ST. LUCIE WEST • TRADITION
“I grew up on the Indian River. When I was a kid, it was clear. It ain’t now.” Senator Bill Nelson
YourVoiceWeekly.com VOL. 1/ISSUE 49
YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2013
Indian River Lagoon garners national attention U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Jupiter, addresses media representatives shorty after an Oct. 3 Congressional briefing on Capitol Hill to draw attention to the deteriorating Indian River Lagoon. Murphy is surrounded by ‘River Warriors’ and local elected officials from St. Lucie and Martin counties who made the trip to have their voices heard before lawmakers. Staff photo by Nicole Rodriguez
New face
Seasoned agent joins the team at Lang Realty in PGA
21 Shots heard
Treasure Coast residents in D.C. for the lagoon at the time of a shooting
3
Inno-Zen-t Treasure Coast locals link with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senator Bill Nelson to save the languished lagoon Nicole Rodriguez Staff writer
nrodriguez@YourVoiceWeekly.com
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Even amid the shadow of a government shutdown, concerned citizens managed to thrust the Treasure Coast’s toxic waterways into the national spotlight during a Capitol Hill briefing on the pollution plaguing the Indian River Lagoon. More than 20 state and federal law makers attended, including Minority
Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. “I think your being here and (Congress’s) support for this, elevates this to national significance,” Pelosi said to close to 200 “River Warriors” who traveled by bus and plane to have their voices heard at the meeting. Pelosi was able to see first-hand just how toxic the water has become by viewing a Gatorade bottle filled with the murky lagoon water U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Jupiter, carries with him. “When Patrick Murphy presented me that bottle, I wasn’t sure what was going on,” Pelosi said. “But when he told me what that water in fact was, it was shocking. One picture is worth a
La Zen shooting deemed self-defense, but there’s a twist
4
Dengue update New info on mosquito-borne illness
14
Blowing wind
IRSC Jazz ensemble to perform this month
26
See LAGOON page 6
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID FORT PIERCE, FL PERMIT NO. 248
Local Postal Customer
See
uS on page
5
6224
ECRWSS