League of Women Voters NEWS -- February 1, 2018
UPCOMING EVENTS

Saturday, February 3 at 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Topic: Education in Palm Beach County
Speakers: PBC School Board members Chuck Shaw, Marcia Andrews, Karen Brill, and Erica Whitfield,
in addition to LWV members: Christine Campbell-Gabor and Kimberley Spire-Oh
NO CHARGE FOR COOL TOPIC DISCUSSION but RSVP A MUST! 
RSVP TO LWVPBC.ORG

LWVF DAYS AT STATE HOUSE
Tuesday and Wednesday, February 6 and 7
Tallahassee, FL
Contact: Debra Chandler

NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION
Saturday, February 10, 9--12:30 a.m.
Palm Beach State College
4200 S. Congress, Lake Worth 33461
Contact: Darlene Kostrub

Wednesday, February 21, 11:00 a.m. -- 1:00 p.m.
Topic: Celebrating Black History Month
Speaker: Rich Christie, Editor at Palm Beach Post
Atlantis County Club
190 Atlantis Blvd, Lake Worth 33462
Register online at LWVPBC.ORG
or call Estelle Friedman at 561-968-4123 
HOT TOPIC: WHO MAKES THE DECISIONS FOR US?
By Marsha Vinson

Since 1968, Palm Beach County has been designated a charter county – with emphasis on local self-government and freedom from state control – as long as there is no conflict with state law.
Hot Topic Speaker and PBC Commissioner Dave Kerner, Esquire explained the doctrine of State Pre-emption to League members. Most recently, pre-emption issues have come into play in the areas of
  • conversion therapy
  • affordable housing
  • local fracking bans
  • medical marijuana
  • charter schools     
LEAGUERS COURT HISPANIC VOTERS AT “FIESTA DE PUEBLO”
By Pam Maldonado, Chair of Voter Services Committee

An enthusiastic group of Leaguers attended the PR-Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Fiesta de Pueblo in Greenacres Park on Three Kings Day, January 6th. Pictured here (l. to r.) Robin Hauner, Claire Press, Pam Maldonado, Sammy Alzofon, and Marc Bruner
Mr. Wilsonnet Cabrera Rosado, recently arrived from Puerto Rico, came over and said he wanted to register. He and his family have relocated to Greenacres from Corozal, a city in the north central part of the island that was devastated by hurricane Maria. As he was filling out the application, Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher walked by and said to him, “We’ve been looking for you!”
SOLAR CO-OP IN PALM BEACH COUNTY CLOSING
By Diane Marks

The final Information Meeting for the Solar Co-op in Palm Beach County was held on January 20th at the County Library in Palm Beach Gardens. Pictured to the right (from r. to l.) are key movers behind the Solar Co-op movement Kay Gates, Diane Marks, Mike Fitzpatrick, and Debbie Evans.

As of January 15 2018, there are over 100 households in the Solar Co-op. This Solar Co-op closes on February 2, 2018. If there is continued interest, another co-op could be started in the Fall.

LWVPBC JOINS STATEWIDE COALITION TO SAVE THE 2020 CENSUS
by Nancy Cohen

Add sabotage of the 2020 Census to other voting rights suppression efforts. Census counts are extremely important to
  • allocation of funds,
  • congressional representation, and
  • electoral votes for our state

Next Voting Rights Coalition meeting
Thursday February 1, 2-4 pm, at
Compass, 201 North Dixie, Lake Worth.

For more info contact Nancy Cohen nancyecohen1@icloud.com
KUDOS TO THE HEALTHCARE TEAM
By Nancy Gau

The Affordable Care Act program needed help for the 2017 open enrollment period this past November. So LWVPBC stepped up!
The Healthcare Issue Group called a special meeting. We obtained fliers, made hundreds of copies, and hit the road, distributing information.
All our efforts paid off. Thanks to our support and that of other grassroots organizations, Florida led the country in enrollments with 1.7 million.
LEARNING TO LIVE WITH WATER:
SEA LEVEL RISE
By Kathy Panko, Environmental Issues Group
The seas around Florida have been rising for eons. How quickly they rise over the next 100 years will pose a host of challenges for the state and reshape Florida in the years to come. 
Timing is everything.
READING FOR INSIGHT AND ACTION
By Faith Schullstrom

The Tyranny of Good Intentions: How Prosecutors and Law Enforcement Are Trampling the Law in the Name of Justice by Paul Craig Roberts and Lawrence M. Stratton

The authors demonstrate how laws designed to prevent bad behavior or ”crack down on crime” fail to protect the individual. Crusading legislators and unscrupulous enforcers of the law and prosecutors turn the law into a weapon.
While no solutions are offered, this bipartisan broadside provides stimulus to examine and reflect upon the unintended consequences of our policies and positions.
CELEBRATION OF LIFE CEREMONY

CELEBRATION OF SUSAN MARGARET LITCHFIELD 
Monday, February 5th at 3:00 PM 
Tropic Bay Condominiums Boathouse 
2801 Florida Blvd, Delray Beach, FL 

CORRECTION TO JANUARY 15
CALL FOR HELP

In last issue's Call for Help, the email address to contact Darlene Kostrub was incorrect. We are repeating Darlene's call for help here. Please note the corrected email address below and help our League's membership chair.
MEMBERSHIP
Can you make calls from home? We are looking for members who can make about 10 phone calls a month to other members.

Membership Chair Darlene Kostrub will provide names to call and pertinent information. This is a great job for people with limited time to volunteer for other League activities. It is an important way in which we stay connected to members and get their feedback.

Contact Darlene Kostrub at dkostrub@aol.com
Telephone

UNABLE TO ATTEND AN EVENT? 

Visit our Facebook video page to view our latest hot and cool topic discussions:   
NEWS EDITORIAL STAFF
Carol Stender, Managing Editor
Ken Horkavy, IT
Carol Hershey, Marsha Vinson, Karen Corbin
Email kenhorkavy@gmail.com with your opinions and feedback. 
  Making Democracy Work!  The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan, political organization encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
Contact Your League:  info@lwvpbc.org | www.lwvpbc.org