Obama's Presidential Library Subcontractors got stiffed

Obama Presidential Center subcontractor shuts down

lays off 25 workers over $4 million payment dispute

A Chicago plumbing contractor that helped build the Obama Presidential Center has closed its doors and laid off 25 union workers after racking up nearly $4 million in losses on the project, and the Obama Foundation says the construction manager, not the foundation, handles payments.

Mike Owen spent months trying to resolve the money quietly. He negotiated with Lakeside Alliance, the joint venture managing construction at the center in Jackson Park on Chicago's South Side. When those talks went nowhere, he went public. When a promised $100,000 payment failed to arrive before the center's grand opening on June 19, he pulled the plug.

On June 25, Owen suspended operations at Adamson Plumbing Contractors, sent home 25 union workers, walked away from roughly half a dozen other construction jobs, and moved out of his office. He now works from his kitchen table.

A $350 million project ballooned past $1 billion, and a promised reserve fund sits nearly empty.

The Obama Presidential Center was originally projected to cost roughly $350 million. By 2021, that figure had climbed to $830 million. Construction costs have since reportedly surpassed $1 billion. Obama personally pushed architects to expand the center's scale, a decision that contributed to the price tag's relentless growth.

The Obama Foundation secured the 19.3-acre Jackson Park site through a 99-year lease requiring a one-time payment of $10. As part of the arrangement, the foundation promised a $470 million reserve fund to protect Chicago taxpayers from cost overruns. Fox News Digital's previous reporting found that only $1 million had actually been deposited into that fund.

Owen has turned the dispute over to his attorneys. He said the $1.72 million lien is just the beginning.

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"Even though Obama may no longer be President, at least his library is serving its function of reminding Americans of what it was like when he was President." Mike Huckabee

Talk on Oceans and Shorelines at WPB Library July 22

JOIN US FOR A MID-SUMMER EVENING TALK: "PROTECT & PRESERVE OUR OCEANS & SHORELINES"

REGISTER WITH THE QR CODE ON FLYER below. If it's too small, call, Richard.

DATE: THURS JULY 22 6:30 TO 8 PM
WHERE: Mandel Public Library 411 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach 33401 3rd Floor Auditorium
2-hour free parking vouchers available for cars parked in the City Center Garage at 199 N Dixie Hwy

Richard Stowe
ENERGY CHAIR, SIERRA CLUB LOXAHATCHEE GROUP
561-231-3509

Obama Library

Sierra Club presents Professor Jeffrey Huber and a talk on Climate Change

Salty Urbanism: a “Design with Nature” Manual for Sea Level Rise Adaptation

in South Florida urban areas in an era of worldwide climate warming

Presented by Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group Energy Committee and Mandel Public Library

WHEN: Thursday evening March 12, 2026 5:30 to 6:30, doors open at 5:15

WHERE: Mandel Public Library 411 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach 33401 3rd Floor Clematis Room

Palm Beach County Commission Vice-Mayor Marci Woodward introduces Professor Huber.

Florida Atlantic University professor Jeffrey Huber will speak about his 2024 book Salty Urbanism. Professor Huber provides ways South Florida coastal cities with short and long term infrastructure challenges can respond and adapt to “sunny day flooding, storm surge and sea level rise.”

Huber demonstrates how to address vulnerabilities through resilient infrastructure, adaptive South Florida native landscapes and “Design with Nature” ecosystem services; providing opportunities “not just to survive, but thrive”

RSVP to attend this talk..Click here

Sent to me by Richard Stowe

All I want for Christmas

Miami site chosen for Trump's Presidential Library

Miami site for Donald J. Trump's Presidential Library

Florida officials on Tuesday approved the transfer of state-owned land in downtown Miami to serve as the site of the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library, clearing the way for the state’s first presidential library.

The 2.63-acre parcel, now used as a Miami Dade College parking lot, sits beside the historic Freedom Tower and was conveyed in a unanimous vote by the governor and Cabinet, acting as the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund.

Gov. Ron DeSantis called the project a “historic” opportunity to house the library in Trump’s home state, while Attorney General James Uthmeier, CFO Blaise Ingoglia, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson also voiced support.

With the decision, Florida becomes the 11th state to host a presidential library, joining states such as Texas and California that already maintain similar facilities. Source: Capitalist News

The parcel of land the college gave up is currently a parking lot used by downtown visitors and staff. It sits in a prime location on Biscayne Boulevard, the main thoroughfare of the city center.

Obama Foundation not raising necessary funds for his Library

Obama Center's reserve fund shortfall raises taxpayer concerns

Amid soaring costs and unfulfilled promises, the Obama Presidential Center project in Chicago has sparked fears that taxpayers could be left footing a massive bill.

The Obama Foundation, tasked with building the center in Jackson Park, has deposited just $1 million into a pledged $470 million reserve fund meant to shield taxpayers, while project costs have surged from $330 million to at least $850 million, raising concerns about financial accountability, as Fox News reports.

In 2018, the Obama Foundation secured a deal with the city of Chicago to build the Obama Presidential Center on 19.3 acres of public land in Jackson Park under a 99-year "use agreement" for just $10.

This arrangement granted the foundation control over the historic park site on the city’s South Side. The agreement included a commitment to establish a $470 million endowment to protect taxpayers from future financial burdens.

Only $1 million -- equivalent to 0.21% of the pledged amount -- had been deposited into the endowment fund. That figure has not increased since the groundbreaking in September 2021.

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Biden chooses site for his Presidential Library

Biden chooses Delaware as site for presidential library

Former President Joe Biden has decided to build his presidential library in Delaware, an aide confirmed to CBS News on Saturday. He has also tapped a group of former aides, friends and political allies who are charged with steering the project for the museum and archive.

The Joe and Jill Biden Foundation approved a 13-person governance board that includes former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, longtime adviser Steve Ricchetti, prolific Democratic fundraiser Rufus Gifford, according to a list provided to CBS News. Gifford will serve as the board's chair.

A senior member of the Biden Foundation said the project will serve as a "vibrant and lasting space where history, learning, and civic leadership come together, inspiring future generations to lead with purpose, serve their communities, and strengthen our nation." They said a robust planning process and landscape analysis is underway.

Read about it... as raising the funds for it will be a huge challenge.

The announcement by Biden, who recently underwent skin cancer surgery, comes as his administration is under investigation by the House Oversight Committee over questions about the former president's health in office and the use of an autopen machine to sign key presidential documents in the last few months of his term. Axios reported on Friday that internal emails showed high-ranking Biden administration officials questioned and criticized how the president's team decided on controversial pardons and allowed the frequent use of an autopen.

Biden's Presidential Library

ACLJ files petition to protect kids from porn in school libraries

Petition seeks court order protecting kids from state-promoted pornography in schools

'At no time has the U.S. Supreme Court held that the First Amendment protects the inclusion of this type of sexually explicit material' in libraries.

The American Center for Law and Justice is stepping up its fight to protect kids in New York schools from pornography that leftist librarians are insisting on adding to their collections.

The organization has filed a petition in New York state court asking to overturn a decision from state education officials providing those books to children.

"As we explain in our petition, both federal and state laws emphasize the important role and compelling interest of public schools in protecting children from exposure to lewd and obscene content. Public schools and boards of education owe a duty of care to both parents and students to ensure that the curriculum and other materials provided to students are free of pornography and are age appropriate," the ACLJ reported.

"In fact, the United States Supreme Court has made abundantly clear that schools have a compelling interest in protecting children from inappropriate and lewd content," the ACLJ reported. "Once more, the court has unanimously held that a school board maintains the right and the power to remove such content from its schools."

Read about it...

Forced Liberal Agenda Voted Down

This Town Voted To Defund its Public Library After it Included LGBTQ+ Books

One of the fastest growing townships in western Michigan has decided that it would rather not have a local library if it means stocking children’s books about LGBTQ+ people.

In a ballot measure that came to a vote this week, residents of Jamestown Township voted to defund the Patmos Library by a 25-point margin, after a local conservative group led a campaign against the inclusion of LGBTQ+ books and accused library staff of “trying to groom our children” by simply putting them on bookshelves.

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Early Voting at Lantana Library

Closest place for Early voting--

Lantana Road Branch Library
4020 Lantana Road
Lantana, FL 33462

Early Voting Begins: August 8th, 2022 | Early Voting Ends: August 21st, 2022 Election Day: August 23rd, 2022

Ruth Field Beck, who works for Republican causes, will be there during Early Voting and wants you all to stop by and say "hi."

This photo was taken in 2019...Ruth on the Left.

Bloated, Wasteful, and Useless “infrastructure” bill

Democrats Caught Slipping Billions In Pet Projects Into Budget

Investigation Finds Michelle Obama’s Library Expansion

It looks like Biden is trying to get lawmakers on board with his bloated spending bill, by letting them add as many wasteful “earmarks” to it as possible. But who's surprised?

Michelle Obama is worth millions but Democrats want to give her $$$ towards her library?

Read about it... and how this administration spends YOUR money and hides it all from you.

The Drag Queen - The Idiocy of it all

Children Stare Up Drag Queen’s Miniskirt During Drag Performer Library Story Hour

What is wrong with libraries that allow drag queens to come in and read to children. More importantly, what is wrong with parents who bring their children to see them.  In the latest case in Minnesota, the drag queen not only wore a very mini skirt but then he spread his legs so the children could look up his skirt.

Read about the Drag Queen

Little Free Libraries Program in Lake Worth

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Letters to the Editor
POINT OF VIEW
Palm Beach Post

June 6, 2016

Access to free books helps children

Regarding the May 27 Post editorial, “Superintendent right to focus on third-grade reading skills”: Helping to reverse the appalling trend of so many of our children who are struggling to achieve proficiency in reading, as cited in that editorial, the Lake Worth Little Free Libraries project has made a good beginning.

We have funding provided by grants from the Palm Beach County Office of Community Revitalization’s Resident Education to Action Program (REAP); cash donations from local businesses and groups, including CWS Bar & Kitchen, Guardians Credit Union and the Firefighters Local 2928; a grant from the Lake Worth Community Development Corp. to pay for bilingual children’s books; and support and assistance from the Lake Worth City Commission, city administration and the Lake Worth Library.

Those partnerships have been matched with truckloads of donated books from neighbors all over Lake Worth. In addition, in collaboration with our Lake Worth neighborhood associations and the Friends of the Lake Worth Library group, we have planted more than 40 of these wonderful little book-exchange boxes in the last year.

Each of these Little Free Libraries has been lovingly painted and is tended by volunteers we call “stewards.” They look after the little libraries, keep them neat and tidy and, most importantly, they encourage neighbors to use and care for the Little Free Libraries as if they belonged to every child and grown-up in Lake Worth — because they do.

Twenty more Little Free Libraries have recently been funded and will join the others in neighborhoods and public spaces located all over our city this year. When that happens, we will be well over halfway to our goal of having a Little Free Library within walking distance of every household in Lake Worth. Anyone passing by is welcome to take a book, share it with a friend or exchange it whenever they want at any of our Little Free Libraries.

We know there is no easy solution to the problem of improving our children’s reading proficiency. We do, however, know what it looks like when our children and their parents, who may not otherwise have easy access to our public library, discover the Little Free Library right in their neighborhood. We are sustained in our effort by the delighted faces that return again and again to “Take a book — leave a book.”

The Little Free Library movement was started in 2009 with one little box built by one man in Wisconsin, to honor the memory of his mother, who was a teacher and a librarian for 30 years. Albert Einstein said, “All you ever need to know is the location of the nearest library.”

MARY LINDSEY, LAKE WORTH

Editor’s note: Mary Lindsey is president of Lake Worth Little Free Libraries Inc.

Peace Initiative Day September 30 in Lake Worth

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September 14, 2015

Contact:           Patricia Egan, Project Chair – Lake Worth Rotary
Phone:             561.281.2222
Email:              pkeganfloral@yahoo.com    

Lake Worth Rotary Club Celebrates Peace Initiative Day with Peace Pole Dedication

Furthering the Rotary goal of the promotion of world peace consciousness, conflict resolution and cultural understanding, the Lake Worth Rotary Club will dedicate a Peace Pole on the grounds of Lake Worth City Hall on Sunday, September 20 at 4pm.  Joining in the festivities will be Rotary District Governors from 2014, 2015 & 2016 – Dr. Juan Ortega, Gene Barlett & Eric Gordon.  The Proclamation Presentation will be made by Florida State Senator Jeff Clemens & received by Lake Worth Mayor Pam Triolo. 

Ceremonies will include Lake Worth High School ROTC Color Guard Presentation of the Colors while Lake Worth High School Chorus will sing a Peace Song.  “Joe the Biker” will speak of the importance of Anti-Bullying, Cindy Ansell of Lake Worth Library will present the Library Service Project Awards and Interfaith Director Ted Brownstein will offer peace in a myriad of languages. The highlight of the day will be the unveiling of the Peace Pole followed by the release of the Peace Dove.

What:              Peace Initiative Day with Peace Pole Dedication Ceremony
Where:            Lake Worth City Hall
                        7 North Dixie Highway
                        Lake Worth, FL 33460
When:              Sunday, September 20
4:00 pm

Friends of the Lake Worth Library - Book Sale

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Friends of the Lake Worth Library Books Sale

The Friends will be holding their fall used book sale next Saturday, November 15^th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm in the Cultural Plaza at 414 Lake Ave.

Prices range from 50 cents to 5 dollars with some specially priced items. We appreciate your kind donations, but please sort your donated items before bringing them to the Lake Worth Public Library at 15 North M St during regular hours. Volunteers are also needed to help with the sale. Please call the library at 561-533-7354 for additional information.

Some Highlights from last night's Lake Worth City Commission meeting

It was raining so hard last night that I missed attending this meeting, one of the few in recent memory.  Instead, I watched on-line.  You always miss things when you stay at home. Some Highlights of last night's meeting:


INVOCATION:
Given by Elisa Stewart of the Religious Society of Friends...not a prayer but a short speech giving a message to the dais and to the people to listen to the opposition.  "We must get out of our safe forums and our seminars...sit down face to face with our opposition...We must listen to the truth in our opponent and we must acknowledge it....then we must listen; we must listen and listen and listen."

I thought this an excellent message and one that is very necessary at the moment.  This is two invocations in a row that had powerful messages. However, the mayor lashed out at Christopher McVoy for not appointing a board member quickly enough and John Szerdi wanted the question called on Ordinance 2014-32 on LDR's as McVoy was giving his opinion that did not coincide with his. Elisa Stewart's profound message was short-lived.


CONSENT AGENDA:
B
The roll-back  millage rate was corrected from $5.0197 mils per $1,000 of assessed valuation to 5.0731 which is 8.307% more.

F
Sam Goodstein was re-appointed to the Library Board by commissioner Amoroso--a very good thing. Also, Amoroso appointed Jason Robinson to the Finance Advisory Board.


NEW BUSINESS:

1)
Germaine English, Human Resource Director, is re-organizing her department and has requested adding one new employee to her department, an assistant human resource director. The creation of the Assistant Human Resource Director will provide various functions currently not or under addressed within the Department. This change is within the current budgeted amounts and will not exceed the current departmental budget. 5/0 vote.

2)
Code Enforcement Compliance Program was discussed in length (nearly 2 hours). About 14% of the properties are either abandoned or in foreclosure.  The city has 1,700 code cases with seven code officers.  They are close to being over-whelmed.  The Code Department's objectives and goals are (a) being efficient (b) being effective (c) being expeditious and (d) equitable.  The Code Compliance Division through the Community Sustainability Department undertook an exhaustive study of the City's current codes and initiated a series of changes including more than 40 ordinance changes. New or revamped programs include Nuisance Abatement, Chronic Nuisance and Vacant Property Registration.  This is to let people know the process. There is nothing in Florida law that will make people take care of their property but the city can eventually seize non-homesteaded property.  The city is divided into 7 zones and each code officer is assigned to one zone to work. 5/0 vote.

3)
The property owner of 2269 2nd Avenue North wants to voluntarily annex a 2.301 acre parcel of land. The request for annexation falls within the scope of a small-scale comprehensive plan amendment. The City’s Industrial (I) Future Land Use designation is compatible with the County’s existing Land Use designation of Industrial (IND). The City’s Industrial – Park of Commerce (I-POC) zoning category is the appropriate zoning category to implement the proposed underlying Land Use category of Industrial. 5/0 vote

4)
In 2013, the City Commission adopted Ordinance No. 2013-21 which created a new board appointment process to allow vacancies and appointments to be filled on an as needed basis throughout the year. The former process only allowed for appointments to be made during the month of June. Since that time, staff has had an opportunity to monitor the process and is suggesting the proposed ordinance be adopted. This Ordinance clarifies the appointment order hierarchy for elected officials, establishes a time-frame to appoint members within 30 days of notice from the City Clerk or her designee, and adds a provision to allow other elected officials to make appointments (if an elected official fails to timely appoint). McVoy stated for the record that he was against the current process and that it lacked transparency.  Szerdi said it was as transparent as you wanted it to be.  Motion passed on a 4/1 vote. I agree with Commissioner McVoy and Loretta Sharpe...go back to the old appointment process where everything was out in the open with the public invited to observe and all commissioners got to weigh in on the appointments.

5)
Ordinance 2014-34--This ordinance provides for a definition of panhandling and specifies the locations where panhandling is prohibited, which are primarily places where a person cannot readily escape from the unwanted solicitation, such as sidewalk cafes, ATMs, entrances/exits to buildings and parking areas. The ordinance also provides a definition of aggressive panhandling, which is primarily soliciting money in a threatening manner or after a negative response to an initial act of solicitation. This type of panhandling is banned throughout the city. If it is non-aggressive, panhandlers have first amendment rights per the city attorney.  Commissioner Amoroso admits that panhandlers have become very aggressive and asks about the penalties and what PBSO will be able to do. They will able to issue a notice to appear, fine of $500 or possible jail time of 60 days.  5/0 vote.  Several business owners spoke out about this deplorable situation. As far as I am concerned, any stranger who approaches me is "aggressive" by the very nature of his actions. They may have rights, as commissioner Amoroso stated, but I don't believe they have rights to hassle me for money or be in my face.

Lake Worth Library gets a cleaning

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Two staff employees pressure cleaning the cement at our historic library.