News from The Lake Worth Herald: "Palm Beach County League of Cities Installs 2016-2017 Board of Directors"

Note that Lake Worth Commissioner Andy Amoroso is cited in this Herald article (see below):

Also in this week's (6/2) edition is news about free food for children in local schools this summer, the latest Little Free Library, strategic planning by Salvation Army, Library news, opinion, local businesses, meetings, and so much more.

The Lake Worth Herald, our paper of record since 1912 and also the City's oldest business, has the news below about the PBC League of Cities. If you don't already subscribe to the Herald use this link or go to the City's newsstand downtown across the street from Paws on the Avenue on Lake Ave. Here is an excerpt and lists follow with names you may recognize:

     The Palm Beach County League of Cities held its annual Board of Directors Installation at a GALA luncheon held on Wednesday May 18, 2016 at the Kravis Center. The keynote speaker was Florida Senator, Joseph Abruzzo.
     The honor of installing the 2016–2017 President and Board of Directors went to the Honorable Tim McCarthy, retired judge and former Mayor of the Town of Lake Clarke Shores. In attendance were 360 elected municipal and county officials, state legislators and business partners.

The awards presented were:

• County Person of the Year: Verdenia Baker, Palm Beach County Administrator, William “Bill” Moss Memorial Award
• Manager Daniel Clark, Town of Lake Clarke Shores, Career Excellence
• Mayor Samuel Ferreri, City of Greenacres, Associate Member of the Year
• Elizabeth Perez, Legislator of the Year

Also in this extensive article are photographs and the newly installed officers of the League of Cities for the Large City Seats:

• Mike Mullaugh, Deputy Mayor, City of Boca Raton
• Joe Casello, Commissioner, City of Boynton Beach
• Andy Amoroso, Vice Mayor Pro Tem, City of Lake Worth
• David Levy, Councilmember, City of Palm Beach Gardens
• Jeff Hmara, Vice Mayor, Village of Royal Palm Beach
• Anne Gerwig, Mayor, Village of Wellington

Congratulations Commissioner Andy Amoroso!

For everyone interested in the County's proposed tax increase, journalism, news reporting, and editorializing: A question

There's already an item available online in The Palm Beach Post about the proposed 1¢ increase in the sales tax that will be on the ballot in November. This item will likely be in tomorrow's (6/5) Sunday edition. Here are words and phrases that appear:

• pitched
• ‘repairs’ [air quotes: used "to indicate that what is being said is ironic or mocking, or is not a turn of phrase the speaker would typically employ")
• ‘new’ [more air quotes]
• reach into the wallets [from Wikipedia]
• wish list
• pitch
• big ticket
• outside groups
• grab bag

Now for the question: Where do you think this item will appear in the newspaper? The news section or the editorial page?

News about charter schools: A major issue outside Palm Beach County as well

Below is an excerpt from this article written by Marlene Sokol at the Tampa Bay Times, the Florida newspaper that's the recipient of 12 Pulitzer Prizes:

     Hillsborough County school officials thought they had the goods on Kid's Community College, a tax-supported charter school.
     The founder had three relatives on the payroll, suggesting a conflict of interest. His sister had at one time served on the governing board.
     Parents were asked to pay dues to an organization related to the school, another potential conflict. Plus, paying all the fees and donations the school wanted could set a parent back nearly $1,000 — even though public school is supposed to be free.
     Enough, the district said. Time to end the charter that entitled Kid's Community to millions of dollars in state funding.
     That was 2013, when MaryEllen Elia ran the district. A majority on the School Board wanted to keep a close watch on charter schools, which are run independently and compete for public school students.
     The landscape looks different now, as politically powerful charter operators make increasing demands for the same standing as government schools.

For local news coverage of schools and education in Palm Beach County the Extra Credit blog is a good one to follow.

Rescue Demonstrations at Lake Worth BEACH for Rip Current Awareness Week

This is a press release from the City:

BEACH SAFETY & RIP CURRENT AWARENESS WEEK:

The City of Lake Worth is honoring National Beach Safety & Rip Current Awareness Week in an effort to remind beachgoers to use caution in the aquatic environment.

Please join us at the Lake Worth Municipal Beach for live rescue demonstrations at 10:00 am daily from June 5th until Sunday, June 12th. Lake Worth Ocean Rescue staff will be available after each demonstration to answer any questions or concerns from the general public.

For more information please call Doug Yoakum, Chief of Ocean Rescue, at 561-718-4304 or email (DYoakum@lakeworth.org).

From Michelle Quesada at NBC5/WPTV: "Group marches through Tamarind Corridor to stop summer violence before it starts"

The Palm Beach Post's Julius Whigham II also has this news that appears in today's (6/4) print edition. Here is an excerpt from the news segment by WPTV:

     Residents living in the 2-mile radius of the Tamarind and Pleasant City communities are fighting a war against gun violence in their streets.
     Last summer West Palm Beach Police officers responded to 36 shootings in a span of four months. That summer violence sparked a fire inside locals to stop the violence before it even starts.
     "We can go a whole summer and watch our brothers and sisters be gunned down repeatedly and we remain unmoved," said Ricky Aiken, the President of Inner City Innovators, a group of local youth trying to create change in their neighborhoods.

#PeaceMarch is starting off quietly to reflect about lives lost in shootings last summer in #WestPalmBeach @wptv pic.twitter.com/4OKPac8292

— Michelle Quesada (@M_Quesada) June 3, 2016

By my estimation, the number of marchers is about 10× that of the 'protesters' that recently 'marched' across railroad tracks in West Palm Beach. A Post reporter got briefly detained also. But the editors and decision-makers at that newspaper don't want you to know about that.

A "Call to Install" at the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County located in downtown Lake Worth

Use this link to learn more about the Cultural Council:

"Our galleries, located in the Robert M. Montgomery, Jr. Building at 601 Lake Avenue in downtown Lake Worth, are free and open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m."

Here is some of the latest news on a "Call to Install" at the gallery:

• Until Wednesday, June 8th
• Call to Install—Site-specific installations by Birds are Nice, Katelyn Spinelli, Nicole Galluccio, and the Viridis Collective
• Time/date: 10:00–5:00, Tuesday through Saturday (the Cultural Council galleries, visitor information center and store are also open).

A cool video from the Tampa Bay Times (12 time Pulitzer Prize winner)

Use this link to see this a very cool video by the Tampa Bay Times.

About the video: Aerial adventure opens in Oldsmar. Empower Adventures has partnered with the city of Oldsmar to create an aerial adventure park in the Mobbly Bayou Wilderness Preserve. The preserve is at 423 Lafayette Blvd. in Oldsmar, behind Bicentennial Park.

From Jon Faust: A Little Free Library Dedication in Lake Worth

Does Commissioner Ryan Maier still not understand the Sunshine Law?

Will the Muslim faith, Muhammad, and Islamic extremism be an item up for a vote at the Lake Worth City Commission? Either intentionally or unintentionally Maier is confusing the public about the purpose and intent of the Sunshine Law. Commissioner Chris McVoy has been trying to confuse and mislead the public on this issue for several years now.

How far will this nonsense go? If an elected official is having dinner at Callaro's and another elected just happens to show up do they have to send the City Clerk an email to "publically [sic]" notice their dinner or lunch? How about a church service? Do we need another layer of policing to follow elected officials around at the ready to fire off an email to the City Clerk? Here is an email sent from Maier:

From: Ryan Maier
Sent: Monday, May 30, 2016 2:59 PM
To: Silvina Donaldson; Glen Torcivia
Subject: Quaker Meeting House event [use this link to learn about tonight's (6/2) meeting]

Hi there,

I hope you are enjoying your Memorial Day Weekend. I am writing to the two of you because there is an event at 7pm on this coming Thursday at the Quaker Meeting House on A ST [sic] titled “True Islam and the Extremists,” and I wanted to find out whether there would be any Sunshine Law conflicts as the event is not publically [sic] noticed.

Silvina, if there are no conflicts associated with our attendance, would you please invite the Mayor and other Commissioners to the event as well?

Thank you,

Ryan Maier
Commissioner, District 4

Once again, the Sunshine Law explained:

From Laura Reiley, the Tampa Bay Times food critic: "Farm to Fable" (note that "Fable" is not a typo)

About the reporter: "Laura Reiley has been the Tampa Bay Times’ food critic since 2007. She has received numerous state and national awards. She is a former critic for the San Francisco Chronicle and the Baltimore Sun and the author of four guidebooks in the Moon Handbook series. She has cooked professionally and is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy."

Below is an excerpt from this article titled, "At Tampa Bay farm-to-table restaurants, you’re being fed fiction."

     The restaurant’s chalkboard makes claims as you enter from the valet parking lot. At the hostess stand, a cheery board reads, “Welcome to local, farm-fresh Boca.”
     Brown butcher paper tops tables and lettuces grow along a wooden wall. In a small market case, I see canned goods from here and produce from somewhere. Check the small print: blackberries from Mexico and blueberries from California.
     With the tagline “Local, simple and honest,” Boca Kitchen Bar Market was among the first wave of farm-to-table restaurants in Tampa Bay to make the assertion “we use local products whenever possible.” I’ve reviewed the food. My own words are right there on their website: “local, thoughtful and, most importantly, delicious.”
     But I’ve been had, from the snapper down to the beef.

If you're interested in learning more, Laura Reiley also has a consumer guide, "How to tell if your ‘local’ food is actually local".

Save the Date: Tuesday, June 7th

Click on image to enlarge.

News from Everglades EarthFirst! (EEF!): "We Want to Spend the End of the World with You"

It's been a rough time for EEF! of late culminating with Anarchist Ryan Hartman's landslide election loss to Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell and the under-whelming 'musical' that never got off the ground, to name just two.

Just in time, though, the Annual! EarthFirst! Rendevous! is coming up. Here are the Exciting! details from EEF!:

Cascadia Forest Defenders and the League of Extra-Ornery Cascadians are pleased to announce the Earth First! Northwest Rendezvous, from June 10-13, 2016, in the heart of the southern Cascades. 

[and. . .]

You bring: your sustainable self, which should include food, a means to prepare same* (no centralized community kitchen; this is old-school),† camping gear, bug-repellant, rain gear, decent closed-toe shoes, headlamp, CUP, plate and/or bowl, fork and/or spoon, party clothes, bio-centric pov, capacity to disregard the rule of law (or accept and support that disregard in others), tolerance and sense of humor. Musical (or similar) talents are revered and appreciated.

*a small pot or pan and cook stove; though a foil wrapped spud in a small camp fire will get it done. There will be inevitable informal potlucking, as well.
†There is no cell reception at the site.
Directions: The site is on the banks of the North Fork of the Middle Fork of the Willamette River, 20-some miles north of the human settlements of Westfir and Oakridge, Oregon. Most seeking the ‘voo will travel north or south on Interstate 5, as the case may be, to turn east onto Hwy 58, just south of Eugene. At the Middle Fork Ranger Station (a bit past Mile Post 31), the traveler will turn left at the sign for Westfir, cross a green trestle bridge over the Middle Fork, and make a left at the stop sign. A few miles along this road, the traveler will encounter a 4-way stop and a red covered bridge on the left hand side of the road. Proceeding straight through, the road changes it’s name to FS Rd 19, also referred to as the Aufderheide Loop. Traveling north through ancient forest and thinned second-growth along the beautiful and risky North Fork for 20.7 miles (there are mile markers along FS Rd 19), just after crossing our river to put it on the south side of the road, the attentive rondyvooer will turn left up FS Rd 1939, and follow that back west. They’ll follow this road, ignoring the right fork (FS Rd 758) about ½ mile up, and will find a trailhead marker and trail about 1.5 miles from the 19 Rd. We’ll call this the Front Gate and with little parking here, gear should be unloaded and the vehicle moved further up the road to be parked, as per direction from the Front Gate crew.
     Those travelers determined to approach from the east will have to hit Hwy 58 off of I-97, between Chemult and La Pine, drive through Oakridge, and make the turn to Westfir as described in the directions above.

What doesn't get said enough in Lake Worth, "Thank You"

How long do you think Jamie Brown has been Lake Worth's Director of Public Services?

It's been over 4 years now. Here's the news from Willy Howard, a former beat reporter for the City, from an article dated May 1st, 2012: 

     Jamie Brown, a civil engineer who has served as the city's interim public services director since October [2011], has been named director of the department that oversees garbage collection, streets, building maintenance and other functions.
     Brown has "demonstrated a high level of professionalism and a commitment to improving our city," City Manager Michael Bornstein wrote Friday in his weekly city manager's report.

You can reach Mr. Brown at 561-586-1720 or email JBrown@lakeworth.org

You won't believe a Letter to the Editor in The Palm Beach Post

This letter hasn't made the print edition, yet. This is unbelievable:

Corey Jones was killed by a Palm Beach Gardens police officer, NOT a PBSO deputy. But how many people think otherwise now?

The words "institutional bias" come to mind. What's there left to say? How long before election day? What more could possibly be in the Post's bag of tricks?

What you need to know about Walmart: News from the Tampa Bay Times (12 time winner of Pulitzer Prize)

Add this link to your browser "Favorites" to read what's in the Tampa Bay Times daily. The TBT, if you didn't know, is one of the best newspapers in the entire country and sets the bar very high.

Below are two excerpts from this article titled, "Thousands of police calls. You paid the bill."

     Police come to shoo away panhandlers, referee parking disputes and check on foul-mouthed teenagers.
     They are called to arrest the man who drinks a 98-cent iced tea without paying and capture the customer who joyrides on a motorized shopping cart.
     The calls eat up hours of officers’ time. They all start at one place:
     Walmart.
     Law enforcement logged nearly 16,800 calls in one year to Walmarts in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Hernando counties, according to a Tampa Bay Times analysis. That’s two calls an hour, every hour, every day. [emphasis added]

[and. . .]

     Several local law enforcement officers also emphasized that all the hours spent at Walmart cut into how often they can patrol other neighborhoods and prevent other crimes.

On an interesting note, almost every time I go to the Walmart on 10th Ave. North what is parked there near the front doors? A police car or two from the Palm Springs PD. How much is that costing the city and are those taxpayers getting fewer patrols of neighborhoods as a result? An interesting question for an enterprising reporter, don't you think?