PORT ST. LUCIE — Motorists should expect slight delays from periodic lane closures on a half-mile section of Becker Road being widened from two to four lanes.

The road will remain open as the city continues the widening project from Paley Court to the interchange at Florida’s Turnpike beginning Monday for the next six months, according to Jim Angstadt, a civil engineer with the city. (more…)

PALM CITY — A 64-year-old motorcyclist died after a Toyota Tundra collided with his bike Thursday on Martin Downs Boulevard near the Florida’s Turnpike entrance, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Thomas M. Niebauer, of Palm City, was driving a 2005 Suzuki east on County Road 714 about 6:15 p.m. as Theresa M. Finnegan, 47, of Port St. Lucie, drove a 2008 Toyota Tundra west. (more…)

A minor league pitcher in the Baltimore Orioles farm system was charged with driving while under the influence Sunday night, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
(more…)

STUART — Paul Crandall drove through downtown Stuart in his parking enforcement car on his last Friday on the job and recalled some of his most memorable cases.

There was the time a patron at The Ashley threatened to shoot Crandall when he gave him a ticket for parking left side-to-curb on a two-way street.

There was the time he ticketed a pickup truck parked on the sidewalk with its rear end jutting into the middle of South Colorado Avenue.

And there was the time an employee at a downtown business on Southwest Flagler Avenue told him she violated the area’s three-hour parking restriction because she didn’t want to park across Southwest Dixie Highway and walk across the train tracks to her job in high heels.
(more…)

MARTIN COUNTY — Some door-to-door bus riders in Martin County who are not already booked may have to be placed on a waiting list, according to a news release from the Council on Aging of Martin County.

“All rides already booked on Community Coach will continue as scheduled,” according to the news release issued by Bonnie Ares Royster, director of development for the council.

But, she notes, with the demand high and funding limited, some services may not be immediately available. Also, a change in how some services are handled may be causing some confusion.
(more…)

PORT ST. LUCIE — A man and a woman went to the hospital after their car struck a tree Monday night, the St. Lucie County Fire District reported Tuesday.

Fire District crews were called about 9:10 p.m. to the incident in the 2200 block of Southeast Midport Road.

The driver, a woman in her early 20s, was taken to a local provisional trauma center in serious but stable condition,
(more…)

Ongoing construction on Interstate 95 in St. Lucie County and construction of a truck weighing station on I-95 in Martin County will impact traffic this week.

In St. Lucie County, one lane will be closed from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Friday alternately northbound and southbound between Becker Road and Gatlin Boulevard, and between State Road 70 and Midway Road.
(more…)

FORT PIERCE — A man in his late teens was taken to a local provisional trauma center Sunday after his car crashed into a palm tree, a St. Lucie County Fire District spokeswoman said Monday.

Crews responded about 9:45 a.m. Sunday to the incident in the 4100 block of Sunrise Boulevard, Fire District spokeswoman Catherine Chaney said.
(more…)

FORT PIERCE — A trauma surgeon and nurse on their way to work at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute on Saturday became first responders at an accident scene.

Dr. Alex Funicello, who was returning from a Hutchinson Island condo to finish rounds at Lawnwood, found the base of South Bridge blocked with police cars and accident tape.

Raymond Chew, 47, lay in the intersection of Seaway and Indian River drives, his motorcycle nearby and his helmet loose but still on. No emergency medical crews had arrived when Funicello arrived.

So, the trauma surgeon went to work, assessing the patient.
(more…)

FORT PIERCE — The driver of a school bus involved in a Monday morning crash at 25th Street and Orange Avenue was at fault in the incident that sent a woman and a student to a local hospital, according to the Fort Pierce police.

The St. Lucie County school bus, driven by Maria Rossi, 60, was eastbound on Orange Avenue about 6:45 a.m. as a 1998 Nissan Sentra driven by 55-year-old Claudiette Compere traveled west. (more…)