Three firefighters injured when car slams into fire engine en route to Lake Worth fire

Not good - condition of driver unknown.  Click title for link.

Check this out!

This is Coasters Coffee Bar:
 
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And this is Island Water Sports

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Both are downtown Lake Worth businesses that are taking advantage of 360 degree view virtual tours and adding them to their Google+ local business listings.  Not a bad way to show off your business!  How about the city do one to highlight the Casino ballroom space?  And the images are able to be embedded in blogs and other social media.

From a loyal reader...

I received a link to a website which keeps a list of odd-ball holidays by days, weeks and months. In light that we are in the shadow of one of the more prominent religious holidays, I wanted to share with you that today, March 30th is National Doctor's Day, I am in Control Day, and Take a Walk in the Park Day.  The "I am in Control Day," surprisingly springs from March 30, 1981 when then President Reagan had been shot by John Hinkley, Jr..  Most of us would remember the time Alexander Haig, then Secretary of State when he uttered the phrase "I am in control here."  Well, that was on that same day and since then it has come to have more of an existential meaning for some people - sort of a wake-up call to get your life in order.  This can be a realization that we are indeed control of our own ship called life, which is a good reminder any day of the year.

While you do this, you may want to enjoy our glorious south Florida weather this weekend and take that walk in the park and thank your doctor along the way that you are able to walk, take breath and feel healthy in part because of his or her efforts and training.

Handy and informative graphic put together by the city...

I opened my utility bill this month which included the city's Lake Worth-y News.  This graphic was on the inside of the newsletter.  It helps explain different parts of the city's electric utility and where our power really does come from.

Robert Dubac - Writer, Actor, Stand-up Comic 03/29 by High Noon in Lake Worth | Blog Talk Radio

Join your host Wes Blackman as he welcomes Robert Dubac to the "High Noon in Lake Worth" studios.  Mr. Dubac  specializes in work that deals with "political ideas, social mores and the complexity of the human experience with unparalleled wit and humor" as presented on his website.  He will be appearing at the Kravis Center from April 4 - 7 in his original work "Free Range Thinking."  Check out the links - it sure to be a memorable show and it is a pleasure to have him as a guest.

Click title for link to live show at noon tomorrow or for the archived show after it airs.

Recent Listenership Statistics for "High Noon in Lake Worth"

A surge in interest for Florida's municipal utilities - Florida Trend

An excellent statewide summary of the status of various municipally-owned electric utilities, the courting that is being done by FPL to buy them and what communities must do to sell them, if they wish to.  Lake Worth is mentioned.  The article was written before the referendum went through in Vero Beach that called for the sale of the utility to FPL.  Click title for link.

Where people are moving - to and from Palm Beach County

Blue indicates counties where there are more people moving from Palm Beach County than moving to Palm Beach County.  Gold shows where more people are moving to Palm Beach County.

Important Notice - especially for marine interests...

Coast Guard Bridge Advisory - Flagler Memorial (North) Bridge


Flagler Bridge 
Bridge Construction/Waterway Restriction/Temporary Bridge Regulation Changes.

Palm Beach, FL -    
The Florida Department of Transportation will be engaged with the emergency repairs of the existing Flagler Memorial Bridge across the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway mile 1021.8, Palm Beach, Florida, starting in April 2013.  

In order to complete these repairs, waterway restrictions caused by construction equipment at the bridge may limit horizontal navigational clearance to 35 feet at night and 70 feet during the day.

Night time restrictions will limit horizontal clearance to 35 feet between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. daily for up to three months.  A 70 foot horizontal clearance will be made available with a three hour notice to the ON-SCENE TUG..  

Daytime restrictions will limit horizontal clearance to 70 feet between the hours of 6:01 a.m. and 8:59 p.m. daily for up to three months.  

A temporary waterway restriction limiting horizontal clearance to 70 feet will remain in effect at the existing Flagler Memorial Bridge until the replacement bridge is complete. Mariners are advised that changes to navigational clearance may be necessary as repair conditions develop. 

The temporary regulations for the Flagler Memorial and Royal Park Bridges will remain as follows:  Flagler Memorial Bridge schedule will remain on the quarter hour and three-quarter hour except that from 8:16 a.m. to 9:14 a.m. and from 4:16 p.m. to 5:14 p.m.,  The Royal Park Bridge will remain on the hour and hour-hour schedule except that from 8:01 a.m. to 8:59 a.m. and from 4:31 p.m. to 5:29 p.m. this bridge will be allowed to remain closed to navigation, Monday through Friday until the repairs are completed on the Flagler Memorial Bridge.

Due to the unusual circumstances associated with the bridge structure, the bridge owner has requested an emergency back-up plan in case the repairs are unable to be accomplished as anticipated.  If the Flagler Memorial Bridge malfunctions and is left in the open to navigation position, the Royal Park and Southern Boulevard Bridges will be placed on restricted schedules to accommodate increased vehicular traffic.

If an emergency occurs, the Royal Park Bridge will be on an hourly schedule at the quarter after the hour, except that from 8:16 a.m. to 10:14 a.m. and from 4:16 p.m. to 6:14 p.m. this bridge will be allowed to remain closed to navigation.  The Southern Boulevard Bridge will remain on the twice an hour schedule (top of the hour and bottom of the hour), except that from 8:31 a.m. to 9:59 a.m. and from 4:31 p.m. to 5:59 p.m. this bridge will be allowed to remain closed to navigation.

Additional waterway restrictions will be promulgated once the new Flagler Memorial Bridge construction commences.

      Ref:  LNM 45-12 through 12-13Chart:  11472

Michael Lieberum
Seventh Coast Guard District
Bridge Branch
Chief of Operations Section
305-415-6744

Abandoned sailboats removed from Lake Worth Lagoon | www.palmbeachpost.com

Click title for link.  Nice video which I attempted to embed but it ran on a loop with a mandatory ad running between segments and it could not be turned off.

Easter Egg Hunt this Saturday!

Pearls of Wisdom...

For more pearls of wisdom, click here.

Lake Worth CLEAN-UP with Mayor Pam Triolo

Lake Worth CLEANUP with Mayor Pam Triolo
April 11 | Thursday | 8am | Bryant Park

To pre-register, please click the link below and return completed form to:
Ashley Montes
1900 2nd Avenue North
Lake Worth, FL 33461
561.586.1682

Click here for Cleanup Volunteer Flyer
Click here for Cleanup Volunteer Guidelines
Click here for Cleanup Volunteer Registration

Calling Commissioner McVoid, calling Commissioner McVoid...

Tony Plakas, Compass CEO introducing our Lake Worth electeds and other dignitaries at yesterday's culmination of the Gay Pride parade through downtown Lake Worth - at the Bryant Park band shell.

Welcome to the Lake Worth Beach!

 We rode our bikes to the beach yesterday with camera in hand.  I was able to catch three different pay station areas - a total of five separate kiosks - where there were long lines of frustrated beach-goers.  The ones at the front of the line usually were in the bent over, squinting pose.

 Here we see a dutiful city employee working on one of the machines and trying to help, as best he could, some of the assembled throng.

These were all taken from the lower, western lot.  I still assert that this lot could have been designed to accommodate a gate and an attendant.  100% collection, no need for enforcement and human interaction would have been just some of the benefits.  I am skeptical that the addition of the ability to pay through your smartphone will alleviate this situation.

Editorial: Real work is just beginning in Vero Beach to complete sale of electric utility to FPL » TCPalm.com

Foreshadowing...what we can expect if we decide to sell the electric utility to FPL.  From the article, click title for link:

 City residents — and the entire Vero Beach community — stand to benefit from the sale of the electric utility. FPL President Eric Silagy projects annual savings for a typical residential customer in Vero Beach will be about $400 a year as an FPL customer. The savings for businesses, government offices and schools — buildings with larger square footage — would be greater. Proponents of the sale also project that current Vero Beach customers, collectively, could have an additional $23 million in their pockets annually to plow back into the local economy.

Friends of the Library Spring Book Sale, Help.

Dear Friends, Members and Supporters,

Our official Friends of the Lake Worth Library Spring Book Sale takes place on Saturday, April 20 in the Cultural Plaza across from the library from 10:00 am till 4:00 pm. In addition to this, the Library Staff is having a "Mini Book Sale" on April 13 during Earth Day. I know it is confusing. But we will have many many more books at our official bigger Spring Book Sale n April 20.

In the Plaza on the same day as our "Official Friends of the Library Book Sale" (April 20), the Rotary Club is having a music festival. Whenever we have our book sales with them in the Plaza, we sell lots more books. Come on over, buy books, browse and enjoy the country music.

On Friday, April 19, we need volunteers to help sort books and put them on our rolling bookshelves in preparation for our book sale. This takes two hours - from 1 till 3 pm. It is a chance for volunteers to preview what will be for sale and purchase early. We have an verload of books presently so we are NOT asking for donations of books, etc. We no longer accept donations of  tapes, video tapes and magazines because no one buys them.

We badly need a couple of strong people to help us set up before the sale on Saturday morning (April 20) from 9 - 10 (only one hour) and two more strong people to help put away book shelves and a couple of tables at 4:00 or 4:30 at the end of the sale.

Please. We desperately need volunteers to help us with our book sale and sorting.  On Saturday we have easy two-hour shifts for cashiering or for greeting, hosting and assisting our clients. All of the  money we raise (every penny) is donated to the library for items they need, projects for adults, teens and kids  and children's activities. Won't you please come and help us with this worthy cause? Our library keeps having big budget cuts. Let's support our library and keep it's services going. .

Our library needs your help. I need your help. This is the 19th book sale which I have been chairman of during the past six and a half years (even with accident injures, crutches and broken arms, I still worked at the book sales and sorted books as chairman). . Each time we have fewer and fewer volunteers, even though we ask for only two hours of your time.We have a few loyal members who work at our book sales and have done this for even more years than I have. And we have two new members who help. But we need more workers.

If you want to volunteer, please call me at (561) 586-7136) or e-mail me at juneevans2000@yahoo.com. PLEASE NOT NOT VOLUNTEER AT THE LIBRARY. YOU NEED TO GET DIRECTLY IN TOUCH WITH ME. I HAVE THE SCHEDULE AND I  KNOW WHEN YOU ARE NEEDED. Otherwise we end up with no one to work shifts when needed the most. So please call ME or e-mail ME.

Thank you for supporting our library and our book sales.
Best Regards,
June   June Evans, President, Friends of the Lake Worth Library

Lake Worth Gay Pride Parade....2013

 From the parade today.  We got there a little bit more than halfway through.

Scary for some, not so for others...

I saw this t-shirt being worn by someone from Broward County during the Pride Parade. Apparently, there is someone by the name of Wes running for office there.  Anyway, I thought it was amusing.  The guy knew I was taking the picture and thought it funny that my name was Wes.  It is slightly rare.

Correcting a critical misunderstanding...

There apparently are people - the "we" so often heard from on another local blog - that have a misconception of the role of people who sit on advisory boards.  It surrounds the issue about what sort of freedom of political speech people can have who sit on boards, what creates the need that one has to abstain from voting and Sunshine law implications.

Item #2 on the ballot March 12th concerned amending the Charter of the City of Lake Worth. The Charter can only be amended by an affirmative vote of the electorate.  Regardless of what others think, amendments to the Charter are not subject to action by the Planning and Zoning or Historic Resource Preservation boards.  Both boards do have to act in accord with whatever is allowed or restricted by the Charter.  Both these boards make recommendations on changes to the Comprehensive Plan and the Zoning Code.  Any recommendation automatically needs to be consistent with the Charter.  The Comprehensive Plan as it exists now is not consistent as it applies to height in that three block wide strip through the downtown from A Street to Golfview.  Both boards, with the assistance of staff, will have to make recommendations to the City Commission on changes that reflect the result of the election.  Period.  People on those boards can have their own opinions on the changes but regardless of their feelings on the matter, whether or not they were in favor of the Charter change or not, the end result needs to be consistent with the Charter.  Period.

I brought this matter up at the last HRPB meeting with one of the city attorney's present.  We were talking about social media, blogs and other forms of communication and how some of those could be used to communicate between people on the same boards - which would be a violation of the Sunshine law as it relates to ITEMS THAT WILL OR ARE LIKELY TO COME BEFORE THE BOARD.  I pointed out that I had strong feelings about the height amendment in the Charter and expressed those feelings freely on my blog and in public in the form of campaigning.  I was told that was fine to do since the Charter change itself will not be coming before the HRPB.  Again, any future recommendation coming from the board must be consistent with the provisions contained in the Charter.

I hope that this helps pierce the veil of confusion surrounding this issue.