH FOOD 3055 A Dauphin St • 479-3200
MAMA’S ($)
3964 Gov’t Blvd. • 378-8083
DUMBWAITER ($$-$$$)
COFFEE, SMOOTHIES, LUNCH & BEERS. 5460 Old Shell Rd. • 344-4575
JUDY’S PLACE ($-$$)
PUB FOOD AND DRAFT BEERS 251 Dauphin St • 287-6871
FALAFEL? TRY SOME HUMMUS
AMAZING SUSHI & ASSORTMENT OF ROLLS. 661 Dauphin St. • 432-0109
PHO YEN ($)
SANDWICHES, SOUPS, SALADS & MORE. 41 West I-65 Service Rd. N Suite 150.
HOME COOKING. 4054 Government St. • 665-4557
BISTRO PLATES, CRAFT BEERS AND PANTRY. 2304 Main St. • 375-2800
QUALITY FOOD, EXCELLENT SERVICE 5045 Cottage Hill Rd. • 607-6454
7 SPICE ($-$$)
JOE CAIN CAFÉ ($)
PIZZAS, SANDWICHES, COCKTAILS. 26 N. Royal St. • 338-2000
ROYAL STREET TAVERN
BRIQUETTES STEAKHOUSE ($-$$) SOUTHERN NAPA
CORNER 251 ($-$$)
AUTHENTIC SUB SANDWICHES 7449 Airport Blvd • 375-1820
216 St Francis St. • 421-2022
A PREMIER CATERER & COOKING CLASSES. 1880-A Airport Blvd. • 450-9051
BAY GOURMET ($$)
ROYAL STREET CAFE ($)
MIND-BLOWING ISLAND FOOD. 3700 Gov’t Blvd. Ste A • 602-1973
WINE BAR, CRAFT BEERS & BISTRO 6808 Airport Blvd. • 343-3555
DROP DEAD GOURMET
THE HOUSE ($-$$)
SEAFOOD, SANDWICHES, SALADS & SOUPS. 4513 Old Shell Rd. • 408-9622
FOOD, WINE AND MORE. 5150 Old Shell Rd. • 341-1497
323A De La Mare Ave, Fairhope • 990-0003 1104 Dauphin St.. • 478-9494
ROYAL KNIGHT ($)
TROPICAL SMOOTHIE ($)
2550 Dauphin Island Pkwy S. • 307-5328
WAREHOUSE BAKERY & DONUTS ($) COFFEE AND DONUTS 759 Nichols Avenue, Fairhope • 928-7223
WILD WING STATION ($) 1500 Gov’t St. • 287-1526
YAK THE KATHMANDU KITCHEN ($-$$)
AUTHENTIC FOODS FROM HIMALAYAN REGION. 3210 Dauphin St. • 287-0115 400 Eastern Shore Center • 459-2862
‘CUE
BACKYARD CAFE & BBQ ($) HOME COOKIN’ LIKE MOMMA MADE. 2804 Springhill Ave. • 473-4739
MUFFINS, COFFEE & WRAPS. 105 Dauphin St. • 433-9855
BAR-B-QUING WITH MY HONEY ($$)
OVEN-BAKED SANDWICHES & MORE. 252 Azalea Rd. • 341-3533, 1335 Satchel Page Dr. Suite C. • 287-7356 7440 Airport Blvd. • 633-0096 30500 State Hwy 181 #132 • 625-6544
BRICK PIT ($)
LOCAL INGREDIENTS 203 Dauphin St. • 690-6824
INVENTIVE & VERY FRESH CUISINE. 6 N. Jackson St. • 433-0377
HEALTHY, DELICIOUS MEDITERRANEAN FOOD. 3762 Airport Blvd. • 725-1177
BEEF, LAMB & SEAFOOD. 4356 Old Shell Rd. • 340-6464
MOBILE’S OLDEST MIDDLE EASTERN CUISINE. 5773 Airport Blvd. • 304-1155
BONEFISH GRILL ($$)
MEDITERRANEAN FOOD AND HOOKAH 326 Azalea Rd • 229-4206
BOUDREAUX’S CAJUN GRILL ($-$$)
JERUSALEM CAFE ($-$$) KAN ZAMAN ($-$$)
MEDITERRANEAN SANDWICH COMPANY ($) GREAT & QUICK. 274 Dauphin St. • 545-3161 2502 Schillinger Rd. Ste. 2 • 725-0126 6890 US-90 (DAPHNE) • 621-2271
MINT HOOKAH BISTRO ($) GREAT MEDITERRANEAN FOOD. 5951 Old Shell Rd. • 450-9191
OLLIE’S MEDITERRANEAN GRILL ($-$$)
GUMBO, ANGUS BEEF & BAR. 72. S. Royal St. • 432-SCAM (7226)
FAR EASTERN FARE
EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE & TASTE. 271 Glenwood St. • 476-0516
FRIED, GRILLED, STEAMED & ALWAYS FRESH. 3300 River Rd. • 973-9070
THE BLUEGILL ($-$$)
MEDITERRANEAN RESTAURANT AND HOOKAH 1248 Hillcrest St • 634-9820
RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE ($$$)
BAUDEAN’S ($$)
AUTHENTIC TURKISH & MEDITERRANEAN 3702 Airport Blvd. • 461-6901
SUPREME EUROPEAN CUISINE. 2579 Halls Mill Rd. • 479-0006
ROYAL SCAM ($$)
AUTHENTIC VIETNAMESE CUISINE. 763 Holcombe Ave. • 478-5814
BAMBOO BISTRO ($$) 3662 Airport Blvd. • 378-5466
BAMBOO FUSION ($$)
A HISTORIC SEAFOOD DIVE W/ LIVE MUSIC. 3775 Hwy. 98 • 625-1998 ECLECTIC DINING & SPACE. 6955 Airport Blvd. • 633-7196
QUALITY CAJUN & NEW ORLEANS CUISINE. 29249 US Highway 98 Daphne. • 621-1991
CRAVIN CAJUN/DIP SEAFOOD($) PO-BOYS, SALADS & SEAFOOD. 1870 Dauphin Island Pkwy • 287-1168
ED’S SEAFOOD SHED ($$)
FRIED SEAFOOD SERVED IN HEFTY PORTIONS. 3382 Hwy. 98 • 625-1947
FELIX’S FISH CAMP ($$) UPSCALE DINING WITH A VIEW. 1420 Hwy. 98 • 626-6710
FISHERMAN’S LEGACY ($) DELI, MARKET AND CATERING. 4380 Halls Mill Rd. • 665-2266
THE GRAND MARINER ($-$$) LOCAL SEAFOOD & PRODUCE. 6036 Rock Point Rd. • 443-5700
THE HARBOR ROOM ($-$$) UNIQUE SEAFOOD. 64 S. Water St. • 438-4000
SAGE RESTAURANT ($$)
2400 Airport Blvd. • 307-5535
SAISHO ($-$$)
Sushi Bar. 650 Cody Rd. S • 300-8383
LUCY B. GOODE ($$)
DELICIOUS, TRADITIONAL THAI CUISINE. 3821 Airport Blvd. • 344-9995
LULU’S ($$)
INSIDE THE MOBILE MARRIOTT. 3101 Airport Blvd. • 476-6400
BAMBOO STEAKHOUSE ($$)
MODERN GASTROPUB INSPIRED BY JAPANESE KITCHEN 455 Dauphin St • 433-0376
BANGKOK THAI ($-$$)
UNION ($$$)
PREMIUM STEAKS & BURGERS. 659 Dauphin St. • 432-0300
BANZAI JAPANESE RESTAURANT ($$)
HALF SHELL OYSTER HOUSE ($) 3654 Airport Blvd. • 338-9350
GULF COAST CUISINE, REINVENTED. 200 E. 25th Ave., Gulf Shores • 967-5858 LIVE MUSIC & GREAT SEAFOOD. 200 E. 25th Ave., Gulf Shores • 967-5858
MUDBUGS AT THE LOOP ($)
BBQ, BURGERS, WINGS & SEAFOOD 19170 Hwy 43 Mt. Vernon. • 839-9927
VON’S BISTRO ($-$$)
A FAVORITE BARBECUE SPOT. 5456 Old Shell Rd. • 343-0001
TAMARA’S DOWNTOWN ($$)
BENJAS ($)
RALPH & KACOO’S ($-$$)
OLD SHELL GROWLERS($)
DOWNTOWN LUNCH 101 N. Conception St. • 545-4682
THE TRELLIS ROOM ($$$)
CHARM ($-$$)
R&R SEAFOOD ($-$$)
ZEA’S ($$)
CUISINE OF INDIA ($$)
RIVER SHACK ($-$$)
PANINI PETE’S ($)
BBQ AND MORE. Jubilee Sq.Ctr. Hwy 90, Daphne • 210-2151 McGowin Park Ctr. Satchel Paige Dr. • 471-1050 7721 Airport Blvd • 380-8957
FUJI SAN ($)
TIN TOP RESTAURANT & OYSTER BAR ($$)
NEWK’S EXPRESS CAFE ($)
GROWLER STATION AND BITES 1801 Old Shell Rd. • 345-4767
ORIGINAL SANDWICH AND BAKE SHOP. 42 ½ Section St., Fairhope • 929-0122 102 Dauphin St. • 405-0031
PAT’S DOWNTOWN GRILL ($)
FIVE GUYS BURGERS & FRIES ($) BAR FOOD BURGERS, MILKSHAKES & FRIES 4401 Old Shell Rd. • 447-2394 4663 Airport Blvd. • 300-8425 5319 Hwy 90 • 661-0071 1225 Satchel Page Dr.• 378-8768
PITA PIT ($)
271 Dauphin St • 438-9585
PDQ ($)
CHICKEN FINGERS, SALAD & SANDWICHES. 1165 University Blvd. • 202-0959
COTTON STATE BBQ ($) DICKEY’S BARBECUE PIT ($-$$)
DREAMLAND BBQ ($)
RIBS, SANDWICHES & GREAT SIDES. 3314 Old Shell Rd. • 479-9898
MOE’S ORIGINAL BAR B QUE ($) BARBEQUE & MUSIC. Bayfront Park Dr., Daphne • 625-RIBS 701 Springhill Ave. • 410-7427 4672 Airport Blvd. • 300-8516
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SEAFOOD, ASIAN AND AMERICAN CUISINE 69 St. Michael St • 375-1113 CASUAL FINE DINING. 104 N. Section St., Fairhope • 929-2219
TRADITIONAL SUSHI & LUNCH. 312 Schillinger Rd. • 633-9077 THAI & SUSHI 5369 D Hwy 90 W • 661-5100
CONTEMPORARY SOUTHERN CUISINE Battle House Hotel, Royal St. • 338-5493
THAI KITCHEN AND SUSHI BAR 960 Schillinger Rd. S • 660-4470
GOURMET ROTISSERIE. PRIME RIB & SEAFOOD. 4671 Airport Blvd. • 344-7414
LUNCH BUFFET 3674 Airport Blvd. • 341-6171
A LITTLE VINO
THAI FARE AND SUSHI 2000 Airport Blvd. • 478-9888
DOMKE MARKET
WINE, BEER, GOURMET FOODS, & MORE. 720 Schillinger Rd. S. Unit 8 • 287-1851
FATHOMS LOUNGE
A TAPAS RESTAURANT & COCKTAILS 64 S. Water St. • 438-4000
GOLDEN BOWL ($)
HIBACHI GRILL & ASIAN CUISINE. 309 Bel Air Blvd • 470-8033
HIBACHI 1 ($-$$)
2370 Hillcrest Rd. Unit B • 380-6062
CAJUN KITCHEN & SEAFOOD MARKET. 2005 Government St. • 478-9897 THE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT! 1595 Battleship Pkwy • 626-0045
LAID-BACK EATERY AND FISH MARKET 1477 Battleship Pkwy. • 621-8366 SEAFOOD, BURGERS & STEAKS. 6120 Marina Dr., Dog River • 443-7318.
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
LUCKY’S IRISH PUB ($)
NAVCO PIZZA ($$)
WEMOS ($)
PICKLEFISH ($$)
IRISH PUB FARE & MORE. 3692 Airport Blvd • 414-3000
WINGS, TENDERS, HOTDOGS & SANDWICHES. 312 Schillinger Rd. • 633-5877
ZANDER’Z ($-$$)
WINGS, BEERS AND DRINKS 1850 Airport Blvd • 471-5520
MAMA MIA!
BUCK’S PIZZA ($$) DELIVERY. 350 Dauphin St. • 431-9444
CORTLAND’S PIZZA PUB ($-$$)
CALLAGHAN’S IRISH SOCIAL CLUB ($)
GREAT PIZZA. LUNCH & DINNER. 4356 Old Shell Road • 342-0024
HEROES SPORTS BAR & GRILLE ($)
HOMEMADE PASTAS & SANDWICHES. 873 Hillcrest Ave. • 344-8115
BURGERS & BEER. 916 Charleston St. • 433-9374
SANDWICHES & COLD BEER. 273 Dauphin St. • 433-4376 Hillcrest & Old Shell Rd. • 341-9464
HURRICAN GRILL & WINGS ($-$$) WINGS, SEAFOOD, BURGERS AND BEER 7721 Airport Blvd. Suite E-180 • 639-6832
MANCIS ($)
1715 Main St. • 375-0543
GAMBINO BROTHERS ($) GAMBINO’S ITALIAN GRILL ($) ITALIAN, STEAKS & SEAFOOD. 18 Laurel Ave. Fairhope • 990-0995
GUIDO’S ($$)
FRESH CUISINE NIGHTLY ON MENU. 1709 Main St., Daphne • 626-6082
LA ROSSO ($$)
MCSHARRY’S IRISH PUB ($)
COMFORT FOOD. 1716 Main St. Ste. C, Daphne • 281-2982
MUG SHOTS ($$)
SMALL PLATES, PIZZAS, PASTAS AND WINE 3250 Airport Blvd. • 450-4556
BRILLIANT REUBENS & FISH-N-CHIPS. 101 N. Brancroft St. Fairhope • 990-5100 BAR & GRILL. 6255 Airport Blvd. • 447-2514
OLD 27 GRILL ($)
BURGERS, DOGS & 27 BEERS & WINES. 19992 Hwy.181 Old County Rd. Fairhope • 281-2663
MACARONI GRILL ($$)
MELLOW MUSHROOM ($)
PIES & AWESOME BEER SELECTION. 2032 Airport Blvd. • 471-4700 5660 Old Shell Rd. • 380-1500 29698 Frederick Blvd, Daphne • 621-3911
PIZZA, SUBS & PASTA. 1368 ½ Navco Rd.• 479-0066 PIZZA, SANDWICHES & SALADS. 5955 Old Shell Rd.• 344-9899
PAPA’S PLACE ($$)
A TASTE OF ITALY . BYOB. 28691 U.S. Highway 98 • 626-1999
PINZONE’S ITALIAN DOWNTOWN ($$) ITALIAN, CATERING, TO-GO. 312 Fairhope Ave, Fairhope • 990-5535
PINZONE’S ITALIAN VILLAGE ($$) AUTHENTIC ITALIAN DISHES 312 Fairhope Ave, Fairhope • 990-5535
RAVENITE ($)
PIZZA, PASTA, SALAD & MORE 102 N. Section St. • 929-2525
PIZZERIA DELFINA ($) PIZZA & PASTA 107 Dauphin St. • 375-1644
ROMA CAFE ($-$$)
PASTA, SALAD AND SANDWICHES. 7143 Airport Blvd. • 341-7217
ROMANO’S MACARONI GRILL ($$)
Springdale Mall 3250 Airport Blvd. • 450-4556
TAMARA’S BAR & GRILL ($)
WINGS, PO-BOYS, BURGERS. 210 Eastern Shore Center, Hwy. 98 • 929-0002
TRATTORIA PIZZA & ITALIAN ($$) ITALIAN FOOD & PIZZAS. 11311 US HIghway 31 Spanish Fort• 375-0076
UNCLE MADDIO’S PIZZA JOINT ($) HOMEMADE PIZZA & GOURMET SALADS 7765 Airport Blvd. • 639-5010
VIA EMILIA ($$)
HOMEMADE PASTAS & PIZZAS MADE DAILY. 5901 Old Shell Rd. • 342-3677
OLÉ MI AMIGO! CAFÉ DEL RIO ($-$$)
BEACH BLVD STEAMER ($) CARTER GREEN STEAKHOUSE ($$-$$$)
STALLA ($$) ITALIAN COOKING
MEXICAN CUISINE 260 Azalea Rd. • 375-1095
TERRACE CAFE ($)
DAUPHIN ST. TAQUERIA ($) ENCHILADAS, TACOS, & AUTHENTIC FARE. 661 Dauphin St. • 432-2453
BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER, LATE NIGHT
HARD ROCK CASINO:
777 Beach Blvd.Biloxi • 877-877-6256
FUEGO ($-$$)
3300 W. Beach Blvd. Biloxi • 877-774-8439
RICH TRADITIONS, STEAK, SEAFOOD
C&G GRILLE ($)
LARGE BREAKFAST, LUNCH OR DINNER MENU.
PALACE CASINO:
158 Howard Ave. Biloxi • 800-725-2239
MIGNON’S ($$$)
HALF SHELL OYSTER HOUSE ($-$$) STEAKS, SEAFOOD, FINE WINE
OUTSTANDING MEXICAN CUISINE. 2066 Old Shell Rd. • 378-8621
SEAFOOD
HACIENDA SAN MIGUEL ($-$$) TASTE OF MEXICO 880 Schillinger Rd. S. • 633-6122 5805 US 90 • 653-9163
HARD ROCK CAFÉ ($)
AMERICAN FARE & ROCKIN’ MEMORABILIA.
RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE ($$$) EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE & TASTE.
LOS ARCOS ($)
SATISFACTION ($-$$)
QUAINT MEXICAN RESTAURANT. 5556 Old Shell Rd. • 345-7484
SOUTHERN FAVORITES BUFFET
LA COCINA ($)
HARRAH’S GULF COAST:
AUTHENTIC MEXICAN CUISINE. 4633 Airport Blvd. • 342-5553
280 Beach Blvd. Biloxi • 288-436-2946
MARIA BONITA AGAVE BAR & GRILL ($-$$)
BEAU RIVAGE:
BURGER, WINGS, PIZZA
EXOTIC CUISINE AND SUSHI
CINCO DE MAYO ($)
NO GAMBLING CASINO FARE
ISLAND VIEW:
JIA ($-$$)
MOUTH WATERING MEXICAN FOOD 1175 Battleship Pkwy • 625-2722
AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FLAVOR. 3733 Airport Blvd. • 414-4496
FINE DINING ESTABLISHMENT.
COAST RESTAURANT ($-$$)
TASTE OF MEXICO 5452 Hwy 90 W • 661-5509
TAQUERIA MEXICO ($-$$)
CASUAL & RELAXING, EXTENSIVE MENU.
BR PRIME ($$-$$$)
AZTECAS ($-$$)
MEXICAN CUISINE. 3977 Gov’t Blvd. • 660-4970
875 Beach Blvd. Biloxi • 888-952-2582
MAGNOLIA HOUSE ($$-$$$) FINE DINING, SEAFOOD AND STEAKS
FLAVORS BUFFET ($-$$) ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET
PLACE BUFFET ($-$$) INTERACTIVE ASIAN DINING
STACKED GRILL ($-$$)
BURGERS AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN
TREASURE BAY:
1980 Beach Blvd. Biloxi • 800-747-2839
THE DEN ($-$$)
INTIMATE & CASUAL WITH DAILY SPECIALS.
CQ ($$-$$$)
ELEGANT ATMOSPHERE & TANTALIZING ENTREES.
BLU ($)
LOUNGE WITH COCKTAILS & TAPAS MENU.
IP CASINO:
WIND CREEK CASINO:
THIRTY-TWO ($$$)
FIRE ($$-$$$)
850 BAYVIEW AVE. BILOXI-- • 888-946-2847 SEAFOOD, STEAKS, WINE
TIEN ($-$$)
INTERACTIVE ASIAN DINING
HIGH TIDE CAFÉ ($)
303 Poarch Rd. Atmore • 866-946-3360 PRIME STEAKS, SEAFOOD & WINE.
GRILL ($)
CONTEMPORARY & OLD-FASHIONED FAVORITES.
SEND LISTINGS TO LISTINGS@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM
D e c e m b e r 1 , 2 0 1 6 - D e c e m b e r 7 , 2 0 1 6 | L AG N I A P P E | 19
CUISINE THE REVIEW
Dedicated to quality, PDQ’s menu excels BY ANDY MACDONALD/CUISINE EDITOR | FATMANSQUEEZE@COMCAST.NET
PDQ 116 S. UNIVERSITY BLVD. MOBILE 36608 251-202-0959
Photos | www.eatpdq.com
The quality of ingredients is good and the value is high at PDQ, which specializes in chicken tenders, sandwiches and salads.
T
urkey Day is over. Black Friday has come and gone along with Small Business Saturday. The “Silly Season” will continue for another four weeks. I shudder. This past week has been busy enough. I can’t wait to compound everything with shopping. We had a lot to be thankful for, now we have a lot with which I’d like to be finished. After returning home from my Thanksgiving excursion I couldn’t wait to be with my sons, Lucas and Graham, for some quality time. They were both getting over the doublebona-fide, sleepy-car-ride, pediatrician-verified weight loss program known as influenza Type A. The packaging from my round of antibiotics that slowly repaired a bout with bronchitis had not even made it to the outside trash, and here were my kids sicker than I had been. They’d had a very poor Thanksgiving, but by this weekend were bouncing back with zero fever and just a small cough. So Sunday afternoon I knew it would lift their spirits if I took them on a restaurant review to someplace kid-friendly but delicious. We soon found the station wagon making its way toward PDQ. I wrote a little bit about PDQ when it first came to my attention months ago, but now seemed as good a time as any to do an actual review. I love leftovers but we all craved something that went the opposite direction of casserole or turkey. This place fits the bill. People Dedicated to Quality (that’s what they say) began more as a chicken tenders, salads and sandwiches type of place that straddles the line between fast-food and fresh dinein. You order at the counter, grab your drinks from the soda fountain, sit down and they bring it to you. Is it fast? Well, I ordered for four of us and by the time we filled our cups we didn’t have time for more than one corny joke and a half of a “and how was your day?” before the wire baskets slid under our noses. As a growing sixth grader, Lucas has far outgrown
WORD OF MOUTH
The Haberdasher celebrates 2nd annual Tiki Week
Come on. Admit you are a fan of wild cocktails. Of course The Haberdasher consistently does them better than anyone, so when the downtown bar amps up its game you had better pay attention. Get ready for “Tiki in December,” The Haberdasher’s second annual Tiki Week, which begins Monday, Dec. 5, and rolls into its third annual Tiki Party on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 9 p.m. The week will be filled with concoctions old and new from our area’s most capable bartenders, with an exciting 10-drink Tiki cocktail menu. They’re going all out and keeping with the traditions of visionaries such as “Trader Vic” Bergeron and Donn Beach,
anything called a kid’s meal. He was eyeballing the grilled chicken sandwich ($8.98), which was a bold move. He asked that they not add any honey mustard, but this still left him with mayo, lettuce, tomato and pickles. I know he dislikes three of those things. Maybe he’s maturing a bit because he still ate everything except the tomato (which was, by the way, fantastic) and I appreciated his branching out. His meal was $1.49 heavier due to a last-minute substitution of zucchini fries over the regular potatoes. I’d say it was worth it. If there is any way of taking a healthy food and making it less so, this is it. French fry-sized strips of zucchini were breaded and fried crispy, and though Lucas begged for some kind of sauce, they were perfect on their own. Catherine and I were both feeling the effects of too much New Orleans food and wanted to order small. She went for the taco salad meal ($8.99). I should have known that she’d order the closest thing to Mexican food as she could in a chicken tender restaurant. This is the latest addition to the salad menu, with ground taco meat and thin strips of crispy tortillas atop wonderful greens with dressing tossed in with the veggie mix. Maybe there were too many tortilla strips, but who’s counting? I’d call this a great addition and an excellent alternative for those who are not in the mood for chicken. I was kind of in the mood for chicken but knew I should diversify. I had to have the classic cheeseburger meal ($7.99) with a side of blueberry coleslaw and four chicken tenders ($4.99). Keep in mind I didn’t intend to eat all of this. Most of it was coming home with me, but I had to describe what PDQ is famous for. The burger is a thin patty with a small, almost buttery bun. It’s the perfect size for a hamburger. If you’re eating more than this as a sandwich, then I declare it is too much. Wonderful flavor. I hope this is the growing trend. The tenders are what put these folks on the map. Handbreaded and fried crispy (you may order grilled), these came
serving elaborately garnished drinks in a variety of tropical-themed mugs and glasses. That’s not all. Under the direction of Chef Zane Phillips, the kitchen crew will be slinging a special menu of modern and original dishes inspired by the pan-Asian, South Pacific and Caribbean cuisine of traditional Tiki restaurants. For the Saturday party, porkmaster Big Joe Duke will be roasting a whole suckling pig, so you know the soiree is going to be serious. That’s what I like: plan a Saturday party but start on Monday. This event is usually in August, but a late June opening of the new location pushed it back. Time to fetch the grass skirts and flowered shirts down from the attic. You were going to be up there fishing out Christmas lights anyway!
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with honey mustard but I added a small cup of Sweet Sriracha. Catherine loved the honey mustard. I was hung up on the Sriracha. Sure, it’s all Sriracha these days, but I don’t think the fad is going anywhere. This mix had a sweet front end with a sting of a finish. So the only one left was the little big man. Graham is filling out his first-grade clothes rather well but decided without prodding that he wanted the kid’s nugget meal ($3.99). His appetite has diminished since the flu got him but a handful of honey-marinated nuggets and fries were unavoidable, especially when it comes with a boxed drink of Yoo-hoo! This meal actually was the star of the show. The honey marinade comes through in the nugget. It’s not just a fancy moniker. Graham didn’t want sauce, and he was right for not taking it. This nugget was slightly sweet and perfect on its own. The fries are amazing at this place. Thin-cut and crispy, none of us could keep our hands out of his basket. PDQ has too many designer sauces for me to list, but they range from the sweet and tangy to the hot and spicy, with creamy garlic and bleu cheese somewhere in the middle. With fries as the perfect dipper, you will want to take advantage of the sauces. I think PDQ’s menu will continue to grow, seeing as the business is still young. But it could survive on what it’s doing right now for a long time. If you want something fast and fantastic, head over there pretty darn quick.
Grand Mariner joins Marines toy drive
Saturday, Dec. 3, is the date for this year’s Toys for Tots drive at the Grand Mariner restaurant, 5-10 p.m. at 6036 Rock Point Road on beautiful Dog River. This is in conjunction with the P.L. Wilson Detachment of the Marine Corps League. Everyone is encouraged to bring a toy, make a donation or, at the very least, enjoy some of the Mariner’s fine seafood. The restaurant is generously donating 10 percent of its profits to Toys for Tots. Reservations can be made from 5-7:30 p.m. followed by open seating. With a $10 cash donation you will receive a Grand Mariner gift certificate. There will also be a 50/50 raffle, and two booze baskets will be raffled off for the adults. The kids will delight that
Santa Claus will be on hand. For more information contact Dianna at 251-377-9818 or Tiffany at 251-209-4716.
Haint Blue is a go
The folks at Haint Blue Brewing Co. announced via social media that they are moving forward with their plans to open Mobile’s latest (and currently only) brewing company. Their crowd-funding campaign ends on Dec. 9, so those who wish to make a last minute investment in this piece of history should visit wefunder.com/haintbluebrew, which has reached over $200,000 at the time of this writing. The new brewery is to be located in the 7,000-square-foot section of the Crystal Ice House that backs up to the Church Street Cemetery. The company’s hope is to be ready by Mardi Gras. Fingers crossed for a menu! Recycle!
D e c e m b e r 1 , 2 0 1 6 - D e c e m b e r 7 , 2 0 1 6 | L AG N I A P P E | 21
COVER STORY
Seasoned constables continue to push for local reform JASON JOHNSON/REPORTER
O
ver the next few days, Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran will draw names to select the winners of nine Mobile County constable races that ended in a tie — a game of chance that will add new members to the state’s oldest and most beleaguered law enforcement agency. “If there’s a tie, I’m the one who’s supposed to do it, by law,” Cochran said. “That’s the only reason I’m willing to.” It may seem like a bad joke that someone could win a local election without ever entering it, but it’s happened … and recently. In 2008, former school board commissioner Hazel Fournier was elected to an open constable post in the Crichton area by a write-in vote. At age 79, Fournier was the only person whose name was written in, though she never actually assumed the post. Just this year, Mobile County spent thousands of dollars hand counting write-in votes after 36 constable precincts appeared on the ballot without a single qualifying candidate. According to Probate Judge Don Davis, that practice isn’t uncommon, as it enables those attempting to become a constable to avoid filing fees and complying with the Fair Campaign Practices Act. However, the elections process isn’t the only unusual thing about constables in Alabama — a group of law enforcement officers with the same authority given to other peace officers but with none of the required training, standards or oversight. In Mobile County, which has more elected constables than the entire state of Arizona, local constables have been under enhanced scrutiny in recent years as some within their ranks have faced charges for drug trafficking, gun crimes and even murder — all while wearing the badge. Yet, despite calls for reform from law enforcement leaders and even some constables, attempts to streamline the old system and bring more accountability to the office have repeatedly failed in the state Legislature.
What are constables?
A creation of the Legislature, constables are charged with keeping the peace. That might seem a simple task, but it’s also one that isn’t clearly defined anywhere in state law. While the code of Alabama does outline a constable’s duties as serving civil summonses, attending court and enforcing traffic laws, it also mentions other duties that “may be required” by law without specifying what those might be. Another section of the state code also gives constables the same authority to make arrests that state troopers and sheriff’s deputies have, though many county jails have not recognized that authority for years. “We don’t recognize their arrests for liability reasons,”
Cochran told Lagniappe. “They would have to sign a warrant on a person before we would accept them at the jail, and that policy was in place long before I became sheriff.” Constables serve four-year terms coinciding with each presidential election, though some places — like Baldwin County — have already ended the practice of electing constables. In Mobile County, though, there is a constable elected for every voting precinct set by the Mobile County Commission. This means that, as of January, there will be 88 constables throughout the county. However, the day-to-day activities of a constable can vary from county to county and even from precinct to precinct. Though the position is unpaid, constables can be compensated for things like issuing court summonses, providing funeral escorts or working school traffic — fees paid directly to a constable by the respective court, funeral home or school receiving those services. For Leo Bullock, a retired law enforcement officer who’s been a constable since 1984, a routine day might consist of any the activities listed above. “I’m in uniform seven days a week, and I typically start out with two other constables working traffic at school crossings so it doesn’t cost the city of Mobile three officers,” Bullock said. “I also do funeral escorts, and I serve a ton of papers. A lot of times if something needs to be rushed through, because of my schedule I can have it served the day I receive it.” Bullock is the president of the Mobile County Constable Office, but while that may sound official, neither he nor the office have any authority over the 88 constables in Mobile County. Recently, Bullock explained that while constables have the authority to conduct arrests and write traffic tickets, most do not exercise those powers. It would be difficult for constables to “make money” writing tickets because, according to Bullock, they would have to obtain an agency identification number and pay for their own tickets. Any fees collected would then be directed back to the municipality where a ticket is written. Even so, Bullock said, laws on the books currently allow constables to put themselves in those situations that some aren’t at all qualified for, creating a dangerous situation for everyone. “I’m fearful that some of these guys are not only a threat to themselves, but also a threat to citizens. It scares me,” Bullock said. “Without any type of training, they pick up a book and it says, ‘I can do this’... but the the book doesn’t tell them how to go about doing it.” That’s because constables are not required to go through the same police academy or United States Department of Justice training required of police officers before they’re hired and during their time on active duty. Bullock
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says he has completed those and several other training courses, but nothing requires the 87 other constables elected on Nov. 8 to do the same. Still, Bullock believes trained constables can and have served as excellent first responders in situations where state or municipal police forces are shorthanded, which has become more common locally as departments have seen a number of officers leave their positions for higher-paying jobs with other departments or in the private sector. “We are first responders, and there’s a number of things that we’ve had to respond to over the years, like the 1993 Amtrak disaster,” Bullock said. “We can and do work together within the law enforcement community, and we have state and national associations that put on a training conference every year.” However, because there’s no requirement to attend those training conferences, many constables don’t. That’s one of a number of reasons some law enforcement agencies are hesitant to work with constables despite the services they can provide. According to Cochran, a plan to utilize constables when issuing summonses would have freed up a number of deputies, but it was abandoned before it got off the ground because attorneys had too many concerns about the liability risk constables posed for the county. With some changes, Cochran said, there is likely some way his office could benefit from utilizing constables. “With the right oversight and qualifications, I think there could be something that would work because there are some fine ones, like Mr. Bullock, who are retired law enforcement officers,” Cochran said. “But many have no law enforcement standards or training, and as a result, you’ve seen a number of them get into trouble over the years.”
A history of problems
While there have been a number of criminal incidents involving constables across the state in recent years, those occurrences may seem more prevalent in Mobile County because of the sheer number of precincts here. While some counties set the number of constables based on state House districts, Mobile County holds an election for every individual voting precinct — meaning changes to local voting districts have inadvertently added and eliminated numerous constable positions over the years. As of last week, among the 88 constables in Mobile County, 28 were elected by write-in votes and nine have yet to be determined by the sheriff’s office. However, last week Bullock said he’d already heard from some of the incoming constables who weren’t quite sure what constables are supposed to do. “Since the election, I’ve gotten many phone calls saying, ‘I think I was elected as a constable, what do I do next?’” he said. “I want to say, ‘Come on, folks, this is a real office,’ but that’s what the current system is, and that’s got to change.” While constables aren’t provided with any equipment, they’re allowed to — as many do — carry badges, uniforms and guns. Some even equip their personal vehicles with police gear, though state law does prohibit them from using the blue lights associated with police cruisers. Unlike just about any other law enforcement position, constables are not subject to a criminal background check, which has led to a number of people with prior criminal records being elected as constables. To Bullock, those constables are “an embarrassment to the office,” but other elected officials believe they could pose a real danger to themselves and others. “Constables have been a problem since I first got to the Legislature four years ago — they write themselves in, get elected and then go out and cause problems,” Rep. Chris Pringle, R-Mobile, said. “Some are truly good people that serve the position with a sense of duty and commitment to the community, but some are just criminals who want to run around with a badge and a gun.” In the past two years, concerns with constables became such an issue that an Attorney General’s opinion was issued clarifying that those convicted of a felony would have to vacate their office or face impeachment proceedings. Since then, the Mobile County District Attorney’s office has successfully removed at least two constables from office due to felony criminal convictions,
COVER STORY though the office took legal action against at least one other. Former constable Larry Sheffield was convicted of murder by a Baldwin County jury over the summer for shooting and killing a man after an argument at a Causeway bar in 2014. Another constable, Mario Yow, was convicted of trafficking cocaine just months before his election in 2012. Last year, constable Donald Aucoin was convicted of DUI charges, while constable Scott Bond pleaded guilty to federal firearms charges in the state of Kentucky. Convicted of a misdemeanor, Aucoin served the remainder of his term. Bond also remained in office for a short time while serving his federal probation sentence, though he ultimately resigned. Constable John Howard Arnold Jr. had two run-ins with the law in 2015 — one in March when his vehicle struck a pedestrian as he led a funeral procession and the second in October when police in Mobile charged him with firstdegree robbery and possession of marijuana. The latter incident was sent to a Mobile County grand jury for review, but so far Arnold has not been indicted on any of those charges. No matter the outcome, though, more than 1,100 people voted to re-elect Arnold as the constable for Precinct 27 earlier this month. Most recently, Doug Roberts was arrested after an investigation suggested he had repeatedly ticketed motorists while representing himself as a deputy constable. According to probate records, Roberts had registered to run for a constable position, but had not been elected at the time of his arrest. Currently, Roberts is awaiting trial on dozens of charges for forgery and impersonating a peace officer, but without a conviction the charges alone wouldn’t be enough to prevent him from running for a constable seat. However, the Mobile County Republican Party removed his name from the ballot prior to the general election. Despite those occurrences and the scrutiny they’ve put local constables under, Bullock said he still gets “tickled to death” when constables are exposed for wrongdoings in the press or in the public eye. To him, those incidents help put pressure on the only people that can fix what he sees as a broken system. “Constables are creatures of the Legislature, and that’s where our authority comes from,” Bullock said. “Legislators play a big part in what we can or can’t do, and they have failed to enact proper legislation to keep constables accountable and regulate some of the work we do.”
Failed legislative efforts
For a number of years, Bullock has pushed
for legislative reforms to the constable system to no avail, despite a number of laws that have modernized constables’ roles in other states and even in others parts of Alabama. While multiple counties have already passed laws that determine constable precincts based on House districts, a similar piece of legislation sponsored by Sen. Rusty Glover, R-Mobile, a few years ago died before it could be approved by Mobile County’s local delegation. When asked why, Glover said there was “no appetite in the delegation” to fix the system, even though many believe it “clearly isn’t working.” “We may have a majority, but for local bills you almost have to have it unanimous,” Glover said. “There are some members that have friends who are contables that feel like they would be on the outs, and apparently, they’re not going to go for it … at least not right now.” Legislation that dies in a local committee seldom sees a formal vote, and Glover didn’t specifically name any legislators. However, when Pringle was asked about the impediments these bills have seen, he pointed to his colleagues across the aisle — saying “the Democrats never support repealing any elected office.” According to Bullock, Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, has been one of the “strongest opponents” of the legislative reforms he’s pushed, although a similar statewide bill was sidelined in 2015 after Rep. Napoleon Bracy, D-Mobile, and others threatened a filibuster. At the time, Bracy told a local TV station he was afraid limiting the number of constables would “hurt small communities” that rely on them. Though Bracy went on to say he “wanted all sides to sit down together” to review the issue, there’s been no legislative effort that would affect constables in Mobile County since. Multiple calls and emails to Figures and Bracy seeking comment for this report went unreturned, though it’s worth noting both are members of the “Leaders for Truth & Justice” — an organization of local political and faith leaders that expressed “strong support” for a Police Citizens Community Advisory Council in the city of Mobile. For Bullock, who’s worked with constable groups in a number of states across the country, the pushback against reforms proposed locally has been particularly frustrating, but despite those setbacks he’s already talking to Glover about carrying another bill in the 2017 regular session. “I won’t give up, because there are other good contables that work with us every day,” he said. “The system can be fixed, and it wouldn’t take all that much to fix it. I’m confident that in working with legislators, we’re going to get the legislation we need eventually.”
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ART ARTIFICE
Holidays ideal for local cultural support BY KEVIN LEE/ARTS EDITOR/KLEE@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM
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oliday season means a lot of things — travel, guests and gifts, mostly. Discussing local activities for their few days in town, visiting relatives asked about the new riverside building of glass and concrete near the cruise terminal. “That’s the GulfQuest Maritime Museum. It was open for about a year but closed not long ago, Y’all just missed it,” we said. I told what I encountered there in researching a review this past March. One guest’s face lit up at my description of GulfQuest’s animated 6-foot globe, before it added to his disappointment. Inevitably, we broached its demise, the mismanaged projections and widespread blame. It arose again Thanksgiving Day, when they told a table of Mobilians their regret for GulfQuest’s unavailability. “It was too expensive at $30,” a local’s voice rang. “It was only $18,” I answered. Urban legends can be frustrating and damaging. “That’s still too expensive,” they replied. I thought about the aforementioned meal when we first told our guests of the museum. The entrees we enjoyed that night were about $5 more than GulfQuest’s entrance fee. The following evening the four of us went to see a first-run feature film. Tickets and concessions added up to around $70, even with military discounts. On Saturday, we all watched as 100,000-plus fans paid three figures to fill a football stadium for a rivalry game.
Baldwin Pops holiday tour
Come January, 40,000 of us will pay an average of $20 to watch another Senior Bowl with little at stake. I don’t want to rehash ground well covered in Lagniappe in past months, but I can’t help but see recurring themes in GulfQuest’s shortfall. It’s a familiar refrain because it remains pertinent.
OUR CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS CANNOT LAST WITHOUT VIBRANT AND ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORT FROM LOCALS. IT’S WHY WE’VE SEEN QUASI-RELIGIOUS EXHIBITS IN OUR SCIENCE MUSEUM AND MARDI GRAS IN OUR ART MUSEUM, BECAUSE IT STIRS UP THE HOME FOLKS.” Our cultural institutions cannot last without vibrant and enthusiastic support from locals. It’s why we’ve seen quasi-religious exhibits in our science museum and Mardi Gras in our art museum, because it stirs up the home folks. Does that mean the Crescent City’s World War II Museum is packed with New Orleanians every day? No, but it sits in a far larger metropolitan area, one of the South’s great cultural centers and tourist destinations. New Orleans had 9.78 million visitors in 2015, about 16 times the Mo-
Santa is scheduled to drop in for a short visit with children during the concerts. All are free of charge. A Toys for Tots representative from the U.S Marine Corps Reserve will be available at each concert to collect new, unwrapped toys. Concerts are sponsored by their host cities. The Baldwin Pops Band is sponsored by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts. For more information call 251-987-5757, go to baldwinpopsband.com or search for Baldwin Pops Band on Facebook.
Buddy’s childlike perspectives clash with “the real world” until Buddy is faced with a challenge: He must teach everyone the true meaning of Christmas. Shows at South Baldwin Community Theatre (2022 W. 2nd St.) are Dec. 2-11. Friday and Saturday curtain is 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children. There will be an Ugly Christmas Sweater contest at each show, and Santa will be available for photos during intermission ($5 donation requested). For more information call 251-968-6721 or visit sbct.biz.
“Elf” musical across Baldwin
Elf workshop at library
Gulf Shores’ South Baldwin Community Theatre presents “Elf the Musical” as the first of three plays in the Young Artist Series for the 2016-2017 season. The familiar story follows Buddy the elf, a young orphan who grows up among Santa Claus’ workers at his North Pole headquarters. As his size and lack of toy-making expertise causes problems, he decides to head to New York City to find his real parents.
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Join busy hands in making ornaments for the Ronald McDonald House and Penelope House at the Ben May Main Library (701 Government St.) on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 10:30 a.m. While working, the 97-minute hilarious holiday film “Elf” (PG) will be shown on the Storytime Room wall. Teen volunteers will offer free gift wrapping to customers who bring pet supplies to donate to the local animal shelter. For more information call 251-208-7086.
ARTSGALLERY
The Baldwin Pops have a slate of holiday concerts planned for the lead-up to Christmas, primed for reaching a variety of audiences. Their program includes Leroy Anderson’s “A Christmas Festival” and “Christmas on Broadway,” along with older favorites including “Greensleeves,” arranged by Alfred Reed, and the modern fanfare ”King of Kings,” based on the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. Beth Hall will be featured soloist on Antonio Vivaldi’s Piccolo Concerto in C Major. Wayne Fillingim, band director at Fairhope High School, will sing the Josh Groban song “You Lift Me Up” in two concerts and will also conduct “Greensleeves.” Shows are as follows: • Monday, Dec. 5, 7 p.m., Foley Civic Center (407 E. Laurel Ave.); • Tuesday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m., Gulf Shores Civic Center (1930 W. 2nd St.); • Tuesday Dec. 13, 7 p.m. Daphne Civic Center (2603 U.S. 98, Daphne).
bile metropolitan population. So it is up to Mobilians to keep our cultural endeavors thriving, except maybe when occasional blockbuster exhibits visit. We have to spark the enthusiasm. We have to be our own cavalry. There’s a number of ways to add to the cultural cause, especially this time of year. Get creative with gifts beyond making your own cards or wrapping paper. Personally tailor them to support local intellectual enterprise. Yeah, you could buy art for someone but that’s a pricey gamble unless you undoubtedly, positively, absolutely know of a particular painting or sculpture they desire. That’s rarely inexpensive. There is an Artwalk in downtown Mobile on Friday, Dec. 9. The event is loaded with small businesses and vendors who would appreciate your investment in their passion far more than a big-box store or faceless online retailer, and would be willing to help find something within your price range. Books are a fantastic gift that can be catered to everyone’s particular area of interest. Downtown’s Bienville Books and Fairhope’s Page & Palette are ideal starting points. Browse through the selection of local authors and you can find autographed copies. What about gifting a membership in one of our local performance organizations? Try Mobile Symphony Orchestra, Mobile Opera, Mobile Ballet, Mobile Chamber Music, the Mystic Order of the Jazz Obsessed (MOJO), Joe Jefferson Playhouse, Mobile Theatre Guild, Theatre 98 or others and the money helps support year-long performances. The same could be said for memberships at the Mobile Carnival Museum, Eastern Shore Art Center (ESAC), Mobile Arts Council, Mobile Museum of Art (MMoA), the History Museum of Mobile, the Gulf Coast Exploreum, Alabama Contemporary Art Center and others. Their websites have information. If you want to be bolder, enroll someone you know in classes or workshops at MMoA, ESAC, Cathedral Square Gallery, Innova Arts or Sumi-E Society. Plenty of other organizations teach creative skills, too. What about donations in someone’s name to groups that have proven instrumental in their lives, maybe the Azalea City Center for the Performing Arts or Playhouse in the Park? The best gifts are those that give to the greatest number of people. We’ve heard about Mobile’s soon-to-be-turned tourism corner for about three decades now. If that magical day ever dawns, those long-awaited guests need to find the most robust cultural scene possible. And that’s on us.
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MUSIC
FEATURE
Lumpkins launch Skate Mountain Records BY STEPHEN CENTANNI/MUSIC EDITOR/SCENTANNI@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM
Photo | Facebook
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Jimmy Lumpkin and The Revival were the first of two bands signed to Mobile’s Skate Mountain Records.
ast month, a small crowd gathered at Dauphin Street Sound to witness the launch of a new Azalea City music label, Skate Mountain Records. Its local-centric mission was accentuated not only by the choice of venue but also the evening’s showcase of the label’s first two signed artists. Skate Mountain co-founder/producer Scott Lumpkin says Mobile is more than ready to become a recognizable source of quality music on the national scene. “With Skate Mountain Records, the idea is to showcase and develop what we’ve got here in the Mobile area,” Lumpkin explained. “We want to develop a sound and a genre of music from our world to show what we can and what we got.”
Skate Mountain Records is a combined effort of Lumpkin and his wife, Kate. Before conceiving Skate Mountain, their creative efforts were focused more on film. Over her career, Kate has helped bring sound to films such as “The Wild, Wild West,” “Ghost World” and “Austin Powers in Goldmember.” Scott has worked on the production side, with credits for “Everything Must Go,” “Safe Haven” and “The Best of Me,” among many others. Throughout his career, Scott’s films have always come back to the Mobile area, the most recent being “Gerald’s Game.” Now the duo plans to use their talents, resources and connections to help local groups serve as music ambassadors to the world. The label’s assistance will come in the form of artist development, recording production, distribution and A&R. “It’s a project that we want to do together,” Lumpkin said. “[Kate] came from the sound world and has moved into producing movies. The idea is to tap into our local resources and push it out there on a national level as high-quality as we can do here in Mobile.” Scott’s brother Jimmy’s band, Jimmy Lumpkin & the Revival, was the first of two artists to join Skate Mountain’s roster. As the evening’s headliner, the band used the label’s launch party to introduce its debut, “Giants Up Ahead.” The album is a trip across the musical spectrum, with Jimmy expertly mingling rock, folk and blues, using his expressive voice as a common thread. The singer-songwriter admits this amalgamation of music was conceptualized while working in a Los Angeles studio with Kate and producer/engineer Noah Shain (Atreyu, Horse the Band). “I’ve always separated [genres],” Jimmy said. “When Kate got involved and then Noah got involved, they said, ‘You can mix this stuff.’ The album is basically a mixture of all the stuff that I write. I’m very satisfied with the ability to play a rock ‘n’ roll song and then play a country song right beside it.” Jimmy also says Shain’s gear and studio knowledge helped give this album its musical personality. In the beginning, Jimmy was leaning toward record-
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ing in his own home studio, but also wanted to lay down tracks in an analog recording environment. Kate eventually mentioned her connection to Shain, as well as his collection of analog recording gear. While Scott was in L.A. on business, he stopped by Shain’s studio and decided its environment would be perfect for his brother’s work. When Shain got Jimmy into his studio, he laid his tracks on 2-inch analog tape, using a tape deck that had been used to record “Ring of Fire” (Johnny Cash) and “Frankenstein” (The Edgar Winter
Skate Mountain has no plans to stop at these two local groups. Scott Lumpkin says the label already has plans to add “four or five” new groups to the label’s roster over the next year. While open submissions are currently not an option, Scott says they are always on the lookout for a new local band at shows they attend. For now, Scott and Kate are relying on “local resources” and “word of mouth” around town to decide which bands they will sample. All in all, they say, the bands they recruit need to be proper
It’s a project that we want to do together. [Kate] came from the sound world and has moved into producing movies. The idea is to tap into our local resources and push it out there on a national level as high-quality as we can do here in Mobile.
Group). After capturing the tracks on analog, Shain mixed them digitally back onto 2-inch tape. Ultimately, the process provided a precision mix that maintains the warm vibe of analog recording. Over the next year, Jimmy says, promoting the album will be priority. Its debut single “My Name Is Love” will be included on the soundtrack for an upcoming Jackie Chan film, “The Foreigner.” Skate Mountain also used the evening to introduce its second artist signed to the label. For several years, Underhill Family Orchestra has been one of the most successful and beloved bands on the local scene. They used their set at Skate Mountain’s launch party showcase to demonstrate why the label is interested in promoting their sound. Through their DIY efforts at distribution and touring, this band’s raucous mix of alt. rock and folk has already spread beyond the Azalea City, and their recruitment to the new label should further expand their audience.
examples of what Mobile’s music scene has to offer. Skate Mountain will also be keeping things local on the production side of things, working with Dauphin Street Sound. Scott says the combined efforts of the label and the studio could have successful results. With the studio and the label sharing common goals, Mobile could once again be on its way to being a recognized music center on the national scene, which Scott says could be one of Snake Mountain’s biggest challenges. However, he said he feels his and Kate’s dedication to both the label and local talent are just what the Azalea City needs to boost its reputation. “The biggest obstacle and challenge is that the world will say, ‘Mobile, Alabama? It’s about putting us on the map to show the rest of the world that we can compete at the biggest level possible and overcome many of the stereotypes of us not being a music center, which is what we’re about to be.”
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Hello in there
BY STEPHEN CENTANNI/MUSIC EDITOR/SCENTANNI@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM
T
he Jewel on Joachim will shine brightly Saturday night as Shovels & Rope open for the inimitable John Prine. Shovels & Rope — husband and wife duo Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent — use their vocal and instrumental talents to produce a big sound,
Photo | Facebook | John Prine
JOHN PRINE, SHOVELS & ROPE SATURDAY, DEC. 3, WITH DOORS AT 7:30 P.M. SAENGER THEATRE, 6 S. JOACHIM ST., WWW.MOBILESAENGER.COM TICKETS: $62.50-$102.50, AVAILABLE AT THE SAENGER BOX OFFICE AND THROUGH TICKETMASTER
mixing classic and modern elements of Americana. They return to Mobile with a batch of new material from their latest album, “Little Seeds.” The raunchy sonic intensity of “I Know” and “Buffalo Nickel” contrast with such profound anthems such as “The Last Hawk” and “Mourning Song.” John Prine is one of the most prolific and iconic song-
writers in modern music. For decades, Prine has filled his catalog with memorable songs that truly dig into the marrow of life. His songs have the power to lift his listeners to the bright peaks of happiness and plunge them deep into a dark world of sorrow. From “Spanish Pipedream” to “Angel from Montgomery,” this legendary singersongwriter never seems to leave his crowd unsatisfied.
Penultimate Sunday Social
Doll parts
Band: Sunday Social at The Frog Pond Date: Sunday, Dec. 4, at 2 p.m Venue: The Frog Pond at Blue Moon Farm; visit www.thefrogpondatbluemoonfarm.com for directions. Tickets: Visit www.thefrogpondatbluemoonfarm.com
or more than two decades, Goo Goo Dolls’ mellow alt. rock has maintained a dedicated audience. “We Are the Normal” from their 1993 breakout album “Superstar Car Wash” helped lay the group’s foundation. Two years later, they scored a No. 1 hit with the single “Name,” which still receives steady radio airplay. The album “Dizzy Up the Girl” increased the band’s momentum with timeless songs such as “Iris” and “Slide.” Now the group is touring in support of their latest album, “Boxes,” in which the group maintains its past while moving into the future. Listen to “Boxes” for heartfelt anthems, with “Over and Over” and “Prayer in My Pocket” reminding us this band knows how to rock.
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B
efore breaking for the winter months, there will be two more Sunday Socials at The Frog Pond at Blue Moon Farm, including this one. As always, resident artists Grayson Capps and Corky Hughes will be on hand to lend a few jams, joined by three great songwriters for a beautiful afternoon of music under the trees. Edward David Anderson has become a regular at the Sunday Socials. He is sure to give the audience a taste of his latest effort, “Lower Alabama: The Loxley Sessions,” which was produced by Anthony Crawford (Neil Young, Willie Sugarcapps). Local performer Jon Cook will also be stopping by to add his talents to the mix. Folk artist Spencer Bohren will complete the day’s lineup. This New Orleans guitarist has performed alongside artists ranging from Dr. John to The Blind Boys of Alabama, and at such notable venues as the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and public radio’s “A Prairie Home Companion.”
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Facebook | Goo Goo Dolls
Band: Goo Goo Dolls • Date: Saturday, Dec. 3, at 8 p.m. Venue: IP Casino, Resort & Spa, 850 Bayview Ave. (Biloxi), www. ipbiloxi.com • Tickets: $65-$89, available through Ticketmaster
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AREAMUSIC LISTINGS | December 1 - December 7
THUR. DEC 1
Bluegill— Matt Neese Duo Blues Tavern— Vicky Bailey Duo, 8:30p Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— David Chastang, 6p Callaghan’s— Phil Proctor Cockeyed Charlie’s— JJ Felix’s— Grits N’ Pieces Flora Bama— Gove Scrivenor, 1p// Mark Sherrill, John Joiner, Chris Newbury and Mel Knapp, 5p/// Mason Henderson, 8p//// Zachery Diedrich, 9:15p Lulu’s— Adam Holt, 5p Manci’s— Ross Newell The Merry Widow— Moore YMCA Presents: Tacky for Tots Holiday Party & Fundraiser, 6p
FRI. DEC 2
Alchemy— Col. Bruce Hampton & The Madrid Express All Sports Bar & Billiards— DJ Markie Mark, 10p Beau Rivage— Donny & Marie, 8p Big Beach Brewing— Strictly Isbell, 6p Bluegill— Emily Stuckey, 12p// Ben Leininger Trio, 6p Blues Tavern— Jay B Elston Band, 9p Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— Delta Smoke, 6p Callaghan’s— Stolen Faces Cockeyed Charlie’s— Shifting Tracks, 10p Felix’s— Blind Dog Mike Flora Bama— Gove Scrivenor, 1p// Mark Sherrill, John Joiner, Chris Newbury and Mel Knapp, 5p/// Mason Henderson, 8p//// Zachery Diedrich, 9:15p
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Hard Rock (Center Bar) — Radio Inc., 9p Listening Room— Pierce Pettis Lulu’s— Lefty Collins, 5p Manci’s— Eric Erdman The Merry Widow— Big Deal Burlesque Featuring Roxie Le Rouge, 10p Moe’s BBQ (Daphne) — Alannah McCready Band, 8p Moe’s BBQ (Mobile) — James Burt, 6:30p O’Daly’s— Gene Murrell, Tony Edwards and David White, 10p Saenger— Fantasia Soul Kitchen— Zoogma, Trapezoid Ent, Loaded Gunn, 8:30p
SAT. DEC 3
Big Beach Brewing— Jon Cowart, 6p Bluegill— Tim Kinsey, 12p// Fat Lincoln, 6p Blues Tavern— Ric McNaughton Band, 9p Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— Adam & Jill Holt, 6p Cockeyed Charlie’s— Jordan Bramblett Felix’s— Matt Neese Duo Fin’s— Perry Wall Flora Bama— LeaAnne Creswell Duo, 2p// Big Muddy, 1p/// Jack Robertson Show, 5:30p//// Jezebel’s Chill’n, 6p//// Jay Williams Band, 10p//// Brian Hill Duo, 10:15p Hard Rock (Center Bar) — Radio Inc., 9p Hard Rock (Live) — KC and the Sunshine Band, 8p IP Casino— Goo Goo Dolls, 8p Lulu’s— Light Travelers, 5p Saenger— John Prine Top of the Bay— Journey 2 Mars
SUN. DEC 4
Bluegill— Quintin Beryy, 12p// Yeah Probably, 6p Blues Tavern— Dr. Bob, 6p Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— Tim Kinsey, 6p Felix’s— Brandon Bailey Flora Bama— Rusty, 12p// Perdido Brothers, 4p/// Lee Yankie, 7p//// Tony Ray Thompson, 8:30p Frog Pond— Grayson Capps, Edward David Anderson, Spencer Bohren, Jon Cook, Corky Hughes, 2p Lulu’s— Greg Brown, 5p Manci’s— Lisa Mills McSharry’s— Saenger— Roman Street & Mithril Christmas
MON. DEC 5
Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— Blind Dog Mike, 6p Felix’s— Bryant Gilley Flora Bama— Cathy Pace, 4p// Petty and Pace, 8p Listening Room— Robby Amonett presents Synthesis of the Soul ft. Della Memoria Lulu’s— Brent Burns, 5p Moe’s BBQ (Mobile) — Jimmy Lee Hannaford, 6p Saenger— Babes in Toyland
WED. DEC 7
Bluegill— Ross Newell Blues Tavern— Art & Britt, 8p Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— Ryan Balthrop, 6p Felix’s— Jimmy Lumpkin Duo Flora Bama— Neil Dover, 3p// Rhonda Hart and Jonathon Newton, 8p Saenger— Babes in Toyland
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J.K. Rowling’s beautiful distraction
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FILMTHE REEL WORLD
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 need for fantasy distraction becomes more urgent every day, and so you might not complain that “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” runs a smidgen long, allowing you to live in a magical world an extra 20 minutes or so. J.K. Rowling expanded a slim book into a multipart cinematic universe, and that is the film’s main drawback. Obvious scaffolding for future films strain the action at times, but the whole thing is tremendously fun, and four more films of these characters is a promising notion. Eddie Redmayne plays Newt Scamander, a shy English wizard passing through New York City with a magical suitcase full of the fantastic beasts he collects for study. The beasts are often misunderstood, and are outlawed in New York City, and he hopes to change this through the knowledge in the book he’s writing. Redmayne shambles convincingly into his role as a shy and unlikable eccentric, and his moments when he is surprisingly effectual are great fun. Along the way, he switches cases with a baker named Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), the best character in the film. Once the “No-Maj” (i.e., non-magical) human winds up with a houseful of magical
animals, a wild plot to contain the beasts and wipe his memory is underway. Newt and Jacob are pursued by Porpentina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), a nononsense agent in the American wizarding bureaucracy. A larger conflict brews between the magical and non-magical realms, as the sinister Mary Lou Barebone (alwaysexcellent Samantha Morton) leads an anti-witch movement aided by the various kids she adopted, and subsequently repressed and made miserable. Foremost among these poor souls is creepy Credence (Ezra Miller), who works behind the scenes with Percival Graves (Colin Farrell), a powerful leader of the wizard community. Together they search for a dark, unpredictable force that forms when young wizards repress their own magic. This force, the Obscurus, threatens both the magical and “No-Maj” worlds. You can enjoy this film at different levels of Pottermania. You can delve deep into the differences between the American and British wizarding worlds, and scoop up the breadcrumbs that lead to the familiar future with Harry Potter and the gang. You can also simply delight in the spectacle of the fanciful beasts, and the great characters. The idea
of a secret world of magic is certainly bewitching and, while most of the Harry Potter action takes place at Hogwarts among magic people, this film is primarily about the interaction and conflict between our world and the wizard world. The charming baker who gets pulled into the magic, therefore, is our audience surrogate; his wonder is our wonder. Comedian Fogler is endlessly watchable as he meets the shy Newt, a vast collection of creatures and, above all, Porpentina’s gorgeous sister Queenie. Their interaction casts its own sweet spell, and the film’s best moments are when these four characters hit their stride together in their undertaking to find the Obscurus and keep the beasts safe. When Newt, Porpentina, Jacob and Queenie overcome the film’s lengthy setup and get to the business of magic, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is as delightful, imaginative and wondrous an adventure as you can expect to see. The burden of the vast story behind and ahead of this film slows it down at times, but the concept of film “universes” seems to be here to stay. If you’re going to dwell in a universe, this is a gorgeous and delightful choice. “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is now in theaters.
RAVE MOTION PICTURE JUBILEE SQUARE 12 6898 U.S. 90 Daphne, (251) 626- 6266 CARMIKE CINEMAS 23151 Wharf Ln. Orange Beach (251) 981-4444 COBB THEATRES PINNACLE 14 3780 Gulf Shores Pkwy Gulf Shores (251) 968-7444 EASTERN SHORE PREMIERE CINEMA 14 30500 Alabama 181 #500 Spanish Fort, Al (251) 626-0352 Information accurate at press time; please call theaters for showtimes.
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Photos | Warner Brothers / A24
From left: J.K. Rowling’s “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is the adventures of writer Newt Scamander in New York’s secret community of witches and wizards 70 years before Harry Potter reads his book in school. “Moonlight” chronicles the life of a young black man from childhood to adulthood as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami.
NOW PLAYING BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK Eastern Shore Premiere Cinema, Carmike Wharf RULES DON’T APPLY All listed multiplex theaters. ALLIED All listed multiplex theaters. BAD SANTA 2 Regal Mobile Stadium 18, Carmike Jubilee Square 12,Eastern Shore Premiere Cinema MOANA All listed multiplex theaters. BLEED FOR THIS Carmike Wynnsong 16, Regal Mobile Stadium 18, Eastern Shore Premiere
Cinema EDGE OF SEVENTEEN All listed multiplex theaters. SHUT IN All listed multiplex theaters. ARRIVAL All listed multiplex theaters. ALMOST CHRISTMAS All listed multiplex theaters. DR. STRANGE All listed multiplex theaters. TROLLS All listed multiplex theaters. HACKSAW RIDGE All listed multiplex theaters. INFERNO All listed multiplex theaters. JACK REACHER All listed multiplex theaters. BOO: A MEDEA HALLOWEEN
All listed multiplex theaters. KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES All listed multiplex theaters. OUIJA: THE ORIGIN OF EVIL All listed multiplex theaters. THE ACCOUNTANT Carmike Wharf 15 KEVIN HART: WHAT NOW? Regal Mobile Stadium 18 THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN All listed multiplex theaters. MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN Carmike Wynnsong 16 DEEPWATER HORIZON Carmike Wharf 15
NEW IN THEATERS MOONLIGHT
A young man deals with his dysfunctional home life and comes of age in Miami during the “War on Drugs” era. The story of his struggle to find himself is told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain and beauty of falling in love while grappling with his own sexuality. This film has already dominated the American Spirit Award nominations and accolades should continue to grow, maybe even as far as the Academy Awards. Crescent Theater
INCARNATE
An exorcist (Aaron Eckhart) taps into the subconscious of a tormented boy (David Mazouz) who’s possessed by a demon. All listed multiplex theaters.
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS DECEMBER 1, 2016 - DECEMBER 7, 2016
MAGIC CHRISTMAS IN LIGHTS BELLINGRATH GARDENS
AND HOME’S 21ST SEASON OF MAGIC CHRISTMAS IN LIGHTS WILL RUN 5-9 P.M. NIGHTLY THROUGH DEC. 31. FOR DETAILS OR TO ORDER TICKETS, VISIT WWW.BELLINGRATH.ORG. Photo | provided by bellingrath
GENERAL INTREST Magic Christmas in Lights Bellingrath Gardens and Home’s 21st season of Magic Christmas in Lights will run 5-9 p.m. nightly through Dec. 31. For details or to order tickets, visit www. bellingrath.org. Riverside Ice Riverside Ice will be open at Cooper Riverside Park in Mobile until Jan. 14. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for children 12 and under. For more information visit www.RiversideIce.com. Mistletoe Mingle The Women’s Business Alliance holiday celebration and silent auction is Thursday, Dec. 1 at 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center. Tickets are $35 in advance and $45 at the door, and available online, www. womensbusinessalliance.org/mistletoemingle. “A Christmas Story” in the Square Bundle up, bring chairs or a blanket and join us in Cathedral Square Friday, Dec. 2, at 5 p.m.; film begins at 5:30. Free. Fairhope Christmas Parade Friday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. at the intersection of Morphy and Section streets, continuing down Section to Oak Street. For additional information call 251-929-1466. St. Lawrence Christmas Bazaar Come for food, fun and more on Saturday, Dec 3, 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and on Sunday,
Dec 4, 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., at 370 S. Section St. in Fairhope. More information at www.stlawrencechristmasbazaar.com. Spanish Fort Christmas Parade The city of Spanish Fort’s 10th annual Spirit of Christmas Parade will be held on Saturday, Dec. 3, beginning at 9 a.m. and rolling throughout the Eastern Shore Centre. Dauphin Island Christmas parade On Saturday, Dec. 3, at 11 a.m. Dauphin Island’s annual Christmas parade will travel along Bienville Boulevard from Cadillac Square to the Dauphin Island School. Join us with Old St. Nic for a traditional parade to usher in the holiday season. Holiday market Join Wilmer United Methodist Church for a holiday market Saturday, Dec. 3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information call 251649-1800. Book signing Mary Palmer, author of “George Wallace: An Enigma,” will appear at Barnes & Noble at Eastern Shore Shopping Center, Saturday, Dec. 3, at 3 p.m. For more information visit www.georgewallacebook. com. Candlelight Christmas Bragg-Mitchell Mansion invites you to a Candlelight Christmas, Saturday, Dec. 3, 4:30-7 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for children under 12. For more information call 251-471-6364.
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Christmas on the Hill Christmas on the Hill in the Village of Spring Hill is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 4, 1-5 p.m. Boutiques open, holiday refreshments, sleigh rides, photos with Santa, music and children’s activities as well as sales and special merchandise promotions. Gingerbread Jamboree Bellingrath Gardens and Home’s first-ever Gingerbread Jamboree includes a cookie decorating session, refreshments, Dr. Gee and his magic balloons, and a tour of Magic Christmas in Lights. Sunday, Dec. 4, 3-5 p.m. Registration required. www. bellingrath.org. Zoo Sneak Peek On Sunday, Dec. 4, 2-5 p.m. Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo employees will showcase the zoo’s plans, lead property tours and answer questions. Free. The public is welcome. 20499 Oak Road East, Gulf Shores. Spanish Fort Tree Lighting Please join us on Sunday, Dec. 4, 6 p.m. by the Spanish Fort Community Center dock for the city of Spanish Fort’s Christmas inaugural Christmas Tree Lighting. Lunch and Learn Join Prodisee Pantry for a Lunch and Learn for homeowners struggling to hang on to their home. Monday, Dec. 5, at noon, 9315 Spanish Fort Blvd. Call 251-438-1102
for more information and to register. Leinkauf Holiday Party Leinkauf Historic District invites you to a holiday party Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 5:30 p.m. at The Pillars. There will be music, pictures with Santa, food and more. Tickets can be purchased at leinkaufneighborhood.com. Doggie happy hour Every first Monday of the month from 5-7 p.m., bring your dog to the OK Bicycle Shop for doggie happy hour and get to know your local animal rescue groups, enjoy live music and more. 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. For more information call 251-861-2141. Midtown Optimist Club Join Midtown Optimist Club every Wednesday at noon for lunch at Azalea City Golf Course. For reservations and more information please call 251-3483542. Toastmasters Do you want to learn how to deliver a speech like a pro or gain leadership skills to advance your career? Toastmasters International meets regularly at six locations in Mobile and Baldwin counties. Visit www.toastmasters.org for more information.
FUNDRAISERS Taste of Dauphin Island Showcasing island cuisine and raising funds to support community arts, heritage and educational programs.Thursday, Dec. 1, 6:30-9 p.m. at The Estuarium. For more information or tickets visit dauhinislandarts. com or call 251-861-3300. Boar’s Head Dinner Presented by the McGill-Toolen Catholic High School Choral Company on Saturday, Dec. 3, and Sunday, Dec. 4 at the Student Center. Showtime is 6:30 p.m. each evening. Tickets are $25 each and can be purchased by calling 251-432-0784. Holiday Cheer at FIVE Benefitting the Child Advocacy Center on Monday, Dec. 5, 5-8:30 p.m. The FIVE Restaurant will host the event at 609 Dauphin St. in downtown Mobile. Tickets are available at FIVE and the CAC for $35 each. Call 251-432-1101 for details.
ARTS Art Mart The Eastern Shore Art Center is hosting a members’ party on Thursday, Dec. 1, 6-8 p.m., and an Art Mart on Friday, Dec. 3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 4, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. At 401 Oak St. in Fairhope. For more information call 251-928-2228, ext. 103. Night Market Mobile Museum of Art hosts Night Market on Thursday, Dec. 1, 5-9 p.m. featuring wares by artists and artisans. Support your local artists and join the party and shopping fun with great food, drink and live music. 4850 Museum Drive. “Merry Musical Christmas” Swift-Coles Historic Home’s “Merry Musical Christmas” features live music and appetizers. Saturday, Dec. 3, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $15. 17424 Swift Coles Lane in Bon Secour. swiftcoleshistorichome.com. Mobile’s Singing Children Join us as we celebrate our 40th anniversary Saturday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. Suggested donation of $10. Mobile Mystery Dinners Performance of “Who Killed the Boss at the Christmas Party” is Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. at the Mobile Carnival Museum. Tickets include dinner and unlimited wine. Advance reservations required; call 251338-5441.
MUSEUMS “Filming the Camps” The History Museum of Mobile will exhibit “Filming the Camps: From Hollywood to Nuremberg” through Jan. 16. The exhibit features the stories of three film directors as they documented Nazi atrocities during World War II. For more information visit museumofmobile.com. Tea for Two Tuesday afternoons at 2 p.m. the Fairhope Museum of History hosts a tea with a lecture on Fairhope history. The Dec. 6 speaker will be Paula Lenor Webb. For more information call 251-929-1471. “Guitar: The Instrument That Rocked the World” Through Jan. 1, the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center features a hands-on gallery and more than 60 guitars on display. There is also a rock photography exhibit by Janet Macoska. For information call 251-2086893 or visit 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. For more information, call 251-2085200.
SPORTING EVENTS/ACTIVITIES Exercise classes Palmer Pillans Middle School hosts a wide variety of exercise classes, including ballroom dance, boxing and more. For more information call 251-463-7980. Beginner belly dancing for women Every Tuesday through Dec. 13, come learn to belly dance at Palmer Pillans Middle School. For more information call 251-208-1662. Bridge lessons The Mobile Bridge Center offers free bridge lessons each Tuesday beginning at 6 p.m. at 1510 University Blvd. Arrive a few minutes early to register. If you have questions call the Bridge Center at 251666-2147, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Holy yoga Tamara William leads a lunchtime holy yoga at the Steeple on St. Francis every Wednesday. The cost is $15. Participants will connect with Christ in mind, body and spirit. For more information, call 251-6563269.
Advent lessons and carols Join Christ Church Cathedral for an Advent lesson and carols Sunday, Dec. 4, at 4 p.m. This service will contain Advent anthems, solos and carols interspersed between readings. 115 S. Conception St., Mobile.
Ballroom dance Azalea Ballroom Dance Club hosts dances with live music 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.
“Babes in Toyland” Playhouse in the Park will present “Babes in Toyland” Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Saenger Theatre. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students/seniors. Call 251-602-0630 for reservations.
Ballroom dance The Moonlight Chasse Ballroom Dance Society hosts dances the first and third Monday of every month, 7-9:30 p.m., at Fitzpen Place, 11247 State Highway 31 in Spanish Fort. Email cassief13@aol.com.
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MEDIA MEDIA FRENZY
Prostitutes mugshot ban another unconstitutional prior restraint BY ROB HOLBERT/MANAGING EDITOR/RHOLBERT@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM
E THE NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE CROSS REFERENCES BY ED SESSA / EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ ACROSS 1 Like good whiskey 7 Signed notes 12 They might jump through hoops for you 20 Civil rights activist ____ Helen Burroughs 21 Place for a home pool, maybe 22 Comforting words 23 What Bart Simpson has been since 1989 24 Draw forth 25 One of the Borgias 26 Rap’s Salt-N-____ 27 Bad thing to be behind 29 Shame 30 Wham-O toy introduced in 1961 33 Late actor Bill who played Radio Raheem 34 Some break dancers, informally 35 Diminutive suffix 36 Quickly 37 Entice 38 Bit of fiction 39 See 2-Down 41 Blow away 43 Famous crosser of the 12-Down 48 Brisk rival 49 It’s easy to park 51 Euro pop? 52 Baghdad’s ____ City 53 Highway infraction, for short 54 Zuo Zongtang, a.k.a. General ____ 56 “Vox populi, vox ____” 57 Biblical figure referred to as a “son of the desert” 60 Blue Moon ____, threetime World Series winner for the 1970s A’s 63 Deletions 66 Famous crosser of the 45-Down 68 Ben who played the Wizard in Broadway’s “Wicked” 70 See 62-Down 72 Yes vote 73 Fidgety 74 Separated by a hairbreadth 75 Picked as the one, say 77 Fourth-largest news agency in the world 78 “Rugrats” baby 79 Internet ____ 81 Abbr. seen in some dictionary definitions 83 Little more than 85 Flair 87 Bugged? 91 Beseeches 94 Patron saint of soldiers and athletes 96 Mama baaer 97 Put on 99 “The Tell-Tale Heart”
author 100 Pale purple shade 102 Like gymnasts 104 Outside: Prefix 105 Spread by light strokes 108 “Teach” at a college 109 Famous crosser of the 90-Down 111 Airline with famously tight security 112 Summoned from the office, say 114 Tenerife, por ejemplo 115 See 86-Down 117 May 8, 1945 118 As well 120 Displaced 121 Civil rights leader Medgar 122 Fidgety 123 Alms recipients 124 Bullpen setting 125 Coral-reef predators DOWN 1 Grabs before someone else does 2 Famous crosser of the 39-Across 3 Like jumpsuits 4 Ready to be drawn 5 7-up, e.g. 6 Partridge family mother 7 Cassock wearer 8 Was creative 9 Employed 10 ____ truck 11 Earthy color
12 See 43-Across 13 Milk shaker? 14 Letters teachers send to colleges, informally 15 Yossarian’s tent-mate in “Catch-22” 16 Sound from the Road Runner 17 W.W. II beachhead 18 Hoity-____ 19 Wins over 27 Protester’s sign 28 Hunky 31 Commerce pact mentioned in the 2016 presidential debates 32 Surveilled 34 Catcher near the plate? 37 Chivalrous deeds 38 C.E.O. and pres. 40 Puts out 42 Iraq War subj. 44 D.C. nine 45 See 66-Across 46 Jill Stein’s group, with “the” 47 Unauthorized withdrawals? 50 Anarchic action 55 Mantra syllables 57 Gives the runaround 58 In one’s dotage 59 Schoolroom with brushes and paint 61 Olive ____ (Popeye’s gal) 62 Famous crosser of the 70-Across 64 9mm gun 65 Main character on “How I
Met Your Mother” 67 Pertaining to bones 69 Goggle at 71 Instant: Abbr. 72 Long Island campus 74 “Pretty please?” 76 Major theme of Philip K. Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” 80 Something observed in church 82 Something observed in church 84 Write again 86 Famous crosser of the 115-Across 88 Damsel, to a knight 89 Register, as for a class 90 See 109-Across 92 Pepsi Max, e.g. 93 Field for Alfred Kinsey 95 Trinity part 98 Supports the Red Cross, say 101 Should that happen 103 Parent’s definitive “End of argument!” 105 Opening 106 First Hebrew letter 107 Wilkes-____, Pa. 108 Like windows 109 Used hip boots, say 110 One dishing out digs 112 Name 113 “Whip It” band 116 Actress Saldana 118 Certain cat 119 Yoko from Tokyo
ANSWERS ON PAGE 40
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ven as national headlines are dominated by stories based upon illegally gathered information, Alabama continues to pass what appear to be clearly unconstitutional laws criminalizing publication of the most run-of-the-mill criminal records. This paper has documented for months a 2014 law criminalizing the publication of expunged criminal records that would appear to be an unconstitutional prior restraint. Now we can add to it a law that went into effect at the beginning of August that again seems to clearly violate constitutional protections against government telling the press what it may not cover. This time the Legislature has outlawed publication of the mugshots of those arrested for prostitution. The law claims photos of those arrested for allegedly practicing the world’s oldest profession are “not public record and may not be published in any printed or electronic media or provided to any person” without an order from a district judge. While no criminal penalty is given for violating this law, critics argue that because it is in the state code it is possible a violation could be considered criminal. The law’s sponsor, Rep. Jack Williams, RBirmingham, says the new law attempts to see women arrested for prostitution as victims rather than criminals and he doesn’t want to see them “revictimized.” Williams told the Anniston Star in an interview that the law was a response to the digital environment in which some websites use mugshots of prostitutes to drive traffic, and such photos can live on the web for years, even after someone has changed her life. While Williams’ heart may be in the right
place, he doesn’t appear to understand much about the First Amendment. The courts have consistently held that it is generally not within government’s rights to limit the information media may publish. Certainly we’ve seen the other side of this in recent months as media outlets have published story after story based upon materials that appear to have been illegally hacked from the computers of high-ranking political operatives. No one has suggested publication of such materials is illegal, yet publishing a photo taken by police of someone arrested for a state crime is now itself a crime in Alabama. Just as in the situation where the state has criminalized publication of expunged criminal records, unconstitutional means are being used to try to keep media outlets from doing something not all that common in the first place. And while issues presented by the web are particularly thorny and a bit of a “new frontier,” these types of prior restraints are treading back over issues long ago settled by the Supreme Court. Hopefully this will be recognized as an unconstitutional prior restraint and removed from the state law without wasting time and money. On a related note, I have spoken with members of the Legislature who say they will be looking back at the part of the 2014 expungement law that criminalizes publication of such records. In that particular law, a criminal penalty has been assigned and at least one reporter/blogger has been arrested for publishing a legal document. The lawmakers I’ve spoken with said they see the point that such a ban is unconstitutional and should be repealed. We’ll see how it goes in the next session.
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SPORTS UPON FURTHER REVIEW
Orange Beach hosts NAIA women’s soccer national championship BY J. MARK BRYANT/SPORTS WRITER/SPORTS@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM/TWITTER @GOULAGUY
S
Jaguars close out regular season at home
The University of South Alabama football program will celebrate Senior Day on Saturday, Dec. 3, with a game against New Mexico State. The contest will kick off at noon at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The first-ever match between the two teams will be shown live on ESPN3. Because of the time change, the USA men’s basketball game with Middle Tennessee will be moved to 7:05 p.m. at the Mitchell Center. For information about USA tickets, visit usajaguars.
com or call 251-461-1USA (1872). • Following the Jaguars’ victory over Presbyterian College, Brandon McKee became the first member of the football program to earn multiple Sun Belt Conference weekly awards. McKee was named the Special Teams Player of the Week, the same honor he earned on Oct. 31. Against Presbyterian, the senior averaged 45.6 yards per punt with four of those efforts being downed inside the 20-yard line including two at the 1-yard line. McKee continues to lead the Sun Belt and ranks among the top 10 nationally with a 45.11 average this year. He is the only player in the league with more than half of his kicks (21 of 37) ending up inside the opposition’s 20-yard line. ● Before the University of Alabama at Birmingham shut down its football program, the Blazers were set to play two games against USA. Now that UAB is reviving its team, a home-and-home series is planned. The games are set for Birmingham on Sept. 21, 2019, and Mobile on Sept. 26, 2020. The Jaguars filled the original void with contests against San Diego State. USA picked up two wins, including this year’s match when the Aztecs were ranked 19th in the nation.
Auburn player invited to Senior Bowl
Two of the top pass catchers in the nation and a defensive back from Auburn highlight the latest group of players who have accepted invitations for the 68th annual Reese’s Senior Bowl. Ole Miss’ Evan Engram, the nation’s primary receiver among tight ends, and Oklahoma’s Dede Westbrook, who leads all Power 5 wide receivers in receiving and has scored 16 total touchdowns, are coming to Mobile in January. Rudy Ford led the Tigers in tackles the previous two years and is the squad’s second leading tackler in 2016. The top 110 seniors and fourth-year junior graduates will form the rosters for the North and South squads. Practices start Jan. 23, with the game set for 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 28 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. ESPN2 and NFL Network will broadcast live from the practices and NFL Network will carry the game. Other players accepting invitations are: Vince Biegel, Wisconsin linebacker; Dion Dawkins, Temple offensive tackle; Jessamen Dunker, Tennessee State offensive guard; Dan Feeney, Indiana offensive guard; Zane Gonzalez, Arizona State kicker; Zay Jones, East Carolina wide receiver; Tanoh Kpassagnon, Villanova defensive end; Larry Ogunjobi, Charlotte defensive tackle; Duke Riley, LSU linebacker; Ezra Robinson, Tennessee State cor-
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Photo | Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism
ome of the top women’s soccer teams in the United States have descended on the Alabama Gulf Coast. For the fifth year, the city of Orange Beach and the Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission are welcoming the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) championship. Sixteen teams are competing at the Orange Beach Sportsplex hosted by the University of Mobile, whose fifth-ranked Lady Rams (15-3-2) claimed the Southern States Athletic Conference regular-season title and finished second in the league’s post-season tourney. “For five years, the sports commission, along with the city of Orange Beach and the University of Mobile, have welcomed athletes, families and fans from all over the country to our beach destination for elite soccer action,” said Beth Gendler, vice president of sales for the commission. “The NAIA embodies character and has made a tremendous economic and civic impact on our area. We encourage locals and vacationers to check out the action as more than 500 athletes compete for the national crown in this single-elimination tournament.” Top-seeded Spring Arbor won the 2015 national title and the undefeated Michigan team is back to defend after defeating Rochester 5-0 in the opening round on Nov. 19. Fourth-seeded William Carey of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, which beat UM in the SSAC tourney final, also advances after knocking off Robert Morris 2-0. For a complete lineup of participants in the single-elimination tourney, visit NAIA.org. The semifinals are set for Friday, Dec. 2, at noon and 2:30 p.m. The championship game will start at 5 p.m. the following day. The sportsplex is located at 4385 William Silvers Parkway in Orange Beach, just off Canal Road. Tickets will be available at the gate. All-tournament passes are $30 for adults; day passes are $10 for adults and free for children 10 and under accompanied by a paying adult.
THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS WOMEN’S SOCCER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TAKES PLACE AT THE ORANGE BEACH SPORTSPLEX THROUGH DEC. 3. nerback; Tanzel Smart, Tulane defensive tackle; Freddie Stevenson, Florida State fullback; Trent Taylor, Louisiana Tech wide receiver; and Jamaal Williams, Brigham Young running back.
College briefs
• Newton Henry of UM received several honors at the Southern States Athletic Conference’s soccer awards banquet. The junior forward earned Offensive Player of the Year honors for a second straight time, after scoring 10 goals and adding four assists, and was awarded the Golden Boot. He was joined on the first-team unit by junior midfielder Casey Culver and sophomore defender Jordan Sinclair. On the second-team were midfielders Paul Ledsham and Matt McArthur plus defender Calum Kearney. Midfielders Lamine Conte and Mo Cande were on the All-Freshman squad. • The men’s soccer team at Spring Hill College was named a recipient of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s Team Academic Award. Under head coach Steve Wieczorek, the Badgers built a 3.22 overall GPA. • Nicole Kotval of Spring Hill was named the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s Female Runner of the week. The freshman recorded a time of 18:43.7 in a 5K race hosted by Jacksonville State. She helped SHC finish in fifth place.
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STYLE HOROSCOPES LEO DECONSTRUCTS AN EYESORE
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SAGITTARIUS (11/22-12/22) — It’ll feel like an early Christmas when all those packages you ordered on Cyber Monday begin to arrive. But once you take full stock of all your impulse purchasing, you’ll regrettably participate in Return Tuesday and Refund Wednesday. CAPRICORN (12/23-1/19) — You’ll volunteer as a bell ringer for The Salvation Army. But discouraged by the tepid response to your tiny bell, you’ll bang a gong instead. Your pot will overflow with cash, along with dozens of used copies of the T. Rex single, “Get it On.” AQUARIUS (1/20-2/18) — You will face the most American of all shopping dilemmas this week while you consider what to buy your favorite pet for Christmas. On Christmas Day, the pet will momentarily take interest in the artisanal treats before simply going back to licking its own anus. PISCES (2/19-3/20) — You’ll find out not all bike rides are leisurely after driving a late-model Huffy through a wooden fence at a high rate of speed. Not wanting to be mocked for a lack of skills most children possess, you’ll tell your family you were mugged. ARIES (3/21-4/19) — To protest a proposed rate hike by the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System, you’ll go completely off the system. You’ll bathe in apple juice and only use Gatorade to quench your thirst. The downside is you’ll always be sticky and have way too many electrolytes. TAURUS (4/20-5/20) — As Alabama clinches another SEC title, you’ll face the difficult task of making room for a third statue of Nick Saban. With three Bear Bryants and two Sabans already in your living room, the only option may be to get rid of at least one Pitbull. GEMINI (5/21-6/21) —You’ll be the architect of a plan to help GulfQuest be more successful, beginning renovations to help the museum stay afloat. You’ll captain the building into the Gulf of Mexico and into a more populated port. Unfortunately, the gimmick won’t work. CANCER (6/22-7/22) — After injuring yourself at the Optimist Club Christmas tree lot next weekend, you’ll resign yourself to living out the rest of your days in bed, cocooned in high-thread-count sheets. Sure, you could vow to get in better shape, but this is easier. LEO (7/23-8/23) — You’ll be on the work crew that demolishes an iconic downtown structure. While many in the past have complained about historic buildings disappearing in the district, nobody will care when Government Plaza is “deconstructed.” VIRGO (8/24-9/22) — Feeling the market isn’t saturated enough, you’ll produce your own album of Christmas standards. When a local radio station refuses to play the songs, citing their Shatner-esque quality, you’ll throw a tantrum and storm out of the office. LIBRA (9/23-10/22) — While stumbling around in a post-holiday stupor at the Shoppes at Bel Air, you’ll run across your old nemesis, Santa. You’ll tug at his beard and loudly berate him for not giving you everything you wanted. Unfortunately for you it will turn out to be just an old, fat guy. SCORPIO (10/23-11/21) — Shovels & Rope will not take too kindly to your efforts to spontaneously join their duo at the Saenger Theatre, an attempt to debut your imaginary supergroup, Shovels & Rope & Bucket. But the pair will incorporate your washboard into their next album, “Bucket Sucks.”
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STYLE BOOZIE
‘Tis the season for family time BY BOOZIE BEER NUES/SOCIAL BUTTERFLY
W Got stuff?
As if a Stephen King movie being filmed in the area wasn’t enough camera time for us, now “American Pickers” is coming our way. “American Pickers” is a show on the History Channel that features Mike and Frank, two guys who pick through your stuff looking for that unique piece to take back to one of their stores. Boozie is tempted to sign up her mom, but is also scared her mom will flip if she found out I’m trying to sell her stuff. I am convinced her attic is going to cave in with the amount of “stuff” she has up there. But if you for-real know someone willing to part ways with some of their one-of-a-kind belongings, you should tell them to submit their info to be considered for the show! Mike and Frank are looking for large, rare collections
and things they’ve never seen before. It can only be a private collection so no stores, malls, flea markets, museums, auctions, businesses or anything open to the public. If you think you may have what they’re looking for, contact “American Pickers.” You can email americanpickers@cineflix.com or call 1-800-OLD-RUST. Be sure to include your name, town, state, phone number, where your collection is located and a description of your items. I sure hope I can soon report there’s been a filming for the show in Mobile. Happy picking!
Photo | courtesy of American Pickers
e survived, barely. If your family is anything like Boozie’s, then there wasn’t enough alcohol in the state to deal with your folks. It’s always something, from “why don’t you have a boyfriend” to “what happened to that boy that commented on your Facebook picture ‘Good seeing you the other night’” to election talk and so on. If I were to go on, this week would be about all the questions I was drilled with over the break. I know others know what I’m talking about. Even once you get the boyfriend, then get married, it’s “when are you going to have a baby?” It’s a never-ending inquisition. Luckily we have Christmas parties coming up to prepare us for the next family gathering. And, even better, we have this week’s gossip to pass the time!
Roll Eagle
If Thanksgiving wasn’t enough family time for family disagreements, let’s throw in an event that has been known to tear families apart: the Iron Bowl. We all have that one cousin, aunt or uncle who went to the opposing school and loves to be as obnoxious as possible. Auburn fans will never let go of the one-second play and Alabama fans will keep on with “how many national championships does Auburn have?” Anywho, it didn’t take long for Auburn fans to stop talking smack and it also didn’t take long to get a picture in a group message of a sign hanging in Tuscaloosa that said “Hilary taught Guz how to win.” Insert family argument round 2.
Hey, I know them!
While I am on the subject of TV shows, I can’t not tell y’all this! It isn’t exactly the most local news but it’s pretty darn close. You remember that band called The Revivalists? Yes, the guys you’ve seen play at O’Daly’s,
F U T U R E S H O C K
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MIKE, DANIELLE AND FRANK (LEFT TO RIGHT) FROM “AMERICAN PICKERS” ARE HEADED TO ALABAMA AND WANT YOUR STUFF. Callaghan’s and Weeks Bay Plantation, to name a few. Well, they performed on “The Ellen Degeneres Show.” The episode aired Tuesday, Nov. 29. They performed their #1 hit “Wish I Knew You” from their CD “Men Amongst Mountains.” Like no big deal!! Hopefully this won’t be my last time talking about the alt. group. Maybe they will come back to where it all began after they wrap up their tour. Either way, congrats on the success. Well, kids, that’s all I’ve got this week. Just remember, whether rain or shine, dramatic or scandalous, or just some plain ol’ family time lovin’, I will be there. Ciao!
LAGNIAPPE LEGALS | 251.450-4466 | legals@lagniappemobile.com
STORAGE DISPOSAL LEGAL NOTICE In accordance with the laws of the State of Alabama, Schillinger Mini Storage will auction or otherwise dispose of the contents of the units listed below to satisfy a landlord’s lien for unpaid rent and other charges. The auction will be held December 10, 2016 at 1550 Leroy Stevens Rd, Mobile, AL 36695 at 9:30AM. We reserve the right to refuse any bid. Unit LS578 Teneshia T Tanner 9001 Meadowview Ct Mobile, AL 36695 Household goods, Boxes, Furniture, Appliances, Etc. Unit LS434 Thomas Howard Jr 2752 N Barksdale Dr Mobile, AL 36606 Household goods, Boxes, Furniture, Appliances, Etc. Unit LS327 Stephen Hennesey 6001 Cottage Hill Rd Mobile, AL 36609 Household goods, Boxes, Furniture, Appliances, Etc. Unit LS420 Charles Herring 1685 Knollwood Dr Apt 696 Mobile, AL 36609 Household goods, Boxes, Furniture, Appliances, Etc. Unit LS574 James Emanuel 2725 Riverside Dr Mobile, AL 36605 Household goods, Boxes, Furniture, Appliances, Etc. Unit LS551 Shirley/Carla Anderson 6427 Airport Blvd V175 Mobile, AL 36608 Household goods, Boxes, Furniture, Appliances, Etc. Unit LS442 Hunter McDaniel 8482 Southern Oak Ct Mobile, AL 36695 Household goods, Boxes, Furniture, Appliances, Etc. Unit LS310 Tami Gerstenschlager 2225 Leroy Stevens Rd Apt 704 Mobile, AL 36695 Household goods, Boxes, Furniture, Appliances, Etc. Unit LS426 Alison Sheppard 12581 Grand Bay Farms Dr N Mobile, AL 36541 Household goods, Boxes, Furniture, Appliances, Etc. Unit LS301 Ronald Curry 6406 Biloxi Ave Mobile, AL 3608 Household goods, Boxes, Furniture, Appliances, Etc. Unit LS437 Lilian Wallace 7959 Cottage Hill Rd Apt 1304 Mobile, AL 36695 Household goods, Boxes, Furniture, Appliances, Etc. LAGNIAPPE HD Nov. 24, Dec. 1, 8, 2016.
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Deadline for legal advertising in Lagniappe HD is every Monday at 3 p.m. Lagniappe HD is distributed each Thursday. Lagniappe HD offices are located at 1100B Dauphin St. Mobile, AL 36604. For more information or to place your ad call Jackie at 251-450-4466. Or email at legals@lagniappemobile.com
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