Sequester Would Hit the Keys
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Need A Loan? Call Us ! 305-296-8535 KeysBank.com Kurt Ani Lori Brian Smith Lewin Madruga Bailey Barroso (305) (305) (305) (305) (305) 942-4821 304-4187 308-3210 304-6991 393-4669 NMLS#: 518207 NMLS#: 812476 NMLS#: 812674 NMLS#: 812459 NMLS#: 812460 Member FDICMember Equal Housing Lender WWW.KEYSNET.COM SATURDAY,FEBRUARY 23, 2013 VOLUME 60, NO. 16 ● 25 CENTS MONROE COUNTY SCHOOLS FEDERAL BUDGET E-mail needed for lockdown No one was hurt but two Schoolwide students could face criminal intercom was charges for the airsoft hand- gun at Horace O’Bryant down for move Middle School. “HOB has just moved into By SEAN KINNEY the new main office and they [email protected] have been working on trans- ferring the intercom system,” When what appeared to be Principal Mike Henriquez a lethal gun was discovered said via e-mail. in a Key West school When the lockdown was Thursday morning, the ordered, “The intercom was school staff was directed to not functioning. We had to e- lock down the campus. mail staff and call team lead- But the order didn’t come ers to notify staff to lock- via intercom, where everyone down/hold in place.” in the school could hear it, but “This basically means through e-mail — because the teachers hold students in their intercom system wasn’t rooms and lock the classroom working at the newly con- structed wing of the school. ● See Lockdown, 2A ISLAMORADA F/18s like these are common in Lower Keys skies as naval air squadrons from throughout the nation come to Naval Air Station Key West for air-to-air combat training. Village pipeline now in question Sequester would village of Islamorada’s cen- Coastal Barrier tralized wastewater treat- Resource System ment system, Tavernier Creek is in unincorporated rears its head Monroe County. hit the Keys big The county has had a con- By DAVID GOODHUE troversial land-use policy in By DAVID GOODHUE down four air wings on [email protected] place since 2001 not to issue Unpaid federal furloughs likely [email protected] March 1. After 90 days, permits for new utility proj- to trickle down to the economy those pilots lose their certifi- Monroe County Growth ects in the Coastal Barrier Hundreds of civilian U.S. cation, and now it takes six Management officials are Resource System, which was Department of Defense October. Since the military is NAS Key West’s forte is air- to nine months to retrain evaluating whether an under- created to protect sensitive workers in the Keys face a the largest employer in to-air combat training, and them at a much higher cost.’ water portion of where the environment. 20 percent reduction in pay Monroe County, the pay cuts the Navy is looking to cut in- He also said the Navy would Islamorada plans to build its Fallout from the policy if Congress and the White would almost certainly have flight training by about 44 need to cancel deployments, sewage pipeline to Key Largo interpretation has resulted in House don’t reach a budget a ripple effect on the sur- percent, according to a Navy defer maintenance on ships is federally protected land and residents along parts of deal by the end of next week. rounding community. document made available to and aircraft, and suspend off limits to new utilities. County Road 905 unable to If no agreement is in “The base is very impor- the Keynoter. most non-deployed opera- Islamorada wastewater get permits to connect to the place by March 1, the oft- tant to us, especially this time This also would mean tions, such as training.” engineers intend to thread the Key Largo Wastewater talked-about sequestration of year,” Key West Mayor less money flowing into the Whether any of those four pipe 40 feet underneath the Treatment District’s system kicks in — $1.2 trillion in Craig Cates said. “Obviously, local economy, Denny said. air wings train in the Keys Tavernier Creek Bridge, but and treatment plant at mile across-the-board govern- this would affect us.” “The two main points of couldn’t be determined Friday. according to U.S. Fish and marker 100.5. It is also partly ment spending cuts over the Military personnel are not how sequestration will But Denny said that cur- Wildlife Service maps, that why residents of No Name next 10 years. One of the subject to the furloughs, so impact the area are the antic- rently, NAS Key West is host- sea bottom is likely part of Key rely on generators and ways to achieve these reduc- the air station’s 1,600 active- ipation of civilian employees ing six fighter squadrons for the Coastal Barrier Resource solar power and can’t con- tions is unpaid furlough days duty service members would being affected by furloughs training, plus a civilian one System created by Congress nect to Keys Energy for federal employees. not be directly impacted by and less training being done “to play the bad guy.” The six in 1982 and updated in 1990. Services’ main power grid. This means that the 600 sequestration. in Key West,” she said. military squadrons comprise Even though the $91 mil- non-military workers con- But there would be MSNBC reported that around 700 people — pilots ● lion pipeline is part of the See Village, 2A nected with Naval Air noticeably fewer Navy per- “Adm. Mark Ferguson, vice and crew members, she said. Station Key West would sonnel traveling to the chief of naval operations, The Keys and South have to take 22 days off Southernmost City for train- supplied some specifics for Florida economies would AND THIS LITTLE PIGGY... without pay between the ing, NAS Key West spokes- the Senate Armed Services beginning of April and woman Trice Denny said. Committee: ‘We [will] shut ● See Sequester, 2A MARATHON County deals blow to zip line crucial habitat for white- her copies of the organiza- what they’re talking about,” Carruthers: crowned pigeons and that it tion’s bylaws. he said, adding that no credi- Lack of info would negatively impact other “Based on the lack of ble wildlife expert would wildlife and habitat there. transparency displayed, I endorse “people shrieking and is ‘insulting’ Crane Point says the zip request [the commission] gliding through the canopy.” line would cost $1.1 million. deny their request for exten- The only person to speak By RYAN McCARTHY Of that, $735,000 would sion,” she said. on behalf of Crane Point was [email protected] come from a Community Jeff Smith, chairman of board member Norval Smith, Development Block Grant Crane Point’s nonprofit board, who spoke only briefly and A vocal group of zip-line — if the attraction creates 21 told the Keynoter Curlee was offered to answer questions. opponents won a victory full-time jobs for a year. not a Crane Point member “Nobody asked us any Wednesday when the Monroe Otherwise, the city of when she requested bylaws. questions,” Smith said. County Commission denied Marathon, which secured the “She did join the organi- “Then the opponents rose an extension of an $85,000 grant, would have to pay zation and we complied and with their comments and we grant meant to help fund back to the state $35,000 per gave her the bylaws,” he said. were not asked nor given Crane Point Hammock’s pro- job not created. The rest of Marathon resident Ed any opportunity to rebut.” posed tourist attraction. the money would come Davidson, a former presi- Smith indicated the The commission did so through other financing. dent of Florida Audubon, denial came as a surprise Keynoter photo by RYAN McCARTHY after a stream of speakers took Wednesday, several speak- reiterated concerns with since the Tourist Develop- to the podium at the Murray E. These 5-week-old piglets have a practice run Wednesday ers criticized what they said is expected visitor numbers — ment Council and its Middle Nelson Government and lack of transparency on behalf Crane Point says 16,000 zip- Keys District Advisory in advance of this weekend’s National Pig Days races at Cultural Center in Key Largo, of the nonprofit Crane Point line riders the first year — Committee supported the the Stuffed Pig Restaurant at U.S. 1 and 35th Street in arguing that a zip-line course board of directors about the being accurate. original grant. TDC Director Marathon.The annual charity event raises money for local isn’t appropriate for a rare project. Deb Curlee cited the “These are well-inten- day-care centers. hardwood hammock that is board’s unwillingness to give tioned people who don’t know ● See Zip line, 2A INDEX Printed on 100% Classifieds . .8B recycled newsprint Gruba, Living . .3B CONTENTS © 2013 In L’Attitudes Ismer battle Business . .5A KEYNOTER PUBLISHING CO. The Middle Keys city of In a battle between Coral Obituaries . .2A Key Colony Beach is Shores High and Key West Opinion . .4A getting ready to celebrate High, the Conchs take a its birth. Story, 5B Sports/Outdoors . .1B track-and-field meet. Story, 1B Crossword . .7B 7786790 22222 2A Saturday, February 23, 2013 KeysNet.com Keynoter NEWS BRIEFS MARATHON Scott to speak to the Keys GOP 15th Street getting Gov. Rick Scott is com- ing down to the Keys on more attention March 14 for the eighth annual Reagan Dinner host- fence if we have to,’” Wolfe with the city to install no- ed by the Republican Party Cleanups said. parking signs along the east of Monroe County. are part of “We’re very supportive side of 15th and hopes to do Scott will be the keynoter of the Sheriff’s Office and the same on the west side.