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The Key West Citizen
Committee narrows list of TDC hopefuls
A Monroe County tourism director selection committee chose Joseph Boschulte, Laura Chmielewski, Kara Franker and Nerissa Serrano-Okiye as the top four candidates and will bring them to Marathon on Friday, July 26, for in-person interviews. The committee is also planning to hold a social event the evening of Thursday, July 25. The committee members asked the candidates questions about creating marketing campaigns based on sustainable tourism, plans for advertising and...
Hemingway Days mark author’s Key West legacy and 125th birthday
When Ernest Hemingway lived in Key West during the 1930s, he penned literary classics and fished for giant billfish in Florida Keys waters. Fans of adventurous living and writing can celebrate his legacy — and the 125th anniversary of his birth — Tuesday through Sunday, July 16-21, during the annual Hemingway Days festivities. Recalling the late author’s vigorous Key West lifestyle and world-renowned writing talent, the schedule includes a look-alike contest for aspiring “Ernests,” the quirky “Running of the Bulls,” a presentation about 1930s Key...
Mosquito Control mission set for Tuesday, July 16, in Key West
Because of recent rains, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District has scheduled an aerial larviciding mission for Tuesday, July 16, from 6:30 to 10 a.m., over the western portion of Key West. The helicopter mission will be completed, weather permitting, using Bti, which is a mosquito larva-specific soil bacteria. It is mixed with water and applied as a mist to combat Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that can transmit dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika. Keep track of FKMCD aerial adulticide, larvicide and fog truck missions by downloading the treatment notification app at https://keysmosquito.org. For information, call Mosquito Control at 305-292-7190.
Multiple drug arrests through Keys
Local law enforcement has been extremely busy during the first few weeks of July with a variety of drug and drug-related arrests throughout the Florida Keys. On Thursday, July 11, the Key West Police Department Special Investigations Unit arrested David Maranon Rodriguez, 35, on charges of trafficking in crystal methamphetamine, according to a news release from police spokeswoman Alyson Crean. Detectives initiated a narcotics investigation into Rodriguez after learning he...
Students do well overall on year-end state tests
Local public school students outperformed the state average in writing in fourth through 10th grades, according to recently released Florida state testing results. Monroe County School District Superintendent Theresa Axford said the district’s emphasis on Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) strategies, which focus on writing, propelled the students. This is the first time in several years that writing has been considered as a separate score, according to a school district news release. ...
Alcohol factor in boat accident, FWC states
A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer has stated that “alcohol does appear to be a factor” in a boating accident on Monday, July 8, that sent eight people to the hospital. Three people were flown by air ambulance to a Miami-Dade County hospital and the others were treated at Lower Keys Medical Center after the boat they were in struck the South Pine Channel Bridge early Monday, July 8. ...
HOMETOWN! TO HOLD CANDIDATE FORUM MONDAY
Hometown! will hold its August primary election candidate forum on Monday, July 15, at The Studios of Key West, 533 Eaton St., in Key West. The public is encouraged to attend this free event to hear the candidates present their platforms, discuss issues one-on-one and explain how they contrast with their opponents. Doors open at 5 p.m. for a meet-and-greet with the candidates; at 5:30, candidates in the Supervisor of...
Stoughton steps into the hot seat
From the outside, being city manager of the Key West seems like a dream job. But for some, it has been anything but. The last city manager, Al Childress, held the position for roughly a year before being fired. Patti McLauchlin did a brief stint as city manager, as former City Manager Greg Veliz quit after roughly 18 months, following a year in which he was charged with imposing strict...
Key Largo cactus goes extinct in U.S.
The Florida Keys has long been the frontline when it comes to the effects of climate change, and the chain of islands has had its first casualty in the war with sea-level rise. Monroe County sea-level rise projections estimate between 10 to 21 inches of rise by 2040, 21 to 54 inches by 2070 and 40 to 136 inches by 2120. However, the damage is already being felt in various areas of the Keys, whether it is humans, animals and now plants. ...
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Josue Thanus, Key West
Q: How long have you been playing your sports? A: Basketball I started around first grade and then football lnd track my junior year. Q: Did you ever play any other sports growing up? A: Just basketball. Q: What was...
Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival to ‘make waves’ for reef protection July 13
The Lower Florida Keys’ ocean realm will become a one-of-a-kind concert venue Saturday, July 13, when divers and snorkelers immerse themselves in a sub-sea musical adventure that promotes environmentally responsible diving and coral reef preservation. The 40th annual Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival takes place at Looe Key Reef, an area of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary approximately 6 miles south of Big Pine Key. The Sanctuary protects the waters surrounding the entire Florida Keys island chain, including the continental United States’ only coral...
Theatrical marvel returns July 13: 'One Night Stand' at The Studios of Key West
Summer heats up on Saturday, July 13, as the much-beloved “One Night Stand” makes its exciting return to The Studios of Key West. This renowned 24-hour theater project promises two electrifying performances at 7 and 9 p.m., showcasing the boundless creativity and camaraderie of local theater artists. The excitement begins the night before, as playwrights and directors gather to kick off the creative frenzy. Drawing casts randomly, they embark on a race against the clock to craft four new 10-minute plays overnight. ...
Oscar-winner, former Keys resident dies
Jon Landau, the Oscar-winning movie producer and former Islamorada resident and philanthropist, died Friday, July 5, at the age of 63. Landau’s family announced his death the following day. No cause of death was given. Landau is credited with two of the highest-grossing films of all time, “Avatar” and “Titanic,” for which he won an Academy Award in 1997. ...
Hemingway 5k Sunset Run and Paddleboard Race to draw athletes to Key West
Racers can compete on foot or on paddleboards during two Key West challenges that commemorate Ernest Hemingway’s exuberant outdoor lifestyle and passion for sporting pursuits. Set for Saturday, July 20, the nationally acclaimed Hemingway 5K Sunset Run and Paddleboard Race is a traditional part of Key West’s annual Hemingway Days celebration, set for Tuesday through Sunday, July 16-21. Race registration and packet pickup are scheduled from 3 to 7 p.m....
Hurricane season forecast ratchets up
Following Hurricane Beryl’s deadly trek across the Caribbean to the United States, experts at Colorado State University have increased their storm forecast for what was already expected to be an above-average hurricane season. On Tuesday, July 9, the university’s Department of Atmospheric Science added two named storms and a major hurricane to its outlook for the 2024 season, which started June 1 and will run through November. The department said...
Citizens Insurance continues to add policies
The state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. continues to add policies and announced recently it had topped a total of 1.215 million. Citizens had 1,215,064 policies on Friday, July 5, up from 1,211,914 policies a week earlier and 1,207,292 policies two weeks earlier, according to data posted on its website. Citizens, which was created as an insurer of last resort, has become the state’s largest carrier in recent years as private...
Body found on Stock Island identified
A body discovered in the mangroves off Fifth Street on Stock Island last month has been identified as 51-year-old David George Karroma of Key West, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Karroma’s next-of-kin have been notified of his passing, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Adam Linhardt said in a news release. A passerby found Karroma’s body during the early afternoon of June 27. The U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also responded. Foul play is not believed to be a factor in the death, Linhardt said, although an investigation is ongoing.
Harvest lobster safe and responsibly
As the Florida Keys brace for an influx of divers for an extra day of spiny lobster or bug hunting on Sunday, July 14, local and state law enforcement officers are urging caution and reminding harvesting can only occur in state waters. In the past week, seven people were injured and one person died in two separate boating accidents in Keys waters. On July 8, seven people were taken with to the hospital with serious injuries after the boat they were riding in struck the...
Rowell's Park reopened after electrocution
The Monroe County government-owned waterfront Rowell’s Park reopened Wednesday, July 10, after being closed a day when a woman was reportedly electrocuted there and flown by air ambulance to a Miami-Dade County hospital on Monday night. Elizabeth Tuckus was taken by air ambulance to Jackson South Medical Center and was in the intensive care unit after being severely shocked when she leaned against a light pole at the 8-acre park at about 7:30 p.m., the woman’s husband, John Tuckus, told The Keys Citizen, adding that...
Mosquito Control mission set for Thursday, July 11, in Upper Keys
Because of recent rains, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District has scheduled aerial larviciding missions for Tuesday, July 11, from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m., over Upper Key Largo, Middle Key Largo and Upper Matecumbe. The airplane/helicopter mission will be completed, weather permitting, using Bti, which is a mosquito larva-specific soil bacteria. It is mixed with water and applied as a mist to combat Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that can transmit dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika. Keep track of FKMCD aerial adulticide, larvicide and fog truck missions by downloading the treatment notification app at https://keysmosquito.org. For information, call Mosquito Control at 305-292-7190.
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