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 Marathon Florida Keys Journal Daily NewsMarathon, Florida Keys, Paradise
February 26, 2010 - Washington DC - US Representative Ros-Lehtinen: Ros-Lehtinen Speaks In Mr. Speaker, this week I met with commercial and recreational fishermen from my Congressional district of the Florida Keys. These hardworking men and women have taken time out of their busy season to travel up here to Washington, D.C., to protest the latest round of onerous and unfair Federal fishing regulations and closures. Florida's recreational fishing industry is the largest in the Nation. It's economic impact to our State exceeds $5.3 billion, and more than 54,000 jobs are generated by this industry. Similarly, Florida's commercial fishing industry is nearly 13,000 strong and contributes a staggering $1.2 billion to our economy. Our fishermen understand that maintaining a robust, healthy fishery through appropriate regulation is the key to their economic success. However, the recent fishing bans on red snapper and shallow water grouper enacted by the South Atlantic Fisheries Council are devastating to our Florida fishing industry. The bans not only threaten the jobs of recreational and commercial fishermen, but also the small business owners that support and economically benefit from these industries. Local restaurants will look to carry more cost-affordable fish from countries such as Mexico and the Dominican Republic, as opposed to featuring fresh, Florida-caught fish, crab, and lobster. Hotels, dive shops, and other tourist attractions will also continue to suffer as fishing enthusiasts decide to travel elsewhere. The impact of this multibillion dollar industry on the State of Florida cannot be overstated. And yet, one by one, these fishermen are being regulated out of business. I'm a cosponsor of a bill known as the Transparency in Job Loss from Fishery Closures Act, and this is a bill introduced by my colleague, Congressman Henry Brown. This bipartisan bill instructs NOAA to reverse the harmful fishing closures and calls for stricter policies before implementing further closings. In particular, this bill requires that NOAA conduct a comprehensive review of recent fishery closures and provides sufficient updated research showing that a closure is the only option to maintain the fishery. In this review, NOAA must consider the impact of each closure on the coastal communities being regulated, including the impact on their small businesses and the losses of the jobs that would entail these closures. I also support efforts to increase fisheries research to improve enforcement systems and to reform the flawed Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Act. I'm a cosponsor of a bill introduced by Congressman Frank Pallone, which would amend Magnuson to provide greater flexibility to State regulators and fishery managers. The process of collecting data utilized by Federal regulators in determining fishing closures also needs to be revisited. The Scientific and Statistics Committees need to conduct their business in an open, transparent forum that also considers input from the fishing industry. What a concept. Opening up this committee to stakeholders' feedback and congressional oversight will go a long way in repairing the trust between regulators and local fishermen. In this stagnant economy, Mr. Speaker, it is imperative that we do all that we can to protect a historic and much needed industry from economic disaster. Our Nation's fishermen deserve and require our immediate action. February 27, 2010 - Marathon - Blair Shiver: Grace Jones: It Takes a Village. | Weekly Columns |
This week I turned 28 and Mrs. Twyla, though hundreds of miles away, wished me a Happy Birthday on one of my favorite social networking sites.
I first started my Facebook page while living in New York and found her still living in my hometown in Georgia. She told me she’d been keeping up with me for years by asking old friends and family of my whereabouts whenever she saw them around town.
The point is this: the seventy plus children in the care of the loving staff at Grace Jones will carry with them even into adulthood their earliest developmental memories made while in daycare.
Established in 1956, the Grace Jones Community Center was the vision of one woman, Grace Loretta Jones, who settled in Marathon in the early 1950s. When she came with her family to the Keys from the Bahamas in search of a better life, they found the only school for black children was located in Key West.
With her courage and steadfast determination, Mrs. Jones managed to convince local and state elected officials to establish a school for black children in Marathon.
Long after the days of segregated schools, Grace Jones Community Daycare Center continues to serve the needs of Middle Keys families.
For years, the center struggled to keep its doors open, and when Hurricane Wilma’s storm surge flooded and ultimately destroyed the already dilapidated facility in 2005, the board and staff’s challenges grew exponentially. The daycare center was temporarily relocated to Calvary Baptist Church in Marathon and because of space constraints and regulations; the center could only provide services to 35 children.
In 2007, after the Monroe County School District donated a piece of property worth more than $1 million dollars, the magnanimous efforts of the Singh Company and financial support from private foundations, local businesses, numerous fundraisers and countless volunteer efforts, the center raised an additional $1.5 million to complete construction and open doors of the new state-of-the-art facility.
The Weekly Newspapers’ own Deputy Editor Joshua Koler is currently developing his skills while simultaneously charming all the veteran teachers at Grace Jones. And from the time he attends his first dance at Stanley Switlik Elementary to when he crosses the stage for his graduation from Marathon High School, he’ll hold in the back of his mind memories of his first teachers like Miss Iris and Miss Maite who nurtured him.
February 27, 2010 - Marathon - Blair Shiver: The Shiver Report: Council and Staff Listen to Citizen
After hearing concerns from Tingler Isle and Sombrero Beach Road residents regarding the possibility of a beach renourishment project, Marathon’s newest City Manager has stayed true to his word about his proactive management style.
Last Friday, Roger Hernstadt hosted a community meeting for residents to voice concerns over the proposed design and installation of a new bike path on Coco Plum Drive. Despite chillier than normal temperatures, several dozen concerned citizens met with Hernstadt and members of the council at the corner of Avenue D and Coco Plum Drive to question the proposed design for a new path that could call for widening the existing path in places as much as 12 feet.
The city plans on taking steps in the near future to adopting more solid policies that would garner greater public input prior to the council’s approval of a proposed improvement project.
“The community needs an opportunity to participate in these types of projects by offering their feedback and being involved in the planning process in its initial stages,” Hernstadt told the council Tuesday evening during their regularly scheduled meeting.
Hernstadt told the council that staff has some redesign work to do on both the Coco Plum and Tingler Isle improvement projects, but he hopes that in the end, “We’ll have projects we’re all proud of with help from the community and council.”
Hernstadt was commended for his “boots-on-the-ground tour and discussion” by Councilman Dick Ramsay, who drafted a letter and requested City Clerk Diane Clavier to read aloud for the record his viewpoints during the meeting.
“The problem is that this outing became necessary because we were letting the cart push the horse down the road,” Ramsay wrote in his letter. “We didn’t allow a proper process which absolutely needed to include public participation before we accepted that grant money and the responsibilities and obligations which go with that money.”
In order to establish a clearly defined process from the outset, Ramsay suggested the council should define improvement projects with a clear completion date accompanied by regular public meetings like the one held last week.
He continued that, “Only after a proposed project has passed muster with the council and the public should we then seek financial support for these projects from appropriate agencies like the state or FDOT.”
Ramsay concluded that any project that comes before the council should be approved by citizens prior to any commitment or receipt of grant funding, “…because we all know ‘free’ isn’t usually so free after all.”
In other business: • Four council members made their respective appointments to the Code Board following the removal of the previous acting members. Ramsay appointed William Matthews; Vice Mayor Mike Cinque appointed John Repetto; Richard Keating appointed John Keller; and Pete Worthington appointed Steve Britske. Mayor Ginger Snead said since her nominee (Matthews) had already received appointment by another councilman, she would bring another name to the meeting in two weeks when two at-large seats will be filled by appointment.
• Later in the meeting, the council approved an ordinance to remove the seated members of the Planning Commission and appoint new members of each council person’s choosing just as they did with Code Board members. Councilman Worthington, who’s been adamantly opposed to the move since the discussion began, said he would not support the ordinance because individual appointments by the council might jeopardize the “independent mind of the planning commission.” Cinque quickly refuted Worthington’s suggestions, saying the appointees would continue to be independent thinkers and that the structure is very common in other municipalities.
“I’ve been on the council for a year and a half, and all I saw was the same faces with the same ideas,” Snead defended. “That’s why I brought this up, and it also helps to cultivate new blood for the council. The other thing it does is make council people put some thought into their appointments and forces them to take accountability for their nominee.”
• In response to council members’ requests that staff remain accountable for directives assigned them during council meetings, Hernstadt said in the near future his office will publish a list of the council’s directives on it’s website with bi-weekly updates to the list. Ramsay thanked staff for “taking the first step toward having traceability of directives. I commend your movement forward on this issue that is long overdue.”
• In a dead-end debate that last for nearly two hours, an attorney representing Knight’s Key Inn owner Lance Kyle challenged the issuance of an after the fact right-of-way use permit by interim City Manager Peter Rosasco, alleging that the installation of two gates on Kyle Way were in violation of the original development agreement for the former Chappy’s Restaurant.
February 28, 2010 - Florida Keys - John Bartus: iPhone, uPhone, :-P | Weekly
Not only that, telephones themselves have evolved from hard-wired, bolted-to-the-wall machines to sleek and sexy technological marvels like the iPhone, which makes the old Tri-Corders and communicators on the original Star Trek series seem so yesteryear.
These wireless wonders, however, are not just mere telephones – they are actually small handheld computers that have far more computing power and memory than did the old computers that sent the astronauts to the moon. Most of those mathematical computations were done with – gasp! – slide rules! (Generations X, Y, and Z members may have to Google “slide rule” to find out what one was.)
Back to the phones! Most new wireless phones feature a number of “apps” that either come with the phone, or can be downloaded from the thin air for costs ranging from nothing to well-it-will-just-be-on-the-next-bill-anyway-so-who-cares. These apps can do amazing things. One app can turn your phone into a GPS device, proving that no matter where you go, there you are – but now you know where it is. There’s an app called Barista, which somehow allows you to make high-dollar coffee beverages for yourself at home (I have no idea how the phone grinds the beans, much less where the water goes).
An app called Shakespeare allows you to carry around the complete works of the Bard in your iPhone. There are all sorts of musical apps, from recorders to instrument tuners to beatbox apps that let you lay down a phat beat begging for your best rhymes, homey.
There are financial apps that will calculate everything from bond yields to maturity to the correct tip for meal you just ate. There’s an app that lets golfers keep track of their strokes and putts on the course, and an app that will (allegedly) improve your game. Sure. (By the way, or BTW in text-speak: Do you know why the sport was named golf? All the other four-letter words were already taken.)
Of course, Facebook is available for almost all wireless phones, so you can stay in touch with all those people from your old high school you otherwise don’t remember.
Similarly, the Internet is usually accessible, to varying degrees, over many wireless devices. Many websites have developed “mobile” versions of their main site for the small screen, many of which contain some actual content. Some of my favorites in that department are the mobile weather websites, like www.wunderground.com. I can have with me, at all times, forecast information and live Doppler radar images that will show me with great precision just how my next outdoor gig will be rained out.
Of course, e-mail technology has invaded most of our wireless handheld devices. It all started with the Blackberry, the first cell phone to feature a bumpy miniaturized QWERTY keyboard suitable for fingertips the size of pencil points. Actually, this shows once again how we evolve to better adapt to the world around us. Those marvelous opposable thumbs, once relegated to sub-finger status, are now responsible for the most egregious assault ever on the English language. This is known as “texting,” and it may already be illegal in certain areas, like behind the steering wheel of an automo-WATCH OUT YOU ALMOST HIT THAT PEDESTRIAN WHO DIDN’T SEE YOU COMING BECAUSE HE WAS TEXTING ON HIS PHONE!!!
So instead of just picking up the phone and actually speaking to a live human being, many mostly younger people prefer to just text instead. Of course, as referenced earlier, texting has its own secret code that is to the English language what Reader’s Digest was to great literature. “OMG,wat r u wrng 2 teh sk8 pk? :-P” If you can read this, you’ll be happy to know that The Weekly Newspaper will soon be printed in a “text” version, and all the articles will fit on a beverage napkin.
BTW, BFD.
- John Bartus is a singer/songwriter and former Mayor of the City of Marathon. Currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Greater Marathon Chamber of Commerce, John plays with Storm Watch Fridays at Dockside, and this Saturday at the Key Colony Inn. This Thursday, John plays solo at Sparky’s Landing. www.johnbartus.com.
March 1, 2010 - Marathon - Willie B. Bacon: Pigs Were Flying in Marathon. Photos by J. Tashjian.
Around the race track that is, at the Stuffed Pig Restaurant, all to raise funds for the Grace Jones Day Care Center. Owners Mike Cinque and Karen Dennis upped the ante over last years festivities, not only holding Pig Races, but Pony rides, bounce houses and inflatable pig competitions in addition to all the food and beverages that were available.
March 2, 2010 - Marathon - Max Sears: Sunset over Boot Key Harbor on March 1, 2010. More beautiful sunsets over Boot Key Harbor - they just keep coming! Max Sears March 4, 2010 - Marathon - Councilman Dick Ramsay: Dear fellow residents of the City of Marathon:
On January 14, 2010 Marathon Mayor Ginger Snead and Planning Director George Garrett traveled to Tallahassee with Finance Director and former Interim City Manager Peter Rosasco.
The nature and importance of this recent trip to Tallahassee was considered critical to the City and its residents to lobby for state funding. More than a year ago, an idea as hatched to get the state to purchase Boot Key in order to create an eco-park. At a regularly scheduled council meeting on January 12, a unanimous decision was made by the Council to send Rosasco, Garrett, and Snead to Tallahassee.
Shortly thereafter, the Council directed Rosasco to work out an equitable solution for the residents of Keys RV Trailer Park. Now, a few misinformed individuals are using these two Council directives to force ethics violations against an honest, dedicated and hardworking man.
In both instances Peter Rosasco did as he was directed by Council: (1) Negotiate a draft agreement with Keys RV in an attempt to avoid a lawsuit, and (2) Get to Tallahassee and back again in one day, meet with the powers that be in order to secure financial funding for the purchase of Boot Key, and report back to the council.
His mode of transportation, AirStar Charters, though partially owned by him, was the cheapest and the only mode available at that time. How one can call following Council direction, and doing so in the cheapest and most efficient manner possible, “unethical” is beyond comprehension or reason.
As a 38 year resident of Marathon, as your friend and neighbor, it saddens me greatly to see the name and reputation of our wonderful city so unjustly tarnished by a few who would do so to further their own agenda. We came together as a group of concerned residents to found the City of Marathon. We didn’t like the way the County handled matters. We wanted to control our own City, our own destiny, our own lives. I think we’ve done a pretty darn good job of that. We have a City which can be proud of its people and its accomplishments, and we continually look at how the City can be a better place for its residents. Marathon is a great place to live, work and raise a family; Marathon is our home.
I call on you my friends, neighbors and fellow citizens to insist the facts be the focus, and that those few who would misrepresent be on notice. As your councilperson, I assure you if we find a problem in our house, we will immediately address and take care of it. But, as your friend, neighbor and fellow citizen, I say we can’t and won’t stand for those who would come into our City, our home, with harmful intentions.
-Dick Councilman Dick Ramsay March 5, 2010 – Marathon & Islamorada - L. E. Shaffer: I was invited to an Islamorada City Council I got a perspective that I would not have otherwise. All the Islamorada candidate questions involved wastewater/stormwater project and how much it is costing residents. There was some blame thrown around and none of that solved the problems, of course. One group wants the take-it-slow approach while trying to get funding up front. Another group bemoans how Marathon is way ahead of any other local government entity. Islamorada comes in with the highest cost and Marathon has the lowest costs. This is an illustration of short-term thinking versus long-term thinking. First, the do-nothing crowds do not seem to be afraid of the consequences. Surely the state and federal oversight agencies would not be so mean as to actually enforce the law. The bottom line is that the local governments would not be affected monetarily. The residents would suffer the financial disaster of doing nothing. Numerous businesses already know this having received official notice of what must be done to comply by 2010. Second, there is the slow-down crowd and money will rain down from federal/state heaven. Such dreams would be nice, but that is all they are dreams. The longer you wait to commit to and build a wastewater/stormwater system the greater the financial burden on residents. Look at Islamorada, waiting and fussing over various components have bloated the initial cost to nearly triple the overall original cost. The proven action is indicated by Marathon’s continuing success that has kept the costs down dramatically. Since the city committed early to build the wastewater/stormwater system, additional funding keeps coming in. And this money will reduce resident costs and already has. Further funding is on line to improve residential out-of-pocket costs. Marathon is going through the agony of this multi-million dollar project. Dusts, noise, streets tore up several times, and even some cost overruns have not deterred that progress. While some in Islamorada tried slowing the process down thinking it was the right strategy, they are now reaping their rewards and likely not get re-elected. Those in Marathon pushed, prodded, and pleaded to keep the project moving thus benefitting with success at the polls. Marathon did it right. The county and Islamorada are paying for dragging their feet. The contrast is stark. I salute the brave Marathon councilmembers for potentially putting their council seats in peril, but they made the right decision anyway. Every Marathon resident should count their blessings for living in a community that got the wastewater/stormwater issues correct. It would have looked like the best strategy early on to drag your feet and hope the state would save them. There were many who downright pilloried Marathon councilmembers, but the long-term thinking and actions turned out to keep the costs way down. Those many so dead set against Marathon’s progress are no longer as many. Lesson learned: long-term actions produce higher and longer success than short-term actions. ----------------------------------- Marilyn Tempest sent the following comment in response to the above article: Enjoyed your article on the Citizens were very vocal, both pro and con. The vote was 3 - 2 with Cinque and Vasil voting against. Marathon escaped the Islamorada dilemma by the skin of her teeth. Vice Mayor Cinque got his state notices to comply by 2010 and, to his credit, announced he was wrong and had not fully realized the impacts on businesses and individuals if we delayed. His change insured that we would continue beyond areas 4 and 6. March 6, 2010 - Florida Keys - John Bartus: Wild Kingdom 2010 – Snake in the (River of) Grass
Aging boomers like myself remember watching the old Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom TV show back in the 1960s and 1970s. This show, along with The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau, was the direct ancestor of the entire Animal Planet/Discovery/Science channel family. For those who don’t remember, Perkins (the elderly zoologist) would always have to capture and tag some ferocious wild beast. No fool Perkins – he would always leave that task to his capable, younger assistant, Jim. (Jim remained uninsured by Mutual of Omaha for the duration of the series.) Anyway, Jim would always manage to shoot the beast with a tranquilizer dart, and there would be scenes of incredibly brave Jim wrestling with the not-so-tranquilized beast. After the tranquilizer kicked in, we’d see a few shots of Marlin Perkins wrestling the more sedate beast.
I never understood just why they had to tranquilize and wrestle so many wild beasts; I always assumed that it was done in the name of Science. Because of my television familiarity with exotic locales (and because I spent a good many of my formative years in subtropical Florida), I knew what I was getting into when I moved to the Keys some 26 years ago. I knew we had poisonous snakes: both the diminutive yet beautiful coral snake, and the it-can-grow-over-seven-feet-long eastern diamondback rattlesnake. I was aware of the large brown/black scorpions that liked to hide under whatever I was moving outside. I knew of the myriad species of roaches and “palmetto bugs” that loved both the indoors and outdoors. And mosquitoes? No-see-ums? Annoying reminders of the downside of the tropical life.
The late 20th and early 21st Centuries have brought new communities of invasive exotic species to South Florida and the Keys. Everyone loves those cute fun-loving iguanas, especially hibiscus growers on Key Colony Beach. So as not to feel left out, Grassy Key got its own invasive pest, the Gambian pouch rat. They make great handbags. (That was a joke.) And if your average size roaches and “palmetto bugs” weren’t bad enough, we have a population of the giant tropical Cuban Death’s Head cockroach. They grow up to 2-1/2” long, are yellowish-brown, have a black head-like shape on their upper backs, and people who are into such things actually keep them as pets. I am not making this up.
There are several websites on the Internet (as if you’d look for them somewhere else) where an interested individual can actually purchase exotic tropical roaches to be used as pets (or food for even more exotic pets).
One monster beast we used to see quite often was the jumbo dog-food-eating and highly toxic marine toad (Bufo marinus). I bring up the Latin name for this particular species because so many people called them “Bufo toads.” That’s the equivalent of calling them “toad toads,” as Bufo is the Latin word used to describe the entire genus of toads. Every toad that exists is a “Bufo toad” – OMG! I just called them Bufo toads!!! Be that as it may, I used to see quite a few of these monster amphibians in my neighborhood – none, however, since the storm surge of Hurricane Wilma. It’s an age-old tragedy – huge helpless toads swept out to sea. I just hope that there is a large bowl of dog food for all the marine toads in Bufo heaven. At least they’re not around for our pets (and brain-damaged chemical-ingesting humans) to lick anymore.
Nothing, however, prepared even the most prepared among us for the invasion of the 20-foot serpents! It seems that all those people who used to keep those cute cuddly little Burmese pythons and anacondas for pets let them go in the Everglades. It was all fun and games until the snakes, absent any natural predators, kept eating and growing up to their genetically approved 20-foot-plus lengths and started consuming alligators and deer and small imported cars. And then, they started having wild swampy snake sex and now there are new generations of predator-free serpents in the Everglades, all eating their way to 20-foot Nirvana.
If only Wild Kingdom were still on the air, and Marlin Perkins were still alive, he’d know what to do. He would just send Jim out into the Everglades to tranquilize and wrestle some of these 20-foot serpent beasts, and all would be right once again in the natural world. And on the new cooking segment of the new Wild Kingdom show, Perkins
- John Bartus is a singer/songwriter and former Mayor of the City of Marathon. Currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Greater Marathon Chamber of Commerce, John plays with Storm Watch Fridays at Dockside, and this Saturday at the Key Colony Inn. This Thursday, John plays solo at Sparky’s Landing. Don’t forget to catch Storm Watch at the Seafood Festival Saturday March 13 at 3 PM! www.johnbartus.com More news is coming soon. Meanwhile: March 2010 Edition Marathon Florida Keys Journal.
Marathon Mayors, Vice Mayors, & Councilmembers: A Look Back. Source: Marathon City Archives Online. Year is when Mayor/Vice elected. When November elections came about, the Mayor/Vice election occurs near the end of the year. So the next year is used for that particular council. Anyone may use this organized information in part or whole provided attribution of "Courtesy of www.MarathonJournal.US" is included in the part or whole you use. This organized information is the intellectual property of the Marathon Florida Keys Journal, a subsidiary of SIPCO. © 2009 SIPCO.
ACRONYMS:
COMMUNITY NOTICES: City of Marathon, Community Parks, and Recreation Department ^ Waiver Template All Programs ^ Summer Soccer Ali Adams February 11, 2010 - Marathon - Jeri Sears: Save-A-Turtle Latest Info & Newsletter. FROM: President, Save-A-Turtle
Hello. Monroe County’s Save-A-Turtle, Inc. is a non-profit organization aimed at educating people about sea turtles. Save-A-Turtle has volunteers that look for signs that turtles have nested and another group of volunteers that assist with sick, injured, or dead turtles.
Save- A- Turtle’s donations of educational materials to our local schools and libraries, and to organizations for turtle research are made possible by contributions and money making events.
Come and be a part of the scheduled events. Please come out to join us. We always need people who are interested in helping our Flippered Friends – the sea turtles.
March 2010 Newsletter: Hello Members and Turtle Lovers,
It has been a very busy and chaotic month for the cold stunned turtles here in the Keys and elsewhere. Record numbers of turtles have been rescued, rehabilitated and returned to sea. Many others were not so fortunate.
This has shown us the need and importance of Certified Turtle Nest Surveyors and Stranding and Salvage Volunteers. Many of the certified people were called to help rescue and transport the cold stunned turtles. As an organization we can work together to try and save our endangered friends.
The class for Turtle Nest Surveying is on Wednesday, March 10th at 6:30 p.m. and will be held at the Marathon Government Center, 2nd Floor. On Thursday, March 11th at 10:00 a.m. the Stranding and Salvage class will be held at the Marathon Fire Station. These classes are so important for Save-A-Turtle members and others interested in helping the turtles.
I would like to thank the speakers that attended our February meeting – Sue Schaf with FWC, Cory Walters with Mote Marine Laboratory and Robert Keeley with the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Robert’s presentation was another wake up call on the improper discarding of plastic in the world today. Plastic is one of our turtle’s worst enemies. Both miniscule and large, plastic debris discarded improperly anywhere in the world usually ends up in our oceans. When walking, wherever you live, please take a bag and pick up some trash. We learned in Robert’s presentation, it can be contagious and before you know it, others will be doing the same thing! Picking up trash is not only good for the scenery but great for our environment. Please participate and promote recycling in your area and watch for organized community beach cleanups too!
Memberships – Please renew your memberships and invite your friends and family to join Save-A-Turtle. You can also purchase a membership for a gift!!
Have a Happy Turtle Month and think about how you can Save-A-Turtle.
Rick Sall
P.S. Turtle Nesting begins April 15th!
PRESS RELEASE
February 6, 2010 - Marathon & Upper Keys - Pam Martin: The Marathon & Upper Keys Alzheimer's
March 3, 2010 - Middle Keys - Lynda Berrigan: The Florida Keys Scenic Corridor Alliance is presenting UPDATE February 25, 2010 - Islamorada - Provided by Dave Purdo: We need to sell tickets for the concert. The Michael Matone Concert has been rescheduled for Sunday, March 28th at the Islamorada Fish Company beach. Group tables are still available at this time. Free hors d’ oeuvres. Dancing.
February 24, 2010 - Key West - Laura Fowler: Free Quit Smoking Now Group starting in Key West on
Keys AHEC can help you Quit Smoking Now with a free six-week smoking cessation program. New classes are now starting in Key West at WomanKind.
The program is available to all smokers who want to quit and provides the tools you need to quit with success and live tobacco free. The Quit Smoking Now program was designed by ex-smokers for those who want to become ex-smokers.
New group begins on Monday, March 1 through April 5 from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. at WomanKind, 3142 Northside Drive, Suite 101, Key West.
Group sessions are offered ongoing throughout the Keys. Financial assistance for nicotine replacement therapies is available for those who qualify. Call 305-743-7111, extension 205 to register or for more information about programs in your area.
Keys Area Health Education Center (Keys AHEC) promotes health and wellness for Keys residents through education, health assessments, quit smoking programs, and professional development using partnerships to provide a healthier, better educated community. It is affiliated with the University of Miami.
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Laura Fowler Operations Coordinator/ Healthy Aging Program Coordinator Keys AHEC 5800 Overseas Hwy. Suite 38 Marathon, FL 33050 Tel. 305-743-7111 ext. 206 Fax 305-743-7709
Tobacco Program: 1-87-Quit Now-6 www.aheceducation.com Online CME/CE Courses www.keystoquitsmoking.com Tobacco Program Website
January 14, 2010 - Middle Keys - Stacy Charlton: JANUARY LOCAL EVENTS FOR THE AMERICAN Here is an update on all the exciting Relay for Life Events that are happening right here in Marathon. Great News : 2 additional groups are getting involved : HAWKS CAY RESORT WWW.HAWKSCAY.COM 305-743-7000 888-443-6393. GREATER MARATHON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WWW.FLORIDAKEYSMARATHON.COM 305-743-5417 These 2 organizations will be a big boast in promoting and organizing The Relay For Life. Check out the Chamber site for interesting events and info. about Marathon. Check out Hawks Cay site for a great place to have a day/evening trip and to refer friends for a 4 star vacation. January Updated Information with new events planned (below). Please take a few minutes out for this LOCAL message from the American Cancer Society Relay For Life in the Middle Keys. From time to time we will be sending out information on the April 9-10, 2010 Relay For Life Event held in Marathon. Many of your neighbors are donating time and money right now to help organize and promote this event so we can Stop Cancer -- Now. Below is a brief overview and the Website for greater details. The bottom of this page will show some of the contributors. 2 Main Local Contacts to get involved (more on the website below) are Mayor Ginger Snead (Event Chair) 305-304-7842 ARFKEYS@AOL.COM and Clara Werner (Event Co-Chair) 305-743-5266 WERNERC@MARATHONFIRE.NET WWW.RELAYFORLIFE.ORG/MIDDLEKEYSFL This Year's Event will be held on April 9-10, 2010. The Event kicks off at the Amphitheater with the Cancer Survivors Reception at 5PM. Then the walking starts (in a circle at the Community Park) at 6PM with a 1 Hour Survivors Walk. There will be booths set up with food and beverages; as well as other items for sale with the Profits going to Cancer Research. To get involved with a team or info about creating a team which will allow you to display; or to get involved with organizing, fund raising, donating time, or Company Sponsorships call the contact names above. Below is additional info. about the event BUT FIRST ; some more local news : Centennial Bank is having another fundraiser for Relay for Life. The Wii Raffle raised over $700..The Next One is Wheelbarrow of Cheer. Tickets available at the Centennial Main branch at Another not to miss fun event : Friday, February 5, 2010 at 6 pm – The Middle School Bake Sale, the Switlik School Penny Drive, and Marathon HS's bake sale and car wash raised a lot of money for Relay for Life. Look for upcoming events from these schools. Also in December : FISHERMEN'S HOSPITAL : Had a very successful Tree Lighting ceremony and Bake Once again The City Of Marathon, The City of Key Colony Beach, Fishermen's Hospital, Walgreens, Marathon and the Lower Keys Association of Realtors, Guidance Care Clinic, Centennial Bank, Healing Touch, Dolphin Research Center, Switlik / Middle /& High Schools are among a few of the Teams/Fund Raisers that have really worked hard in their efforts to spread the word, raise money, and help. Complete List below after Pictures. We would like to also thank Sombrero Country Club, Key Colony Inn, Marathon Community Theater, 2010 Relay For Life of Middle Keys With chartered divisions throughout the country and over 3,400 local offices, the American Cancer Society (ACS) is committed to fighting cancer through balanced programs of research, education, patient service, advocacy, and rehabilitation. Select one of the areas below to learn more about ACS, our history, and our progress over time. The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At Relay, teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events and 18 hours in length. Although every Relay For Life is different, there are certain traditions at all Relays, no matter where they are held. These traditions help participants celebrate, remember, and fight back. Celebrate - The Survivors Lap Remember - The Luminaria Ceremony A FEW PICTURES OF LAST YEARS EVENT CONTRIBUTORS AND TEAMS (AS OF 01/10) CITY OF MARATHON, MARATHON AND LOWER KEYS ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS, FISHERMEN'S HOSPITAL, HEALING TOUCH, CENTENNIAL BANK, WALGREENS, DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER, FIRST STATE BANK OF FLORIDA, GUIDANCE CARE CLINIC, MARATHON HIGH SCHOOL, MARATHON FIRE DEPARTMENT, MARATHON MIDDLE SCHOOL, MARATHON POST OFFICE, SWITLIK SCHOOL, MARATHON/MONROE COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE, MARATHON JAYCEES, HARBOR TEAM, PAMPERED CHEF, CITY OF KEY COLONY BEACH, BPW ( BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION), BIG PINE CUBS, GREATER MARATHON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, and HAWKS CAY RESORT February 20 2010 - Middle Keys - Tina Belotti: CAMP and Careers 2010, now in its 8th year currently
The Educational Coalition for Monroe County (ECMC) in collaboration with Monroe County School District and Florida Keys Community College presents the Collegiate Arts Magnet Program (CAMP) and Careers 2010, a Florida Keys summer academy. Applications are currently being accepted from 3rd-12th grade students. 8th annual program! NEW in 2009 for 9th-12th grade students: biology and environmental art, offered again this year for non-music students art, culinary arts/hospitality management/tourism and film/video productions. High school and DE credit available to qualifying students. Over fifteen college courses to choose from.
CAMP runs June 12-July 18 at Marathon High School. Countywide transportation is provided. Public, private & home school students are invited to apply. Train with world renowned instructors: winds, percussion, brass, guitar (bass, classical), vocals, physical performance/theatre, rhythm, Stomp, ballroom dance (Dancing Classrooms), film, culinary arts, SAT/ACT prep, and art careers! MUSIC STUDENTS MUST HAVE AT LEAST ONE YEAR PREVIOUS VOCAL OR INSTRUMENTAL INSTRUCTION (private lessons, school band, or school chorus).
Junior CAMP is open to 3-5 grade students (interest in music a must, experience beyond elementary music instruction not required); limited space is available based on teacher recommendation.
Program cost: $625 (includes tuition, student materials, final performance/career attire & CAMP T-shirt).
Information to assist students in seeking business sponsorship is available! SPACE IS LIMITED. Limited intern positions are available for FKCC college students and Monroe County teachers. Please call (305) 743-6215 or visit www.campandcareers.com to reserve your space, for more information, or for an application.
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Article Submission Guidelines: Submit a proposal email. The article must be at least two paragraphs with high-quality jpeg photos, one per paragraph. The article may be any newsworthy event anywhere in the world. You must be 18 or older. If you are under 18, your guardian must verify your submission. Articles submitted to this journal are subject to approval by the Publisher. Approval is arbitrary. Submittals may be edited for content and length and become the creative property for the one-time nonexclusive publication for the Shaffer Internet Publishing Company and the Marathon Florida Keys Journal. We do not generally pay for articles. L. E. Shaffer ,Editor/Publisher/Owner
Various Videos and Sound Recordings of Selected Marathon Events 03.10.10 Marathon City Code Compliance Board Meeting at Fire Station #14 02.23.10 Marathon City Council Regular Meeting held at Government Center EOC Room 02.17.10 Marathon City Planning Commission Regular Meeting held at Fire Station #14 02.09.10 Marathon City Council Pre-Meeting Before the Real Meeting held at Fire Station #14 01.26.10 Marathon City Council Regular Meeting held at Government Center EOC Room 01.25.10 Marathon City Council Special Call Appeals Hearings 01.23.10 Marathon City Council Selects New City Manager Part One & Two 01.22.10 Marathon City Council Interviews Nine City Manager Applications 01.13.10 Marathon Code Board hearing at Marathon Fire Station #14 01.12.10 Marathon City Council Regular Meeting at the Marathon Government Center EOC Room 01.11.10 Marathon City Council Prospective City Manager Workshop at Fire Station #14 01.11.10 Marathon City Council Vacation Rental Workshop at Fire Station #14 12.08.09 Marathon City Council Meeting held at the Government Center EOC 12.08.09 Marathon City Council Pre-meeting Before the Real Meeting held at Fire Station #14 10.27.09 Marathon City Council Pre-meeting Before the Real Meeting held at Fire Station #14 10.20.09 Marathon City Council Special Call Meeting on the City Manager held at Fire Station #14 10.19.09 Marathon Planning Commission Meeting at Fire Station #14
8Then the earth quaked and rocked, the heavens' foundations shuddered, they quaked at his blazing anger.9Smoke rose from his nostrils, from his mouth devouring fire (coals were kindled at it).10He parted the heavens and came down, a storm-cloud underneath his feet;11riding one of the winged creatures, he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind.12He wrapped himself in darkness, his pavilion dark waters and dense cloud.13A brightness lit up before him, hail and blazing fire.14Yahweh thundered from the heavens, the Most High made his voice heard.15He shot his arrows and scattered them, his lightning flashed and routed them.16The very springs of ocean were exposed, the world's foundations were laid bare, at the roaring of Yahweh, at the blast of breath from his nostrils! The New Jerusalem Bible: Reader's Edition, (New York: Doubleday.) 1990. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hair Shop Across from Home Depot at mile marker 49.5 @ 1-305-743-3934 USA Web Hosting with The Weekly Newspapers http://www.conchcolor.com Conch Color http://newsbarometer.com News - Barometer http://keysnews.com Key West Citizen & Marathon/Big Pine Free Press http://keynoter.com Florida Keys Keynoter http://kwtn.com
.jpg){kind=small} Timothy Bottum, Esq. MorganTheeler LLP P.O. Box 1025 221 East Third Avenue Mitchell, SD 57301-7025 tbottum@morgantheeler.com (605) 996-5588 
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Islamorada candidate forum. It reminded me of all the work done by John Bartus and others ahead of my time that set up the scenario for me. My proudest accomplishment was writing and sponsoring the resolution that authorized the work to begin in areas 4 and 6 (2007-89). The phone calls and emails against that resolution were voluminous and some were unpleasant. Current Councilman Ramsey was very much against going forward. He was cordial, but stubborn at that time.
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the Grant Exposition on March 25. This is an excellent opportunity in which you may be interested. Information is attached. Cordially, Lynda Berrigan. 
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