Then One Foggy Christmas Eve . . .

Let’s make today a ‘Christmas Day’ in early March!

Why wait until ‘Christmas in July’?

And who made up that rule you have to wait until July anyway? Well, it is actually a rule and journalist Katherine Owen explains, “The Real Story Behind Christmas in July Started in North Carolina”.

So we’re breaking the rule today. Gather ‘round everyone headed to the Midnight Sun Festival this weekend in the City of Lake Worth. . .


Now moving on. . .

A Special to
The Lake Worth Herald.

 By Paige Turner.

 Learn more about this
very special Little Free Library below.

The “Rudolph” Little Free Library was unveiled at Santa’s Workshop in the Cultural Plaza on December 15th, prior to the 53rd Annual Christmas Parade in Downtown Lake Worth.

To the special news in the Herald by Paige Turner. . .

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen but do you recall? Ten years before Johnny Marks wrote the song in 1949 that Gene Autry made famous and long before Burl Ives sang it as Sam the Snowman in the 1964 stop motion animated television special, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” flew into Christmas Eve history thanks to the writer, Robert May and the artist, Denver Gillen who together created the most famous reindeer of all.

In 1939, May and Gillen worked at Montgomery Ward’s flagship department store in the copy and art departments. They were tasked with coming up with a promotion to celebrate the season; a booklet to be handed out to thousands of holiday shoppers. Thus Rudolph, the very shiny-nosed legend of that foggy Christmas Eve and hero to every child who ever felt left out, was born.

Everyone knows the story of how the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names, how they never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games until that special night when Santa chose Rudolph to lead the way. But did you know that Rudolph has a special connection to Lake Worth?

Our Downtown Jewel neighbor, Jenifer Gillen, is Denver Gillen’s daughter. Jenifer has graciously allowed Lake Worth Little Free Libraries to draw from the original illustrations created by her father to decorate our newest Little Free Library. Our Eden Place neighbor, artist Carl Stoveland, selected images from the very first printing of the booklet and lovingly recreated them using colors to match the originals.

Utterly charming depictions of Rudolph and Santa cover all sides of the Little Free Library including a special note to “Deer Lake Worth” from Rudolph himself. This homage to Denver Gillen also includes a nod to Todd Bol, the recently departed creator of Little Free Libraries which he started in 2009 in Hudson Wisconsin.



Want to go by and see “Rudolph” the Little Free Library? Rudolph is planted somewhere along South N St. Or is it North N St.? Anyway, it’s planted somewhere in that neck of the woods.

Look for him there any day or night, except on the foggiest Christmas Eves!

Hear Ye. Hear Ye All. All friends of our Finnish neighbors with a long history in Lake Worth, Florida, USA.

Have you heard?

Midnight Sun Festival begins again TODAY at 11:00 this morning in scenic Bryant Park.

Would you like more information?

Then you have two choices: Either scroll down to a blog post further below titled, “Celebrate Midnight Sun Festival in City of Lake Worth” or if you learned of this on Twitter click on this link. Have you been to the City of Lake Worth lately? Why not come and check it out?

Public Safety. Pedestrians and drivers of all motor vehicles, bicycles, scooters and skateboards too.

Midnight Sun Festival begins today!

There will be many people from out of town unfamiliar with our traffic regulations.

Please watch out for them and keep them safe.

Make certain our Finnish visitors return home to say wonderful things about us.

The annual weekend-long Midnight Sun Festival begins today in Bryant Park along the Intracoastal at 5:00.

Many visitors will be arriving by Tri-Rail with bicycles or using Palm Tran. Please keep your eyes out.

For more information about this annual event please see the blog post that follows this one.

Public Safety: Did you happen to see this news in The Palm Beach Post recently and headlined,

Delray vice mayor struck by car, breaks knee while walking to City Hall

Before we get to the news from Delray Beach also below is a bonus, a short introduction to Fundamental Erudition at the Midnight Sun Festival.

And if you happen to see an unattended plastic straw or one near a stormwater drain just pick it and throw it away or notify an official at the festival. As per Lisa Toy, the Sustainability and Recycling Coordinator at the PBC School District demonstrated, this is not rocket science, it’s basic science children can understand: “Only Rain Down the Stormwater Drain”.

Bonus. Introduction to Fundamental Erudition:
How to behave during Midnight Sun.

Again, it’s not rocket science, or even soil science. And the annual obligatory gripe, “Why aren’t there any PBSO deputies here today!” This is not even Basic Science 101. Deputies don’t always wear uniforms and we’ll leave it at that.

Now back to walkers and drivers today.

To and from Midnight Sun STAY ALERT!

In just one moment your day can turn badly as what happened in Delray two weeks ago.

An elected official in Delray was struck by a motor vehicle during the Delray Beach Open tennis tournament. This very unfortunate but completely avoidable ‘accident’ was reported by Post journalist Lulu Ramadan.

Everyone is encouraged to have fun and frivolity in our City of Lake Worth this weekend!

Theft, vandalizing and ‘switching out’ political yard signs IS A CRIME.

Remember: No one can put a political yard sign on your property without your permission. You can remove it any time; either throw it away or call the campaign and tell them to swing by and pick it up. No political campaign signage can be on public property and that includes a public right-of-way, e.g., a swale or any municipal property.


Moving on.

Let’s review what happened in 2017 and 2018.

Do you know what ‘switching out’ a campaign sign is? Find out a little later.

New residents of this City may be alarmed about the blog post below but there’s no reason to be. For many years it’s sort of like a tradition in Lake Worth politics for Anarchists and their Affinity members to send out teams on black bikes in the dark of night to steal and vandalize political yard signs.

It should be noted these nocturnal teams are completely harmless, except to themselves of course.

In 2017 massive numbers of campaign signs put out by the campaigns of Messrs. Herman C. Robinson and Omari Hardy were stolen or vandalized. And all the other signs that remained were clipped. In other words a wire cutter was used to snap one of the metal supports so the sign would shake, rattle and roll all day in the wind. And then a volunteer would have to go out and fix it. The metal stand costs more than the Cloroplast plastic sign does so one can see this tactic can be costly and wear down a targeted campaign.

Then things ramped up in 2018.

The Great ‘Switching Out’.

During the Midnight Sun Festival that year, on Friday and Saturday evening the unbelievable occurred. Each night campaign signs were switched out with another campaigns’ sign! All over town people would walk out the door the next morning, see a campaign sign in the front yard and start scratching their head, “Gee wiz, I thought I was supporting Mayor Pam Triolo?”

But ended up the Great Switching Out failed. The mayor went on to win in huge landslide.

Here is how you should look at this: It’s actually sort of a compliment to how well some candidates and campaigns are doing when their signs are getting vandalized, stolen, or switched out.

Important to remember:


Stealing, vandalizing and switching out political yard signs IS A CRIME. Someone trespassing on your property and stealing YOUR RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH as well.


However, the ultimate question is, do yard signs work?

If yard signs weren’t effective why do you think some put so much time and effort stealing, vandalizing and switching them out? The answer is because political signs do work — just not in the way you might think they do. An article in Politico by Eliza Collins (see excerpt below) is a very interesting read and explains why campaign signs are effective.

But first, besides being a crime, stealing signs in the dark of night is someone who is infringing on
your right of Free Speech:

These two were spotted stealing political signs around the Lucerne building in Downtown Lake Worth in March 2015.
 

If your sign gets stolen or vandalized:

Call the PBSO non-emergency number and report it: 561-688-3400. Whoever stole your political sign trespassed on your property and is disrespecting your right to Free Speech. Contact the campaign you are supporting and request another sign.



Other tactics, mind you, are using bolt cutters to cut one of the metal supports to make the sign dangle awkwardly. That also forces the targeted campaign to order more stakes. The stake, by the way, costs more than the sign. And curiously, it seems the ones who always say “listen to the people”, e.g., such as the small and ever-dwindling cabal of Anarchists here in the City of Lake Worth, were the ones always out stealing other “people’s” right to Free Speech? Ironic, isn’t it?

Anyhow, back to the article in Politico: the value in yard signs isn’t to increase an election turnout, their value is getting your name and message to those who will likely be voting on election day. The effect of political signs is small but nonetheless very effective. Here is the excerpt from Politico:


     “We were surprised by these findings, because the conventional wisdom is that lawn signs don’t do much — they’re supposed to be a waste of money and time. Many campaign consultants think that signs ‘preach to the choir’ and not much else,” Coppock [Alex Coppock, co-author of the study cited in Politico] said.
     “The effect is small in terms of percentage points, though the implication is that thousands of voters would have voted for someone else if not for the signs,” [emphasis added] Coppock said. “My guess is that part of the reason that the effect is small is because any campaign tactic — signs, ads, mailers, calls, etc — only move people around at the margin. In many ways, it would be strange if the effect were bigger. Imagine a world in which the presence or absence of lawn signs could swing an election by 10 points.”


And lastly, almost every year here in the City of Lake Worth comes the call from some quarters to have candidates and campaigns stop using political yard signs. Listen closely the next time you hear that lament and then ask yourself this question: “Why would anyone want to quell completely legal Free Speech in the City of Lake Worth?”

And consider this: All that effort to ban plastic straws and balloons in this City! Plastic straws and balloons can be recycled. Chloroplast cannot and they end up taking a lot of space in landfills. Think about that for a while.

Always short and not always sweet and not always ‘Quirky’: Endorsement and no endorsement in today’s Herald.

But first. . .


UPDATE: See latest information on “The Philly Grill on Wheels” food truck below. Will it be at the Midnight Sun Festival this weekend? Stay tuned. Research has indicated that may indeed be the case.


And despite what you may have been led to believe, FREE SPEECH in the City of Lake Worth is alive and well.

The editor(s) at The Palm Beach Post/Gatehouse Media made their political endorsements and now the editor at The Lake Worth Herald made his (see two excerpts below).

Many of you may find the endorsement in The Lake Worth Herald today shocking, disturbing and maybe you will jump up and celebrate. And also below, near the end of this blog post, is a sentence about more news in this week’s Herald.

Let us pause briefly for really good news in The Palm Beach Post today.

It was news in the ‘LOCAL/BUSINESS’ section about a Lake Worth food truck and a Downtown eatery that recently had perfect inspections from the Florida Dept. of Professional Regulation. They are the Subway restaurant located at the 210 S. Dixie Hwy. and a food truck too. Learn more below about the food truck serving steak sandwiches a little later. Who knows! It might be at the Midnight Sun Festival this weekend.

And worth noting there was another error in the Post today too and once again,


Or maybe it wasn’t an error after all. But information in the paper today that might confuse the ‘Foodie’ and food truck community.


Not a subscriber to the Post ? All that information and more is always on p. A2 including subscription rates. If you have any issues or concerns please call 561-820-4663 or send an email to:

subscriberservices@gatehousemedia.com


To become a subscriber to the Herald all that information is a little later.


Moving forward. . .


Election Day in the City of Lake Worth is on March 12th. The full text of Mayor Pam Triolo’s State of the City address held last Tuesday evening is published on pp. 4–5 in today’s Lake Worth Herald. The speech was titled, “We are a Community of Neighborhoods”.

And to read the news in The Palm Beach Post by Julius Whigham about the mayor’s State of the City address click on this link which includes much more information as well..

Also worth noting in the Post today is news about a food truck serving Philly steak sandwiches. This food truck may very well be at the Midnight Sun Festival beginning this Friday, possibly a new experience for our fun Finnish friends.

Now to the front page endorsement in the Herald. Have you been following the candidates and the issues? Good.

Not quite up to speed? Then go back to what you’ve been doing and Thank You for visiting once again today.

FREE SPEECH and thoughts from editor Mr. Mark Easton at the Herald; two excerpts:

In the District 2 Lake Worth City Commission race, the Lake Worth Herald endorses challenger Cathy Turk.

Turk shows spirit and concern for Lake Worth and all of its needs. Incumbent Omari Hardy has continuously brought partisan politics to the dais after being elected to a non-partisan seat and has shown no respect for his colleagues.

In the District 4 Lake Worth City Commission race, the Lake Worth Herald will not endorse. The imcumbent, Herman Robinson has brought nothing to the dais except partisan positions and issues which, by state law, the City Commission is preempted from making rules for.

and. . .

The Lake Worth Herald believes the cons heavily out weigh [sic] the pros with each candidate in the District 4 race.

And there’s more!

A sentence about more news in the Herald this week.

Also in this week’s paper is news about the recent 25th annual Street Painting Festival, the Midnight Sun Festival this coming weekend, Finnish guitarist Pontus J. Back and the band AMB, the Greater Palm Beach Rose Society, a helpful quarter-page ad for Las Americas Pharmacy in the nearby Town of Lake Clarke Shores, a brief Letter to the Letter from the Chair of the Tree Board by the honorable Mr. Richard Stowe, and a spotlight on John I. Leonard teacher Kerrigan Francis-Beckford by reporters by James Simone and Betty Turso, a “Tech Trailblazer Program” in the Palm Beach County public schools and the elementary school menu for Monday, March 4th–Friday, March 8th and an ad for the Lake Worth Jaguars football team, “Be Part Of The Team!”, LOCAL fishing news by Everglades Ernie, “Car Creepers” being sought by PBSO, the Official Notice of General Election sample ballot on p. 7, FLOLFing 2019 and dining and entertainment on p. 8, and since the City of Lake Worth does not have a hardware store there is a huge ad for ACE Hardware on 414 W. Lantana Rd. and at 1212 W. Lantana Rd. too and news about the Lake Worth Playhouse, “It Was A Very Good Year” starring Tony Sands and the 2019–2020 Playhouse Season and the specials at The Beach Club and Dave’s Last Resort & Raw Bar,

“After FINN FEST ‘Carry Your Wife’ in, AND FINNISH UP THE FEST!” and

news about the Salvation Army Annual Dinner, “It is About Hope” by Helen Vogt Greene with a photo and a caption too on p. 10 and Helen Vogt Greene again with the “Sugar Cane Tour: How Sweet It Is!”, on the next page is about the Rose Luncheon and the Dress For Success Sixth Annual Fundraising Luncheon and an ad for the very last Lake Worth Candidate Forum on March 7th at the Casino Ballroom, public notices on pp. 12–13, cartoons and puzzles and a “Trivia Test” by Fifi Rodriguez, the classifieds on p. 15, “The Great Taste of Lake Worth 2019” held last Friday prior to Street Painting and a list of participating restaurants and merchants with accompanying photos and all ending with a caption,


“Waiting in line for the wrist band before making the mad dash through the Downtown district in search of a 30+ course meal afoot.”


So that’s about it, a sentence summing up what happened and will be happening in L-Dud this week, published in The Lake Worth Herald today.

And a Special Thanks to Post reporter Julius Whigham.

Whigham was at the Lake Worth Casino and Beach Complex last Tuesday evening to report on the mayor’s State of the City address. Being there and posting a news report at 10:30 p.m. for the readers the next morning was very much appreciated here in the City of Lake Worth.

And was there another error in The Palm Beach Post today? Is the “Philly Grill on Wheels” food truck affiliated with the Philly Grill restaurant located in suburban Boca Raton with a ‘Lake Worth’ address? We’ll find that our a little later on this week at the Midnight Sun Festival.

You may not agree with the endorsements in the Herald today or you may not agree. That is called FREE SPEECH. And the Post reporting about the “Philly Grill on Wheels” ‘in Lake Worth’ is FREE SPEECH too!

Which is why everyone needs to follow the advice of Mr. Al Tompkins.


“The public needs to sort out what’s accurate and what’s true. And voters need to be responsible in understanding how they are being persuaded.”



Are you interested in checking out The Lake Worth Herald today?

To check out this week’s front page
headlines click on this link.

The Herald is ¢50. Support your LOCAL community newspaper and Gatehouse Media too (owner of Palm Beach Post). Support ALL newspapers if you can afford to. To contact editor Mark Easton at the Herald call 561-585-9387 or by email: Editor@lwherald.com

Public meeting tomorrow evening at Lake Worth City Hall, 6:00, 2019–2020 CDBG.

 CDBG. What’s what?

Find out what’s what later in this blog post.

Note the regularly scheduled meeting of the City Commission on March 5th HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

Is there a meeting of the EUAB on March 26th? That is uncertain at this time. But more information will certainly be available soon, most probably after Election Day on March 12th.

Now to the topic of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding.

Because many in the public were concerned and demanded it earlier this month, a public meeting on 2019–2020 CDBG proceeds was scheduled as soon as possible proving once again that your elected officials ‘Don’t listen to me!’ is not true at all.

Tomorrow (Thurs., 2/28) at City Hall is a Commission Work Session on CDBG. Other than editor Mark Easton from The Lake Worth Herald will additional press and news media be in attendance? Most likely. Maybe even a reporter from The Palm Beach Post will show up.

With this public meeting just twelve (12) days before Election Day — if you are a concerned citizen or from the press and/or news media — get to the chambers in City Hall well ahead of time for a good seat or you will have to stand outside in the hallway and peek through the door window now and then. This is what some refer to as being “sequestered” but that’s not true at all. You got there too late is all.

How can you find out about upcoming public meetings? Click on this link for the official City calendar.

But always double-check!

Looking over the City’s official calendar it’s unclear if the Lake Worth Farmers Market is now an all-year event or if there is an Electric Utility Advisory Board (EAUB) meeting on March 26th, 6:00, in the City Hall conference room. If you have any questions or need additional information contact the City Clerk, Mr. Ben Kerr, the City’s public information officer or your representative on the City Commission.

FYI: On a serious note. If you haven’t been to the City’s popular Farmers Market yet you better make plans soon. This is an annual Fall–Spring event and ends in April each year.

Annual Midnight Sun Festival begins this Friday and end on Sunday.

The Midnight Sun Festival began in 1983,


“[F]ounded by [former] Lake Worth Mayor David Hinsa, who is Finnish-American, to celebrate Lake Worth’s rich, century old, Finnish heritage. The greater Lake Worth area has more people of Finnish descent than almost anywhere else in the United States. Lake Worth even has a sister city in Finland, Lappeenranta!”


And more important information. . .

Please update your event calendar: Monthly Lake Ave. Block Party in Downtown L-Dub has been rescheduled.

A significant change of plans:

This month’s Lake Ave. Block Party will be held on Friday, March 8th (not first Friday of the month this month). Please inform all your friends and family. And for additional news about archery, anlace and the atlatl please click on this link.

A judicial relapse. A setback, 2½ years of hard work. To call this blog post troubling is an understatement.

Is there going to be a ‘relapse’ in the the fight against sober homes once again here in the City of Lake Worth and other municipalities along coastal Palm Beach County?

May be. Continue reading more about this very serious topic.

First. How we got here.

And the reason why you need to get involved. Today.

On September 26th, 2016 the public had had enough. They demanded change. Our elected leaders listened. Sober homes were once thought to be a problem with no solution. Communities and neighborhoods were anxious and worried.

There was talk of forming a task force back in 2016. And one was. It is called the Sober Homes Task Force and Lake Worth Vice Mayor Andy Amoroso is a member. Below is more information about that.

Amoroso is worried. And you should be too. You should reach out to Andy Amoroso (contact information below). And reach out to Rick Christie too. Find out who Mr. Christie is a little later.

What happened that September evening 2½ years ago in the City of Lake Worth (see link in caption below) set off a chain of events that shocked our County government, the State legislature in Tallahassee and then ended up in the halls of the U.S. Congress. It suddenly became a top priority at the White House then occupied by President Barack Obama.

Change happened. And quick. Word came from Washington, D.C. to Tallahassee. Get this fixed. You have the full support of the Federal government.

And now because of one ruling by a Circuit Court here in Palm Beach County so much progress that has been made in 2½ years is at risk of being erased, you can call it a judicial relapse if you wish.

The editor at The Palm Beach Post, in an editorial headlined “Judge’s ruling threatens Aronberg’s war on opioid abuses” wrote this on Feb. 13th:


Too much is at stake here.

After years of lives lost and neighborhoods damaged, our communities — like Delray Beach, Boynton Beach and Lake Worth — can’t afford a relapse. To call this ruling “troubling” would be an understatement.


This editorial in the Post was posted fourteen (14) days ago [as of Feb. 27th]. There have been no follow-ups on this troubling news since and that has to change.

The public needs to get engaged NOW and so does our paper of record here in Palm Beach County. Contact Rick Christie, the editor at the Post and make your voice heard. This issue needs to be a top priority.

“The Palm Beach Post welcomes your letters.”

Let the editor at the Post know you, your family and neighborhood are very concerned about this recent ruling by a circuit court judge here in Palm Beach County.

Your letter must include name, address and daytime phone number. Try to keep your letter to a maximum of 200 words:

• Email: letters@pbpost.com
• Fax: 561-820-4728
• Snail mail: Letters to the Editor, The Palm Beach Post, 2751 S. Dixie Hwy., West Palm, FL 33405

If you submit a letter today it should be enough time to make the most-read Sunday print edition of the Post.


Use this link if you wish to learn more about the Sober Homes Task Force led by the Office of State Attorney Dave Aronberg.

For residents of the City of Lake Worth. To reach out to Vice Mayor Andy Amoroso call 561-586-1733 or send an email to: aamoroso@lakeworth.org

For the entire City Commission click on this link.

To learn more about what happened at the public meeting held on Sept. 26th, 2016 click on this link. Please scroll up and compose your letter to the editor today. And later on today or tomorrow follow up. Explain why your letter is important. Call 561-820-4476 or email: rchristie@pbpost.com

Lake Worth Christian High School in the City of Boynton Beach.

Questions: How much do you know about non-public secular education in Palm Beach County? Do you support prayer in schools? Do you think your local public school is substandard? Not the teachers but the system.

Are all non-public schools effective at teaching history and math and all the basics? Of course not. 

All of these questions, for many in the public, are relevant in many areas of Palm Beach County. Questions that parents and municipalities and public policy professionals grapple with all the time.

Oft-asked are the pros and cons of a public education. And the pros and cons of charter schools and private schools too. There is a lot of excitement in the City of Lake Worth now about public schools and on the Lake Worth City Commission is an excellent public school civics teacher any municipality in the County would be proud to have teaching civics to children and young adults.

And on topic this year’s municipal elections in Lake Worth are the most civic of any in recent memory, not at all a “war of words” as reported in The Palm Beach Post recently.

But it needs to pointed out once again, this blog post today is a very long story about a very short story published in the Post last Saturday.

It was a brief story by reporter Wendy Rhodes.

And before we continue there is terrible news today. Sarah Peters left The Palm Beach Post last Friday. But she joins an exclusive club. A lot of reporters have left the Post recently.

Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach is very fortunate. For quite some time Peters has been one of the most reliable reporters at the Post. Steady and always newsworthy. Stay tuned to find out what Peters will be up to.

What this portends for Gatehouse Media in Palm Beach County is unknown. The turnover of reporters at the Post is unsettling to say the least. The turnover should be occurring further up in the leadership, not in the younger and energetic rank and file. May 1st is the one-year anniversary of ownership by Gatehouse Media.

Maybe some really big changes will happen by then. But don’t hold your breath. The Post rarely reports anything about what is happening at their headquarters located at 2751 S. Dixie Hwy. in West Palm.

Now back to that very long short story.

If you are reading this blog today you most likely did not see that news in the Post about a fundraiser for a non-public secular religious school in Boynton Beach. The City of Lake Worth has at least one such school.

Check back soon for the entire list of public, non-public and the one charter school in this City.

Just to be clear, a religious school is one that has a religious component for the mission of educating children and/or adults in the faith of Christianity, Judaism, Islam or any other faith. Like public schools these schools can be good or bad. At the end of this blog post is an example of an excellent non-public secular school in the City of Lake Worth

There really is no debate about prayer in schools. There are options if this is a major issue for your family. But there is a lot more time and effort required like weekend car washes, fundraisers and other events to promote the school.

Random questions. How much do you know about the Sacred Heart Catholic School in the City of Lake Worth?

Did you know the City of Boynton Beach had a Christian high school?

Do you support the mission of non-public private education vs. a public education?

And what is all this about the City of Lake Worth changing its name and where exactly is unincorporated Palm Beach County and all thirty-nine (39) municipalities? Which ones have non-public schools?

“Gee wiz, this is getting complicated!” But actually it’s not; it’s elementary unless you happen to be a reporter or an editor who doesn’t care about accuracy.

As reported last Saturday in the Post there was a very short story on p. B3; it was a minor story and a major one too. And it was all true and accurate as well.

That brief news story is further below with a few redactions.

Depending on one’s perspective it was either a normal news story or one that took a lot of time and research. Because according to the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser the Lake Worth Christian High School has a ‘Lake Worth’ mailing address. You have to dig deeper to find out the facts. And knowing how to do that takes some time and effort.

But either way some or many in the public learned more about what is the City of Lake Worth and what is not the City of Lake Worth.

Did you know there is a well-respected and productive Catholic elementary school in this City? And in the City of Boynton Beach there is a school in a formerly unincorporated area in suburban Lake Worth called the Lake Worth Christian High School? It’s unclear when this property was annexed by Boynton Beach but will try to find out some time soon.

Will explain this image at a later time.

Click on map to enlarge.

See a red box? That is where the Lake Worth Christian High School is located — in Boynton Beach south of Town of Lantana (shaded Verdenia Lantana)  — unshaded areas are unincorporated PBC, also called “suburban Lake Worth”.

Keep in mind the effort to rename this City to the “City of Lake Worth Beach” is already a lost cause. Every week the editor at The Lake Worth Herald makes fun of this effort and the Post published another negative letter by the same malcontent who often gets published in the Post, this latest one referring to how ridiculous renaming this City is, which was a topic of numerous public meetings after which ALL our elected officials ALL voted unanimously to put on the March 12th ballot.

But then later a few suddenly came up with better ideas. Not surprising at all. Sadly, it was expected.

Now back to that news story published in the Post last Saturday.

It was published in the “IN BRIEF” section on p. B3 above the fold, the very first item ‘In Brief’ right next to the top news story of the day by long-time reporter Olivia Hitchcock. Being tasked with reporting about a stolen monkey named “Kari” was a welcome break from the normal mayhem in West Palm Beach which does not have a beach but the news about that rare and missing Goeldi monkey WAS big news.

But there was also important information above the fold too in the Post last Saturday for those who support education with a focus on faith. And one of the ways these schools support themselves is by fundraising. And up against the Palm Beach County School District’s public and charter schools they sometimes need to be very creative. And they need to be accurate too.

For example, the news from Post reporter Wendy Rhodes last Saturday. Here it is with some information redacted and remember, this event was held last Saturday, but if you wish you can contact this school to learn more about what they do.


BOYNTON BEACH

Collectibles for sale at annual show today

The 27th annual South Florida Political and Historical Collectibles Show is from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. today at Lake Worth Christian High School, 7592 High Ridge Road.

The event will feature nearly 50 dealers from 12 states selling rare books, antique toys, vintage postcards and political collectibles like buttons, posters, china, glasses and even hot pads.

If you think you have something special tucked away in your attic, organizer ■■■ ■■■■■■■ says they will offer on-the-spot estimates and bidding at the event.

Whether you are buying, selling or just browsing, the show offers the opportunity to connect with the history and politics in an up-close and personal manner.

Admission is $5. For more information, call 561-■■■-■■■■.

Wendy Rhodes


So that’s it for the day. And check back tomorrow for more information about this topic of “Where exactly is the City of Lake Worth?”

It’s taken a lot of hard work by a lot of people to get the “City of Lake Worth Beach” to ballot. But maybe it’s just not the right time and no one should feel bad. And the critics need to let off too. Whether you agree or not this has been a wonderful public debate and we are all the better for it.

Oh. And to learn more about the Sacred Heart School in the City of Lake Worth, located at 410 North M Street, click on this link.

Mission Statement

“As a faith community enthroned in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, our mission is to provide all our students, of diverse cultures and abilities, an education of excellence, in a Christ-centered environment, encourage them to live the gospel values of love, peace, justice, respect, and service, and prepare them for success in higher education and life, and to be productive, responsible, and effective members of society.”

Information Worth Noting. Tonight at 6:30 is another candidate forum here in the City of Lake Worth.

Note that if you plan on attending this event this evening and have an issue of concern please educate yourself about ‘the food chain’ first which is also referred to as an upward linear network for problem-solving. One example would by your missing pet in John Prince Park. This public park is not in the City of Lake Worth.

FYI: For the list of public parks in this City click on this link.

The list of things your elected officials CAN CONTROL vs. the list of things your elected official CANNOT CONTROL would truly shock you.

Many times the solution to your problem can be solved by contacting State Representative Mike Caruso or PBC Vice Mayor Dave Kerner or State Senator Lori Berman. The list of all of your elected officials higher up in the chain is later in this blog post.

How the upward linear network works is contacting Caruso first and then either Kerner or Berman or both. Still no answer? Then contact your elected leadership in Washington D.C., e.g., the honorable Congresswoman Lois Frankel.


Now moving on.


Everyone is invited this evening to The Beach Club bistro at #1 7th Ave. North, the City’s municipal golf course. Last Monday at The Beach Club was standing room only for candidate forum.

Please show up early tonight for a good seat.

For a primer on where we are right now, ahead of the elections on March 12th, please click on this link for the latest from journalist Joel Malkin. And also on the topic of politics and the future of this City, there will be another candidate forum on Thursday, March 7th just five (5) days prior to Election Day.

What will be one of the topics under discussion this evening? It could be anything. Maybe even an issue from west of I-95 or even about alligators at the municipal golf course.


Without further ado, let us proceed.



“Gators really don’t like humans to eat. They eat other things like fish.”

—Quote. Published in The Palm Beach Post on Jan. 31st, 2019, in a story headlined, “Harmless or harmful? Massive 12-foot gator dragged out of Lake Osborne” (link to story below).



Having your pet alligator taken away is a huge problem because Lake Osborne is located in suburban Lake Worth, in the County’s John Prince Park.

But there is a solution!

Contact your elected leadership on the County Commission and your elected leadership in the Florida legislature. How? All that information is below.

The following scenario actually happened.

This incident was published in The Palm Beach Post by a beat reporter with contribution from a community staff writer. To learn more click on link below (highlighted in yellow).

Worth Noting: The alligator’s name has been changed to avoid harassment.


Here we go. . .


You are a resident of the City of Lake Worth but you have a pet 12′ alligator you keep in Lake Osborne. The gator’s name is “Ripples”. But Lake Osborne is in John Prince Park which is outside the municipal limits of the City. John Prince Park and the lake are managed and controlled by the County, not the City of Lake Worth.

Imagine that, every day you are close enough to wave and yell, “Good Morning, Ripples!” but one day Ripples is gone. Frantically you search and then find out that trappers took Ripples out of the lake for so-called ‘public safety’ reasons. Before Ripples ends up gator nuggets on an appetizer menu you want answers. So you march on down to Lake Worth City Hall demanding that Ripples be returned. But the City cannot help you!

Ripples and Lake Osborne are outside the City’s control.

That’s where your state representative comes in. Contact you representative in Tallahassee and say, “I want my Ripples back!” But Ripples is a really big alligator. And therein lies the big question an editor the Post asked, is Ripples “Harmless or harmful”.

Join the debate about Ripples! Return Ripples to Lake Osborne because he or she is just a harmless pet? Click on this link to learn more.


Hope you found the scenario above helpful..

Now moving on, who is YOUR elected state representative in Tallahassee. . .

In the map (see below) the un-shaded areas are a combination of unincorporated PBC, suburban Lake Worth and what is called the Lake Worth Corridor.


Shaded areas in map below are:

• Town of Lantana (shaded red) is to the south.
• Village of Palm Springs (shaded blue) and the Great Walled City of Atlantis (shaded Royal White) are to the west of County-owned (unincorporated) John Prince Park, PBC Park Airport and PBC State College.
• Town of Lake Clarke Shores is to the northwest.
• West Palm Beach is directly to the north (border is the C-51 Canal).

Note in this map one can see the process of “annexation” occurring.

So if you live in one of those unincorporated areas now, that may change in the very near future.

Click on image to enlarge.

Now compare the map above with the district map of the House of Representatives below:

Four districts pass through and include the City of Lake Worth. They are Districts 87–90.

The east-west State Road “802” is Lake Worth Rd. and Lake and Lucerne avenues in Downtown Lake Worth.

The north-south highways are Dixie (US 1) and Federal (nearest the Intracoastal).

Click on map:

To learn who represents your neighborhood and community here in this City in the Florida House of Representatives note the links below.

Going from the east (Lake Worth Casino and Beach Complex) to the west (unincorporated Palm Beach County and nearby western municipalities):

District 89 will be represented by recently-elected Mike Caruso (R; shaded lime green): Areas of this district include Lake Worth Beach and all areas east of Federal Hwy. to the Intracoastal. Click on this link for the news about Caruso’s win defeating Jim Bonfiglio (D) by a very slim margin.

District 88 is represented by Representative Al Jaquet (D; shaded lemon yellow): District includes Dixie Hwy. to Federal Hwy. and then expands west at 6th Ave. South to I-95 and District 90.

District 87 is represented by Representative David Silvers (D; shaded bright lavender): District includes areas west of Dixie Hwy. extending outside the City and south to 6th Ave. South and is bordered by District 90 as well.

District 90 is represented by Joseph Casello (D; shaded pear green): District includes areas west of I-95 but not all (a small area of District 87 is west of I-95). District 90 continues west into suburban Lake Worth including the unincorporated John Prince Park, Palm Beach State College, and the Great Walled City of Atlantis.

Also very important:

Your representative in the Florida Senate is Senator Lori Berman.

Your representation on the Palm Beach County Commission is District 3 County Commissioner Dave Kerner and District 7 and Vice Mayor Mack Bernard.

And here is your Lake Worth City Commission:

Election Day is March 12th. District 2 Commissioner Omari Hardy (to left of Mayor Pam Triolo) and District 4 Commissioner Herman Robinson (to right of mayor) are up for re-election. Click on this link to learn more about these two races and all the candidates on the upcoming ballot.

Public notice in Herald: Public meeting on “single destination retail”, major site plan at 10th Ave. North and A Street.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Planning & Zoning Board of the City of Lake Worth, Florida, will hold a public hearing in the City Hall Commission Chambers, 7 North Dixie Hwy., at 6:00 PM or as soon thereafter as possible, on Wednesday, March 6, 2019 to reconsider a request for the following, due to the applicant’s traffic study inadvertently being excluded from the January 16, 2019 agenda packet:

PZB Project# 18-01400009: a request for a Major Site Plan to allow the construction of a 7,441 square foot “single destination retail” use at 1615 10th Avenue North. The subject property’s PCN is 38-43-44-21-15-262-0031.

Written responses can be sent to the Lake Worth Planning & Zoning Board at 1900 2nd Avenue N, Lake Worth, FL 33461 and must arrive before the hearing date to be included in the formal record. You also have the opportunity to attend the meeting to provide oral testimony. For additional information on the above issues, please visit the City of Lake Worth Division of Planning, Zoning and Historic Preservation [link added] located at 1900 Second Ave. North, Lake Worth, Florida 33461 or contact City Staff at 561-586-1687. 

Public meeting of Palm Beach County Housing Authority TOMORROW morning at 8:00 a.m. in West Palm.

ALL residents of Palm Beach County (PBC) means, e.g., if your family is in need of rental assistance in West Palm located in the vicinity of the coast or near the Village of Wellington in western PBC  — be it a “Housing Choice Voucher” or public housing — this public meeting tomorrow morning will be of great benefit to you.

This is a public meeting of the Palm Beach County Housing Authority (PBCHA). Everyone from the public is encouraged to attend. More details are below including a link to the PBCHA website.


UPDATE: Also below is more information about PBCHA on-line applications for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program Waiting List to begin on Monday, March 4th at 12:01 a.m. and ending on Friday, March 15th at 5:00 p.m.


A public notice of the public meeting tomorrow morning by PBCHA was published in the Sunday, February 17th print edition of The Palm Beach Post on p. D5 in the very last column below the fold. You may have been distracted last Sunday because the editor(s) at the Post published their endorsements for the District 2 and District 4 races in the City of Lake Worth.

The Post endorsements for the races in West Palm ‘Beach’ should be published any day now. What gives? What is taking so long is a mystery.

The municipal elections in West Palm on March 12th (a municipality without a beach) are exactly sixteen (16) days from today. The endorsements in Lake Worth were published on February 17th, twenty-three (23) days prior to Election Day and in the Sunday paper too! Sorry West Palm. Maybe if you had a beach that would make your elections more worthy of note.

Anyway, here is that public notice of a public meeting that was published in the Post, a public meeting to be held tomorrow morning:

Notice of Meeting

Palm Beach County Housing Authority
Board Meeting

A Palm Beach County Housing Authority Board Meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 25th, 2019 at 8:00AM. The meeting will be held at:

The PBCHA Main Conference Room
3432 W. 45th Street
West Palm Beach, FL 33407
(561) 684-2160

To learn more about the PBCHA click on this link.

UPDATE: On PBCHA on-line applications for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program Waiting List beginning on March 4th, “Applications must be completed online at www.pbchafl.org [link added] via computer, tablet or smartphone. Applications will not be accepted at Housing Authority offices or any sites.”


The information quoted above was published in the print edition of the Post yesterday (Feb. 23rd) on p. B5 in the last column.