Fire damages Palm Beach home; two suffer minor injuries | www.palmbeachpost.com

This fire in Palm Beach started sometime around or after 10 p.m. last night. The Town of Palm Beach sent out these two notices through their notification system.

Obviously, their date and time stamp was off. It was interesting to watch the local coverage of this on the eleven o'clock news. Channel 5 had a brief mention at the beginning of its newscast, said they had a "crew at the scene", but ended up showing distant video from across the Intracoastal. Channel 12 was able to get on the island and interviewed a fireman and was able to get video of the activity.

Click title for link to the Shiny Sheet reporting of the incident, which at this point in time, only includes a picture of the house involved.

Watch Palm Beach County condos in the making, huge concrete pour | Real Time

From Kimberly Miller on the Real Time blog, click link for entire story and a video of the massive concrete pour. This is for just one of the towers. Click here for a link to Kolter's website for more information on the project. From the article: 

The Water Club condominiums had the foundation of one of its two towers poured Saturday, a massive undertaking that began at 3 a.m.
The job, which was one of the largest continuous concrete pours in Palm Beach County history, included 400 truckloads of concrete from four plants and up to 75 rotating dump trucks.
Saturday’s pour formed the foundation for one of two 22-story towers in Kolter Homes’ luxury Water Club development at 1280 U.S. 1.

The zenith and/or the nadir, depending on your point of view

This photo courtesy of Tom McGow

Whenever I see this picture, I want to say "Breathe people, breathe."

Big News coming out of the Town of Gulfstream:

From Dan Moffett at the Coastal Star, click title for link, we have this very interesting story about the goings-on in Gulf Stream and beyond.

The hostilities between the town of Gulf Stream and two litigious residents appear destined to get a whole lot more hostile in the weeks ahead.
    And the case the town is preparing against Martin O’Boyle and Christopher O’Hare could ripple through dozens of communities across the state.
    Gulf Stream commissioners have given unanimous approval to a legal strategy that will invoke the federal RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) statute against O’Boyle and O’Hare, alleging they have engaged in a pattern of behavior intended to intimidate, harass and force settlements from public officials and governments.
    Beyond Gulf Stream, town officials say, the class-action RICO suit will allege that O’Boyle used a group he founded called the Citizens Awareness Foundation to generate settlements from frivolous public records suits across the state — in communities such as Fernandina Beach, Miami, Bradenton, Cutler Bay and Miami Lakes.
    “We thought this was about a feud in Gulf Stream,” said Mayor Scott Morgan. “But we learned it was a lot more.”

Time to go Denver?

Good news that there is now non-stop, daily air service to and from Denver and West Palm Beach though PBIA. Click title for link to article.

Palm Beach County tourism leaders want Colorado residents to trade their state’s snow-covered mountains for the county’s sunny beaches.
Frontier Airlines launched direct service between Denver and Palm Beach International Airport on Oct. 26 — offering the only non-stop flight between the two cities. Discover The Palm Beaches, the county’s tourism marketing arm, is capitalizing on the new route by wooing Colorado residents with special hotel packages and warm winter weather.
At least one Palm Beach County hotel is offering discounted room rates to tourists who have a Colorado driver’s license or other identification card.
Meanwhile, tourism leaders are touting the county’s beaches, outdoor natural areas, and other eco-friendly attractions to Colorado residents.
With Frontier’s new flight, Denver residents can get to Palm Beach County in less than four hours, Discover officials boast.
“The Palm Beaches truly are the best way to experience Florida on a winter getaway,” said Jorge Pesquera, Discover’s president and CEO.

Artfest in Jupiter

This article by Chris Persaud, click title for link, shows that he's been submitting a number of stories from Jupiter lately. As you know, Mr. Persaud is the latest Lake Worth beat reporter. He seems to be spreading his wings and we all wish him the best. Anyhow, Mr. Persaud reported on the Artfest in Jupiter. Let's hope that more events like this could happen in Lake Worth:

"[S]eventh annual Artfest, hosted by El Sol Center, a nonprofit company that helps integrate immigrants. Artfest, which this year was held on Saturday and Sunday, celebrates and displays culture and art from Guatemala, Mexico and other Latin American countries. A few hundred people turned up to see and buy paintings, jewels, food and yogurt made by local artists and businesses."

Later in the article he writes:

"Artfest is meant to bring immigrants and Americans together in harmony, said El Sol Executive Director Jocelyn Skolnik."

And later:

“Part of our mission is to integrate these people,” she [El Sol Executive Director Jocelyn Skolnik] said.
El Sol offers English classes, helps immigrants find work, helps process legal paperwork and offers hot meals to immigrants."

Here is a promotional item from the El Sol Artfest that finished yesterday:

Note the number and quality of sponsors. Has the Lake Worth Guatemalan-Maya Center ever staged such an event? An event with such community involvement and sponsors? You must admit the El Sol event is impressive. Many kudos to the sponsors and volunteers.

A little over two weeks ago the Vice Chairman of the Guatemalan-Maya Center in Lake Worth, Father Frank O'Loughlin, joined a protest against the PBSO with the help of the Lake Worth Anarchist community. I would be curious the relationship between "El Sol" and the Jupiter Police Department? Would the El Sol Director be O.K. with a sign that read, "Jupiter Police are Worthless"? Here is a picture of Father O'Loughlin at a protest in Lake Worth on October 29:

It would seem there are two approaches by two different communities with respect to our immigrant/undocumented neighbors. You have El Sol in Jupiter and the Guatemalan-Maya Center (GMC) in Lake Worth. Kudos to Mr. Persaud for his enlightening article. Journalism is reporting the news and if that reporting forces you to think, that is journalism at its best.

For my part in the weeks and months to come, we'll be doing research and a trip to El Sol in Jupiter. We the citizens in Lake Worth have some very hard questions to ask: Do we continue to support the GMC? If not, do we reach out to others like El Sol to help us? Do we want our Guatemalan neighbors, for example, to stay Guatemalan or become American? Are there other people outside of that group, that call Lake Worth home, that make it difficult for this process to happen?

In the meantime, if you think of any community events like this that have happened in Lake Worth, please email me with the details and pictures, if possible. If there are any future ones planned, let me know the dates so that the word can get out.

Ultimately though, this discussion is about a devoted people who risked everything to make their children's lives better. Here in Lake Worth, Florida and elsewhere in south Florida.

"I wish I was your bird"

The truth makes a rare appearance on the other blogger's site...

Re-Post: For some reason, through my analytic tracking devices, this post shows a near record of 387 individual, unique hits. As such, it cracks the threshold of the upper sixth percentile of all posts, ever. Thought it deserved more attention.

 If the other bloggers readers can see the problem with Commissioner McVoy, why can't she? Is she obtuse? Unaware of McVoy's behavior on the dais? Here are two comments that were left on the 'other bloggers' site that sum up pretty well the problem with McVoy. For the people who actually go to that blog and expose the truth, I thank you for your service to the community - and your luck getting through the Maginot Line. And I am sure Mayor Pam Triolo and Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell thank you as well.

Panama Canal exhibit at the Flagler Museum

In commemoration of the centennial of its opening in 1914, Kiss of the Oceans will tell the fascinating story of the construction of the Panama Canal, one of the world's great technological achievements. Through artifacts, photographs, documents, and films, the exhibition will illustrate the Canal's story from sixteenth-century explorers to nineteenth-century debates, the failed French canal project of the 1880s, the massive American takeover in 1904, and finally the first official transit on August 15, 1914.

The show is on view at the Flagler Museum from Oct. 14 through Jan. 4.

Flagler bridge reopens without a hitch | www.palmbeachdailynews.com

Some details about the north bridge to Palm Beach Island's partial re-opening from the Shiny Sheet. Click title for link.

One lane is open in each direction and the sidewalk on the north side of the bridge is open for pedestrians. All westbound traffic exits at the Flagler Drive exit ramp.
The ramp from northbound Flagler Drive to the eastbound Flagler Memorial Bridge is permanently closed. Drivers going north on Flagler Drive who want to go east over the bridge should go west on Banyan Boulevard to North Dixie Highway; take that north to North Quadrille Boulevard; and take North Quadrille Boulevard east across the bridge.
Traffic restrictions remain in place at the intersection of Flagler Drive and the Royal Park Bridge. Drivers going south on Flagler Drive cannot turn left to go east over the Royal Park Bridge and drivers going west over the Royal Park Bridge cannot turn left to go south on Flagler Drive.

Ft. Lauderdale has a large homeless population

Fort Lauderdale's controversial "sharing ban" goes into effect today, putting restrictions on where and how homeless people can be fed. But in defiance of the law, several groups will begin a "week of resistance" and continue to provide food for the needy.

Food Not Bombs will kick off the protest by doing what it does every week: offer free food to people at 5 p.m. in Stranahan Park. And because it's Halloween, participants are urged to come dressed as food.

The group plans to "greet the City on Halloween at our weekly sharing with our MIDDLE FINGERS FULLY EXTENDED [emphasis added] and fight for our rights," according to its Facebook page.

Veteran's Day Parade to take place in Lake Worth, November 8th

The Lake Worth Veterans Day Parade on Saturday, November 8th begins at 11 AM. The NAPC will again this year feature two floats, one for Neighbors to ride and walk with and one float for the NAPC tribute to the Lake Worth High School students and faculty Veterans who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our Country since the High School was founded. The LWHS Memorial float features a life size replica of the granite monument permanently installed on the LWHS campus.

The NAPC Neighbors float will safely carry about 30 people. Children are very welcome to ride the float as long as they are accompanied by a parent or guardian. Veterans are always welcome to ride as well as our Neighbors who may find it difficult to walk in the parade. Line up for the parade begins at 10 AM along Federal Highway. The NAPC float is usually parked close to 4th or 5th Ave North on Federal, near Sacred Heart School.

The Parade ends at the Cultural Plaza where the Ceremony begins around 12:30 PM with the PBSO Honor Guard, the Scottish Rites Bagpipe and Drum Corp, the high school marching band, the Pledge of Allegiance and patriotic songs. Elected officials and honored guests will be on stage to Salute the Service and Sacrifice of our Veterans. A special recitation of Hal Borland's "The Creed" will be delivered along with neighbors holding plackards displaying "I Am An Am-er-ic-an". Tented seated in the Plaza is provided for our Veterans.

The parade route and the Cultural Plaza will be festooned with American flags Thanks to generosity of Neighbors who contributed to the Lake Worth Flag Project and the City of Lake Worth.

One solution to state's wild pig problem: Eat them - Times Union

Click title for link to article. All 67 Florida counties have this problem. From Laura Reily at the Tampa Bay Times we have this piece about a big problem and the solution:

When life hands you nuisance pigs, make pork chops.
And since Florida has an estimated 1 million feral pigs — the most in the country per square mile — Charlotte County rancher Keith Mann saw an opportunity to capitalize on that idea in a novel way.
He has established a working relationship with trappers, USDAinspectors and the restaurant community to bring this new "naturally raised," ''free-range," ''sustainable" and "local" food source to market. Already presiding over Florida's largest bison herd at his Three Suns Ranch, Mann launched his feral pig program this spring, a win-win for homeowners, trappers and restaurant patrons alike. The only losers are the pigs.
Opportunistic omnivores, the pigs breed swiftly, squeeze out other wildlife and wreak havoc on golf courses, agricultural land and even backyard sod. Roaming in all 67 counties of the state, they have been trapped and hunted for decades. There is no season, no size or bag limits or restrictions on harvesting either gender — all this has made wild pigs the second-most popular hunted wildlife in the state behind white-tailed deer.

"All suspects are still at large."

LagoonFest celebrates ‘living, breathing’ estuary of Lake... | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

This was a good idea to have the first LagoonFest, taking place in downtown West Palm Beach yesterday. I've been to most of the Lake Worth Lagoon symposiums and have always found them interesting. Many people think about what we also refer to as the Intracoastal Waterway as a place where boats go, as the article says. Click title for link. But it is much more than that. It is essentially an urban estuary whose water quality is affected by what goes on around it. It was also known for its abundant fishing and recreation opportunities. Unfortunately, through the later half of the 20th century, it has been something that we have turned our backs to. Hopefully, we can have LagoonFest in Bryant Park next year and have Lake Worth play a bigger role in the event. It doesn't seem like we had much presence at this years inaugural one.

Before Saturday, Boynton Beach resident Darren Cook had never heard of the Lake Worth Lagoon. To him, the body of water that runs parallel to the coast and separates Palm Beach Island from West Palm Beach was nothing more than a runway for boats.
But the dredged waterway known as the Intracoastal is only a slice of a 20-mile long lagoon that’s home to a variety of wildlife including fish, birds, manatees and sea turtles. At about a half-mile wide, the lagoon is the largest estuary in Palm Beach County, stretching from North Palm Beach to Ocean Ridge.
“The lagoon has been around since before people even settled here,” said Robert Robbins, director of environmental resources management for Palm Beach County. “It is much more than just a highway for boats.”
Robbins is a part of the Lake Worth Lagoon Initiative, which is a collaborative effort by governmental agencies, community organizations and individuals to improve the lagoon after years of pollution.