2 | LAGNIAPPE | August 21, 2014 - August 27, 2014 LAGNIAPPE ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• WEEKLY August 21, 2014 – August 27, 2014 | www.lagniappemobile.com Ashley Trice BAY BRIEFS Co-publisher/Editor Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s proposed 2015 [email protected] budget includes a pay raise, but also a new Rob Holbert healthcare plan. Co-publisher/Managing Editor 6 [email protected] Steve Hall COMMENTARY Marketing/Sales Director If everyone thought like a 5-year-old race [email protected] wouldn’t be an issue. Gabriel Tynes Assistant Managing Editor 12 [email protected] CUISINE Dale Liesch Reporter The definitive guide [email protected] to food options at the Jason Johnson Dauphin Street Beer Reporter [email protected] Festival downtown this Saturday, Aug. 23. Alyson Stokes Web & Social Media Manager/Reporter [email protected] Kevin Lee CONTENTS Associate Editor/Arts Editor [email protected] Andy MacDonald 18 Cuisine Editor [email protected] BUSINESS Stephen Centanni Music Editor Homeless advocacy group Housing [email protected] First recently launched a new J. Mark Bryant community-wide partnership. Sports Writer 24 [email protected] Daniel Anderson Chief Photographer COVER [email protected] The hunter becomes the Laura Rasmussen hunted as 150 people Art Director statewide are awarded www.laurarasmussen.com 26 tags for the annual Brooke Wilder Advertising Sales Executive alligator hunt. [email protected] Leigh Wright Advertising Sales Executive [email protected] Beth Williams Advertising Sales Executive [email protected] Beth McKee ARTS Advertising Sales Executive Artistic pursuits run wide, far and deep [email protected] in Mobile’s population, as one former Melissa Schwarz MCPSS employee shows. Editorial Assistant 28 [email protected] Contributors: Asia Frey • Brian Holbert MUSIC Jeff Poor • Jennifer McDonald Ohio’s Ben Davis Jr., Ron Sivak • Susan Larsson frontman of the Dirt On the Cover: Alligator Hunt by Dan Anderson Poor Troubadours, is a former punk gone LAGNIAPPE (USPS 20) is published weekly, 52 issues a year, Volume 12, Issue 27, every country. Thursday by Something, Extra Publishing, Inc. Entered at the Mobile Post Office, 250 St. Joseph St, Mobile, AL, 36601. Periodicals postage paid at Mobile Post Office, 250 St Joseph St., Mobile, AL 36601 and other locations. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to P.O. Box 3003 Mobile, AL 36652. Editorial, advertising and production offices are 34 located at 1102A Dauphin St. Mobile, AL 36604. Mailing address is P.O. Box 3003 Mobile, AL 36652. Phone: 251.450.4466 Fax 251.450.4498. Email: ashley- FILM [email protected] or [email protected] Got MILF? Despite its sexy allure, LAGNIAPPE is printed at Walton Press, 402 “Adore” is more than idyllic lifestyle Mayfield Dr., Monroe, GA 30655. All letters sent to Lagniappe are considered to porn. be intended for publication. 40 Member: Association of Alternative Newsweek- lies and Alternative Weeklies Network MEDIA All rights reserved. Something Extra Publishing, Inc. Nothing may be reprinted, photocopied or If you want someone to repair your in any way reproduced without the expressed permission of the publishers. home and pay for it, now’s your time. Individuals may take one copy of the paper free of charge from area businesses, racks or boxes. After that, papers are $3 per 42 issue. Removal of more than one copy from these points constitutes theft. Violators are subject to prosecution. SPORTS Help support Lagniappe Weekly by becoming a “Friend with Benefits.” Spring Hill College is joining a new Scan this code for more info: league and Battleship Rugby hosts a 45 new tournament. STYLE An equine fan at the Kenny Chesney concert and Semmes’ most desirable 50 watercraft is on the market. LAGNIAPPE | August 21, 2014 - August 27, 2014 | 3 GOING POSTAL Back to the future To the editor: You mentioned at the end of your article (cover story, Aug. 7, 2014) that Mobile has not had a close call with a hurricane since Katrina in 2005. Have you not heard of Hurricane Ivan in 2004? It destroyed our beach home in Orange Beach, which would certainly be close enough to Mobile to be considered a close call! Charles Keith English teachers would be horrified To the editor: Do y’all happen to have a proofreader employed? If so, please ask him or her to look closely at the front page picture captioned “35 Years Later”, and read carefully the short “paragraph”, if you will, and see if anyone can spot the glaring error. Maybe spell check on your computers, or a handy- dandy dictionary would work well for checking for spelling errors. Maybe nit-picky, but if I had written this, and it was published on the front page for all to see, especially my English teachers from the past, I would be horrified. Just thought I’d mention it. Mary Alice Jordan We feel the same way To the editor: I so enjoy reading the Lagniappe. Today I started to read and was dismayed to see a mis- spelled word on the front page. I’m sure you caught it but possibly too late? Preparation has an “a”. In this day and age with spellchecker and , I’m sure, a capable editor, I feel these errors should be extremely limited. Thanks for allowing me to vent! Tracey Baucom Maybe we’re not that classy after all To the editor: Come on guys. This happens all too often lately! “Preparations” while spelled correctly on page 24, is misspelled on the front cover (of all places) and in the contents page. This “paper” is too classy for these types of errors! Or is it? I guess time will tell. Joy Burge, retired MCPSS English teacher. (available for hire if you need a pre-press reader!) LOL Editor’s Note: Thanks to the many people who pointed out our error in the last issue. 4 | LAGNIAPPE | August 21, 2014 - August 27, 2014 LAGNIAPPE | August 21, 2014 - August 27, 2014 | 5 BAY BRIEFS BB Budget has raises and cuts BY DALE LIESCH/REPORTER | [email protected] ayor Sandy Stimpson’s proposed The mayor’s proposed convention center 2015 budget includes two raises budget includes a $1.5 million decrease in for city employees, an increase spending overall. For example, BayFest will in healthcare costs, a 400 percent get $100,000 from the city this year, which Mincrease in capital spending and significant is $143,000 less than last year. In addition, cuts to performance contracts. the Mobile Bay Convention and Visitors “Our focus is to increase and redirect Bureau budget was cut by $400,000. The capital dollars toward fixing things that are Senior Bowl and Events Mobile were level broken in the city’s infrastructure, from our funding at $135,000 and $100,000 respec- streets, sidewalks and parks to the outdated tively. computer management systems and other Wesch added that for at least one year old equipment the city uses to conduct day- the city would not be directly supporting to-day business and secondly, it addresses benevolent organizations and would replace long-needed adjustments to our employees’ previous funding with a $1.2 million alloca- compensation.” Stimpson told a crowd dur- tion to the United Way of Southwest Ala- ing a presentation Aug. 19 to members of the bama and the Community Fund to disperse Mobile City Council. “These two areas of those funds as needed. focus, when combined with better manage- The budget also includes revenues from ment by city government, will result in our a one-cent sales tax, which was put in place citizens receiving improved basic services two years ago. Stimpson asked councilors to which they deserve.” consider extending the tax increase by two The mayor’s proposed general fund months to September 2015. budget includes $227 million in revenue and Councilwoman Bess Rich, who voted $222 million in expenditures. Both revenues against the tax when it was first brought to and expenditures are within a half a percent the council in 2012, said she was willing of last year’s budget, Stimpson said. to consider it for this budget because of the City employees will be eligible to get increased capital improvement funds and two pay increases as a result of the proposed pay raises included. budget. The first is a cost-of-living adjust- “I look forward to rolling it off next ment of 2.5 percent, which will go to all of year,” Rich said. the city’s 2,400 employees and will go into The capital improvement fund will grow effect in October. The second 2.5 percent from $3.5 million in 2014 to $14.3 million raise will be merit-based and take effect in under Stimpson’s proposal. The increase April, but will be contingent upon employ- includes $750,000 for a litter trap on Dog ees meeting certain benchmarks, Executive River and a litter vessel. Another $750,000 Director of Finance Paul Wesch said. would be used to purchase new public works “The last time the city employees vehicles, $3.2 million would be used to pur- received a raise was in 2007,” Stimpson chase 100 new police vehicles, $2 million said. “The gap in raises may be a result of would purchase new fire-rescue vehicles and economic factors beyond the city’s control, another $3 million would be used for park but it is nonetheless too long. Our employees improvements. deserve a raise.” Those park improvements may include Stimpson also announced the percentage new ball fields, lights, upgraded restrooms, of health insurance costs the employees will dog parks, splash pads, walking and biking be responsible for will be increased. Previ- trails, drainage and buildings. ously, employees paid roughly 16 percent of “The city is also upgrading to a modern the cost of health insurance, but that would and efficient, citywide software system, an increase to 20 percent for current employees.