PAGE ONE COMMENTARY: KWPD Crackdown on Scofflaw Bicyclists

Hundreds of Warnings
and a Few Tickets—So Far

CHIEF LEE: WE HAVE BEEN
FOCUSING ON EDUCATING
BICYCLISTS— BUT THAT PERIOD
IS ENDING. A TICKET FOR
RUNNING A STOP SIGN OR A RED
LIGHT ON A BICYCLE IS $231

by Dennis Reeves Cooper

If you drive a car or a truck
in Old Town Key West, you are
probably aware of the “scofflaw
bicyclist” problem. Lots of people
ride bicycles in Key West.

And that’s a good thing. But
many (not all) bicyclists here
routinely run red lights and stop
signs and pedal the wrong way
down one-way streets. These
scofflaws not only endanger
themselves, they also endanger
others around them.

Just two weeks ago, a 53-
year-old man was killed when
he abruptly veered his bicycle
off the sidewalk on North Roosevelt
Boulevard and onto the
road without checking to see
if there was any on-coming
traffic. Unfortunately for the
scofflaw bicyclist, there was
some on-coming traffic—a big
tractor trailer rig. The bicyclist
ran into the side of the truck.
He was pronounced dead at
the scene.

Last year, an elderly man
rode his bike through a stop sign
on 11th Street and out into traffic
on Flagler Avenue. He died on
the way to the hospital.

Can Eddy Franklin Keep the Oil away from the Florida Keys?

IN ANY EVENT, EXPERTS SAY
THAT IF ANY OF THE OIL FROM THE
SPILL SITE REACHES THE KEYS,
IT WILL BE WEATHERED AND IN
THE FORM OF TAR BALLS AND NOT
THE THICK AQUEOUS OIL COMING
ASHORE IN LOUISIANA

KWTN Team Report

As millions of gallons of oil began to gush into the Gulf of
Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform exploded
on April 20, there were concerns— and even dire predictions—
that some of that oil would reach the Gulf Loop Current and be
carried right to the Florida Keys.

The Loop Current is a clockwise current that normally
carries water from the Yucatan Channel north into the Gulf of
Mexico, then back down south off Florida’s west coast, past the
Dry Tortugas and into the Gulf Stream.
That still might happen. But if it doesn’t, we may be able
to thank Eddy Franklin.

Eddy Franklin is the nickname for a large clockwise eddy
in the Gulf that has apparently pinched off the northern end of
the Loop Current, according to Billy Causey, superintendent of
the southeast region for the National Marine Sanctuaries.
Thus, Causey says, there is no clear path for spilled oil
from the Deepwater Horizon site to enter the Loop Current.
The spill site is in the northern Gulf of Mexico, about 500 miles
northwest of Key West.

BITCHIN’ PARADISE: Simple Speculation

by Kimberley Denney

Blame this column on a
mismatched-socks and Crocs
wearing jackass. While I tried
to read my book in the gynecologist’s
waiting room

last week, this jackass and
his female companion loudly
shared endless stories about
their recent chicken sightings.
The color of each chicken (one
was “blond”), the size, what
exactly the chicken was doing,
etc. She talked about the one
she saw in her backyard that
morning, which made me think
he either worked the nightshift,
or they met, hooked up, she
got preggers and now they’re
working this baby making thing
out between them. God help
her for exercising the poorest
of judgment, which I can only
assume was made under the
heavy influence of alcohol.

There were only about
20 empty seats in the waiting
room, but they chose to sit right
next to me. It was ridiculous.

RHONDA: Bob & Dumber

by Rhonda Linseman-Saunders

I’m sitting at the coffee shop waiting patiently
for inspiration to overcome me. This never goes well.
Inspiration only strikes when I have absolutely no
access to a pen or a keyboard. Like when I’m driving,
showering, or changing a poopy diaper.

Time lapse: 2 hours. In and out of consciousness.
Fits of manic nail biting amid a series of short naps.
A little drool. Nobody noticed.

Tea’s cold. Need a new one to meet my $5 minimum
purchase per two hours of Internet— summer
special. It’s a great deal. How do they make any
money?

Waiting for inspiration is very hard work. Exhausting.
Draining. In fact, I need a nap. Time lapse:
20 minutes. Power nap. Bonus: No drool.

BOETTGER: Disaster, Outrage, and Folly

by Rick Boettger

In the dog days of a lazy, sweltering summer I
find myself in the midst of so many stirring pots that
I have no time today to tell you about the lawsuit I
will be filing, and surely winning, against the City of
Key West. Because that’s tomorrow. And today, I absolutely
must update my running Big Three, in order
of importance: the BP oil spill, County tax hoarding,
and the Unitarian church follies.

May I offer a glimmer of hope for salvation
from the oil spill, at least for our local shores and
waters? Just two weeks ago I wrote about BP and our
government’s appalling refusal to simply skim and
pump the already-spilled oil out of the Gulf. They
focused instead on getting as much “production” as
possible out of the ruptured well, while ignoring the
100 million gallons of oil already in the Gulf. This
was the plan not only of rapacious BP but willingly
agreed to by Admiral Thad Allen, our government’s
Idiot-in-Chief.

How bad was it? In early May, the Dutch offered
a ready-to-go super skimmer tanker, the Swan, with
a capacity to pump out 6 million gallons of oil. After
a month of NO RESPONSE from either BP or Thad Allen, they gave up and sent
the Swan elsewhere. BP and the
government instead chose to
use a boat with a 300,000 gallon
capacity, one-twentieth as much.

LETTERS: Locals Hurting Locals Is Not a Good Thing

The following letter was
written on June 16 and addressed
to Ed Swift at Historic Tours of
America and Claudia Pennington,
executive director of the Key
West Art & Historical Society and
signed by 14 merchants on Whitehead
and Greene Streets.

Dear Editor:

This letter is being written
to address the adverse effects of
the ongoing “Trolley Wars” between
Historic Tours of America
(HTA) and City View Trolleys on
the businesses along Whitehead
Street, Greene Street and parts of
Duval Street.

The merchants signing this
letter have united as a group to
appeal to both Ed Swift, owner
of HTA, to desist from directing
cruise ship passengers AWAY
from Whitehead Street and
Greene Street—and Claudia
Pennington, The Custom House
Director, for allowing the HTA
representative to do so on The
Custom House property.

CPS Scholarships Presented to Three KWHS Graduates

For the 12th consecutive year, the Cultural Preservation
Society (CPS) has presented scholarships to graduating seniors
at Key West High School. Reid Fierheller-Conkin received a
$1500 scholarship. Brian Bosco and Matthew Malby received
$1000 scholarships. Marlene Thurber received a private award
contributed by CSP member Larry Batts in memory of his wife,
Deloris Batts. The CPS is the organization that presents the
world-famous Sunset Celebration at Mallory Square. Funds
for the annual scholarships are generated by the annual Conch
Republic Days Street Fair, organized by the CPS.

Some City Employees Will Move to Habana Plaza over Weekend

The first big shift toward an eventual new city hall will
happen today, Friday, June 25, as offices currently housed at
the Madeline Bean Building are relocated to Habana Plaza. The
Madeline Bean Building, located at 604 Simonton Street, will
close its doors at noon Friday. At 8 a.m. Monday, all of those
workers that have been housed at that location will go to work
at the new location at Habana Plaza, 3100 Flagler Avenue. The
city departments that will be included in the move are: Planning,
the Building Department, Licensing, Engineering, General
Services, and HARC.

The move out of the Madeline Bean Building is the first
in a phased relocation of all the administrative offices at City
Hall. When it’s done, only the fire station will remain. At that
point, the city will begin the construction on a new city hall. It is
estimated that the temporary relocation to New Town will last
for 18 months to two years.

New 4-Way Stop Intersections

Beginning Monday, June 28, the intersection of United
and Leon streets will be converted to a four-way stop. Public
works has already installed the signs, but they will not remove
the bags covering the signs until Monday. The new stop is part
of a safety improvement project aimed at making United Street
safer for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

Earlier this week, the intersection of 7th and Harris Streets
was converted to a four-way stop. That change turned what was
a two-way stop to a four-way stop.

ART: Rote and Warren Shows at Wyland Galleries

Artists Adam Rote and
Jim Warren will debut their
latest canvases at Wyland Galleries’
623 Duval Street location
Friday and Saturday, June 25
and 26. Both artists will appear
daily and by appointment.

Modern romanticist
Adam Rote specializes in
paintings influenced by film,
architecture, and music. His
series inspired by the Keys’
Islander Drive-In pairs vivid
sky and screen with depictions
of classic film images.

Rote will showcase his
latest series, “Nights at the Blue
Note,” featuring legendary
entertainers of the mid- and
late 20th century such as Billie
Holiday and Frank Sinatra.