Body Found in Bag on Front Lawn of South L Street Home

Human remains were found this morning in a garbage bag in front of an abandoned home on South L Street in Lake Worth, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.

Neighbors had called reporting a suspicious odor, and when detectives arrived, they found the remains. An autopsy will be performed to try to determine the identity and the cause of death.

Anyone who knows anything, or might have seen anything suspicious in or around the 1300 block of South L Street, is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-458-TIPS.

 

Murder on South J Street

A Hispanic man was found shot to death in the backyard of a home on the 700 block of South J Street in Lake Worth last night. Witnesses told police that there had been an altercation between a group of men, and that shots were then fired. The Palm Beach County Sherriff's Office found the man dead in the backyard of the home at 2:40 a.m.

Lake Worth Gay Leader Arrested, Charged With DUI

Tony Plakas, head of the Lake Worth not-for-profit gay community group, COMPASS, was arrested on October 11 after running a stop sign, almost hitting another SUV on North Dixie Highway, weaving into oncoming traffic, and running up on the curb on Forest Hill Road at Norton Avenue.

"Upon initial contact, the driver appeared to have a blank stare, as if looking through me," the Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputy wrote in his report. He described the driver's eyes as "glossy" and "bloodshot red" and unable to focus. He also noted a strong odor of alchohol.

"The driver appeared very confused and advised that he was on his way to pick up his brother caused (sic) he received a call."

Plakas fumbled pulling out his driver's license and handed one to the deputy that wasn't his. It turned out to be his partner's. The deputy asked for the correct driver's license, which he had seen in the wallet, and after he had it in hand, proceeded to arrest Plakas for DUI, or Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs.

Plakas, age 40, is the so-called CEO of COMPASS, a not-for-profit organization that has a large community center in a bright blue building at 201 North Dixie Highway, just across from the new Publix.

"Compass Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Lake Worth and the Palm Beaches aims to diminish stereotypes by challenging long-standing misconceptions about the character of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community," it says on the organization's web site.

Plakas was processed and released on his own recognizance.

Robbery at El Presidente Supermarket

A man grabbed money from a cashier at El Presidente supermarket on 10^th Avenue North yesterday around 7 p.m. and fled, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

The cashier was collecting money from registers and attempting to drop the money at the customer service office when a black man in his early to mid 20s, about 5’9” with a thin build, grabbed the money and ran out of the store. Witnesses say he was wearing a red polo shirt with white stripes, dark blue jeans and white sneakers. The sheriff’s office is asking for the public’s help in identifying him.

If anyone knows who he is, they are urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-458-TIPS.

Lake Worth High Homecoming Parade Today

Lake Worth High School's homecoming parade is today at 1 p.m. The parade will start at the high school, and proceed east on Lake Avenue to F Street, then turn around and head back west on Lucerne. Residents of the city are encouraged to park on side streets and watch.

The high school's homecoming football game is tonight at 7 p.m. when the Trojans meet Boca's Spanish River High School.

Black High School Kids Punching, Stealing Phones from White Students

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2012-10-10/news/fl-lake-worth-student-rob-20121010_1_teen-couple-deputies-cellphones

Looking Back at the Original Casino Just Before Opening

The Lake Worth Casino and Baths, not long before it opened in 1922

Here's the photo of the original Lake Worth Casino that's hanging on a wall in the Lake Worth Historical Musem. It appears to have been taken a few weeks, or months maybe, before the casino opened in 1922. It would be interesting to compare the quality of the materials used in the two buildings, that one and the one that's now about to open, and also the quality of the workmanship. You hear people in construction talking about better materials. And maybe there are better materials now. But there are a lot of worse materials, too, and a lot of things seem to conpire to drive people toward cheaper materials, thinking no one will notice. People notice. They do.

Morganti Blames Rusting Casino Hardware on the City

It's clear from last night's city commission meeting that no one has any idea what's happening with the new casino building at the beach or even what's been done up to now.

The pool was not part of the casino and beach project??  No.

The city was supposed to be maintaining the building starting in May??  Yes, maybe.

Who on the city staff is responsible for overseeing construction of the new building?  Silence.

The city commission met last night with representatives from Morganti, the general contractor, asked to appear to answer questions about the punch list of items to be completed before businesses can open at the casino next week.

But the big questions were along the lines of: What the heck is happening with all of the hardware on the building that is already either rusted over or corroded, and why is the new wood floor in the ballroom buckling?

Unbelievably, Morganti tried to blame the city for the hardware rusting, saying the city was notified that it was supposed to be maintaining the building. What maintaining? Are they saying the hardware needs a rub-down every evening?? There were no follow-up questions to determine what was meant by maintaining hardware and instead the discussion went down the road of trying to determine when the city was notified and by what means that it was responsible for maintaining the building once it was found to be "substantially complete" in May.

But Morganti and subcontractor REG also mentioned that the hardware purchased, including these rusted and corroded door handles and hinges seen on Lynn Anderson's blog, might have been defective, though they indicated they would be loathe to complain to the manufacturer(!) They also pointed to the $6 million dollar price tag on the building, indicating that a lower-quality product may have been used to bring the total cost of rebuilding the casino under the $6-million-dollar mark.

Nonsense. This hardware is junk, and it never should have been used under any circumstances. If the city needed to keep the project at $6 million, the building should have been made smaller. It is monstrous, not to mention incongruous, with a large Greco-Roman yellow building with an arcade reminiscent of Rome's Colosseum... and attached to it a hulking, two-story, Penicillin-pink structure, angular and modern and totally out of place here. The pink part should be lopped off immediately, with its pieces sold for scrap or on Craigslist and the money raised used to buy beautiful hardware to affix the doors to the building. Humans have known how to make quality hardware since the time of Christ. (No, wait, lots longer.) There's no excuse for using something so horridly cheap.

This is what we bought?? The new casino building, seen from the back, is monstrous and stylistically confused.

But back to the city of Lake Worth,... it was revealed at last night's meeting what a tremendous price is being paid for the rapid turnover of elected officials and city staff over recent years. Almost everyone involved in the original discussions about the construction of the new casino is now gone. We have a different mayor, different city manager and, for the most part, different staff overseeing the project.

William Waters, who oversees the building department, is one of the only staff members still around who was here when decisions about the building were being made.

At one point last night, a commissioner asked the city manager, Michael Bornstein, who on the staff is charged with overseeing the project. There was a long pause. Bornstein then mentioned a Ms. Margolis, who had just been mentioned by either Morganti or REG, who'd said something about her background in construction in Broward County.

"I dismissed her, and named a management team that I thought met all the requirements," said Bornstein. He didn't name the person who heads that team.

So, the elected representatives don't know who on the city staff is overseeing this project? They should be told, pronto. They need to know.

It is unclear and unknown who chose the hardware for the building. Morganti/REG said the hardware on the building was "selected according to 'standard of care' and according to the budget"and made a mention of consulting with "designers" to "come up with more suitable materials."

What designers? What manufacturers are going to be considered now? Is Morganti going to insist on American-made, or is Lake Worth going to get an only slightly less cheap Chinese-made product the second time around? These questions need to be answered.

Another point of serious concern is the wood floor in the ballroom, which is to be rented out for proms, weddings, reunions, lavish private parties, you name it, to bring in revenue for the city. Morganti says that water got into the building during Tropical Storm Isaac and sat on the floor for some time, causing it to buckle,... but that they're monitoring the floor's moisture content and hoping all will be just fine in the end.

The commissioners were dubious, with Mayor Pam Triolo saying she saw the floor buckling during a walk-through before Isaac, the outer bands of which hit Lake Worth on August 26 and 27, and Commissioner Andy Amoroso saying that the floor, in his opinion, should be replaced.

But all three commissioners present (McVoy and Mulvehill were both absent) seemed reluctant to press the contractor, with Triolo softening her questions with: "You're the experts."

Maybe. But it's our money, and our building.

Bomb Squad Removing WWII Grenades on North J

The bomb squad has been called to North J Street in Lake Worth to remove grenades that were found in the home of a World War II veteran.

The lawyer for the veteran, who passed away about five years ago, was recently cleaning out the veteran’s home after the death of the veteran's wife when he found the two grenades. He brought them to his office at 101 North J Street in Lake Worth and called the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office this morning to have them picked up. Sheriff’s deputies arrived and immediately evacuated the building, which sits just across J Street from the Post Office, between Lucerne and 2nd Avenue North. The bomb squad and arson squad were called to the building to remove the grenades safely.

The PBSO asks anyone in possession of any type of potentially explosive military device to not touch the items, but to immediately call law enforcement to have them removed properly.

Police Bust Prostitutes, Johns

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office arrested a number of Lake Worth residents for prostitution and soliciting prostitution yesterday evening in what appears to have been a PBSO prostitution sting operation. Those arrested have home addresses at 18th Avenue North, North H Street, South K Street, North Federal Highway and 17th Avenue North in Lake Worth. It is unknown where they were when they were arrested.

Caught! PBSO Catches Bike Thief With K-9, Overwhelming Force

A burglar was nabbed after stealing a bike from a house on the 2400 block of North Lakeside Road this afternoon.

The homeowner caught the thief stealing the bike out of the garage and chased him in a car, calling police along the way. The thief ditched the bike and ran into the golf course, where he was chased down by K-9 police dogs arriving on scene, one of which sunk its teeth into the thief's arm.

The bike burglar tries to get to his feet after being treated for injuries occurred when he was 'arrested' by a K-9 unit.

At a little after 3 p.m., the thief was being attended to by paramedics on the lawn of a home at the corner of North Lakeside Drive and 13th Avenue North, who bandaged his arm and appeared to be monitoring his vital signs. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue loaded him onto an ambulance on a stretcher a short time later.

The poor lad, no doubt feeling a bit roughed up from the afternoon's events, is loaded into an ambulance on a stretcher while nursing his arm, which earlier found itself clutched in the jaws of an on-the-job police dog.

The crime occurred around 2 p.m. this afternoon, and brought scores of emergency response vehicles to this quiet corner of Lake Worth, including a fire truck, the aforementioned fire rescue ambulance, at least two K-9 units consisting of a dog and his human partner riding in large white SUVs, at least two unmarked vehicles, including one sedan and one SUV and a number of patrol cars driven by deputies and detectives. A helicopter was also dispatched to area to track the burglar from the skies. The scene was finally cleared just before 4 p.m.

Count the cars! There were so many emergency response vehicles at the corner of North Lakeside Drive and 13th Avenue North this afternoon that homeowners returning from work were rerouted.

The home that was burglarized, amazingly, has a sign prominently displayed in front for a security firm, indicating that the house has an alarm system. The thief, not caring to notice or too desperately in need of a bike (!) wasn't deterred.

A Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office detective on the scene this afternoon says there will be an investigation to determine whether this bike thief, so effectively apprehended, is also responsible for other burglaries in the city of Lake Worth.

Every Time They Tell You the Housing Market is Improving...

...they're Wrong. It's not. At least not in Florida, where the number of foreclosures on the market is rising. There was an 11 percent increase in August. Read more here:

http://www.businessinsider.com/florida-foreclosure-inventory-rises-2012-10

'The King and I' Opens at the Lake Worth Playhouse on Thursday

"The King and I" opens at the Lake Worth Playhouse this week with a preview performance at 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 4 and the opening night show at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 5.

Shows also on Saturday, October 6 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $22 per person.

Dinner packages start at $50 per person, and include a three-course dinner (starter, main course, dessert, soda, coffee, tax and tip) at Paradiso Ristorante preceding the show at 6 p.m.

"The King and I" runs through Sunday, October 21.

For tickets, go to www.lakeworthplayhouse.org, call 586-6410 or stop by the box office Monday through Friday at 713 Lake Avenue.

Men Impersonating Police Robbing Residents of Lake Worth

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in finding two men who’ve been impersonating police officers and robbing residents of Lake Worth.

The most recent incident occurred on September 21 when a local man was followed home by a beige Nissan Altima after getting off the Palm Tran Bus. As he was about to walk into his house on the 300 block of South L Street, a Hispanic man got out of the Nissan and approached, identifying himself as an “independent officer,” according to the sheriff’s report. He then forced the L Street resident into his home where he demanded cash.

About an hour and a half later, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 3800 block of Kirk Road, west of Lake Worth, where a dark-skinned Hispanic man had knocked on the door, identified himself as a police detective, and once inside, told the residents to hand over their money and cell phones. They refused, even after the man pointed a gun at them.

There were three similar incidents in the weeks prior, with the victims describing the thief as being possibly Puerto Rican or Cuban. Some say he was light-skinned, while others describe him as dark-skinned. They say he was wearing plain clothes (not a uniform) and a green hat on his head. In one incident, he wore a badge. All victims described the man as having a hand-held radio which he appeared to be using to communicate with someone.

On September 14, a Hispanic man conned his way into an apartment on the 400 block of South D Street, telling the residents he was a cop investigating a drug complaint. Once inside, he searched the residents and took their money from their wallets. He told them to wait for road patrol and a K9 unit that was coming to sweep the apartment for drugs, and left.

On September 7, a Hispanic man walked up to a resident who was outside his home on the 500 block of 6th Avenue South and said he was a police officer and looking for someone. He told the Lake Worth resident to go inside his home, then followed him inside where he told him to put his hands up against the wall and emptied his pockets.

On August 17, a Hispanic man approached three people sitting in their front yard in the 100 block of South F Street in the early evening. He identified himself as a law enforcement officer and said he was looking for a suspect. They told him they didn’t know the person and that he didn’t live there. The man then lifted his shirt, brandishing a semi-automatic pistol that was tucked into his waistband and a badge, and ordered all three into their home. He followed them in, and once inside, demanded their wallets. He left with the contents. The victims described the thief as a dark-skinned 6’ 2” Hispanic man with a medium-to-heavy build, with black hair, a goatee and wearing a yellow shirt and black or green pants.

If anyone has information about these suspects or may have been a victim themselves they are urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-458-TIPS.

Sketches of the two men imperonating police and robbing residents of Lake Worth (produced by PBSO, according to descriptions given by victims).

Obama Campaign Office Opens on Lake Avenue

A sandwich board sign appeared on Lake Avenue recently near the Sassy Kat Lingerie shop announcing the opening of a local Obama re-election campaign office. The office opened in the small building behind the pink lingerie store, which was, until recently, occupied by a hat shop.


Sassy Kat Lingerie, at 609 Lake Avenue in Lake Worth now has an Obama campaign sign in front of it, pointing to way to a back building that is the location of a local Obama campaign office.

 

The owner of both buildings is Herman Robinson, a member of the city's Historic Resources Preservation Board and organizer of the annual Fourth of July raft race in Bryant Park.

The new local headquarters of the president's re-election campaign.

The opening of the local campaign office in Lake Worth is reminiscent of Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, when local campaign offices were opened in far-flung communities like Key West.

According to the Obama campaign web site, the Lake Worth office is one of 98 local campaign offices that have opened in Florida in the past few months.