(Press Release)_Loggerhead Marinelife Center is calling photographers of all ages and experiences to submit their best photo of the Juno Beach Pier for the Center’s Third Annual Juno Beach Pier Photo Contest. Submissions open Monday, July 3 and run until Friday, Aug. 11.
 
As a treasured Palm Beach County icon, the Juno Beach Pier has been the subject of avid anglers, pier-goers and photographers for years. Last year, contestants from across Palm Beach County participated, with over 65 photo submissions and over 30,000 views of the Facebook album. Notably, the contest also created engagement in the community.
 
Photos must reveal one’s “pier-spective” of the iconic Juno Beach Pier in some way. All submissions will be uploaded to Facebook for an independent panel of judges to review and identify the winners. The most “liked” photo will be named the Facebook fan favorite.
 
LMC will showcase and announce the grand prize winner and additional winners at Marinelife Day at The Gardens Mall in the Grand Court at noon on Saturday, Aug. 19. The grand prize winner’s photo will be featured as the official Juno Beach Pier Facebook profile picture and will win a $200-value LMC gift basket, including a personalized sea turtle adoption. Select photos will also appear on the official Juno Beach Pier Instagram.
 
Contestants may submit one high-resolution photo (iPhone photos are accepted) via email to Hannah Deadman, LMC public relations & communications coordinator, at hdeadman@marinelife.org by Friday, Aug. 11 to be entered in the contest.

(Press Release)_​WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (June 28, 2017) — Brightline, the express train service that will run between West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, today announced its partnership with Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) to provide clean biodiesel to fuel the trains. FPL, which has used clean, high-quality biodiesel as a fuel for its trucks for nearly two decades, will supply Brightline with 2 million gallons of biodiesel-blended fuel annually under a two-year contract.
 
“This fueling partnership with FPL is a great example of two Florida-based companies working together to create jobs and utilize local resources,” said Tom Rutkowski, Brightline’s Chief Mechanical Officer. “Brightline is investing in the nation’s economy, from the trainsets to the rail infrastructure, all of which are manufactured in America. I’ve visited with many of the manufacturing plants supplying the components of our trainsets, and there is always a strong sense of pride from the teams who are creating the products.”
 
FPL uses biodiesel as the primary fuel source for more than 1,750 vehicles in its fleet. Now, Brightline’s American-made trains will be running on this similar fuel. Biodiesel fuel is a cleaner-burning replacement produced from renewable sources like corn, soybeans and used cooking oil. It is cost-competitive and reduces engine wear, and can lower operations and maintenance costs.
 
“FPL has long been committed to energy independence as well as environmental stewardship,” said Sam Forrest, Vice President of Energy Marketing and Trading for FPL. “We’ve been tearing down old power plants to make way for new energy centers that run on clean, low-cost natural gas, and building new emissions-free solar energy centers that use 100 percent Florida sunshine.  That’s why we’re proud to partner with Brightline to provide them with a cleaner, biodiesel-blended fuel for their trains.” 
 
Brightline trains are powered by Siemens Charger locomotives and equipped with fuel tanks designed to contain up to 2,200 gallons of fuel. Each trainset includes two locomotives and four passenger cars (‘Select’ and ‘Smart’ coaches). Projected consumption of the trains is 2 gallons of fuel per mile, which means the 67-mile one-way trip from Miami to West Palm Beach consumes 134 gallons.
 
FPL’s fleet has used an estimated 18 million gallons of biodiesel and driven more than 120 million miles without any fuel-related engine issues. Last year, FPL’s biodiesel consumption led to a CO2 reduction of 3,625 tons – the equivalent of taking more than 600 passenger vehicles off the road in one year. 

It's that time of year when the Royal Poinciana trees erupt in brillant orange blooms. Often called "flame trees," one look and you can see why. (Photo by NPBL)

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(Press Release)_WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – June 26, 2017 – Brightline, the only privately funded express inter-city passenger rail service in the United States, hosted first responders from surrounding counties and cities at Workshop b, the rail operator’s maintenance facility, in West Palm Beach Saturday morning.
Firefighters, police and other safety officials from communities along the rail corridor in Broward and Palm Beach counties participated in the training seminar. During the four-hour workshop, Brightline’s emergency management team provided hands-on training, an equipment and facility tour, as well as a comprehensive overview of its safety and security plans.

“Safety is Brightline’s top priority, and it’s critical that we partner with all first responders along the rail corridor before we launch our service,” said Brightline Safety and Security Director Robert Gatchell, a railroad law enforcement veteran, serving 15 years for New Jersey Transit. “This specialized training and preparedness workshop offers our local responders insights on how rail works and how to deal with rail incidents. Collaboration is key to the safety and security of our guests, employees and the many communities in which we will operate. Our unified goal is for the highest level of safety preparedness.”

Gatchell and the Brightline safety and security team have been working with first responders over the past few months, exchanging information and procedures to ensure clear channels of communication once Brightline begins service. They will continue to build on the relationships and outreach to the first responder community in the upcoming weeks.

“Many of us have been meeting with Brightline safety representatives, but this hands-on training was extremely educational for our department,” said West Palm Beach Police Chief Sarah Mooney. “The City of West Palm Beach is committed to providing the highest level of service for our residents and visitors.”

In addition to this weekend’s first training workshops with first responders, the team has also been working closely with the tri-county school districts introducing Operation Lifesaver information to increase awareness about rail safety to students, faculty and families. Operation Lifesaver is a nonprofit safety education and awareness organization dedicated to reducing collisions, fatalities and injuries at highway-rail crossings and trespassing on or near railroad tracks.

Working with Florida Operation Lifesaver, Brightline developed materials geared toward children and adults. A safety pledge card, fact sheet, in-classroom poster, tri-fold brochure and mailer were developed and produced in Spanish, Creole and English, to meet the needs of the South Florida populace.

 Brightline is working with numerous municipalities along the Florida East Coast Railway to share rail safety information through multiple distribution channels, including utility bills, city websites and social media outlets, information in libraries and more.

Workshop b is now home to four trains with BrightRed, the fifth and final trainset, arriving later this summer. Workshop b provides more than 120 jobs, serving as the on-duty location for train crews as well as the site where trains are maintained, cleaned and stored. There are four tracks within the facility, two of which are covered and one featuring a 500-foot long maintenance pit underneath for performing daily inspections and service.

Brightline is committed to leading private investment toward transportation infrastructure benefiting the public. Brightline will provide a much-needed, hospitality-driven alternative to South Florida’s congested roadways. Each train abounds with innovations and comfortable features including automatic level boarding, wide aisles exceeding ADA compliance, multiple outlets for devices and complimentary, robust Wi-Fi, powered by multiple antennas in every car.  The company is anticipating a grand opening and official launch of its service this fall.

​Symphony of the Seas is one step closer to claiming the title of the world’s largest cruise ship. The ship’s construction continues right on schedule, with Royal Caribbean innovators developing even more groundbreaking wow’s for the latest member of the Oasis class of ships. From the iconic waterfront AquaTheater to the Bionic Bar robot bartenders, the cruise line's best features will combine with exciting new experiences for the ultimate adventure.

(Press Release)_ ​Wednesday, June 21, not only marks the start of summer but it’s also the longest and most sun-splashed day of the year. It’s a season that many people hope will never end.
 
To forecast the length of summer this year, Carnival Cruise Line has discovered its own delightful version of Punxsutawney Phil -- meet Bill, a mystical prognosticating sloth who will let fans know if summer’s warm embrace will go past Labor Day during a special Facebook Live broadcast tomorrow from 1-5 p.m. EDT.
 
Much like Punxsutawney Phil, Bill is a mystical creature with psychic powers who can predict the future so he’ll be “hanging around” to make on-site predictions for viewers, including, of course, the length of summer this year.  So how many extra days of summer will we have, you ask?  Tune in to facebook.com/carnival to see for yourself!

Turtle tracks on the beach are a sure sign turtle season is under way along South Florida's coastline. These tracks are on Melbourne Beach, where turtles are laying eggs by the dark of night and returning to the sea. (Photo by North Palm Beach Life)

The jazz fusion trio Blatant Disregard set the right vibe at Dirty Martini's Happy Hour on Friday, June 16. Nothing like some great jazz riffs to go with our favorite martinis and bar food. 

The lightning was nonstop on Friday night, June 9 as storms roamed over the Atlantic Ocean.