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.
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PORT ST. LUCIE — Patients wanting to try out Martin Memorial’s freestanding emergency department in St. Lucie West should find their own ride.

St. Lucie County fire and rescue crews are bypassing the freestanding facility in favor of emergency departments at hospitals such as St. Lucie Medical Center and Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute.

“We’re evaluating what type of patients we will transport to that facility,” St. Lucie County Fire Chief Ron Parrish said. “We want to make sure the citizens of the community are going to get the best care in the most timely manner.”
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MARTIN COUNTY — Dorothy McManus got her own personal chauffeured bus from Halpatiokee Regional Park to West Palm Beach to start her work week Monday.

The Stuart resident, who takes a train from West Palm Beach to work in Broward County, had the bus to herself on the inaugural 5:10 a.m. Palm Tran Commuter Express. McManus was the first rider on the area’s first mass transit service offered between Martin and Palm Beach counties on Monday.

Four people hopped on the bus for the service’s 6:10 a.m. departure to Palm Beach County.
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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.

ST. LUCIE COUNTY — School transportation officials saved almost $3 million last year by consolidating bus routes and changing school bell times.

Marty Sanders, executive director of growth management for the district, told board members Tuesday night the district hopes to continue saving money by trimming bus routes and eliminating additional buses.

During the 2008-2009 school year, about $2.77 million was reduced from the transportation budget over the previous school year, Sanders said.
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STUART — An alleged crack dealer’s plan to allow a client to buy him shoes in exchange for drugs was stopped short by Stuart police Friday, according to an affidavit released Monday.

Michael Deshawn Harris, 30, of the 7900 block of Southeast Kingsway Street in Hobe Sound, was charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and resisting arrest without violence.

Police had been watching a foreclosed home in the 800 block of Southeast Nassau Street after a suspicious vehicle was reported parked in the driveway several times that day.
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Motorists preparing for the July 4 weekend should take precautions while driving through St. Lucie and Martin counties on Interstate 95 this week.

Travelers should expect several lane closures on I-95 Monday through Thursday. Here’s a look at what will be closed and when to help avoid traffic:

Between State Road 70 to Midway Road: Two southbound lanes will be closed overnight, 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., Monday through Thursday between the two roads. The reason: A repaving project in St. Lucie County.

Southbound exit to St. Lucie West (Exit 121): Will be closed to all traffic from 9 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday. Continue to the Gatlin Boulevard interchange, turn around and travel north to the St. Lucie West interchange to exit.

Gatlin Boulevard interchange: One northbound lane in the area will be closed Thursday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. as part of the installation of overhead electronic message signs. The same project will require a northbound lane to be closed north of the High Meadows Avenue interchange and in the area of Bridge Road 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, as well as closure of a lane at the Kanner Highway interchange Tuesday and a lane at the State Road 714 interchange on Wednesday.

South Martin County: One northbound lane will be closed 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday as part of the construction of a truck weigh station.

By Eric Pfahler, TCPalm.com

STUART — Two girls were charged with aggravated battery Friday after they attacked a woman who was attempting to break up a fight between her son and another man, according to an affidavit released Monday.

The girls, ages 15 and 16, were at a party with the two men and rode with them to the woman’s house in the 4300 block of Southeast Chesapeake Bay Drive around 3:30 a.m.

The report says the two men began fighting as they arrived at the residence, and the woman came outside to try and break up the fight.
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A new shuttle service is offering low rates to and from Orlando.

Smart Shuttle Line Inc., a Melbourne-based company, started its services on the Treasure Coast area to add independent transportation to the airports and area attractions at an affordable rate.

The shuttle line, which opened about three months ago, will start offering routes to and from Orlando starting in July.

Smart Shuttle Line realized there was a transportation need to the Orlando Airport after a high demand of calls came in. (more…)