Sorry TOB, we know you're terribly disappointed

Imagine the excitement when The Other Blogger (TOB) saw this on NBC5/WPTV:

Then the reality set in. The good news is the person injured is expected to survive. We all wish her a speedy recovery.

The address for this incident is the 4800 block of Lucern Lakes Blvd which is past Jog Rd, just a little bit beyond the municipal borders of the City of Lake Worth. Here once again, for anyone who's interested, is the Master Class on what is the "City of Lake Worth" and what is considered "suburban Lake Worth". 

AnnaMaria, for one, likes to tweak everyone now and then by calling our City "Lake Worth Beach". Maybe it's time to seriously consider a change in our City name? Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell had this idea some time back and he was ridiculed and disparaged. More and more he's looking like a visionary. 

This Week on Today Now! The only daily morning show I recommend

No better way to start the day!

Last time a hurricane hit Florida: a Bush was Governor & space shuttles still taking off

Kevin Spear at the Sun Sentinel puts things in perspective. He refers to 'hurricane amnesia'. From the article:

     The last time a hurricane barreled into Florida — Wilma in late 2005 — a Bush was governor and space shuttles could still fly into orbit.
     It's somewhat rare to go so long without a cyclone, and experts fear Floridians are catching "hurricane amnesia."
     To spur memories, this year's Governor's Hurricane Conference in Orlando will have a session that looks back a decade to the record season of 28 storms, which included 15 hurricanes, seven major hurricanes and Wilma's romp across South Florida.
     "It serves as a reminder that just because it's been quiet for the last 10 years doesn't mean it's going to continue," said Rob Molleda, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Miami, who will moderate the session. "It's also natural to look back to see what we have done since."

This is as good a time as any for a reminder: Amnesty Week is coming soon to Lake Worth.

NAPC and Neighborhood News: Lake Worth Neighbors Bring Home $38,500 in County Grant Money!

The Neighborhood Association Presidents Council (NAPC) has more on the REAP grants and explains what "Little Free Libraries" are. All that hard work paid off in a big way for our little City of Lake Worth.

And check out "Too tall Paul from Royal Poinciana". Great job everyone.

Lake Worth CRA & LULA: Small Business Loan Program

You can find out more about this program here.

GMO's: The Boogeyman (Monsanto) Returns

Just last month wrote about how the GMO debate had shifted somewhat. There was speculation in academic/scientific circles that facts were getting through to the public past all the noise from the anti-GMO crowd. This website was given credit for some of that:

Well, not so fast. Kristen Clark at The Palm Beach Post has this news about a "March Against Monsanto": 

     Opponents of genetically modified foods plan to march in protest on Saturday along Forest Hill Boulevard.
     The first-ever “March Against Monsanto” in Wellington is one of nearly 350 such rallies happening this month worldwide. Another march is planned May 23 in West Palm Beach.
     Monsanto is an agricultural company often affiliated with GMOs, or genetically modified organisms. It sells herbicide-resistant seeds to farmers, products known as “Roundup Ready.”
     The march in Wellington begins at 9 a.m. at the Old Wellington Mall, at Forest Hill Boulevard and Wellington Trace. 

Biotech booming in Florida

This article about the growing biotech industry in Florida appeared in The Gainesville Sun by their business editor Anthony Clark; here are two short excerpts:

     Signs of a growing biotech industry could be seen in all directions this week during the 12th annual BioFlorida Celebration of Biotechnology on the grounds of RTI Surgical at Progress Park.
     Three more tents were added this year to accommodate 94 tables, up from 80 last year, to house the trade show’s biotech companies and businesses offering lab equipment, patent attorneys and construction services, among others.

[and. . .]

     Nancy Bryan, president and CEO of BioFlorida, said industry growth is statewide, pointing to statistics which show that the number of biotech companies doing research and development in Florida grew 93 percent in six years, from 136 to 262 in 2014. [emphasis added]
     Over the last year, two immuno-oncology companies from California have opened in the Tampa area and Lupin, an India-based pharmaceutical company, expanded in Broward County.
     “The biotech sector in general is growing, but also Florida has been discovered as a good place to do business, and in biotech there’s a lot of research going on in Florida,” said Patti Breedlove, director of the University of Florida Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator.

[Chuck's the winner!] Chuck Weber, CBS12/WPEC reporter, confirms crime outside municipal borders of Lake Worth

[By far, this was the most popular blog post yesterday (Sunday, 5/10). It's a short post but hammers the point home. Enjoy!]

If you're familiar with The Other Bloggers (TOB's) mania about PBSO and crime in the City of Lake Worth, every now and then point out crime actually occurs outside the borders of the City. Here's Chuck Weber with one:

Fortunately, the man injured is expected to be OK. 

Former Lake Worth City Manager Susan Stanton is now the city manager in Greenfield, California. That city is less than half the population of Lake Worth. Stanton has her own police department and she has a homicide problem in that city. The City of Greenfield is seeking help from the Sheriff. 

Ironic isn't it. 

So you see it's a matter of perspective. Something sorely needed if you live in a concrete bunker on the outskirts of the City.  

Alexandra Clough, Palm Beach Post business reporter, latest Lake Worth Casino story

The print edition of Alexandra Clough's article about the Lake Worth Casino is in today's (Sunday 5/10) Post, Section D (Business) on page 6. Pass this information on to your digitally challenged friends and neighbors who are unaccustomed to expecting Lake Worth to be mentioned in anything related to business.

Also you can read here about what I surmise to be a future editorial in the Post on this very subject. The reporter does a good job except in one respect: the people responsible for the failed Casino business plan are never mentioned or quoted. If you are unsure who exactly those people are that have put our city in such an awkward position, here's a visual reminder:

Note that the Casino business plan is now officially a failure. This information was gleaned from the recent Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) process in the City.

AnnaMaria: host of the Lake Worth blog "Lake Worth Every Minute" has a challenge

"Now for all those people who have red signs in their yard. How about you step up next year and bring home the bacon."

Here is one of those misleading signs AnnaMaria is referring to.

This is AnnaMaria's post and her challenge is at the end of the post. 

While one group of Lake Worth citizens (prompted by organizers on North Lakeside Drive and Lake Osborne Drive) were spending their time lying about their fellow citizens ("they're trying to steal our BEACH"), another group of Lake Worth citizens were hard at work trying to make our neighborhoods a better place to live. Here is a picture of those people from AnnaMaria's blog:

Picture of REAP recipients from AnnaMaria'a blog. (I didn't ask permission but don't think she'll mind.)

You can read about the PBC REAP Grants here. 

The point folks is this: while one blog in Lake Worth does its best to make our City look bad, Margaret Menge had a similar effort with her now-defunct 'newspaper', while people like Peter Timm and Katie McGiveron bitch and moan at city commission meetings how terrible our City is. . .there are people you hardly ever see or hear about working hard as hell to make our City better, one neighborhood at at time. 

Enough said; for now. 

Marge Mange at the Lake Worth Cribune: "No more sitting on the sidelines for me"

A stunning development in Marge Mange's Cribune today:

"No more sitting on the sidelines". From what I can gather, haven't read the whole story yet, is Mange wants to get involved in city government and learn about civic involvement from the inside. Starting on the Sister City Board or the Tree Board is a good place to start. 

We all support you Marge!

Miami Herald: "Remembering protest that led to opening first beach for black Miamians"

This is a must read article in the Miami Herald. The Lake Worth beach and pool were segregated at one time; a sad legacy for this City. Little did these Miamians know how profound their actions would be 70 years ago. Here's the first three paragraphs:

     They are all dead now — probably; some of their names have been lost to time, so there’s no way to be certain — and there’s no way to ask them if they knew they were making history. But the seven black people who splashed into the water at all-white Haulover Beach 70 years ago this weekend set off ripples that would eventually turn into the most profound social upheaval in American history, the civil rights movement.
     “What they did was very, very significant,” said Miami historian and preservationist Enid Pinkney, 83, then a teenager who followed the events at Haulover closely. “I can’t say for sure it was the first act of civil disobedience for civil rights. But it was certainly one of the very early ones, not just in Florida but in the whole South.”
     The protest, nearly a decade before the national civil-rights movement began to take hold, quickly resulted in what was then Dade County opening a beach to its black citizens for the first time. And it touched off nearly two decades of sit-ins and demonstrations to integrate restaurants, nightclubs, hotels and everything else in the county.

Here is a "History Lesson" from former Lake Worth blogger-extraordinaire Tom McGow from July 2007. One of the news clippings he references from June 21, 1963, has this line about the Lake Worth beach:

For the third time in as many days a handful of Negroes Thursday swam without incident in the ocean off this city's municipal beach.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article20608311.html#storylink=cpy

SAVE THE DATE: Community Clean-Up on Saturday, May 30th

Pet rescue center at capacity; waives adoption fees TODAY

This story is from FloridaWeekly. The Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League’s adoption center is open until 6 pm TODAY. They call this the "Empty the Shelter" event. Call 686-3663.

The address is 3100/3200 N. Military Trail in West Palm Beach. 

If you've been thinking about adding a dog or cat to your household this is the day. 

[UPDATE] Breaking News: No "LINE OF FIRE" in The Palm Beach Post today (Saturday's paper)

[See below for update]

Finally, the "LINE OF FIRE" story on the civil case moving through the system has found its proper place in the news cycle. Went through the front page, entire A section and B section twice in Saturday's paper and didn't see Sheriff Ric Bradshaw's name mentioned once. 

Note the "LINE OF FIRE" graphic has been replaced and no mention of Sheriff Bradshaw on the front page!
UPDATE: What a difference a day makes! The Post's Lawrence Mower and Pat Beall had a few days rest and they're back at it in Sunday's paper. Is there anything else going on in Palm Beach County these days? 

And how about this gem from today's paper: