Key West

Transcription

Key West - KWest Productions

Key West THE NEWSPAPER August 3, 2007 Page www.kwtn.com
KEY WEST, FLORIDA • AUGUST 3, 2007
New Police IA Inspector
Under Investigation For
Allegedly Leaving Scene
Of Accident
KWTN Team Report
Key West Police Officer
Janeth Del Cid, 25, the newlyappointed Internal Affairs Inspector, is under investigation
herself after she allegedly left
the scene of a traffic accident
June 14.
According to the police
report, Del Cid was driving
west in the inside lane on North
Roosevelt Boulevard about 5:50
in the afternoon. According to
witnesses, Del Cid abruptly
changed lanes, cutting off a
motor scooter. The driver of the
scooter, 23-year-old Matthew
Cleveland, lost control and fell
to the pavement.
ABRUPT LANE CHANGE
ALLEGEDLY CAUSES ACCIDENT.
AFTER WITNESSES CHASE DOWN
COP, SHE TELLS THEM SHE IS
AWARE OF THE CRASH AND THAT
SHE HAS CALLED IT IN
Del Cid did not stop until
witnesses chased her down.
She reportedly told them that
she was aware of the crash and
that she had called it in.
Del Cid apparently did
not return to the accident scene
but when contacted by the
officer who investigated the
crash, she admitted that she
was aware of the crash and said
that she had reported it.
The scooter driver was
not seriously injured and refused transport to the hospital
for evaluation. There were no
citations issued.
Police officials refused to
answer questions about who
Del Cid may have contacted at
the police station or why she
See ACCIDENT, page 3
PROFILE
Where In the World
Is Sally O’Boyle?
by Rhonda
Linseman
Recent transplants to the island
may recognize Sally
O’Boyle, the selfdescribed “recovering” Realtor, but few
realize the extent to
which Sally has been
involved in many
facets of Key West
culture for thirty years. And
now, from Costa Rica, Sally and
her family continue to serve
and inspire Key West and the
world.
At age 17, Sally left Kentucky to study theatre and
sociology at Lindenwood University and never looked back.
After graduating, she moved
to Los Angeles, then
New York City, and
finally did a threedecade stint in Key
West, beginning in the
mid 70s.
She ran the Artist House guesthouse
for several years and
became an instant local celebrity with her
breakthrough performance of “Grease” at the Waterfront Playhouse in 1983.
She has made a living as an
actress, advertising copywriter,
aerobic instructor, bartender,
Fabulous Spectrelle, graphic
artist, homemaker, holistic
camp counselor, office manager, real estate broker, retail
See SALLY page 7
page one commentary
Wisteria Island and the Right to Vote On
Annexation Promise To Be Campaign Issues
PREDICTION: CANDIDATES WHO
ARE FOR ANNEXATION OF
WISTERIA ISLAND AND AGAINST
THE PEOPLE’S RIGHT TO VOTE
ON ANNEXATION COULD BE
DEAD MEAT ON ELECTION DAY
by Dennis Reeves Cooper
In the wake of the lessthan-graceful effort by some
on the City Commission to ram
through the annexation of Wisteria Island— and, then, the refusal of this same cabal to even
allow the people to weigh in on
this issue through a non-binding referendum— a group of
citizens calling themselves the
Wisteria Island Committee have
banded together to try to use
a petition initiative to amend
the City Charter to ensure that
citizens will always be given
the opportunity to approve or
disapprove the annexation of
any property into the City of
Key West.
The goal of this group
is to get the proposed Charter amendment on the ballot
See ISSUES, page 4
THE ISLAND’S OLDEST INDEPENDENT WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
RHONDA
Ants
by Rhonda Linseman
As a kid I lived with my
mom in Michigan, but spent
time with my dad in Key West.
He lived someplace different
each time I came down--a
trailer on Stock Island, an upper
apartment behind the Roosevelt Burger King, a house on
Petronia, and even somebody’s
non-conforming 10x10 back
yard shed complete with a toilet
in the tiny closet (I’m compelled
to mention that the closet door
couldn’t be closed when one
was sitting on the closet throne,
so one’s knees protruded into
the main living area).
No matter where he lived,
though, one thing was consistent. Ants.
I learned early on that ants
are everywhere here and they’re
not leaving. The best we can
hope for is to have a moderate
amount of control over them
inside the house. They’re part
of life and it’s easier to accept
them than to make ourselves
miserable pretending we can
escape their company.
I’m not going to give tips
on how to keep them out of your
Fruity Pebbles (impossible) or
how to trap and release them.
But since we begrudgingly
share paradise with them, I
thought I’d expose my sunny
side and share the following few
positive notes about the teensy
sonsabitches:
Love chickens? Ants are
a source of protein for our freeroaming chickens.
Hate chickens? Ants eat
dead animals so, in mass, they’ll
clean up that rooster whose
head you accidentally dropped
a brick on last Sunday morning
at the crack of dawn on your first
day off in three weeks.
Can’t even stand in your
own yard because a stealthy
swarm of fire ants will have
your tibia exposed from ankle
to knee in 30 seconds? Good
news--fire ants eat ticks. At least
you can take comfort in knowing you’re unlikely to contract
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
from a tick bite.
Ants move dirt around
and put air into the soil. If we
had soil, that would matter.
A lot.
Sugar ants provide a
trail to the sticky remains of
the marshmallow peeps your
toddler stored between your
mattress and box spring last
Easter.
Small children name them
and believe they’re seeing the
same ants each time. They’re the
everlasting pet so you’ll never
have to stage a backyard funeral
and deal with weepy, brokenhearted kids. Speck, Dot, and
Fleck are beloved and perpetual
members of our family, often
resting snugly between the sole
of my shoe and the floor.
Ants provide an interesting model for managing an effective, stable colony. A female
is in charge. Females also efficiently do everything requiring
more than one step in a process.
There are few males, and they’re
used for the sole purpose of
mating. Then they die.
Rhonda Linseman answers email at rhonda@kwtn.
com.
Key West THE NEWSPAPER August 3, 2007 Page NEWS BRIEFS
Investigation of
KWPD Officer Being
Handled by FDLE in
Tallahassee
Last week, Key West The Newspaper reported that Key
West Police Sgt. Pablo Rodriguez was under investigation by the
Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for allegedly
running down a suspect in his patrol car and then attempting to
coerce a fellow officer to destroy a video recording of the incident.
The complaint was initially sent to the Monroe County State
Attorney’s Office (SAO). The SAO forwarded it to FDLE.
KWTN’s report also pointed out that the FDLE local agent
in charge, Kathy Smith, is married to one of Rodriguez’ commanding officers, Capt. Scott Smith— and suggested that this
could be a conflict of interest. This week, Kristen Perezluha, an
FDLE spokeswoman, called to report that the allegation will not
be investigated in Key West. It is being investigated by the FDLE’s
Executive Investigative Unit, based in Tallahassee.
Accident
FROM page 1
did not stop or return to the scene, claiming that an internal
investigation of the incident had been launched.
A source close to the department told Key West the Newspaper that the original police report had not implicated Del Cid
at all, reporting only that a “phantom” vehicle had caused the
accident and had left the scene. Police officials deny that two
www.kwtn.com
The Last Thing Proponents Of
Wisteria Island Annexation
Wanted Is That the Issue Would
Turn Into a Political Football.
Too Late. Play Ball
ISSUES, from page 1
in October. But that may not
happen, at least not this year.
Although we hear that committee members have collected hundreds of signatures
from registered voters in Key
West— maybe even close to the
required 1400 needed to get the
question on the ballot— City
Attorney Shawn Smith is telling
committee organizers that the
amendment they are proposing
is probably illegal. He cites a
2004 opinion by the State Attorney General.
Here is the Charter amendment the committee is proposing. See if it sounds illegal to
you: “Annexation of any and all
real property may only be by a
vote of the electors of the City.”
All this proposed amendment
says is that if the Mayor and City
Commissioners want to annex a
piece of property into the City of
Key West, they simply have to
ask the voters first. What could
make more sense?
The Charter already demands that the Commission
ask permission from the voters
before they sell any City-owned
property or even before they
lease out any City-owned
property for more than 10 years.
A referendum has already
been placed on the ballot in
November to ask the voters if
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Tanqueray 1.75 33.99
CHAMPAGNE & WINE
Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label On Sale51.99
Esperto Pinot Grigio .750 12.99
Krug On Sale! .750 135.99
LIQUORS
Jagermeister
Lit 27.99
RUM
Bacardi Lite & Dark
1.75 20.99
Capt. Morgan 1.75 21.99
Mount Gay 1.75 22.99
Malibu 1.75 21.99
SCOTCH
Johnny Walker Red
1.75 29.99
Dewars White Label
1.75 34.99
WHISKEY
Crown royal 1.75 39.99
Jim Beam
1.75 24.99
Jack Daniel’s 1.75 35.99
TEQUILLA
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Cabo Wabo Silver .750 36.99
they are willing to lease out a
piece of City-owned property
to an unnamed company for 99
years to manage the proposed
assisted- and independent living facility here.
You may recall that, a
couple of years ago, there was
talk of annexing Stock Island.
Had that proposal gotten to the
serious stage, Key West voters
as well as voters on Stock Island
would have been asked to approve annexation.
So why not allow the
voters to approve or diapprove “special” annexation requests— like Wisteria Island?
The organizers of the
Wisteria Island Committee say
they are willing to go to court to
defend their right to use a petition initiative to try to amend
the City Charter. And if they
can’t get the question on the
ballot this year, they will work
to get it on next year. We hope
they have the gumption and the
money to do that.
Indeed, the petition initiative is a wondrous provision
of the Key West City Charter.
It allows— even encourages
— citizens to make law. If a
CONTINUED on next page
Organizers Of Wisteria Island
Committee Say They Are Ready
To Go To Court to Win Right To
Put Charter Amendment On Ballot
ISSUES, from page 4
citizens’ committee can collect
the signatures of 10 percent of
the 14,000 registered voters in
the City, they can get a question on the ballot. And if the
majority of voters who go to the
polls vote “yes”, the question
becomes law!
The last successful petition initiative here was in 2002,
when more than 60 percent of
those who went to the polls
voted “yes” to create a Citizen
Review Board (CRB) to oversee
an out-of-control Key West Police Department. The passage of
that referendum was adamantly
opposed by then-Mayor Jimmy
Weekley, then-City Manager Julio Avael, then-Police Chief Buz
Dillon and the police union. But
the voters kicked their collective asses! And, subsequently,
Jimmy was defeated at the
polls, Buz was fired and Julio’s
contract was not renewed. And
we now have a CRB.
But the CRB question
came very close to not making
the ballot. When the deadline
came to have all the signatures
in, the Committee For a Citizen
Review Board (CCRB) was a
couple of hundred short. The
Mayor crowed. The City Manager crowed. The Police Chief
crowed. And the police union
crowed.
But as they say, it ain’t
over ‘til the overweight lady
sings. The Mayor and the City
Commissioners also wanted
to put a couple of referendum
questions on the ballot that year,
but they, too, had missed the
deadline to get the language
of the questions in to Supervisor of Elections Harry Sawyer.
And when they asked for more
time, Sawyer said, “Sure, but the
CCRB gets more time, too.”
With the additional time,
the CCRB easily collected the
additional signatures— and the
rest is history.
This whole flap about
annexation got started earlier
this year when the owners of
Wisteria Island— that little
21-acre scrap of fill land that
sits out there in Key West Har-
bor— asked the City Commission to annex the property so
they could develop it. You see,
right now, the island is in unincorporated Monroe County.
And under the County’s development rules, they could only
build two houses out there. But
if they could get the City Commission to annex the property
into the City, they could build as
many as 166 units on the island
and make millions and millions
of dollars.
And since the City Commission can make this decision
without asking for approval by
the voters, all the owners and
potential developers had to do
was persuade four of the seven
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City Elections: Let’s See How Many
Candidates Are Willing to Say, “Yeah, I’m All
For Annexing Wisteria Island and No, I Won’t
Support Your Right To Vote On It!”
ISSUES, from page 1
members of the Commission to
see it their way. And with millions of dollars at stake, there
could be plenty of cocoa butter
to spread around to make that
happen.
We now know, for example, that Commissioner
Harry Bethel got $1500 in campaign contributions from three
members of the Walsh family,
who own Ocean Properties, the
company that reportedly had
the contract to develop Wisteria
Island. He has since returned
those contributions.
When annexation of Wisteria Island came before the City
Commission for first reading, it
passed easily, 5-2. Only Commissioners Bill Verge and Mark
Rossi voted no. The final vote
was scheduled May 15.
On May 10, Commissioners Bethel, Danny Kolhage and
Clayton Lopez were hosted at a
lavish dinner on Sunset Key. At
the dinner were two representatives of Ocean Properties.
At the Commission meeting five days later, Bethel and
Kolhage pushed hard for a
final vote on annexation, even
though Mayor Morgan McPherson and Commissioner Rossi
were absent. The vote to table
was 3-2. For some reason, Bethel
and Kolhage were really hot to
trot on annexation. For some
reason, they wanted it bad!
The final vote was rescheduled until July 17. As
that date approached, our
vote count here at Key West
The Newspaper was 3-3, with
Bethel, Kolhage and McPherson
in the “yes” column. Nobody
was sure about Commissioner
Jose Menendez, although he
had already told the Key West
Citizen that he would vote to
put a non-binding referendum
on the ballot to let the voters
weigh in on the issue.
Apparently, owners and
potential developers of the
island were not sure either,
so they withdrew— at least
temporarily— their request for
annexation.
But Commissioner Verge
had put a vote for a non-binding
referendum on the agenda of
the July 17 meeting to at least try
to measure public opinion on
the issue of annexing Wisteria
Island. McPherson, Bethel, Kolhage— and Menendez— voted
no. Go figure.
But the good news is
that annexation— Wisteria
Island specifically, as well as
the people’s right to vote on
annexation in general— is sure
to be an issue in the upcoming
City elections. Every candidate
for the City Commission will
be expected to take a stand on
this issue. And we predict that
any candidate who takes the
position that the people don’t
have the right to vote on annexation could be dead meat
on election day.
Sally: The Plan Was To Run Away To Costa
Rica for a Year. But Now . . .
SALLY, from page 1
salesperson, singing telegram
delivery person, small business
owner, and waitress.
Her biggest project, however, was the acquisition of her
husband and kindred spirit,
Hal, in 1989. They had two boys
in the early 90s and things fell
into place as things are wont
to do.
But being tied to a particular landscape is difficult
for one living a life incessantly
inspired. Hurricane Wilma and
the subsequent downturn in the
real estate market, combined
with some family lessons that
reminded them of the true brevity of life, provided the spurring
inspiration for Sally and her
family to do what they’d been
considering for years.
“We’d always wanted to
run away for a year” she told
KWTN this week. “We wanted
to learn another language and
culture with our boys while they
still like us.”
Sally and company moved
their lives to Costa Rica in January of 2006. They arrived with
16 bags of luggage and four
laptops. They chose Costa Rica
because they’d known lots of
people who had been there, and
they’d never heard anybody
say they wouldn’t return. They
were also drawn by the absence
of military, the relative safety,
the natural beauty, and good
weather.
“It seemed as good a place
as any,” she said, “but what
a lucky thing to have picked
Costa Rica!”
The one-year adventure
has turned into a year and a half
with no serious talk of returning
to Key West in the near future.
When asked about returning,
she indicated a remote possibility, but added that once one lives
outside the United States, the
whole world opens up. “We’re
so happy here, but we could
live in another country should
the opportunity present itself.”
she admitted.
Sally and Hal have homeschooled their children since the
beginning, and since they work
at home, they’re together nearly
all the time.
“That’s unusual, I think,
but we’re happy with it. We
laugh at the same things and
genuinely enjoy each other.”
Sickening, isn’t it?
For work, she is considering selling real estate in Costa
Rica, but noted that the market
seems to be following close on
the heels of that in the U.S. She
still has her Key West property
management business with
agents on the ground here and
it’s going very well. In fact,
they’re looking to expand. And
with some planning ahead, she
has found travel between Costa
Rica and Key West to be surprisingly easy and reasonable.
Sally and Hal are also both
publishing books. She has two
in the works about moving to
Costa Rica, while his is a collection of essays.
Hal’s weekly column
has appeared in Key West the
Newspaper for years.
Sally’s life is full of funny
and inspiring anecdotes. She’s
been keeping a widely read
blog— practically a daily journal about life in Costa Rica.
Check it out at www.abroadincostarica.com. She has a talent
for writing about her enviable
life without simultaneously
making you think your own
life sucks.
“You know, our plan
when we left Key West was to
be gone for a year, but we fell in
love with living in Costa Rica,
and with NOT living in the
states.” She said. “It has truly
been a big surprise to us how
much we prefer it. We’re now
reinventing ourselves, which
we would probably be doing
in Key West, were we still there.
Pura Vida!”
film
What’s On At the Tropic?
Able Body Fitness Center is proudly
registered with the State of Florida as a
Health Studio. Registration No. HS4729
Opens Friday!
LA VIE EN ROSE
The “Little Sparrow”
Edith Piaf, the most famous
and beloved French singer of
our time, lives again in an
uncanny portrayal by Marion
Cotillard. From the streets of
Paris to the limelight of New
York’s glamorous concert halls,
Edith Piaf’s life was a constant
battle for love and survival.
Her passionate romances and
friendships with such luminaries as Yves Montand, Jean
Cocteau, Charles Aznavour,
Marlene Deitrich, and middleweight champion Marcel Cedan made her as famous as she
was for her beautiful renditions
of songs like “La Vie en Rose.”
But in trying to alter her tragic
destiny she flew so high that
she could not fail to burn her
wings. Soundtrack full of Piaf’s
own enchanting voice with
“Non je ne regrette rien” and
“La vie en rose” among others.
Co-starring Sylvie Testud and
Gérard Depardieu. Roger Ebert
calls it “one of the best biopics
I’ve seen,” and the viewers
are unanimous is calling Mlle.
Cotillard’s performance a “tour
de force.”
“absolutely exhilarating.”
Time Out New York
“’tragic, romantic blockbuster’ of a movie that not only
captures the (soap) operatic life
of its subject with unflinching
honesty but refuses to see her
any other way.” Globe and Mail
(Toronto)
Rated PG-13, Runtime
2hrs 10min. In French w/subtitlles. Showtimes (in Carper):
Daily at (2:30), 5:00 and 7:30pm,
except no 7:30pm show on
Thursday, August 9.
* * *
Opens Friday!
CRAZY LOVE
Filmmaker Dan Klores
tells the astonishing story of
the obsessive roller-coaster
relationship of Burt and Linda
Pugach, which shocked the
nation during the summer
of 1959. Burt, a 32-year-old
married attorney, and Linda,
a beautiful, single 20-year-old
girl living in the Bronx, had
a whirlwind romance, which
culminated in a violent and
psychologically complex set of
actions that landed the pair’s
saga on the cover of endless
LA VIE EN ROSE
newspapers and magazines.
With the cooperation of the
principles, Burt, now 79, and
Linda, 68, Klores examines the
human psyche and the concepts
of love, obsession, insanity,
hope and forgiveness.
Rated: PG-13. Runtime
1hr 53mins. Showtimes (in
Taylor): Daily at (2:15) and
6:15 pm
* * *
Opens Friday!
BOSS OF IT ALL
The owner of an technology firm (Peter Gantzler) wants
to sell up. There is just one problem: back when he started the
firm he invented a fictitious boss
to hide behind when there were
unpopular decisions to make.
The would-be buyer (Fridrik
Thor Fridriksson) insists on
negotiating with the boss in
the flesh so the owner resorts
to employing a down-at-heel
actor (Jens Albinus) to play the
part. Eventually the actor discovers he is a pawn in a game,
which sorely tests his (lack of)
moral fiber. A new comedy
written and directed by Lars
von Trier, best known for the
dramas Dancer in the Dark and
Breaking the Waves, his “least
pretentious and most sheerly
enjoyable” picture in years.
(Variety). “Who knew the man
had a workplace comedy in
him, let alone one this sharp?”
asks the Boston Globe.
“a wonderfully perceptive study of the use and abuse
of power set in a concrete, everyday context “ Philadelphia
Inquirer
“Funny is not a word often
used to describe von Trier’s output, but Boss definitely is that,
thanks to a breezy script and a
bright cast.” NY Post
Key West THE NEWSPAPER August 3, 2007 Page What’s On At the
Tropic?
FROM previous page
Not Rated. Runtime 1hr
40 (partially subtitled)
Showtimes (in The
George): Daily at (4:15) and
8:15pm
* * *
Held over! Don’t miss the
summer’s “magical, beguiling”
sleeper sensation!
ONCE
Everybody loves Once, a
modern-day musical set on the
streets of Dublin, featuring Glen
Hansard and his Irish band The
Frames, plus the wonderfully
appealing young Czech actress
Markéta Irglová. An emotionally vulnerable street musician
(Hansard) meets a Czech immigrant (Irglová) unable to afford
the piano she yearns for. They
are both outsiders, struggling
with their art and their hearts.
Through music they find a common bond, and over the course
of an intense few days, their
relationship blossoms.
Putting together a band
to rehearse songs and record
some demos brings some muchneeded impetus to their artistic
and personal lives. Winner of
the Audience Award for World
Cinema (Drama) at the 2007
Sundance Film Festival, it’s a
“a miracle of a movie that is
both fairy tale and slice of life.”
(Seattle Post-Intelligencer), and
“a magical beguiling wonder”
(Rolling Stone).. Once “reinvents the movie musical as a
genre of swooning rock ‘n’ roll
realism.”(Boston Globe). “The
music is so rich and completely
satisfying and the characters
so appealing Once makes us
believe that this is all happening right in front of our eyes.
We fall for each of these young
people at the precise moment
they are falling for each other,
and what could be better than
that?” (L.A. Times).
Rated R. Runtime 1hr
28minShowtimes (in Taylor):
Daily at (2:00), 4:00, 6:00 and
8:00pm
* * *
SPECIAL EVENTS
Thursday, Aug 9 at 9:00pm
from LOGO TV— GLBT Presents the Presidental Debates on
the big screen at the Tropic
Lambda Democrats, MTV
Logo and the Human Rights
Campaign Foundation are
about to make history. On August 9, they’ll be co-hosting the
first ever televised presidential
forum dedicated solely to questions about GLBT issues. Singer
Melissa Etheridge, Joe Solmonese (HRCF) and esteemed
journalist Jonathan Capehart
are panelists!
Want to know what Senator Clinton really thinks of
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?” Want to
hear Senator Obama’s thoughts
on Hate Crimes legislation, or
what Senator Edwards would
do to address GLBT workplace
discrimination? This is your
chance.
Confirmed: Hillary Clinton, Christopher Dodd, John
Edwards, Mike Gravel, Dennis
Kucinich, Barack Obama, Bill
Richardson
Free Admission. Donation Requested.
www.kwtn.com
Key West THE NEWSPAPER August 3, 2007 Page 10
www.kwtn.com
OPINION
hal o'boyle
Dumbest Commissioner?
Keep the Vice
Squad Private
by Dennis Reeves Cooper
In our page one commentary two weeks ago, we
suggested that Jose Menendez may be the dumbest
Commissioner in the history of City government after
he refused to vote “yes” for a proposal to allow Key
Westers to participate in a non-binding referendum on
the potential annexation of Wisteria Island. Although
we disagreed with the way he voted, that’s not why
we called him dumb. We called him dumb because his
stated rationale for voting ”no” was that he had seen
some photographs that showed trash on the island.
Really. We don’t make this stuff up.
Based on that rationale, we wonder if, now, he
might reconsider his vote— because, a couple of weeks
ago, a group of volunteers went out and cleaned up
the island, at no charge to the wealthy owners.
How about it, Jose? Now that the island has
been cleaned up, how would you vote if the proposed
referendum came up again at the next Commission
meeting? Oh, never mind. By now, he probably doesn’t
even remember what he voted on or why.
A related note: Since we published that commentary, we have received a number of emails taking
issue with our ranking Menendez as the dumbest
Commissioner in the history of City government—
and the writers nominated their own choices for the
dumbest ever. It’s not too late for you to send in your
nomination to TheBluePaper@kwtn.com. So far, Jose
is tied for third.
ON THE SONNY SIDE
Next Door To The World
by Charles “Sonny” McCoy
During World War II, the navy constructed
runways, blimp pads, and all the ancillary infrastructure at the Key West Airport to combat the German
U-Boat menace. These submarines would hunt in the
constricted waters of the Florida Straits for shipping
that had to pass from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic. Most of the military facilities north of the present
airport was abandoned after the war but its scarring
of the area remained.
When it was selected as the location to provide
housing for an Island city that was limited in its available locations, it was necessary to satisfy all the concerns of the many agencies and environmental groups
that might have objections and finally to respond to
those concerns in a Federal Court. After clearing all
the hoops, a development was undertaken to construct homes and facilities to create a community for
three thousand people and at the same time protect
the sensitive wet lands that are juxtaposed to this
development. Portions of an old runway and blimp
pad remains but this will soon be removed to satisfy
mitigation concessions to return these old World War
II relics back to wetlands.
This new community on the eastern end of the
Island is now complete and the State Department of
Transportation has rebuilt South Roosevelt Boulevard
to service this community and the airport. The airport
itself is undergoing a major overhaul to comply with
the security requirements of the FAA and some long
overdue safety improvements. It is important that all
these things are done in a compatible way. Since this
small Island has to support a variety of non-compatible
functions it is essential that conflicts are mitigated. The
design of this housing development had to take into
consideration the avigation easements of the airport
that limited the height of the structures on the south
side of the project. Fortunately, the project does not
conflict with any approach or departure zones. This
housing community is just that; it contains many of
the amenities that are needed to make a community.
There are many swimming pools, a small shopping
area, a hotel, tennis courts, and many nature areas.
This eastern end of the Island of Key West,
which was altered to accommodate the needs of the
military to control and protect a vital sea passage,
has now been returned to accommodate a civilian
population that has decided that they want to live in
a sun-drenched tropical Island with the convenience
of an airport close by that will take them anywhere
in the world in jet time.
Sonny McCoy is a Monroe County Commissioner and a former five-term Key West Mayor.
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TheBluePaper@kwtn.com
305-292-1882 Fax
PO Box 567
Key West FL 33041
by Hal O’Boyle
Roman Catholicism is the official government
religion here in Costa Rica, although the Ticos don’t
seem to care what your religion is. Having an official
religion appears to provide the Costa Ricans a sensible
and wonderfully tolerant attitude toward sin. Perhaps
it’s the convenience of the Sacrament of Penance. Or
maybe it’s the cultural effect of the graceful Spanish
word for sin, pecado. A pecado sounds like such an
excellently trivial little habit, something for which no
one would condemn a caballero [gentleman]. Or his
doña [his lady], for that matter.
Official government sin policy is sensible,
tolerant and understanding of human weakness. All
the most common vices— drinking, gambling and
prostitution — are legal here. It is by no means an
endorsement or even less a recommendation. The
Costa Ricans are aware of the ruinous social pathology
that springs from overindulgence in any vice. They
are also smart enough to realize that criminalizing
sin won’t make it go away. It simply turns sinners
into criminals.
A recent newspaper article discussed an American hotel owner’s campaign to stamp out prostitution
in his hotel. There’s a one-man vice squad, thought
I, bringing the benefits of American prudery and
moral superiority to the benighted peasants of Central
See O'BOYLE, page 24
Key West
West
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Mail: P.O. Box 567, Key West FL 33041
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Editor/Publisher Dennis Reeves Cooper, Ph.D.
Associate Editor Rhonda Linseman
Entertainment Valerie Ridenour
Photography Richard Watherwax
Art Director Art Winstanley
Advertising Darlene Ashcroft
Contributors Michael Barnes, Bob Smith,
Hal O’Boyle, Sonny McCoy, Barbara Bowers,
Meryl Berman, Harry Skevington
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ENTERTAINMENT • EATING & DRINKING • NIGHTLIFE • ATTRACTIONS • EVENTS • ARTS • SHOPPING • MAP
Quintessense At Parrot: Iko Iko, Bonerama,
Bottlecap Lounge Plus Bong Hits For Geezers.
Sound Checks All Weekend!
MIKE GILLIS, with
Gordy Michael and
Richie Ciavolino
make up Quintessense. They’re at the
Bottlecap Lounge tonight, Friday, August
3, starting at 9:30.
Live Music On the
Island! Complete
Listings & Info
Pages 11-20
Another super music
week at the Green Parrot
Bar! Graham Wood Drout
returns with his legendary
south Florida swampblues band IKO IKO
(top photo) tonight and
tomorrow night, Friday
and Saturday, August 3-4,
starting at 10— with special 5:30 “sound checks”
both afternoons. Then, the
astonishing BONERAMA
is in the house Sunday and
Monday nights, February
5-6, starting at 10. Four
trombones! On Sunday afternoon at 5:30, the BONG
HITS FOR GEEZERS.
COMBand (below) will be
on hand for a special 5:30
“sound check”. Featured
players include Barry
Cuda and Kenny Fradley.
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more
more entertainment
entertainment
Nashville Star
Rick Monroe Back
At Cowboy Bill’s
RICK MONROE is back at Cowboy Bill’s tonight and tomorrow night, Friday and Saturday,
August 3-4, starting at 10. Locals Appreciation Party Tuesday night, with live music by Buther’s
Hollow.
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more entertainment
Schooner Wharf: McCloud
And Caffeine Carl
CAFFEINE CARL & THE BUZZ,
above, is at Schooner Wharf Bar
tonight and tomorrow night,
Friday and Saturday, August 3-4,
7 ‘til midnight.
MICHAEL McCLOUD, left, and
his friends hold court all weekend, noon ‘til 5.
OILY’S AUTO REPAIR
MIKE YOUNG, CERTIFIED ASE TECHNICIAN
5669 5th AVE, STOCK ISLAND• 296-6656
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what’s hot
Chad Allen
by Valerie Ridenour
If Chad Alan looks familiar it’s because you’ve seen
him at times playing guitar in
his father’s band. Chad’s dad
is Howard Livingston, whose
Mile Marker 24 band is nationally popular. Chad is an excellent rhythm guitarist, in fact
he is sponsored by Takamine,
which is quite an honor.
Chad does a single and
plays with his band. You’ll find
both often at the Looe Key Tiki
Bar on Ramrod Key, a fun place
to party. Chad, playing solo
had a country rock sound on
Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison
Blues”. He segues into “That’s
Allright, Mama”, then back into
“Folsom Prison”. His audience
loved it.
Next he sang Gary Allen’s
“Life Ain’t Always Beautiful”.
Beach Boys, anyone? Chad took
us for a sail on the “Sloop John
B.” Now he proves he can write
with an original from his CD,
“Out To Sea”. This is followed
by John Anderson’s wonderful
“Seminole Wind”. You’ll love
this one!
Chad moves into rock
now with John Mellencamp’s
“Little Pink Houses”. Dierks
Bentley’s “Short Piece of Time”
(long trip alone) is fine. Now
it’s Van Halen done country
rock, “I’m Your Ice Cream
Man”, followed by Travis Tritt’s
“I’m Gonna Be Somebody
Someday”. Now Chad honors
a request from some Nashville
folks for “Rocky Top”. The next
song was an excellent original
from the CD, “We’re In Love”.
Ask for it.
Chad’s band is fine! They
are Casey Jones on bass, Daniel
Hiles on Drums with his brother
David playing lead, Mark
Rautn on percussion, and Kurt
Gooch on keyboards. The CD,
which was produced by Chad
and David Tortolano at Cosmo
Studio features the marvelous
steel guitarist John Rickard who
plays with Mile Marker 24 on
their important gigs. He’s as
good as they get.
You can hear Chad Alan at
Looe Key Tuesday the seventh
with his band. So come on up.
It’s a bit of a drive, but definitely
worth it. We have great clubs
with fantastic music up here in
the boonies!
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RIDENOUR REPORT
by Valerie Ridenour
It was good to see Lorian
Hemingway and Carol Shaughnessy during the Hemingway
Days celebration. They are two
of my favorite people.
John Vagnoni is doing it
to us again. He’s bringing John
Wood Drought’s wonderful Iko
Iko back tonight and tomorrow
and Bonerama Sunday and
Monday. This is a very different brass band, four trombones.
New Orleans surfaces again.
Are you up for some good
jazz? The marvelous Dave
Burns with Lonnie Jacobson
and Richie Ciavolino will appear at St. Paul’s Church on
Sunday at four pm. Tickets
are ten dollars and worth every
penny.
My birthday mate and adopted brother, Skipper Kripitz
is living up to his name. He’s
skipping town after Tuesday’s
performance with the fabulous
Quartro Caballeros Tuesday
night at Virgilios to make his annual trek to Atlantic City, where
he grew up. We won’t hear or
see him until October.
There’s a new, well almost
new band in town named Bong
Hits for Geezers.com. No, I’m
not jesting. It’s Ken Fradley and
Barry Cuda, who thought their
DAVE & LONNIE
name was tame. They tell me
their music is Roots Americana,
yo mama’s music! I can’t wait
to hear it.
If you love Blue Heaven,
go soon. They will be closed
from September third till October twelvth. I keep hearing
this word I don’t understand.
What’s a vacation?
It’s official, Don Imus is
coming back. Kinky Freidman
let the cat out of the bag, but he
doesn’t know where or when.
Don knows he can’t keep a secret, so he didn’t tell him!
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NOW PLAYING
PLEASE NOTE: Entertainment schedules are always subject to last-minute changes and, sometimes, club schedules are
not available at press time. TBA stands for To Be Announced.
NAPT stands for Not Available At Press Time. Band times are
noted before the names of the bands in each listing. Please alert
Valerie Ridenour to errors and/or schedule changes. 872-1561.
entertainment@kwtn.com NOTE: Schedules are subject to change
without notice. To be sure the band of your choice is playing,
you may want to call the venue before you go.
AQUA: SAT, 3:30 – 6: 30,
Mike Emerson Trio * TUES – MON,
the Aquanettes
BEAR BOTTOM BEACH
CLUB: FRI & SAT, 6 – 10, Randy
Mac; 10 – 2, Matt Avery * MON &
TUES, 5 – 9, Acoustic Johnson *
WED, 5 – 9, Taz; 9 – 1, Matt Avery
BLUE HEAVEN: FRI, Din
Allen * SAT, Mary Spear * SUN,
brunch, Din Allen
B.O.’s FISH WAGON: FRI,
6pm, Barry Cuda & the Sharks
BOONDOCKS: FRI & SAT,
49 ft Sharpie* SUN, Gillis & Gordy
* MON, Barry Cuda & Friends
BOTTLECAP: FRI, Quintessense * THURS, Beef Chili & the
Con Carne Brothers
THE BULL: FRI, 1 – 5, Yankee Jack; 6 – 10, Jeanie Falcone; 10
– 2, Acoustic Thunder * SAT, 1 – 5,
Yankee Jack; 6 – 10, Jeanie Falcone;
10 – 2, Acoustic Thunder * SUN, 1
– 6, Elvis; 8 – 12, MON, 1 – 5, Elvis;
8 – 12, Baby T * TUES, 1 – 5, Dora;
8 – 12, Dawn Wilder * WED, 1 – 5,
Elvis; 8 – 12, Dawn Wilder * THURS;
1 – 5, Dora; 10 – 2, Dawn Wilder
CAPTAIN TONY’S: FRI &
SAT, noon, Rob Sweet; 4:30 Gary
Hempsey; 9 – 2, Carl Peachy Band *
SUN, noon, Bed Taddiken; 4:30, Tim
Bender; 8:30 – 12:30, Gary Hempsey
* MON, noon, Liz O’Connor; 4:30,
Rob Sweet; 8:30 – 12:30, Carl Peachy
Band * TUES, noon, Rob Sweet;
4:30, Gary Hempsey; 8:30 – 12:30
Gary Hempsey * WED, noon,
Ben Taddiken; 4:30, Tim Bender;
8:30 – 12:30, Carl Peachy Band *
THURS, noon Liz O’Connor; 4:39,
Gary Hempsey; 8:30 – 12:30, Carl
Peachy Band
CHEESEBURGER: FRI,
Nick Norman; SAT, Hershel Lester;
* SUN, Alphonse * TUES, Jim Wist *
THURS, Jim Wist; Rob & Tom
CONCH REPUBLIC SEAFOOD RESTAURANT: FRI, 2 – 6,
Joel Nelson; 7 – 11, Black & Skabuddah * SAT, 2 – 6, Joel Nelson; 7 – 11,
Zack Seemiller * SUN, 6 – 10, Melvin
Newton * MON, 6 -10, Zack Seemiller * TUES, 6 – 10, Melvin Newton
* WED, Din Allen * THURS, 6 – 10,
Black & Skabuddah
COWBOY BILL’S: FRI &
SAT, Rick Monroe * TUES, Butcher’s Hollow * WED & THURS,
Duncan Walters
DANTE’S: FRI, 4 - 8, Yvon
Agbo * SAT, 1:30 – 5:30, Fremont
John Band * THURS, 7pm, Open
Mic Night with Anthony * SUN,
1:30 – 5:30, Injade
DURTY HARRY’S: FRI
& SAT, 8:30, Durty Rita * MON
& TUES, Duo * WED & THURS,
Durty Rita
EIGHT O’ONE; drag shows
nightly
FINNEGAN’S WAKE: FRI,
SAT, & THURS, Dave Vizard
GARDEN OF EDEN: FRI
– THURS, DJ’s Timber & Lars
GEIGER KEY MARINA:
No music till fire damage repaired
GREEN PARROT: FRI
& SAT, 5:30pm sound check, 10
– 2, Iko Iko * SUN, 5:30 – 7, Bong
Hits For Geezerz; SUN & MON,
Bonerama
GUY HARVEY’S ISLAND
GRILL: FRI, 3 – 7, Alphonse; 7 – 10,
Michael McCloud * SAT, 3 – 7, Alphonse; 7 – 12, Michael McCloud
* SUN, 3 – 7 & 9 – 12, Chris Case
* MON & WED, 3 – 7, Alphonse
* THURS, 9 – 1, Mile Marker 24,
Jimmy
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NOW PLAYING
FROM previous page
HALF SHELL RAW BAR:
FRI, 5 - 7, Caffeine Carl * WED, 5
– 7, Caffeine Carl
HOG’S BREATH: FRI &
SAT, noon - 4, Bong Hits For Geezers; 5 – 9, Debloise; 10 – 2, Carter
Brothers * SUN, noon - 4, TBA; 5
– 9, Delboise; 10 – 2, Carter Brothers
* MON & TUES, noon – 4, Corey
Heydon; 5 – 9, Debloise; 10 – 2,
Haydn Vitera Band * WED, Joel
Nelson; TBA ; Haydn Vitera Band
Brothers * THURS, noon – 4, Joel
Nelson; 5 – 9, Debloise; 10 – 2,
Haydn Vitera Band
HOGFISH: FRI, Terry Cassidy * SAT, Dave Aaron * SUN,
Fremont John
ISLAND DOG: FRI – SUN,
George Victory
LA TE DA: Cabaret, FRI &
SAT, Broadway Three Ways Piano
Bar, FRI – SUN, Debra & Patrick
* MON, Bobby Nesbitt * TUES
– WED, Black & Skabuddah *
THURS, Debra & Patrick
LAZY GECKO: FRI, Terry
Cassidy * SAT, Dave Aaron *
TUES, Fremont John * WED, Loni
* THURS, Moose
LOOE KEY TIKI BAR:
SAT, Chad Alan Band * TUES,
Chad Alan
MARGARITAVILLE: FRI
-SUN, Nikki Bar * MON, Tim Bender; TUES – THURS, Nikki Bar
REDFISH/BLUEFISH :
SAT, Brian Paul * THURS, Tony
Roberts on the back patio
RICK’S: FRI, 11 – 3,Pete
Frazier;4 – 8, Ben Taddiken 8 – 12,
Uncle Bob * SAT, 12 – 4, Alphonse;
4 – 8, Ben Taddiken; 8 – 12,Uncle
Bob * SUN, 8 – 12, Ben Taddiken *
MON, 11am, Pete Frazier; 8 – 12,
Ben Taddiken * TUES, 11 - 4, Alphonse; 4 – 8, Uncle Bob * WED,
8 - 12, Uncle Bob * THURS, noon,
Alphonse; 8 – 12, Uncle Bob, Every
night, Karoake
RUM BARREL: FRI, 4pm,
Zack Seemiller; 8 – 12, Queen &
Yvon * SAT 4pm, Philo Logrande;
8 – 12, Moose Boles * SUN, 4pm,
Vinnie Mustache; 8 – 12, Corey
Heydon * TUES, 8 – 12, Raven
& Bubba * WED, 7 – 11, Moose *
THURS, 4pm, Yvon Agbo; 8 – 12,
Larry Baeder
SCHOONER WHARF: FRI
& SAT, noon – 5, Michael McCloud
& friends; 7 – 11, Caffeine Carl &
the Buzz; 9 – 1, Magic of Frank
Everhart * SAT, noon – 5, Michael
McCloud & friends; 7 – 11, Caffeine
Carl & the Buzz; 9 – 1, the magic of
Frank Everhart * SUN, noon, battle
of the bars; noon – 5, Michael McCloud & friends; 7 – 11, Calypso
Latin Party; 9 – 1, magic of Frank
Everhart * MON, noon – 5, Michael
McCloud & Friends; 7 - 11, Caffeine
& Pepper; 9 – 1, Magic of Frank
Everhart * TUES, noon – 5, Raven
& Bubba;7 – 11, Corey Heydon,
9 – 1, magic of Frank Everhart *
WED, Michael McCloud & friends;
7- 11, Gary Hempsey; 9 – 1, magic
of Frank Everhart * THURS, noon
– 5, Michael McCloud & friends, 7
– 11, Unpaid Bartabs, 9 – 1, magic
of Frank Everhart
SLOPPY JOE’S: FRI 12 – 4,
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Behind Bars
RICHARD WATHERWAX
BARTENDER
OF THE WEEK
MARK is a bartender at
LaTeDa. His specialty drink is
a Harry Neilson.
Tell us who your favorite
drink server is. PO Box 567,
KW 33041. Fax 292-2108.
Email: TheBluePaper@kwtn.
com
now playing
Black & Skabuddah; 5:30 – 8:30,
Fremont John Trio; 10 – 2, The
Union* SAT, 12 – 4, ZackSeemiller;
5:30 – 9:30 Fremont John Trio; 10
-2, The Union * SUN, 12 – 4, Barry
Cuda; 5:30 – 9:30, Bubba System;
10 – 2, The Union * MON, 12 – 4,
Barry Cuda; 5:30 – 9:30, Black &
Skabuddah 10 – 2, The Union *
TUES, noon – 4, Brian Roberts; 5:30
– 9:30, Barry Cuda & the Sharks; 10
– 2 The Crisis * WED, 12 – 4, Black
& Skabuddah; 5:30 – 9:30, The
Chris Case Band; 10 – 2, The Crisis
* THURS, 12 – 4, Gary Hempsey;
5:30 – 9:30 Zack Seemiller Band; 10
– 2, The Crisis
SUNSET PIER: FRI, 1 – 5,
George Victory;6:30 – 8:30, Robert
Albury; 8:30 – 10, Raven Cooper
* SAT, 1 – 4, Caribe; 6:30 – 10:30,
Raven Cooper * SUN, 1 – 5, George
Victory; 6:30 – 8”30, Robert Albury;
8:30 – 10, Raven Cooper * MON, 1
– 5, George Victory; 6:30 – 8:30, Joel
Nelson * TUES, 6:30 – 8:30, Rolando
Rojas; 8:30 – 10:39, Joel Nelson *
WED, 1 – 5, George Victory; 6:30
– 8:30, Robert Albury; 8”30 – 10:30,
Raven Cooper * THURS, Robin &
James
TURTLE KRAALS: SAT,
Dave Aaron Band * THURS, 5 – 7,
Brian Paul
VIRGILIO’S: FRI, FRI,
Larry Baeder * SAT, Injade * MON,
Marty’s Party * TUES, Skipper’s
League Of Crafty Musicians,
Quatro Caballeros * FRI & SAT,
Caffeine Carl * Quatro Caballeros
with Marty Stonely, Din Allen, Tim
McAlpine, & Skippo; WED, George
Victory * THURS, Caribe
MORE ENTERTAINMENT
Dave Vizard Back
At Finnegan’s
DAVE VIZARD is back at Finnegan’s Wake tonight and tomorrow night, Friday and Saturday, August 3-4.
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Local Favorites
events
Battle Of the Bars
Happens Sunday
THE 14th ANNUAL BATTLE OF THE
BARS happens this Sunday afternoon,
August 5, at the Schooner Wharf Bar. The
fun starts at 1pm. Teams from the town’s
favorite bars compete with their everyday
working skills: They mix, serve and drink
margaritas and beers while tapping a keg,
running an obstacle course, recycling,
racing against the clock and each other. A
benefit for Big Brothers/Big Sisters, this
event has raised almost $120,000 to date.
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O’Boyle: Criminalizing Vice Has
Never Been Very Effective In
Eliminating It
FROM page 10
America. Of course, a private
property owner has the right
to do as he pleases with his
property. If the self-righteous
owner is set on checking every
couple who enters his hotel to
somehow determine what they
are going to do in their private
room and whether any money
will change hands as a result,
more power to him.
What struck me, however,
was the owner’s complaint as
to how much money his policy
had cost him. Thousands, he
said. It seems to me if he wants
to puff out his chest with the
courage of his moral convictions, risk insulting fathers with
their daughters and guests who
favor heavy make-up he might
have the dignity not to whine
about the cost.
That incident, and other
related public discussion of
“sex tourism” is evidence of
a creeping increase in Gringo
moral prudery in Costa Rican
affairs. It is estimated that up
to 10 percent of Costa Rica’s
visitors are here as “sex tourists.” How they determine
this figure is unclear, but the
statistic is tossed about as if
it were Gospel. No one ever
considers that it’s only because
the geezers have to risk jail
time to buy a piece in their own
country that they come here at
all. I think it was George Carlin
who asked, “If sex is legal and
selling is legal, why isn’t selling
sex legal?”
We are talking about
erotic commerce between consenting adults, not the sale of
children to the degenerate or
sex slavery. The crime of having
sex with children or with anyone not a willing participant is
punished here by long stays in
really nasty prisons. But pressure by the morally superior to
interfere with the private affairs
of willing adults persists in the
face of Costa Rica’s common
sense policies toward vice.
Criminalizing vice has
never done much to eliminate
it. For proof one need look no
further than America’s experiment with alcohol prohibition,
and its ongoing failures to
prevent gambling, prostitution
and drug abuse. If anything,
banning vice has done more
harm than good, corrupting not
only the sinners but ultimately
those charged with keeping sinners from their private sins.
Organized crime in the
U.S. got a running start during
alcohol prohibition in the 20s.
Vice squads everywhere are
notoriously corrupt outfits that
end up skimming the profits
of vice rather than suppressing it. And the War on Drugs
has become one of the largest
money-making government
enterprises in history. It has
spread the uniquely American
myth that sin can be ended
by banning it to nearly every
country in the world.
Uncle Sam is generously
providing the locals with all
the high tech gear of the Drug
War in hopes of dragging them
ever more enthusiastically into
the highly lucrative and totally
futile effort to stamp out drug
use. The Costa Ricans have not
yet hit upon the War on Drugs
as a money making enterprise.
By U.S. standards the Ticos are
real slackers when it comes to
kicking in doors and confiscating property.
We can only hope that
Tico common sense will manage to resist American efforts
to escalate the Drug War. That
the attempt to identify and
frustrate sinners in San Jose will
remain limited to private vice
squads in selected hotels.
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BARNES LAW: Q&A
Adopting a Child Through a
Private Adoption Agency
by Michael Barnes
In a private agency adoption, persons must apply to the
agency and may have to meet
certain criteria to be accepted as
prospective adoptive parents.
These may be age, religion,
or other criteria, depending
on the particular agency. The
agency will investigate the
prospective adoptive parents’
background, including their
employment, criminal records
checks, marital stability (if a
married couple), own family
background, and other items
to determine if the applicants
are able and ready to provide
a permanent home to a child
who was not born to them.
Children are usually
placed with private agencies
for adoption by their birth
parents, who surrender the
children voluntarily because
they know that they are not
able to provide a good home
for the children. Sometimes, a
court may have terminated a
birth parent’s parental rights,
and the child is committed to
the agency by the court.
When a child is available
for adoption through a private
agency, the agency will assess
the needs of the child and
make a match with appropriate
As much information as is
available about the child’s
sociological and medical background will be provided to the
Many agencies ask birth parents about their preferences for
an adoptive placement - such
as whether the family has other
children already, what is their
religion, etc. The agency will
honor these requests unless
doing so would unduly delay
the adoptive placement of the
child.
After the child is placed
with the prospective adoptive
parents, an agency representative will visit the family and
will provide help and advice
in meeting the child’s needs
and in answering questions
that friends and relatives may
ask. The agency may remove
the child from the family, if the
child does not thrive and the
placement is not appropriate.
After the adoptive family has been supervised by
the agency for an appropriate
period of time, and the agency
is satisfied the child is adjusting
in the home, then the adoption
placement must be legally finalized. The prospective adoptive
parents must have their own
attorney do this to properly
comply with legal requirements. After the court finalizes
the adoption, the legal parentchild relationship is established
with the adoptive parents, and
the child gains all the rights of
a biological child in that family.
A new birth certificate is then
issued showing the adoptive
parents as the child’s parents.
Generally, in private
agency adoptions, there is
complete confidentiality. That
is, the adoptive parents do not
know the birth parents’ names
and vice versa. However, as
much general information as
possible is provided to all the
parties about the others.
Not all children available
for adoption through private
agencies are problem- free
infants. There may be a long
wait for such a child. However,
generally a child is not placed
with a family by an agency until
after the birth parents’ have
legally surrendered the child or
their parental rights have been
terminated by a court. Thus,
there is generally little uncertainty about the placement,
and little or no concern that a
birth parent will try to revoke
the adoption placement.
Stepparent adoptions
are quite common. Often, a
husband or wife may want to
legally establish the parentchild relationship that already
exists between him or her and
his or her spouse’s child. This
is possible only if the child’s
absent biological parent is
dead, consents to the adoption,
or a court determines that the
biological parent’s consent is
not required.
When a stepparent adoption is finalized, this creates
legal parental rights in the
stepparent, and terminates the
parental rights of the absent
biological parents. Thus, it is
very important to either obtain
a legally valid written consent
from the absent biological
parent, if living, or to obtain
a court order that the absent
parent’s consent is not required
- after giving proper notice to
the absent parent. Usually, the
mere fact that an absent parent
has not paid child support, or
has not visited with the child,
will not be enough reason for
a court to excuse that parent’s
consent to the adoption.
In stepparent adoptions,
as in all adoptions, if the child
is 12 years old or older, the child
must also consent to the adoption, unless the court excuses
the consent.
If a stepparent has adopted stepchildren, and then gets
divorced from the children’s
biological parent, there may
be issues of child custody and
child support between the
parties, just as if the adopted
children had been born to the
stepparent. That is, a stepparent may be on equal footing
to obtain custody of or to pay
child support for adopted
stepchildren.
As in all adoptions, a
single parent may adopt, if
that person meets a particular
agency’s criteria. A homosexual person may not adopt
in Florida .
Michael R. Barnes practices law in Key West , Florida
. His comments are provided
as a pro bono community
service and are not offered as
legal advice for a particular set
of circumstances. The law is
continually changing. If you are
concerned that you may need
a lawyer, you are encouraged
to contact one about your legal
rights and responsibilities and
follow his or her advice for your
individual situation.
www.kwtn.com
MILITARIA WANTED
Civil War, Spanish American,
WW1 & 2, swords, medals,
helmets, daggers, uniforms,
old guns, any country. Silver
dollars, too. Cash, Collector.
Contact John 296-9899.
Help Wanted For
Busy Kitchen
OILY’S AUTO REPAIR
MIKE YOUNG, CERTIFIED ASE TECHNICIAN
5669 5th AVE, STOCK ISLAND• 296-6656
Line Experience with
Knowledge of Grill
& Sautee.
Apply at Finnegan’s Wake
320 Grinnell St.
the community
If your club or organization has something
special happening, let us know:
• community@kwtn.com
• PO box 567, Key West FL 33041
• Fax 305-292-1882
To help us help you, try to get the
information to us by noon on Tuesday before
Friday publication.
15th ANNUAL JESSE
HOBBS MEMORIAL GOLF
TOURNAMENT--hosted by Marathon Jaycees. Sept. 8 at Sombrero
Country Club. 9:30 am. 4-person
scramble, $100 per person. Info:
Steven, 305-240-1102 or Joann,
305-731-9568.
BOATING SKILLS & SEAMANSHIP COURSE—Aug. 4 &
5 at Florida Keys Community College. $55 fee for course materials. To
register call Elsie at 305-745-8355.
HOST FAMILIES NEEDED
FOR EXCHANGE STUDENTS-Share your home and change the
world. More info: 1-866-493-8872
or www.yfu-usa.org.
SURVEY SEEKING
HEALTH CARE ANSWERS—
WomanKind is seeking volunteer
to log on to www.womankindkeywest.org to complete a brief survey
that will help determine ways to
design diagnostic and wellness
programs to benefit employees of
businesses and individuals without
health insurance. Survey takers’
identity will remain confidential.
KEY WEST POPS NEEDS
VOLUNTEERS FOR 9TH SEASON—all different skills can be
utilized. To volunteer or for more
info: 305-296-6059 KWPopsInfo@
comcast.net
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
AT TROPIC CINEMA—All areas
of operation. Flexible schedules,
free passes, pop-corn, and t-shirts.
Info: Lori Reid, 305-433-4183 or
volunteer@keywestfilm.org
CITIZENSHIP CLASSES-Literacy Volunteers offers free
Citizenship classes for intermediate English as a Second Language
students. Info: 294-4352.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
AT WILDLIFE CENTER--Key
West Wildlife Center has reopened to accept injured animals.
Volunteers and donations are
needed. Questions and info: 305292-1008.
WANT TO BE A LITERACY VOLUNTEER? More than
100 students waiting to be tutored.
You do not have to speak another
language to be a tutor. Info: Mary
at 305-294-4352.
GRANTS AVAILABLE
TO WRITERS, MUSICIANS,
ACTORS, ARTISTS--Contact the
Florida Keys Council of the Arts,
305-295-4369.
BOATING COURSES--The
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary conducts boating courses throughout
the year. Info: 1-888-470-5566
LOW COST SPAY/NEUTER CLINICS--The Florida
Keys SPCA spay/neuter clinics
www.kwtn.com
the community
FROM previous page
are held at the FKSPCA Animal
Shelter, 5230 College Road , Stock
Island. Microchips for $5 and free
rabies vaccinations are available
for all pets. Cats and dogs in heat
or pregnant and puppies and kittens as young as eight weeks can
be spayed or neutered. Appointments are required for rabies and
for spay/neuter. Call 292-4600 to
register. The clinic is sponsored
by Key West Kritter Patrol and the
Florida Keys SPCA.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED-AIDS HELP, INC. needs volunteers to help with transportation,
office work, special events, etc.
Call 296-6196.
THE YMCA of Key West
offers a variety of programs for children, adults and families, including
skating, bocce, computer classes
and more: The YMCA Center is
located at 1011 Virginia Street .
Call for info: 305-295-YMCA.
LA LECHE LEAGUE—
Free monthly meeting for pregnant and breastfeeding moms;
mother to mother support with
accredited volunteers who give
current information and encouragement in the art of breastfeeding.
Non-denominational, non-profit.
Held 5 - 6 p.m. the second Tuesday
of the month in the auditorium at
the Key West Library, 700 Fleming
Street . Info: Liz 294-4463 or Eva
295-8597.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED-The local unit of the American
Cancer Society seeks volunteer
drivers to provide transportation
for cancer patients to treatments
and licensed cosmetologists, or
hairdressers, to help cancer patients
feel good about their appearance
while undergoing cancer treatment. Info: 292-2333 x 112.
GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE-To find out when the bloodmobile
will be at a location near you, call
your Community Blood Center at
305-294-7668.
OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS--on Tuesdays at 6pm ‘til 7
and Saturdays 10-11am, at United
Methodist Church (Old Stone),
600 Eaton Street. Info: Mary at
305-294-6931.
WOMEN’S SUPPORT
GROUP--Facilitated by counselors
in confidential, safe environment.
Relax with a cup of tea while helping yourself and others with problem solving stress reduction. Free,
5:30 to 7 p.m. every Wednesday;
for location and information, call
WomanKind, 305-294-4004.
LOCALS SONGWRITERS
NIGHT—every Wednesday 7pm,
upstairs lounge at Hard Rock Café.
Open to all ages. Free admission.
Info: 305-360-2398.
HOT!!
www.kwtn.com

Key West - KWest Productions

Transcription

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