A reminder. Have you gotten a phone call from Gooz Adalwin Kenneth?

If you ever happen to receive a phone call from someone named Gooz or anyone else claiming to be from the Lake Worth Electric Utility and threatening to “shut the power off unless a payment is made immediately”:

“It’s a SCAM!”

Hang up immediately!

See your instructions below.

If you did happen to get one of these scam phone calls and you do get scammed, hopefully your first call wasn’t to the press or news media. Why? Because they cannot help you.

Here is what to do:

If someone calls saying they’re from the Lake Worth Electric Utility and threatens to “shut the power off unless a payment is made immediately with a Green Dot MoneyPak card or personal credit card” HANG UP THE PHONE IMMEDIATELY AND CALL 561-533-7300 (or make a Suspicious Incident Report with PBSO: call 561-688-3400).

More good advice (please refer to
newspaper clipping below):

Do you ride a stolen scooter? Warning: Do not call PBSO for help or use a screwdriver to tinker with the engine. The one caveat is, unless you have a fire extinguisher very close nearby with the arrow in the indicator pointing to the green. If it’s pointing to the red it won’t do much good if the scooter catches fire.

And please be suspicious of emails or phone calls from somebody in Africa or Turkey, or anyone with an odd name like “Gooz” asking for money. Why?

It’s a SCAM!

Also. . .

• Don’t let “a homegirl” you meet at McDonald’s take car keys for a vehicle you don’t own.
• Don’t engage mentally ill neighbors. Just walk away.
• Have someone watch your home while on vacation for a week.
• Leaving windows open while you take a stroll to the park with your children is also not advised.

Also good advice is this: If someone named “Gooz Adalwin Kenneth” calls and/or sends you an email from Turkey asking for money there are better options than taking a PBSO deputy off the street to handle your issue. Like learning how to screen your emails and phone calls better.

The ‘crimes’ in the image below are from an actual “Lake Worth Crime Blotter” published in a former tabloid that littered our City 3½ years ago.

Hard to believe but it’s true!

Click on image to enlarge.

Note: This tabloid is not to be confused with
The Lake Worth Herald, the City’s newspaper “Established in 1912”.

Found this Lake Worth Beach postcard of the “Tropical Inn”.

The “Tropical Inn” (see below) location is described as follows:  


“Lake Worth FL Hotel Tropical Inn Federal Highway and Lucerne, opposite the City Hall. Enjoy the comfort of a hotel with home atmosphere. Modern hotel rooms with private bath. Short distance to beach, fishing, 18-hole golf course and shopping district. Owner Management Mr. and Mrs. Harold Chamberlain.”


By the description, it would seem to be the property north of the current City Hall annex at the Downtown Cultural Plaza (the former City Hall), or perhaps across the street to the east. The current City Hall used to be the City’s Municipal Auditorium.

Click on postcard to enlarge, the “Tropical Inn”:

Prior to I-95 our main roadways such as Dixie Hwy. in the City of Lake Worth looked very different. It was called the “Mom & Pop” era of motels and eateries for visitors and tourists.

Hanging out in Lake Worth Beach.

A lot of us in the service economy work from home. While it can be convenient, comfortable and cost-effective can also be a bit mundane. Sometimes you need to break out of routine for a fresh perspective.

For two days late last week I ventured out in my 1969 Corvair for a drive around town and found two different places to hang out and work with free parking nearby. The first day ended up at the Book Cellar Bookstore located at the corner of J Street and Lake Ave. Then the next day went to Starbucks on Dixie Hwy. near City Hall. There are stark differences and similarities with both locations.

Click on photos to enlarge:

Here is the Corvair parked outside The Book Cellar on J Street. And it’s FREE parking!

Now on to Starbucks. . .

Parked outside Starbucks. The Palm Tran bus stop on Lucerne Ave. and Lake Worth Beach City Hall are in the background.

The Book Cellar besides selling books in its retail area also has a café that takes up the other half of the space. They offer coffee, tea, wine and even beer. You can also get snack plates with cheese, fruit, avocado toast and other goodies. I set up my mobile office with tablet, Bluetooth keyboard and headphones. Staying grounded in the analog world also brought along files for various projects, a notebook with paper and pens. During my two and a half hours working ordered two iced teas, one mint and the other ginger for $4 total and a $2 tip.

Whereas The Book Cellar is quiet like you’d expect a bookstore to be Starbucks is quite different. There is a constant din in Starbucks with people communicating and drinks being made for walk-in customers and the drive-thru too. The constant hum and chatter in Starbucks provides its own mutable setting and a level of privacy.

And a very nice service at Starbucks is ordering ahead of your arrival using the Starbucks app.

Depending on your mood both The Book Cellar and Starbucks are both very good temporary work stations.

Would encourage everyone to buy LOCAL and support LOCAL business like The Book Cellar bookstore. Plan a morning, afternoon or evening some day soon for a business outing outside the home for a change of pace. And having a new Starbucks nearby is also a big plus if you prefer a place with more buzz and activity for a few hours.

The Book Cellar is open 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. on Sunday and Monday, 9:00 a.m.–8:00 in the evening on Tuesday–Thursday, then 9:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The phone number is 561-452-5456 and on Twitter as well.

For more information about the Starbucks on Dixie Hwy. in Lake Worth Beach click on this link.

Hope you enjoyed reading about ‘Hanging out in Lake Worth Beach!’

21st Annual Bill Bone Tropical Triathlon

Over 350 athletes are set to compete in the 21st Annual Bill Bone Tropical Triathlon, scheduled to take place on Sunday, October 27, 2019 at Lake Worth Beach. Bill Bone has once again stepped up to claim the title sponsorship of this great community event.

The race starts at 7:15am. Male and Female triathletes ages 14 to 80, representing all experience levels come to compete from all over the state of Florida. Lake Worth Beach is the starting point of the race, where triathletes complete a quarter mile swim, followed by a 13 mile bike, taking them along Federal Highway and through downtown, followed by a 3.1 mile run over the intracoastal bridge and through Bryant Park area before heading back to the beach for the finish line.

Packet Pick-up will take place the day before, which is Saturday, October 26th, under the pavilion in front of the pier from 2pm-6pm at our beautiful beach. The Bill Bone Tropical Triathlon is sanctioned by USA Triathlon. Registration is available at www.BillBoneTropicalTri.com. This event benefits Lake Worth High JROTC.

To facilitate the safety of the athletes, certain streets will be temporarily restricted from 7:00am-10:00am. Those streets include:

•Lake Avenue from Dixie Highway to A1A
•Lucerne Avenue from A1A to Dixie Highway
•Federal Highway from 12th Avenue South to Wellesley Drive
•J,K,L,M North O, Ocean breeze from 1st Avenue South to 2nd Avenue North
•Palmway from 2nd Avenue North to 5th Avenue South
•Traffic over the Robert Harris Bridge will be detoured north to Southern Blvd. and south to Ocean Avenue bridges.

The City of Lake Worth Beach and the producers of the Bill Bone Tropical Triathlon would like to thank you in advance for your support and hospitality to the athletes and their families.

BREAKING: The real BEACH plan, kept secret til now, finally exposed in Lake Worth Beach.

No way! Not on my watch. Keep your HANDS OFF OUR BEACH in LDub! Don’t change a thing!

Are you a member of the SRS platoon? Did you take your sign down? Put that thing back out in the front yard! Hurry!

And don’t forget about the pool either. “We don’t care if it’s condemned and crumbling because it’s ours! HANDS OFF all you vultures trying to fix our old, broken stuff!”

Hope everyone had a good laugh and, once again, Thank You for visiting today.

Editor Mary Kate Leming needs your input and ideas.

Leming is the editor of The Coastal Star, a premier LOCAL and FREE newspaper serving coastal Palm Beach County. Leming is looking for a solution to a vexing problem: Is there a way to deliver the print edition of the newspaper to readers without a plastic bag to protect it from the elements?

The printed newspaper itself presents few problems for the environment except for the fossil fuels needed to produce and deliver it. Newsprint is a low-quality paper and breaks down very quickly. But the plastic bag will last for decades. Is there a solution to this problem?

At the conclusion of the editorial are ways to contact the editor and publisher at The Coastal Star with your suggestions and comments.

Without further ado here are three excerpts from the editorial published in The Coastal Star:


Editor’s Note: Seeking a better option than plastic for paper deliveries

Plastic is everywhere.

I walk the beach most mornings and pick it up all along the way. I pull bottle caps and fast-food cups out of my front hedge with some regularity. The amount of discarded plastic I see is overwhelming.

This summer on a family vacation we visited Connecticut and Rhode Island and found ourselves impressed with how many places have banned single-use plastics.

and. . .

. . . I thought I should begin supporting some of the local groups pushing to ban single-use plastics, but then I saw that the town of Palm Beach was forced to rescind its single-use plastic ban after learning an appellate court had upheld the Florida Legislature’s preemption against local bans of plastic bags and polystyrene containers.

Oh, Florida.

Sadly, I wasn’t surprised.

So, I decided to look closely at my own consumption of single-use plastics and polystyrene containers. I found we do pretty well at home, but lousy at the office.

All the take-out food containers we throw in the trash each week (way too many) are bad enough, but each month The Coastal Star is inserted in a single-use plastic slip in hopes of keeping it dry when it’s delivered.

So what can we do about the plastic wrapping our newspaper?

We know digital-only publishing is not profitable. We’d go out of business in a heartbeat if we were digital-only. Same thing with becoming subscriber-based rather than being a total market publication. We must make a profit or we won’t be able to continue providing quality, locally produced journalism.

So, how else could we deliver our print newspaper? We’re open to ideas.

Using the U.S. Postal Service is one option The Coastal Star is weighing. But that’s not a cheap or easy route. We are working out the numbers, but so far it appears this delivery method cuts too deeply into our bottom line.

Every business has its challenges adapting to a changing world, and maybe no business is facing more challenges than newspapers. But that just makes the job more interesting.

in conclusion. . .

We’re all in this together, so we’re hopeful you’ll let us know your suggestions on how we keep our company viable, but eliminate the plastic.

To make suggestions, email me at Editor@thecoastalstar.com or publisher Jerry Lower at Publisher@thecoastalstar.com

— Mary Kate Leming, Editor


To read the entire editorial published in The Coastal Star click on this link.

To follow the editor on Twitter use this link.

Support LOCAL journalism and support LOCAL newspapers!

Have you seen the latest print edition of The Coastal Star?

You can pick it up at the popular newsstand in Lake Worth Beach called Studio 205. The proprietor is a man named Andy (see photo below). Stop by and say, “Hello, Andy!”

Studio 205 also has the latest Lake Worth Herald and the Coastal & Greenacres Observer available for customers.

Andy’s juice bar, restaurant and newsstand is at the northwest corner of Federal and 2nd Ave. North. The phone number is 561-533-5272. The store is open at 7:00 a.m. every day of the week and closes at 6:00 p.m. (on Sunday the store closes at 5:00 p.m.).

So. Why not stop by Studio 205 today or later on this week?

Click on image to enlarge.

Meet the proprietor, Andy.

Festival of Día de los Muertos in Lake Worth Beach. A festival like no other in South Florida.

Para más información o oportunidades
de venta llaman 561-493-2550.

Or contact Emily Theodossakos,
LULA’s Marketing Program Manager by email: etheodossakos@lakeworth.org

Become a sponsor at this year’s
Day of the Dead festival!

This year’s 4th annual Día de los Muertos will be held on Saturday, November 2nd.

Playa Lake Worth es una ciudad acogedora y un verdadero punto de encuentro para las diferentes culturas.

[Lake Worth Beach is a welcoming city and a true meeting point of different cultures.]

Start getting ready all you face painters, vendors, dancers, musicians, entertainers, and all who wish to honor and celebrate those who have passed on.

The Day of the Dead is one of South and Central America’s most distinctive holidays, Día de los Muertos is considered a day of cheerful celebration rather than one of mourning.

Each November, LULA Lake Worth Arts presents a FREE day of fun for the whole family. This year Day of the Dead, as it is each year, will be celebrated on the first Saturday in November at The HATCH building located at 1121 Lucerne Avenue. The annual celebration will feature traditional foods, folkloric dances, traditional ofrendas, a procession, cultural arts and crafts and children’s activities.

Admission and parking to the festival and
exhibitions are always FREE.

Next month begins a fresh new season for The Town & Country Garden Club of Lake Worth Beach.

Topical news courtesy of this week’s Lake Worth Herald.

Support LOCAL small town journalism.
Support your LOCAL small town newspaper.

Your LOCAL Lake Worth Herald is still just ¢50! Do you have news, review subscription options, or would like to contact the editor at the Herald? Call 561-585-9387 or send an email to: Editor@lwherald.com

Here is just one of the many events listed and club news in this week’s paper:


The Town & Country Garden Club will open its 2019–2020 Season Monday, Oct. 14. The Town & Country Garden Club of Lake Worth Beach is a non-profit whose mission is to promote an interest in gardens, their design and management, and to cooperate in the protection of wildflowers, birds, native trees and shrubs, to encourage civic planning and to fund and award scholarships to individuals seeking education in horticulture and landscape design.

The Club welcomes new members. Annual dues are $30. Meetings include lunch and a guest speaker. There are several organized field trips throughout the season. The club meets the second Monday of every month October through May, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the First Congregational Church, 1415 North K Street, Lake Worth Beach.

For more information contact Erin Allen at 561-312-5925 or erinallen.realtor@gmail.com


Also included in this week’s Herald is a more LOCAL school news, a feature story headlined, “Sacred Heart School Students Clean Up Lake Worth Beach”:


Approximately 65 Sacred Heart School fourth and seventh-grade students, staff, and parents walked from Sacred Heart School (4th and Federal Hwy.) to team up for the 2019 Sacred Heart School Conservation Beach Cleanup. “We are preparing our students to be the next generation of environmental stewards,” stated Interim Principal Tricia Duvall.

The group dispersed throughout the beach covering approximately one mile of coastline gathering trash and debris. The students noted that the majority of the garbage were bottle caps, bottles, clothes, and many cigarette butts.

and. . .

After the cleanup, the students enjoyed lunch and a visit from the Honorable Mayor Pam Triolo. The mayor thanked the students for coming out to keep the beach clean and invited them to continue with their conservation efforts.


The Lake Worth Herald and the FREE Coastal & Greenacres Observer are published by the Lake Worth Herald Press located at 1313 Central Terrace in Lake Worth Beach. To look over this week’s front page headlines click on this link.

Get excited! Christmas and Snowbird Season in City of Lake Worth Beach.

This upcoming 2019–2020 Holiday Season will be an exciting one for our returning Snowbirds, the old and confusing ‘Lake Worth’ has now become Lake Worth Beach, a city with a new name!

It’s important to remember whether one uses ‘Lake Worth’ or Lake Worth Beach in the mailing address the regions zip codes remain the same.

When exactly is the right time to start coming up with cleverly new holiday ideas for downtown Lake Worth Beach, the Casino and beach, and the Dixie Hwy. Corridors both north and south?

The time for all those new and exciting ideas for downtown holiday displays to arouse our returning Snowbirds and get all those cars to slow down for a closer look, interesting crafts and activities to electrify and foment the imagination, and the art to provoke and stimulate the passersby to come in and check out your Hipster fashions, L-Dub dishes and Quirky fare?

The Time Is Now!

One of the most exciting Christmas ideas ever in this City was something so cleverly simple from back in 2013. It was simply called “Mail Art”.

Hope you enjoy this look back:


Send your Mail Art to:

Lake Worth Beach City Hall
7 North Dixie Hwy.
Lake Worth Beach, FL 33460

 
The deadline is now looming. We’ve had lovely responses and hope you will send us an embellished envelope.
     We set up a web site where we post all those that arrive. We have showcased the envelopes in Libraries and made presentations to Calligraphy guilds.
     One more large Christmas exhibition is planned and then they will be presented to the Lake Worth Historical Museum. Don’t hesitate to send another piece of mail art, if you already have.
     The deadline is Nov. 15, 2013. None will be rejected if they are a bit wee late. We so enjoyed getting the envelopes from around the globe.

Thank You.
AnnaMaria
Project art consultant

Click on images to enlarge:

Hint #1: Lappeenranta, Finland is the City of Lake Worth Beach’s Sister City.

Hint #2: The festival Día de los Muertos is on November 2nd this year.

Hint #3: The holiday Boxing Day is celebrated in Canada on December 26th.

LOCAL community news. Join volunteer team in Village of Palm Springs and news from City of Greenacres too.

Support LOCAL small town newspapers.

Support LOCAL small town journalism.

LOCAL coverage of LOCAL small town news including community news from the Village of Palm Springs, a municipality called the “Garden Spot of Palm Beach County”.

The news this week from Palm Springs is below and there is news too from the City of Greenacres as well.

To see this week’s front page headlines in the Coastal & Greenacres Observer and The Lake Worth Herald click on this link. To contact the editor, that information is at the end of this blog post today.

Without further ado, here’s the news from the Village of Palm Springs headlined, “Village of Palm Springs Looking for Volunteers”:


The Village of Palm Springs would like to invite everyone to join their volunteer team. There are many areas and departments in which someone is able to serve. If you are interested, contact 561-641-3421 to request a Volunteer Application or stop by the Village to pick up an application and submit to Human Resources [Village Hall is located at 226 Cypress Lane].

Looking for volunteers in the following positions:

Community Outreach Team: Volunteer would assist at various community and public awareness events hosted by the Village of Palm Springs and the Palm Spring Police Department throughout the year. An interest in engaging within the diversity of our community is optimal for the success of our outreach events. This position requires evening and some weekend availability.

Community Patrol Officer: Volunteer would supplement law enforcement efforts and enhance relationships with the community. The volunteer would have no law enforcement authority, but would provide extra patrol, be called on to assist stranded motorists, visit and provide wellness checkups for residents, etc. The volunteer would also assist with community outreach events hosted by the Village and the Palms Springs Police Department.

Office Assistant: Volunteer would be responsible for providing customer services to members of the public who come into the Palm Springs Police Department. Responsibilities would include answering phones, directing requests, organizing, mailing, scanning, etc. On the job training would be provided. Office Assistants need to be available between 8–10 hours a week.

Library Volunteer: Palm Springs Library volunteers are the backbone of community engagement providing information, resources, and valuable support. Volunteers complement staffing needs during programs and events throughout the year. Students can earn Community Service Hours through three of our volunteer programs geared for teens. Youth Volunteer, Teen Advisory Board (TAB) and On-Call Teen Volunteers all require their own applications and are handled through the Library. Library volunteers may require evening and some weekend availability.

Parks and Recreation: Parks and Recreation volunteers assist with offering a wide range of recreational activities for all age groups and interests. Volunteers engage in special events, year-round programs, classes and activities offered to the community for residents and visitors alike. Community Service hours are offered to students. Parks and Recreation volunteers may require evening and some weekend availability.

Reading and Mentoring Program: Change the life of a child by become a reading mentor. This program encourages struggling elementary school students with reading and fosters positive academic achievement for first grade students. This program is seasonal and occurs between the months of January and April. The program coordinator provides guidance and instruction during sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. Mentors tutor and work one-on-one with first grade students the rest of the time. Mentors are required to participate in mentor training.

For more information contact Indira Safaddid at 561-641-3421.


Here is the front page news from the City of Greenacres headlined, “Property Enhancement Program Moving Forward”:


City of Greenacres Building Official Michael Grimm presented the preliminary plans for the recently approved Property Enhancement Program (PEP) for the City.

The PEP is intended to enhance the aesthetics and visual appeal of the subject property. The City will provide residents and businesses with matching grants to assist with property improvement. To qualify for the grant the improvements must improve areas that are visible from the street.

Grimm told the council he thought the program should begin with $50,000 for grant matches. He also gave some ideas of what would be eligible for the program.

The Council agreed Grimm was on the right track and authorized him to continue and bring back a more formal presentation on the program for the Council to discuss.

The grants are a 50/50 match up to a $5,000 in grant proceeds.


To learn more about the City of Greenacres use this link for official website.

Your LOCAL newspapers, The Lake Worth Herald and the FREE Coastal & Greenacres Observer are published by the Lake Worth Herald Press located at 1313 Central Terrace in Lake Worth Beach. To contact the editor call 561-585-9387 or send an email to Editor@lwherald.com

Do you have more news to share from Palm Springs? Have community news from suburban Lake Worth and the cities of Greenacres and Lake Worth Beach? The goings on from the towns of Lantana and Lake Clarke Shores? Then share your LOCAL news with the editor today!

Paper towels are expensive. Recycling tip #47: How to use newsprint instead!

What is newsprint?

Newsprint is a “cheap, low-quality, absorbent printing paper made from coarse wood pulp and used chiefly for newspapers.” For example, see tabloid newsprint below.

Don’t just throw newsprint away.
Use old newsprint to clean windows on the cheap!

This former un-‘Worthy’ tabloid once littered the streets
of Lake Worth Beach. But now it has value. . .

Click on image to enlarge:

To clean windows using newsprint you need a newspaper and a spray bottle with this mixture:
2 cups of water, ¼ cup of vinegar (unflavored),
and ½ teaspoon of liquid detergent, e.g.,
Palmolive® works exceptionally well.

Stay tuned for recycling tip #48:
How to re-purpose those plastic straws!

How to properly give public comment at Lake Worth Beach City Hall.

Tonight at LWB City Hall is a regularly scheduled City Commission meeting. This public meeting will begin at 6:00. For more information and to download the agenda and backup click on this link.

When. . .

Mayor Pam Triolo announces the time for public comment this evening,

then. . .

The rules are quite simple.

Here is a short summary of the major points:

First and foremost, be respectful and follow the instructions of Mayor Pam Triolo.

You are not required to use all of your allotted time to speak! Once you’ve made your point just say “Thank You” and return to your seat. 

It is worth noting the mayor is charged with running City Commission meetings and she has the perfect right to remove anyone from the chambers who acts improperly. Disruptions of any sort will not be tolerated. You may be upset about something and you may decide to act rudely. But you better not be rude when a PBSO deputy asks you to stand up and walk to the door.

Proper dress is encouraged. Being dressed casually like a City commissioner is proper. 

Never address any commissioner, the city manager, city attorney or any administration or staff member directly. ONLY THE MAYOR CAN BE ADDRESSED.

Any attempt to address anyone but the mayor is breaking the rule unless the mayor allows it.

The mayor will tell everyone the time limit. At the end of that time limit a little bell will sound. Ding. Ding. Ding. After that bell sounds say, “Thank You” to the mayor and return to your seat. When your time is up your time is up speaking on that item.

It is highly recommended one prepares public comment ahead of time and use a timer. If you go over your time hand your comment to City Manager Michael Bornstein and he will give it to the City Clerk who will have it entered into the record.

Acting theatrically may seem like a good idea at the time but when the video comes out you will probably wish you hadn’t done what you did.

Clapping and hooting and howling is breaking the rule. Please try to remain silent at all times while seated in the chambers. Turn off your phone. While the meeting is in progress if you have to speak to someone nearby keep your voice very low and do not whisper. Whispering travels further than a very low speaking voice.

And whilst on the topic of change in Lake Worth Beach all our elected officials are now serving three-year terms.

Your Lake Worth Beach City Commission:

Next to the flag of the United States of America flanking Mayor Pam Triolo are District 2 Commissioner Omari Hardy and District 1 Commissioner and Vice Mayor Pro Tem Scott Maxwell. Nearest the flag of the State of Florida are District 4 Commissioner Herman Robinson and District 3 Commissioner and Vice Mayor Andy Amoroso.

‘Sober home’ resident murdered and stuffed into a trash can. Case remains unsolved. Video by PBSO below.

Tyler Etue was found murdered 4 years ago

in City of Lake Worth.

Stay anonymous. No fear of retribution.

Lake Worth Beach: Be eligible for a reward for helping solve crime including cold cases.

Former Palm Beach Post journalist Alexandra Seltzer was the lead on this story after Etue was reported missing and posted this update on Sept. 19th, 2015.

On September 9th, 2015, Tyler Etue was found murdered in the City of Lake Worth. It was this news that shocked a lot of people and had the public wondering what was actually happening in those so-called ‘sober homes’ being bought all over town. The people buying these properties called themselves “investors”.

Then a so-called ‘church’ opened up in our Downtown attracting even more drug addicts promising they could get help here in our City. And then the ‘counseling centers’ and self-described treatment centers opened up in this City known as having a “Key West attitude” as some would call it. A party town.

Desperate families up north thought they were sending their children to a treatment center in a sprawling gated community ‘in Lake Worth’ but in actuality these young people were stuffed into overcrowded single family homes in the City of Lake Worth, a coastal municipality four years ago already overwhelmed with problems.

Too late for people such as Tyler Etue was a public meeting the next year on the evening of Sept. 26th, 2016. The public had had enough of sober homes. What happened at that meeting in this City shook the walls in Tallahassee and got everyone’s attention in the halls of the U.S. Congress and President Barack Obama too. For those of you not here at the time click on this link to find out what happened.

Yes. People did come to this City to get help. And yes, many of them did go home in body bags. The murder of Tyler Etue remains unsolved. Somebody knows what happened:


September 2015—While PBSO deputies and detectives handed out information to the public in Lake Worth trying to find a missing person (Tyler Etue) they discovered his body in a trash can. The public is asked to call the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office or Crimestoppers (800-458-8477) with any information they may have to solve Tyler's murder.


This video is in two parts. One is of the initial investigation and the second concerns the events leading up to the discovery of the body:

A timely reminder: Health risks and concerns related to raising chickens in urban environments.

Although many loyal blog readers are all-too-familiar with the history of the ‘Urban Chicken’ we all have to be reminded from time to time there are many new and recently-new residents who know little or nothing about this political fight that once raged in this City.

Yes. The story about the ‘Urban Chicken’ is funny. And yes, it’s a little tongue-in-cheek too. But what’s not so funny is thinking about all the people — including infants, young children and the elderly — who have gotten sick and ended up in the emergency room:

Seven outbreaks of salmonella linked to live poultry in backyard flocks have caused 324 cases of illness in 35 states since January, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. Sixty-six of the ill individuals have been hospitalized. . . . “Results from these investigations showed that contact with live poultry in backyard flocks was the likely source of these outbreaks,” the agency said.

Without further ado. . .

Raising chickens, aka ‘Urban Chickens’ IS NOT LEGAL in Lake Worth Beach despite what you may have heard.

Besides the many health problems created by raising chickens in an urban environment is attracting predators. In 2017 there were news reports of coyotes as close by as Greenacres killing cats and other small small animals as well. What do coyotes especially like to hunt? You guessed right: chickens (see “Attraction of predators” below).

Some people argue that raising chickens in the backyard makes economic sense. To save a few pennies on eggs? Have you seen the price of eggs lately at Publix?

The ‘urban chicken’ IS NOT merely a nuisance.

The animals present very serious health concerns for young children and the elderly, issues with food safety, infectious diseases, biosecurity, not to mention the added burden on local Code Enforcement to answer complaints and having to take the time and educate the public about the facts.

The following information comes from a well-researched document about human health concerns associated with raising chickens in an urban environment:

• Bacterial diseases: Salmonella and Campylobacter are common public health hazards potentially associated with chicken contact.
• Histoplasmosis: Histoplasmosis can cause a respiratory disease with cough and shortness of breath.
• Avian influenza (bird flu): Avian influenza is a theoretical public health hazard potentially associated with urban chicken farming.
• Attraction of predators: The attraction of predators is a public health hazard potentially associated with urban chicken farming (e.g., coyotes)
• Attraction of rodents: The attraction of rodents is a public health hazard potentially associated with urban chicken farming.
• Nuisance issues

Management and handling of poultry in small backyard flocks:

• Keep baby chicks and adult poultry away from persons with weaker immune systems, including the elderly, pregnant women, diabetics, patients receiving chemotherapy and people infected with HIV.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that person not keep chickens if the household has children less than five years of age.
• Make sure that people who handle the chickens or their droppings, wash hands properly with soap and water following contact.
• Do not eat or drink around the poultry.
• Keep poultry away from food preparation areas.
• Do not wash items, such as water or food dishes, from chicken coops in the kitchen sink.
• Do not allow poultry to roam in the house.
• Maintain the area where the poultry are present in a sanitary manner.
• See your physician if you experience fever and diarrhea.

Conclusion

Communities that permit urban chicken farming are advised to ensure that flock owners receive educational materials on infectious diseases, animal husbandry, food safety and biosecurity. These communities also should have a system in place for responding to community complaints.

Are those few pennies saved raising chickens for eggs worth exposing your neighbors to avoidable health risks and safety issues?

This image is from the blog of Tom McGow, a former blogger-extraordinaire here in this City.

It was Mr. McGow who chronicled the 2009 crusade promoting the ‘urban chicken’. Note that it was during this time the City’s Code Enforcement Dept. was being gutted as well. Ergo why home values plummeted so deeply in this City 8–12 years ago.

Save The Date!

Saturday, December 14th at 6:00.

Become a subscriber today for updates and news from Lake Worth Beach, click on this link.