From Larry and the Flashlights...seems like part of the light shows that Ms. McGiveron has a "potty key" problem...

The following is a message left on Lynn Andersen's blog by Katie McGiveron on Friday, January 3, of this new year. She was upset about Scott Maxwell's  appearance on Channel 12 in a story from reporter Michael Buczyner on the second of January. Her advice to Commissioner Scott Maxwell is as follows:

Katie McGiveron writes: "Jesus Fuc$ing CHRIST!!! A message to Scott and the rest of the walking brain-dead on the Commission- SHUT THE HELL UP ABOUT HOW GODDAMNED BAD LAKE WORTH IS !!!! If the press wants to pump you for ratings, politely REFUSE to give an interview!! Unless you can show Lake Worth in a positive light SHUT YOUR STUPID MOUTHS !! Katie Mcgiveron"

Well, we thought it would be interesting to go back through Lynn Andersen's blog and find some examples of Katie McGiveron writing about Lake Worth "in a positive light." 

Here are just a few: 

On March 6, 2013 Katie McGiveron wrote on Andersen's blog: "Mike Bornstein, William Waters, Pam Triolo, Andy Amoroso, John Zerti, Scott Maxwel, I, Katie Mcgiveron, am TOTALLY embarrassed for you. And for the rest of the citizens out there, keep trying to keep our city a great place to live, in spite of these disappointing people who are supposed to be our city staff and elected officials."

On March 13, 2013 Katie McGiveron wrote: "Greg, your side lied through their teeth, mooned the law and had the Palm Beach Post and the Lake Worth Herald performing for you like blind circus monkeys. You didn't have the balls to say 'Hey,we think that 65 feet would be better for our city than 45 and 35 feet in this area.' Thank God for HONEST, TRUTHFUL blogs like this one. People, we need a Commission that listens to the majority here in Lake Worth, not Greg Rice and his small and depressing band of bullshit slingers. Katie Mcgiveron"

On March 18, 2013 Katie McGiveron wrote: "Chip [Guthrie], you and Mary [Lindsey] and Greg [Rice] and Loretta [Sharpe] and Wes [Blackman] and Herman [Robinson], all of your supporters and your people are true bullshit slingers. You are common liars. You are law breakers. You should be ashamed, but you have no conscience. You managed to confuse a lot of people. What a low group you all are. No pun intended. Katie Mcgiveron"

On March 19, 2013 Katie McGiveron wrote: "Chip [Guthrie] - I have no intention of showing the NO supporters any respect. Why should I? Why should anyone ? When the NO supporters run an honest campaign on the merits of their beliefs, then you will have earned respect. Until then, go bite each other. You suck. Katie Mcgiveron" 

On June 16, 2013 Katie McGiveron wrote: "This is willful neglect. This Commission has a lot to answer for. Hundreds of thousands spent to fix this pool [Lake Worth Casino pool] when it didn't need to be fixed! The abuse is criminal. The lies surrounding this pool are monumental.I will be speaking to this at the next Commission meeting. Come join me, if anybody else out there even gives a damn. Katie Mcgiveron"

On June 19, 2013 Katie McGiveron wrote: "As for 'doing good', rattling your cage is enough good done for one day. Your irritation makes me smile. Katie Mcgiveron"

On November 8, 2013 Katie McGiveron wrote: "I am sick to death of the city of Lake Worth being allowed to look like a homeless camp. I don't see homeless panhandlers on the corner of Worth Avenue and Ocean. I don't see bums huddled asleep in any of the Vias in Palm Beach. 
Bradshaw needs to be kicked out on his worthless ass. Enough. Katie Mcgiveron"

Mind you, this is just a tiny sample of Katie McGiveron and painting Lake Worth "in a positive light." Note in order she attacks: Commissioner Scott Maxwell, City Manager Michael Bornstein, William Waters, Mayor Pam Triolo, Commissioner Andy Amoroso, Commissioner John Szerdi, Greg Rice, Loretta Sharpe, Wes Blackman, Herman Robinson.....

There is much, much more. Too much for right now. 

Except for this enlightening bit from Lynn Andersen herself, her character analysis of Katie McGiveron:

On November 8, 2013 Lynn Andersen said, "I do want to say this--Katie is NOT bitter in any way. She expresses her opinions and does so matter of factly. She is a happy, go lucky gal who is serious on LW issues and speaks out."

We beg to differ on your analysis, Lynn. 

WPEC-TV CBS12 News :: News - Top Stories - Lake Worth officials share city's plan to clean up nuisance properties

Another Channel 12 story, this time on Lake Worth's vacant and foreclosed houses, code enforcement issues and the plan ahead. Vice Mayor Maxwell is featured. Click title for link.

WPEC-TV CBS12 News :: News - Top Stories - Heroin addicts flood Delray

Something that I am sure Delray Beach does not want to be known for. There have been 20 heroin overdoses in Delray Beach over the past month. Click title for link to story and video.

Editorial: Southeast Florida must head off effects of climate... | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

The Palm Beach Post's Randy Schultz reminds us of the impacts of climate change that we can expect to experience in south Florida. The Seven50 planning process is wrapping up, and no, it is not part of Agenda 21, or Area 51. From the editorial:

On Jan. 15, the last Seven50 meeting will take place in Fort Lauderdale. Seven50 began as an effort by the seven counties from Indian River through Monroe to plan as a region for the next 50 years, financed with money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and local grants. Issues include transportation, economic development and climate change, building off the plan crafted in October 2012 as part of the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact.

Florida sugar companies now have a global presence | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

Just how large is big sugar? Click title for link to article which talks about how sugar has expanded here in western Palm Beach county and what a big player it is.

ASR, founded in 1998 as American Sugar Refining Inc., is jointly owned by the cooperative’s 46 growers and West Palm Beach-based Florida Crystals Corp, owned by the Fanjul family of Palm Beach. ASR’s goal was to begin the large-scale refining of their raw sugar.
Today, following a series of acquisitions, the company annually ships more than 4 million tons of sugar packaged under some of the world’s best-known brands to customers in 80 countries. Its revenues are more than $5 billion a year, and it has close to 4,000 employees worldwide.

Leader of Fort Lauderdale Critical Mass Hurt in Bicycling Accident

Stories like this alarm me. The person hit was the "head" of a group of people who are promoting cycling in the Ft. Lauderdale area. Click title for link to New Times article.

When Adam Sohn came upon an accident scene on Oakland Park Boulevard yesterday afternoon, he saw a messed-up bicycle and an injured man on the ground. He took a few pictures and posted them to the Facebook page for Fort Lauderdale Critical Mass -- a movement of cyclists who get together for a group bike ride once a month in protest of car culture and in celebration of bikes.

Florida’s mangroves are making a move north - Environment - MiamiHerald.com

There are many changes taking place due to the effects of climate change and this is one of them. We are witnessing some significant differences in how things were in the natural world. Some are benign, some are not. Click title for link.

From South Florida to St. Augustine, mangroves are making moves up Florida’s Atlantic coast, chewing up salt marshes in the latest indicator of global climate change. But scientists say the ecological consequences may not be harmful.“There are plenty of examples of climate change having a negative impact, but this is something very different,” said Kyle Cavanaugh, a postdoctoral researcher at Brown University and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. “Here we have one important, highly productive coastal system — in this case, salt marshes — being replaced by another very important, highly productive coastal system — mangroves.

The Army Corps of Engineers evaluating proposal to deepen Intracoastal Waterway in Riviera Beach

Plans are moving forward to dredge the area around the Palm Beach inlet, Peanut Island and the Port of Palm Beach. We should know more later this year. This could affect the size of yachts that can visit the Rybovich marina. Click title for link to article.

 Boatyards like Rybovich support the plan to dredge because mega yachts are getting bigger and bigger and some of the world's largest cannot fit into the boatyards because the Intracoastal Waterway isn't deep enough.
"There are occasions now we have to turn people away because they don't have the draft to make it," Jason Sprague with Rybovich Boat Co. said.
Three hundred employees work at Rybovich now. If the Intracoastal is deepened to accommodate the larger yachts, Sprague estimates the company could hire as many as 300 more employees.

Re-Post for some reason this post is getting a lot of attention right now: EXCLUSIVE: This just in from German TV...

Thomas A. Bogar, Author and Historian 01/03 by High Noon in Lake Worth | History Podcasts

Join your host Wes Blackman as he welcomes Thomas Bogar to the High Noon in Lake Worth studios.Dr. Bogar has taught theatre history, dramatic literature, and theatrical production for forty years, most recently at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, and directed over seventy theatrical productions. He holds a Ph.D. in theatre history/literature/criticism from Louisiana State University, an M.A. in play directing, and a B.A. in educational theatre, both from the University of Maryland.

In addition to Backstage at the Lincoln Assassination (Regnery History 2013), he is the author of American Presidents Attend the Theatre (McFarland, 2006) and a biography of 19th-century actor-manager John E. Owens (McFarland, 2002). His writing has appeared in Washington History, Maryland Historical Magazine, Teaching Theatre, and Music Educators Journal.

He is the recipient of two National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships and served as a judge for Washington's Helen Hayes Theatre Awards. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Wes saw his talk on C-Span and is lucky to have secured his appearance on the show. Click title for link to live show between 12 and 1 p.m. on Friday, or after the show airs for the archived show. Leave questions as comments below.

Here are some images he shared from the book.

Cover of his book.

Ford Theater draped in black after the assassination.

John T. Ford, owner of the theater.

John Wilkes Booth

Candidate bolsters campaign with social media | www.palmbeachdailynews.com

A Town Council candidate in Palm Beach pledges to use social media as part of her campaign. Funny that the Shiny Sheet thinks this deserves an article about it as use of social media in campaigns is commonplace. But apparently not in Palm Beach. It sounds like she is going to let the "help" take care of the details. Click title for link to article.

“I’m using social media because I really think there are important issues in our campaign, and I’ve been a teacher and I realize how important it is that everyone gets the information,” she said. “I’m going to use every avenue to give people access to information, and social media is one of them.”
Townsend said she is “not a social media person” and has hired someone to help her manage the accounts. “It’s my thinking, my point of view, and their technical expertise,” she said. “I control content.”

Maybe it's because they haven't had a municipal election since 2010? I do applaud her efforts.

2014 forecast: A hot year in Florida politics | The Florida Current

This is a great layout of Florida's political year ahead - 2014. It is a month-by-month countdown of the major events that will be taking place in our state's representative democracy. Click title for link to article. Here is one from March about Governor Scott's State of the State speech.

March 4: The 60-day session of the Legislature begins. Gov. Scott will deliver his “State of the State” speech outlining his top priorities. Expect plenty of positive economic statistics and no shortage of jabs at his predecessor. The main question for everyone involved in the legislative process, however, will be how far Scott is prepared to push his priorities in an election year. That includes how much he will personally lobby lawmakers -- something he has been reticent to do and has had mixed success at best when he has tried. The advent of session also puts lawmakers' fundraising on hold, while their opponents can continue their efforts.

Are municipal Facebook pages subject to Public Records Law? | MAOS by Chaz Stevens

Chaz Stevens posts an advisory Attorney General legal opinion on Facebook and other social media. It relates to the state's public records law and if government agencies that have a presence on these outlets are subject to the open records and meetings (Sunshine) laws. The simple answer is yes, but it can get a little complicated, as the lengthy opinion suggests. This item from the end of the 2009 letter could apply to this blog as I am an appointed member of an advisory board. I can opine here, but I am careful not to talk about things that will foreseeably come before the Historic Resource Preservation Board - and certainly not with other board members. Click title for link. This is the part that I am referring to:

“While there is no statutory prohibition against a city council member posting comments on a privately maintained electronic bulletin board or blog, . . . members of the board or commission must not engage in an exchange or discussion of matters that foreseeably will come before the board or commission for official action. The use of such an electronic means of posting one’s comments and the inherent availability of other participants or contributors to act as liaisons would create an environment that could easily become a forum for members of a board or commission to discuss official issues which should most appropriately be conducted at a public meeting in compliance with the Government in the Sunshine Law. It would be incumbent upon the commission members to avoid any action that could be construed as an attempt to evade the requirements of the law.”

Guns, gators, Festivus part of Fla.'s weird year | TheLedger.com

MUST READ! Chaz Stevens' Festivus Pole makes the list, but I lost count of the strange encounters and happenings after the second page. Life is interesting in these here parts. Click title for link. This is just from the end of the article of oddball things taking place in 2013.

An 18-year-old man was charged with battery after giving people wedgies outside a Bradenton movie theater.
A Tampa-area woman was banned from swimming in her community pool in her blue, silicone mermaid tail.
A woman running for North Miami mayor claimed in campaign literature that she was endorsed by Jesus Christ.
And a celebration of Jesus with a nativity scene at the Capitol opened the doors to displays by others who don't believe in him, including a 6-foot-tall Festivus pole made out of Pabst Blue Ribbon cans.

Everglades refuge stalled at 10 acres but expected to grow - Sun Sentinel

The U.S. government is slow in assembling conservation land to protect areas that feed the Everglades system. Easements are possible over privately owned land. They are less costly, allow for continued agricultural use, but do not allow public access. It is important to note what is considered the "headwaters of the Everglades" as indicated in the article. Click title for link.

The Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge was billed with much fanfare as a federal rescue of an imperiled environmental treasure in Florida. Drawn across Osceola, Polk, Okeechobee and Highlands counties, the refuge would target 50,000 acres for outright purchase and an additional 100,000 acres for partial ownership."This is a long-term commitment to the resource and to the landscape," said refuge manager Charlie Pelizza recently, commenting much as he did two years ago. "We don't expect it to happen in one year, five years or 10 years."The refuge may eventually reach Metro Orlando by taking in 10,000 acres of prairie, woods and wetlands just south of the Orange County line in Osceola County.The entire 150,000-acre mosaic of properties that federal officials want to acquire could cost more than a half-billion dollars.