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Letter to the editor

Two mothers will walk 300 miles to raise awareness of Darfur

By Times Staff Writers
Published October 31, 2007

DUNEDIN - Stacy McMahon and Joanna Kehr grew up in Dunedin. The two waiters work and play with their kids and bartender husbands on Clearwater Beach.

But they often think of the mothers and children suffering through what some people call government-sponsored genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan.

So three months ago they formed Mothers Walking for Others. And on Saturday, McMahon and Kehr will start a 15-day, 300-mile walk from downtown Dunedin to Key Largo to raise awareness of and relief funds for refugees of Darfur.

The women ask that checks be made payable directly to Save the Children-Darfur, the worldwide relief organization McMahon and Kehr chose as their charity. They also ask people to sign petitions urging the United States and foreign governments to pressure the Sudanese government to stop killing its people.

"Every person who signs a letter or signs a petition, I do think it will do some good," said McMahon, 37, who works at a Frenchy's restaurant on Clearwater Beach. "At some point, it will make a difference."

To learn more, visit www.motherswalkingforothers.com or www.myspace.com/motherswalkingforothers, e-mail MothersWalkingForOthers@yahoo.com or call Joanna Kehr at 743-5667 or Stacy McMahon at 385-5557.

Jose Cardenas, Times staff writer

Dunedin native will help city become more green

DUNEDIN - Valerie Lane's fascination with the environment began more than a decade before Al Gore and Prius hybrids were in vogue.

Now she is 24 and has found a way to put her concern for the environment to practical use. In August, the city hired Lane, a Dunedin High School and University of South Florida graduate, to make the city more environmentally friendly.

In her role as Dunedin's first sustainability coordinator, Lane is responsible for boosting Dunedin's recycling program and seeking accreditation from the Florida Green Building Coalition. The city's Community Center is already certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.

In addition to hiring Lane, the city is also looking at using biodiesel and replacing old city vehicles with ones that are hybrid or electric.

As a result of Lane's findings, City Manager Robert DiSpirito wrote a memo to all city employees earlier this month telling them to take certain steps to reduce energy costs, including unplugging cell phone chargers and other electrical equipment when not in use, and turning off all building lights at the end of the day or in empty rooms.

Tamara El-Khoury, Times staff writer

Beached boats rack up fines for city employee

TARPON SPRINGS - The haggard old salts lean against each other on the bank of the Anclote River, holding each other up like a couple of boozehounds after one too many beers.

These two 70-foot-long shrimp boats, the Norther and the Sundowner, have been stuck in the sand for about two years.

Although visitors may think the ghost ships add to the charm of the Sponge Docks, the city does not. Officials want them gone and are fining their owner, Joseph Renardo, $50 for each day they remain submerged in the riverbank. He now owes about $25,000. Because he makes only $10 an hour at his job, he said, he can't come up with that kind of money. Renardo, 53, works for the city in the parks department, trimming trees and mowing grass.

In 2005, he said, he had the boats docked at Stock Island in the Keys, and both were badly damaged when Hurricanes Dennis and Katrina brushed past. They were uninsured. After the weather cleared, he had them towed to the Anclote River.

Renardo said he applied for a small business disaster loan but was denied.

On Sept. 17, a Sheriff's Office marine patrol deputy spotted the vessels and alerted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which gave Renardo 30 days to tow away the boats.

"It's not legal to leave a vessel in the water in that condition," said Capt. Roger Young, who is with the commission. But, he added, "we're trying to work with the owner to have the vessels removed."

If Renardo doesn't remove the boats, the matter will be turned over to the State Attorney's Office, which could decide to pursue the matter further.

Eileen Schulte, Times staff writer

[Last modified October 30, 2007, 22:16:27]