Moving to the Eagle’s nest
Athletic director back at Centennial
A3
Meet the new boss
Palm Pointe names new principal
A21
Well blended season
Riverside Theatre mixes it up
B1
ST. LUCIE WEST • TRADITION
YourVoiceWeekly.com VOL. 4/ISSUE 28
YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2016
Watching Mercury’s public transit
All Aboard Florida gets another go from railroad administration
David Brown of St. Lucie West joined forces with other members of the astronomy club at Indian River State College to watch a rare celestial occurrence of the planet Mercury in transit across the sun Monday, May 9. The club meets on the last Tuesday of each month at IRSC in Fort Pierce. ‘We encourage even people without telescopes to come even if only with a passing interest,’Brown said when reflecting on he got involved through his own passing interest.
Mitch Kloorfain chief photographer
Patrick McCallister STAFF WRITER
pmccallister@YourVoiceWeekly.com
TREASURE COAST — All Aboard Florida is calling it a “significant step,” but opponents question how far down the tracks it gets the proposed high-speed passenger train. “Today we have achieved another significant step towards the completion of our project,” the company said in a press release. “Consistent with our initial commitment to the Treasure Coast, we provided final engineering plans that included safety improvements for (Federal Railway Administration’s) review. The agency has now completed its review of our plans for Palm Beach, Martin, St.
See ABOARD page A20
Spotlight shines on ASD, but more is needed to battle the rise in diagnosed cases Cynthia Warren
FOR YOURVOICE NEWS & VIEWS
info@YourVoiceWeekly.com
ST. LUCIE WEST — In 2015, it was reported that 1 in 68 children in the U.S. had been diagnosed with autism. According to The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the numbers have been on the rise.
In 2000, the CDC reported that out of 356,000 disabled children nationwide, 4,473 of them were identified as autistic. In an updated report in 2015, that number grew to 28,064 for the same age group. This is more than a 527 percent increase in the last 15 years, bringing the autistic population to 7.9 percent of overall disabled children in the nation. These staggering numbers show
the sheer need for local support for families and their children. Jessica McLaughlin, a St. Lucie West mom, shared the story of her 14-year old daughter, Alexandria. “She developed normally the first year, reaching all her milestones such as sitting, crawling and walking on time. Her father and I noticed she was a bit different around a year and a half.” “After hearing tests and other
behavioral exams, she was diagnosed with ASD when she was almost 3,” McLaughlin said. Alexandria is on the severe end of the spectrum and is non-verbal. After the diagnosis, she received home therapies that lasted until she was 3. Now in a St. Lucie County school, Alexandria is in self-contained classes.
See ASD page A18
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