The latest from Greenfield, garden-spot of California...

Assault with Deadly Weapon
07/13/2014
400 Block 9TH ST

Theft of Vehicle
07/10/2014
200 Block AVA ST & RAVA PKWY

Breaking & Entering
07/09/2014
700 Block DART WAY & 7TH ST

Theft
07/09/2014
1 Block ELMWOOD DR

Assault with Deadly Weapon
07/07/2014
600 Block WALNUT AV & EL CAMINO REAL

From one of the major proponents of the NO vote on August 26th

Former Commissioner Jo-Ann Golden is one of the contributors to the Citizens Against Unfair Taxation PAC and had spoken against the Lake Worth 2020 bond issue at City Commission meetings.

From the Tom McGow archives.

Letter to the Editor from Lake Worth resident on the LW2020 Plan

In a letter to the editor of the Palm Beach Post on 7/14/2014, Joanne Kelly of Lake Worth wrote the following:

"The June 4 article, 'Lake Worth seeks $63.5 million bond,' was clear and well told. Thanks for having Eliot Kleinberg do the reporting, a writer who has history and experience in Palm Beach County. He was able to tell the story clearly.
Hopefully, enough of us Lake Worthians will seize the day and vote for the bond on Aug. 26, in spite of knowing the tax burden will increase. We just have to hold our noses and do it. We all 'love Lake Worth,' but 'loving' care is long overdue. Confidence in our current leadership is high and the interest rate is low, so now is the time."

Click here for the Eliot Kleinberg article referred to in the letter.

‘More of an edge’: Cultural Council pushes boundaries with new... | www.palmbeachdailynews.com

I am hearing great things about the new installation at the Palm Beach County Cultural Council in downtown Lake Worth. Click title for link to an article in the Shiny Sheet highlighting the exhibit. Here's a bit of what you can expect.

“This shows another side of Palm Beach County artists,” Hickey [Nichole Hickey, manager of artist services] said. “The shows I’ve installed before have been relatively safe. This show has more of an edge.”
Quality was tops on both of their lists. After that, “I wanted artists who moved me viscerally,” de Beaufort said.
The 60 works include painting, sculpture, mixed media, photography, installation and performance art made within the last three years.
------------
IF YOU GO
What: “Southern Exposure: New Work Now”
When: Through Aug. 16
Where: Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, 601 Lake Ave., Lake Worth
For information: Call 471-2901 or see palmbeachculture.com

Florida Woman Arrested for Doing Naked Yoga on the Highway | New Times Broward-Palm Beach

A new trend? Might be something like Bikram Yoga. We will have to consult with Commissioner McVoy upon his return from a yoga retreat in Tibet. Click title for link. This woman seems to have a lot in common with Cheri Oteri, one of Saturday Night Live's former cast members, and her character Collette Reardon.

Siberian Hailstorm Catches Beach Goers by Surprise

Ouch! This storm just came out of nowhere.

Erica Whitfield, School Board Candidate, District 4, stopped by today...

With her daughter in tow...contact her for a yard sign and remember to vote for her on August 26th!

Flags flying at the Gulfstream Hotel again...

Time to "Freak"

1926 Miami hurricane - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What Wikipedia says about the 1926 hurricane. It seems likely that this area might have received some impact from such a large storm, but the real "bad guy" for this area was the 1928 hurricane. Click title for link. Apparently, the public didn't know about the "eye"  part of the storm and thought it was over which led to further loss of life. Communication and forecasting were a shadow of what they are today.

This was not a relationship made in Heaven...

From the Tom McGow archives.

Flagler Drive after the Hurricane of 1926 - West Palm Beach.

Courtesy Historic Florida IV on FaceBook.

Water Club twin 19-story buildings begin construction in North Palm Beach | Northern Palm Beach County

TALL BUILDINGS. TALL BUILDINGS. TALL BUILDINGS. Click title for link.

Work has started on the Kolter Group’s project to build twin 19-story buildings on the Intracoastal Waterway called Water Club, across from the Benjamin School about a mile south of PGA Boulevard.
Plans for the seven-acre parcel include 74 condos in each building, which will have parking on the bottom floor.
Twenty townhouses are also planned on the east side of the property.
Plans call for Water Club to be a gated community.

Town may award $17.6 million Midtown Beach renourishment contract | www.palmbeachdailynews.com

The Town of Palm Beach readies its plans for beach renourishment and they will be rolling out various sections over the coming years. Eventually, the projects will include the area south of Sloan's Curve to Phipps Ocean Beach and south of the Lake Worth pier. The city of Lake Worth has denied Palm Beach access before for such activities around our beach. Click title for link.

In its 10-year coastal management plan, the town estimated the project would cost $11.6 million.
The Midtown fill was originally scheduled for last winter, but was delayed in November after a first round of construction bids last year proved too high.
Midtown Beach received its last full nourishment in 2006.
About 850,000 cubic yards of sand will go on the beach between Casa Bendita, in Reach 2, and Banyan Road, at the south end of Reach 4. That includes the badly eroded area along the sea wall along the area from Sunrise Avenue to Wells Road.
Another 130,000 cubic yards of sand will be hauled by truck and placed on the beach, above the high-tide line, between Sloan’s Curve and Phipps Ocean Park, and south of the Lake Worth Pier.

Higher taxes won’t cover Lake Worth’s $31 million budget plan | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

The budget is still a work in progress, but the City Commission has set the millage rate the same as last year, but it can be approved at a lower rate depending on additional adjustments. There are some new festivals planned under the Recreation Department, which were a bit surprising. Click title for link. This article is on line and not in the printed edition of today's paper.

Thanks to rising property values, the city expects a $527,000 increase in property taxes next year. The city’s taxable value, as of Jan. 1, increased to $1.2 billion from $1.1 billion.
But the city gets only 22 percent of its money from property taxes. Another big source is money from the city’s utilities.
Commissioners voted Tuesday to set next year’s tax rate at no more than the current rate of $5.49 for every $1,000 of taxable property. They can still lower the rate but it can’t go higher.
Since property values went up for most homeowners, they would pay more even if the tax rate is unchanged. The owner of a $100,000 home with a $50,000 homestead exemption would pay $8.24 more in taxes, based on a required 1.5 percent property value increase.