From last night's Taste of Lake Worth...

The 21st Annual Lake Worth Street Painting Festival is HERE!

Channel 5 (WPTV) did a wonderful report on the Festival yesterday (Friday). You can check out the video of their story here.

The weather is going to be much better than expected. A little cold in the morning but warming up nicely throughout the day.

This Festival is an opportunity for many to try Tri-Rail for the first time. Ditch the car; the Festival will have a shuttle to pick you up. Also, you can avoid entirely parking in downtown Lake Worth by going to Palm Beach State College; a Festival shuttle will stop there also. I will be a host on the shuttle later in the day on Saturday.

Have a great time today!

Friedrich Nietzsche

“All things are subject to interpretation. Whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth.”

History repeating itself in the little City of Lake Worth? Cara Jennings and JoAnn Golden

In October 2009 a former blogger in Lake Worth with a creative knack for Photoshop, the inimitable Tom McGow, had interesting observations on then-commissioners Cara Jennings and JoAnn Golden:

Proof: Margaret Menge IS NOT a Lake Worth community journalist—she has her own agenda

Today Margaret Menge dropped her latest free 'newspaper' in select neighborhoods in the City. If you don't get distracted by the big headlines and fluff, guess what's missing? One of the most important City events of the entire year:

Mayor Pam Triolo's State of the City Address on Tuesday, February 24th. Margaret Menge didn't mention the State of the City Address by Mayor Pam Triolo, not one single time.

Lake Worth's true community newspaper, The Lake Worth Herald, of course had this event publicized.

Below is the content publicizing Mayor Pam Triolo's State of City Address this coming Tuesday, February 24th from our City's only real community newspaper: The Lake Worth Herald; important news that Margaret Menge doesn't want her readers to know about:

The Honorable Mayor Pam Triolo presents the 

STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS

Date: February 24, 2015 (Tuesday)

Location: Lake Worth Casino Ballroom, 10 South Ocean Blvd., Lake Worth, FL

Time: 6:00 PM–8:00 PM
Admission: Free
Parking: Free

Come and listen to the Mayor discuss our current and future progress and meet afterwards with select staff to learn more.

Free parking is available at the Casino and Beach Complex premises starting at 5:30 PM. Seating and parking are provided on a first come first served basis.

If you require any special accommodations, please contact Lauren Bothe at 561-533-7395 or lbothe@lakeworth.org.

Coming to Lake Worth for the Street Painting Festival? Looking to open a business? Consider this: Delray Beach vs. Lake Worth

A reader of my blog sent me this about commercial real estate in our little City. A Lake Worth realtor, Charles Andrews, wrote this in the Tribune about commercial real estate in Lake Worth versus Delray Beach:

     When it comes to real estate, Delray Beach has already experienced its large upside and gains. Lake Worth is poised for better upside than Delray Beach. In short—Lake Worth has better deals.
     Commercial space goes for $55 a square foot on Atlantic Avenue in downtown Delray. You have to sell a lot of ice cream, hot dogs or smoothies to stay in business at that rate. This has pushed out the majority of mom and pop stores. I even heard that they may not renew the lease for the local diner "The Green Owl." Come on. That eradicates all the charm.
     In Lake Worth, commercial space on Lake Avenue goes for about $15-$25 a square foot, according to local commercial broker Bob D'Arinzo. I just got a call from a Mediterranean restaurant that wants to open up their second location in Lake Worth because it's affordable. And Lake Avenue has a vibe that businesses are excited to get a taste of. 

There you have it. Whether you're looking for an apartment, condo, townhome, or home, looking for a business location? Lake Worth, Florida, is the place to be.

Thank you, Charles Andrews, for doing your part to make our little City of Lake Worth achieve its potential.

Viva Lake Worth!!!!

TONIGHT—ANNUAL TASTE OF LAKE WORTH EVENT! This is the kick-off for the Street Painting Festival

LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA - Compass Community Center of Lake Worth, FL Is Proud to be Presenting the 6th Annual “Taste of Lake Worth”, TONIGHT From 6:00 – 9:00 PM The evening event highlights the restaurants and businesses of Lake Worth and serves as a kick off to the fabulous 21st Annual Lake Worth “Street Painting Festival”. The streets will be closed down in preparations for that event and diners will be able to leisurely stroll through the lovely Downtown as excitement builds for the weekend’s big event. Also on Friday night, the City of Lake Worth will once again host “Evening on the Avenues” in the Cultural Plaza with live music, art and craft vendors and much more.

Participants of the “Taste of Lake Worth” can expect to enjoy food and drinks provided by more than twenty downtown restaurants with the advance purchase of a $20 ticket from Compass Community Center.

Tickets can be purchased at: Compass Community Center (or purchase tickets the day of the event for $25.)

Located at: 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth or on-line at: www.compassglcc.com Tickets are limited! Guests will check-in on the night of the event for an identifying wristband and a map of all the participating restaurants. Wristband and Map will be located at: The corner of Lucerne Avenue and J Street (by the Post Office).

Businesses Participating in the Taste of LW include The Beach Club, Brogues Downunder, Callaro's Steak House, CJ's Island Grill, Common Ground Coffee, Dave's Last Resort and Raw Bar, Downtown Pizza, Hoffmans Chocolate Shoppe, Judy's Cheese & Wine Shop, Kavasutra, Kilwins Choclate and Ice Cream of Downtown, La Bonne Bouche, The NAPC Front Porch, Paradiso, Rhum Shak, Rolando Chang Barrero Fine Art Gallery, Rotelli's, South Shores Tavern and Patio Bar, Suri Tapas Bar, Toojays Deli and Toscana Pizzeria.

For more information contact: Jimmy Zoellner at 561-533-9699 or email: jimmy@compassglcc.com

A mea culpa by the folks at the New Times? Sticking to the facts with no hyperbole

On Friday, February 13th, Ray Downs at the New Times penned the most absurd and ridiculous story about the Palm Beach County Sheriff (PBSO) imaginable. How something that stupid got past the editors is amazing.

Six days later, Chris Joseph at the New Times, in a piece staying true to the facts and avoiding hyperbole, wrote this story about the latest big news from PBSO. From the article:

     Thirty eight gang members from the Latin Kings, Top 6, and Sur-13 have been federally indicted following a 16-month investigation, the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office announced Thursday.
     The massive operation, dubbed Operation Check Mate, began in August 2013, and was set up to disrupt and dismantle the narcotics trafficking by the Latin Kings, the PBSO says. The operation involved 30 detectives and agents and also included 300 officers from the FBI, PBSO and BSO. Through the operation, 42 people were indicted, with 38 currently in custody.
     One suspect was found in Boston, while another was nabbed in Fort Pierce. The rest were found and arrested in Palm Beach County.

The New Times is an excellent source for entertainment content. However, if you're looking to get educated on issues like a recent mayoral election in Ft. Lauderdale, for example, you'll see why a responsible citizen would seek the facts elsewhere.

Lake Worth Commissioner John Szerdi, the City's Green Commissioner

Last Tuesday night (2/17), the City of Lake Worth City Commission, educated and informed by Commissioner John Szerdi, voted to invite the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) into our charming little City. All the USGBC asks in return are 2 small work stations and access to WiFi. The visibility and recognition the City of Lake Worth gets in return is incalculable.

About the USGBC:

     The USGBC South Florida Chapter, a nonprofit (501[c][3]) organization that is governed entirely by volunteers who serve without recompense, has five extremely active Branches under its organizational umbrella -- the Treasure Coast Branch, Palm Beach Branch, Broward Branch, Miami-Dade Branch and Keys Branch. We have more than 6,000 dedicated Members, Friends and contacts, and would enthusiastically welcome you and your business to our Chapter family. It’s through the work of our amazing volunteers that our Chapter's education and advocacy efforts flourish.
     Branch activities include monthly educational programs to instructive tours of green facilities, GREENworking events, helping municipalities and school districts with their green initiatives, and sponsorship of green conferences and events. Our Branches have educated local government officials and CEOs about sustainability, brought in high-profile speakers for important conferences, worked with children and educators to teach green principles, sponsored study sessions for prospective LEED APs and GAs ... and much more.

The Other Blogger (TOB) and another Big Lie about the NAPC

TOB does it again. She regularly misstates the facts by cleverly pointing out, now and then, that her blog is opinion only and not fact-based. Imagine a radical-fringe version of The Onion except not funny and not even clever: that is TOB. Let's peel back the layers.

This time she stepped in it. She made a claim and then someone wrote a comment on her blog challenging her. The Lake Worth Neighborhood Association Presidents Council is a fine organization that educates the citizens of the little City of Lake Worth. Some, like TOB, don't like the citizenry to get educated; she rather the candidates and citizens stay out of the Sunshine. That's why she is attacking the NAPC and the upcoming debate.

Here is TOB's claim and the comment challenging her ridiculous assertion:

Don't hold your breath waiting for TOB to set the record straight. She never does. The NAPC has, as far back as I can remember, always had debates when it relates to candidates—not always necessarily for issues.

Other cities have challenges too...

This picture was shared on a Facebook page called DELRAY RAW. This is a dumpster inside a fenced enclosure at a new business in Delray Beach. The power pole location seems to have been an afterthought.

Lake Worth Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell: The Truth Hurts. What of social justice? Want to have that conversation?

More news on the Sober House issue

From George Bennett at the Post on Politics blog comes this:

     Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, told a group of mayors and other municipal officials from her district on Wednesday that she has asked Housing and Urban Development Sec. Julian Castro and officials in the Justice Department about ways to help local governments regulate sober houses without running afoul of federal law.
     Many cities and towns have sought to regulate sober houses but found their efforts restricted by the Americans with Disabilities Act and federal fair housing laws.
     Frankel said getting Congress to pass legislation would be difficult, but she’s hoping HUD and the Justice Department can at least provide “better guidance” on what code changes are allowable.

NSFW* or children: Katie McGiveron responds to Lake Worth City Commissioner Andy Amoroso (vulgarity, obscenities, un-ladylike)

*NSFW means "Not Safe for Work"

Mrs. Katie McGiveron is impolite and crude most of the time, both at city meetings and writing on The Other Blog (TOB). Most of us have become immune to it, sort of like working in a monkey house, after a while you don't smell the offensive odors any more.

Maybe to get attention, as her act is repetitive and boring, she's decided to take her act to a whole new level of vulgarity. I wasn't sure if I should even publish McGiveron's latest, but then thought it's important people know what our elected officials in the little City of Lake Worth have to deal with.

You've been warned. Here it is:

From last night's fundraiser for John Szerdi's re-election at the Lakeside Castle

The City of Lake Worth is unique for its many historic homes.

Lake Worth District 4 Commissioner John Szerdi arrives.

The homeowner has meticulously kept the historic attributes of the structure.

This is the view from inside the front door looking up. The circular stairs leading up and the ceiling with chandelier.

Attendees in the main dining area.

View from the bar. Note former City Commissioner Retha Lowe, seated in pink jacket.

Throughout the evening the homeowner did tours of the home. This home is one of many Lake Worth historic treasures.