A Juno Beach police officer was one of two young women killed early Sunday when the car they were riding in careened off the road in Palm City.

Officer Tiffany Renee Russell of Juno Beach and Lynda Kathryn Kruse of Stuart were ejected from the Mini Cooper when Kruse failed to negotiate a curve near the corner of Southwest Citrus Boulevard and Southwest Martin Highway at about 2:45 a.m. and the car went off the road and began rolling, according to a Florida Highway Patrol release. The stretch of Citrus Boulevard had just recently opened, Lt. Tim Frith said.

Neither woman was wearing a seat belt and both died at the scene, he said. It was not known whether alcohol was a factor.

Russell’s boyfriend, who is also in law enforcement, found the overturned vehicle with Martin County Sheriff’s Office deputies.

Juno Beach Police Chief Dennis Weiner said in a release Sunday that Russell had been with the department for only a year and a half but “had become a valued part of our community, a dedicated officer and great friend to all of us here.”

Funeral services were pending, the statement said.

“She was extremely well-liked in this small community and will be dearly missed,” Weiner said.

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Lynda Kathryn Kruse
Tiffany Renee Russell

- DON JORDAN

A 32-year-old Port St. Lucie man is in St. Lucie County Jail after being suspected of hitting a woman who refused to have sex with him.

Police on Friday charged Honary V. Lamb, of the 700 block of Northwest Grenada Street, with felony domestic battery by strangulation and felony depriving a victim of 911 and misdemeanor simple battery after they received a call for help about 3:30 a.m. Friday.

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A Jensen Beach pastor and his wife face additional charges of theft in an ongoing investigation by the state Department of Financial Services in which the couple is accused of defrauding investors out of $8 million in faulty real estate schemes.

Rodney and Shalonda McGill were arrested in September on allegations of mortgage fraud, grand theft, racketeering and other charges connected to properties they sold to investors as part of the “Fab 5” investment promotion featured on Rodney McGill’s local radio program.

The latest charges, two counts of grand theft in the first degree, stem from two real estate deals in which the McGills’ actions allegedly caused Clarence Fleming and Ella Mae Fleming of Vero Beach to lose more than $100,000 in property and cash. (more…)

PORT ST. LUCIE — City council members have agreed to suspend the regular permitting process and fees for temporary promotional banners outside businesses during the holiday season.

Councilwoman Michelle Berger proposed the waiver as a way to help local businesses during difficult economic times. The council voted unanimously to approve the measure.

The waiver, which will be in effect today to Jan. 2 applies to both large and small businesses, as long as the banners are professionally made and comply with the city’s sign ordinance. The waiver does not apply to other signs, including roadside signs placed on sidewalks, in swales or medians or in right-of-ways.

PORT ST. LUCIE — For years now, Port St. Lucie has been one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation.

Intended to be a retirement community, the city instead has lured many young families with its quieter pace, affordable housing and easy commute to South Florida.

What the city has lacked, however, is a downtown: somewhere to wander and shop, grab a quick lunch, attend community events and just be.

That may be about to change: The long-awaited Port St. Lucie Civic Center, a $25 million, 100,000-square-foot facility off U.S. 1 and Walton Road, will open Monday with a week of festivities. City officials will hold a traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday, and tours will be held from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday.
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The United Way of Martin County’s White Doves Holiday Project still needs about 5,000 pounds of food to meet its goal of raising 18,000 pounds.

With the help of the Boy Scouts of America Sailfish District, the project collected about 13,000 pounds. But that won’t feed as many families as last year, said Carol Hodnett, director of Martin Volunteers, in a prepared statement. Martin Volunteers organizes the holiday project.

“We have given larger families two bags of food in years past, but so far this year it looks like we will struggle to give some families one bag,” she said. (more…)

PORT ST. LUCIE - Parents can register their children to receive a personal phone call from Santa this holiday season.

The parks and recreation department is holding its annual program again this year, and parents are asked to register by Dec. 8. The calls will be made on Dec. 9 or Dec. 18 between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

To register, fill out a registration form and return it to the parks and recreation Department. Forms can be found on the city’s Web site at www.cityofpsl.com. For more information, call 772-878-2277.

FORT PIERCE - The Fort Pierce Branch Library has announced its Wednesday movie matinee lineup for December with a series of holiday movies. Movies start at 2 p.m. every Wednesday and are free. (more…)

FORT PIERCE - St. Lucie County Habitat for Humanity is looking for a few good women.
The non-profit organization needs about 200 women to volunteer on a new “Women Build” project, which begins Jan. 10.
The project will be to build a new home in the first quarter of 2009. Volunteers of all skill levels are encouraged to help. Shifts will run either four or eight hours on Thursdays, Fridays or Saturdays from January to April. Volunteers are encouraged to sign up now; training workshops begin Saturday.
For more information, contact Cheryl Stanely at 772-464-1117 or estanley@stluciehabitat.org or Teri Pinney at tpinney1@aol.com.

PORT ST. LUCIE — City officials expect to reach another milestone in the construction of the Crosstown Parkway in March, opening a section of the massive road project several months early.

This segment of the road will run west from Florida’s Turnpike to Interstate 95, giving drivers another option to reach the highway from St. Lucie West.

Upon its completion, the Crosstown Parkway, estimated to cost $200 million, will be the city’s third east-west corridor, stretching from I-95 across sprawling Port St. Lucie to U.S. 1. (more…)