“AT THE LETTUCE PATCH, 1976”

A young Mark Foley at his store on 502 Lucerne Ave. Image below from The Palm Beach Post. 

Click on image to enlarge:

Mark Foley was a City of Lake Worth commissioner from 1978–1979 and 1982–1984. Later he served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1990–1992; then the Florida Senate, 1993–1994.

Foley returned to private life in 2006 after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives for eleven years. His most recent accomplishment was saving Spring Training baseball in Palm Beach County and locally on the Monday following Veterans Day in 2017 Foley was a feature story in The Palm Beach Post noting his attendance and contribution to the military memorial monument installed in the Downtown Cultural Plaza.

Now all these years later Mr. Mark A. Foley is in limbo. Another City volunteer with a whole lot of experience ‘sitting on the shelf ’.

In 2017 Lake Worth Beach Commissioner Herman Robinson nominated then-sixty-three year old Mr. Foley to serve on a volunteer board. Since 2017 that board has met just one (1) time. That’s right. One time. And Mr. Foley is still listed as a volunteer board member in this City.

What other board or boards could Foley be asked to serve on? Boards that actually meet every month or every other month on a regular basis?

Beginning with the Tree Board in 2017 and most recently with the Electric Utility Advisory Board (EUAB) the entire process and bureaucracy of volunteer advisory boards has come into question at the City Commission through no fault at all of the City’s volunteer board members.

The process is to blame. Not the people.


Volunteers make up an important part of City operations. Our volunteers donated a total of more than 16,640 hours, which represents $410,885.00 in value. We could not function without this significant help from our citizens.

—Quote. Mayor Pam Triolo’s State of the City address, Feb. 26th, 2019.


The public and City staff and the City Commission takes great pride in the volunteer board process but on the other hand it’s not fair to the volunteers many of whom lack a clear direction and then on February 19th the topic of the Electric Utility Advisory Board came up which pretty much summed up the entire problem.

The issue comes down to how many volunteer boards does a six square mile municipality need? For example, there is the Citizen’s Advisory Committee that was formed after the Neighborhood Road Bond passed in November 2016. There are always vacancies on that board and most times the board cannot reach a quorum. How fair is this to all the other volunteers that do show up and to Finance Director Bruce Miller who has to spend a lot of time ‘herding cats’?

Probably seeing change coming sooner than later the Tree Board held an Election of Officers last Thursday and on the agenda was discussion of the Tree Board’s mission statement and future goals.

To make your voice heard on this topic the next regularly scheduled meeting of the City Commission is next Tuesday at 6:00.

Interestingly, Item 9A on the LWB Commission agenda is, “Ratification of appointments to various advisory boards”.

Developing. WPB files appeal with Miami Marlins over LWB pick.

Remember. Supporting your team only when they win is not a sports fan. Your team will remember the fans who showed up and supported them when they were not doing so well.

Last night was another bad night for the Marlins.

So you’re wondering, how does one show support for the Marlins? You can start by watching the game this evening at Home. More details are below about the Phillies’ swing through Miami.

Now to the appeal, West Palm Beach’s challenge over the missing beach.

The agenda for next week’s Lake Worth Beach City Commission meeting is now available. Sadly, the expected announcement naming LWB the official sponsoring municipality of the Miami Marlins was pulled from next Tuesday’s agenda (see proposed Item 9Q below).

Although one of the top criteria for being a Palm Beach County Miami Marlins Municipal Sponsor is having a beach, and West Palm Beach does not have a beach, WPB filed an appeal anyhow. Lake Worth Beach does indeed have a beach and this appeal will be tossed according to the experts. But the unofficial official sponsoring will happen but just later in the year.

Thursday, May 23rd was scheduled to be Lake Worth Beach Day at Marlins Park against Detroit. But ends up that is an Away game anyhow and LWB is hoping for a LWB Day in late June when Washington and Philadelphia come to play. Here is Item 9Q pulled from the lineup next Tuesday:


Lake Worth Beach (LWB) and Miami Marlins, a municipality and top-tier baseball “On The Rise”: With only greatness ahead of us LWB and the Miami Marlins stand resolute together in South Florida. Triple-A is behind us and it’s all eyes on the pennant (see backup material for details).


It was not a good night for the Marlins again last night according to Steven Wine published in today’s Palm Beach Post. Mr. Wine is an AP sports reporter because the Post apparently does not have a reporter covering the Marlins but that doesn’t matter because no one in LWB likes the Post anyhow.

Another bad night. So what. Check out this cool shirt by Major League Baseball! If you order two it’s FREE shipping. When was the last time you saw anyone in West Palm with a Miami Marlins T-shirt?

Here’s the latest from Wells Dusenbury at the Sun Sentinel about last evening’s game:


After scoring just one run in a three-game sweep in Cincinnati, the Marlins returned to South Florida hoping to generate any kind of spark for an offense that’s been one of the worst in the league.

and. . .

The Marlins’ lone run of the game came in the 7th inning on an Austin Dean RBI sacrifice fly. The outfielder finished 0 for 2 after being called up from Triple-A New Orleans. Peter O’Brien was sent down in a corresponding move.

Entering Friday night, the Marlins had averaged just 2.62 runs per game. Their 34 runs entering the night were the second-lowest in baseball. Miami is also 26th in hits, 25th in wOBA and 29th in walk-to-strikeout ratio.

Phillies starter Jake Arrieta kept the Marlins in check all night, pitching seven innings and allowing one earned run on five hits and one walk, while striking out eight. Jorge Alfaro was the only Marlins player to record a multi-hit night.


To read the entire story by sports reporter Wells Dusenbury click on this link.

To follow Mr. Dusenbury on Twitter who claims “I’m not superstitious, but I am a little stitious” please use this link.

Remember, becoming a Palm Beach County Miami Marlins Municipal Sponsor (PBC MMMS) requires no commitment. It only requires that you support the Miami Marlins.

Imagine if The Palm Beach Post had showed more support for Lake Worth Beach over the last ten years or so. Maybe that newspaper wouldn’t have been sold to Gatehouse Media and they would have a sports reporter covering the Miami Marlins!


Anyhow. . .


The Philadelphia Phillies clobbered the Marlins last night, 9-1. But at the end of the day the Phils have to get on a plane and go back to Philly.

Check back later on today for more information. In the meantime to check out the Marlins’ 40-MAN roster click on this link.

FYI: The Marlins play the Phillies again tonight, at Home. The game begins at 6:10.

Addendum to Public Notice: Note new end date for RFP 01-1819.

 

Lake Worth Beach CRA RFP #01-1819

 

Development of Vacant Lots on Lake & Lucerne Avenues

 
The Lake Worth Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is soliciting proposals from private developers to bid on vacant, CRA-owned parcels along both Lake and Lucerne Avenues in the mixed-use east zoning district. A total of eleven lots located along Lake and Lucerne Avenues between “F” and “C” Street and west of the FEC tracks are owned by the CRA. The CRA is seeking proposals for the development all of parcels available. Although different proposals may be submitted for each of the lots and blocks, the intent of the RFP is to create a unified vision with similar uses in the CRA District that complement the existing landscape as well as each other. A proposal from one developer, willing to develop all of the parcels is preferred. It is the CRA’s intention to competitively select a developer with the proven ability and interest to construct a development or developments, and also to own the property once constructed.

Proposals are due no later than April 25th 2019 at 3pm.

For more information, including the scope of work, please call the Lake Worth Beach CRA Office at (561) 493-2550, email: cdabros@lakeworth.org or visit: www.lakeworthcra.org
[link added]

Lake Worth history: Does anyone know the frequency in Lake Worth Beach?

From the Office of the City Manager in
City of Lake Worth datelined April 10th, 2007:

Fast forward to April 2019. Do you still have a television antenna? If so, there is new news in today’s Lake Worth Herald that is worth noting.

Front page news today, April 11th, 2019 in the
Herald is about TV antennas!

The headline below the fold in the paper today is, “Antenna Users Take Note”:


Three stations in the West Palm Beach/Ft. Pierce area will change frequencies this Friday, Apr. 12 as part of the FCC spectrum repack, which requires nearly 1,000 TV stations across the country to change frequencies over the next two years to make room for wireless broadband services. This means that any viewer who watches these stations through an antenna will need to rescan their TV in order to continue watching local programming.

And those radio stations are. . .

To find out you need to become a subscriber to The Lake Worth Herald, go to the City’s newsstand at 205 N. Federal Hwy., or learn more about the technology called OldTimeSneaker.net

Technology Today: Up-to-the-minute Lake Worth Beach news.

Could it be? Could this City be on the cutting-edge of information technology?

Shocking. This new development will forever change the newspaper publishing industry!

The newspaper clipping below was published in the ‘LOCAL’ section of The Palm Beach Post. In the middle paragraph it reads. . .

“LAKE WORTH READERS: Click here for up-to-the-minute Lake Worth news”

Imagine that. Just tap on the printed page and get the latest “up-to-the-minute” news about Lake Worth Beach! Close your eyes and it just streams in.

Worth Another Look, “Oh, My Lake Worth, Florida!”

“The light and pow’r are on the way,
And when they come they’ll come to stay”
—From Dr. W. H. Cotton’s Ode to
Lake Worth (see below).

“The light and pow’r” refers to the original Lake Worth electric power plant:


Established as the Lake Worth Water, Light, and Ice Company, the franchise was introduced in October 28, 1913 by Lake Worth’s first appointed Mayor, J.W. Means.
     The “turning on of the lights” took place on May 18, 1914. This date has been used to determine an “original pioneer”.

UPDATE: Everyone is invited to a special
event this Saturday!

More details are below.


And the story continues. . .


So while the ‘juice’ was getting hooked up there were a whole lot of other things going on as well, like the water flowing in the right direction.

The water was a massive project and if you’ve never seen the C-51 Canal and the S-155 water control structure up close, you and your family can do that this Saturday along with an egg hunt and a picnic potluck at a place called Spillway Park, one of the hidden treasures in LWB. More details about this special event are at the end of this blog post today.

Now back to 1919.

“Pioneers assembled for group
portrait – Lake Worth, Florida”:

From Florida Memory collection, State
Library & Archives of Florida.

Stumbled on this back in September 2011. I think it’s to the tune of “O Tannenbaum”:

Lake Worth, Florida
By Dr. W. H. Cotton [circa 1920]
 

1
The nation’s eye is on thy sands
Florida, O Florida!
Thy lovely shores and fertile lands,
Florida, O Florida!
The future whispers in thy pines,
It beckons in thy “white coal” mines,
The pioneer to thee inclines
Florida, O Florida!
Oh, My Lake Worth, Florida!

2
Lake Worth’s the place for you, to go,
Florida, O Florida!
They’ll put you up a bungalow
Florida, O Florida!
The interest takes not a cent,
You pay the cost instead of rent.
What better plan could man invent?
Florida, O Florida!
Oh, My Lake Worth, Florida!

3
Adieu to bleak and frozen lands,
Florida, O Florida!
Adieu to wastes and desert sands,
Florida, O Florida!
In Florida I’ll make my home,
Nor want the placer sands of Nome;
Her gold is in her fertile loam;
Florida, O Florida!
Oh, My Lake Worth, Florida!

4
Lake Worth will greet you with a smile,
Florida, O Florida!
She’ll fix you up in bully style,
Florida, O Florida!
Beneath the kindly southern sun,
She’ll see your fortune well begun;
You’d better be upon the run.
(To) Florida, O Florida!
Oh, my Lake Worth, Florida

5
The Lake Worth Herald helps along,
Florida, O Florida!
It's editor is R. E. Strong.
Florida, O Florida!
he keeps things moving in the way
Of doing something day by day,
And renders service as he may
(For) Florida, O Florida!
Oh, my Lake Worth, Florida!

6
Our Governor reflects the hour,
Florida, O Florida!
He stands for Okeechobee’s pow’r
Florida, O Florida!
Great Edison is with us, too,
And Bryan is of that great crew
That makes the prospect good to view,
(In) Florida, O Florida!
Oh, my Lake Worth, Florida!

7
Why falter, then? There’s no excuse,
Florida, O Florida!
The “Wizard” will turn on the “juice”.
Florida, O Florida!
The light and pow’r are on the way,
And when they come they’ll come to stay,
To usher in a brighter day,
(For) Florida, O Florida!
Oh, my Lake Worth Florida!

8
The “Commoner’s” not here for fun,
Florida, O Florida!
He sees the chance-- sixteen to one ---
(In) Florida, O Florida!
With Trammal, Bryan and the rest
Lake Worth shall flower with the best -
Lake Worth, In Florida, the blest --
Florida, O Florida!
Oh, my Lake Worth, Florida!

The End.

The image below is from The New York Times that mentions Trammell and Bryan from 1922. Trammell was the 21st Governor of the State of Florida and served as U.S. Senator for almost twenty years. The NYT article is near the date when the lyrics were authored, which would correspond with the “boom” period of 1920s Florida.

Click on image to enlarge: 

“Special to The New York Times.”

About the event on Saturday (4/13) at Spillway Park in Lake Worth Beach.

There will be some special guests in attendance who will be walking around talking about history whilst the kids are hunting eggs. This event is an egg hunt and a history hunt.

Here are the basics. The College Park Neighborhood Assoc. will be having an April Egg Hunt and Picnic Potluck on Saturday from 3:00–6:00 at Spillway Park. This is a family event and everyone is encouraged to bring along beverages and a dish or three. Spillway Park is at the end of Maryland Drive off Federal Hwy. in Lake Worth Beach just south of West Palm Beach.

Learn Spanish. See Spanish. Read Spanish. Begin reading La Guía News.

A test. Stop reading The Palm Beach Post for a week or two and get your news in Spanish. Sometimes Playa Lake Worth is news in La Guía.

For example today there is sports news in La Guía News on Twitter. For those of you not on Twitter the news below is called TwitterSpeak because on Twitter there is a character count limit:


Un éxito, la presentación oficial de los HISPANIC SPORTS AWARDS #HSA2019 @laguianews y @efsportsmedia les trae una organización para destacar a los jóvenes atletas locales en las comunidades hispanas. Si conoces a algiuen que le gustaria nominar, enscibase.


Now continue reading or go to La Guía and watch the video and read all about it in Spanish.

Very Important: Not shown in the Tweet below is the “Translate Tweet” icon!

To translate you have to go on Twitter for this to appear in American English:

Un éxito, la presentación oficial de los HISPANIC SPORTS AWARDS #HSA2019@laguianews y @efsportsmedia les trae una organización para destacar a los jóvenes atletas locales en las comunidades hispanas. Si conoces a algiuen que le gustaria nominar, enscibase. pic.twitter.com/w63TOOQ4Gt

— HispanicSportsAssociation (@SportsHispanic) April 10, 2019

Do this for a couple of weeks and then visit a Spanish or Mexican restaurant and listen to how people talk in Spanish. Even if learning new languages is difficult you don’t need to learn a new language. All you need to do is communicate.


Does La Guía News matter?


Ask a City Commissioner in Lake Worth Beach and he’ll probably say yes because he placed a political campaign ad in La Guía News and this commissioner was just recently re-elected.

So yes. Spanish news does matter.

La Guía translated means
“The Guide”.

If you speak only English you probably never heard of La Guía News but don’t underestimate its power and future impact. And if you are considering being on the 2020 ballot in Palm Beach County it would behoove you to follow The Guide too.

Lake Worth Beach District 4 Commissioner Herman Robinson’s SG1 campaign treasurer report showed something very interesting and portends a shift in promotion and marketing and creating a larger audience for one’s message: Herman has a $390 expenditure for advertising in La Guía News.

What is an SG1? Go to Lake Worth Beach City Hall and then visit the City Clerk’s office and find out. The fun part about campaign treasurer reports is when the final or ‘Termination’ reports come out. Stay tuned for more about that.

The motto for The Guide is “La Voz de la Comunidad Hispana” when translated means ‘The Voice of the Hispanic Community’.

How much this advertising in La Guía News helped Robinson’s campaign would be hard to gauge in such a short time but it most certainly is an acknowledgement of the growing Hispanic influence in that this newspaper attracts Spanish speakers who speak English as well, people who would then educate others about what is going on or not going on.

La Guía News is a free print publication that, according to their media kit, provides a marketplace for the Hispanic community linking up the public with businesses, products and services. La Guía News states the Hispanic market in Palm Beach County is third in Florida for growth since 2000 and Hispanics are 21.5% of the total population, the highest being Cuban, followed by Mexican, Puerto Rican and from other territories and countries of Latino origin as well. 

To learn more about La Guía News call 561-328-8450 or send an email to: Sales@LaGuiaNews.com

September 16th, 2017: A message from Lake Worth Leisure Services Dept.

Setting the scene.

On September 5th, 2017, the City of Lake Worth was well on its way in preparations for Hurricane Irma. For example, just prior to the initial winds from that storm the Lake Worth Electric Utility had a planned outage because of Mylar balloons in the electric grid. Balloons are bad for the oceans and balloons can stop you from getting your power restored quickly too.

Then post-Irma the City produced a series of videos of elected officials and the City administration with updates for the public.

When some people were saying the City was doing nothing a whole lot of others were watching the City doing a whole lot of something.

Here is one of those updates from Lauren Bennett at the Lake Worth Beach Leisure Services Dept.:

Remember, this video was taken just after
a major storm hit the City:

Tree Board Talk in LWB Public Library.

If you haven’t heard about tomorrow’s Tree Board Talk (Thurs., 4/11) in Lake Worth Beach then please continue reading.

Everyone in LWB and metro areas west are strongly encouraged to attend this public meeting tomorrow and worth noting everyone is encouraged to follow Mr. Ben Kerr, PIO for City updates. Take a moment to get on the list for future news about who’s who and what’s what.

And would encourage everyone to keep Mexico Beach in your thoughts and prayers. Please continue reading to learn why.

On April 11th doors will open promptly, 6:00, at the Public Library located at 15 North M Street. This is a FREE public event open to everyone:


Lake Worth Beach, Fl — The City Tree Board is pleased to announce the 2019 City Tree Talk panel discussion. This year’s talk will include five certified arborists who will discuss the importance of proper tree care and maintenance. 


Worth noting is fifty days after this meeting at the library officially begins Hurricane Season. And just on time are coming all the predictions about the number and strength of storms which are completely meaningless but they are entertaining. How those predictions stack up against the Old Farmer’s Almanac would be interesting to learn as well.

Several years ago, around 2014 or 2015 or so was one of the biggest rain storms to ever hit Palm Beach County. Truly frightening. Not one meteorologist saw it coming. Not one.

The public meeting at the public library on April 11th does not require a prayer or a moment of silence. But maybe this one should.

Please support everyone involved preparing for an approaching hurricane and everywhere else in Palm Beach County. The myth used to be in Homestead and at Everglades National Park and all those people who lived in mobile home parks in and around Florida City that the Gulfstream Current whipping around north of Cuba and up the coast offered them a level of protection. But then Andrew came to visit.

Lake Worth Beach must continue improving the infrastructure and fixing the water lines and hardening the Electric Utility. And if you are worried about over-development in Lake Worth Beach then please take heed.

You better help get ready for future hurricanes too.

And maybe there should be a prayer or a moment of silence on April 11th in support of the residents of Mexico Beach.

What happened in the City of Lake Worth in December 2017 and news still making waves in Lake Worth Beach.

What happened is a reporter came to town, a very good one, and she made a huge impact.

The story was about a craft beer brewery on South H St. in Lake Worth Beach (see image below). This location was formerly where the Lake Worth Herald Press was located. This reporter, a food writer and journalist for the New Times Broward covering Miami-Dade and Broward counties came to Lake Worth to do a story about Mathews Brewing Co.

And this reporter became part of this story just at the right time in late December 2017. 

The Lake Worth Herald was already on this story about Mathews Brewing. The Herald is a regional paper for the City, Lake Worth region, the Village of Palm Springs and other nearby cities and towns and at some point The Palm Beach Post got involved but by then the paper was already up For-Sale looking for a buyer and then came along Gatehouse Media in May of 2018.

So in late Dec. 2017 food writer and journalist Nicole Danna comes along. Learn more about this reporter below.

What Danna didn’t know is about a year earlier another person who is now a very prominent person who lives in this City, someone who almost everyone knows and is well-known County-wide and in Tallahassee too talked about how craft beer breweries was one of several signs of an emerging place. Also of note Mathews Brewing Co. first considered West Palm Beach but decided on the City of Lake Worth instead.

Before Nicole Danna came along Mathews Brewing was already news locally and regionally in Palm Beach County. But this news about Mathews Brewing spread like wildfire when it became news in the New Times Broward. This very same reporter broke the news about C.W.S. Bar + Kitchen and did an in-depth review of Benny’s on the Beach and several other establishments in the City like the Bx Beer Depot that ultimately failed on South J St.

Because of that story by Danna how many people who used to pass by ‘Lake Worth’ on their way to someplace else, who later decided to stop ‘in Lake Worth the City’ and look around is incalculable but it most certainly had an impact. A big one.

The New Times Broward, despite its reputation at the time in Palm Beach County, did some very good news reporting but when another so-called ‘reporter’ did a hit piece about a now-former commissioner in West Palm Beach the reputation of the New Times took a nose dive.

Which leads into the dearth of quality news and food reviews in LWB and further west. What we need is a quality reporter to focus on the City and the neighboring Lake Worth region which is a very big area to cover.

So without further ado here are two excerpts from the news by Danna:


On December 15 [2017], Mathews Brewing Co. will open the doors to its Lake Worth brewhouse and taproom located just west of the city’s downtown, in the newly recognized Artisanal Industrial District.

Mathews Brewing Co. owner and brewer Dave Mathews says he originally planned to launch his business in West Palm Beach but was drawn south thanks to Lake Worth’s “funky, cool vibe” and the city’s business-friendly atmosphere.

and. . .

“Our goal is to make solid, quality beer that’s as true-to-style as possible,” says Mathews, whose late Jack Russel terrier serves as the official brewery logo. “We can literally brew anything here, and I plan to offer a broad range of styles, from an American IPA to traditional British-style cask ale.”

lastly. . .

“The brewery’s opening-day tap list will include a number of the brand’s core beers, such as Accelerate American IPA, Hop Dynamics red IPA, Florida Haze New England IPA, Heavy Metal American double IPA, L-Dub Tropical pale ale, White Goblin Belgian wit, Junkyard Dog brown ale, Sweet Emotion cream ale, Seek and Destroy imperial stout, Night Moves amber ale, and Riff Raff American porter.

This image was used by Mathews Brewing
to promote the brewery early on.

Mathews Brewing Co. is “Lake Worth’s First”.

So why don’t you head on over to Mathews Brewing some time soon and say, “Nicole Danna sent me.”

So now you understand more about this emerging place called Lake Worth Beach.

Whether or not Danna knows how much of an impact she made is unclear. But who knows, maybe she will come visit us and tell us all about it at The Book Cellar bookstore in the Downtown some day.

Original Lake Worth Casino.

Note the Casino north tower
is intact in this image:

View of original structure from early to mid-1920s. Note the “C” is missing off the north wall (damage following 1926 Hurricane?). This would be prior to 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane which caused the tower’s collapse and significant damage to structure.

Worth noting. Every moment of every day is made possible by Lake Okeechobee and the Herbert Hoover Dike and everyone needs to remember what happened on September 16th, 1928.

News in The Palm Beach Post: “Join the historic Gulfstream Hotel for thrilling and spooky hunts.”

Later in this blog post see that absurdly ridiculous promotion published in the Post two years ago: “World’s Largest Ghost Hunt”. Why did it fail so badly? Here is why:

Another myth debunked:

It’s not true. There are no ghosts
in the Gulfstream Hotel.

That ghost hunt promoted by the Post at the Gulfstream Hotel in September 2017 fizzled out to no ones surprise. Ghost hunters all over the world don’t even bother with the Gulfstream any more. Read more about this topic below.

But ghosts and apparitions, even fake ones,
are still very popular!

Organize a ghost hunt for old tabloids (see below for example) that have dried up and blown away? Or looking further out, start planning now for celebrations at this year’s July 4th Raft Race? A ghost hunt obstacle race, gather abandoned shopping carts from all over the City and players have to try and get through to the next challenge.

Last year one idea on America’s Independence Day, in addition to the prepared music and band lineup, was to honor the American patriot Paul Revere but the very popular band Ghost of Paul Revere was fully booked and not available. Maybe this year?





The ideas and possibilities are limitless.

Now back to the ‘Ghost Hunt’ promoted
in the Post last year.

It was Post staff writer in an article titled, “Lake Worth has plenty of events to celebrate” over the 2017 Labor Day weekend had this absurd headline:

World’s Largest Ghost Hunt

In an attempt to bring about more vibrancy the “World’s Largest Ghost Hunt”, according to the Post reporter, was set to begin at 6:30 and go on til midnight.

It ended up no one showed at the Gulfstream for this ghost hunt anyway and around 7:30 or so learned the hotel had some new locks on the doors and there were no “ghost hunters” inside either. The myth about ghosts in the hotel has finally been debunked, once and for all.

The Post’s “ThingsToDo” crew last year
promoting the ‘ghost hunt’:

Not much vibrancy for ghosts going on here. But whilst on the topic of ghosts. . .

Do you remember that newspaper tabloid from 3½ years ago — the one that failed and was shuttered after a short period of time — that tried to bring back some vibrancy at the Gulfstream Hotel, promoted giving away the Lake Worth Beach and commercializing Bryant Park? What’s happened since? Very, very little. Which is very good news for our Beach and public parks.

From a March 2015 letter, “We would like to immediately get to an agreement. . .”.

Click on image to enlarge: 

This former tabloid that once littered the streets in this City is a ghost as well. But please take note: this ‘newspaper’ is not to be confused with The Lake Worth Herald, “Lake Worth’s Oldest Established Business – Established in 1912”.

Palm Beach Habilitation Center (PBHC) west of LWB needs volunteers.

How much do you know about this wonderful facility for the disabled near Lake Worth Beach? Why use LWB as a landmark?

Because this municipality is one of the six featured municipalities featured each and every week in The Palm Beach Post (a paper of record) since about the time PBSO merged with the City of Greenacres PD over 3½ years ago.

So for regular readers of the Post most of you would already know generally where the PBHC is located.

The Village of Palm Springs bills itself the “Garden Spot” in Palm Beach County and there is a Home Depot and Walmart in Palm Springs many in LWB rely on. And Patti Waller was recently re-elected. Again. She is now Mayor Pro Tem Patti Waller.

The PBHC used to be in unincorporated Palm Beach County but they were annexed into Palm Springs and everyone including State Representative David Silvers and State Senator Bobby Powell are very pleased about that. Below is a link to a story published in The Palm Beach Post last year.

PBHC is a center well-known for its work providing support and programs for those with disabilities. You may have heard about PBHC but didn’t know much more but they rely on volunteers from the community.

Volunteering at PBHC is year-round or seasonal and the hours are flexible according to your availability. For example, one way to volunteer is at TJ’s Café on a day or days during the week, on Monday–Friday from 9:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m. to assist clients and staff with taking orders, cashiering, food preparation, baking and cooking.

For more ways to volunteer click on this link. To stop by and visit:

• The mailing address is 4522 S. Congress Ave. in Palm Springs.
• Phone number: 561-965-8500.
• Email: info@pbhab.com
• Or fill out this form and submit.

However. . .

If today or tomorrow or next year a reporter from CBS12 (WPEC) or the Post shows up near the corner Congress Ave. and 6th Ave. South to report on an event or a crime or a vehicle crash at that intersection — or anywhere else in suburban Lake Worth for that matter — almost 100% of the time they will say they are either ‘in Lake Worth’ or ‘near Lake Worth’.

The concept of anything happening near another municipality like Palm Springs or Boynton Beach is either a foreign concept to them or they just don’t care.

But if one was looking out the window from the PBHC watching what a CBS12 or Post reporter was doing in just about 1½ minutes that person if taught the steps would know exactly where that reporter is and/or was.

With just a few clicks any reporter who cares can find out exactly where they are in just moments. For example, the Post beat reporter for Lake Worth Beach knew exactly where the PBHC was last year — despite PBHC having a ‘Lake Worth’ mailing address and zip code — and the editor of The Palm Beach Post knows that a man killed on a bicycle last Saturday occurred in the Lake Worth region between the cities of Greenacres and Boynton Beach.

CBS12 does not care about accuracy when it comes to Lake Worth Beach or the Lake Worth region; that’s why I watch WPTV (NBC5). The Palm Beach Post many times does not care either; and am reading a lot more news in the Sun Sentinel now. Maybe that switch will happen this week. Who needs three newspaper subscriptions when there is the LOCAL Lake Worth Herald as well?

Abandoning our American inner cities from a historical perspective: Nuclear war and ‘safe’ suburban shopping malls.

Briefly, when you’re finished reading the blog post below consider this for a moment or two:

What’s one of the major reasons why so many people think buying a house or condo in a place called Westlake or far out west in Palm Beach County is a good idea?

Because of another fear. Crime.

That’s why, for potential home buyers, cities like Lake Worth Beach and Greenacres are not on the top of their list. But if home buyers actually knew more about all the great things happening in the City of Greenacres they would most certainly pause and think for a while. And then there is this truly wonderful news about crime in Lake Worth Beach.


But western sprawl continues unabated. . .


However, continue reading to learn why the societal problems you’re trying to avoid by moving out west are going to show up on your front door soon enough.

But by then you’ll be stuck in a house worth pennies on the dollar and wish like hell you lived in a coastal city like Lake Worth Beach.

But you ended up buying that property in Westlake or in the agrihood of Arden anyhow. Why? Because you read stories like this one in The Palm Beach Post.

And worse yet. You believed it.


But anyhow. . .

Reasoning for abandoning our inner cities and the lure of suburban shopping malls in the 1950s: Preparation for nuclear war?

Sounds crazy?


Below are two articles I would like to share about the typical suburban shopping mall. They were once a “driving” reason for the decline of downtown shopping areas and traditional City business districts. The dependence on the automobile as the primary transportation mode during the second half of the 20th Century coupled with low-density suburban residential development (aka, “suburban sprawl” and “White Flight”) enabled and fueled this process.

Now it’s the shopping malls’ turn to decline in the face of headwinds no one could have imagined 50–60 years ago: Millennials’ housing choices, the resurgence of inner cities, online shopping alternatives, new transportation options, and the public now eschewing all that once-comfortable blandness not to be found in walkable downtown areas like Lake Worth Beach has become.

This first article is more of the typical anti-suburban sprawl narrative we are oft-accustomed to hearing in the planning profession. This second article traces the beginnings of the suburban shopping mall as part a reaction to the Cold War and the fear of nuclear attack from the former Soviet Union.

Early mall locations were placed outside an 8-mile-radius from the larger, central urban cores. That would put these sites outside the predicted “blast zone” should an attack occur. Malls were designed so that anchor stores could be converted to hospitals and stores could become dispensaries for food and other supplies.

I think the apocalyptic world vision of post-WWII has faded some since the 1950s. But it is interesting to wonder where we would be now had we actually needed to use these shopping malls for another purpose: Civil Defense following a nuclear attack.

One more thing. How many people actually believed living outside that ‘8-mile-radius’ would have saved them from the ‘blast’ and fallout back in the 1950s?

Like now in the present day, that living 8 miles west of Lake Worth Beach will keep them safe from crime?


Whilst the urban myths continue a lot of people are having a lot of fun in Lake Worth Beach!

“Code enforcement in Lake Worth Criticized”: Newspaper clipping from Sun-Sentinel below.

“It’s good cop, bad cop,” said Sister ■■■■■■ ■■■■, director of the Maya Ministry of the Diocese of Palm Beach, “It’s very inconsistent.”



Let’s pause briefly: “Good cop/bad cop” is a turn of phrase, a throwaway line referring to a negotiation tactic that can also be used by parents negotiating with children, in auto sales or even landlords and agents forcing Central American immigrants into a dwelling meant for fewer people.

So please note ‘good cop/bad cop’ does not refer to anyone in the story that follows.

Clipping dated Monday, April 3rd, 2006 in South Florida Sun-Sentinel, staff writer Jerome Burdi:

Dateline “LAKE WORTH, FL”:
Click on clipping to enlarge:

Please check back later for transcription of paragraph 2 published in neighborhood ‘LOCAL’ Sun-Sentinel. Top cop in this story was former LWPD Police Chief William Smith. Building Dir. Bill Bucklew retired two weeks prior making Smith acting building director. And on a related story about Lake Worth Beach. . .

Hannah Morse multitasking: Beat reporter, sports, food writer bringing Guatemalan community together.

What follows is just wonderful food news from Palm Beach Post reporter Hannah Morse which hopefully will provide some inspiration, a second location for La Esquina Guatemalteca which translated means “The Guatemalan Corner”. More about that restaurant a little later whilst we digress for a bit.

You may recall it was Morse who made a big splash in Lake Worth Beach with her news about an annual soccer tournament in Jupiter where the Guatemalan team is major force to be reckoned with. The hope is this concept will make its way to Lake Worth Beach some day and maybe the Neighborhood Assoc. Presidents’ Council (NAPC) will pick up this ball and run with it.

Remember in play only the goalie and refs can hold, catch, and throw a soccer ball! Players cannot move the ball by hand unless for penalty kicks, throw ins or off the field of play or red and yellow cards will appear. So teamwork in the NAPC is crucial and move the ball forward the best way you can.

Maybe PBSO in LWB will form a team. They’ll never come close to ever winning or even scoring unless the Guatemalan team let’s them but it would be fun to watch.

Do you remember Palm Beach Post reporter Bill DiPaolo? And what’s all this have to do with the Guatemalan community?

Well, let’s delve into that briefly.

DiPaolo retired a while back and it was Morse who took over the Jupiter beat. Everything was going swimmingly well for Morse until an elderly man decided to walk into a spa one day and ever since almost everything in Jupiter has fallen off the radar. And that’s too bad for Morse and the news-seeking public. But that is an editorial decision, nothing to do with Morse. If you want to find out what DiPaolo is up to now reach out to him on Twitter.

It was DiPaolo who penned a news report several years ago about the El Sol resource center in Jupiter, it was an event at the PBC Cultural Council held in what is now Lake Worth Beach. The event was tremendously successful and certainly may have provided the inspiration for Día de los Muertos. The Day of the Dead is now a regional festival but is growing each and every year. On Saturday, Nov. 2nd will be the next festival and if you are a vendor or artist and want to get an early start, start by contacting the LWB Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).

To learn more about this year’s upcoming festival, last year’s Day of the Dead and to contact the CRA use this link for a blog post in October 2018.

And here in Lake Worth Beach we’re hoping for change too. The last female reporter on the ‘Lake Worth’ beat was Lona O’Connor who retired ten years ago.


Now back to the food news by Morse. 


The restaurant in Jupiter called La Esquina Guatemalteca would fit in nicely here in Lake Worth Beach if they ever decide to open a second location. Guatemalan heritage and traditional Central American food is becoming more and more popular all the time; two excerpts:


Tables are topped with woven textiles, and warm drinks like arroz con leche, a slightly sweet drink with a hint of cinnamon, and atole, a filling traditional drink made with lima beans, are served in tazas de barro, or clay mugs.

On a recent morning, the rhythm of the kitchen was driven by a reggaeton beat. A cook prepared a churrasco dish, fried steak served with rice and beans, then drizzled the finishing touches on colorful, light and crunchy enchiladas.

and. . .

La Esquina Guatemalteca offers breakfast, like a savory huevos rancheros; fresh hibiscus and pineapple waters; soups; and desserts like sweet rellenitos, or stuffed plantains.

William and Santos [sons of restaurateur Silvia Cano] don’t remember much of Guatemala, having moved to Jupiter when they were kids. But Silvia’s cooking always gave them that sense of culture.


To read the entire story by Morse headlined, “La Esquina Guatemalteca brings taste of Central America to Jupiter” click on this link.


IF YOU GO.

La Esquina Guatemalteca is located at 208 Hibiscus St. in Jupiter. If you head on out today to gather more information call 561-768-9137 or check out their Facebook page.