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Houston News Edition
of Continental Newstime newsmagazine
VOLUME XIII NUMBER 1 APRIL 1, 2025
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This is not the whole newspaper, but a special complimentary, on-line edition of the general-interest newsmagazine, Continental Newstime. The rest of the newspaper includes national and world news, newsmaker profiles, commentary/analysis, periodic interviews, travel and entertainment features, a science column, humor, sports, cartoons, comic strips, and puzzles, and averages 26 pages per month. Continental Features/Continental News Service publishes, on a monthly rotational basis, special, complimentary on-line newspapers: Washington DC News Edition, Chicago News Edition, Honolulu News Edition, Atlanta News Edition, Anchorage News Edition, Boston News Edition, Seattle News Edition, Miami News Edition, San Diego News Edition, Rochester (N.Y.) News Edition, Minneapolis News Edition, and Houston News Edition.
- Houston News Edition of Continental Newstime
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* Congressional News Briefs … Senator Ted Cruz and Senator John Cornyn were both part of the group of 84 Senators, including 31 Democrats, who passed Senate Bill 331, the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act, to permanently categorize fentanyl-related substances as Schedule 1 substances before March 31, 2025, the date their temporary status expires. Given the looming deadline, Senator Cornyn urged House counterparts to proceed without delay to their procedural vote on the measure and dispatch to President Trump for signing. Referencing statistics that show fentanyl poisoning is the leading cause of death among those 18 to 45 years old and that fentanyl-related overdoses represent almost 70 percent of drug-overdose deaths across the U.S., the Senator reflects on provisions of the legislation that would amend the Controlled Substances Act to permanently classify illicit fentanyl knock-offs as Schedule 1 substances, exempt patient access to FDA-approved fentanyl for medical purposes at a physician’s direction, authorize scientific and medical research into fentanyl-related substances, and codify existing criminal penalties ensuring illicit manufacturers and traffickers are subject to prosecution and victims and their families see justice. Next, backed by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and, indeed, by such organizations as the National Rifle Association, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and the American Suppressor Association and joined by Senators Jim Justice, Ted Budd, Pete Ricketts, Bill Cassidy, Mike Lee, and Steve Daines, Cornyn and Senator Tim Sheehy have introduced the PARTS (Protecting Americans Right to Silence) Act, to modernize the definition of “silencer,” so gun owners can exercise their Second Amendment rights in the absence of the threat of prosecution. The Senators reason that the current definition under the Gun Control Act lends itself to government over-reach through unconstitutional rule-making, insofar as each individual component of a silencer could be treated as a silencer itself. Instead, their legislative proposal would redefine “silencer” to reference complete devices and a single principal part and exempt the purchase of consumable silencer parts, including wipes, from paperwork requirements of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). In addition, Senator Cornyn, appearing on Fox News, has commented on the destruction of Tesla vehicles as a means of retaliating against Tesla owner, Elon Musk for assisting the Trump Administration in rooting out “wasteful spending.” He said that the perpetrators of that vandalism suffer from “Trump derangement syndrome” and that he appreciates Attorney-General Pam Bondi saying, in his words, “that this will not be accepted and that they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” The Senator shared thoughts, as well, about Minnesota Governor Tim Walz deriving satisfaction anytime Tesla stocks drop in value, when the state’s investment portfolio actually includes more than 1.5 million shares of Tesla stock. Cornyn remarked, “Well, you can see now why [Tim Walz] lost the election, if that’s the best he has to offer.” The Senator continued, “I would prefer that they [Democrats] would engage constructively and try to work together with us to try to solve some of these problems, rather than just lose their mind and destroy an inanimate object like a Tesla vehicle.” Further, the Senator reported findings from his travels across Texas during the state work period, observing, “I met with the good folks at Southland Hardware in Houston, Texas… We also had representatives from Empire Tools and Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen and Tejas Office Products—all thriving small-business owners who shared their support for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and explained why it needed to be extended. I would encourage the naysayers and our Democratic colleagues to actually talk to real people about what their experience has been. I’m sure they would find that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act did not, contrary to our Democratic colleagues, just help a bunch of rich people.” On his part, Senator Ted Cruz, as Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, reports that the Committee has approved, and sent to the Senate Floor, three bills that he supports. One is the bipartisan Informing Consumers about Smart Devices Act, with its requirement that manufacturers disclose the hidden audio- or visual-recording components and Wi-Fi capabilities of household devices and appliances. Another is the Astronaut Ground Travel Support Act, which would provide government transportation to medical appointments and other post-flight activities before astronauts receive medical clearance to drive themselves. The third Cruz-backed measure reported out of Committee is the Modernizing Access to Our Public Oceans Act, which would circumvent the need to navigate “confusing agency websites” and facilitate outdoor recreation by standardizing, digitizing and mapping fishery-area closures in federal waters. Also, the Senator led the Committee in endorsing Mark Meador to serve on the Federal Trade Commission and Michael Kratsios as Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Representative Sylvia Garcia, representing much of eastern Houston, recently teamed with Representatives Nanette Barragán, Suzanne Bonamici and Delia C. Ramirez to re-establish the Congressional Caucus on Homelessness and to press for the necessary funding to meet the housing needs of the estimated 800,000 people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. She has announced, besides, that she has led more than 110 colleagues in introducing a Resolution condemning House Republican Conference leadership for “falsely” characterizing Congressman Adriano Espaillat, who delivered the Spanish-language response to President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress, as an “illegal immigrant.” However, the Congressman’s own Website states: “He is the first formerly undocumented immigrant to be elected to the United States Congress.”
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* State Government News Briefs … Governor Greg Abbott has announced that the state legislature originally approved funding for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to award $239 million in construction grants that is currently figuring in rural communities’ ability to expand and improve access to inpatient mental-health care where people live, without the need to travel to a large city for that care; the Governor adds that the four existing or new facilities in Edinburg, Beaumont, Conroe, and Victoria County will have up to 332 beds altogether and that the facilities must allow for those patients admitted to a state hospital through the criminal-justice system—known as forensic patients—to occupy at least 50 percent of their capacity to undergo a process to restore their competency to stand trial. Before the Pauline Road Fire in San Jacinto and Montgomery Counties—also known as the Sam Houston National Forest wildfire—reached 95-percent containment after burning more than 2,000 acres, the Governor assured that a multitude of federal, state and local agencies were on the scene to provide the resources necessary to support fire-fighting efforts and to keep Texans safe and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had approved the state’s request for a Fire Management Assistance Grant, making the state eligible for 75-percent reimbursement of its costs combating the Pauline Road Fire. However, members of the community await results of the fire investigation in progress and seek answers why a prescribed burn on private property was allowed at a time when the weather forecast called for strong winds. In other developments, Abbott notes that the Texas Film Commission, inside the Governor’s Texas Economic Development & Tourism Office, has worked for more than 50 years promoting local Texas economies as a prime destination for film and media production, and its track record includes the creation of 189,000-plus production jobs and generation of more than $2.5 billion in local spending from 2007 to 2024. The Governor recognizes, as the newest addition to the 175-plus-strong membership rolls of Film Friendly Texas Certified Communities, the City of Sweetwater, which, like its peers, leverages continuing training and guidance from the Texas Film Commission to meet media-industry standards, to implement best practices, and to host and facilitate on-location filming in its community. Likewise, the Travel Texas initiative of the Governor’s Office, recognizing that tourism supports 1.3 million jobs, or one in 11 jobs in the state, and more than $193 billion in economic impact annually, has designated the self-styled “Cowboy Capital of the World,” the City of Stephenville, as a Tourism Friendly Texas Certified Community, recognizing that the city distinguishes itself for its hospitality, rodeo events, historic landmarks, and, among other features, boutique shopping.
* County Government News Briefs … The Harris County Commissioners Court, at its last meeting on March 27, was due to address a request from County Judge Lina Hidalgo for approval of a Resolution supporting the American Dream and Promise Act of 2025 and requests of Commissioner Rodney Ellis for approval of a Resolution honoring the life and legacy of former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, of Commissioner Lesley Briones for approval of a Resolution to recognize March 2025 as Women’s History Month, and of Commissioner Tom S. Ramsey for approval of a Resolution to “revere” April 6-12, 2025 as National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. The Sheriff’s Office, the District Clerk and Pretrial Services, in turn, requested approval to allocate up to $1.2 million, up to $280,634, and up to $306,408, respectively, in FLEX Funds to continue the Court Backlog initiative in their departments. Also on the 617-item agenda was a request to discuss and take possible action on such Harris County Jail issues as inmate population, staffing, and conditions; a request to increase funding to $1,280,000 for the Training Academy Expansion Project; a request to increase funding to $1,110,000 for the Response to Active Shooter Training Facility Project; a request to discuss and take possible action on County employees’ Telework arrangements; County Engineer requests to approve prepared Study Reports and a list of contract changes; a request for approval of a Flood Control District landscaping-maintenance agreement for a Robertsvale Road property in Houston; a request to negotiate with Ally General Solutions, LLC for construction-engineering inspection services for Landscaping for the Hardy Toll Road at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston; requests for approval of exemptions from ad-valorem taxation at 100 percent of the appraised value of various New Hope Housing, Inc. projects in Houston; a Sheriff’s Office request for authorization to file a $3,630,000 grant application with the Office of the Governor/Criminal Justice Division, with no required match, for the Fiscal-Year 2026 Rifle-Resistant Body Armor Grant Program; and, among other County business, a request for approval to use estimated seized funds of $10,000 to cover travel expenses for certain family members of fallen Deputies during National Police Week in Washington, D.C., from May 12 to May 16, 2025.
* City Government News Briefs … Mayor John Whitmire, who authored Senate Bill 1057 when in the state legislature, to authorize expansion of the George R. Brown Convention Center, has now unveiled the master plan to reconnect the City’s East End with Downtown, joined by the Houston First Corporation in the announcement. The Mayor observes, “This project is truly transformative for downtown Houston, a lasting legacy that will solidify our position as a top-tier convention and entertainment destination. Most importantly, we are creating a space that will build community, foster connection, and shape the future of Houston.” Already the City takes pride in having three major sports venues—Minute Maid Park, Toyota Center, and Shell Energy Stadium—within blocks of the Convention Center, and Phase One of the project, potentially funded overall by almost $2 billion in Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue and set to open in May, 2028, involves a 700,000-square-foot expansion of the Convention Center that will furnish access to the Toyota Center via a new 100,000-square-foot pedestrian plaza. So that there is no interruption of Convention Center events or shows, future construction will take place in stages and project completion is planned to extend into 2038. When the City Council last met on March 26, it was poised to address a Consent Agenda consisting of approval of spending authority not exceeding $4,750,000 for purchase of Airport Terminal Furniture for the Houston Airport System, purchase of $238,880.44 in Runway Friction Meters and accompanying equipment accessories for the Houston Airport System, approval of spending authority not exceeding $79,502.53 for purchase of an Alignment Machine for the Fleet Management Department, approval of $769,910 in spending authority for purchase of Mower and Ground Maintenance Equipment Repair Services for the Fleet Management Department, and, among other matters, approval of $174,034.25 in spending authority for purchase of Audio and Video Equipment to be used by the Houston Public Library. Also on the Consent Agenda and among the draft Ordinances the Council was set to consider was an Ordinance suspending for 45 days the implementation of the Interim Rate Adjustment Filing pertaining to the Retail Gas Utility Rates by Centerpoint Energy Resources Corporation, an Ordinance appropriating $400,000 in Library Special Revenue Fund money for the Houston Public Library’s administration of Adult Literary Services through the Mayor’s Office for Adult Literacy, an Ordinance authorizing an agreement between the City of Houston and the Texas Water Development Board for reimbursement of the cost to elevate 27 flood-prone homes as part of the FEMA Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant Program, and an Ordinance appropriating $1.8 million in Equipment Acquisition Consolidated Fund money for Houston Police Department Body Armor and Rifle Plate Replacement.
* School District News Briefs … The Board of Education of the Houston Independent School District, with Ric Campo serving as President and meeting on March 26, conducted a Workshop to discuss the 2025-2026 District Budget; later discussed district-wide intruder-detection audit-report findings, among district safety concerns; considered the Hearing Examiner’s recommendation in the case of one teacher; and provided a Dispute Resolution Hearing for a Police Department employee and another for an elementary-school employee. Speaking of the Budget Workshop, Mike Miles, District Superintendent since the Texas Education Agency took over the School District, said that care would be taken to ensure that the budget fully aligns with the District’s Action Plan and priorities.
*Weather … The National Weather Service reports that current conditions at Houston Hobby Airport, as of 2:53 PM on March 27, are overcast, with a temperature of 71 degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidity of 81 percent, wind out of the east at 14 miles per hour and gusts up to 25 miles per hour, barometric pressure of 30.07 inches, a dewpoint of 65 degrees, and visibility of 10 miles. The forecast through April 1 calls for a chance of showers or likely showers from March 27 through the afternoon of March 29, followed by mostly-cloudy or partly-cloudy skies and partly-sunny or mostly-sunny skies, to partly-sunny skies and a daytime temperature of 81 degrees on April 1. Expect over-night low temperatures ranging between 63 degrees and 69 degrees and a daytime-temperature swing from 72 degrees to 83 degrees on March 31. Look for mostly-cloudy skies the night of April 1, with an over-night low temperature of about 71 degrees, and mostly-sunny skies on April 2, with a daytime temperature of about 86 degrees.
*Sports … The Texas Children’s Houston Open, with Stephan Jaeger the defending champion, finishes on March 30 at the Memorial Golf Course. In Major League Baseball today (April 1), the Astros visit the Giants for an 8:10 PM (Pacific Time) game. Over in the NBA, the Rockets next play tomorrow and host the Jazz.
*Flying the Flag (Condensed and Reprinted) by Steve Healey
What’s in a name? A rose by any other name really does smell as sweet. Shakespeare, as so often, was right. But can the same be said of a corporate image or a country for that matter? Do your blue jeans feel the same or does your soft drink taste quite the same if the name has been changed or the label re-designed…. If those marketing men are to be believed, then branding is of supreme importance.
Flags, of course, are just about the biggest piece of branding that there is…. British Airways has almost furled the flag. Gone, they say, are the days of post-imperialist flag-waving. Not before time, some may say….
Now being a Brit, I remain a patriot. I follow my nation’s sporting endeavors with interest, and I would hate to see the good old pound disappear from my pocket. And I would defend to the death my right to sink a pint of beer in my local pub, as opposed to swallowing a Continental half-liter in a cafe. And, I hate to say this, but we do drive on the right side of the road. That’s the left, by the way. Why, I would even retain the monarchy. After all, they are good for tourism and the newspaper industry.
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One of the questions Ralph Nader is yet to answer about his book, “Let’s Start the Revolution”:
“Can that ‘left/right coalition’ you mention hang together once formed on certain issues when one side fails to rein in its desire to initiate new spending programs and the other side objects that it’s their money that is to be spent?”
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* Proverbs (chapter 28/verse 22): “He that hastes to be rich has an evil eye, and considers not that poverty shall come upon him.” hastes=hurries.
[A timely warning against get-rich-quick schemes]
A free copy of the Etna, California News Edition of Continental Newstime [dated August 14, 2020] containing the newspaper feature of outdoor writer Lee Snyder is also available by
E-mail request to info@continentalnewsservice.com
*Free
Marion, Montana News Edition
of Continental Newstime newsmagazine
VOLUME I NUMBER 1 AUGUST 17, 2022
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This is not the whole newspaper, but a special complimentary, on-line edition of the general-interest, periodic newsmagazine, Continental Newstime. The rest of the newspaper includes national and world news, newsmaker profiles, commentary/analysis, periodic interviews, travel and entertainment features, an intermittent science column, humor, sports, cartoons, comic strips, and puzzles, and averages 26 pages per month. Continental Features/Continental News Service publishes, on a monthly rotational basis, special, complimentary on-line newspapers: Washington DC News Edition, Chicago News Edition, Honolulu News Edition, Atlanta News Edition, Anchorage News Edition, Boston News Edition, Seattle News Edition, Miami News Edition, San Diego News Edition, Rochester (N.Y.) News Edition, Minneapolis News Edition, and Houston News Edition.
Marion, Montana News Edition of Continental Newstime
Editor-in-Chief: Gary P. Salamone
Continental Features/Continental News Service
501 W. Broadway, Plaza A, PMB# 265
San Diego, CA 92101
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* Congressional News Briefs … Marion’s agent in the U.S. House of Representatives, Matt Rosendale, decided he was not going to sugar-coat House Bill 5376. While House Democrats said they were acting to pass the “Inflation Reduction Act,” the Congressman contended that legislation increasing the size of government, raising taxes on hard-working Americans and spending billions of taxpayer dollars on the Left’s Green New Deal was actually an “Inflation Acceleration Act” and he cast a vote against the bill. Warning that the spending would “cripple our nation’s budget,” he noted that the legislation “will also raise an army of 87,000 IRS agents to squeeze more taxes out of already-hurting American families. With frivolous spending and an enlarged, aggressive IRS, the only climate that will be changing over the next year will be the economic climate, and it will get worse.” He offered this solution: “To reduce inflation, Congress must freeze spending, a concept the Left does not understand. Reining in federal spending and reducing taxes to lower inflation will reaffirm confidence in those investing in our economy.” On his part, Senator Steve Daines, commenting on the $739-billion, so-called Inflation Reduction Act of President Joseph Biden and Senate Democrats that he opposed, asserted that Senate Democrats voted against Daines’ amendment to eliminate policies that would increase costs on Made in Montana energy and other amendments that would render the bill “less painful for Montanans.” He characterized, as “supersizing the IRS,’ the plan to hire more than 80,000 Internal Revenue Service agents “to audit small and medium-size businesses and assert control over the lives and finances of Montanans.” He termed a subsidy for “rich people” the provision to offer $7,500 tax credits to individuals making up to $150,000, so they can purchase expensive electric vehicles. Considering the bill “a slap in the face of Montana families,” the Senator added, “The Democrats’ reckless tax-and-spend bill is bad for Montana families, bad for Montana energy jobs and bad for Montanans’ pocketbooks.” Working with Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth and Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono, Senator Daines has introduced bipartisan legislation, known as the BABES (Bottles and Breastfeeding Equipment Screening) Enhancement Act, to require the Transportation Security Administration to clarify and update guidance, every five years, on handling breast milk, baby formula, and other related nutrition products based on consultation with leading maternal-health experts. Calling the legislation a “Bill to Support Montana Moms,” Daines informs that companion legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives, and the measure is endorsed by such organizations as the March of Dimes and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Senator Jon Tester, in turn, as the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, announces that the $792.1-billion Defense Appropriations Bill earmarks almost $182 million for Montana priorities, saying, “This legislation will keep America safe by investing in Malmstrom Air Force Base, giving our troops a well-deserved pay raise [4.6 percent], ensuring our servicemen and women are well-equipped with the most up-to-date technology, and shifting resources towards programs that’ll maintain our fighting edge over adversaries like China and Russia.” For example, over in Columbia Falls, uAvionix is due to receive $7 million to develop Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial System communications. In addition, he reports that, for Montana, the American Rescue Plan Act means $266 million to deliver high-speed Internet to rural areas of the state, something that is “one of the biggest keys to success for Montana’s students, families, and small businesses.”
* State Government News Briefs … Governor Greg Gianforte has expressed the view that the Montana Supreme Court, after upholding a district-court order temporarily blocking three pro-life bills he signed into law—the Court should not delay bringing into line its 1999 ruling in Armstrong v. State with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision finding that there is no constitutional right to abortion and that the states are entitled to restrict abortion. In other developments, the state legislature has highlighted a recent report by the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology that acknowledges findings of the Department of Environmental Quality that the ingestion of too much manganese through drinking water may be harmful, at the same time the Bureau notes that the mineral, naturally present in many common foods, is essential for proper nutrition and that too little may be harmful, as well. Some research shows that adults and children drinking water with high manganese concentrations for sustained periods may suffer from memory and attention problems and motor-skill deficits. But, since most Montanans tap groundwater supplies for their drinking water, they mainly avoid high levels of manganese. Those that do not? The Bureau’s Ground Water Assessment Program reports that 7 percent of the water samples it tested exceeded the recommended health-standard limit for
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adults and children older than 6 years of age. Checking 3,858 water samples from across the state, the Bureau gives assurance that manganese concentrations were low and safe for 85 percent of the well samples it analyzed and that lower concentrations were recorded in samples from western Montana aquifers; higher concentrations, in the eastern part of the state. Specifically, certain aquifers near Flathead Lake, north and west of Great Falls, and in the Missouri River Valley yielded more samples with elevated manganese concentrations. The Safe Drinking Water Act categorizes manganese as a secondary water contaminant, like iron, pH and sulfate, meaning it is safe to drink, but may damage water equipment and transmit an unpleasant odor and taste. The state legislature reports that 380 Montana schools, to date, have tested water fixtures for the primary water contaminant, lead and are implementing remedies for contaminated fixtures.
* County Government News Briefs … The Flathead County Board of Commissioners [Brad W. Abell, Pamela Holmquist, and Randy Brodehl], at its last meeting on August 11, considered six different lakeshore permits, including one at McGregor Lake, one at Flathead Lake, and another at Whitefish Lake; conferred with Erik Mack, of the Planning & Zoning Office, who reported an uptick in zoning violations; discussed giving authorization to publish a Notice of Public Hearing on Road Abandonment concerning an unnamed portion of road off Highway 93 West; took up the matter of authorization to publish a Call for Bids for the estimated $120,000 Fall, 2022 Pavement Striping Project; was due to hear from Liz Wood, of Mountain Climber Transit, on ridership increases, and from Ashley Cummins, Director of the County Library, who reported approximately 1,000 daily patron visits system-wide and who provided an update on the Library Board vacancy; planned to meet with Sheriff Brian Heino; and, among other County business, was tasked to sign a Behavioral Health Hospital Provider Agreement with Logan Health.
* School District News Briefs … The Marion Elementary School District, with the library closed during the summer due to remodeling, plans a Back to School Kick Off Event on September 1, with school starting on September 6. Earlier this month, the District posted a notice that it was hiring for full-time teaching positions in physical education and in the sixth-grade classroom. The School Board is scheduled to meet again on September 12. Meantime, in the Kalispell Public Schools District, Flathead High School announces that classes resume either on August 31 or September 1, depending on the grade level.
* Sports … The Flathead High School Boys Varsity Football Team is set to play Skyview on August 27 at 7 PM and is due to visit Gallatin on September 2 for a 7 PM kickoff.
* Weather … The National Weather Service reports that current conditions 17 miles west-southwest of Kalispell, as of 3:15 PM on August 17, are sunny, with a temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidity of 15 percent, barometric pressure of 29.95 inches, visibility of 10 miles, wind out of the south-southeast at 3 miles per hour, and a dewpoint of 36 degrees. The over-night forecast calls for clear skies, northeast wind of 3 to 5 miles per hour and a low temperature of about 55 degrees. Tomorrow, look for sunny skies, with a daily high temperature of about 91 degrees, calm wind becoming east-northeast wind of about 6 miles per hour in the morning. Thursday night, expect mostly-clear skies, with a low temperature of about 56 degrees and northeast wind of 3 to 6 miles per hour.
* Community Calendar … August 19—Pachyderm Meeting of Flathead County Republicans (12 Noon-1 PM) at the Eagles (37 First Street W, Kalispell); August 27—Pheasants Forever Chapter #138 Banquet (5 PM-9 PM), at the Fairgrounds; September 16/17—Quilt Show, at the Fairgrounds; September 17—Glacier Rabbit Show, at the Fairgrounds; September 30—Kalispell Ski Swap, at the Fairgrounds.
Dry Tortugas [Reprinted and Updated] by Lee Snyder
Named “Las Tortugas” (the turtles) by 16th-century Spanish explorers who found the harmless reptiles nesting on its shores, the Dry Tortugas is a collection of several sandy spits and tree-dotted islands. Fort Jefferson, once famous as a 19th-century “American Devil’s Island,” remains one of the world’s largest brick structures. The red brick fort is most famous as the jail where Dr. Mudd was held after treating Lincoln’s assassin for a broken leg.
Fort Jeff, past National Monument, is now part of Dry Tortugas National Park, which, together with the water and island reefs, is one of this nation’s most remote and unique units of our National Park system. While sharks are still occasionally found swimming in the moat, tourists are more likely seen snorkeling around the fort’s outer boundary viewing a dazzling array of fish, coral and sponges. Today, the Coast Guard’s close scrutiny of increasing public pressure allows visitors to see what underwater Florida is supposed to be. Divers claim the park waters are the liveliest anywhere in the state. “Little Africa,” an unspoiled section of coral reef near Loggerhead Key, the largest island in the chain, boasts expanses of staghorn and elkhorn coral more like those found in Caribbean than in Florida waters.
Nearly 27,000 people—mostly fishermen, yachtsmen, and divers—visit the park by boat each year.
But, for a six-week period, the bulk of the visitors attend for another reason. Spring in the Tortugas is definitely a birdwatcher’s delight. Florida’s peninsular shape is like an appendage reaching out into the ocean. Its islands are the first safety offered travelers crossing the Gulf of Mexico…. The “funneling effect” allows for close inspections of the birds in their most colorful breeding plumage—an opportunity that draws enthusiastic birders from all over the world….On any given spring day in the Tortugas, birders with four, five and six hundred birds on their lists are found. Listers with seven and eight hundred on their lists are usually there as guides, having visited the islands years before. But, even so, an errant species from South America, the Bahamas or Cuba could fly by adding to all lists.
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