Page 46 - Upper Keys News Today

Monroe County Commission members voiced hesitation this week about taking over ownership or management of the senior living facility in Poinciana Gardens in Key West. At best, the commissioners and County Administrator Roman Gastesi supported a partnership among the county, the City of Key West and the Key West Housing Authority to help subsidize costs of the center, which is struggling to attract residents and cover its costs. The Key West Housing Authority has been looking to the county to ta...

A 59-year-old Tavernier man wanted in an incident that occurred in the Upper Keys in January in which he sexually assaulted a woman was located in Collier County, Florida, this week by the U.S. Marshals Service. Alejandro Luis Dewelde remained in a Collier County, Florida, jail on charges of attempted sexual battery, two counts of battery, indecent exposure of sexual organs and false imprisonment. The incident was reported on Jan. 6, 2021, at an apartment complex on the 90000 block of the Overs...

The parks and beaches director position recently roused from the county’s pre-COVID-19 budget and posted on the county’s website netted six applicants within the first two weeks. The request for a countywide director was made by Monroe County Commissioner Mike Forster, who had been lobbied by Tavernier residents concerned with overuse at Harry Harris Park. “I know the county had posted the job last year before COVID hit and from what I understand they had 84 applicants. The time ...

• Planning sessions Sunset Celebration at Mallory Square planning sessions will be held at 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 13, via Zoom and at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 15, at City Hall, 1300 White St. For information, email city_harc@cityofkeywest-fl.gov or call 305-809-3973. • Plant clinics The UF/IFAS, Monroe County Master Gardener Volunteers, will be offering a series of plant clinics via zoom and in-person, addressing residents’ plant, insect and gardening questions. The virtual plant cl...

As 60-year residents of South Florida and Upper Keys part-timers, we were excited when the drawbridge at Jewfish Creek was to be replaced. This took a minimum of 30 minutes off the drive from the mainland. We were astonished at the resistance to making the 18-Mile Stretch a four-lane road. Opponents scared us with the thought that it would bring more visitors to the island chain. We now see the foley of their thinking as we see snarled traffic caused by the passing lane merge. Further, the two ...

Keys History & Discovery Center Jacob Housmans original grave marker, broken into pieces by vandals, is now at Lignumvitae Key State Park. An important artifact from the founding of what was then Dade County is headed for public display — in the Florida Keys. The island of Indian Key, off what is now called Islamorada, was already a settlement in the 1830s. Thats when shipwreck salvor Jacob Housman moved there. WLRN is committed to providing South Florida with trusted news and information. ...

Key West and Islamorada audiences can rock to the sounds of musicians influenced by everything from Latin funk and electric fusion to Cuban and Jamaican rhythms during the annual Afro Roots Fest. The celebration of world music takes center stage in Key West from Wednesday through Friday, April 21-23, and enlivens Islamorada’s music scene Saturday and Sunday, May 29-30. Key West’s eclectic performances are slated for 5:30 and 9 p.m. each evening at the Green Parrot Bar, 601 Whitehead S...

An announcement asking for help in identifying two men suspected of cutting a pelican’s gullet and then pulling the tissue over its head in the Upper Keys has sparked considerable attention to the situation since being posted last week. State wildlife officers released surveillance footage on Facebook of two suspects who allegedly maimed the bird on the evening of March 8 at the Tea Table Relief Bridge in Islamorada. The two men appear to be carrying fishing poles in the video. Passersby s...

Anxiety among some Key Largo residents over the pending release of hundreds of millions of genetically modified mosquitoes next month in undisclosed locations throughout the Florida Keys has prompted U.S. Congressman Carlos Gimenez to seek answers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District and Oxitec, a British-based biotech company, plan to release genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in selected neighborhoods between Mile Marker 10 and M...

WLRN Horace OBryant School in Key West has students in 6th-8th grades who will have the option of attending school on campus every day, starting March 29. Last year, Spring Break marked the divide for Monroe County public schools between going to classes on campus and learning from home. This year, it will mark the return of full-time, on-campus learning for all grade levels. Tuesday, the district announced plans that March 29 is the day when middle and high school students can opt to return ...