Yes, it did occur: Mrs. McNamara did indeed use the word 'n----r' in our Lake Worth City Commission chambers on March 16th

There is revisionism occurring vis-à-vis another blogger in Lake Worth and her best friend's bad behavior in City Hall last March. The account below [which I published on this blog on April 14th] appeared in a now-defunct (always-FREE, delivered FREE, advertising-challenged) tabloid published by Margaret Menge (Vol. 1/Issue 12). Considering Menge's background in "community" news facts and calm analysis aren't high on her list of priorities. What's different here is she actually quotes Mr. McNamara recalling his wife (Mrs. McNamara) using that terribly insensitive word in public:

     [Delores] Key walked up to Dee [McNamara], according to Laurence McNamara, and asked her to move, telling her the front row was reserved for the candidate's family.

[and later. . .]

     "She [Mrs. McNamara] pointed at her own skin and said, 'Are you calling me a n[----]r?' " Laurence remembers.
     Dolores Key, who is white, took offense.
     "She [Dolores Key] got all bent out of shape," said Laurence, and told Dee about seven times to apologize.

So, there you have it. Confirmation from Mr. McNamara that the incident did indeed occur. Former Commissioner Retha Lowe had a few thoughts about this at a City Commission meeting following the incident on March 24th:

Why motorists misbehaving and out-of-date transportation standards are degrading our quality of life

Lake Ave in downtown Lake Worth, Lucerne Ave, Dixie Hwy, and those wide one-way roads where cars recklessly speed all day and all night. . .it's not just a nuisance, it's degrading our quality of life. Here is an excerpt from Jesse Bailey in his Walkable West Palm blog on how out-of-date, misapplied transportation standards are so damaging to our cities and towns:

The building blocks of our public realm – streets, squares, plazas, parks – depend upon civilized behavior by all participants in order for civilization to flourish. In this environment, cars need to move slowly, not just for safety of the people not in cars, but in order for community itself to be able to flourish. Imagine some of your favorite public spaces: A square in Savannah. Duval Street in Key West. Clematis Street in West Palm Beach. Central Park. What’s common about all these places? Cars are secondary to people – the dominant species in these environments are the people walking, talking, and playing – and cars are welcome too as long as they behave.

Watch this video Jesse Bailey includes in his post:

The Gulfstream Hotel [and how ordinary functions of government get hijacked by just a few people]

First, here is the news from Kevin Thompson at the Post, an excerpt follows:

     William Waters, director for community sustainability, said the plans will be reviewed by the Historic Resources Preservation Board in October. There will also be a public meeting, with notices being sent to residents who live within 400 feet of the hotel, Waters said.
     First reading of the plans should go before the commission in November.
     Hudson Holdings and CDS International Holdings of Boca Raton bought the Gulfstream in May 2014. Some residents have grumbled it’s taken Hudson Holdings too long to start the project. The company also wants to develop the Lake Worth Casino.
     But Michael said dealing with code issues, and the site’s historic status, takes time.

The line highlighted above is very misleading. I would suggest this is more accurate:

The company is also considering ways to fix the failing Casino complex.

Now to one of the most viewed posts on my blog in recent years:

Grassroots movements do not organically spring up to support a project, but opposition groups driven by fear, self-interest and cynicism can take off like wildfire. The proliferation of digital tools like Facebook and Twitter give average people the ability to find like-minded project opponents and to build effective grassroots opposition movements. While project supporters certainly have access to these same tools, they are far less motivated to use them. The process is overwhelmingly dominated by opponents.

The sobering words above were written by Patrick Fox in an op/ed titled, "Broken Planning: How Opponents Hijacked the Planning Process".

The point is this: there are a some residents in Lake Worth that are opposed to the Gulfstream Hotel re-opening and they will get very loud. They will attract the news media like moths to a flame. One of these people probably made this graphic:

Below is the official social media graphic for the City of Lake Worth:

Sitting idly by while a small group of malcontents try to scuttle this project isn't going to fly any more. If you support our magnificent hotel re-opening once again SHOW UP AT MEETINGS! Contact the elected and staff and tell them what you think.

Don't let the naysayers and malcontents speak for you.

Hilarious! Look at this Tweet from yesterday

Mt. McKinley To Be Renamed Denali http://t.co/majnMWrW30 #WhatDoYouThink? pic.twitter.com/jDlx4iJM01

— The Onion (@TheOnion) August 31, 2015

Here is a link to The Onion. One of the cool things about President Obama being a lame duck is being able to fix mistakes made a long time ago and not having to worry about the Electoral College.

Official White House photograph of President Barack Obama.

NBC5/WPTV and The Palm Beach Post: Meet former Chair of former Lake Worth Community Relations Board (CRB)

[Panagioti (Peter) Tsolkas, an Anarchist, became the Chair of the Community Relations Board in Lake Worth. The board tried unsuccessfully several times to "monitor" PBSO. Annabeth K(C)arson even went so far as to suggest the board not be subject to the Sunshine Law to "investigate". Enjoy this timely blog post I originally posted in June of 2014 about a "citizen review board" which NBC5/WPTV and The Palm Beach Post thinks is such a grand idea:]

Below is Panagioti Tsolkas' poignant prose on The Ecology of the Police State from August 2013. He reminisces about the salad days of Anarchy in Lake Worth and how they attempted, but failed, at dismantling the sheriff's reign here. You might want to refresh your recollection of his Kalamata Treatise, which sealed his fate as ex-chair of the Community Relations Board, referred to in his article. Here are some screengrabs where we see the behind the veil:

The love for his fellow Lake Worth residents is palpable. No name calling or stereotyping here. No way.

A few more hands on deck. Really?

Congresswoman Lois Frankel will be at the Compass Center in Lake Worth

Congresswoman Lois Frankel is inviting everyone to attend a Social Security Administration Benefits Workshop tomorrow (9/1) at 7:00 pm at the Compass Gay and Lesbian Center in Lake Worth. RSVP here or call 561-998-9045.

BREAKING NEWS FROM THE LITTLE CITY OF LAKE WORTH CRA

CULTURAL COUNCIL OF PALM BEACH COUNTY PARTNERS WITH THE LAKE WORTH COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY (CRA) TO RECEIVE GRANT FROM THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR PALM BEACH AND MARTIN COUNTIES

LAKE WORTH, FL; August 31, 2015 – The Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County were awarded $165,000 from The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties. Funds received from this grant are being used to help support our new “Creative Corridor Initiative.” The Initiative is a planning project with the goal of rehabilitating vacant storefronts and buildings into arts-related businesses, attracting and recruiting artists to downtown Lake Worth’s Arts and Design District and engaging the broader community on arts and culture in order to strengthen the economy.

The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County and the CRA will engage a planning consultant to produce a comprehensive arts district plan for Lake Worth. Also included in the Initiative is the development of a marketing strategy to attract and promote area artists and technical assistance for start-ups or businesses seeking to relocate or expand. Joan Oliva, Executive Director of the CRA stated, “We believe that this program, in addition to the CRA’s small business loan and technical assistance programs, will revitalize both Lake and Lucerne Avenues, create opportunities for small businesses and increase property values.”

[Read entire press release here.]

A Tweet from PBSO yesterday

This is our sad reality. #AllLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/eMQqcr2oSu

— PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) August 30, 2015

And another reminder for our residents in the little City of Lake Worth:

The Lake Worth Herald on 8/27/15: Larry A. Johnson, P.E., Director of Water/Sewer Utilities is featured

The Lake Worth Herald if you were not aware, is the City's Oldest Established Business—Established in 1912. Here is an excerpt from the last issue about our City's Director of Water Utilities:

     There are few departments in the City of Lake Worth that have a mission the deals with the health and safety of all of its citizens. Larry Johnson, Director of Water Utilities, and his team of professionals are protecting us 24/7 from a wide-range of water related illnesses. They provide a high-quality water system.
“People depend on potable (drinkable) water daily for a better quality of life. They expect that it will be there when they turn on the tap.” The Water Utilities are considered a ‘critical infrastructure’ and is protected by the Department of Homeland Security.
     When Larry Johnson arrived in Lake Worth two years as the Director, he found an efficient department that had a 100 year old story to tell. There are pictures showing the first pipes being laid on Lake Avenue in c.1913. Some of the pipes were made of wood.
     The first water tower was located where City Hall is today. The water tower and wells were moved to ‘the hill’ in the early 1920’s. It was built just south of the Lake Worth High School which opened in 1922.

[UPDATE] Attention Lake Worth CRA!

Earlier this morning I posted the image below about the artists in Delray Beach's Artists Alley having to find a new location. Searched through my older posts and discovered I wrote about this sad situation in November of 2014 and again in April of 2015. The latter post was titled, "Are you an artist in Delray Beach and considering other options?" 

This news isn't necessarily unexpected; many in Delray Beach worked hard to find a solution including city staff and the elected but market forces prevailed. In both blog post's I made the case that Lake Worth would be one of many ideal places in Palm Beach County to consider if the worst were to happen and they were forced to move. Now, sadly, that time has come. 

I Tweeted out this news and a fellow in Boynton Beach chimed in. He suggested the artists check out Boynton Beach too:

@WesBlackman @citydelraybeach or @cityofboynton or @BoyntonBeachCRA I guess you called dibs though Wes. couple real cool spots here though

— James M. Brake (@JamesMBrake) August 30, 2015

Everyone's hearts in Palm Beach County go out to these artists and we all wish them the best. Here is someone to contact in Lake Worth if you would like to come up and check out our City:
Emily Theodossakos (Marketing and Program Manager) at the Lake Worth CRA
Email: etheodossakos@lakeworth.org
561-493-2550.
The CRA office is located at 29 South J Street, Suite 1, in downtown Lake Worth.

Cottage in a Lake Worth Historic District to get restored (but it's a long, slow process)

Kevin Thompson at the Post has another item about the cottage on South 'L' St that will be getting a makeover. Here is an excerpt:

     The property is considered a “historic resource,” meaning it adds to a district’s historical significance. In this case, that’s the city’s Southeast Lucerene [sic] Local Historical District.
     Fairfax [Anne Fairfax, the owner] said she’s preparing a presentation for the city’s Historic Resources Preservation Board to review.
     “I want to make sure (the property) has architectural integrity and that it contributes to the neighborhood,” she said. “The review is necessary to protect the character of Lake Worth, which is very fragile and can be easily disrupted.”

Lake Worth has 6 historic districts and you can view the map here. This particular cottage is located in the South East Lucerne district shaded yellow in the image below.

If you live in Greenacres or Lake Worth and have more good news for the Post reporter, here is his contact information:

Email: kthompson@pbpost.com
561-820-4573
Twitter: @kevindthompson1

West Palm Beach asking residents to use Twitter to report flooding around the city

From the City of West Palm Beach website, there are a number of advisories about once-Tropical Storm Erika. You can read them here. What stood out is this request:

WE ARE ASKING THE PUBLIC TO BECOME PART OF OUR RESPONSE TEAM:

IF YOU CAN SAFELY TAKE A PICTURE OF AN AREA EXPERIENCING FLOODING, TWEET THE PHOTO WITH #WPBstorm.  THE CITY OF WEST PALM BEACH EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TEAM WILL BE MONITORING #WPBstorm FOR YOUR INFORMATION. MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE DETAILS OF WHERE THE PICTURE WAS TAKEN, AND WHEN IT WAS TAKEN.

I hope that someday the City of Lake Worth will be far enough along the learning curve so that this type of real-world reporting of conditions around the city is commonplace. By the way, the link to their webpage and this announcement appeared on the city's Facebook page.

The mural at the Lake Worth Post Office is featured in The Palm Beach Post today

[This is a re-post about the event I led early this year through our downtown. I am re-posting it today as The Palm Beach Post has an article on Post Office art found throughout the county. The Lake Worth Post Office has one of the more interesting murals that were a product of the Works Project Administration. The example in our downtown generated a little controversy between the artist, Joseph D. Myers and the person he had to answer to that was part of the government program. Interestingly, Mr. Myers went on to become a fairly well known artist in stained glass. You can read today's (8/30) article by Staci Sturrock clicking here. What follows is the original blog post from last April:]

The Palm Beach County Planning Congress held a panel discussion on redevelopment and the arts. It is the second in a three part series that this group of professional urban planners is holding during 2015. The first was a gallery walk-along on Lake and Lucerne Avenues on the first Friday in February. In addition to it being an "Evening on the Avenue" night, about 30 or so planners from south Florida were treated to a presentation by Joan Oliva, Lake Worth CRA Executive Director at the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County headquarters in our downtown. From there, we circulated to the Lake Worth Art League, Rolando Chang Berrero's gallery, and the Clay Glass Metal Stone gallery. We also made a quick detour to check out our mural found in the Lake Worth Post Office. Make sure to see it yourself if you haven't.

To read the entire blog post from April click here.

Jan Sjostrom (arts editor) at the Shiny Sheet: news from the Cultural Council in Lake Worth

The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County is located downtown in the little City of Lake Worth. Here is the news from the Shiny Sheet (aka, Palm Beach Daily News):

     The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County is recommending $180,000 in grants to 34 small and emerging cultural groups in 2015–16. The grants must be approved by the county commission this fall [sic] when it finalizes its budget.

Here are the groups up for grant money here in Lake Worth:

For the Children: $4,566
Benzaiten Center for Creative Arts: $7,062

Best of luck. Two very deserving organizations here in the City.

Lake Worth Has Lots of Talent—A Fundraiser for Children's Miracle Network

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY FOR AUDITIONS: 2:00 to 5:00 AT THE LAKE WORTH PLAYHOUSE

RE/MAX Prestige is holding a charitable talent show to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network. This one of a kind event is called Lake Worth has Talent! Come out to the Lake Worth Playhouse and enjoy the ambiance of this historic building!