Jim McCarthy

Islamorada Councilman Buddy Pinder resigned on Jan. 10. CONTRIBUTED

Father Ari Poholek with sons Daniel, left, and Pascal in 2017. A love for scouting was shared among Poholek and his sons as a way to learn, play and experience things together. KEYS WEEKLY FILE PHOTO

Village chief building official Sheila Denoncourt was selected as the acting village manager on Jan. 9. VILLAGE OF ISLAMORADA/Contributed

Four Islamorada residents are expressing interest in a village council seat vacated by Buddy Pinder earlier in the month.

Seven days of witness and expert testimony in the Daniel Weisberger murder trial culminated in Circuit Judge Mark H. Jones delivering a guilty verdict inside a Key West courtroom on the afternoon of Jan. 23.

To honor the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr., a community of local residents and sheriff’s deputies met at Friendship Park in Key Largo for a day of service on Jan. 20. Organized by Monroe County school board member Sue Woltanski, the day included a community library ribbon-cutting ceremony and a cleanup along U.S. 1. Nonperishable food items were also gathered to support St. Justin’s Food Pantry in Key Largo. JIM McCARTHY/Keys Weekly

Vegetation cleared by heavy machinery on property at MM 92.5 oceanside in Tavernier The property is now owned by Blackstone Group-Tavernier 925, LLC, which plans to construct a Publix supermarket, liquor store and workforce housing. CONTRIBUTED

Concerns were heightened among North Key Largo residents who opened their phones to read a text alert from Monroe County regarding an emergency at Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant the morning of Jan. 28.

Several more Islamorada residents entered their names for the vacant village council seat, bringing the total number of hopefuls to eight.

Islamorada Village Council members are in a stalemate over filling a vacant seat at a special Jan. 30 meeting at the Founders Park Community Center. Two votes are for Anna Richards, while the other two votes are in favor of Greg Dully.