​KEY WEST, FL (APRIL 24, 2024) – In May, Lower Keys Medical Center wants to help women be the picture of health through Keep Your Selfie Healthy: A Women’s Health Week Challenge email series. 
 
Starting May 13, Lower Keys Medical Center will provide seven daily emails about women’s health issues, including menopause, heart disease and the prevalence of autoimmune, pelvic floor, and sleep disorders. The series is intended to help women focus on “their selfies.” To sign up, visit LKMC.com/selfie. 
 
“Studies show that 50% of women skipped preventative healthcare last year, but those screenings are crucial,” says Courtney Bonner, D.O. at Keys Medical Group – Primary Care at Searstown.  “Through proactive healthcare, we can better diagnose conditions early, when they’re the most treatable. Women have to remember that some conditions are asymptomatic or are often chalked up to being a ‘part of getting older,’ but your provider can help you navigate and treat those disorders.”
 
After the Women’s Health Movement in the 1960s and 1970s, renowned medical institutions and healthcare systems began focusing more on women’s health. However, it wasn’t until 2000 that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched National Women’s Health Week, which starts each year on Mother’s Day. 
 
This observance stemmed from disparities in care for women and women’s tendencies to prioritize family and career, even if their health fell by the wayside. However, it’s important that women be proactive about their health. 
 
“Prioritizing screenings is essential because healthy women are better equipped to pursue their goals, contribute to their communities and enjoy longer, fuller lives,” says David Clay, Lower Keys Medical Center CEO. “Women often play central roles in our lives, and we want our mothers, sisters, daughters and friends to be healthy enough to take selfies for years to come.” 
 
To Keep Your Selfie Healthy, sign up at LKMC.com/selfie. We’ll also be giving away prizes every day, including an at-home spa package, a Fitbit Versa 2 and a Kindle Paperwhite.

MARATHON, FL — The Florida Keys Transportation Coordination Committee will be hosting a hybrid meeting on Wednesday, May 1 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Marathon Government Center and via Zoom technology. The agenda will include a chair introduction by County Commissioner David Rice, an update on the status of prioritized projects currently provided to the Florida Department of Transportation by Transit Director Richard Clark, and a public question and commenting section.
 
The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners created the committee in 2019 to research traffic issues and create formal recommendations for the governing bodies of the five municipalities and the county commissioners.
 
The committee is made up of six officials, one from each municipality and one from the BOCC. State and regional transportation officials and city and county staff work with the committee to help make recommendations and answer questions. The committee will discuss enhancing public transportation, increasing intercounty trips for added convenience, promoting services to out-of-town visitors, and other ideas to be considered.
 
Committee members include David Rice, Monroe County; Mary Lou Hoover, Key West; Brian Shea, Marathon; Tom Harding, Key Colony Beach; Bruce Halle, Layton; and Buddy Pinder, Islamorada.
 
To see the agenda and Zoom information or learn more about the committee, visit www.monroecounty-fl.gov/transportation.

April 22, 2024 – (KEY WEST, FL).  On Friday, May 10, join folk artist, third generation Cuban American and Key West native Wayne Garcia as he presents a night of eerie storytelling spotlighting the island’s ghost stories as part of the Key West Art & Historical Society’s Distinguished Speaker Series.  His talk entitled, “They Only Follow Us At Night” takes place from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Tropic Cinema, 416 Eaton Street.
During his presentation, Garcia will delight attendees with yarns of old Key West, his memories from growing up, and several of the island’s lesser-known ghost stories.  His tales will be accompanied by his colorful woodcarvings and vintage photographs depicting the island’s incredible and idiosyncratic past.
“The Society is delighted that Wayne has once again agreed to present an evening of Key West stories, using his striking artwork and the characters within as a visualization tool,” says Dr. Cori Convertito, curator for the Society.  “Wayne deftly weaves together thoughtful yet lighthearted accounts of the people, the places, and the events that make us long for Old Key West, and I am eager to hear about the spirits that only come out at night.”
The presenter, Wayne Garcia, is a third generation Cuban American and Key West native.  He learned the techniques of carving on wood from watching legendary folk artists Mario Sanchez and Papito Suarez.  Garcia’s delightful accounts of Key West’s past should not be missed.  He literally and figuratively paints a picture of an island paradise rich in community and culture, validating all the reasons why many of us have chosen Key West as our home.
To reserve tickets for the lecture; visit kwahs.org/dss-garcia - $12 for KWAHS members, $15 for non-members.  This program is sponsored in part by the Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture and the State of Florida, Aloys & Carol Metty, and the John & Marilyn Rintamaki Family Charitable Fund.  For more information, contact Cori Convertito, Ph.D. at 305-295-6616 x507 or [email protected].  Your Museums.  Your Community.  It takes an Island.
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​Join the History of Diving Museum, NAUI, and dive historians for Vintage Dive Weekend on Saturday May 4th and Sunday May 5th!
 
Dive like Mike Nelson in Sea Hunt or Jacques Cousteau in Silent World. See what it takes to put a classic dress Navy Mark V diver in the water, or what it was like to be William Beebe, known as the “Father of Marine Biology”, using a Miller-Dunn helmet. These diving experiences and demonstrations will take place on Saturday, May 4th at Jules Undersea Lodge. Certified divers can choose a time slot between 10 AM and 3 PM. After an equipment orientation, participants will embark on a guided underwater tour in the lagoon. Divers, non-divers and land-lovers alike are also invited to watch as well as do photo ops while learning about this important history. If you are interested in experiencing vintage diving, reserve your dive on: DivingMuseum.org. 
 
Create your own underwater scene on Sunday, May 5th. For those that dive on Saturday with vintage double hose regulators, you can take the experience to the reef! Join NAUI and Silent World for an afternoon reef dive using the same vintage equipment. Contact Silent World to reserve your spot: 305-451-3252.
 
The History of Diving Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in Islamorada (MM83). Divers and non-divers alike are amazed by over 4,000 years of “the quest to explore under the sea.” The Museum is open daily from 10AM-5PM and has 14 core exhibits plus two annual limited-time Featured Exhibits as well as a Museum Store with unique gifts. Visit “Salvaging the Deep” open May 15th through December 31st. Check out DivingMuseum.org for more details, or call (305) 664-9737.

KEY WEST, Florida Keys – You could have hundreds of gallons of free water simply by collecting it!
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On Saturday, April 27th, at 1pm to 2 pm, the City of Key West, Monroe County Extension Service and Key West Botanical Gardens are conducting a Rain Barrel Workshop at the Botanical Garden on College Road on Stock Island as part of their shared Earth Day/Arbor Day Celebration.
 
Attendees will learn where to get barrels, how to build one, tips for where to put it, how to decorate it, and how to hook them up together. Participants that pre-register via the City’s Preserve Island Life Facebook Page can buy, build and bring home their own rain barrel that day.  https://www.facebook.com/preserveislandlife/events/
 
During even a short, ½ inch rain, a 1000 sq. ft. of roof yields approximately 300 gallons of water. By collecting
and storing this rainwater, you benefit by having a source of free irrigation, car washing, or boat washing water
during times of drought.  Also, this stored rainwater doesn’t contain chlorine, lime, or calcium. A rain barrel helps direct moisture away from building foundations. Storing rainwater also helps to reduce the amount of pollution running into our estuaries and ponds in the form of storm water runoff. Using non potable water for non-potable uses saves money on both your water and sewer bills too!
 
Water Conservation Month is part of the City of Key West’s sustainability campaign, Preserve Island Life.
To receive monthly eNewsletters covering this and future events, sign up for our eNewsletter via our Preserve
Island Life facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/preserveislandlife

​KEY LARGO, FL — After a concerned citizen sent Monroe County Mayor Holly Merrill Raschein a note of concern regarding a 'weird sinkhole' in the road in her neighborhood in Key Largo, Monroe County Roads and Bridges staff found quite an interesting culprit—an invasive iguana had tunneled underneath the asphalt to create a nesting area.   
 
"After investigating the 'sinkhole,' we discovered iguanas have tunneled next to an old, abandoned culvert and found some soft sand where they were laying their eggs under the road," said crewmember Ron Havengar, who helped with the excavation. "We dug out the sand to a hard base, then compacted crushed lime rock in lifts, then paved over that. Only in Florida."
 
In addition to Havengar, Francisco Palomares, Robert Biers, Dan Oliva, and Sean Martin were also a part of the iguana-gate crew.
 
We appreciate our residents' keen eyes and taking the time to send a note of concern," said Upper Keys Roads and Bridges Administrator Kimberly Kelley. "We love special projects, especially ones with surprise endings."