STUART — The image of a man’s arm wrapped around her front tire still haunts Jessica Leslie eight years later.

It was November 2001 when a 20-year old Leslie of Boca Raton was coming back from an evening of partying that she decided to drive home drunk. She told her story to a crowd of about four dozen at a Thursday community program at the Martin County Administrative Center on the dangers of drinking and driving.

Leslie never made it home but ran over Patrick McDonough, 41, killing him. (more…)

FORT PIERCE — With the start of school just weeks away, school and health officials on the Treasure Coast want parents to know they are prepared for swine flu and will coordinate efforts to prevent its spread through the public schools.

They also ask that parents and students follow this simple advice to help: “If you’re sick, stay home,” said Larry Lee, administrator of the St. Lucie County Health Department.

School and health officials announced their efforts at a joint press conference today at the St. Lucie County School District offices in Fort Pierce. They noted that public schools in St. Lucie, Martin, Indian River and Okeechobee counties have about 83,000 students about 300,000 family members.
With frequent travel in the four-county region, they agreed to cooperate in controlling the spread of H1N1 virus. (more…)

Photo provided by the U.S. Navy shows a team from the USS Boxer towing the lifeboat from the Maersk Alabama.

Now, a museum dedicated to the SEALs will have a part of that historical day in April.

The National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum near Fort Pierce is expected to receive at 10 a.m. Friday the lifeboat on which Capt. Richard Phillips was held hostage after Somali pirates seized his cargo ship, the MV Maersk Alabama, about 280 miles south of the Somali port city Eyl.

The public is invited to attend Friday when the lifeboat arrives at the museum.

For museum officials, the lifeboat is a rare find and an important moment in the modern history of the SEALs.

“It’s a piece of history that comes in on the heels of the actual event,” said retired Navy Capt. Michael Howard, the museum’s executive director and a former SEAL. “We can’t believe it really. We’re kind of pinching ourselves.”

Over the years the museum — the only one in the world dedicated to preserving the history of the SEALs and their predecessors —has built up quite a collection. (more…)

STUART — The nonprofit Surfrider organization isn’t doing much celebrating two weeks after its 25th anniversary Arts and Music Celebration has left about $75,000 in unpaid debts, about half to local vendors.

The Treasure Coast chapter president has resigned under pressure from the local board, which said he exceeded his authority in organizing the event.

And, the Surfrider Foundation’s Florida group of chapters has canceled its state conference to put that money toward paying the bills.
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PORT ST. LUCIE — Smaller annual festivals.

No more streets decorated with lights during holiday seasons.

And possibly, no more fireworks. (more…)

STUART — The historic home of Evans Crary Sr. — Martin County’s first state senator and founder of a major area law firm — is facing demolition, and no one is happy about it.

Not the new owner who needs more room to care for her aged and disabled father.

Not city planners concerned about what is happening to one of Stuart’s most historic areas. (more…)

FORT PIERCE – The organizers of a yearly meeting for local teens hope the gathering turns into “The Summer of New Beginnings” for participants.

As part of its annual summer camp, the Lincoln Park MAINSTREET will host its third teen summit geared at getting area youth to discuss and come up with ways to improve their lives and their community, said Elise Rollins, MAINSTREET program director.

The summit, which is open to the public, begins at 9 a.m. on Friday, July 10, in Old City Hall, located at 315 Avenue A. Dubbed “The Summer of New Beginnings,” the summit features guest speaker and former gang member Victor Woods from Chicago, Illinois. (more…)

PORT ST. LUCIE — Members of the anti-tax group Treasure Coast Tea Party are demanding an apology from city officials, claiming their civil rights have been violated.

Organization members said they were singled out at the city’s Freedomfest over the weekend by being put into a special area — with a sign nearby stating Port St. Lucie did not back their views or opinions.

A spokesman for the city called the accusations “nonsense.” But Port St. Lucie officials continue to receive e-mails and phone calls critical of the city’s actions at the new Civic Center.
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PORT ST. LUCIE — Thousands of festival-goers might not be able to enjoy the next annual Oktoberfest, St. Patrick’s Day Festival, and Art and All That Jazz because of city budget cuts.

The city’s Community Redevelopment Area staff is recommending the City Council cut the $10,000 sponsorship it gives to each festival. Assistant City Manager Greg Oravec, who also serves as the agency’s director, sent letters earlier this month giving the bad news to the organizers.

He said last week he doesn’t know how long the cuts will last, and the festivals will have to raise more money privately.
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Gladys Gurski Gehrig

Ms. Gehrig is a white female, 5 feet 4 inches tall weighing 160 pounds with brown, medium-length curly hair, gray eyes and wearing glasses. She was last seen wearing a purple blouse and black pants with unknown type of shoes.

Her son, Robert D. Gehrig, said his mother went to the Wachovia Bank, 2597 South U.S.1, Fort Pierce, at 2 p.m. and has not returned.

She called her caretaker at 3:30 p.m. and said she was lost. The caretaker gave her directions on how to return to her Sunset Boulevard, Fort Pierce, home.

Anyone with information is asked to call 9-1-1 in St. Lucie County.