Saturday, June 20, 2015

Celebrate Independence Day in the City of Lake Worth, FL

From 11 am to 3 pm:
Parade starts at 11:00 in the downtown to Bryant Park. Then the Lake Worth 2015 Great American RIF Raft RaceTheme: Reading is Fun (Presented by Lake Worth Neighborhood Association Presidents Council [NAPC]).

2015 Independence Day events:
  • Live Music
  • Water Slide
  • Extreme Water Sports Show
  • Enigma Pro Wrestling
  • Family Fun

Music on the Main Stage:
  • 3:00 LFTD LVLS
  • 4:00 The People Upstairs
  • 4:50 Presentation by Mayor Pam Triolo
  • 5:00 Spred the Dub
  • 6:00 The Heavy Pets
  • 7:30 Yellow Dubmarine
Fireworks over the Intracoastal at 9:00

Craft Vendor Application

Journalist Nora Gamez Torres: "Google's visit to Cuba, restoring Old Havana"

About the video: "Journalist Nora Gamez Torres on Google's visit to Cuba and what it means for internet access on the island. She also talks about the wealthy Miami developer who has offered to restore Old Havana to its former glory."

Compass Business Alliance Mixer at Grandview Gardens in West Palm Beach TODAY

Call 561-533-9699 x4018 for more information or visit Compass' website.
About the Compass Business Alliance mixer:
     This Wednesday the Business Alliance traditionally hosts the largest business alliance mixer every year at Grandview Gardens Bed & Breakfast.
     Anyone who has attended our annual June mixer at the Grandview Gardens can tell you it is not to be missed. It is a great mix of people - friends and fans of the Grandview Gardens mingle with Pride Business Alliance members and guests, elected officials and dignitaries. Bring your business cards and join us for a wonderful evening in a beautiful setting.
     This event is just days before our Stonewall Ball on Saturday, June 27 at the Harriet Himmel Theater in City Place.
VIP tickets are $75, general $30 in advance, and $40 at the door.

50 Summer Dining Deals in The Palm Beach Post!

And one of them is Lake Worth's own Callaro's ("Upscale but unpretentious") at 717 Lake Ave. in the downtown. Isn't it amazing how quickly things are turning around in Lake Worth? Seems almost every section of the paper these days has something positive about the City. 

Local 10 News, South FL: "Red eyes while swimming caused by urine, not chlorine"

Here's a short excerpt:
     Those red eyes you get from swimming aren't caused by chlorine, according to an official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
     And the substances in the pool that do cause your bloodshot eyes will probably make you a little seasick.
     “Chlorine binds with all the things it’s trying to kill from your bodies, and it forms these chemical irritants. That’s what’s stinging your eyes. It’s the chlorine binding to the urine and sweat,” says the appropriately named Dr. Michael J. Beach, associate director of the CDC's Healthy Water program. [emphasis added]
Don't pee in the pool!

Andy Reid: "GL Homes planning 4,000 more homes in Loxahatchee"

I know, beating a dead horse. Look how successful the anti-development (NIMBY) crowd has been along the I-95 corridor and east to the coast in Palm Beach County:
Pretty impressive, huh? Image from The Palm Beach Post's "NEW COMMUNITIES" locator map. This map appears each Friday on page R4.
Here is an excerpt from Andy Reid's article in the Sun Sentinel:
     GL Homes has long owned the nearly 5,000-acre Indian Trails Grove property, where the company nearly a decade ago envisioned building as many as 12,000 homes — before the South Florida development boom fizzled.
     Now, with development picking up again, GL Homes is proposing to build at a per-acre rate similar to what the County Commission in October approved for Minto West.
     "This is obviously the last big piece of the [development] puzzle," GL Homes Vice President Larry Portnoy said about building planned in the Loxahatchee area. "We have waited 10 years to bring this in. ... It was about time."

Martin Luther King Jr.

"Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true."

"Can everything WEST of I-95 please go BACK to the county?"

Friday, June 19, 2015

[UPDATE/REPOST; A LOOK BACK] Lake Worth Mayor Pam Triolo—'pastor' Mike Olive's claims are absolutely false

[UPDATE: Lake Worth Mayor Pam Triolo is absolutely CORRECT and 'pastor' Mike Olive is absolutely WRONG: There Is No Fee To Pray in the City of Lake Worth. That 'pastor' Mike Olive finally paid his $160 Accessory Use Application. He and the Common Ground (no 's') Church story was also DEBUNKED here. Below is the original blog post:]

CBS12/WPEC's Chuck Webber shows there still some integrity and real reporters at that TV news station. He interviewed Lake Worth Mayor Pam Triolo and she explained, succinctly, that 'pastor' Olive is completely wrong. A Fox News reporter picked up on this ridiculous non-story and that is the reason for the story by Chuck Webber.

Here is a quote by Mayor Triolo from Chuck Webber (from the text of the story):
“This is entirely a big misunderstanding,” said Mayor Pam Triolo, in response to the Fox News article. “The city’s intention is not to penalize churches in any way, shape or form. No, there’s no fee to pray.” 
The city needs the help of its churches, [Mayor] Triolo added.
The false news story by Margaret Menge that started this non-story can be read here. Note this quote from Lake Worth City Manager Michael Bornstein:
"So, all they have to do is go through the conditional land use process to make sure the impacts have been assessed...if they're a small church, it shouldn't be a big deal."
--Lake Worth City Manager Michael Bornstein, 2/20/15, in the very last paragraph of another ridiculous 'news' story by Margaret Menge.
Here are some of the news reports that 'pastor' Mike Olive inspired, giving our little City a black eye on the national stage:


Here is a letter from William Waters, the city's Director for Community Sustainability, dated March 2, 2015 that proves conclusively that the Common Ground (no 's') Church story is a non-story:

 Thank you Chuck Webber for helping our City set the record straight.

[By Request] Lake Worth Commissioner Ryan Maier—The Cellophane Pledge of Transparency and Openness

Read about newly-elected Ryan Maier's broken promise of transparency and openness.

Photograph of street art at the Lake Worth Street Painting Festival, February 2013

Photo courtesy of Jim Stafford. Visit here for more information on the City of Lake Worth's Street Painting Festival held every February in the downtown.

TONIGHT: The Rockin' Jake Band & the Screen on the Green in downtown Lake Worth

Tonight is Evening on the Avenue in Lake Worth. The featured band is the Rockin' Jake Band; below they perform "Going Back To The Big Easy":

Learn about the Evening on the Avenue:
And the Screen on the Green starts at 8:00. . .
Don't forget to stop by the Front Porch for fresh popcorn and say "Hi".

More images from Lynn Anderson's charming blog: When is the media in Palm Beach County going to wake up?

The following three images are from Lynn Anderson's blog. She resides in Palm Beach County, unfortunately in one of the most tolerant cities in the entire State of Florida: Lake Worth. Her racial taunts have been going on for years and the media, including The Palm Beach Post, has been ignoring it. 
Note that Anderson taunts Lake Worth Mayor Pam Triolo, again.
Anderson posted this on her blog the week prior to Lake Worth's Martin Luther King, Jr. March.
Recent Klu Klux Klan imagery by Ms. Anderson.
Note below is another image from Anderson's blog. This is a prayer written for me, also a blogger in Lake Worth, by 'pastor' Mike Olive. If he's written a prayer for Lynn Anderson I will gladly publish that prayer on my blog.
A prayer for me, "In Jesus' name", by 'pastor' Mike Olive of the Common Ground (no 's') Church.

Kevin D. Thompson: City officials in Greenacres are mad as heck [sic] about road construction delay

How mad are they? Peter Finch from 'Network' mad but "no one from the city is planning to harm anyone", the reporter ads.

Here is an excerpt from Mr. Thompson's article about the road construction delay in Greenacres:
     Unlike Finch’s [Peter Finch's famous 'Network' rant] unhinged news anchor character, no one from the city is planning to harm anyone. Still, officials are mighty upset.
     Another potential delay by Palm Beach County on the 5-year road improvement project for Haverhill Road between Melaleuca Lane and Lake Worth Road has them riled up.
     The project, scheduled to start in fiscal year 2016, might now be moved back another three years because the possible addition of wider bike lanes completely changes the project’s design and could involve buying additional right-of-way, the city said.
Kevin D. Thompson is the Post beat reporter for Greenacres and the City of Lake Worth. If you have a story or good news about your neighborhood you can contact the reporter directly:
Kevin D. Thompson, beat reporter
Emailkthompson@pbpost.com
561-820-4573
Twitter: @kevindthompson1

2015 South Florida Environmental Report "At A Glance": Peer-reviewed report by the SFWMD

You can see that report here. About the report:
     The 2015 South Florida Environmental Report – At a Glance provides an overview of a year of restoration, scientific and engineering progress in the Kissimmee Basin, Lake Okeechobee, the Everglades and South Florida coastal areas. The independent peer-reviewed report is produced by the South Florida Water Management District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Opening page from the report.

Video: Historic Postcards—the City of Lake Worth, FL, to Sarah Vaughan's "Over the Rainbow"

I uploaded this video in November of 2008. It's one of my favorites and I hope you enjoy it, Wes.

The Palm Beach Sheriff Office's (PBSO) "Dispatch": The April–June Newsletter

Here is the PBSO newsletter for April–June 2015. 
This is the front page (there are 31 pages in all).
The "South Grade Elementary 'High Tea' Event" in the City of Lake Worth.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

VIDEO: The KLu Klux Klan image that outraged the south Florida community of Lake Worth

The woman, Lynn Anderson, has been escalating the hate on her blog directed at residents of Lake Worth FL she disagrees with politically. The next level of hate is what? Nazi swastikas? In addition to her hateful imagery she directs readers of her blog to this racist/Antisemitic website. Here are some other recent hate images from her blog:
Lake Worth, FL residents with names on bullets.
Lake Worth Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell "shot with a high-velocity bullet".
"White, 'strait', and conservative".
Lake Worth Mayor Pam Triolo "engulfed in flames".

Love, it changes everything...

Story by Staci Sturrock: Actress Susan Backlinie, Forest Hill HS grad (1964) and her scene in the movie 'Jaws'

Don't want to give too much away since this might appear in the print edition soon. Staci Sturrock at the Post has the history of this famous scene in the movie 'Jaws':
Below is an image of the actress from TheOscars.org from the movie location:
Later will post some text of the story by Sturrock; it's a highly entertaining piece of reporting. 

New Home Dedication TOMORROW in the little City of Lake Worth (NSP2 program)

The home is at 231 North 'H' Street and the dedication begins at 9:30; please RSVP if you can (not necessary for county media). For more information on the Lake Worth CRA's NSP2 program visit this site.

West Palm Beach: "1926 home razed on weekend without permit"—813 39th Street...an irretrievable loss

Tony Doris at the West Palm Beat has an update to this story. Here is an excerpt from the original article:
     [West Palm Beach] City Commissioner Sylvia Moffett in a letter Tuesday to the Code Compliance Department, Historic Preservation Planner Frederike Mittner and to the magistrate, urged “severe” penalties.
     “When a historic structure is purposefully and brazenly bulldozed without applying for the proper permit, the fines levied should be severe,” Moffett wrote. “Indeed, had the owner applied for a permit to bulldoze the historic home at 813 39th Street they would NOT have been issued one and the home would still stand.
     “The stealthy and illegal demolition of 813 39th St., which took place over a weekend, could easily be repeated by owners of other historic structures who are unwilling to preserve the majestic homes that define a neighborhood.”
On last Tuesday's City of Lake Worth Commission agenda, there was an item related to civil and criminal penalties that could be issued by the Historic Resources Preservation Board (HRPB) for serious violations such as the one identified in this article. It was part of a package of various changes suggested by staff, and recommended for Commission approval by the Planning and Zoning Board and the HRPB, to the City's land development regulations. The Commission put off approving this and a few other items that were part of the changes, but approved others. I encourage you to watch the upcoming video of that discussion.

You will see the commentary, primarily coming from Commissioner Maier, but echoed by Commissioner McVoy, that they were uncomfortable with giving this power to an appointed board. Staff explained that more and more historic district regulations include these sorts of penalties in order to prevent egregious acts, like demolition of a historic structure without a Certificate of Appropriateness. Approval is needed before a demolition can occur within a historic district. This is true for West Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Delray Beach and essentially any community with historic structures or districts where changes have to be consistent with the Secretary of Interior Standards. Demolition and relocation requests must also meet specific criteria.

If penalties for illegal demolitions were weak or non-existent, one would expect more of these sorts of instances and soon cities would lose the integrity of an entire historic district, and a specific piece of a community's history. According to the city staff, more and more historic district ordinances are including this sort of penalty provision outside of the code enforcement/special magistrate process and with the board charged with regulating changes to structures within that district. Lake Worth's special magistrate's agenda is already full enough dealing with garden variety code violations and liens. That is the reasoning behind this penalty provision. It is not, as it was perceived by these two commissioners, some sort of unusual extension of authority to wield indiscriminately.

I would like to invite anyone to watch one of Lake Worth's HRPB meetings, or better yet, attend a meeting to see what goes on and how the board treats property owners who attempt to navigate through what can be a challenging and confusing process. And, clearly, we want to avoid examples such as the one reported by Tony Doris that happened in our neighboring city to the north.

Haviva Reick: "How a Holocaust heroine is finally written into the annals of history"

Here is a must read article about the Remember the Women Institute and the untold story of Haviva Reick who fought to save Allied pilots shot down behind enemy lines during World War II:
     The parachutist stood at the door of an American supply plane, wavy hair tucked underneath her helmet. Haviva Reick prepared herself to jump behind enemy lines in Nazi-occupied Europe to rescue Allied pilots taken prisoner of war and organize the 1944 Slovak uprising, an armed insurrection against the Nazis by resistance fighters.
     Without hesitation or reservation she stepped off. The jump would be her last.
     Born in 1914 as Marta Reick in the small village Nadabula in Slovakia, she joined the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement. She loved zipping around the village on a motorcycle, an act that defied societal expectations for women in the 1920s and 1930s.
A film is in the works to tell this story. Two things of note in the article are the dwindling number of people who lived through this era and why many acts of courage by women during that war are overlooked.

NBC5/WPTV's Charlie Keegan: the segment in Suburban Lake Worth about the bright yellow motorcycle helmet guy

[Click title above to see the video of the news segment.]
If you've never met Charlie Keegan trust me when I say he's a very pleasant gentleman. If you see him around town go up and say "hello". There are exceptions but most members of the TV news media are very friendly and approachable and so are the video crews.

Mr. Keegan does his homework for the segment about the fellow with the yellow motorcycle helmet and the falling palm fronds: Suburban Lake Worth. The mailing address is not necessarily the location. The zip code for this particular story is 33467. The City of Lake Worth is mostly 33460 with a bit of 33461 and 33462.

Shout-out to future thespians in Palm Beach County (classes at the Lake Worth Playhouse)

If you fancy yourself a thespian and would like to have some instruction Kevin D. Thompson at The Palm Beach Post has news for you. The article lists the experience of the instructor and other interesting information. Here is an excerpt:
     A 10-week adult acting class is being offered this summer at the Lake Worth Playhouse from June 23 to Aug. 25.
     The class introduces students to acting for the stage through improvisation, scene study and monologue preparation. No experience is necessary. The one-hour class runs from 5 to 6 p.m. Cost is $150.
     
For more information, call instructor Daniel Eilola, 561-586-6410 or email him at daniel@lakeworthplayhouse.org.
If you have an event in Lake Worth you would like to have promoted in the newspaper of record contact the reporter directly:
Emailkthompson@pbpost.com
561-820-4573
Twitter: @kevindthompson1

Delray Beach, the Inspector General, TV News, and a Previous City Commission

You could substitute Lake Worth for Delray Beach in the title above for this story:
The City of Lake Worth is spending $64,000 a month for a CAPPED natural gas pipeline to nowhere (the following words can be used in describing the capped gas line, from Thesaurus.com). 
Over time it's costing millions of dollars of your public tax money. Kathleen Walter at CBS12/WPEC did a news segment on May 12th about poor decisions by a previous city commission in Delray Beach. Here's an example of a poor decision by a previous city commission right here in Lake Worth. How many code enforcement officers could we get for $64,000 a month?

Here are directions for the news media: This capped gas line is located on Lake Osborne Drive. Driving south on Lake Osborne Drive it is on the east side of the road past Erie Street. If you see Griswold Drive you went too far. 

Former Commissioners JoAnn Golden and Cara Jennings could be contacted as part of the story but doubt they would care to comment. There's also a big story about wasted tax dollars at "THE BEACH!" too. How many tax dollars were wasted on that white elephant? The business plan at "THE BEACH!" is a failure and no one has been held accountable. However, we still have that happy picture when everyone was so giddy and hysterically festive right after it opened to the public. If they only knew then what we know now. . .
In the recent Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) process it was learned the original Casino complex business plan is a confirmed failure.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Problem: Endangered FL birds and the feral cats hunting them—How Lake Worth Comm. McVoy can provide the leadership

Last night (6/16) there was a news segment on NBC5/WPTV by Jamel Laneé on feral cats in Fort Pierce and one cat testing positive for rabies. Feral cats have been a major concern in Palm Beach County ever since The Palm Beach Post editorial on May 27 that you can read about here.

Jonathan Beaton at CBS12/WPEC did a news segment on feral cats here in the City of Lake Worth on May 8th. Along with feral cats there are pet cats that are being let out of the house to roam. The concern among those in the environmental community is very high. The indigenous bird populations in Florida are being decimated by cats. Some birds such as the Cape Sabal Seaside Sparrow dwell near the ground and are easily hunted and killed by cats.
The Cape Sabal Seaside Sparrow; read about at Wikipedia.
We learned again at last night's (6/16) City Commission meeting how important the environment is to Commissioner McVoythe effort to save an endangered species vis-à-vis turtles: a truly important goal. Later today or tomorrow will have video of that discussion. Undoubtedly, McVoy realizes how crucial it is to save the endangered and threatened bird populations both here in the City and in south Florida. 

This is a conversation that has to begin in Lake Worth before it is too late. The cat population roaming the city, both feral and pet, is of serious concern and a case of rabies would be terrifying here. McVoy has many resources and contacts within the environmental community and has a PhD in science himself. There is probably no one better positioned to start the conversation and come up with a solution to the problem. 

You can reach Lake Worth Commissioner McVoy at 561.398.6115 or by email.

[Note: disturbing video] Message from the Broward County Sheriff: "Flakka is no joke"

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Comprehensive Study on Aquifer Storage & Recovery Capabilities

This is a press release from yesterday (6/16). It is a very interesting read and it's comforting to know so much effort is being put into the Florida aquifers. There are links to the 'Key Findings' and for additional information. Here is an excerpt:
     The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District has released a comprehensive study on research related to the use of Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR), an Everglades restoration component proposed as part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) to recharge, store and recover water underground for ecological restoration uses.
     The ASR Regional Study was developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) to reduce uncertainties of ASR implementation on hydrological, ecological, and geotechnical conditions in the Greater Everglades.
     “The ASR Regional Study documents the results of over a decade’s worth of scientific and engineering investigations,” said April Patterson, Jacksonville District project manager for the study. “The results of the report will serve as a technical guide when considering ASR implementation as part of future Everglades restoration efforts.” 

Public Comments from last night's (6/16) Lake Worth City Commission meeting


[If you are short on time I suggest you go to the 17:30 mark of the video to hear about the "elephant in the room" earlier in the meeting.]

We were regaled by John Jordan on the intricacies of Robert's Rules of Order. He suggests that the meetings aren't being run properly and alluded to some instances from last night's meeting. I didn't notice anything that was unusual. He was there since Mr. Dennis Dorsey from Atlantis usually gives him a ride in his Mercedes if he attends a Commission meeting, which he did last night and sat in the front row.

At the 8:45 mark, we are introduced to one of the architects that will be working on the Gulfstream Hotel and we get a sense of their experience in historic preservation process around the nation. At the 17:30 point of the video, we get a hint of the code issues related to Commissioner Maier offered by Mark Parrilla.

Here is the tail-end of the public comment portion of the meeting.

Commissioner Comments from last night's (6/16) Lake Worth Commission Meeting


Last night's elephant in the room that no one chose to talk about until public comment was the hullabaloo over Commissioner Maier's issues with code enforcement. You can hear that awkwardness play out at the beginning of this video. It's cringe-worthy.

The Mayor usually starts this section of the meeting at one end of the dais or the other. This time she started to her left with Commissioner Maier who was left re-directing the first comments to Commissioner Maxwell. He had the idea that Commissioner Maxwell was going to raise the issue based on what happened at the last meeting and he didn't want to lose his chance to respond to it. You could tell Commissioner Maier had prepared some sort of elaborate response which we failed to hear. That will probably be at the Special Magistrate meeting. The next one is scheduled for June 25, 2015 at 9 a.m.

And there were many people, dressed in Maier campaign shirts, and others that weren't, ready to rush to his defense. As you will see and hear in the next video during the Public Comment section of the meeting, the topic came up through some of the comments. The issue remained mostly in the background, with a few exceptions.

Here is a picture of some of the crowd with the Maier-wear.

Palm Beach International Airport Noise Comments

Palm Beach International Airport has established methods of communicating noise comments. Noise comments can be reported via phone (561-471-7468) Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., via phone (561-683-7242) after business hours previously noted, and via the Airport’s website (pbia.org/contact-us/noise).

C. J. McGregor on Religion and Society: "Hate theology deserves no place in religion"

C. J. McGregor is the minister of the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Palm Beaches. He penned a 'Point of View' that appeared in The Palm Beach Post on Monday, June 15th about an Arizona pastor that wants to "rip out the heart" and cast a "soul into Hell." Here are two excerpts from C. J. McGregor:
     The wisdom of scripture and the existence of a loving God have been mangled and misinterpreted for thousands of years. No matter your faith, surely we can agree on the ministry of the Christian Jesus, which encourages benevolent and generous relationships.
     Shouldn’t prayer be reserved for lament and thanksgiving, versus asking the divine to punish?
[and. . .]
It is our inability to separate politics and religion — and our gross misinterpretation of the world’s sacred texts — that reduces us to an uncompassionate, callous, ghastly theology.
Talking about the mangling and misinterpretation of scripture, were you aware that there is a war against God in the City of Lake Worth?

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

[PINNED POST] The broken promises by Lake Worth Comm. Ryan Maier: Transparency and openness

[New blog content follows after this 'pinned post'.]
Maier standing next to JoAnn Golden the night of his election victory party (image from M. Menge's now-defunct tabloid).
In Margaret Menge's Always Free, always emotionally-charged, now-defunct tabloid, delivered for FREE to doors in College Park (Vol. 1, Issue 9, on Friday 3/13) was this account of Maier's celebration on election night on March 10th:
     "We ran a campaign on transparency," said Maier to his supporters gathered at Mamma Mia's Pizzeria at the beach on Tuesday night. "Obviously, it was so desperately needed in this city."
     "I look forward to the next two years, working hard for all of you, making this the kind of city you want it to be."
     "I am your voice in City Hall," he told them.
     Maier hugged a number of those gathered, who included former commissioners Jo-Ann Golden and Cara Jennings, and at one point, wiped his eye.
Jesus wept.

Who would have guessed just 3 months later this would happen?

Lake Worth: Mango Groves NA Meeting TOMORROW & don't forget the meeting at Dean's house!

Hello AllWe will have a short social Mango Meeting tomorrow. We will meet for a short PBSO Update at Southshores at 7pm, and then proceed outdoors for a dance rehearsal for the July 4th event.
     We also need to have a brief MGNA Officers meeting, to determine responsibilities of the officers.
     We will also have a boat meeting at 6pm, before the meeting at Dean's House, 509 N L. We are looking for a pickup or truck trailer or something similar for that time period, if anyone can help. 6-7p.
     Reminder that this Friday is Bulk day.
     Reminder to make the call y-all to PBSO if you see anything suspicious 561-688-3400.
Best,

Mango Groves Neighborhood Association

Laura Lordi & Leslie Gray Streeter: The Best Karaoke in PBC is Right Here in Lake Worth

Laura Lordi and Leslie Streeter teamed up for this article on karaoke. Two of the top 6 karaoke venues in Palm Beach County are right here in the little City of Lake Worth:
#5: CJ's Island Grill offers karaoke Friday nights. CJ's is located at 606 Lake Ave., Lake Worth. For more info call, 561-249-6131.
And. . .
#6: South Shores offers karaoke Friday and Saturday starting at 9 p.m. and Sundays from 5 to 8 p.m.. South Shores is located at 502 Lucerne Ave., Lake Worth. For more info call, 561-547-7656.
Thank you for helping to promote karaoke in our little City!

Note that The Mad Hatter located at 1532 North Dixie Highway has karaoke on Sunday's from 4 to 8 p.m. Call them at 561-547-8860. Contrary to what you may have heard, The Mad Hatter is not a 'gay bar', it is 'gay-friendly' which means everyone is welcome as long as you're fine being at a bar with gay/lesbian people and a lot of bright rainbow colors all over the place.

And, not to be forgotten is Penny's at the Duke, 902 N Dixie Hwy, Lantana, also is a gay/lesbian bar and they have karaoke on Wednesday nights!

Parrot Cove Summer Block Party THIS SATURDAY!!!

Parrot Cove neighbors in the little City of Lake Worth are all invited and encouraged to attend this Saturday's Block Party which is taking place on Golfview between North 11th Ave and North 12th Ave, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
Free to members. For non-members it's $10 per person or $20 per household (which includes a 2015 Parrot Cove membership). Parrot Cove will sponsor the main food items (burgers, hot dogs, chicken, buns, plates, cups, napkins, ketchup/mustard/relish, ice, non-alcoholic beverages, beer and wine).

Please RSVP to parrotcove097@gmail.com so we can get a count of attendees and also let us know if you plan on bringing a side dish or desert​.

Remember this. . .



SFBJ: "All Aboard Florida reveals size of residential tower at West Palm Beach station"

Brian Bandell at the South Florida Business Journal with the news about the proposed residential tower at the West Palm Beach All Aboard Florida (AAF) station:
     According to the pending development application with the city, the 1.27-acre site would have 275 residential units, 13,472 square feet of ground-floor retail/restaurants, 3,668 square feet of office, and an 800-space parking garage with an amenity deck. The restaurants would have outside dining.
     It was designed by HKS. The application said the project would connect CityPlace with the Clematis Street shopping and entertainment district.
     “The new residential tower’s 275 units will bring full time and seasonal residents to downtown West Palm Beach and its retail component will activate the street,” [emphasis added] the application said.

Miss the launch of the SkyBike bike sharing program in West Palm last week? Here's a video

Transportation Planning for south Florida's long-term future

Miami-Dade County pledges almost $14 million dollars in committee recommendation to the County Commission. This would make possible the co-sharing of a station with the future Coastal Link proposed by Tri-Rail that would eventually run on the Florida East Coast (FEC) tracks. Those same tracks will have commuter trains running up and down the three county, or more, south Florida region. A stop for this local service will eventually find a home in Lake Worth. This is an early step in the right direction. From the Miami Herald article, here's why:
     But backers see two big advantages to bringing Tri-Rail downtown.      First, eliminating the need to transfer trains should make the rail option much more palatable to people who otherwise would be driving back and forth to downtown. “Whenever you put a transfer in, you put in a barrier and people say it’s not worth it,” Stephens said.
     Second, by taking advantage of All Aboard’s new station and rail tracks, Tri-Rail can plant itself downtown at a fraction of the cost it would face if it had to acquire real estate itself. That gives Tri-Rail a chance at a far more ambitious plan down the road: using FECI track again to create a new commuter line closer to the coast, able to serve popular Miami-Dade stops like Aventura.
     Tri-Rail, which is funded by Florida and the three counties that it services, does not have the money to launch the coastal link. But backers see the Miami station as at least preserving the option should funding surface for a coastal line.
     “This is one piece in the puzzle,” County Commissioner Bruno Barreiro said Wednesday. “This definitely sets us up for the future.”

Great Britain: A perma-culture, residential project in the middle of an urban area

Saffron Acres is a lottery funded project based at the allotments in Copinger Road, just around the corner from the Saffron Resource Centre, and has been running since May 2006. This once neglected four acre site has been transformed into a thriving allotment and community garden, with the help of work placement trainees, volunteers, and school pupils. From the article:
     Neil Hodgkin, Head of Development at Saffron Lane Neighbourhood Council, said that "the original plan had been for the 68 homes to be built around the farm so that they would look onto it in a village green type construction, but this was not approved by the planners".
     He added that since the houses are to be rented, the residents will have to sign a contract with the housing association, but "it will not be a feature of the contract that they have to do work on the farm, nevertheless they will receive encouragement and training". It is very unusual to see a development which includes all of these features, and they are in line with the principles of 'one planet living' as espoused by the One Planet Council which notes that there are many benefits to this approach.  

From more information contact Youth and Development Worker Neil Hodgkin at neil.hodgkin@srcentre.org.uk