STUART — Two years ago, Jan Lindsay first toured the 14th St. building that she immediately knew would house her fifth homeless shelter for pregnant women.

The 6,200-foot former New Horizons mental illness facility was semi-dilapidated and unoccupied since 2005. The kitchen needed an overhaul. Water damage and shattered windows filled the space.

Fixer-upper work aside, Lindsay saw potential. The building had eight bedrooms, a sprawling great room, office space and an activity room. She knew it would be perfect for the Treasure Coast’s Mary’s Shelter.

Behind work and donations from construction companies, county clubs and everyone in between, Lindsay’s makeover vision for Mary’s Shelter was on display Friday for the facility’s grand opening and blessing.

“I had felt the Lord calling me to do it for two years,” Lindsay said. “I kept arguing, saying I’m too old. The amount of time it takes to put one of these together, it really takes three or four very dedicated people.”

Starting in March, Mary’s Shelter plans to house 13 pregnant homeless women, most 18 to 24 years old, who will live on site with a housemother. The staff will provide education about motherhood, goal-setting services for their educational and career ambitions, and information to help the mothers decide whether to keep their children or put them up for adoption.

Lindsay opened the first four Mary’s Shelters in Orange County, Calif.; Reading, Pa.; Baldwin County, Ala.; and Pensacola.

“One of the biggest miracles is to see these girls come in, so afraid, and down, and feeling worthless,” Lindsay said. “Then you see them four months later, happy, confident, with a beautiful baby they know they can support and be a good mother to.”

Goodwill defined the public’s first look at the facility that will house women from Boca Raton to Vero Beach.

Donated furniture and garnishes filled the rooms. The walls had a brand new paint job.

Jupiter resident Dolores Solomon donated a fridge, freezer, stoves and a dishwasher to bring the kitchen up to speed. Demorest Construction was on board from day one to provide contractor work.

Dr. Mark Fedele offered his free dental services. Wesley Scott of Indian River Shutter Co. in Palm City promised free blinds. Ladies from Loblolly Country Club have been decorating the women’s bedrooms.

More helping hands keep volunteering, and the shelter has totaled close to $200,000 in donations.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A highly anticipated federal investigation of Chinese drywall is expected to be released today, and it could be worth thousands of dollars for affected homeowners.

That’s because the report may trigger the availability of federal funds that affected homeowners could use to lessen their losses, according to a spokesman for Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. “We certainly want to wrap up this investigation,” said Bryan Gulley, a Nelson spokesman. “People need answers.”

Scott Wolfson, a spokesman for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is overseeing the investigation, said the study of 51 homes “is part of our commitment to affected families and Congress to share scientific data as soon as it becomes available.”
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STUART — An online neighborhood Web site is including the city of Stuart in its top 20 list of best places to retire.

NeighborhoodScout.com ranked the city No. 18 in the nation on a list of 20 cities where people can retire for less than $150,000.

The rankings were posted on the popular Web search engine AOL.com.

Corpus Christi, Texas is No. 1 on the list.
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ST. LUCIE COUNTY — After weeks of police officer training in a classroom, Indian River State College students move on to a small platform that provides a high-tech simulation of how they react in a real-life situation.

They’re given a weapon that only emits lasers and equipped with a belt that zaps them if they put themselves in danger.

“It teaches consequences if they make bad decisions,” Stephen Huntsberger, associate dean of Public Service Education for IRSC, said of the VirTra Systems simulator at the complex.

The simulator is one of the planned demonstrations at Friday’s public open house at the new Indian River State College Public Safety Complex.
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MARTIN COUNTY — If the Martin County Commission approves changes to the shoreline protection law next week, 28 properties with seawalls and hardened shorelines could develop marinas and restaurants within 20 feet of the water.

The change would allow the properties in Community Redevelopment Areas to expand within the current 20-foot wide protection buffer on hardened shorelines. The amendment includes a 10-foot construction setback for principal structures.

Commissioner Doug Smith, who proposed the change, said the amendment will allow waterfront properties to complete shoreline projects that could stimulate business. The waterfront was fruitful for development before the current shoreline protection law passed in the 1990s.
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Though the summer brought tough budget cuts to Treasure Coast schools, a push into the digital age and environmental consciousness will be top priorities for the school year that begins today as thousands of students head back to classrooms.

St. Lucie County school officials closed Port St. Lucie Elementary and Southbend K-8 School, both in Port St. Lucie, at the end of the last school year and eliminated middle school and junior varsity sports districtwide.

Martin County also made cuts in sports and tightened individual school budgets for expenses like field trips and school supplies, but the fact that two schools this year became Title I schools also brought extra federal money to the district.

Martin Schools Superintendent Nancy Kline on Friday said this year will be the first for the Martin Virtual School, which will provide online instruction to students at all grade levels.

“It’s particularly helpful for students who will have to take extended absences from school, though virtual schools in general are becoming more and more popular,” Kline said.

Some students in St. Lucie County will get a taste of the high-tech at two new charter schools — The Nau Charter School and Renaissance Charter School, both in Port St. Lucie.
Renaissance Principal Eric Lewis said teachers at the new school spent the last few weeks reviewing curriculum and learning how to navigate around high-tech classrooms inside the $10 million building, which will include five laptop computers in each classroom.

“We used to think of the average classroom supplies in terms of papers and pencils, or glue and glitter, but now there are so many other tools at our disposal,” Lewis said.

And though the St. Lucie County school officials made significant cuts to the district’s after-school programs, some administrators still found ways for expansion.

Leaders at Village Green Elementary, for example, responded to news that their after-school environmental program would be cut with plans to integrate the program into their day-to-day curriculum. They unveiled plans for the school’s Global Environmental Studies Center magnet in June, a plan St. Lucie Schools Superintendent Michael Lannon said will actually save the district money.

“What they’ve been able to do is remarkable,” Lannon said.

DETAILS BY COUNTY
St. Lucie
Charters: Two new charter schools, The Nau Charter and Renaissance Charter, open today.
Sports: Budget cuts mean no junior varsity or middle school athletics unless the schools are able to pay for them.
Transportation: Transportation hotline is 772-340-4849. The phones will be manned from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, with bilingual staff available. Transportation to magnet schools will be more limited this year, with fewer stops.
Supplies: Supply lists for individual schools, open house schedules and sports release forms are available online.
For more information, visit www.stlucie.k12.fl.us

Martin
Funding: Though school officials had to make cuts, the naming of two schools as Title I schools brought extra funding to the district.
Virtual School: Students for the first time will be able to receive instruction online through the Martin Virtual School. Eligible students had until August 12 to enroll.
Academics: Academically advanced middle school students in Martin this year will have more opportunities to take high school courses like Geometry, Integrated Science and Algebra. The 8th grade academic intervention program, which last school year helped 148 students in danger of failing pass through to the 9th grade, will be expanded to also target 6th and 7th graders.
Transportation: For transportation questions, call: 772-219-1287
For more information, visit www.sbmc.org.

PORT ST. LUCIE — A man who reportedly “escaped” from a hospital told police he went in a house to get a drink of water, later noting he took a cold shower and grabbed some items from the residence, according to an arrest affidavit released Tuesday.

Justino Cruz, 27, went to jail on felony burglary and misdemeanor petit theft charges following the alleged Monday night incident on Southeast Berkshire Boulevard.

While the victims were telling police their home wasn’t as they left it, Cruz, of the 1500 block of Southeast Royal Green Circle, walked out of the backyard, according to a report.
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FORT PIERCE — St. Lucie County Fire District crews Thursday morning battled a fire suspected of being arson at a rooming house under renovation, according to the Fire District. There were no injuries.

Fire District crews were called at 5:50 a.m. to the incident in the 500 block of Douglas Court and had the fire under control by 6:15 a.m.

“No one was inside at the time of the fire but it’s reported that a gentleman had been living in the home,” Fire District spokeswoman Catherine Chaney said.

The fire started in the attic and damaged about 50 percent of the structure, which does not have power.

Chaney declined to give details on what led investigators to label the cause as arson.

The property is owned by Rey Property Investors LLC, according to the St. Lucie County Property Appraiser’s Web site. The three-bedroom home was bought in December for $70,000.

By Will Greenlee, TCPalm.com

FORT PIERCE — A man who police have said could be responsible for 20 burglaries or attempted burglaries of occupied homes since March was arrested Tuesday afternoon.

Police, with the help of a U.S. Marshals Service task force, apprehended Derrick L. Hickman, 33, for whom investigators obtained an arrest warrant in connection with a May attempted burglary in the 1600 block of Havana Avenue.

Investigators suspect Hickman could be responsible for 19 other burglaries or attempted burglaries, Fort Pierce police Sgt. Dennis McWilliams has said.
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STUART — More than a century ago, shipwrecked sailors who washed up on the Treasure Coast immediately looked for mile markers nailed to trees and posts to direct them to safety.

These markers were designed to be easily understood by men from every country and education level. Over time they were lost to history, but replicas are currently on display at the House of Refuge at Gilbert’s Bar. (more…)