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COLUMBUS, Ga. —From the Springer Opera House planning to allow children to attend an adult-only show, to a CPD assistant chief throwing a temper tantrum after she wasn’t selected to be the interim chief, to the Springer scrambling to hastily change course after our publications held them accountable, here’s all the muck that’s fit to print from the Columbus, Georgia area, along with a look at what to expect in the week ahead.
SPRINGER OPERA HOUSE HOLDING NUDE SEXUAL SHOW; ALLOWS CHILDREN, GETS STATE FUNDS
This story was originally published on April 17, 2023
COLUMBUS, Ga. — The Springer Opera House is set to open a production that includes profane adult language, simulated sexual acts, and real-world nudity.
While some of-age adult theatre-goers may find the content suitable for adult audiences if a waiver was provided, the Springer’s executive staff currently plan to permit children to attend the lewd and nude performance.
The distribution of sexual content to minor children is a blatant violation of federal law, even if a waiver were to be used; children under 16 cannot legally provide consent. Labeling such content as “the arts” does not negate that, either.
The play is set to open with its first performance on April 20.
According to insiders with intimate knowledge of the play’s content, the performance will include:
According to the same sources, the Springer Opera House’s executive staff are “unsure if they should require a waiver” for patrons to attend.
Though a basic google search of the play reveals the performance’s well-known adult sexual content and nudity, the Springer’s own website makes no mention of it whatsoever.
Instead, the Springer's website merely includes a fine-print footnote at the very bottom of the page that states: “Show contains adult themes and language.” That’s it.
There is no proper description, no warning, and no waiver for the public — nor parents — to view before bringing their families to the lewd & nude performance being put on by the State Theatre of Georgia.
How the Springer could possibly not intuitively conclude that only adults of legal age should be permitted to attend this performance is beyond comprehension.
The Springer Opera House also receives state funding through grants from the Georgia Council For The Arts, which is a strategic arm of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
Those funds are an appropriation from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Explore the full story to see how the disturbingly-adult content could land the Springer in seriously hot water.
HERE’S A LIST OF THE SPRINGER OPERA HOUSE’S SEASON SPONSORS
This story was originally published on April 18, 2023
COLUMBUS, Ga. — In a patently-insane lack of discretion, the executive staff of the Springer Opera House are currently planning to permit minor children to attend a production that explicitly features sexual profanity, simulated sexual acts, and real-world nudity.
A recent interview of the performance’s director published by The Columbusite confirmed that Paul Pierce hand-picked the obscene performance to be produced by the Springer. The interview selectively made no mention whatsoever of the performance’s extreme sexual content nor its nudity.
As of the date of this article’s drafting, there is still no disclaimer or prominently-displayed warning of the performance’s content on the Springer’s website; it remains unmentioned in all communications.
Despite the many “mission statements” of the local organizations who have chosen to sponsor the Springer’s current season, none have yet publicly spoken out condemning the abhorrently-grotesque and willfully-unethical conduct of the Springer, its staff, nor its board of directors.
In the interest of informing the public of this already-public information, we at the Muckraker have compiled the following complete list of the Springer Opera House’s season sponsors.
NOTE: The public should understand that many of these sponsors likely have no idea that the Springer’s production includes such sexual content and real-world nudity, let alone that the Springer’s staff are planning to allow children to attend. Since the Springer’s own website makes no mention of the performance’s nudity and sexual content, we highly doubt the Springer has been forthright with their sponsors about the show’s nudity and sexual content either.
If the reader does so choose to contact the sponsors listed below, the reader should take polite and tactful care in their communications by opting to inform them of the situation as opposed to ridiculing; they genuinely may not even know it is occurring, let alone on their dime.
Explore the full story to see a complete list of the Springer Opera House’s current sponsors.
WHY SILENCING THE HODGETWINS IS HYPOCRITICAL OF THE SPRINGER
This article was originally published on July 10, 2022 and was republished on April 19, 2023.
COLUMBUS, Ga. — Crowds can be seen gathering outside the doors of The Springer Opera House every Friday Night as they search for “The Lady”: a silver-painted mannequin sporting a punk-rock vibe used to mark the entrance for the adult-only event. People from all backgrounds queue up to pay their admission fee as many grab an adult beverage from the bar before making their way to their seats. The entrance alone is experiential.
According to the Springer Opera House’s website, No Shame Theatre is, “a late-night, uncensored event in which performers get five minutes to express themselves through music, poetry, sketch comedy, prose, rap, improvisation, dance, rants, stand-up comedy — almost anything goes. There are only three rules: The performance can last no longer than five minutes; The performance must be your original material, and; You can’t break anything – the space, the law, or yourself.”
As a prior weekly attendee, this writer can personally attest to the raunchy, hyper-sexual, unforgiving nature of No Shame Theatre. Free speech used to be an understatement at this weekly event: past-tense. Beginning in 2019, this writer walked out of the No Shame audience and has never returned. The theatre had stopped serving as a platform for free speech and expression and had morphed into a political soapbox of censorship, discontent, and division.
Conservative values were not only no longer welcome at No Shame, but were now actively spoken out against as if the event were a political rally. Any on-stage speech that did not conform with the views of the extreme political left were, in effect, forbidden. Performers who dared to speak against this censorship were shunned. This writer will never return to such a hostile and controlling “free speech” event.
However , the Springer’s outward projection of what No Shame claimed to be had not changed. The event continued to be marketed as a haven for free speech, albeit only in theory. The reality now was that any speech was permitted on-stage, so long as it wasn’t conservative; an unwritten fourth rule that would be hypocritical of the theatre to publish.
Explore the full story to see how the Springer claims to be a champion of free speech, yet continues to combat speech they do not agree with.
CPD ASST. CHIEF THROWS TEMPER TANTRUM; SHOWS WHY SHE SHOULDN’T BE CHIEF
This story was originally published on April 20, 2023.
COLUMBUS, Ga. — One of the two assistant chiefs of the Columbus Police Department has been throwing a toddler-like tyrannical temper tantrum in a laughable attempt to demand she be named the department’s interim chief of police.
The officers of the department and city officials alike are having none of it.
In the aftermath of police chief Freddie Blackmon accepting a severance package from the city, Assistant Chief of Administration Joyce Dent-Fitzpatrick immediately began making extortionary threats to sue the city if she was not “promoted” to be the interim chief.
What Fitzpatrick’s antics fail to realize is that the position she seeks to extort her way into is not a promoted one, but rather an appointed one. Officials can nominate whoever they deem appropriate.
It goes without saying that Fitzpatrick’s tyrannical display of extortionary behavior ironically indicates the very reasons why someone would never be considered for such an important leadership position — which is exactly why she’s likely on the absolute bottom of the list.
Explore the full story to see why her tyrannical attempt to seize power is ironically why she should never have it.
WIN: SPRINGER SCRAMBLED TO AVOID LEGAL TROUBLE ON ADULT PLAY, EVIDENCE SHOWS
This story was originally published on April 21, 2023.
COLUMBUS, Ga. — Evidence shows The Springer Opera House scrambled to become as legally-compliant as possible in the eleventh hour after originally planning to disregard federal obscenity laws altogether — but only after they had their feet held to the fire just days before their opening of an explicit adult-only show.
As revealed in our original article on April 17, 2023, the Springer originally made the conscious decision to permit children to attend the adult show instead without even so much as providing parents with a warning of the show’s content so they could decide for themselves if their child should attend.
Explore the full story to see the timeline and evidence showing how the Springer scrambled to avoid legal trouble after their abhorrent deception was exposed.
HOMETOWN HERO: LOCAL TEACHER NAMED FINALIST FOR GEORGIA TEACHER OF THE YEAR
This story was originally published on April 22, 2023.
COLUMBUS, Ga. — A local Fountain City educator’s exceptional teaching abilities have been formally recognized by the State of Georgia, naming her as a finalist for the upcoming Georgia Teacher of the Year.
Vanessa Ellis, a Columbus native with a lifelong passion for education, inspires the future of our city each and every day in her eighth grade social studies classroom at Veterans Memorial Middle School — go rangers!
Born in Jamaica, Ellis moved to the Fountain City at a young age. As a proud product of the Muscogee County School District.
After graduating from Jordan Vocational High School, Ellis received both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Education degrees from Columbus State University. Ellis was later named a Harvard Fellow in 2018.
With a knack for community service, Ellis also serves on the Georgia Public Broadcasting Teacher Advisory Group, as well as on the Springer Theatre Academy Education Committee.
Ellis brings all of her experiences and background to bear in her classroom each and every day for her students. With a focus on developing ‘the whole child,’ her proven track record of nurturing the minds and futures of her students led to her being named the 2017 Georgia Economics Teacher of the Year.
As she continued to hone-in on her students’ success, Ellis was recognized again as the 2022 MCSD Teacher of the Year.
That tremendous list of achievements has now grown to include Ellis being named as a finalist for the Georgia Teacher of the Year — and local officials took note.
Just two weeks ago on April 11, 2023, the Columbus City Council recognized Ellis’ outstanding work. Council Judy Thomas (District 9) read a resolution into the record naming April 11th as “Vanessa Ellis Day.” Ellis then gave a selfless speech after her well-deserved recognition.
Explore the full story to see how you can help support outstanding teachers like Vanessa Ellis as they continue to develop the bright future of our city.
THE WEEK AHEAD
We are now in the third week since Mayor Henderson originally stated that the city’s police department would have a new interim chief in ‘a day or two.’ The department remains without an appointed interim chief, despite the outstanding leadership exhibited on a daily basis from senior officers already within the department.
The Columbus city council is scheduled to hold a regular meeting this coming Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will be held on the second floor of the C. E. “Red” McDaniel City Services Center located at 3111 Citizens Way, Columbus, GA 31906.
Towards the beginning of the meeting, Mayor Henderson will be presenting his recommended budget for the upcoming fiscal year (FY2024) which runs from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024.
The results of an audit of the Columbus Animal Care & Control (CACC) recently revealed severe staffing issues. That audit is slated to be presented to council by Public Works Director Drale Short, along with recommendations for how the center’s operations can be improved.
Chief Chief Sal Scarpa will also be presenting an update on the Columbus Fire & EMS Department.
You can view the entire agenda for the upcoming meeting here.
If you’d like to publicly address the Columbus City Council about a topic you feel is of interest to our city, you can apply through the city’s website here. We’ve also published an article to help guide you through the process.
A Look At Personal Safety
As the Columbus Police Department continues to unify under its new leadership model, violent crime is still likely to exist at higher levels than we would all like — even in what have previously been thought of as the “safer parts” of our city.
We at the Muckraker want to encourage our readers and their loved ones to remain hyper-vigilant as they go about their daily lives.
Based on lifetimes of experience and the combined professional careers of us at the Muckraker and our associates, here are what we consider to be the most important ways Columbusites can make themselves “hard targets” to avoid becoming a crime victim:
Back Our Blue
In closing, we at the Muckraker would like to thank the outstanding men and women of the Columbus Police Department who continue to shell out for the safety and well-being of our city each and every day, despite the abhorrent temporary conditions they are currently forced to work within.
“All police officers are entitled to outstanding leadership.”
Our city cannot thank you enough for what you do for us.
If you’re out and about throughout the week and see one of our city’s brave and valiant police officers, be sure to thank them. We’d bet it would mean an awful lot to them.
Residents are strongly encouraged to express their concerns and condolences for the brave men and women of the Columbus Police Department by emailing Mayor Skip Henderson directly at SkipHenderson@columbusga.org, while cc’ing their respective city council members on the email.
Facts are stubborn things — and we’ll keep publishing them, whether city officials like them or not.
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© 2023 Muscogee Muckraker. All rights reserved.
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