TCNewsFL.Com is owned, written and produced by Tom Teter WSTU AM 1450 News Director, recognized multiple times by the Associated Press and United Press International for excellence in journalism.  Tom Teter has covered news in Martin & St. Lucie Counties for 28 years.

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Treasure Coast News Headlines
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WEEKEND EDITION MAY 19 & 20

The first tropical storm formed Saturday afternoon off the coast off the coast of South Carolina.  Alberto has 45 mph winds and the center was 225 miles east southeast of Charleston.  It is headed southwest at 3 mph.. It is not a threat to Florida.  It is the earliest named storm since 2003.

Heavy rains hit the Treasure Coast late Saturday afternoon.  Monsoon-type rains poured in the downtown Stuart area before 4pm lasting almost an hour.  Tornado warnings wer issued for Martin & St Lucie County, but nothing was confired. There was half inch hail reported in Okeechobee County  There was  quarter sized hail reported in the Jensen Beach area and small hail in Palm City.  There was also minor flooding in the downtown Stuart Publix shopping center. 

It wasn't a shark bite that injured an 8 year old boy at Jensen Public Beach Friday after all.  Officials now say the boy's own surfboard caused a gash in his thigh.  The injury appeared similar to a bite and sharks had been seen off shore earlier in the day.  Swimmers were kept out of the water Friday afternoon, but will be allowed back in this weekend.

A Jupiter man has been charged in a fiery crash that killed his brother last October.  Officials say 36 year old Mario Pizano was driving drunk when he crashed in front of Egret Landing and the car burst into flames.  His brother Jose was trapped inside.

Three adults and a 17 year old were arrested after the search of two Port St Lucie homes Thursday turned up drugs.  Police found marijuana at both homes, one in the 1100 block of SW Gastador Ave, the other in the 100 block of SW Todd Avenue.


FRIDAY MAY 18

An 8 year old boy is being treated for a possible shark bite at Jensen Public Beach this afternoon.  Martin County Fire-Rescue was called to treat the reported shark bite victim who was bitten on his thigh while on his surf board around 2:45 pm.  He was taken to Martin Memorial.  Lifeguards are flying the double red no-swimming flag the rest of the day, though the beach remains open.

More than 79% of St Lucie County 4th-8th & 10th graders passed the FCAT writing test with at least a 3.0 out of a perfect 6.0.  Eleven Students scored a perfect 6.0 on the test.  4th and 8th graders averaged a 3.2 while 10th graders averaged a 3.3.
             The highest average scores for the 4th grade were at Morningside, Village Green, Rivers Edge & FK Sweet.  The highest 8th grade scores were at Forest Grove Middle and Lincoln Park Academy.  LPA and Treasure Coast High had the highest FCAT writing test scores for 10th graders.

Martin County FCAT writing scores are among the best in the state.  4th graders averaged a 3.4 out of a perfect 6.0.  8th graders had a 3.7.  That's number 1 in the state. and 10th graders averaged a 3.5.  4th & 10 grade scores are in the top ten in the state.  Martin County 9th & 10th graders also scored well in the reading FCAT.  9th graders at Martin County High scored second highest in Florida.

Treasure Coast unemployment is down.  The Martin County rate fell 7-tenths of a point from March to April and is now at 8.1%.  The St Lucie County jobless rate came down 2-tenths of a point to 10.7%.  The Florida unemployment rate is 8.7%.

4 burglary suspects were caught today near the I-95 Kanner Hwy interchange.  Martin County deputies tried to stop a car on I-95 for having too darkly tinted windows.  It sped off, doing a u-turn on I-95 then got off at Kanner Highway where 4 black males abandoned the car.  They were all found within 18 minutes.  They also found lots of jewelry on the ground believed to have been stolen earlier in Brevard County.

John Goodman, the rich polo guy from Wellington, has finally been released from the Palm Beach County jail on $7 million bond while he appeals his DUI Manslaughter conviction

Tim Dougher has been named the interim Executive Director of the Martin County Business Development Board.  He has been the co-Executive Director until Crystal Stiles resigned to take a job with Florida Power & Light.  The BDB's board of directors has not decided to give Dougher the job permanently or search for a new Executive Director.

A 10th suspected refugee has been caught in Martin County.  Last night deputies rounded up 9 suspected refugees walking along McArthur Blvd on Hutchinson Island.  A 17 year old male has since been taken into custody.  It's believe the 7 males and 3 females are from Columbia and were smuggled in by boat.  All have been turned over to immigration officials.

Congress today voted down a bill  that Treasure Coast Congressman Tom Rooney was very much against.  The bill by a Michigan Congressman would have given terrorists caught in the US the same constitutional rights American citizens have.

In earlier Treasure Coast News....

The first FCAT test results come out today for individual school districts.  The state Department of Education will release the FCAT writing scores for the 4^th-8^th & 10 grades.  State officials had to lower the passing scores this week after the results showed a 60% drop in students passing the writing test under a higher scoring system.  The 9^th & 10 grade FCAT reading test scores will also be released today. 

9 suspected refugees were picked up along south Hutchinson Island last night.  Martin County deputies caught the 6 men and 3 women along McArthur Blvd.  They appear to be from Columbia.  They were found walking in the area around 10pm.  About two dozen deputies were dispatched to the area to get them and search for others. They were handed over to immigration officials.  No boat was found.

A Ft Pierce man was found not guilty Thursday of murdering another man under the Stand Your Ground law.  Gilberto Galvez had stabbed Carlos Pereza in March 2011 after Pereze attacked him as he was escorting him out of his home after Pereza allegedly tried to get fresh with Galvez’s girlfriend.

Port St Lucie Police need the public's help in finding the person or persons who broke into four businesses late Monday night and early Tuesday morning.  The Rivergate Chevron, Frank's Barber Shop on Port St Lucie Blvd and Nell's Grog House and A Better Insurance Agency on Bayshore were burgled.  The suspect may be large white male in his 20s or 30s driving a gold 4 door Dodge Stratus.

There's been a rash of vehicle burglaries in St Lucie County.  The sheriff's office says thieves have been targeting cars at day care centers and gyms.  They say the suspects are from the Palm Beach & Broward County area who often use rental cars to cover their tracks.  It's believed the thieves are black perhaps working with white females who cash stolen checks.

Immigrant youths hold a prayer vigil tonight in Indiantown to urge the President to stop deporting illegal immigrants.  It's part of a nation wide Right To Dream campaign.  They say deportation of undocumented immigrants is tearing families apart.  The prayer vigil is at 7pm at the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Indiantown.

A community wide Law Enforcement Memorial service will remember the law officers killed while on duty in St Lucie County tonight.  There have been 10 officers and deputies killed since the early 1900s in St Lucie County including two Sheriffs.  Treasure Coast State Attorney Bruce Colton will be the keynote speaker.  It starts at 7pm at St Bernadette Catholic Church on California in St Lucie West. 

Some strong thunderstorms have been rolling thru the Treasure Coast & south Florida all night long.  There were even reports of a funnel clouds over parts of Martin & St Lucie County around 2:30 this morning, but there are no reports of anything touching down and no warnings or watches were issued.  There are reports of street flooding in Jupiter and in Port St Lucie.  The rains have been heaviest in Palm Beach county.

The brush fire and draught numbers have really dropped on the Treasure Coast thanks to this week’s rains.  The South Florida Water Management District’s Randy Smith tells CBS 12 it's a nice start toward ending the dry season.  Just a month ago the brush fire- draught danger index numbers were above 600 on the Treasure Coast.  Now they have dropped to just 406 in Martin County and 518 in St Lucie.

The Florida high school baseball state championships begin today at Digital Domain Park.  It’s the third year in a row the Treasure Coast has hosted the tournament.  This year there are 32 teams competing for one of the 8 state championships.  There are no local teams left in the tournament.  The games begin today and run thru the weekend.  Tickets are $9 and parking is $7.

The amateur baseball world series is coming to the Treasure Coast.  Three of the American Amateur Baseball Congress World Series events will be played at Digital Domain Park and in Vero Beach in July.  Officials with the Treasure Coast Sports Commission say this will fill up hotels and restaurants and have a $2.6 million economic impact.

4 Broward County men were arrested for a home burglary Wednesday morning in Hobe Sound.  Around 9am, a woman came back to her home on SE Helen Terrace to find a strange car in the driveway.  The driver said he was looking for Amber.  He backed out of the driveway and then three males crawled out of a bedroom window and fled.  Martin County deputies stopped the car two minutes later and arrested three men from Lauderhill and a 4^th from Ft Lauderdale.

St Lucie County is working on another business deal to bring a new industry here.  Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers reports it would be a major employer.  The company would buy land at Midway Road & I-95 presumably taking advantage of government incentives.  

The state says there are 53 thousand dead people still registered to vote in Florida.  State elections officials have given Elections Supervisors 7 days to get those names off the registration rolls.  There is no indication any of the dead people’s name have been used by others to actually vote.
 
The Florida NAACP is launching a state wide voter registration campaign.  The goal is to register, educate and get more blacks out to vote on election day.   The Martin County NAACP is taking part in the This Is My Vote effort.  Call Jerry Gore at 772-834-5823.
  

WEDNESDAY MAY 16

Martin County's United Way says they raised more money than ever before during the just-completed annual Campaign. They raised $2.32 million.  The money raised goes to help fund three dozen agencies helping 90 thousand people.

South Florida Congressman Allen West is ranked 54th out of 87 freshman members of Congress by the Club for Growth, a conservative group.  They ranked him that low because he did not vote for all the budget cuts the group wanted and he voted to raise the debt ceiling last year.  He agreed with the Club for Growth just 64% of the time on economic and social issues.  West is running for the new Treasure Coast Congressional seat.

The amateur baseball world series is coming to the Treasure Coast.  Three of the American Amateur Baseball Congress World Series events will be played at Digital Domain Park and in Vero Beach in July.  Officials with the Treasure Coast Sports Commission say this will fill up hotels and restaurants and have a $2.6 million economic impact.

A good first quarter for Digital Domain.  They report $31 million in revenues.  It's more revenue than the $26 million analysts had predicted, but is down from the $38.6 million in 1st Q revenues last year.  It's also a loss of 37 cents per share, but that's less of the 40 cents loss that analysts had predicted.

A retired corrections officer has been charged with child pornography and video voyeurism in Stuart.  Ray Scott’s wife turned him in to Martin County Sheriff’s deputies after finding a thumb drive with kid-porn images and a video of teenage girls using their bathroom.  Scott retired from Martin Correctional in 2009.  His bond is set at $800 thousand.

A Rocky Point woman has been arrested after Martin County deputies found 78 marijuana plants growing inside her home in the 5000 block of SE Post Terrace.  They got a tip about the grow house.  The found two rooms had been outfitted with lights and a ventilation system.  The estimated street value is $50 thousand. 56 year old Donna Byrnes told detectives she’d been growing the plants since Christmas.  She has a prior arrest for growing marijuana in 1998.

A Port Salerno area woman went to jail Monday after allegedly stabbing the boy friend of a woman she was fighting with.  62 year old Pearline Brown was reportedly angry that the other woman had stolen one of her beers and confronted her when the boy friend intervened.  He was stabbed in the back and slashed across the chest.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission meets today with Florida Power & Light about how things have gone the past year at the St Lucie Nuclear Power Plant.  Unit 1 had shut down three times the past 9 months.  The meeting starts at 1pm at the Energy Encounter at the St Lucie Nuclear Plant and is open to the public.

It will soon be easier to hitch a ride through the downtown Stuart area.  A second courtesy tram will be added in a couple weeks.  The 6 passenger trams haul people through the downtown area and carry more than 10 thousand people a year.   

A Port St Lucie man was arrested Monday after allegedly trying to kill his neighbor’s macaw birds by spraying weed killer on them.  The daughter saw neighbor 59 year old Joseph Pacheco reach thru the screen and spray the birds with Roundup.  He had reportedly complained about the noise for months.  The birds are being treated by a Palm City veternarian.

The Martin County Conservation Alliance holds a candidate forum featuring County Commission candidates tonight.  It will be moderated by Nat Reed.  It starts at 6:30 at the Morgade Library.  In the past, commission candidates perceived as more growth and business friendly have refused to take part saying the leadership of the Conservation Alliance is biased and the questions written to make them look bad.

TUESDAY MAY 15

The State Board of Education has voted unanimously this morning to lower the passing score on this year's FCAT writing test from 4,0 out of a possible 6.0, to 3.0.  This means more 4th, 8th & 10th graders will pass.  The earlier, higher passing scores meant a huge drop in the number of students passing the FCAT writing test.

A Stuart woman has been arrested after Martin County deputies found 78 marijuana plants growing inside her home in the 5000 block of SE Post Terrace.  56 year old Donna Byrnes has a prior arrest for growing marijuana in 1998.

The Port St Lucie City Council voted last night not to build a new Ravenswood Recreation Center.  They will pay IRSC for the 5 acre site and use the millions saved by not building and operating a new Ravenswood Center to pay down the debt of the Port St Lucie Civic Center.  Ravenswood was wrecked by the hurricanes and the city has spend about $2 million tearing down the old one and designing a new one.

The Ocean City Maryland city council voted today to offer their city manager's job to former Ft Pierce City manager David Recour.  He resigned last week after criticism from several Ft Pierce city commissioners about his looking for a new job.  The Maryland job pays $147,000.

An off-duty St Lucie County firefighter saved a man from drowning over the weekend.  Paul Ernsberger swam out to rescue an Orlando man from the rip currents off Pepper Park on Saturday.  Ernsberger's young son first noticed the swimmer out 75 to 100 feet who got in trouble.

31 Florida Highway Patrol troopers have gotten an oral reprimand for speeding when it wasn't necessary.  Another 17 troopers are still under review.  Some of the troopers were doing 130 mph.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is watching the St Lucie Nuclear Power plant more closely.  The NRC’s Roger Hannah tells TCNewsFL Unit 1 had 3 unexpected reactor trips since last summer which is more than would be expected and raises issues about operations and maintenance.  The NRC says the plant is safe, but they will increase their oversight and have more inspections until they are convinced everything is back to normal.  The NRC will hold a public meeting at the plant this Wednesday to go over the recent performance and issues at the plant.

The FHP is checking whether alcohol was a factor in Sunday’s crash on I-95 in Palm City that killed 4.  2 adults and a 7 and a 9 year children from Tennessee died.  The FHP says Carolyn Ramos was driving the wrong-way.  The FHP does not know where she got on I-95 but say they had calls from other motorists about an SUV going the wrong way before the crash.  Both vehicles caught on fire after the crash.  Ramos was pulled to safety and is listed in stable condition at Lawnwood Regional.  Barry Staley was one of those who tried to help.  He tells news partner CBS 12 they just couldn’t get to the Tennessee family.  He has written about it on Facebook.

Treasure Coast Students will have bucked the statewide trend if they scored better on the FCAT writing tests than last year.  Across Florida, FCAT writing  scores are significantly lower.  For example, 81% of all 4th graders got an acceptable score on last year's writing FCATs, this year just 27% passed.  Just 33% of the 8^th graders and 38% of 10^th graders passed this year.  State education officials have called an emergency meeting today to discuss why Florida students in 4th, 8th & 10 grade fell as much as they did.   Scores have NOT been released for Treasure Coast school districts.

Some St Lucie County teachers are not doing anything above and beyond what their contract requires.  Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers reports many teachers are upset at not have gotten a pay raise for 5 years and are refusing to work through lunch, come in early, stay late or be at weekend school activities as a protest.  Some St Lucie County teachers are picketing before school starts.

There is another Law Enforcement Memorial Week services today in our area.  The Martin County Sheriff’s office has one out by the flagpole at 9am.  It includes a blessing of the badges and a roll call of Florida officers killed in the line of duty. 

 The company that was interested in leasing the Arthurs Dockside building to open a new restaurant has pulled out of the deal.  Pusser’s West Indies LTD blames “percieved parking problems” at the building next to Stuart City hall.  City officials say there is enough parking for a restaurant in the building.  The city hopes to lease the building for $900 thousand a year.

A Port St Lucie road project vetoed by the governor will be built anyway.  The City Council last night approved using $200 thousand in city road funds to redesign and build the Fairgreen Road extension connecting to the Crosstown Parkway.  The fire district wanted the road giving them quicker emergency access to the area.  The road was supposed to be built by Core Communities and other builders who defaulted when the housing market collapsed.

MONDAY MAY 14

Strong storms developed in the Palm City-Indiantown area this afternoon.  A tornado warning was issued by the National Weather Service based on their radar reading.  It was canceled just past 5pm.  Lots of lightning strike reported. 

FCAT writing test scores are significantly lower statewide.  State education officials have called an emergency meeting Tuesday to discuss why Florida students in 4th, 8th & 10 grade fell as much as they did.  For example, 81% of all 4th graders got an acceptable score on last year's writing FCATs, this year just 27% passed.  Scores have NOT been released for Treasure Coast school districts.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is watching the St Lucie Nuclear Power plant more closely.  The NRC says Unit 1 had 3 unexpected reactor trips since last summer.  The NRC says while the plant is safe, the number of reactor scrams points to "...performance issues and a trend that needs to be addressed".  The NRC will hold a public meeting at the plant this Wednesday to go over the recent performance and issues at the plant.

The German tourist who suffered a severe shark bite last week in Vero Beach has recovered enough to leave Florida and is back home.  Early on it was thought she may lose her leg and she underwent surgery, but the leg was saved.

The FHP has reason to believe the Port St Lucie woman who hit a pickup truck on I-95 near Palm City Sunday morning was driving drunk.  2 adults and a 7 year old from Tennessee and a 9 year old from Miami died.  The FHP says Carolyn Ramos was driving the wrong-way.  The FHP does not know where she got on I-95 but say they had calls from other motorists about an SUV going the wrong way before the crash.  Both vehicles caught on fire after the crash.  Ramos was pulled to safety and is listed in stable condition at Lawnwood Regional.

the Florida Governor's Hurricane Conference is this week in Ft Lauderdale.  It begins today and Tuesday with training sessions with the meat of things starting Wednesday.  Gov Rick Scott is scheduled to speak as are Florida emergency planners and Craig Fugate, FEMA director.   Most experts are predicting a slightly less than average hurricane season with fewer storms.

The future of the Ravenswood Rec Center will be discussed by the Port St Lucie City Council tonight.  City Manager Greg Oravec is recommending the city end efforts to rebuild the Center which was wrecked by the hurricanes in 2004.  He says the city can better use the money elsewhere.  The meeting begins at 7pm at City Hall.

More small businesses are starting and opening on the Treasure Coast.  More than 100 of them showed off their products and services Friday during the Treasure Coast Business Summit at the Port St Lucie Civic Center. Bev Jansen was one of them, telling news partner CBS 12 things are getting better  Port St Lucie city spokesman Ed Cunningham says the city figures show the economy getting better.  The business permits are up. Several banks who were at the business summit say they are making more small business loans. 

Four people from Tennessee including two children were killed in an early Sunday morning crash on I-95 near Palm City.  The FHP says an SUV driven by a Port St Lucie woman going the wrong way hit them just north of the 714 Martin Hwy interchange.  After the crash, both vehicles caught fire.  The victims were trapped inside.  Another motorist stopped and pulled the Port St Lucie woman, Carolyn Ramos, out of the burning wreck.She  was airlifted in critical condition to Lawnwood's Trauma Center.

A 16 year old Port St Lucie girl was injured in a personal watercraft accident Sunday near Vero Beach.  She and two other were riding the watercraft near The Moorings in the Indian River Lagoon when it hit a wave throwing all of them off.  The girl hit her head and fractured her skull.  She was brought in by boat and airlifted to Lawnwood’s Trauma Center.

St Lucie County Judge Kathleen Nelson will keep her job.  After several interviews with the Judicial Qualifications Commission about her DUI in Vero Beach, the Commission recommends a public rebuke from the Florida Supreme Court, but says it was an isolated incident and does now show she is unfit to be a judge.

Sandsprit park is closed this week.  They’ll be repaving the parking lot and doing other rennovations.  Officials say the $100,000 project is badly needed.  The public will not be able to use the boat ramps or pavilion.  Sandsprit Park will reopen Saturday.   

Weather permitting, they’ll be doing a controlled burn at Jonathan Dickenson State Park today.   Officials say they need to burn off 210 acres near the park’s education center to prevent a real, out-of-control wildfire sometime in the future.

This is Law Enforcement Memorial Week.  It remembers law officers killed in the line of duty.  Several Treasure Coast memorials are planned.  The St Lucie County Sheriff’s office has a wreath-laying ceremony this morning at 10 am at the sheriff’s office on Midway Road.  Another service will be held Tuesday morning at the Martin County Sheriff’s office.  There will be a blessing of the badges at 9am.  Another service will be held Tuesday night at St Bernadett’s Catholic Church in St Lucie West.

WEEKEND EDITION MAY 12 & 13

Four people from Tennessee including two children were killed in an early Sunday morning crash on I-95 near Palm City.  The FHP says an SUV driven by a Port St Lucie woman going the wrong way hit them just north of the 714 Martin Hwy interchange.  After the crash, both vehicles caught fire.  The Port St Lucie woman, Carolyn Ramos, was airlifted in critical condition to Lawnwood's Trauma Center.

Martin County school board member Laurie Gaylord has resigned from the board.  The resignation does not take effect until November 20, after the school superintendent election.  Gaylord is running for superintendent against incumbant Nancy Kline.  Rebecca Negron, State Senator Joe Negron's wife,  is running for Gaylord's seat on the school board.

Honor Flights will take more World War 2 Treasure Coast veterans up to Washington this weekend to see the World War 2 memorial.  This time they are taking two planes and 169 veterans.  Each veteran will have a volunteer to be with them to help them get around since many are in wheelchairs and walkers.  52 of the veterans on this flight are from St Lucie County, 29 from Martin County, 4 from Indian River.  The rest are Palm Beach County residents.  The oldest veteran on this flight is 97.  The planes will leave Palm Beach International Saturday morning and get back later that night. 

You can help stamp out hunger on the Treasure Coast by leaving canned food out by the mail box Saturday.  Treasure Coast Postal Carriers will be picking the food up and give it to the Treasure Coast Food Bank to help feed needy families this summer in Martin & St Lucie County.

FRIDAY MAY 11

No criminal charges will be filed in the fatal shooting near Sportsman's Park.  Prosecutors say based on evidence and interviews of witnesses, they can not overcome the self defense legal argument by Terry McKeliver who shot Jean Yves Toussaint.  He says Toussaint pulled a gun on him first.  The two had argued during a basketball game at Sportsman's Park. 

The judge sentenced John Goodman to 16 years for a DUI Manslaughter in Wellington.   He's the rich polo guy who was convicted of DUI Manslaughter.  He will likely serve 13+ years.  The judge set $7 million bail while Goodman appeals the conviction.  The judge found a juror who drank 3 vodka-tonics as an experiment on the effects alcohol might have had not effect on the final verdict. 

A man was shot in Ft Pierce overnight.  Police say it happened in an apartment parking lot in the 2800 block of Avenue L.  He was in critical condition at last word.  About 20 minutes before, someone fired shots at three men nearby. 

More St Lucie County convenience stores sold beer to minors during a sweep this week.  Sheriff Ken Mascara says they sent several 18 & 19 year old volunteers from IRSC in to see who would sell alcohol to minors.  Clerks at 12 of the 41 stores checked, did sell.  Sheriff Mascara is not pleased with only a 71% compliance rate.

Florida Power & Light is practicing for a hurricane today.  Under their drill, a category 3 storm is hitting south Florida.  FPL has a new emergency storm center in Riviera Beach which is designed to more quickly identify power outages.  They are also testing new communication systems.

A bad crashed closed part of Warfield Blvd north of Indiantown during the lunch hour.  Lifestar was brought in to airlift some of the injured to the hospital.  The crash at Martin Highway was reported around 11:45 am

Indian River State College received unanimous approval from the Florida State Board of Education on May 10 to launch new Bachelor’s Degree programs in Information Technology/Security Management and Public Administration, expanding IRSC’s Baccalaureate program choices to 21. Classes will begin August 23 and applications for the new programs will be accepted beginning May 14. 
     “These new Bachelor’s Degree programs will open the door to a wide range of jobs in information technology and public administration,” said Dr. Edwin R. Massey, IRSC President.

The Florida Turnpike is open in Broward County this morning.  They had to shut it down after a police chase and shooting during Thursday afternoon's rush hour.  Two law enforcement officers were shot but will survive, and the car jacker they were chasing shot and killed himself after running from them.

Port St Lucie hosts the 4th annual Treasure Coast Business Summit today.  Business and community leaders will participate in panel discussions.  St Lucie County Property Appraiser and former State Senator Ken Pruitt will be keynote speaker.  The TCBS event is at the Port St Lucie Civic Center .

Palm Beach-Treasure Coast Diocese Bishop Gerald Barbaritto is in Rome to meet with the Pope.  Barbaritto and other bishops from the US will meet in groups with the Pope to update him on what each is doing here.  His report will include information on how many abortions, births and deaths occur in his dioceses.

4 Treasure Coast high schools are on US News & World Reports list of top schools in the nation.  They rank Lincoln Park Academy at #87.  Jensen Beach High is ranked 956, South Fork 1,396 and the Clark Advanced Learning Center earned an honorable mention.  US News looked at test scores in reading and math and how well disadvantaged students do in ranking the best high schools.

Former Treasure Coast State Representative Adam Fetterman wants to serve in Tallahassee again.  He’s running for the District 84 House seat, which is a new seat created just for St Lucie County. Fetterman was in the Florida House for two years, and says St Lucie County needs its own representation in Tallahassee.  Fetterman says if elected he will work to get funding for Port St Lucie road projects and work to lower college tuition.

THURSDAY MAY 10

Legislation to fight the shortage of some life-saving drugs sponsored by Treasure Coast Congressman Tom Rooney has finally cleared a House committee.  CBS News just this week did a story on the shortage of life-saving cancer drugs, interviewing Rooney who said he could not understand why the bill wasn't going any where.  Today it passed the House Energy & Commerce Committee.  It still must pass the full House and then the US Senate and be signed by the President before it becomes law.  The bill would require drug companies to notify the FDA if they planned cutbacks in manufacturing the drugs.

A Hobe Sound man has been arrested after allegedly holding a St Lucie County Court process server at gun point Wednesday.  The woman was trying to serve a court summons on 54 year old Michael Wilson's wife.  He told Martin County deputies his lawyer had told him to not allow the court processor on his property.

Port St Lucie Police are warning people to not leave any valuables inside their vehicles.  At least 13 vehicles have been broken into the past month in parking lots including Sportsman's and Sandhill Crane Parks, LA Fitness, Dunkin Donuts and Duffy's.

A motorcyclist was hurt in a crash last night in Port St Lucie.  The man, in his mid 20s, wrecked at SW Driftwood and Import Dr, hitting a tree.  He was taken to Lawnwood's Trauma Center and was in serious condition.

Joey Yunnucci got to sleep in his own bed last night. He came home Wednesday, the last child hospitalized after the fatal St Lucie County school bus crash is home. 11 year old Joey Yannucci left the rehab hospital and came home to find a hundred people, including dozens of his friends wearing yellow Team Joey T-shirts, there to welcome him home.  He was in a coma for three weeks, but his long term prognosis for a full recovery is good.  Joey told our news partner CBS 12 "I'm fine..I'm walking good and reading good."   Joey still has rehab and two more surgeries to go thru and no date has been set for his return to FK Sweet Elementary. 

Last weekend was the best one yet for attendance and revenue at the new Sailfish Splash Water Park.  It was the first sunny and hot weekend since it opened.  Martin County Parks & Recreation director Kevin Abatte told county commissioners they had more than 800 day pass visitors along with 1,200 seasonal pass visitors on Saturday and Sunday was even better.  They hit capacity and some people had to wait until others left before they could go inside.  They did $24,000 in revenues last weekend.  Concession stand and other revenues are important to Sailfish Splash.  The county is banking on them being high enough to break even operationally so the water park doesn’t cost taxpayers anything.

A German woman was bitten by a shark Wednesday in Vero Beach.  The bite was severe, taking a big piece of her upper thigh, severing the main leg artery.  She was rushed to a trauma center.  The tourist had surgery and was in serious condition at last word.  The shark attack happened between the Driftwood Inn and Humistan Park.

South Florida Congressman Allen West has opened a campaign office in Stuart. The office is at 735 Colorado Avenue in Suite 9.  It will be open 9am to 9pm weekdays and noon to 5pm on weekends. 
 
St Lucie County teachers are upset they haven’t had a pay raise in five years.  More than 100 of them showed up at this week’s school board meeting wearing red shirts showing how they feel.  Teachers union officials say teachers believe the school district can find money to raise pay if they really want to.  School board members say the money isn’t there.
 
WEDNESDAY MAY 9

Ft Pierce City Manager David Recour resigned late this afternoon.  The City Commission voted unanimously to accept his resignation.  Several commissioners had been upset that Recour had been applying for other city management jobs.

A woman was bitten by a shark today in Vero Beach.  The bite was severe, severing the main leg artery.  She was rushed to a trauma center.

The last child hospitalized after the fatal St Lucie County school bus crash is home. 11 year old Joey Yannucci left the rehab hospital and came home this afternoon.  Dozens of Joey's friends wearing yellow Team Joey t-shirts were there to welcome him home.  He was in a coma for three weeks. 

John Bolduc has been named acting Police Chief in Port St Lucie.  He's been serving as an acting assistant chief since city Manager Greg Oravec reorganized the Police Dept several weeks ago.  Chief Brian Reuther recommended Bolduc.  He has been with Port St Lucie Police for 17 years.

There have been six wild fires on the Treasure Coast the past two weeks.  The biggest one is the one Tuesday near Fellsmere that forced evacuations and threatened homes.  350 acres burned there.  The other wild fires in Martin & St Lucie County burned another 185 acres.  Most were started by lightning strikes.  In half the fires, there was no rain that came with the lightning.

Jeffrey Raimann is being recommended to be the new principal of Indiantown Middle School, and Ivy Menken is being recommended as principal of Warfield Elementary School.  The Martin County School Board has the final say on the recommendations by Supt Nancy Kline.

Martin County Commissioners voted 3-2 last night change the comp plan to allow an extreme water sports park west of Hobe Sound.  Commissioners Rd Fielding and Sarah Heard voted against it saying there were too many unanswered questions,  Commissioner Patrick Hayes represents that district, and didn’t buy the criticism that the park between I-95 & the Turnpike would harm Hobe Sound noting it was 6 miles away.  The water sports park still has a number of approval steps to go through.  Plans are to erect several 30 foot tall towers that will pull a cable that will pull water skiers and water boards up and down the lake, a small RV camp, and indoor-outdoor skate board facility, and restaurant.

More brush fires broke out on the Treasure Coast Tuesday.  The big one was 250 acres near Fellsmere in northern Indian River County.  20 homes were threatened for a time and people were evacuated there.  Lightning struck a home on Dublin Drive in Port St Lucie starting a fire in the attic.   In Martin County 60 acres burned along Pratt-Whitney Highway in the Hobe Sound area.  That one was in a rural area and didn’t threaten anything.  Another 5 acre brush fire broke out at Payson Park but did not threaten anything either.  Meanwhile, if you see what looks like brush fire smoke in eastern Port St Lucie today, it will be a prescribed burn at the Savannahs Preserve to burn off brush to prevent a real brush fire later. 

Martin Health Systems and HealthSouth break ground this morning for a new 34 bed rehabilitation hospital at the Martin South campus.  It will provide services to those who aren’t ready to go home, but need rehab after a stroke or injury. Ground breaking is at 11am
 
There was a car chase up I-95 to Ft Pierce Tuesday afternoon.  A deputy pulled over a weaving car.  The woman driver got out, and a man got behind the wheel and drove off.  The car got off at Okeechobee Road and wrecked near Brocksmith Road.  The driver was taken to the hospital and faces charges.  The woman was arrested.
 
Dan Kurek has filed to run for the Port St Lucie City Council.  He’s running for the council seat Jack Kelly is retiring from.  Kurek was the Chairman of the city’s now defunct Citizens Budget Advisory Committee.  Jolien Caraballo and Robert Bluestone are also running for the seat.


TUESDAY MAY 8

Martin County Commissioners voted 3-2 tonight to transmit a comp plan amendment to Tallahassee to allow an extreme water sports park west of Hobe Sound.

Brush fires are burning near Fellsmere in northern Indian River County and along Pratt-Whitney Highway in Martin County in the Hobe Sound area.  The one in Fellsmere is more than 250 acres and some people have been evacuated.  The Hobe Sound one is small. 

A child nearly drowned in a swimming pool in Port St Lucie Monday afternoon.  Officials say the 2 year old boy was pulled from the pool at a home in the 2000 block of SW Beard Street and rushed to St Mary's in critical condition.  The incident comes less than two days after a 2 year old girl nearly drowned in the pool at the Port St Lucie Holiday Inn on Saturday.

Little League wants to see a new ball field complex built in Palm City.  They proposed using about half of the sales tax money the county has left to build next to Citrus Grove Elementary.  Little League says they just can not afford to maintain Stuart's Sailfish Park ball fields.  They propose using $2.6 million to build four ball fields.  County commissioners say  haven't had time to think about the plan.

Public relations expert Camille Yates is running for the St Lucie County Commission.  She will run for as a Democrat for the District 1 seat now held by Chris Dzadovski.  There are now 14 candidates running for the three St Lucie County Commission seats on this fall's ballot.

Martin County had a brush fire to deal with Monday.  About 20 acres burned along Warfield Blvd in Indiantown.  No structures were threatened.  The brush fire may have been started by lightning.  Lightning and dry conditions is what worries officials.  Forestry’s Melissa Yunnas says it’s dry even if it doesn’t look like it.  The rain we have gotten has been just enough to keep the vegetation green, but not enough to soak the roots.  The brush fire danger index numbers are 552 in St Lucie County and at 526 in Martin County.

The Florida Forestry Service often is called in to dig fire breaks to help Treasure Coast fiire fighters battle wild fires.  They make only a fraction of what regular firefighters make.  News Partner CBS 12 Treasure Coast correspondent Jana Eschbach reports the turnover is high which means they are constantly training new firefighters.  Forestry Service employees say when the extra hours they put in are factored in, they often make just $6 an hour.

Port St Lucie native Amy Graham is leaving as a top aid to Gov Rick Scott to join the Mitt Romney campaign.  The 25 year old has been with Gov Scott since he was elected and has been working her way thru Tallahassee while at Florida State University.  She will head the campaign where different speakers will be going out on behalf of Romney.  Graham will join the Romney campaign May 21^st.

The state will investigate an ethics complaint filed against Martin County school board member Laurie Gaylord, who is running against Nancy Kline for school superintendent.  The complaint filed by Assistant South Fork High Principal Emilio Gonzales alleges Gaylord improperly used her school district credit card to make a side trip to Las Vegas when she attended National School Board Association’s Annual Conference in San Francisco.  Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers quote Gaylord as saying she rearranged her flight back home to meet her husband who was meeting with a client in Las Vegas.  She has repaid the bill and is confident she will be exonerated by the Ethics Commission investigation.

A guidance counselor at Martin County High has filed a report with the sheriff’s office claiming Martin County School Board members Sue Hershey, Laurie Gaylord and Doc Anderson broke the state’s Sunshine Law by talking about how they would vote during breaks at school board meetings.  Randy LaPlante says he has audio recordings of this.

A 47 year old Ft Myers man has been charged with sexual battery on a girl in Ft Pierce 26 years ago.  The woman victim, who was a little girl at the time, is now willing to talk about it.  Moses Raynor allegedly molested her for two years starting in 1985..

Tracy Seegot has dropped out of the Martin County Commission race in District 5.  He says it’s to give John Haddox a better chance since the two men had very similar platforms.  The current commissioner, Ed Ciampi isn’t running for reelection.  He’s running for Court Clerk instead.

A Port St Lucie veterinarian did surgery on a snake found in a back yard.  The 5 ½ foot long yellow snake had eaten a ceramic egg in the yard around Easter.  The family finally caught the snake and brought it to Dr Leonard Fox at the West Port St Lucie Animal Hospital who removed the egg and stitched the snake back up for release back to the wild.

MONDAY MAY 7

Crystal Stiles is resigning as co-Executive Director of the Martin County Business Development Board.  She is taking a job with Florida Power & Light.  Her last day is expected to be May 28th.

Port St Lucie Police officer Tom Eisert has died after battling cancer the past six months.  Eisert joined the PSLPD in 1997 after serving in the Navy.

A 15 year old boy had to be treated at a trauma center after apparently being punched in the head during FridayFest in downtown Ft Pierce Friday.  He suffered a concussion and had trouble speaking.  He remembers being hit by "a big redneck" while on his bicycle near the Marina.

The old Roosevelt Bridge closing has been pushed back a week.  The bridge will be open for boats, but closed to traffic starting May 29th.  That will allow the closing to come after school ends and after the Memorial Day holiday weekend.  The FDOT needs to do maintenance and repainting.  The old bridge will be closed until the end of July.

 Ft Pierce Police need the public's help in identifying who shot two men in a drive-by shooting last Friday night in the 3100 block of Avenue F.  A 19 & 22 year olds were shot.  Police say they are not cooperating and witnesses aren't talking.

Martin Health Systems is riding high these days.  Construction has begun on the new hospital near Torrey Pines and they were just ranked a Top 100 hospital in the nation for the 7^th time.  CEO Mark Robitille tells WSTU-WPSL-WJNX they are proud and it shows the community that they are committed to excellence and providing the highest quality health care. Robitille says while Martin Health Systems is committed to the Treasure Coast, the community has been there for them, noting it was private funding that got their Cancer Treatment Center and the Francis Langford Cardiac Care center going.  Martin Health Systems isn’t through yet.  They and HealthSouth break ground this week for a 33 bed rehabilitation hospital at the Martin South campus.

News Partner CBS 12 reports Port St. Lucie teen Tyler Hadley  charged with killing his parents with a hammer last July and then throwing a party after. Has become something of a jail house celebrity.  An inmate jailed with Tyler says he is signing autographs behind bars and is known as "Hammer Boy," ''Hambo" and "Bamm-Bamm." signing the autographs with "It's hammer time."  Hadley has pleaded not guilty, he will go on trial at the end of the year

St Lucie County had a couple of brush fires over the weekend.  Both were in the same general area….Glades Cut Off Road and Selvitz.  The first brush fire broke out Saturday afternoon and burned a couple acres.  The second one broke out Sunday and burned 15 acres.  The brush fire threat remains high and gets worse every day it doesn’t rain.

27 students in Martin County are getting help from the Nina Haven Scholarships to go on to college this year.  Nina Haven was an educator and seasonal resident of Martin County and the scholarships provide up to $10 thousand to students over four years of college.  The Nina Haven Scholarships have given away $5 million since 1961.

People who want to run for local office have until noon today to turn in their voter petitions so they don’t have to pay a fee to run.  Turning in the petition with slightly more than a thousand signatures can save a candidate thousands of dollars.  In Martin County, for example, it would cost a candidate $12 hundred to run for the school board,  $56 hundred to run for the county commission, 75 hundred to run for sheriff.


SUNDAY MAY 6

The Red Cross is helping two adults after a fire at a home on Notlem Drive in Ft Pierce this morning. 

A 3 year old girl pulled from hotel swimming pool Saturday was in critical but stable condition at last word.  St Lucie County fire rescue says the child may have been in the water for 5 minutes before being pulled from the pool at the Holiday Inn on US 1.

Two man were shot late Friday night in Ft Pierce.  They were found shot in the 3100 block of Avenue F around 9:30.  Police are looking for the suspect, believed to be a man.

A rabid raccoon case in Palm City.  The Health Dept says a raccoon that tangled with a dog in the Mayacoo Way neighborhood last week had rabies.  The dog will be revaccinated and quarantined for 45 days.  Pet owners are being urged to avoid wild animals and keep their pets away from them too.

FRIDAY MAY 4

A 28 year old man found shot in Hobe Sound early this morning has died.  Just past midnight, sheriff's deputies found Tony Parks in the parking lot of the Mark's Landing apartment complex, shot in the abdomen.  He later died later at St Mary's Medical Center.

A Ft Pierce man has won $500,000 in a Florida lottery game.  69 year old George Jones won on a $20 Gold Rush Tripler scratch-off ticket bought at a Circle K store on South 35th St.

Port St Lucie Utilities customers should pay their water & sewer bill online only through the city's website, www.cityofpsl.com.  There is at least one other privately owned website that has been collecting payments and forwarding them on to the city.

Martin County Sheriff Robert Crowder has a "Meet & Greet" campaign event at Cafe Margeaux, across from the Courthouse in Stuart,  from 5:30 to 7:30pm.  Crowder is running for the Republican nomination for the new Treasure Coast Congressional District 18.

Treasure Coast economist Bill Fruth told the local Chambers of Commerce breakfast Thursday that the chances of a quick recovery of the Martin County economy are not as good as they could have been.   The county needs to diversify the economy and move away from building and development and the retirement sectors as other areas have done. Fruth tells WSTU-WPSL-WJNX they types of jobs that are needed in Martin County. Martin County has to make more of an effort to be a business friendly county. He says the county needs one thousand acres of approved industrial land set aside to recruit new business to create jobs and a future for high school and college graduates.

Four Port St Lucie Police officers and two civilians let go when City Manager Greg Oravec reorganized things are suing the city.  They claim wrongful termination and a violation of the US Constitutions guarantee of due process and a violation of the state’s Sunshine law.  Their attorney Lorenzo Williams told reporters at a press conference at the St Lucie County Courthouse the firings were not done properly. Oravec held a press conference of his own and said he’s glad to go to court over the police management firings  He said a lot of people have lost their job at city hall, but not everybody sues.  The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Majors Gary L. Robinson and Scott Bartal, Captains Don Kryak, Steven M. Claus Sr. and two civilian employees, Sheila K. Bronger and Sheila B. O'Sullivan, an administrator in the communication department.

Another class graduates from Indian River State College tonight.  IRSC’s Michelle Abaldo almost 3,000 students will get degrees tonight. 305 students will receive their 4 year Bachelors degree. It's the 10th straight year IRSC has seen more students graduate. Indian River State College’s commencement begins at 7pm at Digital Domain Park.

July is the start date for the Colorado Avenue road projects.  The city plans to beautify Colorado from Kindred to Kiwanis Park reducing the road to two lanes with a traffic roundabout put in at ML King Blvd.  New sidewalks, landscaping and more parking will be put in.  The county is making improvements at the US One Colorado intersection.  Colorado will have a dedicated right turn lane for traffic wanting to go north on Federal.  The left turn lane on Kanner highway will be made longer to stack more vehicles waiting to go north.

The St Lucie County School District has sent letters to the parents of the student’s injured in the fatal school bus crash in March.  The letters have information on insurance and how to file a claim.  The letters also calls the crash "probably the worst accident in the history of the School District,"
 
In the Florida boys high school baseball playoffs, Lincoln Park Academy & Stuart’s Community Christian both won, St Lucie West Centennial did not.  LPA beat LaBelle 5-1 to advance.   Community Christian beat Lake Worth Christian 12-2.  Centennial lost to Orlando University 2-1.  

THURSDAY MAY 3

National Day of Prayer events are being held on the Treasure Coast.  There was a service at noon at the downtown Stuart Gazebo.  Treasure Coast State Senator Joe Negron will speak at an event at 6pm at Harry & the Natives in Hobe Sound.  Another event is planned for Veterans Memorial Park in Port St Lucie at 6:30pm.

Port St Lucie Police have arrested a woman suspect in this week's purse snatching in St Lucie West.  Bernadette Perry is charged.  A 29 year old man who tried to tackle the purse snatcher was cut in the neck with a knife the purse snatcher had.   A second woman who allegedly drove the getaway vehicle was charged.

Treasure Coast economist Bill Fruth told the local Chambers of Commerce breakfast today that the chances of a quick recovery of the Martin County economy are not as good as they could have been.   The county needs to diversify the economy and move away from building and development as other areas have done.  He says the county needs one thousand acres of approved industrial land to recruit new business to create jobs and a future for high school and college graduates.

4 Port St Lucie men have been charged with stealing lots of stuff from Wal-mart to pay for their drug addictions.  Sheriff's officials arrested 40 year old Hoyt Adams, Daniel Heinz, 29 Carlos A. Maceira, Jr., 40 Ivan A. Franquiz, 21 for allegedly stealing TVx, computers, sewing machines and other consumer electronics.  Some of the item were brought back for refunds.

People who came to a meeting last night on the future of the Port of Ft Pierce told state officials the one thing they don’t want is to have the Port turned into a major seaport handling big cargo ships.  Most wanted a mixed use facility based on a master plan developed ten years ago.  Most agreed that some development would mean jobs and they favored that.  Another public hearing is scheduled for May 16^th.

The Treasure Coast has some of the cleanest air in the nation.  A new report from the American Lung Association says we have the lowest ozone pollution in the nation.  We also have some of the lowest industrial and fossil fuel emission levels

Martin County Sheriff Robert Crowder says he can make do with the same budget next year as this.  The sheriff is proposing a $54.9 million for the 2012-2013 fiscal year.  That’s the same as this year’s budget.  Sheriff Crowder has cut his budget every year since it hit a high of almost $60 million five years ago.
 
The general manager at the Port St Lucie Papa Johns has been charged after allegedly taking $17,000 in store monies.  Police say 28 year old Douglas Byrnes took the money to invest in electronics sales in Brazil.

Palm Beach County practiced handling a disaster at the St Lucie Nuclear Power plant Wednesday.  They ran thru decontamination procedures for the crowds of Treasure Coast residents expected to evacuate in a major disaster. 
  
The old Roosevelt Bridge will be closed for two months starting later this month.  The FDOT needs to do repairs and give the draw bridge a new paint job.  The bridge will be open for boats, but closed to highway traffic starting May 21^st and lasting thru the July 21^st. 

Members of Martin County’s SPAM Robotics team will be honored at a special dinner tonight.  The team made up of students from Martin County, Jensen Beach, South Fork and Clark Advanced Learning Center and mentored by engineers from Pratt Whitney won the First Robotics Competition in St Louis last weekend.  Tonight’s awards banquet is at the Martin County High cafeteria at 6:30 pm

Martin County, Port St Lucie, Jensen Beach and John Carroll all got knocked out of the high school baseball playoffs Wednesday.  They all lost their regional quarterfinal games.  Venice beat Martin County 2-1.  The Tigers had lost just one game all season before last night.  Pompano Beach beat Jensen Beach 6-2. Two Jensen Beach players and coach Chris Vacccaro were tossed out of the game by umpires.  Bradenton Manatee shut out Port St Lucie 3-0, Trinity Prep beat John Carroll 7-4.  Today’s games…Labelle plays at Lincoln Park and St Lucie West Centennial hosts Orlando University High.


WEDNESDAY MAY 2

BREAKING NEWS:  Former NFL star and former Miami Dolphin Junior Seau was found dead in his California home.  Reports are that he shot himself.

NEW:  A man who ran to help a 65 year old woman fighting with a purse snatcher in St Lucie West got cut in the neck by the thief.  The purse was stolen by a younger woman in the parking lot of the Wal-mart.  A 29 year old man tackled her and got cut.  The purse snatcher drove off in a dented pickup.  She may be around 50, 5-6, 160 to 180 lbs and has a tribal tattoo on her upper right arm.

UPDATE:  Gov Rick Scott is learning the Treasure Coast citrus industry today.   This morning he picked oranges from trees putting them into 70 pound bags.  This afternoon he's working in a citrus packing plant near Fellsmere.  It's the Governor's 9th workday since taking office.

NEW:  Every one of the 23 students graduating with a degree from Florida Atlantic University Accounting Sciences program this spring already has a job waiting for them.  They can take the CPA exam right after graduation.  The average starting salary is more than $50,000.

NEW:  Three Martin County United Way volunteers are being thanked by a presidential award.  Al Molinari, Joe Marchiselli and Barbra Pitts are being given the President’s Volunteer Service Award established by President Bush in 2003.  Molinan volunteers at the Sheriff's office, Marchiselli at RSVP & Stuart Police while Pitts volunteers at Martin Health Systems.

NEW:  Several people were injured in a crash at 12:44pm at US One & Heritage Ridge.  At least 6 Martin County deputies and two ambulances and a battalion fire chief were dispatched to the scene.

TRAFFIC UPDATE:  The southbound lanes on the Florida Turnpike have reopened after a crash around 6:30am at the Port St Lucie Service Plaza.  There were injuries in the crash.  A semi hauling mulch has flipped over on its side spilling its load.

Martin County Commissioner Ed Ciampi is suggesting the county adopt a one-half cent sales tax to pay for road maintenance, parks improvements, water quality and other  projects the county has had to put off because of the economy. Ciampi told his fellow commissioners he has no problem telling voters the need is there. Ciampi says Martin County residents should be used to paying an extra half cent since it just expired 4 months ago.  That money was used to buy land for conservation and recreation.  Voters would have to approve the sales tax this fall, if County Commissioners decide to put it on the ballot.  Several of them appear to be against the idea.

South Florida and the Treasure Coast actually had a pretty wet April.  We got more rain than usual.  We got double the rainfall what we usually get during April. April is usually the driest month of the year in Florida and the most dangerous for brush fires.  The Treasure Coast has had only a couple of those…in Hobe Sound, along Midway Road and several near Vero Beach.

The parents of a St Lucie County 11 year old who are suing the school district over alleged bullying by a teacher at Oak Hammock K-8 are speaking out.  The boy is diagnosed with ADHD and says his reading teacher has made fun of him in class, calling him dumpster boy and allegedly shoving a desk at him.. The boy’s mother Antonia Jean tells news partner CBS 12 all they want is justice The St Lucie County School District has received the lawsuit, but won’t comment on pending litigation.

What should be done with the Port of Ft Pierce?  That question has been asked b y state and local leaders for years. There’s a meeting on that tonight.  The FDOT wants to know what the Port could be used for to contribute to the regional and statewide transportation system.  The meeting is from 6 to 9pm at the St Lucie County Commission Chambers at the county administrative center at Virginia and 25^th.

Governor Rick Scott is on the Treasure Coast today holding one of his work days.  He’ll work in a citrus grove in Indian River County this morning, then work in a citrus packing house this afternoon.

A tip lead to the arrest of a Stuart man on charges he was dealing crack cocaine Martin County deputies got a tip that 27 year old Jarrod Breland would be doing a deal along Indian Street.  They found his car parked nearby and a search turned up $300 worth of crack.

Ft Pierce City Commissioner Reggie Sessions has been publically reprimanded for not doing as good a job as he could have for a legal client.  Sessions admitted he did not fully communicate with a criminal client who ended up having to represent himself at a hearing.  Sessions is still a member in good standing with the Florida Bar.

Palm City Elementary won Tuesday’s elementary school reading bowl.  They beat out teams from Bessy Creek, Citrus Grove, Jensen Beach and Pinewood to take first place.  Teams had to answer questions about 15 books on the Sunshine State Young Readers list.

Starting today almost a thousand Martin County kindergarten students and first graders will be getting free books.  They’ll get a copy of Curious George: Tadpole Trouble from Curious George himself.  The Martin County Education Foundation and Comerica bank are making the book giveaway possible to promote a life-time love of reading.

The St Lucie Mets are having a great season so far.  They beat the Jupiter Hammerheads 15-6 Tuesday behind 19 hits and 5 homeruns.   The St Lucie Mets are 21-4 and in first place in the Florida State League’s Southern Division.

TUESDAY MAY 1

Palm Beach County Commissioners today said no to raising the sales tax one-half cent.  It would have brought in $153 million a year.  Plans on exactly how to spend it were vague, though a bulk would have gone to fund public transportation like PalmTran.  Commissioners wanted more specifics, and without those, voted against putting the sales tax referendum on the November ballot. 

A 21 year old Ft Pierce man has been charged after allegedly having had sexual relations with a 12 year old boy.  Officials say Leonard Miller had relations five times and also sent the boy explicit photos.

Some crime is up on the Treasure Coast.  The FDLE report shows nearly 700 more crimes last year in Port St Lucie.  For the most part it is burglaries, larceny and motor vehicle thefts.  Port St Lucie had 6 murders last year, double the murders the year before.  There were more murders in Ft Pierce, but fewer in St Lucie County.  The overall crime rate was up 9% in St Lucie County.  Ft Pierce Police Sgt Dennis McWilliams says quick-cash type crimes like robbery are up in these economic times In Martin County the overall crime rate was up 2% last year.  There were 3 murders last year, more rapes, but fewer robberies and fewer aggravated assaults

The St Lucie Inlet dredging project is finished.  They ended up dredging more than 450,000 cubic yards of sand.  The original project was for 330,000 cubic yards, but the bids came in low enough and the project moved along quickly enough to get the extra sand before the start of turtle season.  This means the St Lucie Inlet probably won't have to be dredged again for 3 to 4 years instead of 1 to 2 years.
 

Stuart is going to get two new car dealerships.  City commissioners have approved land changes allowing a new Infinity and a new Audi dealership next to Lowes south of Indian Street.  Plans are for a 93,000 square foot store the owner promises will be so ultra-modern it will become a landmark for Stuart.  80 employees would be hired and the owner says he plans to start construction as soon as he gets the final approval from the City of Stuart.

They’ve begun installing the big windows at the new Elliott Museum.  Each is 34 feet tall and are prefabbed in Tampa and shipped here.  The windows are hurricane resistant, capable of handling 186 mph winds.  The new Elliott Museum should be finished next year.

A milestone for the SunPass sytem on the Florida Turnpike.  Officials say they’ve sold more than 7 million of the electronic cards that are read by scanners at someTturnpike toll plazas, allowing drivers to get through quickly and not stop to pay.  Turnpike officials didn’t expect to sell that many SunPass cards until 2014.

They’re setting up for this year’s SunFest in West Palm Beach.  Streets downtown near the water are closed to allow them to set up several stages and get food area’s set up.  SunFest opens Wednesday and runs thru this next weekend.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has a town meeting & a public hearing on the Kings Highway improvements tonight.  They intend to widen Kings Highway from Okeechobee road north to Indrio Road, adding two lanes of traffic and bicycle lanes and sidewalks.  They also propose making it a 4 lane highway with a median.  The open house starts at 5:30 with a presentation on the project at 6pm at Indian River State College’s main Ft Pierce Campus.