Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Invocation at Lake Worth City Commission meeting today: Rev. Dr. Lea Brown of the MCC

Rev. Dr. Lea Brown, the Senior Pastor at the Metropolitan Community Church of the Palm Beaches, will graciously give the Invocation at our City of Lake Worth city commission meeting today (9/15). Here is the Reverend's biography:
     Lea is proud to be serving MCCPB as Senior Pastor since March 2011. She has also served as the Senior Minister of MCC San Francisco and as the Senior Pastor of Wichita Falls MCC in Texas. Before that, she was the Acting Executive Director of the Metropolitan Community Foundation in San Francisco. In addition to leading the foundation, Rev. Brown served as volunteer clergy at MCCSF following her ordination there in 1996. During that time, she preached, led retreats, served as the pastor of spiritual development, and taught many classes and programs on spiritual growth, and the intersections of gender, sexuality and spirituality, and social justice.
     Lea and her partner Sarah-Helen Land are grateful to be enjoying life in the MCCPB parsonage with their dog, Simche.
     During her years in seminary, Lea served as a Chaplain Candidate (2nd Lieutenant) in the U.S. Army from 1988 to 1989. She received her education from Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, Oklahoma; Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, Mill Valley, California; Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, California; and the Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, MA.
Here is the location and contact information for the MCC:
4857 Northlake Blvd. Palm Beach Gardens, FL (one mile west of I-95, from exit 77); 561-775-5900; the MCC Facebook page; and here is their email.

Here is a video from one of their services:

Monday, September 14, 2015

Jennifer Sorentrue interviews Jorge Pesquera: CEO of Discover the Palm Beaches

This interview is a must read that appeared in Sunday's print edition of The Palm Beach Post. Here are the opening two paragraphs:
     Jorge Pesquera is the president and CEO of Discover The Palm Beaches, Palm Beach County’s official tourism marketing organization.
     Under his leadership, the county welcomed more than 6 million visitors in 2014 and the industry is on track for another record-breaking year. [emphasis added] Travel and tourism is one of the county’s top industries, with an annual economic impact of $7.1 billion. The industry employs more than 63,000 people, and generates roughly $42 million in tourism tax revenue.
I would encourage you to watch these videos and send one occasionally to your friends and family up north as a tease; here is a good one:
Out of all the videos ever done by Discover the Palm Beaches this one is a classic:

And one last thing. . .consider Lake Worth a destination for your next Florida vacation. Our City is conveniently located next to Palm Beach (33480), West Palm Beach is our neighbor to the North, and Delray Beach is only a few minutes South. Come Visit Lake Worth!

Former Lake Worth commissioner, now pro-growth in Palm Beach County, is spotted in the City!

Pro-development Suzanne Mulvehill spotted on the Lake Worth Pier.
Would Mulvehill be looking to develop some property? If you recall she used to be the 'Green' commissioner and was all about resiliency and sustainability. Now she is pro-development; you can read about that here and here.

It's anyone's guess what her former allies in the no-growth faction in the City think about this development (pardon the pun). Below is Mulvehill after her last city commission meeting in October 2012:
Can you spot Commissioner McVoy? If you look real hard you'll see former commissioners JoAnn Golden and Cara Jennings. Hey! Is that Katie McGiveron?

Do you support Uber in Palm Beach County? Then get ready to make your voice heard

Things are heating up between government, Uber (and other ride-sharing services), and the taxi companies that don't want the competition. Governor Scott has signaled his support for Uber and also would like more standard rules statewide. Here is an excerpt from Eliot Kleinberg's article, titled "Uber fight growing fast and furious in Florida":
     Developments in the battle over regulating new, freelance-based ride-for-hire companies in Florida are coming fast and furious this month. [emphasis added]
     Taxi companies from Broward County and Tallahassee twice sued the state over its handling of Uber and Lyft last week, while Gov. Rick Scott went on record Wednesday as agreeing with several South Florida legislators that uniform statewide rules are needed.
     Meanwhile, the Broward County Commission is set to vote Thursday on its new law regulating such companies, which use smart-phone apps to allow passengers to connect with their freelance drivers. The Palm Beach County Commission is scheduled to vote on its similar new law on Sept. 22.
Read about my recent ride to the airport (PBIA) using Uber.

This comment left (by mrtnjms45) on the article by Kleinberg sums it up nicely:
     If the taxi companies had policed their own industry and not provided smelly, nasty cabs that you feel like you are taking your life in your hands riding in and also were somewhat reliable in showing up when called they would never have had competition like this.
     The time has been long past for cab companies to do something about this. Government does not need to create a wall to Uber, Lyft or anyone else that wants to enter this market.
     Finally, I have to say also that being picked up in a brand new (or nearly new) Mercedes or Range Rover and being provided a safe, secure trasnportation [sic] for half the cost of a cab has been soooo nice lately.
Right on.

Save the Dates: the Lake Worth Beach Bonfires begin November 13th

For other goings-on in the little City of Lake Worth visit the City's Events page. And did you know the City is using Twitter now? They are and you can follow the latest news by clicking on the "Follow" icon below:

From the Town of Palm Beach (33480): Increased Distraction Thefts

This timely information also applies universally to all areas of south Florida and beyond, including bicyclists in Lake Worth:

Palm Beach residents are advised to be on the alert for criminals who practice “distraction thefts.” In these cases, someone will approach the resident at their home under the pretense of doing some work or providing some service at the residence. Then, while the resident is being distracted by the original person, another individual will enter the home to look for and steal objects of value, such as cash, jewelry and watches. Examples of distraction thefts include: A workman advising the resident of some problem outside or posing as an employee of a utility company, such as a problem with the landscaping or external wiring to the house or emergency repair work. While they are engaged in conversation, another person enters the house to steal items.

 If there is any doubt as to the legitimacy of someone coming to the home, residents are encouraged to call the Palm Beach Police Department at 561-838-5454. Officers will respond to assist the caller in identifying individuals and determining the true nature of their business with the resident.

 The Palm Beach PD is on Twitter. Click on the "Follow" icon in the Tweet below to get the latest news:

Sunday, September 13, 2015

[IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS] Self-described 'pastor' in Lake Worth begs for peace—ironic. . . there was never a 'war' til he showed up

Funny how pastor Olive seeks peace now:
It's difficult to determine how genuine the pastor is considering what he's done in the past. Note the Tweet below and his antics earlier in the year vis-à-vis his "war on religion" in the little City of Lake Worth:
Is the "war on religion" over, pastor Olive? The "war on Jesus" too? Has the KGB returned home? What happened to all the drama by the 'pastor' and his 'Common Ground' (no 's') church? So many questions. Before any step towards "peace" can occur there are issues that need to be addressed. Who can forget these images from earlier in the year:

From NBC5/WPTV: Car crashes into canal in suburban Lake Worth

Here is the news segment from WPTV. An excerpt from the text of the news:
SUBURBAN LAKE WORTH, Fla. -- Seven people were taken to a hospital after their car entered a canal in suburban Lake Worth Saturday night.
     Palm Beach County Fire Rescue crews responded to reports of a car in a canal near 6th Avenue and S. Congress Avenue at 8 o'clock Saturday night.
The good news is no one was seriously injured.

How Big is 'Big Sugar' in Palm Beach County? Really, really Big

Christine Stapleton at the Post has some numbers that might surprise you. Here is an excerpt:
     Palm Beach County agriculture continues to be a powerful economic engine [emphasis added] and ranks first in the state in its total value of crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries at more than $1 billion, a newly released University of Florida report found.
     At $1.356 billion in output for those sectors, Palm Beach County ranked highest in the state, almost double the next largest county, Miami-Dade, at $783 million, said Alan Hodges, a scientist with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension.
     Palm Beach County’s sugarcane industry accounted for more than $511 million, and vegetable farming totaled $386 million in direct industry output, the report states. Support activities for agriculture and forestry totaled $225 million, and plant nursery production made up the next largest sector, at $163 million.
Now you know why they call the sugar industry "Big Sugar".

Sad to see you go Jonathan Beaton (former TV news reporter at CBS12/WPEC)

There was a sudden, huge spike in blog traffic this week for this blog post from last May, a news segment by Jonathan Beaton on sober homes in Lake Worth. Could it be because of the recent terrible news in the City? It is an odd coincidence.

Anyhow, Jonathan Beaton is no longer a reporter for WPEC. Not sure when his last day was. He had a rocky start in transition from radio to TV news. And it probably didn't help that he began working for WPEC—not what you'd call the "one to turn 2" when it comes to premier news reporting. But he hung in there and got better all the time doing real excellent news segments here in the City. I hope he took in jest my references to his 'Orson Welles' voice when he first began his TV reporting; remember jokingly being frightened by "The War of the Worlds" cadence he has. 

Mr. Beaton now has a PR firm in Orlando and if you wish you can contact him and wish him the best. 
An image from Jonathan Beaton's news segment on sober homes in Lake Worth. The segment was erased from the WPEC website. Too bad—it was an excellent news report.

Parade in downtown Lake Worth to honor our veterans—save the date: November 11th

The parade through downtown Lake Worth begins at 11:00. A reception follows at the Cultural Plaza located at “M” Street and Lake Avenue.

Please join us in honoring all the men and women who have served our country. We will be remembering all who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our nation.

For more information please email Juan Ruiz or call 561-533-7363.

Go Spartans! Go Green! Go White!. . .and the side entertainment during last night's awesome football game

Last night (9/12) saw this Tweet and had an entertaining time during a lull in the action. (Note: the Twitter account below IS NOT an official [government] county alert service; the image used can be confusing to the public):
The location given is incorrect; it should read "SUBURBAN LAKE WORTH". Fortunately no one was seriously injured when they somehow drove into a canal off Congress Ave. That is very good news. But then CBS12/WPTV got caught up in all the action; here is how I responded to them:

Many in the media and those such as "PBC Breaking News" are fixated on Zip Codes. What they don't understand is how small the City of Lake Worth is: it's only 6 square miles! Here is a map of the City:
Note Lake Osborne to the left of the big "W". If you are west of Lake Osborne you are highly likely NOT in the City of Lake Worth. The vast area out west is accurately called "Suburban" Lake Worth.
Read here why using Zip Codes is meaningless. Here is the primer for the news media on what is, and what is not, Lake Worth. 

I hope this information helps.

The last gasp to save Suni Sands in Jupiter: a 4-minute video attacking the developer

Bill DiPaolo at the Post has this latest news about Suni Sands. Here is an excerpt:
     Hobe Sound resident [Charles] Modica, who paid about $17 million in 2013 for the prime 10-acre property fronting the Jupiter Inlet, is moving forward with his plans for a non-gated community with a 200-room hotel, a dozen cottages, retail space and underground parking for about 400 vehicles. Current zoning limits building height to three stories.
     Eviction notices have been sent by certified mail to the roughly 100 residents of the mobile-home park. Residents are eligible for up to $6,000 from Florida to help with moving expenses.
     Modica said he sympathized with residents, but town regulations allow development of the property. He said he has purposely stalled development, which is not expected to start until next year, to allow residents to find a new place to live. [emphasis added]
Here is the video referenced in the article:

Suni Sands Environment from Bold Visions Conservation on Vimeo.

Former Westboro Baptist Church member says their hateful views came from misinterpreting Bible verses

The Raw Story has this about Megan Phelps-Roper who left the Westboro Baptist Church because of their hateful and offensive activities and protests. There is also a podcast to listen to. The podcast is quite lengthy but is quite fascinating. Here is an excerpt from the article:
     “My family didn’t come to the table with hatred for LGBT people and then look to the Bible to justify their hatred, which is a common charge. They read, ‘If a man also lie with mankind as he lie with a woman, both of them having committed abomination, they will surely be put to death, their blood shall be upon them,’ and walked away from that with – not just that verse, but lots of others ones – they walked away from that with ‘God hates f*gs’ and supporting the death penalty for gays.”
     “To categorically deny a connection between those words from Leviticus and our beliefs, to say that we read into the text what we wanted to see, is I think to be blind to the nearly all encompassing power of that sort of blinding faith,” she added.
     Phelps-Roper said a Jewish man on Twitter was the first person to plant the seed of doubt in her mind, after pointing out that a member of the church had had a child out of wedlock.
     He said having a child out of wedlock was also a sin worthy of death, she recalled. [emphasis added] “If she had been killed – if you kill someone as soon as they sin, you completely cut off the opportunity to repeat and be forgiven, which is a major foundation of Christian theology. This is what we were preaching, repent or perish.”
You can follow the Raw Story on Twitter by clicking on the "Follow" icon below. Travis Gettys is one of favorite writers at the online magazine:

News about the Lake Worth Tropical Triathlon on September 20th

Below are two excerpts from a positive, community-pride article by Kevin Thompson at the Post about this years Tropical Triathlon that is back after a year hiatus:
     Nadine Burns, a former programs and services manager for the chamber, played a key role in resurrecting the event.
     This past year, Burns started Friends of Lake Worth, a nonprofit to help support arts and athletic programs at Lake Worth High School.
[and. . .]
     “It was important to bring it back,” she said. “This event has such a meaningful impact on the community.”
     So far, 250 participants have signed up, far fewer than the 500 that signed up in previous years, Burns said. The goal is to raise $5,000 to help Lake Worth High School.
     “That’s lower than what we’d like,” Burns said. “But we’re trying to build the race back up.”
     There’s a new component this year as students from Forest Hill and Santaluces high schools were invited to help build up the sport through their Tri-Clubs.
     Burns said it costs about $30,000 to put on the Triathlon. Organizers have raised $35,000 from sponsors (Benny’s on the Beach, Tideline Ocean Resort and Spa, Advanced Wellness Center) and participants, Burns said.
 
For more information on this years race use this link.

If you have more good news about the little City of Lake Worth this is how you contact the reporter:
Email: kthompson@pbpost.com
561-820-4573
Twitter: @kevindthompson1
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