Lagniappe: December 6 - December 12, 2017

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WEEKLY

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LAGNIAPPE

D E C E M B E R 6 , 2 0 1 7 - D E C E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 7 | 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 GABRIEL TYNES Assistant Managing Editor gabe@lagniappemobile.com DALE LIESCH Reporter dale@lagniappemobile.com JASON JOHNSON Reporter jason@lagniappemobile.com KEVIN LEE Associate Editor/Arts Editor klee@lagniappemobile.com

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BAY BRIEFS

With lawmakers wrangling over the federal budget, local officials are hoping to retain oil revenues from gulf drilling operations along the coast.

COMMENTARY

Closing arguments in the closing week of the Doug Jones and Roy Moore Senate campaign.

BUSINESS

Mobile startup Cigarclub.com has a footprint in 44 states and four countries internationally.

CUISINE

Jersey Mike’s Subs recently opened in midtown Mobile as part of a franchise expansion that began in 2014.

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

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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 BROOKE O’DONNELL Advertising Sales Executive brooke@lagniappemobile.com

COVER

Roy Moore gains Trump’s endorsement as Doug Jones urges voter turnout in final week of U.S. Senate campaign.

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BETH WILLIAMS Advertising Sales Executive bwilliams@lagniappemobile.com ALEEN MOMBERGER Advertising Sales Executive aleen@lagniappemobile.com RACHEL THOMAS Advertising Sales Executive rachel@lagniappemobile.com MELISSA EDGE Editorial Assistant events@lagniappemobile.com

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ARTS

Dr. Seth Shostak of the SETI Institute will be on hand at the Exploreum to speak about the possibility of life beyond Earth.

MUSIC

ROSS PRITCHARD Distribution Manager delivery@lagniappemobile.com JACKIE CRUTHIRDS Office Manager jackie@lagniappemobile.com CONTRIBUTORS: Ron Sivak, Jeff Poor, Asia Frey, Brian Holbert, John Mullen, Tom Ward, Brenda Bolton ON THE COVER: DOUG JONES BY SHANE RICE / ROY MOORE BY DANIEL ANDERSON POSTMASTER: Send address changes to P.O. Box 3003 Mobile, AL 36652.

Editorial, advertising and production offices are located at 1100B Dauphin St. Mobile, AL 36604. Mailing address is P.O. Box 3003 Mobile, AL 36652. Phone: 251.450.4466 Fax 251.450.4498. Email: ashleytoland@lagniappemobile.com or rholbert@lagniappemobile.com LAGNIAPPE is printed at Walton Press.

All letters sent to Lagniappe are considered to be intended for publication.

Member: Association of Alternative Newsweeklies and Alternative Weeklies Network All rights reserved. Something Extra Publishing, Inc. Nothing may be reprinted, photocopied or in any way reproduced without the expressed permission of the publishers.

Individuals may take one copy of the paper free of charge from area businesses, racks or boxes. After that, papers are $3 per issue. Removal of more than one copy from these points constitutes theft. Violators are subject to prosecution.

For Lagniappe home delivery visit

www.lagniappemobile.com/lagniappehd

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With their beginnings jamming in a house in midtown Mobile, South Carlen recently recorded songs for their debut EP “Playing the Ghost.”

FILM

The Safdie brothers’ “Good Time” is a masterwork of complex and realistic characters with phenomenal performances.

MEDIA

More consolidations are coming at Advance Publications, while Cumulus and iHeartradio deal with bankruptcy issues.

SPORTS

The United States Sports Academy is working with Murphy High School and Bishop State to inform students about careers in sports.

STYLE

Downtown is hoppin’ with Christmas parties and concerts, but Boozie also caught up with some TV.

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GOING POSTAL

Good little rag

Drinking the Kool-Aid

Editor: I have, for the most part, tuned out of the shouting-match, smackdown, ad-hominem editorial masquerading as news that has displaced reasoned discourse in the 21st century. Like many of my generation (old), I don’t appreciate being told what I think or chastised for being willing to entertain a different viewpoint.

I enjoyed reading the Nov. 29—Dec. 6 Lagniappe edition. What a novelty to have a staff, let alone a staff that can write well. Your “Counting down to the end of this race …”, Ashley Trice’s “Hear us roar, but let’s be reasonable about it” and Jeff Poor’s “Why Alabama’s ‘major’ newspapers don’t speak for Alabama” are far too reasonable and evenhanded to fit today’s model of successful news mongering.

I enjoy the anachronism but it is only fair to warn that if Lagniappe is not careful it might be labeled as “responsible journalism.” Keep it up.

Editor: Matt Lauer, Harvey Weinstein, Charlie Rose, Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K., Al Franken and many more puppets are all being forced by their handlers to commit public humiliation rituals, all for the sake of somehow casting a shadow of doubt on the Hon. Judge Roy Moore, who (in my humble opinion) will undoubtedly be the winner in the upcoming U.S. Senate special election.

There will be a couple more public humiliation rituals by other media and or political puppets between now and election day (Tuesday, Dec. 12) in order to perpetuate this myth that the Hon. Judge Roy Moore had somehow miraculously fooled every single person he ever met, every day of his life for about the last (say) 40-odd years. People have known about the above-mentioned sick list’s proclivities since the dawn of time, yet Moore’s accusers suddenly manifest just in time to somehow prevent him from earning compelling subpoena power as my next U.S. Senator from the great state of Alabama.

As one of his soon-to-be constituents, I look forward to watching future Sen. Roy Moore explain to the world why perversion cannot become the law of the land, a cross the Hon. Judge Roy Moore has carried his whole career, standing up for what’s good and decent in this country. And now the people of the great state of Alabama are standing behind the Hon. Judge Roy Moore.

A former military police officer such as Moore will have no problem laying down the law with the bunch of never Trumpers currently manning (and I use that term loosely) the swamp.

They know the day of judgment does arrive, and they’re trying to postpone it by any means necessary. Roll, Trump, roll!

D. Scott Wright Mobile

Crickets Editor: In response to “Why Alabama’s ‘major’ newspapers don’t speak for Alabama” (Nov. 29), I would like to share my own personal experience with the Press-Register.

I wrote four editorials on topics ranging from the environment to health care to the Press-Register and never received so much as an acknowledgement from the paper that they received them.

Curious as to whether they received them, I called the paper and left a voicemail of inquiry. They never returned my call with an answer.

I respect the right of the Press-Register to publish what they wish and told them so. None of my editorials were published, but you would think that they would have the common courtesy to say, “thank you for your letter.”

I agree with your article that Alabama’s major newspapers have lost touch with the diversity of topics and opinions that the people of this state have. I have read editorials that proclaimed “bullets hurt,” and another about how this state is a bunch of hypocrites without one example to support their argument.

It seems more like sensationalism than informative, thought-provoking journalism to me.

Phillip Pringle Mobile

Thomas Habib Eight Mile

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December 6, 2017 - December 12, 2017

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For one drained family, Salvation Army a ‘godsend’

BY JASON JOHNSON

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friend, sleeping together in a dining room while she tried to figure out their next move. But Fail had been out of work for years and had limited means and experience. Getting back into the workforce wasn’t easy.

“You didn’t go door to door and do paper applications. It wasn’t personal anymore. You had to get on the computer to do that,” she said. “We didn’t have internet because it was a choice between paying for power or cable and internet.

Well, there’s not much of an option there.”

Eventually, Fail said, she and her daughter started work cleaning houses, and with some income tax money and a bit of savings they managed to get back into a place of their own. Fail said for a while, she and her daughter were “leaning on each other to make everything work.”

However, when her daughter got involved with drugs, Fail she couldn’t manage to keep everything afloat on her own. Slowly, the bit of progress they made became unraveled too, and it wasn’t long before Fail and her family were evicted again.

With no other options, they moved in with her daughter’s boyfriend, who Fail still blames for pulling her daughter back into the drug scene. They were in a house with no power or running water, and because it all fell apart in early fall, Fail’s 10-year-old son was not attending school.

“There was nothing but drugs there,” she said. “As a mother, it was one of the most devastating things seeing your daughter go through that and not being able to help her, but I couldn’t help myself at that point.”

However, at some point while they were living there, Fail

December 6, 2017 - December 12, 2017

Photo | Lagniappe

awn Fail was in her 40s, with two children and a granddaughter, when everything she’d ever known was “ripped out from under” her. It was the scariest moment of her life.

“I never thought for a minute that I wouldn’t at least have a home,” Fail said. “You grow up and you’re told family means everything, but you find out growing up it takes one death — just one, and it can tear a family apart.”

Fail was raised by her grandmother, with whom she’d lived as a caregiver for years until her death in 2016. Fail said she left a job to keep her grandmother out of a senior home, and any money her grandmother received had been the family’s sole income.

Fail said she owned her grandmother’s trailer, but it was in a trailer park, and while a small bit of savings paid the lot rent for a while, they eventually were evicted. When she realized how expensive and difficult it would be to have the trailer moved, she lined up someone to buy it.

Before that could happen, though, it was forcefully removed with the family’s belongings still inside.

“When they pulled the trailer, it buckled. There was no saving it at that point.” Fail said. “I always knew if I had nothing else, I had the trailer. It may not sound like a lot, but it was home.”

Fail said the realization her family had nowhere to go was “the most devastating thought in the world.”

“You’re scared for yourself and for them,” she added.

“You want to break, but you can’t.”

For a few months, Fail said her family stayed with a

Dawn Fail with her son, Damien. was referred to The Salvation Army’s Family Haven through the Mobile District Attorney’s Office. When Fail spoke to Lagniappe in October, she and her son had been at the shelter around a month and half.

Since then, her son has returned to school, and Fail has been working toward finding the means to support herself and her family. She’s also started the process of trying to get her 6-year-old granddaughter out of the same environment she and her son left behind. Fighting back tears, Fail said one of the counselors had recently said she was proud of her.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever been told that. I’m 45 years old,” she said.

“Since we’ve been here, for the first time, it’s like I can actually breathe. This place has been a godsend.”

The Fail family are one of many families who will be helped by donations to The Salvation Army of Coastal Alabama’s “Our Family” campaign, a fundraising partnership between Lagniappe and The Salvation Army of Coastal Alabama.

Please send donations to The Salvation Army — Our Families, 1009 Dauphin St., Mobile, AL 36604.

BAYBRIEF | MOBILE COUNTY

Black gold

COUNTY MULLS USES FOR INCREASED OIL REVENUES

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BY JASON JOHNSON

espite an attempt to redirect oil revenues from the Gulf Coast, federal legislators are confident they’ll be able to secure the tens of millions of dollars promised to local communities to help them mitigate the environmental risks of offshore drilling.

Those revenues are generated from federal leases to oil and gas companies, and as outlined in the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (GOMESA), they are shared by the Gulf states — excluding Florida — and their coastal counties and parishes.

However, there has been some concern about whether the arrangement would continue under President Donald Trump, whose first proposed budget made a legislative priority of redirecting those monies to the federal general fund.

While Congress has yet to pass an omnibus bill funding the government through the end of the fiscal year, an amendment sponsored by U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne secured GOMESA funding in the appropriations bill passed by the House in September.

With a coalition of Gulf Coast representatives, including Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, Byrne believes there’s congressional support for keeping GOMESA dollars in communities shouldering the risk of offshore drilling — the same communities he said were directly impacted by BP’s “horrendous” oil spill in 2010.

“It’s something we need to monitor, but I don’t think there’s really anything to be worried about immediately.

There have been similar efforts to do this in years past,” Byrne said. “We won this fight every year during the Obama administration, and I feel confident that — if we have to have a fight — we’ll win every year during the Trump administration, too.”

For coastal municipalities, GOMESA revenues have

become more of a focus recently because they’re projected to increase significantly next year now that the number of active federal leases in the Gulf of Mexico has ballooned in the second phase of the program.

If revenues hit the current cap of $375 million, that would mean yearly disbursements of $45 million to the state and an additional $6.1 million and $5.2 million for Mobile and Baldwin counties, respectively. However, revenues from 2017, scheduled to be dispersed in April, are projected to be half those amounts.

Still, if the program remains unchanged, it will run through 2055 — generating a potential $1.6 billion for Alabama and another $415 million that would be split between its coastal counties.

Notably, there is only a handful of approved uses for those dollars — all of which focus on coastal protection and planning, mitigating damage to natural resources or offsetting the effects of offshore oil activity in the Gulf.

Recently, Mobile County officials have been evaluating their priorities in anticipation of that increased funding in 2018. Following a year of record-breaking rainfall, Environmental Services Director Bill Melton said stormwater management is at the top of a lot of people’s lists.

“Along with all of that water came the concern of how to manage it, both in quantity and also with respect to water quality,” Melton said. “A lot of the county drains to the city [of Mobile], so most of the water quality issues the county deals with ultimately help the city.”

Mobile County Commission President Merceria Ludgood put the same emphasis on stormwater management when discussing the issue in September, and similar concerns have been expressed by city leaders in Mobile and other smaller communities throughout the county.

While there is not yet a list of specific projects, Melton said the county plans to use GOMESA to tackle things such as shoreline restoration and stabilization, habitat management, sea level rise, flood mapping and even enhancing or increasing public access to the waterfront.

“Public access on this side of the bay is pretty weak,” Melton said. “It’s difficult to find a good area, and believe me, we have tried. But finding a property in a good location that will accommodate boats and parking but that’s also in deepenough water has been difficult.”

He said the county has considered improving existing areas offering public access to the water such as Bayfront Park on Dauphin Island Parkway, which recently received a $1 million grant to evaluate the feasibility of adding “a sandy beach along the shoreline.”

One unique aspect of GOMESA, though, is that it does not require the kind of oversight seen in other funding mechanisms that require federal or state approval, such as the RESTORE Act. As Melton told the commission recently, “What the county plans to do is what the county will do.”

The same is true for Alabama’s GOMESA funding, which is 80 percent to the county’s 20 percent and administered solely through the governor’s office. While there are relatively specific uses officials must adhere to, Melton said the program also has “a lot of latitude.”

That has led to varying opinions on what projects fall in line with the original intent of GOMESA, especially when it comes to roads and infrastructure.

Some feel its “hurricane protection” would greenlight using GOMESA funds to construct “hurricane evacuation routes,” and that has led to some discussion of whether the new $1 billion Interstate 10 bridge might make a good hurricane evacuation route.

Back in 2015, Byrne floated the idea of putting some of Alabama’s share of the royalties toward the project, telling the Mobile Chamber of Commerce at the time that he didn’t know of a bigger priority than “to get this bridge built.”

However, tapping those funds for the I-10 bridge project is a decision that would be left entirely up to the state, which has been subject to recent legal challenges over its use of environmental funding for economic development and infrastructure projects.

While any decision about the county’s share will be up to the County Commission, Melton said he doesn’t think those types of expenditures are appropriate for GOMESA, adding “it’s not too difficult to look at the federal rules and see where hurricane protection is written and in what context.”

“The intent of the money kind of pops out when you look at the coastline and see all the oil rigs sitting out there. There is a risk to the coast because of this industry, and [GOMESA] is intended to help offset that risk,” Melton said. “Our job, as a staff, is to be sure of what we recommend to the commission, so we’re not going to focus on questionable stuff. We’ll let somebody else do that.”

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BAYBRIEF | LAW ENFORCEMENT

‘A higher standard’

FORMER MCSO DEPUTY LATEST CHARGED WITH MISCONDUCT

BY JASON JOHNSON

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he Mobile County Sheriff’s Office arrested one of its former deputies last week on charges of drug possession and evidence tampering, but while Sheriff Sam Cochran has confirmed many of the details, the motivation for the officer’s conduct remains a mystery to investigators.

Seth Stevens was indicted on more than a half dozen counts of evidence tampering, theft and drug possession — charges stemming from conduct that occurred while he was still serving as an MCSO deputy.

As Lagniappe previously reported, Stevens was terminated for “administrative violations” in May 2017, though he wasn’t arrested until a grand jury indictment was handed down in late November. Stevens had worked with MCSO for three years as of his termination.

According to Metro Jail records, Stevens’ charges included five counts of tampering with physical evidence, second-degree theft of property and drug possession charges related to paraphernalia, marijuana, an undisclosed controlled substance and illegal prescription pills.

Last week, Cochran fielded questions about the internal investigation that led to Stevens’ termination and arrest, telling reporters the former deputy had, on more than one occasion, failed to properly turn in evidence seized during MCSO operations.

Specifically, he said Stevens had retained an assortment of various drugs and a handgun in his personal possession that should have been logged into evidence, and when confronted about it could not provide any rationalization for doing so. Most, if not all, of that evidence was later recovered from Stevens’ home or from the trunk of his vehicle, according to Cochran.

After Stevens’ termination, MCSO proceeded with a criminal investigation and ultimately turned those findings over to the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office.

However, Cochran also said the motivations for Stevens’ actions aren’t entirely clear, as he had been trained to properly turn in evidence.

Cochran speculated that “it was either laziness, or some other intent we don’t know.”

“There was no indication he was selling any of these drugs or any indication he was using any drugs. We drug tested him as part of our internal investigation, and he tested clean,” Cochran added. “We don’t have a good answer, but what we do know is he violated criminal statutes and did not follow [our] rules and regulations.”

The cases connected to the evidence Stevens failed to turn over were “very minimal, misdemeanor offenses,” according to Cochran, who said most had been resolved in court before Stevens’ conduct was discovered in the internal investigation.

Stevens’ arrest has a few similarities to another case brought earlier this year against former deputy Chris Parsons, who was terminated in March after MCSO caught him purchasing illegal drugs and keeping controlled substances in his patrol car.

Yet, MCSO didn’t arrest Parsons immediately, as Cochran opted to send his case to a grand jury while Parsons went through a drug treatment program. He was indicted two months later on six drugs charges. After pleading guilty to one, Parsons received two years of probation.

Likewise, Stevens wasn’t arrested for months

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December 6, 2017 - December 12, 2017

after MCSO found him to be in possession of multiple illegal drugs and a stolen firearm.

Cochran defended the delay last week, though, saying MCSO’s criminal investigation was still active when Stevens was terminated. He also said it took time for the drugs to undergo proper laboratory examinations.

“When you take a case to the grand jury you’re actually expediting the case and bringing about a quicker solution to it,” Cochran said.

“The reason to arrest someone is to keep them from fleeing or leaving town, and we didn’t feel like there was any risk of him fleeing.”

Parsons and Stevens were arrested roughly six months apart, but while Cochran acknowledged some might see that as “an embarrassment to law enforcement,” he said those cases and similar ones from other departments in the area prove that officers are being held accountable.

“We tell our folks they’re going to be held to a higher standard,” Cochran said. “If they violate our standards of conduct, it will result in their termination, and if they violate any criminal offenses, they’ll be charged just as any other citizen.”

However, Parsons and Stevens weren’t the only deputies MCSO lost to conduct violations in 2017.

MCSO spokeswoman Lori Myles recently confirmed that two other deputies — Justin Arata and Paul Sonny Smitherman — resigned from the agency while being investigated by its internal affairs unit in June. It’s currently unclear what the nature of those investigations were or whether they were connected.

Neither Arata nor Smitherman has been the subject of any criminal investigation, which Myles said prohibits MCSO from disclosing why it was investigating their conduct in the first place. The agency is not alone, though.

During the past year, officers from several agencies in the area have been arrested for criminal conduct or have left their jobs following alleged conduct violations.

Damian Colvin, a former corporal of the Mobile Police Department, was hit with charges similar to Stevens’ in August, including possession of a controlled substance, theft of property and tampering with physical evidence. According to MPD, Colvin resigned almost immediately after his charges were brought to light.

MPD has lost two other officers over disciplinary violations since December 2016 — one who was terminated for opening fire on an unarmed man outside Mobile’s police jurisdiction and a second who resigned after being placed on administrative leave for being filmed driving his squad car erratically and striking another motorist.

In November, Prichard officer Bryan Pearman was arrested on charges of domestic violence, kidnapping and harassing communications, while Sgt. Carl Griffith — a veteran of the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office — resigned while being investigated for allegedly abusing overtime and falsifying time records. Griffith is currently the subject of a criminal investigation.

More recently, an officer with the Bay Minette Police Department was arrested by deputies in Baldwin County. Cpl. Charles Tingler, arrested Dec. 1 on a charge of domestic violence, has since been terminated from the department.

BAYBRIEF | MOBILE

New era MOBILE HOUSING BOARD’S PICK FOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR GETS TO WORK

BY DALE LIESCH

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public-private model called Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD).

Under Popoola, Opelika began converting its public housing to RAD, which infused private money from developers into the typical public housing model and transformed all the properties into Section 8 housing. Mobile is currently going through a similar conversion. MHB Vice Chairman Reid Cummings said Popoola’s experience with RAD was one of the reasons he got the job.

“Mr. Popoola had the most experience,” Cummings said. “He’s been through the conversion of all housing stock to RAD. To have someone go through it successfully is big in my book.”

It took almost a year to get Popoola in place. After former Executive Director Dwayne Vaughn resigned in February, the board named CFO Lori Shackelford interim executive director until a full-time replacement could be hired.

In late June, the board hired George Lee Byars on a split decision, with Cummings dissenting. At issue was a questionnaire Popoola didn’t fill out by a deadline. The board rescinded Byars’ offer in August once his background was checked. There was no explanation given at the time other than Cummings saying Byars “did not pass muster” during a vetting process.

Popoola was later hired unanimously by the board.

“While the process of hiring a new [executive director] was long and tedious at times, gaining someone with Mr. Popoola’s skill set and integrity was well worth the time we spent ensuring the best candidate was selected,” MHB Chairwoman Kimberly Pettway wrote in a statement. “I am confident that he will move MHB in the right direction.

Photo | Submitted

fter decades in charge of the Opelika Housing Authority, Akinola Popoola has brought his experience to Mobile. Popoola started as the Mobile Housing Board’s new full-time executive director on Friday, Dec. 1, after falling in love with the city when his son attended the Alabama School of Math and Science in midtown.

“It’s just a beautiful city,” he said in a phone interview.

Popoola sees the job as an opportunity to turn the city’s low-income housing situation around, after more than a year of uncertainty. While there are a few options, Popoola said he wants to get in and get an “assessment of the needs on the ground.”

“There are a lot of vacant units,” he said. “We have to figure out what it is going to take. What do we want to do?

What is best for the city?”

Every housing authority has to find a way to deal with vacancies and it’s not an easy fix, he said.

“This is not just a Mobile problem, it’s a U.S. problem,” he said. “It’s a problem with any large city.”

After 20 years in Opelika, Popoola was ready to move on to other challenges. Other than the high number of vacancies, he said, there are few similarities between the situations facing each of the cities’ housing authorities, but the source of funding and regulations are similar.

“Every city is unique,” he said. “I understand we dwell in an environment regulated by the federal government.

We have to find a way to work within those regulations.”

Funding is also a common problem for housing authorities. To help stabilize funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, many housing authorities, including Mobile and Opelika, have opted for a

Akinola Popoola, executive director of the Mobile Housing Board, began Dec. 1.

We are beyond excited to have him here.”

One of Popoola’s first duties will no doubt be dealing with the fallout from a damaging report from HUD’s Office of Inspector General dated August 2016.

The report detailed a conflict of interest between the board and its nonprofit arm, Mobile Development Enterprises. As a result, HUD fined MHB and forced the board to make changes, including rolling MDE offices into the MHB framework.

While the framework for these changes, including new job descriptions, has been started, Popoola will be able to make many of the final decisions.

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ALABAMA SENATE ELECTION COVERAGE

Good fences ONE STREET IN MIDTOWN WHERE REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS, INDEPENDENTS COEXIST

BY GABRIEL TYNES

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day I heard somebody say something that woke me up: ‘Anything the government gives away first has to be taken from someone else.’”

Across the street, McPhillips residents Tish Ellenberg and Ashley Watson have the opposite view. Ellenberg, owner of Elle Photography studio in downtown Mobile, mentioned she was preparing to host a phone bank for Doug Jones this Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 456 Dauphin St. Everyone is invited. They both expressed contempt with the Moore candidacy, particularly over social issues and his attitude toward the LGBT community.

“Frankly I’m scared,” Ellenberg said. “Scared the other half of this state really thinks the way Roy Moore speaks.

Politics is dividing neighbors on at least one street in midtown Mobile.

He’s full of hate.”

With two Doug Jones signs in their yard and more on — it was more grandstanding,” Rose Johnson added. “He’s the man who is the porch, their neighbor’s support of Moore didn’t go going to be elected to uphold the laws of our government and he has flagrantly unnoticed. violated those laws several times.”

“When they put that sign up it was a big topic of conFrancis noted he has voted for Republicans in past, including Bradley Byrne versation,” Watson noted. “Everybody on the street was and Jeff Sessions. kind of shocked … It’s like an automatic ‘you’re against “What I’ve seen is people vote against their own interest. It disturbs me me.’” people are so ill-informed,” Rose said, noting how small the statewide voter “I’ve heard a lot of people say they will not vote Demo- turnout has been during this campaign. crat,” Ellenberg said. “But you’re supporting someone who They also took note of Mastro’s Roy Moore sign. is anti-everything [progressive] the new world is supposed “He can do what he wants,” Francis laughed. “But it seems the Republican to stand for and people are voting for him just because he’s platform begins at conception and ends at birth.”

Republican.”

Mastro said his Roy Moore sign is less about support for the candidate than Two other neighbors, Rose and Francis Johnson, live it is support for the Republican party and the First Amendment. a few doors north. Decrying Moore’s moral compass and “We know most of the neighbors … it’s funny, my wife said we’ve probably apparent lack of regard for the law, they said they will also been pretty much ostracized at this point. But in general reaching out to the be voting for Jones. other side is pretty futile. As far as our neighbors go, I’m a real friendly guy.

“I vote for who I feel like is going to serve me best,” I get along with anybody. I have lots of friends who have drastically different Francis Johnson said. “I don’t like the way Roy Moore political views, but I can still be friends with them. Then again I’ve lost some carries the banner of Christianity out front. I’ve been going friends over politics, so were we ever really friends to begin with? to church all my life and the most genuine people I’ve ever “As far as putting the sign on my front lawn, it’s something I believe in and met didn’t profess to have a line to God so quickly as he something I stand for. We knew knew we were going to piss some people off does. I just don’t think he’s sincere, nor anyone who uses but they have a right to put their signs up and I have a right to put my sign up.”

Christianity for their personal gain … Christ’s message is Another McPhillips resident, Oscar Powell, said as an independent, neither to bring people together, not to drive people apart.”

Moore nor Jones can expect his vote.

Johnson said his opinion was formed before allegations “With these two parties, I don’t feel like we really have a choice,” he said. of sexual misconduct rocked the Moore campaign last “Either way you vote, it’s just likely to swing the other way down the road.” month. Moore has been on the Johnsons’ bad side since he Typically, Powell said he tends to support centrist candidates, but with no was removed from the bench the first time. one to choose from on Tuesday’s ballot, he will likely nominate one of his own.

“Plus the whole issue with the Ten Commandments “I’m going to vote,” he said. “I’ll probably write in one of my two cats.”

Photo | Lagniappe

emocrats in Alabama these days are typically the ones who feel out of place. The state hasn’t endorsed a Democratic president since Jimmy Carter in 1976, and since Republicans took over the Legislature in 2010, more Democrats are feeling like small blue dots in an overwhelmingly red state.

But the Senate election Dec. 12, which pits an unpopular Republican in Roy Moore against a moderate Democrat in Doug Jones, has the underdogs feeling emboldened.

Perhaps nowhere is this as evident as in midtown Mobile, where Jones campaign signs are as ubiquitous as historical markers on housing facades.

One street in particular, McPhillips Avenue between Dauphin and Brown streets, is lined with Jones signs, in some cases two to a yard. But in the middle of it all is a tidy cottage with an inviting front porch. Planted on the curb is an anomaly — a campaign sign for “Judge Roy Moore: U.S. Senate.”

It’s the home of Michael Mastro, a loyal Republican and member of the Mobile Republican Executive Committee who has lived on McPhillips Avenue with his wife, Melodie, for nearly two decades. He readily admits Moore isn’t the perfect candidate, but that won’t stop him from going to bat for the former judge in the election.

“My first choice was Rep. Mo Brooks,” Mastro said last week. “When it came down to Moore I was surprised, but I had met Judge Moore before … I was expecting this fire and brimstone guy, but he was nice, he was funny, just brilliant, really. I asked about the Ten Commandments issue and he gave me this explanation quoting the U.S. Constitution. The man knows more about the Constitution than anyone I know. And that is what I really think is going to turn D.C. and the Senate on its head.”

Mastro himself is an unlikely Republican. Semi-retired from the music and marketing industries with an interest in restoring and modifying old cars, he said he was “a real liberal” when he was younger, at one point even joining the Young Socialist Alliance.

“Getting into my 40s I started getting more conservative,” he recalled. “When I had a business and was paying taxes, I started looking at things different.

“I was sort of moving in [a more conservative] direction, questioning all those liberal/socialist ideals. One

BAYBRIEF | BALDWIN COUNTY

Ballot measure BALDWIN VOTERS HAVE OPTION TO REINSTATE 1 MILL SCHOOL TAX

BY JOHN MULLEN

K

evin Spriggs carries the reputation of a staunch anti-tax proponent he solidified during the battle to raise and renew taxes for schools in the failed “Build Baldwin Now” campaign.

But an idea from Spriggs might help get a 1 mill tax renewal earmarked for schools passed.

“To me, I was just stating the obvious,” Spriggs, a Daphne businessman, said. “It was odd to me to have a vote like that and it not be a straight majority vote.”

He asked county school officials why just that one part of the school tax millage required a 60 percent majority to be renewed. The county did some research and found out when this particular tax was first placed on the ballot it was under an ordinance that required the 60 percent vote.

But by allowing the tax to completely expire — as it did on Sept. 30 — the county could request the vote under a different ordinance that would need only a simple major-

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ity to pass.

It was first voted in in 1988 and has since faced and passed several renewals, until the last referendum in March 2015, when it was within a handful of votes of the required 60 percent.

So, tax-fighter Spriggs could actually play a big part keeping the $4.3 million generated by 1 mill of tax flowing into school board coffers. And he’s OK with that.

“On 1 mill tax, I have said I will not campaign against it if it were to appear back on the ballot,” he said. “I can’t necessarily endorse the tax because they’ll use that, later on, to try to get more. For me, it’s been on the books for I don’t know how long, but it’s not a new tax. It’s a tax we’ve been paying for many, many years.”

He’s been true to his word, as have the school board officials who haven’t run any campaigns to persuade voters to back the renewal. For Spriggs, that was his main

December 6, 2017 - December 12, 2017

complaint with the 2015 Build Baldwin Now initiative led by the school board.

“It was very offensive to me during the Build Baldwin Now campaign to have political signs on school property, which I still believe is illegal,” Spriggs said.

He also finds it ironic that the school board agreed to let the county have part of a penny sales tax if the county made it permanent, which it did in January.

The school board will get 53.9 percent of the revenue from this tax.

“Back in January the school board was willing to give up $4 million of the penny tax and now they are wanting this 1 mill to preserve $4 million,” Spriggs said. “It’s like before you were saying it’s OK to do without it, but now you’re saying that you need it. It kind of puts in there a hypocritical stance.”

For the most part, Spriggs said, he likes the general direction the school board has taken under since Superintendent Eddie Tyler took over two years ago and he expects a favorable vote for the 1 mill renewal.

“I’ve talked to lots of people who like what the school board is doing now,” he said. “Even some of the people who were very critical of them before. The pay-as-you-go [approach], seeing them add classrooms where classrooms are needed and keeping the fundamentals going. I think it’ll pass.”

Tyler, too, hopes voters recognize the new things happening in Baldwin County schools.

“All that we ask is for our citizens to recognize the body of work that we’ve accomplished over the past two years and give it consideration when they consider this ballot measure,” Tyler said. “We’re seeing progress in both academics and in facilities that we’ve not seen in years. I’m very proud of the work we’ve done and the partnerships that we’ve been able to form to move our school system forward and to be accountable to all taxpayers.”

BAYBRIEF | POLITICS

Gaining clout LEADERSHIP GROUP AIMS TO PUSH AGENDA IN LEGISLATURE

BY DALE LIESCH

W

hen most of the BP settlement meant for the state’s Gulf Coast went to Montgomery instead, Coastal Alabama Partnership Executive Director Wiley Blankenship knew there was a problem.

“It was embarrassing to give us 10 cents on the dollar,” Blankenship said. “It’s just pathetic.”

Mobile and Baldwin counties lacked power in the state because none of the representatives were in positions in the Legislature that controlled money, Blankenship said. He set out to help change that.

“Look around the state,” he said. “Look in the senate. Tuscaloosa, Huntsville, Birmingham … there are two people from the south [who have those positions] and they’re in Dothan and Andalusia. There is nobody from Southwest Alabama.”

It was time, Blankenship said, to start looking at how people in the coastal counties get elected to state office. It was time to start “electing our people.”

CAP created an advocacy arm called the Coastal 150 to help identify those interested in improving the power dynamic in the Legislature as well as backing a coastal agenda. The group also created a Political Action Committee.

“At the first Coastal 150 meeting we had 70 people committed,” Blankenship said. “We launched in September with 22 people and within

a few days we had 40 people. There are 72 now.”

The group is based on a similar one in Huntsville that helped “create a whole bunch of power,” Blankenship said.

“There’s no reason for the 150 in the name,” he said. “We just didn’t want to be called the Coastal 100.”

The group is growing toward Blankenship’s expectations, though, with a goal of reaching 150 members by March. The group’s legislative agenda should be completed this month, he said.

Blankenship expects to be at least a couple of years away from having the kind of leverage it would take to push an agenda.

The Coastal 150 sponsored a bourbon-tasting event last month called Bourbon By The Bay. Blankenship said about 170 people attended the event, which was designed to socialize and recruit new members.

“It was an event to bring members together,” Blankenship said. “We wanted to give folks an opportunity to mingle and get to know each other.”

The event also helped Coastal 150 raise money, he said.

“We were just getting started,” Blankenship said. “We needed to increase our budget to get off the ground.”

BAYBRIEF | MOBILE

Going, going gone?

MADISON DEAL BRINGS BAYBEARS CLOSER TO LEAVING TOWN IN 2019

BY DALE LIESCH

T

he new owners of the Mobile BayBears will be eyeing a new stadium proposal in Madison after that city approved hundreds of thousands of dollars for design of a ballpark, but no decision about the team’s relocation has been made.

Cecilia Showalter, an attorney representing BallCorps, said the team will pay the 2018 season in Mobile, but beyond that it is unclear. BallCorps does have exploration rights to Madison, but has not filed for relocation, she said.

“We’re looking at the project to see whether it will work for our needs,” she said. “Right now a series of things will have to happen.”

Madison has agreed to pay ballpark design firm Populus $250,000 for initial designs “to continue to stay in the game,” City Council President Tommy Overcash said.

The money to pay for the design will come from a lodging tax increase, similar to what nearby Huntsville has done, Overcash said.

Overcash said the city feels there is economic development potential in luring a Minor League Baseball team like the BayBears to Madison.

“There’s a lot of interest in Minor League Baseball brewing,” he said. “It’s not your father’s destination anymore.”

There was a Southern League team in Huntsville called the Stars. The team moved from Huntsville to Biloxi and became the Shuckers in 2015. The Stars had the lowest average attendance in 2012, 2013 and 2014, according to the Southern League’s website.

In its first full season in Biloxi, the team raised

the average by about 1,000 guests per game.

In 2017, the BayBears had the lowest average attendance in the league at 1,498 guests per game. In contrast, the Birmingham Barons averaged the most fans per game at 5,935. The Jackson (Tenn.) Generals ranked second to last with 1,775 fans per game and Biloxi ranked third from last with 2,572 guests per game. The Pensacola Blue Wahoos, on the other hand, were fourth in average attendance with 4,320 fans per game.

The BayBears also were the only team not to break the 100,000 combined guest threshold, according to the league website.

Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s office has spoken to the new owners and is holding out hope he can convince the team to stay, spokesman George Talbot said. However, the city has been in contact with other entities outside of Minor League Baseball to see if there is any interest in using Hank Aaron Stadium, acting Chief of Staff and Finance Director Paul Wesch said.

Any additional details on those discussions are confidential, he said.

The club is under contract to play at the 20-year-old stadium until March 2020. City spokeswoman Laura Byrne has previously said that under the contract The BayBears would have to pay the city $380,400 if the team leaves in 2019. In an attempt to hold up its end of the contract, the city has recently spent thousands of dollars to upgrade the lights, sound system, seats, playing surface and other amenities at the cityowned facility.

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COMMENTARY | DAMN THE TORPEDOES

A look at what might happen after the election ROB HOLBERT/MANAGING EDITOR/RHOLBERT@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

SO AS WE TRUDGE TO THE POLLS NEXT WEEK TO MAKE, WHAT FOR MANY, WILL BE A LESS-THAN-THRILLING CHOICE, MAYBE IT’S A GOOD TIME TO GET IN THE WAYFORWARD MACHINE AND LOOK AT THE POTENTIAL SCENARIOS FOR WHAT WILL HAPPEN ONCE ONE OR THE OTHER OF THESE MEN IS ELECTED. ”

Scenario 1 — Jones gets to DC where he immediate goes hot tubbing with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi and is told what committees he’ll be on and how he’s expected to vote if he wants those assignments. Jones sits back and sips a frozen margarita and thinks, “I’m all in!

Wait a minute? Is Chuck wearing a bathing suit??! Who cares!” — 25 percent chance of happening.

Scenario 2 — Jones drives to DC — rear bumper covered with “My Body, My Choice” stickers — and spends most of his down time serving orange juice and chocolate cookies at an abortion clinic. — 3 percent chance, only because he likes chocolate chip cookies.

Scenario 3 — Jones goes rogue and becomes the Senate’s most conservative Democrat, breaking with Schumer and the rest of the leadership on issues like minimum wage, tax reductions and gun control. He also proposes a compromise to make The Wall shorter to give undocumented workers a fighting chance at pole vaulting in. — 15 percent chance.

Scenario 4 — Jones is a center-left U.S. Senator who serves with no scandal, but also votes with the Democratic leadership the vast majority of the time and is able to direct a decent amount of federal money to Alabama.

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December 6, 2017 - December 12, 2017

Now let’s look at how Roy Moore might play out in the Senate: Scenario 1 — Moore’s election helps spur the election of other Christian conservatives to the senate in the next cycle and in a few years he’s one of the leading Republicans helping set the party’s more conservative agenda and becomes a master of the legislative process who directs billions in federal dollars back to Alabama and eventually surpasses Richard Shelby for the number of buildings he has named after himself. — .5 percent chance.

Scenario 2 — Moore gets a key to the U.S. Senate chambers and one night while everyone is back home raising money for re-election, he has a 15-ton block of granite hauled onto the senate floor. The granite is carved with a likeness of Moore as Moses holding up the Ten Commandments. On the backside are carved the lyrics of Stevie Nicks’ hit song “Edge of Seventeen.” He refuses orders to have the boulder removed and eventually is censured by the entire Senate, except for Al Franken, who is a huge Fleetwood Mac fan. He leaves office in disgrace.

— 64 percent chance of happening.

Scenario 3 — Moore becomes a back bencher in the senate, never really sponsoring any pertinent legislation or getting

anything passed. Almost everything he does propose is religion-based and gets half the country into a massive tizzy. He also sets a senate filibuster record by reading the entire King James version of the Bible while attempting to derail federal legislation related to same-sex bathrooms.

Moore is ridiculed by the national media and anytime Alabamians travel anywhere else in the country they are inundated with comments about how crazy and out of touch our senator is. Alabamians will argue that he may be crazy, but he’s all about touching.

People seldom get the joke. More serious allegations continue to surface about his lust for teenage girls when he was in his 30s — including an episode in a Limited Too captured on an old security video — and eventually he is forced to resign in disgrace.

— 97 percent chance of happening.

Scenario 4 — About two days after Moore’s elected the writing samples from a year book he allegedly signed and letter he allegedly wrote for a couple of teenage girls years ago will be positively identified as his.

The people who voted for him as a good Christian man will have to rectify the fact that he not only dated teens when he was in his 30s, but also that he stood up in church and lied about not knowing them. — 99.9 percent chance of happening.

Of course these are just a few semieducated guesses as to what might happen when one or the other of these fellows heads to Washington to represent us. But I have no doubt which one will saddle us with more political theater if he is elected.

THEGADFLY

politics and common sense. No one can know what is going to happen next Tuesday … other than that one will be elected to the U.S. Senate. I’m going to paint a few scenarios and then use my amazing prognostication skills to take a look forward as to how each might behave in office.

Let’s look first at what Doug Jones might be like in the Senate:

His vote helps stall some Republican initiatives, though, and when he runs again in two years he’s soundly defeated by someone other than Luther Strange or Roy Moore. — 75 percent chance.

Cartoon/Laura Rasmussen

S

o as we trudge to the polls next week to make, what for many, will be a less-than-thrilling choice, maybe it’s a good time to get in the WayForward Machine and look at the potential scenarios for what will happen once one or the other of these men is elected.

First of all, let’s admit the vast majority of registered voters aren’t going to even bother casting a ballot. And of those that do, my guess is most of them are going to scratch the dot for the candidate from the political party they like. So really this is for those beleaguered souls stuck somewhere between Doug Jones’ left-of-center stance and Roy Moore’s desire to be a Girl Scout troop leader.

Obviously Jones wouldn’t have much of a chance in Alabama if it weren’t for his opponent’s behavior over the years. Some see Moore as a firebrand who will follow his convictions no matter what, while many others see him as an opportunist who really has no legislative understanding or plans.

But there are those on the line, torn between their

IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR - THE ALABAMA SENATE ELECTION IS ALMOST OVER!

D e c e m b e r 6 , 2 0 1 7 - D e c e m b e r 1 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 13

COMMENTARY | THE HIDDEN AGENDA

Closing arguments in Jones v. Moore ASHLEY TRICE/EDITOR/ASHLEYTOLAND@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

T

hank god it is almost over.

I think that may be the only thing everyone in this state can agree on regarding the Alabama Special Senate election.

Though I have grown quite adept at hitting the mute button when the television is on so I won’t have to explain what “soliciting sex from young girls” means every other minute to my small children, I cannot wait until Dec. 13.

What an absolute mess. And I place the blame for this squarely on the shoulders of Gov. Robert Bentley and Luther Strange. If both of them hadn’t put their own self interests above the good of this state and our people, we wouldn’t be on the verge of possibly electing someone who is accused of undressing and touching a 14-year-old girl and picking up teenagers from the mall and/ or out of their high school trig class.

At this point, I doubt there are many people left in this state who haven’t already made up their minds. Sure, there were true believers on both sides, but a large swath of people have decided to vote for the man they deem to be the lesser of two evils.

The “two evils” consist of an accused child molester who has been removed twice from office and a Democrat who believes in abortion rights.

So who should the lesser of those two “evils” be?

The answer here is clear. Roy Moore has absolutely no business being our representative in the United States Senate. Even before all of these allegations, most people viewed him as a flawed candidate at best and an absolute crazy person at worst. Removed twice from office, he used his own charity to enrich himself. How very Christian of him!

He has spent zero time discussing his views on the issues. I am not even certain he understands the basics of tax or health care reform, foreign policy or immigration. The man didn’t even know what DACA was when asked, for heaven’s sake.

He refused to debate Doug Jones before the sexual misconduct allegations came out and has made very few public appearances. Many probably would assume this is because he doesn’t want to have to answer the allegations of these women.

I am sure that is some of it, but my guess is he is also worried he may actually have to answer a question about policy, which he couldn’t do.

All he knows how to do is preach a little sermon and talk about how he will prevent transgender people from doing this, that or the other — you know, an issue that affects every Alabamian on a daily basis (eye roll).

I believe his accusers. Maybe not every single detail of every one of their stories, but there’s way too much smoke there not to be fire. But before I believed them or even knew about them, I believed Roy Moore would be a disaster for this state in more ways than one. He knows nothing about the issues and he would be an absolute detriment to economic development.

Could you imagine this man trying to broker a deal with Mazda or Amazon executives?

Roy Moore: Thanks for meeting with me. I’d like to start off the meeting by saying I don’t know those women who accused me of molesting them.

Now let’s get down to business. It’s great that you want to bring thousands of jobs to Alabama, but before we can move on I am going to need to

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December 6, 2017 - December 12, 2017

know what kind of bathrooms you plan to have in your factories — they will be marked girls, I mean, women and men, right?

Executives: Um, we were kind of hoping to talk about whether your state could meet our infrastructure and labor needs.

Roy Moore: Yeah, I have no idea about either of those things — what I do know is that we need clearly marked ladyfolk and menfolk restrooms.

Executives (whispering to each other on the way out): Bathrooms? What in the hell is he talking about? Let’s just go to Mississippi.

And to think everybody told us it was WORSE than Alabama.

To me the choice has always been a no-brainer. And it seems like a no-brainer to many people across the country. Even our other Republican senator, Richard Shelby, said he couldn’t and didn’t vote for him. That’s pretty bad and should speak volumes.

Still, even with that, I get that it’s hard for many Alabama Republicans who have never voted for a Democrat to think about voting for Doug Jones. If you just can’t, do as Sen. Shelby did and write in a “distinguished Republican.”

But to those few people who may still be on the fence and could vote for a Dem, I say please think of this from a purely practical sense. Roy Moore will be terrible for the Republican party.

Every Republican will be asked about these allegations and if they support him for the next two years. Child molestation, Republican and Alabama will be mentioned in the same sentence a million times.

And Moore will be a disaster for this state. He has proven he has no respect for the rule of law.

He thinks his views supersede everyone else’s, which I suppose is fine if you agree with him, but what happens when you don’t? He will be an embarrassment, like he has been before and like he is now. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

I hear the argument about Doug Jones and abortion. I understand people have strong feelings about that issue. But how long has abortion been legal in this country -- even when the country has been under Republican control? You may argue there are places on the Supreme Court that may be in play. But even so, you never know how judges are going to act. Remember conservative justice John Roberts was supposed vote down “Obamacare.” How did that work out?

Furthermore, the notion that “liberal” Doug Jones will go to Washington to be a lap dog for Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi is highly unlikely. He’s not an idiot. If he gets elected and goes to Washington and acts like he’s representing the interests of San Francisco rather than Frisco City, he knows he won’t have a prayer of getting re-elected. Hell, even if he votes like the most conservative Democrat in history, he probably will still have a hard time getting re-elected in two years if the Republican party puts anyone decent up to run against him.

Doug Jones is a smart, capable, normal human being who would not embarrass us. If he were elected, I think he would put the interests of his constituents above his party and vote accordingly.

And that’s a lot more than I can say for Moore, whose only interest has always been and continues to be the glorification of Roy Moore.

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COMMENTARY | THE BELTWAY BEAT

Alabama’s political relevancy won’t end anytime soon

BY JEFF POOR/COLUMNIST/JEFFREYPOOR@GMAIL.COM

O

ver the last decade, Alabama has completed its 30-year transformation to a one party state. The bluedog Democrats that could win local elections down-ballot from Republicans in national elections are now a footnote in the state’s political history.

Gone with that seemed to be the Yellowhammer State’s relevancy in national politics.

Alabama was going to be just another state in flyover country such as Nebraska, Kansas or Utah that is reliably Republican and not worthy of too much focus.

Aside from the random personalities making waves — such as George Wallace and, of course Roy Moore — Alabama would, in theory, be a small, unimportant part of the national political picture.

It turned out just the opposite happened.

Beginning in 2008, Alabama moved up its presidential primary. Given this new oneparty status, Republican presidential hopefuls sought to woo voters in the presidential primary. With their efforts came lots of media coverage, meaning the psychological makeup of the Alabama voter had to be scrutinized as if it were some peculiar alien life form.

Would voters go for John McCain or Mike Huckabee? Also, as a side note, how would Alabama’s predominantly black Democrat voters respond to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama?

Four years later, the same thing happened on the Republican side — would it be Mitt Romney or Rick Santorum? At the time, both of those candidates made a play for the state, with Santorum coming out on top.

At that point, Alabama had established itself as a player in Republican presidential politics. On Election Day, it wouldn’t be as important. But in the seemingly never-ending presidential election cycles that are now part of American politics, an early strong showing in Alabama would demonstrate a pathway to the party’s nomination.

Other happenings put the state in the spotlight. A little over a year later, then-Rep. Jo Bonner would resign from Congress to take a post at the University of Alabama.

An off-cycle election, with political consultants and campaign reporters with idle time on their hands, made Alabama’s First Congressional District the talk of the Beltway.

That was the state’s first taste of the so-called Washington, D.C., establishment infiltrating the election process. Groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Rifle Association spent big on the congressional election to help Bradley Byrne defeat Dean Young. Four years later, we would see it again.

In 2015, Donald Trump emerged on the political scene. After his famous ride down the escalator at Trump Tower in New York City, he made Mobile’s Ladd-Peebles Stadium the site of one of his first big splashes.

National media types were scratching their heads — Why Mobile, Alabama? The August

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December 6, 2017 - December 12, 2017

21, 2015, edition of USA Today offered a frontpage explainer on how Mobile was uniquely positioned geographically, with tentacles that stretch from New Orleans to Tallahassee.

Also, Trump’s playbook seemed to have Sen. Jeff Sessions’ fingerprints all over it.

Trump had a dominating win in the 2016 Alabama GOP presidential primary and Sessions was a big reason why. At the opposite end of the state, Alabama’s junior senator gave Trump his first significant endorsement.

After Trump won, Sessions had his pick of posts in the administration. Little did we know that Sessions’ departure would set up one hell of a finale in this chapter of Alabama politics.

The three-way race that developed between Luther Strange, Mo Brooks and Roy Moore for the Republican nod captured the intrigue of political watchers from afar. Sure, it would be a low-turnout event, but Strange and his allies leaned heavily on some of those same parties we saw in the 2013 special election for Alabama’s first congressional district House seat.

Along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the NRA, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell spent heavily. Once the primary was settled and we went to the runoff phase, it became an election about establishment versus non-establishment, with the caveat the non-establishment president was backing the establishment candidate.

Luther Strange lost, and for the next few days some implied it was a sign of weakness from Trump. Then, as we know now, the whole saga of Roy Moore’s past came to light and it became an entirely different ballgame.

A safe GOP seat in Alabama is up for grabs.

A Democrat could win statewide for the first time since 2006.

Is there another state in recent memory where such a hyper focus has been placed by the national political media? Has there been a reason for political reporters to camp out in South Dakota and explain how a voter in the Badlands differs from that of suburban Sioux Falls? Or how will evangelicals in western Kansas respond to the Great Kansas City Young Republican revoking their endorsement of a candidate?

Alabama has had a distinct place in our national political discussion on and off for the past decade. And regardless of who wins next week, Alabama will probably continue to make national political headlines.

If it’s Roy Moore, the circus will continue.

A Senate Ethics Committee investigation with a behind-closed-doors hearing that isn’t open to the public will follow.

If it is Doug Jones, however, for awhile it will be a unique story everyone will want to talk about — an Alabama Democrat in the U.S. Senate, which sounds something like a Bizarro World, inspirational version of Mark Twain’s “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.”

Then in 2020, when the seat is up for reelection, we’ll get to do this all over again.

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BUSINESS | THE REAL DEAL

Cigarclub.com celebrates 1-year anniversary

BY RON SIVAK/COLUMNIST/BUSINESS@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

A

ccording to CEO and co-founder Jeff Zeiders, Cigarclub.com is celebrating its one-year anniversary this month. The e-commerce startup is in the process of establishing a national brand and has experienced exponential growth in its relatively short existence.

The small business launched Dec. 14, 2016, by Zeiders and Chris Yokley, CTO and co-founder. Originally from Baltimore and a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, Zeiders relocated to Mobile in 2015 and came up with the idea for Cigarclub.com on the fly at an August 2016 Startup Weekend event where he also met Yokley. The concept placed third at the competition.

In April, the duo competed at Alabama Launchpad, failing to place, but in July were able to connect with local angel investors for first-round seed funding with the assistance of a program sponsored by Innovation Portal.

Fast forward to November and the company received coverage in four national publications, including The Manual, Brobible, Style Blueprint and Good Grit Magazine — perhaps proving to be one of Mobile’s first case studies of fast-track entrepreneurial success that has been part of the local ecosystem for several years.

To date the startup has a footprint in 44 states and four countries outside of the United States, including Canada, Japan, Germany and France. Fifty percent of subscribers hail from the Southeast, 45 percent from the rest of the U.S. and 5 percent are international.

Founded by millennials — Zeiders is 31 and Yokley 37 — the company has promoted itself through what Zeiders calls “guerrilla marketing,” using Instagram as the primary word-of-mouth medium for advertising. Results have been impressive: To date, Cigarclub.com has grown from 450 followers from early May to more than 17,000 as of November.

“We are adding 60 to 75 followers per day and have seen 3,200 percent growth through traction in Instagram,” Zeiders said. The growth is especially remarkable considering companies that sell tobacco products are subject to advertising restrictions, he added.

The startup has also outgrown its office at the Exchange 202 co-working space. It is looking to relocate to a larger office and warehouse footprint and will be hiring more employees, all by the middle of 2018. Positions needed will include a marketing specialist, two order fulfillment clerks and up to four more part-time staff.

“Every step along the way, the entrepreneurial mechanisms that have been available — from the startup competition, to our failed funding pitch last April for $70,000, to Innovation Portal’s guidance connecting us with Angel Investors — have all contributed to the success of the company. We wouldn’t be in existence without them,” Zeiders said.

PMG announces new pediatrics practice

Providence Medical Group (PMG) recently announced that Amit Pant, M.D., and Hari Sivanandam, M.D., recently opened a new pediatrics practice. Providence Medical Group – Pediatrics is located on the Providence Hospital campus at 6701 Airport Blvd. in Mobile within the Medical Office Plaza, Building D, Suite 100.

Pant earned his medical degree from Nepal Medical College and Teaching Hospital and completed a residency in pediatrics at the University of South Alabama Children’s and Women’s Hospital. He serves as chairman of the Pediatrics Department at Providence Hospital and also treats patients at Mostellar Medical Center in Bayou La Batre.

Pant is board certified in pediatrics and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Medical Society of Mobile County and the Nepal Medical Council.

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Sivanandam earned his medical degree from Stanley Medical College in Chennai, India, and completed residencies in pediatrics at Madras Medical College Institute of Child Health and Hospital in Chennai and also at the University of South Alabama Children’s and Women’s Hospital, where he worked as an emergency physician.

Sivanandam is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Providence Medical Group is the area’s largest nonprofit network of primary care and specialty physicians, with more than 20 locations across South Alabama and Southern Mississippi. Providence has 70 physicians from specialties including family medicine, endocrinology, rheumatology, general surgery and radiation oncology.

Mobile awarded nearly $7M for coastline preservation

According to a news release, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) has awarded the city of Mobile a $6,923,800 grant to conserve and protect the area’s coastline.

Phase II of the Mobile Bay Shore Habitat Conservation and Acquisition Initiative will acquire, restore and preserve habitats used by a variety of fish and wildlife species injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The grant application concerned three specific project areas in the Perch Creek/Garrows Bend Watershed and the lower Three Mile Creek Watershed.

Projects include: land acquisition in the Three Mile Creek, Perch Creek and Garrows Bend Watersheds; shoreline restoration along the Mobile Bay shore; and marsh restoration, water quality improvements and invasive species management in all three project areas.

NFWF awarded Mobile a $300,000 grant in 2015 for the first phase of the project to identify these habitats, complete environmental assessments for the properties and perform real estate due diligence.

The project was made possible through collaboration with Alabama Department of Transportation, Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, The Nature Conservancy, Peninsula of Mobile, MAWSS, Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Alabama Coastal Foundation, Mobile United, Pelican Coast Conservancy and the Martin Luther King Jr. Redevelopment Authority.

“I want to thank all of our partners for turning this vision into a reality,” Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said. “Mobile is a city closely connected to the water and is one of the largest ports in the country. We’ve surpassed many challenges over the years, but we need a resilient coastline to support our growing economy.

This project is a strong step in the right direction.”

This was one of 19 projects and several amendments NFWF recently announced. State projects were selected for funding following extensive consultation with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, FWS and NOAA.

D e c e m b e r 6 , 2 0 1 7 - D e c e m b e r 1 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 19

CUISINE THE REVIEW

Jersey Mike’s brings taste of NJ shore to Dauphin Street

JERSEY MIKE’S SUBS 3151 DAUPHIN ST. MOBILE 36606 251-525-9917

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

IN THE EARLY ‘70S A 14-YEAR-OLD KID NAMED PETER CANCRO BEGAN WORKING THERE PART-TIME AND BOUGHT THE PLACE IN 1975 AT AGE 17, THE TENDER AGE WHEN HE WASN’T EVEN OLD ENOUGH TO LEGALLY OPERATE THE MEAT SLICER. HE BEGAN FRANCHISING IN 1987 AND NOW IS THE OWNER AND CEO OF THE COMPANY, WHICH HAS MORE THAN 1,000 LOCATIONS.” wowed by more than a few $15 bottles. Being let down by a $200 dinner for two is inexcusable, but when an $8 sandwich catches your attention it at least helps your feelings.

This sandwich found its footing near Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, around 1956. In the early ‘70s a 14-year-old kid named Peter Cancro began working there part-time and bought the place in 1975 at age 17, the tender age when he wasn’t even old enough to legally operate the meat slicer. He began franchising in 1987 and now is the owner and CEO of the company, which has more than 1,000 locations. The Dauphin Street restaurant came our way late this year.

I’ve been laying off the bread since I gained about six pounds a day during the holidays, but Rob and Ulysses con-

20 | L AG N I A P P E |

Photo | Jersey Mike’s

I

don’t get a lot of opportunities to review chain restaurants. I’m not going to just walk in and rail on something I know I will hate, but every so often a chain is worth reviewing. That’s especially the case when said chain is something your friends need to know about.

This is the story of Jersey Mike’s.

It starts with sandwiches. A great sandwich is the equivalent of a fancy meal to me. It’s kind of the same with wine. I’ve been really disappointed by $80 bottles of wine and

Jersey Mike’s Subs recently opened in midtown Mobile as part of a franchise expansion that began in 2014. vinced me to take them to Jersey Mike’s. Hardcore fans, the place has been open just a few months but has already won their hearts. This was my maiden voyage. It’s near Dauphin and Interstate 65, just west of Sage Avenue and across the parking lot from Rite Aid and, you guessed it, Subway.

These guys opened a sub shop rock-throwing distance from what is probably the largest dealer of $5 footlongs, hot and cold sandwiches and flatbread pizza. Subway has to still be the largest and most powerful sandwich chain. That’s pretty gutsy, even for Jersey boys, but they aren’t scared.

So the three of us (one of us green) packed up in Rob’s family truckster so I could see what it was all about. There’s the assembly line you are used to at sandwich shops. Cases of meat and cheese, unsliced and still in the plastic were in plain view as we watched the sandwich artist operate the meat blade for the couple of people in front of us.

Ulysses was making fun of me for not standing in the line properly and I was making fun of his hair. I figured I’d let him go first so he could “show me how it’s done.” Of course a 15-year-old goes big with a Giant Chipotle Cheese Steak ($12.95). Grilled onions and peppers are what you are accustomed to with any cheese steak. This one goes the extra mile with chipotle mayonnaise, a condiment Ulysses and his father refuse to recognize the glory of.

Rob and Ulysses hate mayonnaise so much that it’s torture for them to watch me slather it on anything. However, this sandwich was amazing. The bread was soft, and ordering it giant-sized is something only a kid with the metabolism of a channel swimmer should do. I was afforded a good-sized bite but Ulysses ate the rest of it. It was like a modern-day Shaggy low on Scooby Snacks taking down a sandwich you’d normally find in a cartoon.

Rob was slightly more conservative in his order and decided on a Buffalo Chicken Cheese Steak ($7.45) in the moderate regular size. Don’t think for a second that regular is

December 6, 2017 - December 12, 2017

small. It’s larger than most sandwiches a decade ago. But with Frank’s Red Hot sauce, lettuce, tomato and blue cheese dressing, it’s pretty hard to leave any on the table.

I would have loved to keep the cheesesteak thing going but I knew we needed variety. This led me to pulling the trigger on a couple of cold mini subs, the first of which was The Original Italian ($5.25). Some of my favorite meats that don’t make it to the walk-in coolers of most sandwich shops are on this sub.

Ham, prosciuttini, cappacuolo (how many ways can you spell these things?), salami and pepperoni lay the bedrock for a blanket of provolone. It was suggested that I make it Mike’s Way with onions, lettuce, tomatoes, spices and “the Juice,” a blend of red wine vinegar and olive oil. I loved it.

Keep in mind that what they call a mini sub is something I would consider a normal-sized sandwich. My second mini was the Club Supreme ($5.25). Roast beef, turkey, bacon, Swiss cheese and mayo made this sandwich equally as impressive. Of course I also got it Mike’s way. I ate half of each and took the rest home.

For a couple bucks more our meals were turned into combos with fountain drinks, Miss Vickie’s Jalapeño chips and Doritos. I noticed there were two-liter bottles of Mountain Dew in a cooler and thought for a second we could just get one of those and pass it around like a demijohn, but cups with ice were probably the better option.

Dessert was a pair of cookies ($1.98 each). Baked in the store, I believe the name of these monsters was something like Hershey’s Kiss Chocolate Chip. Of course there was a fight over dividing two cookies into three.

I pray these guys keep up the good work because right now they are killing it. Goldfinger’s wings and chicken fingers should be open soon, and that little neck of the woods will be full of quick dining options.

Reviewing a chain isn’t so tough. I’ll personally review this again. And again. And again!

CUISINE | WORD OF MOUTH

Wintzell’s Willie Brown dies at 70

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

“Many people may not know this, but Willie had a full-time day job [at Seapac Inc., per Omainsky] and he worked nights plus Saturdays at Wintzell’s,” offers David Rasp, owner of Royal Scam and Heroes. “I spent about half my time with him asking questions about the old days with Mr. Wintzell. We spent the rest of the time talking about the oldschool work ethic that he epitomized, while he tried to downplay my efforts to put him on a pedestal in that regard.

“To him, work was just something you did with no fanfare, and you were lucky to have the work.

I don’t think we are making many men like Willie Brown these days. He will be missed.”

It wasn’t just his prowess with an oyster blade and his work ethic that made Willie Brown a valuable member of the team. Just as valuable was the way he engaged the customers. “I told him as he got older,” says Omainsky, “‘you don’t have to shuck oysters. I’ll pay you to sit there and talk to folks and drink Tanqueray or iced tea or whatever you want.’

He was that important to the customers.”

When asked about the far-reaching effects of Wintzell’s and its importance in our restaurant scene, Omainsky had more to say.

“I meet people from all over the country who say, ‘yeah, I’ve eaten there.’ In some ways now a piece of that has died.”

But the legend will live on.

Photo |Facebook

“He meant so much to so many people,” said Bob Omainsky, owner of the Wintzell’s Oyster House downtown location since 1999. “He was so genuine.

To know him was to love him.”

Former owner Wendell Quimby placed it all on Willie’s shoulders. “Wentzell’s had been closed for about six months before I bought it in 1994. They were showing me around the building when I saw the Rolodex in the office and pulled the card with Willie’s number. I knew I couldn’t buy it without him on board. He answered on the first ring, and I told him I’d open it if he’d work for me. His only reply was, ‘When do I start?’ Great guy, super nice.

He worked for me until I sold it to Bob.” This was said of longtime employee and Chief Oyster Shucker Willie Brown, who passed away Friday, Dec. 1, at the age of 70. He worked for Wintzell’s for 47 years, hired by J. Oliver Wintzell in November 1970. Of course the Wintzell family has been shaken by the news of losing what most consider its most important member.

For me, growing up in Laurel, Mississippi, made Wintzell’s seem otherworldly. I was a kid almost two hours from the coast, so I didn’t get half shells very often. It may have been a part of what influenced me to move here in 1996. To think that in my first visit sometime during the Reagan administration I was almost certainly served oysters shucked by the same man who shucked them for me so often decades later.

Visitation is Thursday, Dec. 7, 1-8 p.m. at Small’s Mortuary, 950 S. Broad St. Funeral services will be at noon Friday, Dec. 8, at Emanuel Seventh Day Adventist Church, 2000 MLK Ave., with visitation beginning at 10 a.m.

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DUNKIN DONUTS ($)

DONUTS, COFFEE & SANDWICHES 1976 Michigan Ave. • 442-4846 3876 Airport Blvd. • 219-7369 505 Schillinger Rd. S. • 442-4845 29160 US Hwy 98 • 621-2228 $10/PERSON • $$ 10-25/PERSON • $$$ OVER 25/PERSON

COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE ALL SPORTS BAR & GRILL ($) AL’S HOTDOGS ($)

STEVIE’S KITCHEN ($)

DREAMLAND BBQ ($)

THE WASH HOUSE ($$)

MOMMA GOLDBERG’S DELI ($)

SUGAR RUSH DONUT CO. ($)

MEAT BOSS ($)

A LITTLE VINO

SUNSET POINTE ($-$$)

MOE’S ORIGINAL BAR B QUE ($)

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

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

E WING HOUSE ($)

195 S University Blvd. Suite H • 662-1829

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

EUGENE’S MONKEY BAR ($)

MONTEGO’S ($-$$)

15 N Conception St. • 433-2299

FATHOMS LOUNGE

SMALL PLATES AND CREATIVE COCKTAILS 64 S. Water St. • 438-4000

3408 Pleasant Valley Rd. • 345-9338

MIKO’S ITALIAN ICE ($)

FRESH CARIBBEAN-STYLE FOOD & CRAFT BEER 6601 Airport Blvd. • 634-3445 225 Dauphin St. • 375-1576

MOON PIE GENERAL STORE ($)

CLASSIC HOTDOGS, GYROS & MILKSHAKES 4701 Airport Blvd. • 342-3243

FLOUR GIRLS BAKERY ($)

107 St Francis St #115 • RSA Bank Trust Building

ATLANTA BREAD COMPANY ($-$$)

FIREHOUSE SUBS ($)

MUFFINS, COFFEE & WRAPS 105 Dauphin St. • 433-9855

809 Hillcrest Rd. • 634-2285

SANDWICHES, SALADS & MORE. 3680 Dauphin St. • 380-0444

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

FIVE GUYS BURGERS & FRIES ($)

BAKE MY DAY ($)

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

OLD-FASHIONED SOUTHERN BAKE SHOP 156 N. McGregor Ave. • 219-7261

BOB’S DINER ($)

GOOD OLD AMERICAN COOKING 263 St. Francis St. • 405-1497

FOOSACKLY’S ($)

BRICK & SPOON ($)

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

3662 Airport Blvd. Suite A • 525-9177

BUCK’S DINER ($)

CLASSIC AMERICAN DINER 58 N. Secion St. Fairhope • 928-8521

CAFE 219 ($)

SALADS, SANDWICHES & POTATO SALAD 219 Conti St. • 438-5234

FOY SUPERFOODS ($)

CAMELLIA CAFÉ ($-$$$)

119 Dauphin St.• 307-8997

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

GULF COAST EXPLOREUM CAFE ($)

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

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

NOURISH CAFE ($)

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

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

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

PANINI PETE’S ($)

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

PAT’S DOWNTOWN GRILL ($)

CAMMIE’S OLD DUTCH ($)

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

CARPE DIEM ($)

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

PDQ ($)

CLARK’S KITCHEN ($-$$)

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

POLLMAN’S BAKERY ($)

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

GUMBO SHACK ($-$$)

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

HOOTERS ($)

JAMAICAN VIBE ($)

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

CHAT-A-WAY CAFE ($)

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

JERSEY MIKE’S ($)

CHICK-FIL-A ($)

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

CHICKEN SALAD CHICK ($)

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

JIMMY JOHN’S ($)

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

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

JOE CAIN CAFÉ ($)

CHI-TOWN DAWGZ ($)

1252 Govenment St.• 301-7556

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

JONELLI’S ($)

CHICAGO STYLE EATERY 1222 Hillcrest Rd. • 461-6599

JUDY’S PLACE ($-$$)

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

HOME COOKING 4054 Government St. • 665-4557

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

CREAM AND SUGAR ($)

LODA BIER GARTEN ($)

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

PUB FOOD AND DRAFT BEERS 251 Dauphin St. • 287-6871

DAUPHIN ST. CAFE ($)

MAMA’S ($)

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

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

D’ MICHAEL’S ($)

MARS HILL CAFE ($)

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

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

D NU SPOT ($)

MARY’S SOUTHERN COOKING ($)

22159 Halls Mill Rd. . • 648-6522

DELISH BAKERY AND EATERY ($)

3011 Springhill Ave. • 476-2232

BAR FOOD 271 Dauphin St • 438-9585

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

THE BLIND MULE ($)

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

THE GALLEY ($)

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

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

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

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

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

THE PIGEON HOLE ($)

DROP DEAD GOURMET

THE SUNFLOWER CAFE ($)

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

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

THYME BY THE BAY ($-$$)

33 N Section St. • Fairhope • 990-5635

TIME TO EAT CAFE ($)

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

TIN ROOF ($-$$)

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

TP CROCKMIERS ($)

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

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

DOMKE MARKET FOOD PAK

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

POUR BABY

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

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

RED OR WHITE

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

BAY GOURMET ($$)

ROYAL STREET TAVERN

BRIQUETTES STEAKHOUSE ($-$$)

SOUTHERN NAPA

CHUCK’S FISH ($$)

FALAFEL? TRY SOME HUMMUS

CORNER 251 ($-$$)

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

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

DAUPHIN’S ($$-$$$)

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

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

7 SPICE ($-$$)

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

ISTANBUL GRILL ($)

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

DUMBWAITER ($$-$$$)

JERUSALEM CAFE ($-$$)

FIVE ($$)

MEDITERRANEAN SANDWICH COMPANY ($)

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

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

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

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

KITCHEN ON GEORGE ($-$$)

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

PUNTA CLARA KITCHEN ($)

UNCLE JIMMY’S DELICIOUS HOTDOGS ($)

LAUNCH ($-$$)

MINT HOOKAH BISTRO ($)

2550 Dauphin Island Pkwy S. • 307-5328

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

WAREHOUSE BAKERY & DONUTS ($)

MAGHEE’S GRILL ON THE HILL ($-$$)

OLLIE’S MEDITERRANEAN GRILL ($-$$)

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

R BISTRO ($-$$)

334 Fairhope Ave • Fairhope • 928-2399

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

ROLY POLY ($)

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

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

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

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

NOBLE SOUTH ($$)

LOCAL INGREDIENTS 203 Dauphin St. • 690-6824

WRAPS & SALADS 3220 Dauphin St. • 479-2480

THE WINDMILL MARKET ($)

85 N. Bancroft St. Fairhope • 990.8883

NOJA ($$-$$$)

ROSHELL’S CAFE ($)

YAK THE KATHMANDU KITCHEN ($-$$)

OSMAN’S RESTAURANT ($$)

2906 Springhill Ave. • 479-4614

ROSIE’S GRILL ($-$$)

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

ROYAL KNIGHT ($)

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

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

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

SATORI COFFEEHOUSE ($)

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

SERDA’S COFFEEHOUSE ($)

6358 Cottage Hill Rd. • 725-6917

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

DEW DROP INN ($)

MCSHARRY’S ($-$$)

SIMPLY SWEET ($)

22 | L AG N I A P P E |

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

5401 Cottage Hill Rd. • 591-4842

17111 Scenic HWY 98 • Point Clear • 928-4838

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE ($)

MICHELI’S CAFE ($)

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

4701 Airport Blvd. • 408-3379

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

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

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

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

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

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

December 6, 2017 - December 12, 2017

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

‘CUE

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

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

BRICK PIT ($)

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

COTTON STATE BBQ ($)

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

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

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

MEDITERRANEAN RESTAURANT & HOOKAH 1248 Hillcrest St • 634-9820

TAZIKI’S ($-$$)

MEDITERRANEAN CAFE 1539 US HWY 98• 273-3337

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

FAR EASTERN FARE

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

4513 Old Shell Rd.• 473-0007

ROYAL SCAM ($$)

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

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

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

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

VON’S BISTRO ($-$$)

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

TAMARA’S DOWNTOWN ($$)

ANG BAHAY KUBO ($$)

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

BANGKOK THAI ($-$$)

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

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

BENJAS ($)

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

CHARM ($-$$)

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

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

CHINA DOLL ($)

THE TRELLIS ROOM ($$$)

CUISINE OF INDIA ($$)

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

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

FUJI SAN ($)

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

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

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

GOLDEN BOWL ($)

FISHERMAN’S LEGACY ($)

BUTCH CASSIDY’S ($)

HIBACHI 1 ($-$$)

HALF SHELL OYSTER HOUSE ($)

CALLAGHAN’S IRISH SOCIAL CLUB ($)

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

ICHIBAN SUSHI ($)

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

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

LIQUID ($$)

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

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

ROCK N ROLL SUSHI ($$)

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

STIX ($$)

610240 Eastern Shore Blvd. • 621-9088

TASTE OF THAI ($$)

9091 US-90 Irvington • 957-1414

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

WASABI SUSHI ($$)

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

FROM THE DEPTHS

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

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

LUCY B. GOODE ($$)

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

LULU’S ($$)

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

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

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

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

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

ED’S SEAFOOD SHED ($$)

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

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

ISLAND WING CO ($)

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

MANCIS ($)

1715 Main St. • 375-0543

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

OLD 27 GRILL ($)

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

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

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

TIN TOP RESTAURANT & OYSTER BAR ($$)

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

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

MUG SHOTS ($$)

THE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT 1595 Battleship Pkwy. • 626-0045

THE BLUEGILL ($-$$)

BONEFISH GRILL ($$)

HEROES SPORTS BAR & GRILLE ($)

MCSHARRY’S IRISH PUB ($)

THE SEAFOOD HOUSE ($-$$)

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

BURGERS & BEER 916 Charleston St. • 433-9374

RALPH & KACOO’S ($-$$)

BAUDEAN’S ($$)

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

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

751 Azalea Rd. • 301-7964

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

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

IS THE GAME ON?

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

BAUMHOWER’S ($)

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

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

LUCKY’S IRISH PUB ($)

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

WEMOS ($)

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

MAMA MIA!

BUCK’S PIZZA ($$)

DELIVERY 350 Dauphin St. • 431-9444

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

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

GRIMALDI’S ($)

Bel Air Mall • 476-2063

GUIDO’S ($$)

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

HOUSE OF PIZZA ($)

3958 Snow Rd C. • Semmes • 645-3400

JONELLI’S ($)

DAUPHIN ST. TAQUERIA ($)

1252 Gov’t St. • 301-7556

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

LA ROSSO ($$)

EL CAMINO TACO SHACK ($)

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

212 Fairhope Ave. • 928-8108

MARCOS ($)

EL MARIACHI ($)

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

763 Holcombe Ave • 473-0413

FUEGO ($-$$)

MELLOW MUSHROOM ($)

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

MIRKO ($$)

PASTA & MORE 9 Du Rhu Dr. • 340-6611

HACIENDA SAN MIGUEL ($-$$)

MAGNOLIA HOUSE ($$-$$$)

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

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

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

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

OLÉ MI AMIGO ($-$$)

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

HEARTY MEXICAN FARE 736 holcombe Ave.• 473-0413

ROMA CAFE ($-$$)

3050 AL 181 • Spanish Fort • 621-7433

POOR MEXICAN ($)

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

ROOSTER’S ($)

TAMARA’S BAR & GRILL ($)

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

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

VIA EMILIA ($$)

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

OLÉ MI AMIGO! AZTECAS ($-$$)

TASTE OF MEXICO 5452 Hwy 90 W • 661-5509

CAFÉ DEL RIO ($-$$)

MOUTH WATERING MEXICAN FOOD 1175 Battleship Pkwy • 625-2722

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

EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE & TASTE

5713 Old Shell Rd.• 338-9697

PINZONE’S ITALIAN VILLAGE ($$) RAVENITE ($)

AMERICAN FARE & ROCKIN’ MEMORABILIA

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE ($$$)

HARRAH’S GULF COAST:

LOS ARCOS ($)

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN DISHES 312 Fairhope Ave. • Fairhope • 990-5535

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

FUZZY’S TACO SHOP ($)

PAPA’S PLACE ($$)

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

777 Beach Blvd.Biloxi • 877-877-6256

SATISFACTION ($-$$)

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

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

BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER, LATE NIGHT

HARD ROCK CASINO:

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

LA COCINA ($)

NAVCO PIZZA ($$)

TERRACE CAFE ($)

LATIN AMERICAN FOOD 211 Dauphin St. • 375-1076

TAQUERIA CANCUN ($)

3172 International Dr. • 476-9967

TAQUERIA MEXICO ($-$$)

SOUTHERN FAVORITES BUFFET

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

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

IP CASINO:

850 Bayview Ave. Bilox • 888-946-2847

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

TIEN ($-$$)

INTERACTIVE ASIAN DINING

HIGH TIDE CAFÉ ($)

CASUAL & RELAXING, EXTENSIVE MENU

ISLAND VIEW:

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

BEACH BLVD STEAMER ($) SEAFOOD

CARTER GREEN STEAKHOUSE ($$-$$$) RICH TRADITIONS, STEAK, SEAFOOD

C&G GRILLE ($)

LARGE BREAKFAST, LUNCH OR DINNER MENU

PALACE CASINO:

158 Howard Ave. Biloxi • 800-725-2239

MIGNON’S ($$$)

STEAKS, SEAFOOD, FINE WINE

PLACE BUFFET ($-$$) INTERACTIVE ASIAN DINING

STACKED GRILL ($-$$)

BURGERS AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FLAVOR 3733 Airport Blvd. • 414-4496

TREASURE BAY:

NO GAMBLING CASINO FARE

THE DEN ($-$$)

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

BEAU RIVAGE:

CQ ($$-$$$)

BR PRIME ($$-$$$)

BLU ($)

COAST RESTAURANT ($-$$)

WIND CREEK CASINO:

JIA ($-$$)

FIRE ($$-$$$)

875 Beach Blvd. Biloxi • 888-952-2582 FINE DINING ESTABLISHMENT. BURGER, WINGS, PIZZA

EXOTIC CUISINE AND SUSHI

STALLA ($$)

ITALIAN COOKING

ELEGANT ATMOSPHERE & TANTALIZING ENTREES LOUNGE WITH COCKTAILS & TAPAS MENU

303 Poarch Rd. Atmore • 866-946-3360 PRIME STEAKS, SEAFOOD & WINE

GRILL ($)

CONTEMPORARY & OLD-FASHIONED FAVORITES

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CUISINE | THE BEER PROFESSOR

Election special: the candidates’ hometown beers

BY TOM WARD/THE BEER PROFESSOR

Photo | Facebook

Avondale Brewing Co. is a small brewery housed in a fully renovated, historic building in the Avondale area of Birmingham.

W

ith the special election next Tuesday, almost every aspect of Alabama’s U.S. Senate race has been dissected by now. But although the campaign has received national attention, one important question has so far been overlooked: What does each candidate like to drink?

So I reached out to both Doug Jones and Roy Moore to ask them what might be the deciding issue of this race: What is their

favorite Alabama beer?

Unfortunately, neither candidate got back to me on this important question. We can probably assume Jones, as a lifelong Democrat, favors a chardonnay or Chablis, and that Moore, as a devout Baptist, surely avoids alcohol. (I imagine him enjoying an Orange Julius at the food court.)

As the candidates declined to respond to my inquiries,

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I instead decided to look at the breweries in their hometowns.

Judge Moore, as we have learned over the past few weeks, is from Gadsden, which is also home to the Back Forty Brewing Co., best known for its Truck Stop Honey Brown Ale, which has been recognized nationally, even winning a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival.

One of the oldest breweries in Alabama, Back Forty was founded in 2009. Its tap room is located on 6th Street — not far from the mall — and open Wednesday to Saturday.

In addition to its Truck Stop Honey, Back Forty also puts out a number of other styles, including Freckle Belly IPA and Naked Pig Pale Ale (both of which sound slightly naughty given what we’ve learned about Dothan), which are readily available on tap and in cans in Lower Alabama. The Freckle Belly has a bitter finish, which might turn some people off, while the Naked Pig is a really nice, strong pale ale with good hop flavor, what many breweries would call a session IPA. On the other side of the aisle, Jones, the son of a steelworker, grew up around Birmingham. While the steel industry in the Pittsburgh of the South has cooled, its brewing industry is white-hot, with seven breweries in and around the city.

Two of Birmingham’s most popular breweries recently merged when Good People Brewing Co. purchased Avondale Brewing Co. Both of these breweries produce a number of excellent beers and have fantastic tap rooms. While now under the same ownership, they will maintain their individual labels.

I’ve long been a fan of Good People’s brews, many of which are available in our area, especially its excellent Pale Ale and Brown Ale. Good People regularly puts out seasonal selections, and right now its Mumbai Rye IPA is available. While the name alone would probably make Ol’ Roy cringe and look for someone to deport, it is really an excellent beer, hoppy but smooth. Try one (or “moore”) before they are gone.

If you are in the Magic City, Avondale’s tap room and sour room on Spring Street are worth a visit. Avondale’s Vanillaphant (which is also available in cans) is one of my favorite dark beers, with wonderful vanilla flavoring that temper the porter. Even if you don’t like dark beers, it’s worth a taste. Its Mill City White is also very popular, a Belgian but with a strong spice finish. It’s probably not for everyone, but certainly worth a try.

Get out and vote!

D e c e m b e r 6 , 2 0 1 7 - D e c e m b e r 1 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 25

ALABAMA SENATE ELECTION COVERAGE

Doug Jones, Roy Moore battle it out in final week of Senate camDALE LIESCH/REPORTER

T

heodore resident David Connolly squinted women making the allegations. This is in contrast to into the bright lights of news cameras while he comments his own attorney has made in the past and held onto his son. He didn’t recognize what he comments Moore himself made in a radio interview with had just heard and was frustrated.

Sean Hannity.

“Listening to this is embarrassing,” he said while Moore called the allegations “dirty politics.” standing outside Magnolia Springs Baptist Church.

“Never once has anything like this been mentioned; “To be Christian, to be a good man, you treat everyone it’s odd,” he said. “It’s odd that investigators have [vetthe same … I’m not seeing any morals come out of ted] me for the [district attorney’s] office and the Judicial this man.”

Inquiry Commission and there has been not one word of Connolly was speaking about Republican United sexual impropriety.”

States Senate candidate Roy Moore outside a camA man was escorted out of the rally after questionpaign event at the Theodore church last week. As he ing the veracity of Moore’s statements on the allegaspoke, several of Moore’s supporters argued with him tions, saying, “So, all the girls are lying. Y’all should be off camera. ashamed to use a church for this.”

“How much are you getting paid?” a Moore supporter After the outburst, Gonnella warned the crowd that the asked Connolly. Others contradicted Connolly on the next such interruption would be turned over to the police. meaning of Christianity.

Moore called the allegations hurtful and said if he’d The church’s pastor, Dr. David E. Gonnella, told the known that he’d be attacked, he probably wouldn’t standing room-only crowd the event was a Wednesday have run in the first place. He blamed the attacks on the night church service, but Connolly Washington establishment. and others were convinced it was a “The reason they don’t want simple political rally. me in Washington is very simple,” The exchange between ConMoore told the crowd. “They don’t nolly and ardent Moore supporters want to hear about God and they almost perfectly encapsulates the don’t want to hear about the ConstiI’M A MOORE SUPPORTwide range of opinions on both sides tution.”

ER,” THEODORE NATIVE about the Dec. 9 special election to A few minutes later a disruptive fill the seat vacated by former Sen. comedian hired by the television AND SPANISH FORT RESIJeff Sessions. Moore is facing Demshow “Jimmy Kimmel Live” to ocrat Doug Jones in the election. impersonate a Moore supporter was DENT SIMON BLEYSWYK Following the rally, Moore supremoved. During the rally, it apSAID. I LOVE TO HEAR porters said they felt their candidate peared Moore believed the comewould do a better job protecting dian was there to support him. He HIM SPEAK BECAUSE HE their values, despite the fact he’s even thanked him for his seemingly facing allegations of sexual misconexuberant support.

SHARES MY BELIEFS. duct from women who were teens Magnolia Springs music minister when he was in his early 30s.

Bill Atkinson didn’t introduce “I’m a Moore supporter,” TheoMoore, but led the crowd through dore native and Spanish Fort resident Simon Bleyswyk two songs, which he said was part of the church service. said. “I love to hear him speak because he shares my In 2012, Atkinson was sentenced to two months in prison beliefs.” for his role in destroying evidence that his son, Will, Bleyswyk added that the allegations, which first apabused young boys at an orphanage the family owned in peared in The Washington Post last month, are part of an Honduras. Bill Atkinson did not return a call to the famattack against Moore and he doesn’t believe any of them. ily’s nursery in Theodore for comment. An email sent to “I believe he will pull this off,” he said. “I don’t think his address at the church bounced back. the people of Alabama will fall for propaganda.”

Moore himself said during the rally that the allegaHealth care tions were propaganda. He pointed supporters to a story During the rally, Moore quickly listed issues he would allegedly debunking the allegations on the right-leaning support. He said he’d repeal the Affordable Care Act, or One America News Network.

“Obamacare,” tomorrow. He said his opponent would Moore also proclaimed he didn’t know any of the

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“enlarge it.”

“Something that has already been a failure, he’d expand it,” Moore told the crowd.

In an October interview with Lagniappe, Doug Jones called the health care debate a “political football.”

“It is one of those things where Republicans have staked out on ‘repeal and replace’ and Democrats have staked out on ‘hell no, we won’t go,’” Jones said. “We need to have some hearings. We need to find out what’s been working and what has not been working.”

Jones added that he believes the ACA was never meant to be “the end of the conversation.”

“We need to get this out in the open and get people talking to one another,” he said. “I think there have been some opportunities to do that. That’s what I want to do.”

Jones said he would like to find a way to protect people with pre-existing conditions and ensure access to Medicaid and affordable health care, while controlling costs at the same time.

“I think pharmaceutical companies need to be brought into the discussion and they really haven’t been,” he said. “I want to work with all members of both parties to try to do that.”

Taxes

After endorsing Moore’s opponent Luther Strange in the primary and largely staying out of the race since, President Donald Trump endorsed the Republican nominee Monday on Twitter. In a tweet, Trump cited a recent tax vote to try and convince Alabama voters to choose Moore.

“Democrats [sic] refusal to give even one vote for massive Tax Cuts [sic] is why we need Republican Roy Moore to win in Alabama,” he tweeted.

“We need his vote on stopping crime, illegal immigration, Border Wall, Military, Pro Life, V.A., Judges 2nd Amendment and more. No to Jones, a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet!”

In a statement, Moore said he was happy to have the president’s endorsement.

“I am honored to receive the support and endorsement of President Donald Trump,” Moore said. “President Trump knows that the future of his conservative agenda in Congress hinges on this election. I look forward to fighting alongside the president to strengthen our military, secure our border, protect our gun rights, defend the sanctity of life and confirm conservative judges to courts around this nation.”

In the October interview, Jones said he supported some provisions in the tax bill, such as corporate tax cuts, but was fearful of its impact on the middle class.

“I will tell you that from representing people in this state, I’m not going to be in favor of the big tax deductions for the very, very wealthy that I’ve seen come through,” he said. “What I’m seeing from independent studies is the tax is going to do two things: it’s going to increase taxes for lower- and middle-income people and it’s going to drive up our deficit tremendously.

Any tax changes we do … the result ought to be something somewhat tax neutral.”

Jones added that a flat tax could be appealing from the standpoint of simplicity, but he didn’t know if it could realistically work.

“I don’t think someone being paid $25,000 per year should be paying the same percentage in taxes as someone making a million a year,” he said. “I just don’t think that’s fair.”

He said a flat tax would never be approved nationwide anyway because of the special interests involved.

“I think the tax code is far too complicated,” Jones said. “I think we can do some things to simplify it, but I still think the graduated way we’ve got it is the way to go.”

ALABAMA SENATE ELECTION COVERAGE Gun control

At the Theodore rally, Moore told the crowd Jones would not support the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms. But in his October interview with Lagniappe, Jones said the opposite.

“I’m a hunter. I’m a fisherman. I love the outdoors,” Jones said. “I have a safe full of guns, ranging everywhere from pistols, shotguns and rifles. I believe in the Second Amendment.”

For Jones, it’s just a matter of enforcing the laws already on the books.

“There are some pretty good laws that are on there now that have been held to be constitutional, involving convicted felons and others,” he said.

Jones said he doesn’t believe the background check system has been funded appropriately in the past and needs to be streamlined. He did say he would favor outlawing bump stocks after the mass shooting in Las Vegas in October, but would protect gun owners’ rights.

“I am not going to take away anyone’s guns, because they would have to start at my house and I don’t want that to happen,” Jones said.

Military

At the Theodore rally, Moore said he would help to strengthen the military, but didn’t elaborate. Moore also didn’t take questions from local and national media at the event. His campaign did not respond to an email asking for a statement on various issues.

Jones said that while he doesn’t agree with all the decisions that have been made involving the military, he supports supports a strong military, especially after the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

“The bottom line is — first and foremost, this country has got to be protected,” Jones said. “The people have to be protected.

That is no longer an issue overseas and around the world, it’s an issue right here at home.”

Jones added that there is still a lot of waste in the U.S. Department of Defense that needs to be weeded out.

“I’ve advocated for an audit of the defense and some of these third-party contractors and how effective they’ve been,” he said.

Abortion

Moore told supporters he would stop Planned Parenthood funding and work to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court case that made access to abortion a constitutional right. He added that “liberal judges” who put themselves above the Constitution should be impeached.

Moore was kicked out of office twice as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court for defying court orders.

Jones argued that Roe v. Wade is the law of the land. As for what he’d say to pro-life voters, Jones said he understands their position.

“For most of those folks it’s a moral issue … at the same time, it’s an issue that has been decided for decades and it’s not going to change,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who you elect, it’s not going to change.”

Jones also said his position on abortion has been “distorted” somewhat. Jones said he supports the abortion law the way it stands now, with a ban on most partial-birth abortions.

“The law for decades has given the woman a right to choose

what happens to her own body up to a point, and in those lateterm procedures it has to be only in the case of a medical emergency,” Jones said. “I support that. At the end of the day that is one of the most personal decisions a woman can ever make, and I think that decision has to be made in consultation with her partner, her doctor and her faith.”

Jones’ chances

While polling shows Jones and Moore very close, University of South Alabama Political Science and Criminal Justice Department Chair Philip Haber, Ph.D., said the numbers could be a bit misleading.

“Polls have trouble identifying people who will show up to vote,” he said. “The polls could be different than the results.”

Turnout is usually lower during a special election than during a typical senate election, and senate elections usually generate

I AM NOT GOING TO TAKE AWAY ANYONE’S GUNS, BECAUSE THEY WOULD HAVE TO START AT MY HOUSE AND I DON’T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN,” DOUG JONES SAID. less turnout than a general presidential election. Haber said this election could be decided by turnout.

Low turnout without an incumbent could still favor Moore because of the numbers of Republicans in the state, Haber said.

However, if GOP voters sit out this election due to a number of factors and the Democrats are more mobilized, Jones could pull off an upset.

Both locally and the across the state, the number of registered voters appears to have grown ahead of the Dec. 12 Senate showdown thanks, in part, to an influx of convicted felons who were able to restore their voting rights for the first time in 2017.

As Lagniappe detailed last year, an ambiguous state law previously left the standard for revoking a felon’s right to vote open to interpretation by failing to clearly outline who should lose their voting rights upon conviction and which convicts were eligible to have them restored.

That changed this year with Alabama’s passage of the Definition of Moral Turpitude Act. The law clarified that crimes such as murder, rape and child enticement would cost convicts their voting rights permanently, while specifically excluding lesser offenses such as drug possession and burglary.

It was projected the law could have paved the way for tens of thousands of convicted felons to restore their voting rights, though the state did not make any effort to notify those who had previously been disenfranchised.

To fill that gap, The Ordinary People Society (TOPS), an advocacy group based in Dothan, led an effort to assist felons in

registering to vote before the Nov. 27 deadline. In an interview with The Washington Post, TOPS President Kenneth Glasgow speculated the group had registered from 5,000 to 10,000 people across Alabama.

Many on the right — including the Mobile County Republican Party — have couched TOPS’ effort to assist felons as an attempt to steal the election. Moore himself Tweeted that “Democrat operatives” were “REGISTERING THOUSANDS OF FELONS” to swing the election for Jones.

While Glasgow is a Democrat, he is also no stranger to working with felons inside and outside Alabama’s prisons. What’s more, the law allowing these registrations was introduced and passed by a Republican-controlled Legislature and signed into law by a Republican governor.

While there’s currently no way to determine what percentage might be made up of formerly disenfranchised felons, Mobile County has seen a modest increase in registered voters since 2016.

In December 2016 there were 285,776 registered voters, according to the Mobile County Probate Court. Today that number is 286,783 — an increase that does include new voters added to the electorate between the August primary and Dec. 1.

Write-in voting

When Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, a Republican, reportedly cast a write-in vote for a “good candidate” instead of Moore, it gave the impression that write-ins could potentially have a measurable impact on the Dec. 12 election.

At least two candidates have launched write-in campaigns since the sexual misconduct allegations against Moore first surfaced — Lee Busby, a 60-year-old retired Marine colonel from Tuscaloosa, and Mac Watson, a small-business owner from Crenshaw County.

Others in the state — including some notable Republicans — have suggested they might cast write-in votes for another member of the GOP, such as Attorney General Jeff Sessions, whose appointment left vacant the U.S. Senate seat for which Jones and Moore are currently vying.

While there’s little statistical chance any write-in candidate could win the election, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill felt the need to issue guidance last week to Alabamians considering a write-in vote on the Dec. 12 ballot.

“When the candidate you would like to vote for is not listed on the ballot, you may vote for that person by writing his or her name in the blank ‘write-in’ box on the ballot,” Merrill said in a press release. “Each contest on the ballot has a ‘write-in’ box.

You must also shade in the circle next to that ‘write-in’ box to ensure your vote is tabulated properly.”

Merrill stressed that all write-in votes must be handwritten and clarified that a write-in would override any “straight-party” designation marked on a ballot. He also encouraged voters to be familiar with the spelling of their candidate’s name.

“All votes for ‘write-in’ candidates will be counted in the event that the candidate is qualified to hold the office and not a fictional character,” the release continues. “Additionally, there are no existing stipulations that prohibit a candidate from being elected despite having unsuccessfully run for a party’s nomination, which would normally apply due to Alabama’s ‘sore loser’ law.”

Jason Johnson contributed to this report.

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ART ARTIFICE

Alien hunter lands at Exploreum

BY KEVIN LEE/ARTS EDITOR/KLEE@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

Y

ou think you have long-range vision? The Gulf Coast Exploreum (65 Government St.) is welcoming a luminary whose eyes and ears are attuned farthest of all.

For more than two decades, Dr. Seth Shostak has scanned the heavens looking for evidence of galactic neighbors. As former director and now senior astronomer for the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute, the astrophysicist searches for evidence of civilizations beyond our little blue globe. These artifacts aren’t arrowheads or pottery shards but electromagnetic waves.

“No matter what else aliens might be doing, it’s hard for me think they would not use electromagnetic radiation for communication purposes. We use it every day, all over the place, because it happens at the speed of light, it’s very inexpensive and simple to build the technology,” Shostak said.

Those who saw the 1997 film “Contact” get the drift.

The film opening depicted the expanding aura of our television and radio signals that have rushed into the galaxy over the last century. Launched by NASA in the 1970s, SETI has surveyed the skies’ vast electromagnetic spectrum seeking similar byproduct elsewhere.

Shostak appears at Mobile’s hands-on science center on Thursday, Dec. 7, for a day of activities, culminating at 6 p.m. with his talk prior to a screening of Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” filmed in Mobile.

Headquartered in Mountain View, California, the Insti-

tute’s primary tool is the Allen Telescope Array, a cluster of radio dishes nearly 300 miles northeast of San Francisco. They also employ optical telescopes around the world.

The most notable finding in decades of searching has been 1977’s “Wow! Signal,” named for a handwritten note on the data printout. Recently it was proffered the surprisingly strong burst from the constellation Sagittarius was a misidentified comet.

“To begin with, that comet wasn’t even in the right place in the sky,” Shostak said, before moving on to its wavelength. “No one’s ever seen a signal like this from any other comet.”

A redundancy failsafe provided roundabout confirma-

THAT MIGHT BE COMPATIBLE WITH AN INTERMITTENT SIGNAL

BY ALIENS. THEY JUST KICKED OFF THE TRANSMITTER AFTER A MINUTE AND WENT TO LUNCH.” tion. The telescope’s second receiver checked the same position about 70 seconds later and found nothing.

“That might be compatible with an intermittent signal by aliens. They just kicked off the transmitter after a

Fairhope ‘Nutcracker’ marks 20 years

Theatre 98 seeks director

Theatre 98 has been a mainstay of Mobile area cultural contribution and now there’s opportunity for individual contribution to their endeavors. Longtime technical director Jonne Thornton is retiring and the plucky playhouse is seeking his successor for the paid position.

The theater needs someone who can organize set construction, hanging lights and various special effects. They would be working closely with co-production managers Chris Francendese and Jon Robitaille and directors of the individual shows.

Interested parties should send résumés to Theatre 98 president Rob Clark, at racmd926@att.net or P.O. Box 967, Montrose, AL 36559.

Baldwin Pops conclude series

Your last chance to catch the Baldwin Pops Band’s Christmas show with new conductor Dr. Jason Rinehart comes on Thursday, Dec. 7, 7 p.m. at the Gulf Shores Cultural Center (19470 Oak Road W. and County Road 6).

The playbill includes “Christmas on Broadway,” “The Little Drummer Boy’s Bolero,” “White Christmas” and “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.”

Santa Claus is scheduled for a visit. A Toys for Tots representative from the U.S Marine Corps Reserve will collect new unwrapped toys for those who wish to contribute.

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This concert is sponsored by the city of Gulf Shores. In addition, the Baldwin Pops Band is sponsored by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts.

The concert is free. For more information, call 251-9875757 or visit baldwinpopsband.com.

‘Tis the season for arts support

Don’t forget that the holiday season is the perfect time to support your community and loved ones with gifts. Season tickets or membership in cultural organizations are perfect ways to make your giving count throughout the year. Theater groups, the symphony, opera, museums or myriad other groups can use the involvement, while friends and family whose interests run in those directions will think of you every time they indulge in the pursuits.

All it takes is a little digging into their hobbies or interests, then call the pertinent organizations to find the purchase that meets your needs. Umbrella organizations such as the Mobile Arts Council make a great starting point for your hunt.

ARTSGALLERY

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Bay Shore Ballet Academy’s annual presentation of Tchaikovsky’s holiday classic, “The Nutcracker.” The tale of magical toys will be staged at the Fairhope Civic Center (161 N. Section St.) on Saturday, Dec. 9, at 2 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. and on Sunday, Dec. 10, at 3 p.m.

Tickets range from $5 to $12 and are available at the door, online at bayshoreballet.com, at Bay Shore Ballet Academy (305 Fels Ave.) or Page and Palette Bookstore (32 N. Section St.). Reserved-seating tickets are also available for $17 and can be purchased online.

minute and went to lunch,” Shostak quipped. “But it certainly isn’t a comet that was making a signal and then suddenly switched off in a minute.”

Neither do comets move fast enough relative to our observation point to make a difference.

The planets we’ve found orbiting other stars now number in excess of 4,400, with more than 2,200 discovered by the Kepler Space Telescope since 2009.

The James Webb Space Telescope, boasting unprecedented resolution and sensitivity, is due for launch in 2019 and will enhance that knowledge.

The telescope’s ability to find chemical signatures through spectral analysis can reveal planetary conditions. Abundant hydrogen, oxygen or methane would interest SETI. “That tells you there’s photosynthesis or bacteria or something else. That would be relevant and you’d immediately swing your SETI antennas in the direction of those planets, to see if there’s more than bacteria on those planets,” Shostak said.

Astrobiology is hot at the Institute. Nearly all of its 80 scientists are researching, experimenting and writing grants in that area. Several candidates for microbial life — Mars; Jupiter’s moons Ganymede, Callisto and Europa; Saturn’s moons Titan and Enceladus — aren’t so far flung.

“That would tell you there’s biology everywhere. That’s a big step because you have warm worlds with liquid water and atmospheres and all that stuff and there are tens of billions of them in the galaxy. If you find biology somewhere else in our solar system you can say it’s probably not an accident. It’s happened at least twice so that means it’s happened a lot of times,” Shostak said.

Shostak relays confidence we will find evidence of extraterrestrial life within the next two decades. Exponentially increasing technological power is a chief reason.

Criticism and doubts about SETI’s value still circulate. Shostak answered those in a 2009 TEDx talk when he pointed to its allure in increasing scientific literacy among other benefits.

An advanced civilization means self-annihilation isn’t inevitable. Sustained contact might allow us to short-circuit history, to advance more rapidly.

“It’s exploration. You can look back through history at societies that weren’t interested in exploration and they were subsumed by other societies. Ancient Egypt wasn’t interested in exploration but the Romans were, and as a result Egypt came under Rome’s grasp eventually,” Shostak said.

For more information on Shostak’s Mobile visit, call 251-208-6893 or go to exploreum.com.

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MUSIC

FEATURE

Photo | Provided

SOUTH CARLEN EP RELEASE WITH SPECIAL GUEST STRANGE HER SATURDAY, DEC. 9, 9 P.M. ALCHEMY TAVERN, 7 S. JOACHIM ST., 251-441-4471 TICKETS: CALL FOR INFO.

South Carlen release debut EP ‘Playing the Ghost’

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With their beginnings jamming in a house in midtown Mobile, South Carlen recently recorded songs for their debut EP “Playing the Ghost.”

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

he growing number of local bands and continual visits by nationally touring acts are proof Mobile’s music scene is maintaining a positive momentum. During the past year alone, Mobile has experienced an increase in the number of local groups ready to take their homegrown music beyond the city limits.

Mobile indie rock outfit South Carlen is joining the list of up-and-coming bands from the Azalea City. With only a few live shows on its résumé so far, South Carlen is set to release its first studio effort, “Playing the Ghost,” with a release party at Alchemy Tavern. Fairhope’s Strange Her will provide support.

While South Carlen may seem new to many, its members have been playing together more than two years. The band’s origin can be traced to a house on the midtown street from which the band took its name.

Even though they were already friends, the concept of South Carlen took shape when Ty Shaw (lead guitar/vocals), Dave Cole (bass) and Matthew Hendrich (drums) all lived under the same roof. With their respective musical backgrounds, informal jam sessions occurred naturally, later evolving into the desire to solidify a musical project. Shaw says the addition of guitarist Kevin McKeown was a “push” to take the project into more serious realms beyond casual jams.

“We realized that we had something,” Shaw explained. “While we were jamming around, we played around with writing original songs. We wrote four or five songs initially. Then we decided, ‘Hey, this isn’t the kind of music that we want to be writing.’ That was also a turning point as far as taking it seriously. We were already jamming pretty well and could write songs together. So, we decided to write songs that we really liked as band.”

Once South Carlen was established, the four members began to create a common sound, which was a challenge itself. Cole’s background was in ska. McKeown’s past leaned more toward the underground. While he had been in bands in the past, Shaw’s musical endeavors were solo.

Shaw says the band’s sound was established over many songwriting sessions filled with experimentation. Hendrich says the group actually scrapped several original songs on the way to achieving their goals. South Carlen eventually composed two songs that laid the foundation for the band’s future pieces. “‘Easy to Forget’ and ‘Like a Bullet’ were the two main ones that defined our sound,” Hendrich said. “Once we had those, we were like, ‘This is what we like. This is what sounds good and has potential.’”

“Those songs gave us a vein to keep mining,” Shaw adds. “That’s what we’ve followed since then. Getting there was a graveyard of four or five other songs.”

After establishing a “unified” sound, South Carlen began to add music to its original repertoire.

The band’s next goal was to collect enough songs

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to fill a setlist.

After completing seven originals, South Carlen began performing for audiences. Live shows not only helped the band establish a local following, they also helped the group network with bands from other cities, developing connections that could help with finding gigs beyond the Azalea City.

While building its reputation as a live band, South Carlen’s next goal became releasing a collection of original songs. As with many up-andcoming indie rock bands, the group decided to

ing to play against oneself, “Playing the Ghost” begins with the powerful indie rock anthem “90’s Song.” With its versatile rhythm and smooth vocals, the album’s opener lives up to its name.

“Easy to Forget” provides blast after blast of intricate indie rock syncopation matched with an impressive lyrical meter. “Like a Bullet” is filled with a swagger that is a nod to classic alt. rock sounds. South Carlen provides an energetic conclusion to “Playing the Ghost” with the driving rock beat of “Skyline Singer.”

This debut effort provides an excellent intro-

We have a finished product that we’re incredibly proud of. It was all organically grown and created by us. use DIY methods for recording a four-song EP. Naturally, the members chose a back room in its South Carlen house with “a bunch of blankets” as the studio, with Dave Cole mixing, mastering and producing.

Shaw says the experience can best be described as “building from the ground up how to record music.” He says the band taught themselves many studio techniques such as microphone positioning.

“The biggest challenge was positioning everything to make sure that we have the right sound,” Shaw said. “If I was singing, then I had to make sure that I wasn’t moving my head away from the mic, and repositioning mics to make sure that you had the right amount of acoustics in the room.”

“We were also battling a timeline between conflicting schedules of people who work full-time jobs,” Hendrich said. “This was also Dave’s first time producing an album. There was a whole mixing and mastering hurdle for him to learn as well.”

With a title taken from a billiard’s term mean-

duction to the band’s sound, and Hendrich could not agree more.

“We have a finished product that we’re incredibly proud of,” he said. “It was all organically grown and created by us. Now it’s this neat and tidy product that I couldn’t be more proud of.”

After the release of “Playing the Ghost,” South Carlen will take yet another natural step for a band at their level: taking their music into new cities. Shaw says the band’s concept of “the scene” stretches beyond Mobile into the rest of the Southeast. With this in mind, South Carlen hopes to visit cities such as New Orleans and Nashville in the near future.

In the meantime, Shaw says South Carlen will continue to cultivate its sound for future releases.

However, he says the band will take its time with the next effort.

“This EP came together kind of quickly,” Shaw said. “So, it will be nice to have time to figure out where we’re going to go in the future.”

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MUSIC BRIEFS

Get tribal

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

Band: Flow Tribe Date: Friday, Dec. 8, 7 p.m.

Venue: Fairhope Brewing Co., 914 Nichols Ave. (Fairhope), www.fairhopebrewing.com Tickets: $10 at the door

Photo | Submitted | Flow Tribe

I

n addition to an obsession with malt and hops, Fairhope Brewing Co. is also known for its love of music. This Eastern Shore craft brewery boasts brews dedicated to local artists as well as memorable live music events. This year, Fairhope Brewing is bringing the Mobile Bay area an early Christmas gift from the Big Easy.

New Orleans new-school funk band Flow Tribe will fill the evening with righteous Crescent City grooves. This band has collected a number of fans through its local high-energy local shows. When it takes the stage at Fairhope Brewing, the crowd will get a heavy dose of sounds from the group’s latest effort, “Boss.”

When Flow Tribe entered the studio, it looked to hip-hop producer Mannie Fresh for guidance.

Traditionally, Fresh has been known for his work with Lil’ Wayne, Juvenile, UGK and The Notorious B.I.G. With an overall bottom-end warmth embracing this album, “Boss” features an eclectic mix of smooth soul rhythms and electrifying funk grooves. Flow Tribe’s horn section collection injects a bold dose of New Orleans brass throughout the album. With its thoughtful song arrangement both individually and as a collection, “Boss” serves as a harbinger of Flow Tribe’s evolution.

Acoustic interlude

Band: Slide Bayou Unplugged, “Southern Windows” Art Exhibit Date: Sunday, Dec. 10, 7 p.m.

Venue: The Listening Room of Mobile, 78 St. Francis St., www.thelisteningroommobile.com Tickets: $20 (call 251-367-4599 for reservations)

The Listening Room of Mobile will feature two different forms of homegrown art. A performance from Slide Bayou will serve as one facet of this unique show. This local super group combines the talents of singer-songwriters Ryan Balthrop, Lee Yankie and Harrison McInnis.

While fans await a studio release of original material, Slide Bayou is keeping their audiences entertained with fresh, jammed-out renditions from the respective catalogs of its members. The trio’s interpretations of each other’s music should make for a stellar evening of extended arrangements.

Balthrop’s “Southern Windows” art collection will also be featured during the evening. This musical and visual artist’s project began two years ago when he began to collect discarded window frames and repurpose them in the name of art. Each piece is literally a window into Balthrop’s interpretation of local scenery. With their mix of beauty and rawness, these visions are a fresh incarnation of Gulf Coast folk art.

Christmas cat rocks

Band: Brian Setzer Orchestra Date: Dec. 8 & 9 Venue: Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, 875 Beach Blvd. (Biloxi), www.beaurivage.com Tickets: $34.95-$64.95, available through Ticketmaster

Even though the weather might say otherwise, Christmas has come to the Gulf Coast. Those seeking to energize their holiday experience should spend an evening in Biloxi with the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

Grammy Award-winning guitarist Setzer and his jolly crew of musical misfits have been spreading the yuletide spirit on their 14th annual Christmas Rocks Tour. This evening of musical Christmas cheer is sure to bring a smile to people of all ages.

Also known as the frontman for ‘80s rockabilly group The Stray Cats, Setzer’s big-band and rockabilly versions of holiday standards and his own Christmas tunes have become a Christmas tradition for many.

Two years ago, Setzer collected these festive tracks for the album “Rockin’ Rudolph.” In addition to unique renditions of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” Setzer gives listeners a taste of the offbeat with “Yabba Dabba Yuletide,” which incorporates the theme song of the classic cartoon “The Flintstones.”

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AREAMUSIC LISTINGS | December 6 - Decmeber 12

WED. DEC 6

Blind Mule— Comedy Open Mic Bluegill— Matt Neese Blues Tavern— Art, 8p Callaghan’s— Phil and Foster Cockeyed Charlie’s— JJ Fairhope Brewing— Neil Dover, 2p// Rhonda Hart, 6p/// Johnny Barbato, 7p//// Wes Loper, 10:15p Felix’s— Rebecca Barry Duo Lulu’s— Adam Holt, 5p Saenger— A Christmas Carol

THUR. DEC 7

Big Beach Brewing— Chad Davidson Band, 6:30p Bluegill— Brent Loper Blues Tavern— McNab Bro Duo, 8:30p The Bone and Barrel— Adam Holt, 7p Callaghan’s— Charlie Young Cockeyed Charlie’s— JJ Felix’s— Grits N Pieces Flora Bama— Wes Loper, 1p// Dueling Pianos, 4:20p/// Not the Real Band, but the Real Dea, 5p//// Mario Mena, 9p///// Kyle Wilson, 9:15p Le Bouchon— Shea White and Guest, 6:30p Listening Room— The Wes Jeans Trio Lulu’s— Justin Yawn, 5p Manci’s— Johnny Hayes McSharry’s— String Slingers, 7p SanBar— Jerry Anderson Soul Kitchen— Trivium, 8p Top of the Bay— Lee Yankee Trio

FRI. DEC 8

All Sports Bar & Billiards— DJ Markie Mark, 10p Beau Rivage— The Brian Setzer Orchestra, 8p Big Beach Brewing— Johnny No, 6:30p Blind Mule— Surrounder, Addicts, Goodwin Rainer, thee Fugless, Jimmy and the Jimbos Bluegill— Lee Yankee, 12p// Jamie Adamson, 6p Blues Tavern— Brave New World Band, 9p Cockeyed Charlie’s— Journey to Mars El Camino— Rondale and the Kit Kats, 7:30p Fairhope Brewing— Flow Tribe Felix’s— 3 Bean Soup Flora Bama— J. Hawkins Duo, 2p// The Big Earl Show, 5:30p/// Kyle Wilson, 6p//// River Dan Band, 10p//// Bruce Smelley Duo, 10:15p Hard Rock (Center Bar) — Chris LeBlanc, 9:30p Hard Rock (Live) — Strictly Sinatra & The Rat Pack, 8p Le Bouchon— Emily Stuckey, 6:30p Listening Room— Charlie Mars Lulu’s— Ashley Taylor, 5p Main Street Cigar Lounge— Dave Lewis, 8p Manci’s— Yeah, Proabaly McSharry’s— DJ Chi, 10p Moe’s BBQ (Daphne) — The Memories, 8p Moe’s BBQ (Foley) — Clay Connor, 6p Moe’s BBQ (Mobile) — Jim Burt, 6:30p Off the Hook— Keith “Mailman” Burns, 6p SanBar— Medicine Man Duo Top of the Bay— Camelia Bay Burlesque Star Wars Wind Creek Casino— Tommy Morse Band, 8p

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SAT. DEC 9

Alchemy— South Carlen EP Realease Show w/Strange Her Beau Rivage— The Brian Setzer Orchestra, 8p Bluegill— Stephen Sylvester, 12p// Cary Laine, 6p Blues Tavern— Halfway Show, 9p Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— Adam Holt, 6p Callaghan’s— Yeah, Probably Cockeyed Charlie’s— Jordan Fallow Felix’s— Blind Dog Mike Flora Bama— Rebecca Barry & Bust, 11a// J. Hawkins Trio, 1p/// LeaAnne Creswell & Darrel Roberts, 2p//// Hung Jury, 5:30p//// Al and Cathy, 6p//// Foxy Iguanas, 10p//// JoJo Pres, 10:15p Hard Rock (Center Bar) — Chris LeBlanc, 9:30p Hard Rock (Live) — Brandon Bennett’s Blue Christmas, 8p IP Casino— Joe Bonamassa, 8p Listening Room— Eric Erdman, Molly Thomas and Joe Langley Lulu’s— Broken Down Car, 5p Manci’s— Modern Eldoradoes McSharry’s— DJ Shadow, 10p Moe’s BBQ (Mobile) — Glass Joe, 6:30p Moe’s BBQ (Semmes) — Harrison McInnis, 6:30p Saenger— Mobile Symphony Orchestra SanBar— Jerry Anderson Top of the Bay— Philo Wind Creek Casino— Tommy Morse Band, 8p

SUN. DEC 10

Big Beach Brewing— The Porch Ninjas, 3p Bluegill— Shea White, 12p// Sergio and the Satin Dogs, 6p Blues Tavern— John Hall Jam, 6p Callaghan’s— Grayson Capps Felix’s— Matt Bush Flora Bama— Jason Justice, 12:30p// Foxy Iguanas Trio, 1p/// Perdido Brothers, 4p//// Albert Simpson, 7p//// Johnny Barbato Duo, 8:30p Frog Pond— The Mulligan Brothers, 2p Joe Cain Cafe— Laurie Amour Listening Room— Slide Bayou Lulu’s— Sticky Too, 1p// Nikki Talley, 5p McSharry’s— Trad Irish Session, 6p The Merry Widow— Comedy Open Mic, 7p Off the Hook— Jimmy Dunnam, 5p Old 27 Grill— Lisa Zanghi, 11:30a Saenger— Mobile Symphony Orchestra Top of the Bay— Justin Wall

MON. DEC 11

Felix’s— Lee Yankie Flora Bama— Cathy Pace, 4p// Ryan Dyer, 7p/// Petty and Pace, 8p Lulu’s— Brent Burns, 5p

TUE. DEC 12

Bluegill— David Chastang Butch Cassidy’s— Chris Powell Cockeyed Charlie’s— Jordan Fallow Felix’s— Bobby Butchka Flora Bama— Rick Whaley Duo, 4p// Tony Ray Thompson, 7p/// Albert Simpson, 8p Le Bouchon— Craig Brayer, 6:30p Live Bait— Brandon Styles, 7p Lulu’s— Brandon White, 5p Moe’s BBQ (Daphne) — Chad Parker, 6p Old 27 Grill— Elisa Taylor, 6:30p

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When a little script goes a long way

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FILMTHE REEL WORLD

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

here are no good times in the gritty crime caper “Good Time.” It is a brilliant but brutal film experience.

Robert Pattinson is almost unrecognizable as Connie, a small-time crook trying to bail or bust his brother out of Riker’s Island after their bank robbery lands him there.

Every element of this story is carefully detailed and precisely executed.

Written and directed by brothers Benny and Joshua Safdie, it also features Benny as brother Nick, a mentally handicapped young man very ill equipped to deal with his problems even before he was imprisoned. The opening scene between Nick and an eloquent and empathetic therapist is almost unbearable to watch because Benny Safdie brings so much anguish to his character.

It’s an understatement to say things do not improve after the first scene.

Connie interrupts the therapy and berates the therapist. He thinks he can take care of matters himself. The script offers so much background with so few details; just a few words about the boys’ grandmother paint a vivid picture of

AREA THEATERS AMC MOBILE 16 785 Schillinger Road South Mobile, AL (251)639-1748 CRESCENT THEATER 208 Dauphin St Mobile, AL (251) 438-2005 REGAL MOBILE STADIUM 18 1250 Satchel Paige Drive Mobile, AL (844) 462-7342 AMC JUBILEE Square 12 6898 Highway 90 Daphne, AL (251) 626-5766

their upbringing. Connie is supportive and affectionate toward his brother, but shows his support by bringing the poor guy along on his shoddily executed bank robbery so he can feel important. When things go wrong, of course it is Nick, not Connie, who gets nabbed.

This film is so literally and figuratively dark, and the neon-lit cinematography keeps the viewer uncomfortably close to all the action. Connie and Nick spend a long time in an apartment so dimly lit I could hardly stand it, and the tension created is truly incredible.

I cannot take credit for the very apt comparison this film has repeatedly garnered to “Dog Day Afternoon.” That is a film in which things go from bad to worse to worse to worse, and it tests the endurance of the viewer as the unspeakably beleaguered protagonist is continuously tested as well.

Connie is hapless yet resourceful, and his own manipulative charm is his biggest resource. Every decision seems worse than the one before, yet he improvises and keeps going.

He visits his pathetic, older girlfriend (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who he is using

for money in a way that is utterly obvious to everyone but her, and once more we get a lifetime of her story with just a few deft touches. She is more than a fully grown woman, yet her mother is her gatekeeper. A few lines of well-written dialogue give us a very telling window into her life.

“Good Time” is certainly an achievement but it is also excruciating. They’re not going to be adding it to the “25 Days of Christmas” movie lineup anytime soon. The Safdie brothers created a masterwork of complex and realistic characters and the performances are phenomenal. Every character contains multitudes — harsh socioeconomic realities, childhood neglect, sexual proclivities. Even a glance into a character’s refrigerator is more fully realized than the entirety of many other films.

By the end of “Good Time,” you might well find yourself begging for a less successfully realistic film, for it is so effectively rendered that you will experience a lifetime of hardships right along with Pattinson and his unfortunate cohorts.

“Good Time” is currently available to rent.

NEXUS CINEMA DINING 7070 Bruns Dr. Mobile, AL (251) 555-5555 AMC CLASSIC WHARF 23151 Wharf Lane Orange Beach, AL (251) 981-4444 COBB PINNACLE 14 3780 Gulf Shores Pkwy Gulf Shores (251) 923-0785 EASTERN SHORE PREMIERE CINEMA 14 30500 State Hwy 181 Spanish Fort, AL (251) 626-0352 Information accurate at press time; please call theaters for showtimes.

Photos | Elara Pictures / A24

The Safdie brothers’ “Good Time,” starring Robert Pattinson, is a masterwork of complex and realistic characters with phenomenal performances.

NEW IN THEATERS THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI

A darkly comic drama starring Frances McDormand as a vigilante mother who takes matters into her own hands as she searches for her daughter’s murderer.

AMC Mobile 16, Regal Mobile Stadium 18

THE DISASTER ARTIST James Franco directs and stars in a farcical movie about mak-

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ing another movie. A tour-de-force Franco performance. AMC Mobile 16

LADY BIRD

Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut is one of the best-reviewed films of all time, according to Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a teen coming-of-age drama starring Saoirse Ronan that is only going to gain momentum.

Crescent Theater, AMC Mobile 16, AMC Jubilee Square 12, AMC Classic Wharf 15

NOW PLAYING ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ. All listed multiplex theaters.

COCO All listed multiplex theaters.

THE FLORIDA PROJECT Crescent Theater JUSTICE LEAGUE All listed multiplex theaters.

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS All listed multiplex theaters.

LBJ AMC Wharf, Cobb Pinnacle 14 DADDY’S HOME 2 All listed multiplex theaters.

THOR: RAGNAROK All listed multiplex theaters.

A BAD MOM’S CHRISTMAS All listed multiplex theaters.

VICTORIA AND ABDUL Cobb Pinnacle 14

LET THERE BE LIGHT AMC Mobile 16 JIGSAW All listed multiplex theaters.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE All listed multiplex theaters.

GEOSTORM Eastern Shore Premiere Cinema HAPPY DEATH DAY All listed multiplex theaters.

THE FOREIGNER All listed multiplex theaters.

THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE Eastern Shore Premiere Cinema SAME KIND OF DIFFERENT AS ME Regal Mobile Stadium 18 AMERICAN MADE Eastern Shore Premiere Cinema, AMC Classic Wharf 15 IT All listed multiplex theaters.

MARSHALL AMC Mobile 16, AMC Jubilee Square 12

BOOK REVIEW

New book documents Tuskegee Airmen’s enduring legacy

BY MIKE THOMASON/CONTRIBUTING WRITER

W

hile most think of the Tuskegee Airmen as a combat fighter pilot unit, they were much more than that, and led the way to the modern integrated United States armed forces.

Established during World War II as part of the Army Air Corps just months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Tuskegee Airmen have become one of Alabama’s most famous military units. Serving in the nation’s segregated military, its original officers were white, while its men and women were black.

Author Daniel Haulman is a retired Air Force colonel and chief of the Organizational History Division of the U.S. Air Force Research Agency at Maxwell Field in Montgomery. Haulman has written several other books on the Tuskegee Airmen over the years, and this volume is something of a summing up of his work and that of other authors.

“The Tuskegee Airmen Chronology” provides a great overview of the history of black airmen, pilots and aircrew. It reminds us that men were being trained in all aspects of combat service, in various single-engine fighters and twin-engine light to medium bombers throughout the war.

Units of the Tuskegee Airmen were training to bomb Japan when the atom bombs abruptly

WHILE MOST THINK OF THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN AS A COMBAT FIGHTER PILOT UNIT, THEY WERE MUCH MORE THAN THAT, AND LED THE WAY TO THE MODERN INTEGRATED UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES.” ended the war in August 1945. When the several all-black units were replaced by integrated units in the newly created Air Force in 1947 and the entire military desegregated the following year, their legacy lived on.

The first black general in the Air Force, Benjamin O. Davis, was one of the original Tuskegee Airmen. Over the years he was followed by a series of distinguished officers from the group, and many prominent civilians also got their start as Tuskegee Airmen.

During WWII and in the years immediately after, black officers and black organizations such as the NAACP fought to get people of color the right to serve as pilots and in other skilled jobs — as navigators, gunners, air crews, quartermasters and nurses. The Tuskegee experiment literally opened up all jobs in the service to black people.

Overseas, the first Tuskegee Airmen in the 999th Pursuit Squadron went from training at Tuskegee directly to combat in North Africa, where they soon demonstrated their ability in

the air. Eventually flying P-47s and P-51s with tail fins painted bright red, their planes won the admiration and respect of the soldiers they protected in Italy and the bombers they escorted in the Mediterranean and in southern Europe. Their war record was one of the best in the entire U.S. Air Force. Today their fame rests primarily on their combat record, with good reason.

The author provides a detailed summary of all Tuskegee units at all the bases where they were assigned throughout the war and in the years after until 1950, when all segregated elements were disbanded. An interesting epilogue covers the years afterward through the present day, outlining the accomplishments of Tuskegee pilots and crew and the books and films that have chronicled their exploits.

The book is written in a dispassionate style because this story needs no embellishment — just its telling. Haulman knows the story so well that the reader just follows along, lost in the amazing tale of racial triumph against prejudice and dead tradition.

The Tuskegee Airmen were not all from Alabama by any means, but they were all Americans and we all can take pride in their achievement and in Haulman’s outstanding work.

“The Tuskegee Airmen Chronology: A Detailed Timeline of the Red Tails and Other Black Pilots of World War II” Dr. Daniel L. Haulman NewSouth Books: Montgomery, 2017 $25.95 The author will give a lecture and sign books (available for purchase) at Bernheim Hall in the Ben May branch of the Mobile Public Library on Thursday, Dec. 7, at 6:30 p.m. Call 251-208-7097.

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Providence Tree Lighting Providence Hospital will celebrate the 33rd anniversary of its annual Christmas Tree Lighting on Thursday, Dec. 7, at 6:30 p.m. in the hospital’s main lobby. A reception will follow. Call 251266-1335.

Elfapalooza Mobile’s chance to break the Guinness World Record for most elves in one place (Bienville Square). To be a part of the official count, come wearing red and green, an elf hat and pointy ears! Friday, Dec. 8, 5-7 p.m.

Scarlet Event On Friday, Dec. 8, come to Cathedral Square at 6 p.m. for a free gathering offering an evening of music, art and vital health information. Part of World AIDS Day, celebrating life for the ones still here laughing, loving and living.

Christmas in Daphne On Friday, Dec. 8, the Daphne Christmas Parade rolls at 6:30 p.m. south along Main Street through Olde Towne Daphne. Call 251-621-9000.

Live Nativity On Dec. 8 from 6-9 p.m., come

by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 5520 Zeigler Blvd., for an evening featuring a live nativity, light refreshments, display of nativity scenes from around the world, works of art and musical selections.

Admission is free.

Holiday Fest Virginia College in Mobile will host its second annual Holiday Fest with Santa on Saturday, Dec. 9, from 10 a.m. to noon at the campus located at 3725 Airport Blvd., Suite 165. The event is free and open to the public, and will feature refreshments, letter writing, pictures with Santa, a tacky sweater contest, crafts, giveaways and more.

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“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.

Photos | Bellingrath.org

Mistletoe Market Join Saraland Municipal Annex (939 Saraland Blvd. S.) on Saturday, Dec. 9, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a day of shopping, arts and crafts, family fun and more at Mistletoe Market.

Commerce hosts the second annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 9, at 5 p.m. at Water Tower Plaza. Refreshments will be provided.

Socks for Seniors Connie Hudson Senior Center is accepting donations of socks for senior citizens. All donations — new and packaged — must be dropped off

by Monday, Dec. 11, at 3201 Hillcrest Road. Call 251-602-4963.

Bragg-Mitchell Open House Guests are invited to “A Southern Christmas” and an afternoon at the historic Bragg-Mitchell mansion on Saturday, Dec. 9, 1-4 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children under 12. Tickets available at www. brownpapertickets.com.

Billy Claus LuLu’s annual Billy Claus and The LuLuBelles free event is Saturday, Dec. 9, at 1 p.m. The Nautical Night of Lights Boat Parade starts at dusk.

200 E. 25th Ave. in Gulf Shores. Visit www.lulubuffett.com/gulf-shores or call 251-967-5858.

Christmas Through the Ages Experience Christmas of days gone by at Fort Gaines on Dauphin Island. Join soldiers from the past and their families as they celebrate a noncommercial Christmas on Saturday, Dec. 9. Email fortgaines@ dauphinisland.org.

Dauphin Island Christmas Tree Lighting The Dauphin Island Chamber of

“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 | www.christmasnightsoflights.com

Mutts and Mimosas Brunch to support the Saraland Animal Shelter on Dec. 10, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at Off the Hook Marina & Grill (621 N. Craft Highway). Bring the family and the fur kids and support a great cause!

“Christmas Nights of Lights” Through Jan. 1, “Christmas Nights of Lights” is at Hank Aaron Stadium, 755 Bolling Brothers Blvd. The show is nightly at dusk until 10 p.m.

Admission is $6 per person.

“A Christmas Carol” Playhouse in the Park will revive the beloved Dickens Christmas story on the Saenger Theatre stage Wednesday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m. Visit mobilesaenger.com.

Leinkauf Holiday Party Leinkauf Historic District invites you to a holiday party Monday, Dec. 11, 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.

Nutcracker Ballet Bay Shore Ballet Academy will perform “The Nutcracker” ballet at Fairhope Civic Center Saturday, Dec. 9, at 2 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 10, at 3 p.m. Visit bayshoreballet.com.

Photo | mobileballet.org

Nutcracker Ballet Join Mobile Ballet for its annual holiday classic, “The Nutcracker.”

Saturday, Dec. 9, 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 10, 2:30 p.m. at the Mobile Civic Center. Visit mobileballet.org.

“Christmas Cantata” Join Government Street United Methodist Church Sunday, Dec. 10, at 4 p.m. for “Christmas Cantata,” featuring organist Terry Maddox. 901 Government St. Call 251-438-4714.

Dinner and a Christmas movie On Saturday, Dec. 9 at 6 p.m., Off the Hook Marina and Grill, 621 N. Craft Highway in Chickasaw, will show “Miracle on 34th Street” on the big outdoor screen. Drink and dinner specials for the whole family. Call 251-422-3412.

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS DECMEBER 6, 2017 - DECEMBER 12, 2017

GENERAL INTEREST Community Forum Join the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Alabama Youth Justice Coalition for a discussion on the challenges of Alabama’s juvenile justice system on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 6 p.m. at Small’s Auditorium, 95 S. Broad St. Farmers Market Shop the final farmers market of the season at Providence Hospital on Dec. 6, 1:30-4:30 p.m.

Providence Hospital, Parking Lot F. Call 251-266-3501.

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

Midtown Optimist Club Join Midtown Optimist Club every Wednesday at noon for lunch at Azalea City Golf Course.

Call 251-348-3542.

Lunch Cruise Historic Blakeley State Park invites the public to join us for a special sightseeing cruise and seafood lunch on Thursday, Dec. 7. Departing from the Blakeley dock at 10:30 a.m., returning at 1:30 p.m. Call 251-636-0798.

Celebrate Our History The Tristan de Luna Chapter, Alabama Society Daughters of the American Revolution and the Mobile Public Library invite the public to celebrate Alabama Day on Saturday, Dec. 9, at 2 p.m. at Bernheim Hall in the Ben May Main Library. Call 251-208-7093.

ACT English Prep Class High school students are invited to sign up for a free ACT English review class on Tuesday, Dec. 12, from 3:45-4:45 p.m. at the Daphne Library. Call 251-621-2818, ext.

211.

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

Call 251-625-6888.

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

FUNDRAISERS Bay Bash Mobile Baykeeper’s 20th anniversary Bay Bash is Friday, Dec. 8, at GulfQuest. Special guest speaker will be Marc Yaggi.

The event will conclude with a special fireworks show on the Mobile River. Email hwalsh@ mobilebaykeeper.org or call 251433-4229.

ARTS MMoA Night Market Mobile Museum of Art hosts its Night Market on Thursday, Dec. 7, 5-8:30 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. MMoA is at 4850 Museum Drive.

LoDa Artwalk Join downtown Mobile art galleries, institutions, studios and unique shops as they open their doors and welcome you inside.

Friday, Dec. 8, 6-9 p.m. in the Lower Dauphin Street district.

Van Cliburn’s Piano Steinway Piano Gallery Spanish Fort will offer a glimpse into the life of piano virtuoso Van Cliburn, and display his personal piano, through Feb. 3. For information call 251-930-1082.

MUSEUMS Dome Head Science Join the Exploreum for a lecture on “When Will We Find Extraterrestrial Life?” Thursday, Dec. 7, 6-9 p.m. For tickets, visit exploreum.com.

“Posing Beauty in AfricanAmerican Culture” An exhibition at Mobile Museum of Art explores the understanding of how African and AfricanAmerican beauty has been

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represented through a diverse range of media. Through Jan. 21.

Visit mobilemuseumofart.com.

“Curious George: Let’s Get Curious!”

The insatiable curiosity of Curious George — the little monkey who has captured the imagination and hearts of millions of children and adults for 65 years — comes to life at Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center through Jan. 7.

Visit exploreum.com.

“Dream Big: Engineering Our World” Narrated by Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges, “Dream Big: Engineering Our World” is a first-of-its-kind film for IMAX that will transform how we think about engineering. Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center through Jan. 7. Visit exploreum. com.

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

“Windows to the Sea” “Windows to the Sea” is the latest permanent exhibit at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab Estuarium. Visit disl.org.

“Savage Ancient Seas” “Savage Ancient Seas” will transport GulfQuest guests to a time when the last of the great dinosaurs roamed Earth and swam the seas. Visit www. gulfquest.org.

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

Little Discoveries “Outside the Box,” aimed at children age 6 and under, explores

how innovation and creativity can lead to a world of possibilities, starting with a simple cardboard box. Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Call 251-208-6893 or email jholland@ exploreum.com.

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

No reservations are necessary.

MMoA is at 4850 Museum Drive.

Call 251-208-5200.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Email cassief13@aol.com.

Bingo Join Via! Health, Fitness, Enrichment Center (1717 Dauphin WORKSHOPS St.) for bingo every Tuesday and Thursday, 1:30-3:30 p.m. Call 251- “A Peek Beyond the Lights” 478-3311.

An information session for parents and student athletes who have aspirations of Bridge Lessons competing on a professional The Mobile Bridge Center offers level. Tuesday, Dec. 12, at 6 p.m. free bridge lessons each Tuesday at LeFlore Magnet High School, at 6 p.m. at 1510 University Blvd.

700 Donald St. Cost: $10 per Arrive a few minutes early to parent(s) and athlete. Call register. Call 251-666-2147, 10 Melanie Johnson, 251-208-1610. a.m. to 2 p.m.

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

“Understanding Credit and Credit Reports” Workshop designed to help you understand creditworthiness and all aspects of your personal credit report. Monday, Dec. 11, 6 p.m. Register at Lifelines/ Consumer Credit Counseling office, 705 Oak Circle Drive E., Mobile. Call 251-602-0011.

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MEDIA MEDIA FRENZY

Consolidation at Advance Publications

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

A

dvance Publications, the parent company of al.com and the Press-Register, announced to staff last week a new consolidation that was short on specifics as to what it might mean for news consumers and employees.

A joint statement by Advance Local CEO Randy Siegel and President Caroline Harrison said the company will be combining Advance Local, ADI and ACS into one company to be known as Advance Local Media LLC. “Our industry is changing. We all feel it every day. As an organization, we have taken major steps in the past to stay ahead of that change, and today we take another one,” the statement read.

The statement mostly outlined a number of changes in the organizational structure at the top of the company as efforts are combined.

No specifics were offered as to whether the consolidations will mean layoffs or changes in print schedules, although some insiders have said there have been some recent layoffs in the company’s printing wing.

The statement also said the company was making the move to build upon its successes in digital growth to “create a more sustainable business for the long term.”

“We’ve been working on this for a while, but today is a beginning not a conclusion,” they wrote.

Advance is the newspaper division of Newhouse Publishing.

iHeartradio, Cumulus bankruptcy issues

Radio conglomerate iHeartradio’s plan to refinance more than $15 billion in debt and surrender 87 percent of the equity in the company was rejected by creditors last week.

Creditors are pushing the company to follow one of the country’s other large radio companies, Cumulus, which declared bankruptcy last week. The majority of radio stations in the Mobile-Pensacola market are owned by the two companies. Ten of the 13 top stations in Mobile are owned by one company or the other and all of Pensacola’s top nine stations are, according to Nielsen Audio. iHeart’s creditors are pushing for greater control of the company and a Securities and Exchange Commission filing last Thursday says creditors are pushing bankruptcy as one possible solution.

Sealls earns more kudos

WKRG Chief Meteorologist Alan Sealls will need to add more space to his trophy shelf as he recently picked up two more regional Emmy Awards.

The Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences was awarded in the Weather News category for his piece “Supermoon or Super Hype?” He also won the “Talent” award in the Weather category for “I wonder what that was!”

Sealls was the only winner from a Mobile station and adds to a string of Emmys and other awards over the past several years.

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THE NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE INSIDE OUT

BY JEFF CHEN / EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ ACROSS 1 Per 7 Per ____ 11 Feature on the back of some pajamas 15 Conversation interrupter in a car, at times 18 Cured salmon 19 Jazzy Anita 20 Top-shelf 21 Go bad 22 Lists about a port on the Black Sea 24 Guaranteed to succeed 26 Auspice 27 Referring to this clue within this clue, e.g.

28 Neighborhoods surrounded by crime 30 1970s-’90s chess champion 33 Fill-in 35 ____ Store 36 Laura of “ER” 37 Provide cover for, say 39 Fad dance move of 2015 40 Blue-green hue 42 Style of Radio City Music Hall, informally 43 Metal pin stuck in parts of sinks 47 Figure skater Sonja 49 Shout after seeing Godzilla 50 Motorsports vehicle 51 ____ ammoniac 52 Good times 54 Capital of the world’s happiest country, per a 2017 U.N. survey 55 QB’s cry 56 Unpleasant 58 The dark side 59 One of the principal deities in Hinduism 61 Sliding item on a car 64 Carne ____ (taco option) 67 ____ Dimas, Calif.

68 Flourishes around monsoon events 71 Sample-collecting org.

73 Lush 75 React to a haymaker 76 Slack-jawed 78 Pot note 79 Heaters 80 Major investors in start-up cos.

82 Its filling contained lard until 1997 83 Dangerous vipers 86 Ka-boom!

87 1972 No. 1 hit with the lyric “No one’s ever gonna keep me down again” 89 Regret 90 Ranger’s wear

92 Fear among underground workers 95 It goes downhill 97 First name in 1950s comedy 98 Actor John of the “Harold & Kumar” films 99 Nordstrom competitor 100 Shades of tan 102 “Pimp My Ride” network 103 Curry of the N.B.A. 105 Moves, as a plant 109 Coming up in vetoes 112 Got 100 on 114 “I’ll get this done” 115 Licorice-flavored extract 116 Crew found inside again and again 120 Spy novelist Deighton 121 Poet ____ St. Vincent Millay 122 Kook 123 “Fawlty Towers” or “The Vicar of Dibley” 124 Need a lift?

125 Looking up 126 And others, for short 127 Gets fresh with

9 Something pressed against a conch 10 Game predecessor of Riven 11 Certain spa treatment 12 Baker’s container 13 The “I” of “The King and I” 14 ____ dish 15 Bad puns 16 Song with verses by four or more rappers 17 Mounties’ hats 18 Understand 23 “Go” preceder 25 Give for a while 29 Hindu exercise system 31 “Do as I say!”

32 Climbing plant in the pea family 34 Broadcaster of many Ken Burns documentaries 38 Something to work through with a therapist 41 Benghazi native 43 Waste 44 Actress Phylicia of “Creed” 45 “Fighting” collegiate team 46 Stella ____ (beer) 48 Another name DOWN FOR Dido 1 Nose of a wine 51 Hybrid activewear 2 Single-____ (like 53 Santa ____ winds a certain health care system) 56 Tailor’s measure 3 Does his name ring a bell? 57 See 74-Down 4 Pipe joint 60 Take in 5 “Cool” sort 62 Blood type of a “universal 6 Reason to pull an all-nighter donor” 7 Partner of a crossed “t” 63 Ardent 8 Creative sort 65 “Oh, heavens!”

66 Take off an invisibility cloak 69 Lit a fire under 70 Annual event viewed live by hundreds of millions of people, with “the” 72 Big stretches 74 With 57-Down, something filling fills 77 Graceful losers, e.g.

81 Besmirch 83 Magazine places 84 Don Quixote’s unseen beloved 85 Sign with an antlered pictogram 86 Award won by “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” 88 Speedboat follower 91 Continues 92 Hosts, for short 93 Words of empathy 94 “You shouldn’t’ve done that” 96 The Blues Brothers and others 101 Emulate Snidely Whiplash 104 Hack down 106 Chilled 107 Costa Ricans, in slang 108 Modern education acronym 110 Brouhaha 111 Lid irritant 113 “I call that!”

117 Very in 118 Second Amendment org.

119 U.S.O. audience

ANSWERS ON PAGE 48

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SPORTS UPON FURTHER REVIEW

Murphy, Bishop State students learn about sports careers

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

T

of Sports Science program. This offers majors in sports coaching, sports management, sports strength plus conditioning and sports studies. The program is fully online, allowing students to complete the degree at their own pace.

In return, Bishop State will allow USSA bachelor’s degree students who have not completed some courses in the state-required General Education Curriculum to take them through Bishop State.

“This agreement represents another option for our graduates at Bishop State Community College to make a seamless transfer to the United States Sports Academy,” Bishop State President Dr. Reginald Sykes said.

USSA will also work with Bishop State to develop sports-related curricula that are mutually accepted by both institutions. The Academy also will invite qualified Bishop State faculty members to become members of the its national faculty, a group of educators who teach in the institution’s various sport education programs around the world.

“I believe that this step forward will enable the two institutions to work together to provide more opportunities for students in southwest Alabama to further their education, particularly in the many disciplines of sports,” Academy President Dr. T.J. Rosandich said. “We’re looking forward to working with our colleagues at Bishop State in making this goal a reality.”

Cross-country winners

Two area high school runners captured individual state cross-country titles during the Alabama championships at the Oakville Indian Mounds Course. In Class 7A, senior Grace Jensen of McGill-Toolen Catholic High School covered the 5-kilometer course in 18:00.51. In Class 5A, Faith Academy eighth-grader Olivia Andrews ran the distance in 18:59.40.

Other Top 10 finishers and team results are as follows: • Class 7A girls — Baker was fifth and McGill-Toolen was sixth; • Class 7A boys — Fairhope was tenth; • Class 6A girls — Nicole Luther of Daphne was tenth (20:01.31); Daphne was sixth while Spanish Fort was seventh; • Class 6A boys — Daphne was tenth; • Class 5A girls — Close behind Andrews were Isabel Valenzuela of St. Paul’s Episcopal in second (19:07.43) and Faith’s Bailey Lansdown in third place (19:17.71); St. Paul’s finished fourth and Faith was fifth.

• Class 5A boys — Myles Stoots of Faith was seventh

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Photo | Submitted

he United States Sports Academy is known around the world for having taught sport education programs in some 65 countries. The Daphnebased institution, though, has not forgotten its local connections.

Students from Murphy High School’s International Baccalaureate (IB) program recently crossed Mobile Bay to learn about career options in the world of sports. Meanwhile, USSA has entered into an articulation agreement with Bishop State Community College that will help their students complete a Bachelor of Sports Science degree.

The IB program’s stated goal is to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. With the advanced IB class schedule, most of Murphy’s students had already taken the high school’s kinesiology and sports medicine courses.

While in Daphne, they learned about careers in sports and toured the American Sport Art Museum & Archives.

Next was a visit to USSA’s Human Performance Laboratory, where faculty members Dr. Brandon Spradley, director of sports management, and Dr. Vincent Ramsey, chair of sports exercise science, along with doctoral teaching assistant Jason Williams demonstrated the use of the institution’s advanced sports science equipment.

The visit also included a panel discussion with Spradley; Ramsey; Dr. Stephen Butler, dean of academic affairs; Dr. Vincent Nix, dean of student services; Dr. Fred Cromartie, director of doctoral studies; Dr. Rodney Blackman, chair of recreation management; and doctoral teaching assistant Sara Weber. The session focused on how the faculty members became involved in the sports profession and what the students can do to prepare themselves for a career in the field.

“Today we got to see a lot of amazing sports art, and we learned some of the history behind what’s happened in sports here in the United States and around the world,” Murphy student Paul Lockett said. “Not only that, but we actually got to meet and speak to some of the faculty members who are here at the Academy. It was great to hear from them about careers in the sport profession that we can pursue in the future.”

• Back in August, the USSA staff entered into an articulation agreement with Stillman College — a historically black liberal arts college located in Tuscaloosa — with the goal of getting qualified applicants into its Master of Sports Science degree program.

Under the agreement with Mobile-based Bishop State, USSA will admit qualified graduates into its Bachelor

USSA DIRECTOR OF SPORTS MANAGEMENT DR. BRANDON SPRADLEY, LEFT, DEMONSTRATES THE KING-DEVICK TEST CONCUSSION SCREENING SYSTEM WITH MURPHY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS MARIANA OROZCO AND CHRISTOPHER DENT. (16:41.92); Faith was sixth and St. Paul’s was seventh; • Class 3A girls — Mary Catherine Branyon of Bayside Academy was fifth (20:14.98) and her team took fourth place; • Class 3A boys — Bayside finished in third place; and • Class 2A girls — Kaelyn Horn of St. Luke’s Episcopal finished sixth (20:04.61). St. Luke’s tied Hatton in team points, but took third place as the result of a tiebreaker.

Alabama awards recreation grants

Gov. Kay Ivey has announced $3.3 million in grants to expand recreational trails in several communities across the state. Of the 18 sites chosen, two are along the Gulf Coast.

The Mobile County Commission received $182,160 to construct a 10-footwide, three-quarter-mile paved multi-use trail at Chickasabogue Park. Trailside benches will be added.

Orange Beach got $116,532 to construct a .65-mile trail to connect the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail to the Orange Beach Sportsplex. The connecting trail will loop around a lake and a natural area.

“Outdoor trails lead to healthier minds and bodies, and they are a great investment in our state and communities,” Ivey said. “I welcome these new or improved trails, and I encourage everyone to visit one and experience the outdoors that Alabama offers.”

The grants were awarded from funds made available to the state from the Federal Highway Administration’s Recreational Trails Program. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs administers the program in Alabama.

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STYLE GARDENING

Mobile’s other bloom season

BY BRENDA BOLTON, MOBILE MASTER GARDENER | COASTALALABAMAGARDENING@GMAIL.COM

Photos | Brenda Bolton

Camellia blooms, including white japonica, red japonica and October Magic Dawn, can be preserved in paraffin wax.

Q: I’m new to this area and miss my garden peonies, but I see the camellias in bloom here and want to know more about this beautiful flower.

A:

Welcome to a year-round gardening city, where naming the best flower or bloom season is a challenge. Is it traditional springtime with its first blush of pastel rose petals, azaleas and asters, or June’s striped crinums and big blue hydrangeas, or the butterfly’s September celebration of vibrant sages?

But consider for a moment a quieter season, when the clamorous colors of summer have faded, along with the heat. When bare stems twist against the sky, the days have dimmed and into that cool, gray landscape emerges Mobile’s other bloom season.

Some believe it is the best. Along woody stems and among shiny, deep-green evergreen foliage, the whites and pinks and reds of the camellia pop out.

The camellia has been such an anchor plant here for so long that many Mobilians think it’s native. This beautiful Asian immigrant has withstood the tests of time and climate, charming us with its achingly beautiful blooms for hundreds of years. From the annual winter Camellia Ball to its selection as Alabama State Flower, the camellia is integral to our culture and traditions.

Ornamental camellias are generally grouped into the smallleafed C. sasanqua, and the large-leafed C. japonica. C. japonica needs early morning or dappled sun while the faster-growing C. sasanqua takes full sun and a bit of afternoon shade. Established camellias enjoy drier conditions and a root zone cooled by good quality mulch, such as pine straw or shredded pine bark.

During the first year, water regularly (1 inch weekly if there is no rain, provided the soil drains well — a critical need). After that, water only during periods of drought. While they flourish in a humus-rich, well-drained and loose, slightly acidic soil, they can tolerate heavy, acid clay. Spring and fall feeding encourages a healthy plant with abundant blooms. Camellias can develop scale, whiteflies and fungal leaf spot, but these are seldom fatal.

Treat with horticultural oils, as needed, precisely following package directions.

Allow camellias to achieve their natural growth habit, and prune only to remove diseased stems and to open up the plant for better airflow and light. Some C. sasanqua varieties produce tall, straggly stems that require clipping. Camellias do not have to be pruned to encourage flowering. In fact, if you prune at the wrong time of year, you will remove the next year’s buds. The best pruning time is just before the first flush of spring growth

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but after the last freeze.

The C. japonica is a beautiful cut flower. You can extend your enjoyment of the blooms by preserving them in a wax coating.

Waxing blossoms is a craft dating to Victorian times. C. japonicas are particularly successful when waxed because of their petal strength and beautiful shapes and colorations. Waxed blooms will grace tables and mantels in your home for about a week if the bloom is properly waxed when very fresh.

Here are the basics, according to Dr. Brenda Litchfield, president of the Mobile Camellia Society: “Mix 1 pound of paraffin wax with 1/2 cup of plain mineral oil.

Heat to 138 degrees F., using a very accurate cooking thermometer.

Slowly swirl (don’t dunk) the bloom into the wax until submerged.

Quickly remove it from the hot wax. Shake off excess, and turn it facing up to let wax run to interior. Immediately swirl the bloom into a pan of iced water and leave for about 30 seconds. Remove to drain and dry, leaving a bloom that looks like porcelain!”

For her demonstration, search Brenda Litchfield on YouTube, “Waxing Camellias.” For further information on cultivating camellias and recommended cultivars, see publication ANR 0202 “The Culture of Camellias, the State Flower of Alabama,” available free at aces.edu.

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STYLE HOROSCOPES WRITE-IN CANDIDATES

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SAGITTARIUS (11/22-12/21) ­­— Never much of shopper, you should stop procrastinating and start working through your Christmas gift list. Buy something for yourself first. You’ll write in “Seasonal Affective Disorder” on your Senate election ballot.

CAPRICORN (12/22-1/19) — Searching for greener pastures far away from political influence, you should begin by separating your “keepers” from “disposables” in preparation for an upcoming yard sale.

You’ll write in “moving to Colorado” on your Senate election ballot.

AQUARIUS (1/20-2/18) — In the spirit of Christmas, every time you emerge from a bathroom this month you’ll proclaim “Sh*tter’s full!” in a joke that is surely to never grow old. You’ll write in “that kid with a lisp from ‘Stranger Things’” on your Senate election ballot.

PISCES (2/19-3/20) — With the proliferation of sexual misconduct allegations, you’d be wise to decline kissing anyone under the mistletoe this year. While you’re at it, you should also stop pointing out cameltoe. You’ll write in “MoonPie Drop” on your Senate election ballot.

ARIES (3/21-4/19) — You should strive to have the work ethic of late Wintzell’s Chief Oyster Shucker Willie Brown. But it may be particularly difficult to balance with your primary motto: “it’s five o’clock somewhere.” You’ll write in “legalize it” on your Senate election ballot.

TAURUS (4/20-5/20) — You’ll break your big toe attempting to pirouette to the tune of “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.”

Afterward, someone buys you a new pair of shoes, Christmas shoes. You’ll write in “fake news” on your Senate election ballot.

GEMINI (5/21-6/21) — You’ll barely be interested in the College Football Playoff this year since it’s evident THE MAN controls everything and THE MAN has no interest in letting you, the little guy, get ahead in life. You’ll write in “THE MAN” on your Senate election ballot.

CANCER (6/22-7/22) — Disappointed once again that spare change weighs far more than it is actually worth, you’ll use rolled coins to purchase a gaming headset and ergonomic gaming chairs for your boo.

You’ll write in “flash sale” on your Senate election ballot.

LEO (7/23-8/22) — You’ll be visited by the Petty Ghost of Christmas Past, who’ll remind you to atone for those times you sampled grapes in the supermarket and blocked someone’s view at the Saenger Theatre. You’ll write in “Super PAC” on your Senate election ballot.

VIRGO (8/23-9/22) — For a uniquely Mobile Christmas decoration, you’ll make a wreath out of discarded hair weaves salvaged from area roads. It’ll complement your tinsel made out of cigarette butts.

You’ll write in “reduce, reuse, recycle” on your Senate election ballot.

LIBRA (9/23-10/22) — You go boujee this Christmas when you purchase only locally sourced gifts sustainably produced with organic materials from an artisanal cooperative. No refunds, no returns. You’ll write in “the good ol’ days” on your Senate election ballot.

SCORPIO (10/23-11/21) — You’ll insist on celebrating an extra day of Christmas this year so you can incorporate the lyric “13 Songs by Fugazi” into “12 Days of Christmas.” As expected, crickets. You’ll write in “a horse’s ass” on your Senate election ballot.

F U T U R E S H O C K

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LAGNIAPPE LEGALS | 251.450-4466 | legals@lagniappemobile.com FORECLOSURES Default having been made by the herein referenced Grantees in the terms of that certain Vendor’s Lien Deed executed on April 25, 2017, by Henry J. Skotzky and Alita R. Skotzky, as Grantees to Iras Development Company Inc., an Alabama Corporation, as Grantor which said Vendor’s Lien Deed was recorded in the Office of the Judge of Probate, Mobile County, Alabama, in Real Property Book LR7509, Page 1596, and said vendor’s lien having been last assigned to Mulherin Realty, Inc. Profit Sharing Plan Inc., which assignment was recorded in the office of the Judge of Probate Mobile County Alabama in Real Property Book LR7513, Page 1038, default continuing under said Vendor’s Lien Deed, by virtue of and pursuant to the power of sale contained in said Vendor’s Lien, the following described real property will be sold at public outcry, for cash, to the highest bidder, in front of the North entrance of the Courthouse of said County, located at 205 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama 36644, during the legal hours of sale, on January 3, 2018.

Lot 130, as per plat of RAMSEY ESTATES, UNIT VII, as recorded in Map Book 80, Page 09, Probate Court of Mobile County, Alabama together with a 1999 Redmon Mobile Home (28 x 76) VIN: 14720729A [and] 14720729B. Said sale is made for the purpose of paying said Vendor’s Lien debt and costs of foreclosure.

Mulherin Realty Inc. Profit Sharing Plan, Inc. Holder of said Vendor’s Lien. WILLIAM B. JACKSON, II STOKES & CLINTON, P.C. Attorneys for Lienholder Post Office Box 991801 Mobile, Alabama 36691 (251) 460-2400 Lagniappe HD Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 13, 2017

Default having been made by the herein referenced Grantee in the terms of that certain Vendor’s Lien Deed executed on March 31, 2017, by Johnnie D. Weaver, as Grantee to Iras Development Company Inc., an Alabama corporation, as Grantor which said Vendor’s Lien Deed was recorded in the Office of the Judge of Probate, Mobile County, Alabama, in Real Property Book LR7498, Page 1448, and said vendor’s lien having been last assigned to W. Austin Mulherin, which assignment was recorded in the office of the Judge of Probate Mobile County Alabama in Real Property Book LR7502, Page 1638, and default continuing under said Vendor’s Lien Deed, by virtue of and pursuant to the power of sale contained in said Vendor’s Lien, the following described real property will be sold at public outcry, for cash, to the highest bidder, in front of the North entrance of the Courthouse of said County, located at 205 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama 36644, during the legal hours of sale, on January 3, 2018. Lot 30, as per plat of BURLINGTON, UNIT II, as recorded in Map Book 87, Page 51, Probate Court of Mobile County, Alabama, including a 12 x 60 (3) Bedroom (1) Bathroom, [Mobile} Home. Said sale is made for the purpose of paying said Vendor’s Lien debt and costs of foreclosure. W. Austin Mulherin Holder of said Vendor’s Lien. WILLIAM B. JACKSON, II STOKES & CLINTON, P.C. Attorneys for Lienholder Post Office Box 991801 Mobile, Alabama 36691 (251) 460-2400 Lagniappe HD Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 13, 2017

Default having been made by the herein referenced Grantees in the terms of that certain Vendor’s Lien Deed executed on April 5, 2016, by Philip C. Paulk and Briana M. Finney, as Grantees to Michael O’C Jackson, as Grantor which said Vendor’s Lien Deed was recorded in the Office of the Judge of Probate, Mobile County, Alabama, in Real Property Book LR7369, Page 988, by virtue of and pursuant to the power of sale contained in said Vendor’s Lien, the following described real property will be sold at public outcry, for cash, to the highest bidder, in front of the North entrance of the Courthouse of said County, located at 205 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama 36644, during the legal hours of sale, on January 3, 2018. LOT A, RESUBDIVISION of LOT 35, BLOCK L, as per plat of GLEN ACRES SUBDIVISION, as recorded in Map Book 132, Page 22, Probate Court of Mobile County, Alabama. Said sale is made for the purpose of paying said Vendor’s Lien debt and costs of foreclosure. Michael O’C. Jackson Holder of said Vendor’s Lien. WILLIAM B. JACKSON, II STOKES & CLINTON, P.C. Attorneys for Lienholder Post Office Box 991801 Mobile, Alabama 36691 (251) 460-2400 Lagniappe HD Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 13, 2017

Default having been made by the herein referenced Grantees in the terms of that certain Vendor’s Lien Deed executed on May 12, 2017, by Jeannie L. Evans, as Grantee to g.l.s., Inc., an Alabama corporation, as Grantor which said Vendor’s Lien Deed was recorded in the Office of the Judge of Probate, Mobile County, Alabama, in Real Property Book LR7515, Page 1733,

and said vendor’s lien having been last assigned to W. Austin Mulherin, which assignment was recorded in the office of the Judge of Probate Mobile County Alabama in Real Property Book LR7563, Page 580, default continuing under said Vendor’s Lien Deed, by virtue of and pursuant to the power of sale contained in said Vendor’s Lien, the following described real property will be sold at public outcry, for cash, to the highest bidder, in front of the North entrance of the Courthouse of said County, located at 205 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama 36644, during the legal hours of sale, on January 3, 2018.

Lots 21 & 22, s per plat of GLENWOOD ESTATES, as recorded in Map Book 46, Page 117, Probate Court of Mobile County, Alabama. Said sale is made for the purpose of paying said Vendor’s Lien debt and costs of foreclosure. W. Austin Mulherin Holder of said Vendor’s Lien WILLIAM B. JACKSON, II STOKES & CLINTON, P.C. Attorneys for Lienholder Post Office Box 991801 Mobile, Alabama 36691 (251) 460-2400 Lagniappe HD Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 13, 2017

Default having been made by the herein referenced Grantees in the terms of that certain Vendor’s Lien Deed executed on February 5, 2016, by Joshua F. Chaudron, as Grantee to Iras Development Company Inc., an Alabama corporation, as Grantor which said Vendor’s Lien Deed was recorded in the Office of the Judge of Probate, Mobile County, Alabama, in Real Property Book LR7348, Page 1304, and said vendor’s lien having been last assigned to W. Austin Mulherin, which assignment was recorded in the office of the Judge of Probate Mobile County Alabama in Real Property Book LR7355, Page 1611, default continuing under said Vendor’s Lien Deed, by virtue of and pursuant to the power of sale contained in said Vendor’s Lien, the following described real property will be sold at public outcry, for cash, to the highest bidder, in front of the North entrance of the Courthouse of said County, located at 205 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama 36644, during the legal hours of sale, on January 3, 2018. Lot 77, s per plat of TIMBERLAND, UNIT IV, as recorded in Map Book 98, Page 41, Probate Court of Mobile County, Alabama. Said sale is made for the purpose of paying said Vendor’s Lien debt and costs of foreclosure. W. Austin Mulherin Holder of said Vendor’s Lien WILLIAM B. JACKSON, II STOKES & CLINTON, P.C. Attorneys for Lienholder Post Office Box 991801 Mobile, Alabama 36691 (251) 460-2400 Lagniappe HD Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 13, 2017

Default having been made by the herein referenced Grantee in the terms of that certain Vendor’s Lien Deed executed on March 14, 2016, by Patricia M. Harbison, as Grantee to Iras Development Company Inc., an Alabama corporation, as Grantor which said Vendor’s Lien Deed was recorded in the Office of the Judge of Probate, Mobile County, Alabama, in Real Property Book LR7359, Page 968, and said vendor’s lien having been last assigned to W. Austin Mulherin, which assignment was recorded in the office of the Judge of Probate Mobile County Alabama in Real Property Book LR7366, Page 799, and default continuing under said Vendor’s Lien Deed, by virtue of and pursuant to the power of sale contained in said Vendor’s Lien, the following described real property will be sold at public outcry, for cash, to the highest bidder, in front of the North entrance of the Courthouse of said County, located at 205 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama 36644, during the legal hours of sale, on January 10, 2018. Lot 229 as per plat of RAMSEY ESTATES, UNIT XI, as recorded in Map Book 118, Page 52, Probate Court of Mobile County, Alabama, INLCUDING A 1994 Belmont Mobile Home VIN #MSB942868S12263 + MSB94286852SN12263.

Said sale is made for the purpose of paying said Vendor’s Lien debt and costs of foreclosure. W. Austin Mulherin Holder of said Vendor’s Lien WILLIAM B. JACKSON, II STOKES & CLINTON, P.C. Attorneys for Lienholder Post Office Box 991801 Mobile, Alabama 36691 (251) 460-2400 Lagniappe HD Dec. 6, 13, 20, 2017

Default having been made by the herein referenced Grantee in the terms of that certain Vendor’s Lien Deed executed on February 13, 2015, by Ethel L. Nettles, as Grantee to Burlington Inc., an Alabama corporation, as Grantor which said Vendor’s Lien Deed was recorded in the Office of the Judge of Probate, Mobile County, Alabama, in Real Property Book LR7234, Page 1565, and said vendor’s lien having been last assigned to EMON, LLC, which assignment was recorded in the office of the Judge of Probate Mobile County Alabama in Real Property Book LR7274, Page 1868, and default continuing under said Vendor’s Lien Deed, by virtue of and pursuant to

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the power of sale contained in said Vendor’s Lien, the following described real property will be sold at public outcry, for cash, to the highest bidder, in front of the North entrance of the Courthouse of said County, located at 205 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama 36644, during the legal hours of sale, on January 10, 2018.

Lot 14 as per plat of BURLINGTON, UNIT II, as recorded in Map Book 87, Page 51, Probate Court of Mobile County, Alabama, including (12 x 60) Mobile Home Said sale is made for the purpose of paying said Vendor’s Lien debt and costs of foreclosure. EMON, LLC Holder of said Vendor’s Lien WILLIAM B. JACKSON, II STOKES & CLINTON, P.C. Attorneys for Lienholder Post Office Box 991801 Mobile, Alabama 36691 (251) 460-2400 Lagniappe HD Dec. 6, 13, 20, 2017

NOTICE OF COMPLETION In accordance with Chapter 1, Title 39, Code of Alabama, 1975, NOTICE IS HEREBY given that M. Gay Constructors, Inc., Contractor, has completed the Contract for Harmon Park – Ball Field Lighting Improvements, 1611 Bellfast Street, Mobile, AL 36605, PR102-17. All persons having any claim for labor, materials, or otherwise in connection with this project should immediately notify the Architectural Engineering, City of Mobile, P.O. Box 1827, Mobile, Alabama 36633-1827.

Lagniappe HD November 22, 29, December 6, 13, 2017

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Sealed proposals will be received by Bishop State Community College, at the Council Trenholm Administration Building, Room 116 on the Main Campus of Bishop State Community College at 351 North Broad Street, Mobile AL, 36603; 2:00pm THURSDAY, JANUARY 4th, 2018, at which time and place they will be publicly opened and read for: PARKING GARAGE REPAIRS For Bishop State Community College Mobile, Alabama. The Work of the project includes, but is not limited to, selective demolition, new construction, coordination and supervision of the entire project, and all related work, as indicated in the Bid and Contract Documents.

A cashier’s check or bid bond payable to BISHOP STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE in an amount not less than five (5) percent of the amount of the bid, but in no event more than $10,000, must accompany the bidder’s proposal. Performance and statutory Labor and material Payment Bonds, insurance in compliance with requirements, and verification of E-Verify enrollment will be required at the signing of the Contract. The Issuing Office for the Bidding Documents is Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood, Inc., 11 North Water Street, Suite 15250, Mobile, AL 36602, Attn: Ashley Morris (251) 460-4006 Ashley.Morris@gmcnetwork. com. Prospective Bidders may examine the Bidding Documents at the Issuing Office on Mondays through Fridays between the hours of 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and may obtain copies of the Bidding Documents from the Issuing Office as described below. General Contractors may procure plans and specifications from the Architect upon payment of a deposit of Twenty dollars ($20.00) for a one time administrative fee for digital/file sharing access or One hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) (printed) per set. Contractors are encouraged to use the digital plans. Refunds will be issued for printed sets only issued by the Architect to each general contract bidder on the first two (2) sets issued submitting a bonafide bid, upon return of documents in good and reusable condition within ten (10) days of bid date. Additional sets for General Contractors, and sets for subs and vendors, may be obtained with the same deposit, which will be refunded as above, less cost of printing, reproduction, handling and distribution, which is estimated to be the same as the deposit amount. Checks shall be made payable to “Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood, Inc.” Bid documents will be mailed only upon receipt of deposit. No bid documents will distributed later than 24 hours prior to the scheduled opening of bids. Partial sets of Bidding Documents will not be available from the Issuing Office. Neither Owner nor Architect will be responsible for full or partial sets of Bidding Documents, including Addenda if any, obtained from sources other than the Issuing Office. For the list of plan holders on this project visit http://www.gmcnetwork.com/bids/. All bidders bidding in amounts exceeding that established by the State Licensing Board for General Contractors must be licensed under the Provision of Title 34, Chapter 8, Code of Alabama, 1975, as amended, and must show such evidence of license before bidding or bid will not be received or considered by Architect or Owner. The bidder shall show such evidence by clearly displaying his or her

current license number on the outside of the sealed envelope in which the proposal is delivered; Bidder must also include his or her current license number on the Proposal Form. No bid may be withdrawn after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids for a period of sixty (60) days. A PRE-BID CONFERENCE will be held at the same location where bids will be received, at 10:00AM TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12TH, 2017 for the purpose of reviewing the project and answering Bidder’s questions. Attendance at the Pre-Bid Conference is strongly recommended for all General Contractor Bidders and Subcontractors intending to submit a Proposal. This project is being bid, under the provisions of Alabama Act 2000-684, which require the General Contractor, in part, to take advantage of the Owner’s tax exempt status, obtain necessary certificates and other documentation required from the Alabama Department of Revenue, make payment for all materials, and to administer the sales and use tax savings portion of the project, as a part of their Bid. Additional qualifications and requirements for General Contractor Bidders and separate Subcontractors are indicated in the Bid and Contract Documents. The Owner reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to waive technical errors if, in their judgment, the best interests of the Owner will thereby be promoted. BISHOP STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE Mobile, Alabama Dr. Reginald Sykes, President GOODWYN, MILLS & CAWOOD, INC. MEMBERS, AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS 11 North Water Street, Suite 15250 Mobile, AL 36602 Phone:(251) 460-4006 Fax: (251) 460-4423 Lagniappe HD November 29, Dec. 6, 13, 2017

PROBATE NOTICE OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of: TRAVIS E. LOWE, Deceased Case No. 2017-2112 Take notice that Letters Testamentary have been granted to the below named party on the 13th day of November, 2017 by the Honorable Don Davis, Judge of Probate of Mobile County Probate Court, Alabama and that all parties having claims against said estate should file the same with the Probate Court of said county within the time allowed by law, or they will be barred. TRAVIS DEWAYNE LOWE as Executor under the last will and testament of TRAVIS E. LOWE, Deceased.

Attorney of Record: PRO SE Lagniappe HD November 22, 29, December 6, 2017

NOTICE OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of: LUCILLE W. HOUSTON, Deceased Case No. 2017-0839 Take notice that Letters Testamentary have been granted to the below named party on the 13th day of November, 2017 by the Honorable Don Davis, Judge of Probate of Mobile County Probate Court, Alabama and that all parties having claims against said estate should file the same with the Probate Court of said county within the time allowed by law, or they will be barred. KENISHA C. HOUSTON as Executrix under the last will and testament of LUCILLE W. HOUSTON, Deceased. Attorney of Record: DARLETT LUCY-GULLEY Lagniappe HD November 22, 29, December 6, 2017

NOTICE OF COURT PROCEEDING November 15, 2017 Case No. 2015-1791-1 IN THE PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of MARTHA SANDERS COURSEY, Deceased On to-wit the 8th day of January, 2018 at 2:00 PM in COURTROOM 1, THIRD FLOOR, Mobile County Government Center Annex, 151 Government Street the court will proceed to consider the Petition for Final Settlement as filed by TERRILL W. SANDERS. NOTICE is hereby given to all parties in interest who may appear and contest same or file a proper responsive pleading thereto if they then think proper. DON DAVIS, Judge of Probate.

Lagniappe HD Dec. 6, 13, 20, 27, 2017

NOTICE OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of: FRANCES S. YOUNCE, Deceased Case No. 2017-2034 Take notice that Letters Testamentary have been granted to the below named party on the 29th day of

November, 2017 by the Honorable Don Davis, Judge of Probate of Mobile County Probate Court, Alabama and that all parties having claims against said estate should file the same with the Probate Court of said county within the time allowed by law, or they will be barred. NANCY M. RODRICK as Executrix under the last will and testament of FRANCES S. YOUNCE, Deceased. Attorney of Record: PRO SE Lagniappe HD Dec. 6, 13, 20, 2017.

PUBLIC NOTICE JOINT MOBILE METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION (MPO)/ TECHNICAL COORDINATING AND CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING The Mobile MPO Policy Board will meet on Wednesday, December 13, 2017 at 10:00 am at the GM&O Building in the Board Room at 110 Beauregard Street. The purpose of the meeting is to approve concurrence of the City of Mobile being the Mobile Urban Area FTA Section 5307 Designated Recipient and discuss amending the Long Range Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program to include but not limited to the Public Private Partnership including all finance mechanisms being sought or planned for the Mobile River Bridge Project. Also the MPO will vote to approve the following modifications to the FY 2016-2019 Transportation Improvement Program: ADD 100066183 (CN) Resurface on SR-16 (US90) from I-165 Approximately 3 miles East to MP 34; $1,286,987 with Interstate Maintenance Funds. 100067749 (CN) Sidewalks along the South Side of Airport Boulevard between Hillcrest Road and Regents Way in Mobile with Urban TAP Funds.

100067750 (CN) Sidewalks along the North Side of Old Shell Road from the West Side of Parkway Drive to University Boulevard in Mobile with Urban TAP Funds. REMOVE From Urban TAP Funds 100067398 (CN) Sidewalks and Multi-use Path along SR 42/ US 98 from Firetower Rd to East of Oak Hill Dr in Semmes. 100067419 (CN) Sidewalks and Multi-use Path along SR 42/US 98 from East of Oak Hill Dr. Walmart in Semmes. MOVE 100055752 (UT) I-10 Interchange Modifications from Texas Street (Exit 25A) to West Tunnel Entrance from December 01, 2017 to October 1, 2019 with Interstate Maintenance Funds.

The MPO will also vote to approve the FY 2018 FTA 5310 Mobile Urban Area Program of Projects.

100067788 Mobile Association of Retarded Citizens (Operating); 1/1/2018 $173,634 100067789 City of Satsuma (Operating); 1/1/2018 $45,966 100067790 Mobile Association of Retarded Citizens (Capital); 1/1/2018 $33,820 100067791 City of Satsuma (Capital); 1/1/2018 $5,489 100067792 Mercy Life (Capital); 1/1/2018 $55,000 100067793 Learning Tree (Capital); 1/1/2018 $111,000 100067794 SARPC Program Administration; 1/1/2018 $31,371 Physically challenged persons who need special accommodations should contact SARPC in advance so arrangements can be made to meet their needs.

Transportation Planning Coordinator South Alabama Regional Planning Commission P.O. Box 1665 Mobile, AL 36633-1665 PHONE (251) 433-6541 FAX (251) 433-6009 EMAIL:transportation@sarpc.org Lagniappe HD Dec. 6, 13, 2017

STORAGE AUCTION NOTICE OF SALE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to Alabama Statutes, that the goods stored in units rented by occupants listed below will be sold to the highest bidder at a public auction online atwww.storagetreasures.com on December 22, 2017 at 10:00 am to satisfy liens claimed by STORAGEMAX MIDTOWN, together with all costs of sale.

Cheryl Norment Any of the above goods may be withdrawn from sale by STORAGEMAX MIDTOWN at any time without prior notice.

Lagniappe HD Dec. 6, 13, 2017

NOTICE OF SALE The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on January 05, 2018 - Time -12pm, if not claimed at 2024 Halls Mill Rd., Mobile, AL 36606.

2006 Hyundai Tiburon KMHHM65D36U192517 2009 Nissan Altima 1N4AL21E99N508068 Lagniappe HD Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 2017

LAGNIAPPE LEGALS The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on January 05, 2018 - Time -12pm, if not claimed at 210 5th St., Chickasaw, AL 36611.

1998 Dodge Ram 1B7HC16XXWS580889 Lagniappe HD Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on January 05, 2018 - Time – 12pm, if not claimed – at 1408 Montlimar Dr., Mobile, AL 36609.

2015 Toyota Corolla 2T1BURHE4FC241771 Lagniappe HD Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on January 05, 2018 - Time – 12pm, if not claimed - at 6874 Dauphin Island Parkway, Mobile, AL 36605.

2015 Toyota Tacoma 5TFUU4EN3FX112437 1996 Ford Ranger 1FTCR14U6TTA20598 Lagniappe HD Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on January 05, 2018 - Time -12pm, if not claimed at 7960 Two Mile Rd., Irvington, AL 36544.

2007 Mitsubishi Raider 1Z7HC22K67S233890 1999 Honda Accord 1HGCG5651XA161648 2004 Ford Escape 1FMYU02114KB38410 2005 Mercury Montego 1MEHM42145G625681 2006 VW Jetta 3VWSF71K96M622129 Lagniappe HD Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on January 05, 2018 - Time -12pm, if not claimed at 6425 Spanish Fort Blvd., Spanish Fort, AL 36527.

2005 Mitsubishi Outlander JA4LX31F95UO23879 2004 Toyota Corolla 2T1KR32E34C256797 2007 Pontiac G6 1G2ZH36N574136457 1999 Subaru Legacy 4S3BG6857X7602421 2006 Mercury Mariner 4M2CU561X6KJ18921 2000 Honda Civic JHMEJ6672YS005015 2006 Honda Civic 2HGFG11806H556766 1994 Infiniti J30 JNKAY21D9RM111032 2007 Lexus ES350 JTHBJ46G272034164 1998 Ford Explorer 1FMZU34E1WZB18593 Lagniappe HD Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 2017

These abandon vehicles will be sold at 5781 Three Notch Rd on 01/04/2018 at 9am if not claimed FORD 1FMPU18L3WLA53110 CHEV 1GCDS136548153076 TOYO 4TASM92N7XZ550534 BUIC 1G4HR52KXXH449892 CHEV 2G1WL52J2Y1169479 FORD 1FTFW1CT1CFB71667 Lagniappe HD Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on January 12, 2018 - Time -12pm, if not claimed at 409 Montgomery St., Prichard, AL 36610.

2014 Chevrolet Cruze 1G1PC5SBXE7344914 2007 Nissan Altima 1N4AL21E67C146600 2005 Chrysler 300 2C3JA53GX5H552572 2005 Honda Accord 1HGCM72745A015544 1998 Toyota Tacoma 4TANL42N8WZ123655 2011 Hyundai Sonata 5NPEB4AC2BH191572 2010 Ford Explorer 1FMEU3BE9AUA41611 Lagniappe HD Dec. 6, 13, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on January 12, 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed at 8930 Countryveiw Lane, Wilmer, AL 36587.

1997 Toyota Tacoma

STYLE BOOZIE

4TAPM62N4VZ292099

Lagniappe HD Dec. 6, 13, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on January 12, 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed at 106 Martin Luther King Dr., Prichard, AL 36610.

2015 Kia Forte KNAFK4A63F5310604 Lagniappe HD Dec. 6, 13, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on January 12, 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed at 1311 Alvarez Dr., Saraland, AL 36571.

1984 Ford F150 1FTCF15F0ENA38353 Lagniappe HD Dec. 6, 13, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on January 12, 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed at 7851 Helton Dr., Foley, AL 36535.

1997 Dodge Ram 1500 1B7HC16Z3VS170208 Lagniappe HD Dec. 6, 13, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on January 12, 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed at 1147 E I-65 Service Rd. S., Mobile, AL 36606.

2008 Infiniti G35 JNKBV61E58M217621 Lagniappe HD Dec. 6, 13, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on January 12, 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed at 7848 Zeigler Blvd., Mobile, AL 36608.

2011 Hyundai Sonata 5NPEB4AC8BH133188 Lagniappe HD Dec. 6, 13, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on January 12, 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed at 3055 Springhill Ave., Mobile, AL 36607.

2001 Nissan Xterra 5N1ED28T01C542456 Lagniappe HD Dec. 6, 13, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on January 12, 2018 - Time - 12pm, if not claimed at 7960 Two Mile Rd., Irvington, AL 36544.

2003 Ford Escape 1FMYU02163KD21171 Lagniappe HD Dec. 6, 13, 2017

Deadline for legal advertising in Lagniappe HD is every Monday at 5 p.m.

Lagniappe HD is distributed each Thursday.

Mobile gets down and dirty

BY BOOZIE BEER NUES/SOCIAL BUTTERFLY

S

eems as if Santa has already made his list and checked it twice for some. Who made the nice list? The Alabama Crimson Tide. Who made the, umm, other list? The Auburn Tigers. Talk about a whirlwind of a week for the Tide and the Tigers, one minute you’re up and the next you’re down, and vice versa. I think it’s safe to say New Orleans is going to be wild for New Year’s Eve. Enough about football, though — it’s about to be Christmas party season, time to brace ourselves. I don’t know about y’all but I have something every single weekend for the rest of this month. Luckily my winter cold came this past weekend. Yeah, I missed out on some goodies but it could have been worse. Luckily, the spies were out in full swing, so I’ve got the latest gossip all wrapped up for you in a nice box with a pretty Christmas bow. You’re welcome.

Last week’s shenanigans

Last Thursday night, downtown was hopping! Boozie is so proud: On a Thursday night, Mob-Town had two sold-out concerts within a block of each other! You go, Mobile, with your bad self!

First up, Marc Broussard at The Steeple. Y’all already know my love for The Steeple so add in “Bayou Soul” artist Marc and you’ve got one heck of a combo!

My spy said it was a great show and that Marc really knows how to pick a bass guitar. My spy also mentioned that the crowd was singing along and pretty chill, but her favorite part was when Marc did a cover of “Cry To Me” from “Dirty Dancing.”

Just down the street, the Saenger was packed with a sold-out crowd for the Avett Brothers. My spy in attendance said the crowd was a little tame at first but once people got into the groove and loosened up, everyone was dancing and singing along! The Avetts put on an incredible show, playing many of their hits, starting out with their latest “True Sadness” and finishing up with “I and Love and You” and “Kick Drum Heart.” They also had covers of Jim Croce’s “Operator,” which was just perfect for them and “Jump in the Line,” made popular in the movie, “Beetlejuice.”

We are so very lucky to have the Saenger and man, have they been bringing in some incredible shows? You guys keep ‘em comin’, and we will keep ‘em sold out!

Come Friday (a new Buffett song?), it was the grand opening of Serda Brewing! Mayor Sandy Stimpson was there to cut the ribbon and drink beer from his personalized mug. It was 4 p.m., so Sandy kept his beer drinking

to a minimum. Boozie won’t be able to do the same when Lagniappe World Headquarters moves to our new location just a few doors down. Danger! Serda gift card for Lagniappe’s Dirty Santa? I think so!

Tube catch-up

While I was out sick this past weekend, I was able to catch up on a few recorded shows I’ve been meaning to tell y’all about. Like I’ve said before, I don’t watch a whole lot of TV (too much time in the bars) so sometimes I fall behind, but not to worry, there’s still plenty of time to plan for the reruns!

HGTV’s “Beach Hunters” was first on my list, and I’m glad I got that one out of the way. Great show, but just slightly inaccurate. This episode is about a couple who is looking to buy a house on the “sugar sand shores of Fairhope, Alabama, for a Gulf Coast getaway.”

Like most HGTV shows, they look at three houses and here is the kicker, not one of them is in Fairhope.

They must have skipped their geography class, because Fairhope is much farther north than all three properties and probably about a 25-minute drive from the closest.

Maybe they’re from a big city and don’t think twice about 25 minutes.

Anyways, one house was around Mullet Point, the other on Weeks Bay and then one seemed to be in the Bon Secour area. I say “area” because they didn’t show a detailed map, but regardless, it wasn’t Fairhope.

However, the houses were all nice and they found the one they were looking for! You can catch the rerun on Christmas Day at 5:30 p.m., that is if you are lame like me and watching HGTV on Christmas.

Next up was the Travel Channel’s “Ginormous Food.” This did not disappoint, and only made me hungry! Josh Denny stopped at Von’s Bistro, LoDa Bier Garten and Thyme on Section Street (in Fairhope).

Y’all, just thinking about these dishes makes me want to run and eat at these restaurants.

Since I don’t want to ruin too much for y’all, I suggest ordering from at least one of the restaurants featured before settling in front of the TV on Saturday, Dec. 23, for the rerun. If you don’t your mouth will be watering for one of these dishes! Umm, I think I’m about to order something now!

Well, kids, that’s all I’ve got this week. Just remember, whether rain or shine, dramatic or scandalous, or just some plain ol’ sold-out show lovin’, I will be there. Ciao!

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 D e c e m b e r 6 , 2 0 1 7 - D e c e m b e r 1 2 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 51