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YourVoiceWeekly.com YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Year brought Martin County interesting news Patrick McCallister Staff writer
pmccallister@YourVoiceWeekly.com
MARTIN COUNTY — The year 2013 heads to the history books. And a lot of history was made right here in Martin.
Lake Okeechobee discharges Who can forget the infamous Army Corps of Engineers nutrient-rich water discharges from Lake Okeechobee that contaminated waterways in Martin and other counties? There are about 1,000 ways to talk about it. There were congressional hearings, and state legislative delegation visits. There was international media in town for weeks. There was an atypically united Martin County Commission demanding immediate and long term action from all quarters of government. And on the edges of all that was William Bohrer, a Palm City resident who was incarcerated in the Martin County Jail at the height of the contaminating discharges. Activism knows no bounds, even when activists’ options are limited. Bohrer and other inmates saw County Chairwoman Sarah Heard on television discussing the Lake O discharges and some of the things government and others could do now and in the future to reduce the contamination. They decided to regularly pray for God to help her through the difficult PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID FORT PIERCE, FL PERMIT NO. 248 ECRWSS
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Mitch Kloorfain/chief photographer Palm City resident Mark Perry, executive director of the Florida Oceanographic Society held up a bag of algae ridden water taken from one of the waterways connecting the Indian River Lagoon at the ‘Save the St. Lucie River and Martin County Wildlife’ rally Saturday, Aug. 3 at Phipps Park in Stuart. Several thousand people showed up to protest the releases of freshwater from Lake Okeechobee into the salt water of the waterways connecting the Indian River Lagoon. time. They also sent Heard a letter from jail urging her on in defense of the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon. Heard was so moved, she read the letter at a commission meeting, and carried it to show Representatives when she visited Washington D.C. to demand funding for projects
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2013
Light on their feet From left, Shea Dermody, Laura Kutey and Madison Bailey, of Palm City performed under the instruction of Maria-Elena Alfieri during the winter Showcase at StarStruck Theatre Saturday, Dec. 21 in Stuart. The show featured student performances from the latest session of classes in Hip-Hop, ballet, jazz, tap and musical theatre.
Mitch Kloorfain chief photographer
See 2013 page 6
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