Claire Galofaro from the Associated Presshas this article about Kim Davis and her lawyer, Mat Staver. Here is an excerpt:
Kim Davis' lawyer stood onstage in a Washington D.C. hotel and pointed to a photo on the screen. It showed 100,000 people packed into a Peruvian soccer stadium, Mat Staver told the crowd, all there to pray for the Kentucky clerk battling against gay marriage. The crowd erupted. It wasn't true. [emphasis added] Staver's firm, the Liberty Counsel, which revealed Davis' secret meeting with Pope Francis, has been accused by advocacy groups of peddling misrepresentations in the past. Yet it has become the main source of details about the controversial pope meeting. Online sleuths quickly debunked the Peru story Staver told at the Values Voter Summit, a conference for the conservative Family Research Council. The photo was from a year-old gathering unrelated to Davis, who spent five days in jail for defying a court order and refusing to license gay marriages. Staver could provide no evidence of a massive Davis rally.
The video below is Mat Staver with Lake Worth 'pastor' Mike Olive on the West Palm Beach-based NewsMaxTV:
We had a great class today with Sally Welsh. There must have been close to 30 people. She teaches water aerobics at 10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays at the Lake Worth pool. Important to note, if you plan on attending, tell the cashier you are there for Sally's class. They will write your name down and you can go into the pool area. Either before or after class, make sure to pay $5 to Sally. She usually has a gray cash box on a table near where the class is taking place. There is also a sign-in sheet there so she can keep track of names and how many people attend the class.
As reported previously the city is offering a discounted pass for residents and non-residents. It's mentioned in this new flier put out by the City to promote the pool.
Here is a break down of the cost. Essentially, if you are a resident, you are either getting $1 off on each of your 20 visits or you're getting 5 free visits. Just depends how you look at it. Here is the fee structure for the 20-visit pass:
Today I took advantage of the opportunity and paid $60 in a check made payable to the City of Lake Worth. You give your check or cash to the cashier and she will hand you something that looks like this:
It's a laminated piece of paper that you bring with you and they will punch the card for each visit. Note that this does not apply to days and times when you are taking part in Sally Welsh's class. You still have to pay her, as described above, if you wish to be part of her class. This pass can be used any other time you come to the pool. So, if you are coming to swim laps or work out at another time of day that is when you use the pass. Pool days and hours are listed on the flier above and also in the right hand column of this blog.
If you thought about coming to the pool and haven't now is a good time to try it out. Of course, if you come by car instead of walking or by bike, you must pay for parking. Consider getting a pass with a friend—you can come together and split the cost of parking.
It's important, if you support the pool, to show your support by using it. Standing on the sidelines like a cheerleader may feel good but it doesn't do anything to lower the huge deficit the pool runs every year. Many of you are very aware of the problems going way back when the pool was shut down to save money and many have misgivings even having a pool at the beach at all. Also I've discovered very detailed information about the finances of the pool but am waiting for a few more details before laying it all out there. In short, it's not a pretty picture.
Finally, I'd like to share some information from Sally Welsh. She is familiar with the beach property as she was the first female lifeguard hired by the City going back to the 1980s. When you are at the BEACH! you really notice the subtleties of nature and the changing seasons. You become more aware of wind direction for example. Recently many parrots have found their way to the beach. For many years they seemed to be less in number but have rebounded recently. You can tell by their telltale squawks and ability to fly in a tight group. Today, Sally shared an observation that this is the first time that she can remember seagulls at the beach in October. According to Sally, they usually show up in December, but usually more like January. She thinks this means it could be another grisly winter for the northeast.
Not available quite yet in south Florida. This news comes from San Francisco where Uber is customizing the ride-share experience. Here's an excerpt:
Uber uses the example of riding in a BMW Series 3 from the Marina to the FiDi on SELECT for $12.10. According to Uber, that same ride would be $17.20 with UberBLACK. It seems like Uber is cannibalizing its own services with this new option. But Uber tells us it simply sees the two options differently – SELECT is for fancy affairs and date nights and BLACK is for business.
Readers of this blog will know I am a big fan of Uber and wrote about my recent Uber ride to the airport (PBIA). Getting dropped off at the airport by Uber is easy but getting picked up is a bit of a problem. Understand there are some clever ways travelers are getting around that problem.
West Palm Beach Mayor Muoio and the DDA's Raphael Clemente recently returned from a trip to Copenhagen on a grant from the Knight Foundation to learn more about sustainable, walkable, and bikeable cities. Here is a short blog post from October 6th about that. At the 1:03 mark on the video below you see them in their Winter finest with Copenhagen in the background.
Warning: For those of you that are frightened or disturbed by tall buildings DO NOT WATCH this video.
Brian Bandell, the senior reporter at the South Florida Business Journalhas the latest on the proposed Avenir project in Palm Beach Gardens. Here is an excerpt:
The 4,763-acre site at 12200 Northlake Blvd. would be one of the largest development parcels in South Florida. The site is 4.5 miles long and 2.5 miles wide. It was acquired for $20 million in 2012 by Coral Gables-based Avenir Holdings, managed by David Serviansky of Landstar Development Group. Palm Beach Gardens will hold a public planning and zoning workshop for the Avenir plans on Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. in city council chambers. [emphasis added]
This will give you an idea of the scale of the project:
[. . .] Avenir would have 3,735 single-family homes, 250 townhomes, 1.8 million square feet of professional office space, 400,000 square feet of commercial/retail space, 200,000 square feet of medical office space, and 300 hotel rooms totaling 80,000 square feet. The developer hopes to land a university at the site.
On a similar topic here is my blog post about the future development of the Alton Tract (formerly known as the Briger Forest) that was given the go-ahead by the Palm Beach Gardens city commission on October 8th—a unanimous vote.
Read here how San Francisco got into the mess it's in and the parallels to policies of previous "anti-establishment" candidates and elected's in cities like Lake Worth. The video below is hilarious; but in practice it's a nightmare:
From the YouTube video description—"Meet Stuart Schuffman, aka Broke-Ass Stuart. He's a well-known blogger, and now he's running for mayor of San Francisco. He's not expected to win, and he knows that. But he's running a protest campaign to bring up the issues the young and old are mad about: high rents, human poop and corruption. He says he wants to bring some noise to the election. But if he won't win, what's the point?"
On March 11, 2015, pastor Mike Olive of the 'Common Ground' (no 's') church appeared on the West Palm Beach-based NewsMaxTV with Mathew Staver of the Orlando-based Liberty Council (in video below). pastor Olive addressed a recent incident that involved the City of Lake Worth.
About the video: "[pastor Olive] and his attorney talk about how the City of Lake Worth is harassing his church and trying to put them out of business because they may be against same sex marriage [emphasis added]."
pastor Olive (the lead pastor of the 'Common Ground' church) may or may not oppose gay marriage; however, the following images were posted on the 'Common Ground' Facebook page:
Before watching the video it might be helpful to learn a little about Mathew Staver and a recent article in which Olive is quoted saying, “All those problems are behind us now”. Good luck.
Enjoy the video and if you have the time you may want to read this interesting item:
The arts and artists are getting featured all over Lake Worth. It's an exciting time to live in the City. Here is the contribution from St. Andrew's Church:
If you're having difficulty viewing the image use this link. St. Andrew's received funding from the Florida Department of State–Division of Cultural Affairs, Cultural Council of Palm Beach County and Palm Beach County.
Here is the history of the over 100-year-old church. This is their location and contact information: 100 North Palmway in Lake Worth, (561) 582-6609 and email address.
The image below is from The Lake Worth Herald, Lake Worth's oldest business founded in 1912:
The caption from the photograph:
City Manager Michael Bornstein and Mayor Pam Triolo pose with a framed
article from Southern Golf Central Magazine. The Lake Worth Golf Course
is the second oldest municipal course in the State of Florida and boasts of a
fellow named Babe Ruth who frequented the course years ago.
Learn more about the City of Lake Worth here and here.
Here is the story from NBC5/WPTV. An excerpt from the text of the news segment:
Get into the German spirit this weekend with beer, bratwurst and fun. Palm Beach County's original Oktoberfest kicks off Friday night. The celebration lasts for two weekends at the American German club located at 5111 Lantana Rd. It's billed as one of the largest Oktoberfest celebrations in the country.
So is the event in Lantana or Lake Worth? Neither, it's located in suburban Palm Beach County. If you've never been to Oktoberfest it's a blast. I've been there many times; the club is full of friendly people who like to have a good time.
Surprisingly, it appears it was a quiet night at the Palm Beach Gardens City Commission meeting last night. Was expecting a big show by the good folks at Everglades EarthFirst! (EEF) but apparently they didn't put much effort into making a ruckus. The vote by the city commission was unanimous to proceed with the in-fill and development of the Alton Tract (formerly known as the Briger Tract or Briger Forest). Here is a video of a past 'action' by EEF:
Beating a dead horse here (I've written about this extensively over the years) but think many people were confused by this multi-year effort by EEF to halt the development at the Alton Tract. The goal was forever changing: first it was to stop the biotech machine, then it was to stop the Kolter Group, then it was to save the Gopher Tortoises, urban sprawl, etc.
This tract is located along the I-95 corridor. From the beginning to halt development at the Alton Tract western sprawl in Palm Beach County has continued at breakneck speed towards the Florida Turnpike and beyond encroaching on the Everglades. And where was EEF? Nowhere to be found out west. This always bothered me because that's what I've always identified as the problem. Instead of encouraging future PBC residents to settle along the I-95 corridor and east towards the coast the opposite is happening. It's Westward Ho in PBC. And EEF, in my opinion, was/is the problem and not the solution.
Sarah Peters of The Palm Beach Post was the reporter covering the goings-on at the city commission meeting last night (10/8). Here are two excerpts:
They said yes. On Thursday night, the city council unanimously gave approval to the request by Carrier Corporation, on behalf of property owner Pasteur Commercial Investments, for the Center for Intelligent Buildings at Donald Ross Road and I-95, on the Briger tract. The two, five-story towers will be connected by a large central atrium. The 241,400-square-foot complex is part of an overall 700,000-square-foot proposal, according to city documents.
[and. . .]
A few protesters spoke [emphasis added] about a potential environmental impact. Vice Mayor David Levy, who teaches environmental geology at Palm Beach State College said their claims were unfounded. It’s not pristine habitat, but rather a development with a major highway going through it. Gopher tortoises will be taken care of by relocation, Levy said. “From an environmental standpoint, this is a great thing,” he said.
FYI to the residents of Lake Worth: before long Gopher Tortoises and the Park of Commerce are going to be in the news. Take a ride down Boutwell Road and you'll see what I'm talking about.
And don't forget! Tortoises are NOT TURTLES. If you try to save a Gopher Tortoise by throwing the reptile in the water you will kill the poor thing. GOPHER TORTOISES CAN'T SWIM.
About the video: "What's it like living and working in one of the playgrounds of the rich and famous? Gossip columnist Jose Lambiet, who has been covering Palm Beach society for 22 years, takes 48 Hours' Richard Schlesinger for a drive around town." This video was done in October 2014. Driving with the top down in October! Think about that all our good friends in the soon-to-be frigidly cold northern places like Syracuse and Brooklyn NY.
Right across the bridge from the Town of Palm Beach (33480) is the little City of Lake Worth which is less wealthy than Palm Beach but there's always a lot of fun things to do here. Why don't you come down for vacation and check us out and discover more about the Palm Beaches.
Lake Worth has a BEACH!, golf course, great restaurants, and so much more (photo from Skyline Aerials).
What is Property Fraud? According to the FBI, property and mortgage fraud is the fastest growing white-collar crime in the United States. Scammers file fake deeds, making it appear as if they own homes that are not actually theirs. These scammers then trick people into giving them money to rent or buy those homes. Property Fraud Alert is a free service to help you protect your property from fraud by monitoring the documents being recorded in the Official Records of the Clerk & Comptroller's office. Sign up for the FREE Property Fraud Alert now.
Click title for link to a Palm Beach Daily News article regarding an explosion during the early hours, yesterday, at the Sun and Surf condominium. Apparently, an underground vault which contained the electric connection for the building was the source. Other incidents in the area in the electric distribution system happened during the day that may be related. An investigation by FPL and others is continuing to find the cause. The Sun and Surf condominium is located northeast of the Palm Beach Post office, east of the terminus of Royal Palm Way.
[This post below was published yesterday (10/7). Check back later today for some very interesting developments. Suffice to say that Commissioner Maier has some explaining to do. Enjoy Maier's summation of his presence at the TCPRP.]
And note that Maier is the City's liaison to the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council (TCRPC). I was unable to attend the City commission meeting last night (10/6) but did watch much of the meeting online. I videotaped the segment off the City's website this morning (the video quality is poor taping off a TV screen but the audio is quite clear):
Maier thinks the Ag Reserve "surrounds Lake Okeechobee". The Ag Reserve is nowhere near the lake. You would think with former Commissioner Suzanne Mulvehill being in the news lately about her effort to develop more Ag Reserve land and widen roads in the area would have gotten Maier's attention; apparently that's not the case.
This isn't Maier's first embarrassment vis-à-vis the TCRPC. Who can forget his report to the City commission on 5/19 about how easy it is to fix the volume of train horns on the FEC. It's a "quick fix" Maier said, and all that needs to be done is take out some "little bells". Because of that misinformation the public had to be educated that this was not an easy fix and would take much time and effort to correct the issue. How many people in Lake Worth still think lowering the volume of train horns is a "quick fix"?
This latest misstatement of fact was such an egregious one that his cohort, Commissioner McVoy, asked permission of Mayor Pam Triolo to correct the record. He starts explaining where the Ag Reserve actually is located starting at about the 30 second mark in the video below:
I received some interesting anecdotes about Maier's misstatement from people in attendance and they ranged from disbelief to hilarity. On a serious note though, the next time we have to sit through another lecture about turtles from Maier do we now need to fact-check everything for accuracy?
He's already gotten his facts wrong about Gopher Tortoises in Lake Worth's Park of Commerce (POC). He wanted the City to find out how many turtles (if there are indeed any) on City property in the POC. Just one problem: almost all of the land in the POC, other than right-of-ways and maybe a miscellaneous lot or two, are private property. Thank you to Commissioner Amoroso for correcting the record on that issue.
One last thing: Maier said the Ag Reserve was a major issue at the TCRPC meeting on 9/18. It was a very long agenda but see no mention of the Ag Reserve; maybe he can clear that up. His next liaison report to the City will be from the TCRPC's October 16th meeting—expect that at the City Commission meeting on October 20th. I'll try to be there with my camera.
Sarah Peters at the Posthas this news on big votes tonight on the future of the Briger Tract. Here is an excerpt:
Two big projects are up for approval in Palm Beach Gardens Thursday — United Technologies’ highly anticipated showcase and a 300-plus apartment development, both on the Briger tract. [emphasis added] The United Technologies’ Center for Intelligent Buildings is likely to get the final nod from City Council at the 7 p.m. meeting at City Hall, 10500 N. Military Trail. Construction on the 265,000-square-foot, six-story showcase with a four-story parking garage could start later this year and be completed in 2016. State officials have said the center showcasing United Technologies’ brands will bring 380 jobs and a $115 million capital investment to the area. Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach County and the state offered millions of dollars in economic incentives to get the company to commit to South Florida.
Tomorrow will let you know how the vote went and take a trip down memory lane vis-à-vis our good friends in the Anarchist community here in Lake Worth. Who can forget the "battery in the lake"? For many years now they've tried to stop anything from being built in Palm Beach Gardens' Briger tract and the sluggish economy and Great Recession were a big help for them. It's a much different story now.
Here's a different vision for that large "in-fill site" in Palm Beach Gardens:
[In case you missed this. . .the news segment from earlier in the week.]
Anyone still surprised?
All this is courtesy of a previous city commission that's left us with this albatross.
They were so happy when the Lake Worth Casino first opened—no one is smiling any more.
More signs or resurgence in the commercial real estate economy with the announced sale of the Carefree Theater. This is on South Dixie Hwy. in West Palm Beach, between Belvedere Road and the Norton Art Gallery, on the east side of the road. The new owner has plans to return the property as a mixed use entertainment center, including a movie theater. Long time residents will remember it as a unique theater experience that also housed a bowling alley and a few restaurants during its time. It has been closed since the hurricanes of 2004. Here's a brief description of the property's history I was able to locate.
The Carefree Theatre was an addition to the Carefree Center. It all started in 1936. The building front on Dixie housed a soda fountain/cafe with billiards. Across the hall was a 10-lane bowling alley (later to become the Comedy Corner). The alley opened with “pin boys” who manually set the pins and rolled balls back to players. Automatic pin setters were later installed, at a cost of $50,000 a piece! In the early 60’s, part of the billiards room had pink carpet, attracting many women to the sport. When air conditioning was later added to the billiard room and bowling alley, people actually complained. The theatre began construction in 1946 and opened in 1947 with “The Egg and I” (Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert). It originally had 800 seats but the two front rows were later remove to add a thrust stage in front of the curved screen, reducing the seat count to 772. The screen measured 16 x 42 with a focal distance of 150 feet. A glass-front “crying room” (for parents with babies) was upstairs next to the booth. Alone the north wall, retail space was along the street (a barber business existed for years) and a suite of offices and dressing rooms located upstairs. The theatre was cooled by a 1946 60-ton York reed-valve compressor. Although very inefficient by today’s standards, it was capable of keeping a full auditorium at 72 degrees on a steamy summer afternoon. The Carefree usually beat out the competition in Palm Beach with premiere showings of films. The theatre was so successful at the beginning that film companies would not believe the ticket grosses. In the late 40’s/early 50’s, it was claimed that 1 in 10 people in Palm Beach County visited the Carefree Center every seven days. In 1950, outdoor roller skating was tried on the roof of the theatre but only lasted one season. When Fantasma took over the center, many conversions took place. The Comedy Corner was established in the area of the old bowling alley (carpet was placed over the alleys) along with a retail art gallery. At the time, it was the largest single screen theatre in the state of Florida. And in case you’re wondering, “Larry the Cable Guy” (Dan Whitney) got his start at the Comedy Corner as the warmup act/door person. Along the front of the building, a bistro and sports bar were added. The theatre got some updating with projection equipment (Century head with zenon lamphouse – converted to platter system at this time) and Dolby sound. The screen was later replaced with a silvered screen for 3-D. It was the only house in Florida with the aperture plates and lenses for the four major aspect ratios of motion picture film (1.33, 1.66. 1.85, 2.35). Fantasma began offering sub-run movies, live concerts on stage, and becoming the home of Rocky Horror Picture for South Florida (every Saturday night at midnight – third longest running program in the US). Films were later changed to first-run foreign and art in 1990, becoming the most successful art house in America. Concerts were primarily jazz and reggae but included live comedy (Sam Kinison) and jazz-pop (Basia). Harry Connick, Jr. and Melissa Etheridge performed on the Carefree stage just prior to “making it big”. BB King would always play two performances once a year to sold out crowds. Due to the size of the Carefree, it was the perfect place for an intimate concert. Several world premieres were held at the theatre, most notably the infamous film “Scooter in Palm Beach” (don’t go looking for it – it was so bad it was either retitled or completely removed from the history books). The theatre also played host to the Palm Beach Film Festival and the South Florida Jewish Film Festival every year. Unfortunately, damage caused by the hurricanes of 2004 forced the closure of what was the jewel of the entertainment business in Palm Beach County.
On Friday, January 30th (Vol. 1/Issue 3) in Margaret Menge's now-defunct (always-FREE, delivered-FREE, advertising-challenged) tabloid, she wrote the words below in her "House Editorial". In her editorial she gave clues to the nonsense that was to come about her "larger truth" vis-à-vis pastor Olive and the curiously named 'Common Ground' church:
Media bias is often more to do with what newspapers decline to cover than what they do cover. There is almost no coverage whatsoever of churches or of faith in most American newspapers, except in articles about the African-American community. Churches don't get written about. Looking back at old newspapers one time, I saw newspapers reprinting whole Sunday sermons from a local church as a regular thing. I'm not planning to do that in these pages. But I do want to write about our churches, and the faith of the people who attend them. And I want to write about many other things, as well, to tell the larger truth of our community, and to make a more complete record of what is happening here.
There are so many churches in our 6 square mile City of Lake Worth that do so much for the community; way too many to name here. And most of us in Lake Worth, including myself, are very appreciative.
On Friday, February 20th (Vol. 1, Issue 6) Ms. Menge made good on her promise to tell her "larger truth". Unfortunately a local TV news station and some that were duped in the national press picked up on the nonsense before the real story could be told. It was a black eye the City didn't deserve:
CBS12/WPEC's Kathleen Walter with her news segment on February 26th about 'pastor' Olive and his Common Ground (no 's') nonsense. Interesting to note, and completely off topic, the segment aired 12 days prior to election day.
A "soviet-style crackdown"? So much for searching for the "common ground" (no 's').
Now you know the real story.
As far as churches and religion not mentioned in newspapers? Each week's Lake Worth Herald dispels that ridiculous notion. There is almost no news coverage about faith by the media? Did Ms. Menge ever hear of Pope Francis? And as far as sermons not printed in entirety in newspapers any longer. . .a thing called the internet made the effort unnecessary. And so did email. And Facebook. And YouTube. And Twitter. . .
Anyone who reads this blog knows I am not a fan of feral cats in south Florida. Cats have to be kept inside at all times and hope that is the intention of anyone who adopts a pet cat. Why? Feral cats are destroying the Florida habitat. In this last Saturday's Palm Beach Post was shocked to read this Letter to the Editor by Betty Taylor on another threat that feral cats pose, feline leukemia:
I want to start this off by saying I am all for saving animals (“More than 200 animals find new homes at adoption event”; Sunday). I was one of, I am sure, several who went to the recent event to adopt/rescue a furry friend. I was looking for a kitty and walked around to several of the shelters, and there she was: the cutest little face. She stole my heart. I held her for a few minutes and just knew she was going to be a perfect fit to my kitty family. I then found out they do not do the critical testing for cats of HIV and feline leukemia. [emphasis added] I was smitten by this time, and said I would go ahead with the adoption and take her straight to my vet’s office and pay for the testing. I did speak with an agency veterinarian at the event, who told me they do not test. I do not understand: If the adoption agency does not test, and takes the animals out in such a public way, how are they not risking all the other animals? I went to my vet’s office, and my kitty tested positive for feline leukemia. So, not being able to risk my cats at home, I had to take her back to the event and leave heartbroken. I think events like this are great, but before any cat or dog is brought out in such a public way, they should be healthy. BETTY TAYLOR, LAKE WORTH
Below is a video about feline leukemia; about the video:
Feline Leukemia is a deadly disease and once the cat is showing symptoms, they will die a slow death. The lucky ones are rescued and euthanized to stop their suffering. There are too many suffering cats. It needs to be stopped!!!
If you've never written a Letter to the Editor at the Post it is very easy; here are the instructions:
Send a letter to the editor: letters@pbpost.com(Letters are subject to editing and must include the writer’s name, address, e-mail address and daytime phone number. Preferred length is a maximum of 200 words.)
Get up early on Sunday morning and visit the world's only 'Recovery' (Southern Baptist) church service IN A BAR! How cool is that? Grab a free breakfast and coffee, sober up, get SAVED, and then party like there's no tomorrow at the Bamboo Room all in the same building in Lake Worth!
Remember church attendees: stay behind the curtain and tip your server well!
Hope to see you next Sunday to praise the Lord at the bar. Service starts at 10:00 A.M. and the address is 25 South 'J' Street in downtown Lake Worth. There isn't a town in south Florida that can throw a party like Lake Worth can. The next big party begins this coming Saturday: make plans for the big "ArtOberfest" party this weekend—the 'Jacks' are in town*:
Click on the "Follow" icon in the Tweet above to get the latest from the Bamboo Room: featured music talent, drink specials, and so much more.
*Please drink responsibly.
It's ArtOberfest in downtown Lake Worth; Saturday & Sunday in our spectacular downtown. See the City's renaissance for yourself.
As is stated in the video, this is a "shot in the arm" for our City. Steven Michael of Hudson Holdings is interviewed and he does an excellent summation of what is proposed. Share this with your friends and neighbors so they are informed of what is happening.
Some of you will remember what happened at The Palm Beach Post when they cut their staff. The paper has never been the same; it's especially evident on the editorial page. Chris Joseph at the Broward New Times has this news about buyouts being offered at the Sun Sentinel; here is an excerpt:
According to an anonymous source who works at the Sun-Sentinel, the entire staff received an email Monday announcing an "Employee Voluntary Separation Program," [emphasis added] which says the buyout program is "voluntary." Those who take the buyout, the email says, would receive a severance package that includes certain medical benefits continuation, outplacement services, as well as equity vesting, and retiree medical. The cuts have been something looming over the company since former Baltimore Sun publisher Timothy Ryan replaced the fired Austin Beutner as publisher of Tribune Publishing on September 8. But, according to the anonymous source, the feeling of foreboding within the Sun-Sentinel has been building up even before then.
It's not a good time to be in the newspaper business. Anyone remember the Post's former reporter Willie Howard? You'll be happy to know he writes for The Coastal Star now.
Textbook publisher McGraw-Hill will rewrite a section in one of its books after a Houston-area mother complained that it whitewashes the role of slavery in bringing Africans to America. [emphasis added] Roni Dean-Burren took to Facebook last week to vent her frustration over the wording of a passage in her son’s “World Geography” textbook that calls African slaves “workers” and “immigrants.” “The Atlantic slave trade brought millions of workers … notice the nuanced language there. Workers implies wages … yes?” she wrote. Dean-Burren’s post gathered a lot of attention; a subsequent video sparked spirited feedback and had drawn 1.4 million page views on Facebook as of Sunday. McGraw-Hill heard the outcry, reviewed the section and concluded that the wording doesn’t live up to the publisher’s standards. “We believe we can do better,” McGraw-Hill posted on its Facebook page Friday. “To communicate these facts more clearly, we will update this caption to describe the arrival of African slaves in the U.S. as a forced migration and emphasize that their work was done as slave labor.”
After more than a decade of work, Federal Highway in Delray Beach is back to its roots as a thoroughfare with two lanes in each direction. In the mid-1970s the road was widened to three lanes before the state Department of Transportation extended Interstate 95 from Fort Lauderdale north to West Palm Beach. But the plan always called for Federal Highway to be narrowed again, said former City Commissioner Gary Eliopoulus. “The road closures took longer than anticipated,” said Eliopoulus, who sat on the commission from 2007 to 2011. “But in the end it will be the best thing that Delray ever did — slowing the cars down near Atlantic Avenue.” This time, the roadway is more scenic. The approximately $14.2 million project boasts benches, more landscaping dominated by palms, trash cans and pavers used to create wider sidewalks between Northeast Second and Southeast Second streets. It also will have a 5-foot-wide cyclist lane in each direction and on-street parking.
The article is very in-depth and highly interesting. At the end of the article is information on the costs of materials such as asphalt and palms/shade trees. Before long, hopefully, Lake Worth will be hearing from FDOT on proposals to fix Dixie Hwy making the road a "Complete Street" through our City.
West Palm Beach Mayor Muoio and the DDA's Raphael Clemente recently got back from their trip (paid for with a grant) to Copenhagen to learn ways to make cities more walkable and bikeable. Here's an excerpt from the Post's Tony Doris:
Mayor Jeri Muoio says her trip to Copenhagen, on a grant to study innovative ideas to make cities livable, will yield results for West Palm Beach, she said. She has three big ideas but will keep most of them under her hat for now, she said, until she has a chance to vet them with staff. But in a chat Wednesday, she did disclose one of three: creating a bike greenway that loops the city. [emphasis added] It would run from the city golf course in the South End, up through Dreher Park, Howard Park and Gaines Park, then have a spur coming south toward the downtown library. The mayor, with Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Raphael Clemente, this past month spent a week in the Danish capital on a Knight Grant program focused on making cities more walkable, bike-able and livable.
UPDATE: For all of you out there who think everything is just wonderful/blissful at the Lake Worth Municipal Pool your advised to not follow any of my blog posts about the pool for the next several days. I've come across quite a lot of information and it's going to take a while to go through it all.
It's not a pretty picture.
The revenue numbers are terrible and so are the attendance numbers. Some believe that adding more convenient hours for the public is the answer and there may be some truth to that. However, with added hours comes additional expenses: lifeguards, support staff, and more maintenance. For instance, how much money was spent in chemicals to keep the pool operating for 29 hours a week? Almost $20,000:
This is a partial image of the graph showing how the $20,000 in chemicals/equipment was itemized.
And then there is the million dollar question: why isn't the public in the City supporting the pool? It used to have broad support in the community but then something happened. Did the public lose interest when a previous city commission shut down the pool for all those months back in 2010? Many who used the pool back then, the regular swimmers, likely found other things to do for exercise or maybe found another pool facility:
If you're interested in learning more about this situation with the municipal pool check back here to this blog over the next several days. If your in the "everything's just fine" group then don't.
[Below is a blog post from yesterday (10/5) on one idea to increase revenue and attendance at the facility:]
According to this sign, just to the right of the cashier's window, you can now buy a twenty-visit pool pass. For Lake Worth residents, the new pass will be $60. So you can think of it as an additional dollar off per visit (the regular resident rate is $4), or a total of five (5) free visits. If anything, it will help offset the cost of parking. Non-residents can get the same sort of twenty-visit pass, but must pay $75. That equates to $3.75 per visit and is a more substantial discount than the one for residents. If you pay by the visit, the non-resident rate is $5. There are similar savings with the children's (17 years old and younger) pass.
If you go the pool regularly this makes some sense. However, if the city is concerned about the revenue coming from the pool, I am not sure this helps a great deal. If most of the people that will take advantage of this opportunity are current and frequent pool users, then the city will bring in less money. I think what would really help the situation is to offer additional or different hours that cater to those who work a typical Monday through Friday, daytime work schedule.
But it's good to see that the City and staff are working through various ideas to plug the hole in the pool's operating deficit.
The title of this article in CityLab is, "They Are Coming for Our Neighborhoods"; who is 'They'? Developers of course. Some in Boulder want to stop development, all development, and in effect freeze any possible growth in that city. Here are three excerpts from the article:
In context, “they” means developers. But in reality, “they” are people: workers, families, low-income residents, and other people who might one day like to call Boulder home. If voters affirm the Neighborhoods’ Right to Vote on Land-Use Regulation Changes amendment (ballot issue #300) on November 3, then they will be effectively freezing growth in Boulder—by turning one city into 66 new exclusionary zones with final say on housing and density. [emphasis added]
[and . . .]
This is mega-NIMBYism at work. It essentially yields the municipal government’s authority over zoning decisions to neighborhoods acting as zoning boards—66 of them, none of which have any incentive to accommodate higher density or affordable housing. As in just about any “zoning rights” discussion, the measure’s boosters support the right for homeowners to preserve high land values in single-family home districts—and force developers and affordable-housing advocates to look elsewhere.
[and lastly . . .]
“Livable Boulder's neighborhood right-to-vote initiative would create two classes of Boulder citizens for any given land-use issue,” Yates [Jessica Yates, an attorney] writes. “Only one class would be eligible to vote on a council land-use action, leaving the vast majority of us on the sideline on any given issue, even if we live adjacent to or work in the neighborhood in question and have a direct interest in the proposed land use.”
Something very similar was tried here in Florida with Amendment 4; it failed in a spectacular fashion. The reality is if voters approve a freeze nothing actually gets frozen in time. The inevitable would occur like what happened in San Francisco and everywhere else development is stopped: prices for property and homes will rise and many residents will be displaced—even some who support this proposed measure. The vote will be on November 3rd. I'll let you know how it turns out. The post below is a flashback to Amendment 4 in Florida.
TOB (aka, Lynn Anderson), if you didn't know, is a member of pastor Olive's 'Common Ground' (no 's') church. pastor (lower case intended) Olive's church is the dead end for those in the City looking for a bastion of hate. The City of Lake Worth has turned its back on hate and is moving forward healing many of our special, and uniquely different, communities. It's an exciting time to live in Lake Worth.
Inexplicably, 'pastor' Olive wrote a prayer for me you can read here. Why me? Don't you think TOB needs a prayer written for her? You would think so. The following video is explanation enough:
It's hard to believe but it's true. When this story first hit about former-chair Adrian Wyllie resigning in protest it sounded like an article from The Onion. Here is more on this from the New York Daily News:
A Florida man running for U.S. Senate is supported by neo-Nazis and acknowledged he once sacrificed a goat and drank its blood. [emphasis added] Augustus Sol Invictus is the Florida Libertarian Party's candidate and has faced other accusations ranging from his support of eugenics, prophesizing a "great war" within America's borders and drawing support of neo-Nazis. Invictus, who declines to reveal his given name, is the only Libertarian candidate looking to fill the vacant seat left by presidential hopeful Marco Rubio. His position as the only representative of the party led now-former party chairman Adrian Wyllie to resign in protest.
To 'Follow' St. Andrew's on Twitter click on the icon in the Tweet above. Here is the website for St. Andrews. Some history of the church:
On January 25, 1914 [emphasis added], William Henry Sampson, the first settler of Lake Worth township, along with fourteen other communicants, founded St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. The first services of the mission church were conducted by the Rev. Gilbert Ottman, who came from Holy Trinity Church in West Palm Beach. The first building was constructed on the existing site in the fall of 1914, and a small concrete parish hall was added in 1920. This building was destroyed in the disastrous hurricane of September 16, 1928, but a new church took its place a year later. The handmade altar, an 18th Century Italian eagle lectern, and the cypress pews that furbished this new church are still in use today.
[and. . .]
Today St. Andrew’s is a living, loving church. Distinguishing our church today is its active pastoral ministry which reaches dozens of shut-ins and hospitalized persons weekly; a nursing home ministry; Sunday school; an active youth group; and Integrity chapter; and an ongoing program of forums, discussions and workshops of a religious and philosophical nature.
Here is the church's address and contact information:
100 North Palmway, Lake Worth Florida 33460
Office is open 9 am to 1 pm, Monday–Friday
Phone: (561) 582-6609 and email address.
You would be surprised at the number of churches in the little City of Lake Worth, just like St. Andrew's, who go about their work with dignity and respect for our City.
This is one of those great ideas that come along and make you want to cheer. If you've ever driven the Tamiami Trail (US-41) you know it as an unfriendly road for pedestrians and bicycles. Now that could change. You can become a FROGG: a Friend of the River of Grass Greenway. This is the FROGG mission statement:
Our mission is to promote the establishment, preservation, and safe use by the general public of a non-motorized transportation and recreation corridor across the Everglades between Naples and Miami.
Parallel to the Tamiami Trail (US. 41), the ROGG [River of Grass Greenway] will be a hard-surfaced 12-14 foot wide corridor (separated from the highway) suitable for a range of non-motorized recreation activities such as bicycling, walking, bird-watching, photography, fishing, and general enjoyment of the greater Everglades natural area. The goal of the ROGG is to extend from Krome Avenue (eastern edge of Everglades National Park near Miami) to the outskirts of Naples/Marco Island (western terminus to be determined). In the middle, there will be a three mile spur to Everglades City.
[and. . .]
ROGG is much more than a recreation corridor. An important facet of the pathway is the potential for environmental education and stewardship. The pathway will be designed and built for sustainability, with acute awareness of potential environmental impact.
Become a FROGG today! Here's how:
The ROGG is an ambitious goal that is attainable only with widespread support. Join the Friends of the ROGG (FROGG) today to increase our support base.
The event last Thursday night was very well attended; here is the article by Kevin Thompson on what happened and what to expect going forward. An excerpt from the article:
“This meeting,” Commissioner Andy Amoroso told the standing-room-only crowd, ” is about finding new leaders in our community.” [emphasis added] The one-hour session, organized by Community Partners, Lake Worth’s Community Redevelopment Agency and Bridges at Lake Worth and Bridges at Highland, was an attempt to reach out to an area that isn’t known for participating in the political process, mainly because of cultural differences. The goal was to encourage residents to sign up for two, six-week dialogue groups that will run from Oct. 22 through Dec. 3 where participants will meet for two hours each week to come up with an action plan on how to improve their neighborhoods. One group will be held in English, the other in Spanish.
I was told quite a few of our Guatemalan neighbors attended. That is very encouraging. If you have more positive, community news in the City of Lake Worth, suburban Lake Worth (including Palm Beach State College) and Greenacres here is how you contact the Post reporter:
Email: kthompson@pbpost.com
561-820-4573
Twitter: @kevindthompson1
[It won't be long now before THE LINE OF FIRE gets rolled out once again. Sheriff Bradshaw is up for re-election and the Post likely has everything ready to go just waiting for the right time.]
Seems like so long ago.
. .
You have to admit, LINE OF FIRE: BULLETS, BADGES, AND DEATH ON THE STREET! is a catchy line.
The number 252 was used a lot by Lawrence Mower at The Palm Beach Post and Katie LaGrone at NBC5/WPTV. And many people are believing falsely that 252 is the number of people who have been shot at by a PBSO deputy. Not even close.
The number 252 is the number of times a deputy or police officer fired his weapon during an incident in Palm Beach County AND the Treasure Coast. Here is an excerpt from The Palm Beach Post:
In an unrivaled look at police shootings in Palm Beach County and the TreasureCoastsince 2000, The Palm Beach Post and WPTV NewsChannel 5 detail more than 250 incidents of officers firing guns. The shootings killed 86 people and wounded 97.
Here are the categories the discharge of a weapon by officers fall in to:
Unknown
No injuries
Injured
Fatal
Since 2000 the number of people fatally shot by a PBSO deputy who was "shielded" by his badge: 45. Since Sheriff Bradshaw was sworn into office in 2005? 37. The number of Blacks fatally shot: 12 since 2005. That number is statistically higher than the Black population which hovers about 20%. The reason for that number is a subject of debate and not the reason for this blog post. The numbers are what they are.
You can search the data yourself using this link of shootings by deputies who were "shielded" by their badges. (Note: there is no data for 2015.)
Below you can see how massive the area/population PBSO serves and the number of deputies who are "shielded" by badges:
The number '45' is misleading. These numbers start from 2000. Sheriff Bradshaw wasn't sworn in until 2005.
Now things get interesting. The City of Lake Worth you would think having the reputation for crime it once had would have had many fatal shootings by PBSO. FALSE. Since 2009 there have been 3 fatal shootings. How many Blacks? 0.
So the next time you see former Lake Worth Commissioner Cara Jennings wearing her "Black Lives Matter" T-shirt you can say she is absolutely right. They do. They matter as much as everyone else's life, including the law enforcement officers who are tasked with protecting her and her Anarchist friends:
The FDOT has advised the Town that the planned maintenance work on the Southern Boulevard Bridge, originally scheduled for Monday, Oct. 5 and Tuesday, Oct. 6, has been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. An updated notice will be provided once the work has been rescheduled.
Nearly two-thirds of all Americans would use high-speed rail if it was available, based on the findings of a new survey from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). To be more exact here, 63% of those surveyed stated an interests in utilizing high-speed rail service if it was available. Also worth noting here is that this number jumped 4% to 67% when survey respondents were given information detailing cost + time savings benefits accompanying high-speed rail use.
[and. . .]
The survey also found that 71% of those surveyed are in support of the reduction of regulatory hurdles for the development of real-estate development near high-speed rail. “High-speed rail not only provides a great transportation option, but the public’s interest in amenities near high-speed rail stations is another way to create economic growth and jobs in local communities across the country,” stated Melaniphy [APTA President and CEO Michael Melaniphy].
If you've been following the twisted tale of the 'church' here in Lake Worth that's being 'persecuted' the quote above explains a lot. I found a link to this material in one of that church's news feeds. There is no war on Jesus (or God) in our City and there never was. But there was a 7-month attempt to create one in the minds of those who are either paranoid or easily manipulated.
Try to follow this logic from a member of that flock who believes there really is a "war" happening in Lake Worth:
Christians were killed (somewhere/anywhere)
There is a war on Christians
There are Christians in Lake Worth, FL
There is a war on Christians in Lake Worth
You can't see the war being conducted
Why? Because it's a secret war
Here is an excerpt from the blog post referenced above:
Consider this thought: a strategic method of Satan in America is to engage in a "silent war," one that is so subtle that the church can easily forget its true nature and the identity of their true enemy. In other words, one way in which the evil one persecutes the church in American is by not persecuting the church in America! Allow the American dream of prosperity dominate the values of the average Christian. Provide a way so that they indeed achieve success as the result of their years of education, hard work, and countless hours spent in their professional area of expertise. Their success is not seen as a blessing that results from the Lord's sacrifice, but a result of their own sacrifice. Then give them a craving for more success that can only come by working even harder.
When you read this twisted logic it becomes very clear why the Millennials are abandoning churches in the U.S. Who would blame them when there is such a culture of negativity and fear.
![Dr. W. H. Cotton’s ode: “Oh, My Lake Worth, Florida!” [circa 1920].](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUL75cv6zJQFjX15ojOIIz9AjnbqH4asHJTYSDhnGnYr7rJZRha1NcNTirj2xPcId158vkz5Hw-wXgOfrlztj8Zr8jLFFCfuEN6PyV44ZlpMRmJ68xbtFL9vzxNiG7xDs_HJvm/s1600/LakeWorthPioneers.JPG)
