As teachers and students embrace the summer vacation, one local school eagerly anticipates the new academic year. On July 1, Wellington Christian School will welcome its new headmaster Dr. Timothy Sansbury. Page 3
Klein To Chamber: Feds Must Support Small Business
Congressman Ron Klein
(D-District 22) stressed the importance of insurance reform and praised small business owners at the Palms West Chamber of Commerce’s monthly business luncheon Monday. Page 7
Schools Host Blood Drive In Honor Of Sebastian Sarmiento In honor of Sebastian Sarmiento, who passed away earlier this year from leukemia, a blood drive was held at Polo Park Middle School and Elbridge Gale Elementary School on June 8, the day Sebastian would have turned ten years old. Page 9
Mounted Posse Barrel Point Show At Brandon Center
The Palm Beach County
Mounted Posse held a barrel point show on Saturday, June 6 at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center. It was a rainy day, but that didn’t stop some of the racers from trying their luck in the Cloverleaf Jackpot race. Page 17
The Palms West Chamber of Commerce held its annual Taste of the West and Chocolate Lovers Festival on Thursday, June 4 at the Americraft Expo Center at the South Florida Fairgrounds. The food-tasting event and business expo featured offerings from an array of local restaurants, caterers and country clubs as well as cooking demonstrations and competitions. Shown here are Christy MacDowell and Ana Pheterson, winners in the Chocolate Cake Decorating Contest. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5
PHOTO BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER
Major Changes Ahead For State Senate Delegation
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report
The three state senators representing the western communities will soon be vacating their seats, dramatically changing the face of the area’s representation in Tallahassee.
Sen. Jeff Atwater (R-District 25), the current senate president, plans to run for chief financial officer, a statewide post being vacated by Democrat Alex Sink, who is running for governor. Gov. Charlie Crist announced on May 12 that he will run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez. Atwater’s District 25 covers most of Wellington and parts of Royal Palm Beach as it winds its way down the coast to Broward County.
Sen. Dave Aronberg, a
Democrat, intends to run for attorney general in 2010 rather than complete his current term representing District 27. The current attorney general, Republican Bill McCollum, is also running for governor. District 27 covers parts of Wellington and Loxahatchee as it traverses the state from West Palm Beach to Fort Myers on the west coast.
Sen. Ken Pruitt (R-District 28) announced last month that he plans to retire. District 28 includes most of Royal Palm Beach and The Acreage, before continuing north into Martin and St. Lucie counties.
Crist has called a special election for District 28 on Aug. 4. The candidates are Martin County Democratic Executive Committee member Bill Ramos of Jensen Beach and Republican
former state representative Joe Negron. Palm Beach County Republican Party Chairman Sid Dinerstein is confident that Negron will win the seat. “Joe Negron has very high name recognition in the area,” he said.
In 2006, Negron replaced former congressman Mark Foley as the Republican candidate for District 16 when Foley resigned in disgrace amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Negron, whose name did not appear on the ballot, was defeated by Tim Mahoney by a narrow margin.
“Without his name on the ballot and in a dismal year for Republicans, he lost by under two percent,” Dinerstein said. “That gives you an idea of his strength in the area. We
See SENATE, page 18
CHAMBER CAR RAFFLE
Wellington Golf Courses Win More Mow Time
By Mark Lioi Town-Crier Staff Report
The Wellington Village Council decided Tuesday that a little early-morning clamor around the village’s golf courses would be economically prudent, and unanimously approved exempting the courses from some of the village’s noise codes.
Village noise standards allow the operation of lawn maintenance equipment from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. The new exemption allows courses to mow their greens starting at 6 a.m. every day.
The Wanderers Club and Binks Forest golf courses requested the change, saying the earlier start of maintenance is essential to their economic viability.
Mike Nelson, former president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, told the council that without the extra morning hour, a golf course stands to miss out on a potential $27,000 a week, more than $1.4 million in lost annual income. Even discounting 30 percent for weather and no-shows, a course stands to lose $1 million annually, he said.
“Ironically, it costs $1 million to maintain that course,” he said. “So what you’re doing is you’re giving away the coverage of the entire cost to maintain that property.”
Looming large over the discussion was the village’s experience with the Binks Forest Golf Course, which closed in 2002, went into foreclosure and sat overgrown and neglected for five years until its restoration by a new owner.
During the years of the course’s closure, the council heard frequent complaints from adjacent homeowners about the eyesore’s effect on their property values. Much of the debate about a failed first proposal to re-open the course centered on the economic viability of golf courses in general. On Tuesday, the council heard a half-hour of public comment about the proposed exemption, with most voicing support for the change. Many, like Michael Danzey, were Binks Forest residents.
Danzey said he lives on the course and is a club member. “I want a place to play golf,” he said. “That means early tee times… If you stop those early tee times, I will play somewhere else. Please support this.”
The noise issue came to a head in part because of complaints by residents living near the invitation-only Wanderers Club about greenskeeping noise at early hours and a lack of enforcement on the part of municipal officials. The Wanderers Club was the semi-private Wellington Golf & Country Club until 2007, and surrounding homeowners in the Lakefield and Lakefield West communities once enjoyed course privileges. The club’s new owners have planted vegetation screens that obscure their view of the course.
Last month, a special magistrate ruled that the Wanderers Club had violated the village’s Sunday noise rules. Binks is facing fines for daily violations and is scheduled for a code hearing June 18. Binks resident Linda CurSee GOLF, page 4
Memorial Service For Don Brown June 14
By Ron Bukley
Town-Crier Staff Report
A memorial service celebrating the life of late TownCrier columnist Don Brown will be held on Sunday, June 14 at 11 a.m. at the Wellington Community Center, located at 12165 W. Forest Hill Blvd.
Brown passed away Saturday, May 30 in Wichita, Kansas after a long battle with leukemia. He was 65.
Brown’s son Mike invites members of the community to share a story about his father at the service.
“Anything they would feel comfortable sharing would be nice,” Mike Brown said.
will be selected at the chamber’s holiday parade in Wellington on Dec. 13. Shown here are Royal Palm Automall managers Scott Poplin (Nissan), Ricardo Pereira (Mazda) and Ira Greenbaum (Toyota) with Palms West Chamber CEO Jaene Miranda.
“We will have a microphone set up. It will be more of a remembrance than a traditional service.”
Many members of Brown’s family, as well as many local friends are expected to attend. The service is open to the public, and Brown’s many Town-Crier readers are particularly invited. For more information, call Mike Brown at (316) 7080982 or Michelle Damone at (561) 315-2973. Don Brown
By Ron Bukley
Town-Crier Staff Report
Gov. Charlie Crist came to Hamlin Equestrian Park in The Acreage on Monday to sign Nicole’s Law, which will require minors to wear helmets while riding in public areas and taking riding lessons. Nicole’s Law is named after Nicole Hornstein, a 12year-old Acreage girl who died
equestrians, and Gov. Charlie Crist is here to answer
that call,” Damone told a crowd of more than 100 attending the event. “Once this bill goes into effect on Oct. 1, 2009, this law will save children’s lives.” Crist thanked legislators who sponsored the bill and members of the Hornstein family attending the event, especially Nicole’s parents Monique and Gary Hornstein, who lobbied legislators to pass the law.
“Because of your courage and your leadership and your great strength, we have an opportunity to do something very good today,” he said. “It’s hard to change things that have already happened, but we can learn from those experiences in order to help children in the future.” Crist said the Hornstein family is making Florida a See CRIST, page 18
BY RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER
Nicole’s Law — Florida Gov. Charlie Crist signs Nicole’s Law at Hamlin Equestrian Park in The Acreage on Monday. The law mandates that minors wear helmets when riding horseback.
PHOTO BY RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER
Benacquisto Eyes State Senate Seat
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report
Wellington Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto, termed-limited out of her current post next year, hopes to land a new job in Tallahassee.
Benacquisto announced this week that she will seek the Florida State Senate District 27 seat being vacated by State Sen. Dave Aronberg, who is leaving mid-term to run for attorney general.
Benacquisto, a Republican who has been on the council since 2001, said she has been quietly organizing a campaign for the District 27 seat since Aronberg began hinting he might make a run for attorney general.
“Ever since the dialogue started about Aronberg running for attorney general, we began looking at the possibility of us getting in it,” Benacquisto told the Town-Crier on Thursday. “We’ve been thinking about it for quite some time.”
Many local politicos expected Benacquisto to make a bid for mayor in 2010. In 2006, she was touted as a likely candidate for the Palm Beach County Commission, but never entered the race.
Benacquisto said she is optimistic about the odds of winning the district, which has tilted Democratic in recent elections. “We are extremely excited about the race and the opportunity to serve in District 27,” Benacquisto said.
Benacquisto said she feels confident that her record as a councilwoman and community activist will hold up in an expected primary election against former Republican state representative Sharon Merchant.
Benacquisto said she is proud of her accomplishments, beginning with a community program to design and build the playground at Tiger Shark Cove Park — an effort that catapulted her onto the Wellington council. Once elected, she initiated the village’s Art in Public Places program and has been an advocate of educational programs and the establishment of a college campus in the village. She has served on boards of several local organizations, and in 2004 was selected by the American Council of Young Political Leaders as a delegate to South Africa.
Benacquisto said the unusual configuration of the District 27, which meanders across the state from Palm Beach County to the west coast, requires the drawing of support from the west coast.
“The district is very diverse,” Benacquisto said. “It stretches from Palm Beach County through the Glades area, through to Charlotte and Lee counties.”
Benacquisto said she has been endorsed by previous senatorial candidate Matt Caldwell of Lee County. She said his support and decision to stay out of the race is significant because while he might have won the primary due to the Republican majority in Lee County’s portion of District 27, he probably would not have won the election. Caldwell ran against
Aronberg in 2008 and received 39.5 percent of the vote.
“We are thrilled to have Matt Caldwell’s endorsement and commitment to support our race,” Benacquisto said. “That meant a lot. He has run this race before, and he lent us his support and network to our effort to win District 27.”
On Wednesday, Benacquisto announced endorsements by Senate President Jeff Atwater, retiring State Senator president Ken Pruitt (a former senate president) and Senate Majority Leader Alex Diaz de la Portilla. On Thursday, she received the endorsement of Congressman Tom Rooney (R-District 16).
“It’s just wonderful that Congressman Rooney is on board as well,” Benacquisto said. “We have a great team of support of current elected officials, business owners and parents of families just like me. We are assembling a really great team.” Benacquisto said more details about her campaign would be outlined during a campaign kickoff party at the Players Club in Wellington on June 17 from 5 to 7 p.m. Aronberg, who lives in Greenacres, announced on June 4 that he plans to run for state attorney general in 2010. An assistant attorney general in the Economic Crimes Division under former attorney general Bob Butterworth, Aronberg said his causes have been geared to many legal issues including a consumer protection project that returned more than $4 million to victims of consumer fraud. He also led the fight against the proposed privatization of the toll-collecting Everglades Parkway, a.k.a. “Alligator Alley.” Aronberg also has received recognition for his efforts to crack down on sex predators and sex offenders. “Public safety is not some political theme to me; it is a passion,” Aronberg said. “The people of this state deserve a true watchdog who will fight to protect them every day.” A native Floridian, Aronberg is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. When he returned home to Florida, he took up the plight of Holocaust victims whose European insurance companies had refused to honor their policies. Aronberg was appointed as a White House Fellow, where he served as a special assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury Department. In that role, he went after international money laundering, including the laundering of terrorist assets.
PBSO: More Money Is Needed To Fight Crime
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report
In the face of cutbacks in other county departments next year, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is asking for a budget increase of almost $10 million.
A prevailing reason for the request is increased crime due to bad economic times, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told the Board of County Commissioners during a budget workshop Monday.
“Although there are many things we’re going to be doing next year, our major initiatives are our violent crime task force and our gang task force,” Bradshaw said, noting that violent crime is up about 10 percent. “More crime is due to the bad economy.”
The PBSO’s work fighting gangs has been particularly successful, Bradshaw said, with 3,141 gang-related arrests and 1,485 weapons seized.
“We’re one of the only
counties in the United States that has actually seen a reduction in gang violence through our initiatives,” Bradshaw said.
Calls for service went up almost 33 percent over the previous year, he said, which will amount to almost a million calls next fiscal year if the pattern remains the same.
“That’s incredible given the level of deputies we have,” Bradshaw said, explaining that increased calls for service means fewer deputies to answer the calls if staff size remains the same.
“This will be the third budget cycle that we have not increased law enforcement personnel within the agency.”
To help alleviate the situation, the PBSO has instituted phone and web site services to help reduce the number of calls for service in less critical situations, but the serious calls continue to increase. Bradshaw said the PBSO
See PBSO, page 4
Lizbeth Benacquisto
WCS Welcomes New Headmaster Dr. Timothy Sansbury
By Candace Marchsteiner Town-Crier Staff Report
As teachers and students embrace the long summer vacation ahead, one local school eagerly anticipates the new academic year. On July 1, Wellington Christian School will officially welcome its new headmaster Dr. Timothy Sansbury.
Sansbury, a native of South Florida, just completed his fourth year as headmaster of Westminster Christian Academy in Webster, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Previous credentials include teaching as an adjunct professor at the College of New Jersey, as a teaching fellow at Princeton Theological Seminary, and as a high school Advanced Placement science teacher for two Christian schools in Florida. Sansbury began his career at Lake Worth Christian School in 1996.
While extended family and close friends live within hours of Wellington, Sansbury wasn’t looking to relocate. The job found him when he received a telephone call in late February.
“It was a surprise,” Sansbury said, indicating that a search company hired by WCS sought out potential headmasters who might want to live in South Florida. “The situation sounded like something [my wife and I] needed to investigate, so we came for an interview. Throughout all
the discussions, we felt more and more like this was a place God was calling us to be, and that it was going to be a good fit for us and for our family.”
Sansbury’s current institution does not include a high school. Being on the WCS campus made him realize how much he missed interacting with older students as well as younger ones. “The idea of getting back to a school with pre-K through twelfth grade was really intriguing,” he said.
In addition to getting to know Wellington and the surrounding communities, Sansbury’s first order of business is to get a grasp on what makes WCS distinctive.
Meetings with board members, church leadership, faculty, staff, students and parents were condensed into five visiting days, but Sansbury came away with two outstanding distinctions on which to build.
“‘Family’ and ‘close-knit community’ came up a lot in those visits, as did the solid quality of the staff, so that’s where we’ll start,” he said.
“I’m also a firm believer that the quality of the education at WCS needs to be a hallmark. For us, that education needs to be distinctively Christian and embedded in a Christian environment.”
In that respect, Sansbury believes WCS has a solid foundation. He expects to be
highly visible in the community as well. “Part of my job is to be a face for the school in the community, so I want to find ways to be able to fulfill that role,” Sansbury said. “We are intentionally local. Ninety percent of our students come from within five miles of Wellington, and that’s unusual for a private school. Being an intentional community school is an important thing to communicate.”
At 34 years old, Sansbury is young but not naïve. Although he hopes to see some results in one academic year, he expects that building community distinction will take years.
“I want [the community] to know that we’re here, we’re committed to excellence, we’re committed to this community and being part of it, and above all, that we’re committed to the children in the community,” Sansbury said.
Incoming WCS president and search committee member Dave Ballard said Sansbury’s ability to communicate and motivate will bring renewed life to WCS.
“The progression of his career was obvious,” Ballard said. “It showed us a man who has great drive and initiative. We knew he’d bring a lot of energy with him.”
The search committee — which includes all six WCS
board members, a secondary and an elementary teacher, a staff member and an administrator — unanimously agreed.
“We’re most excited about our potential,” Ballard said. “[Sansbury] is young, incredibly smart, devoted to Christian education, and he has a
young family. I see an era when we can really sink deep roots. We already have a great foundation of teachers to build upon. The next few years should be very exciting.”
For Sansbury, the excitement extends beyond the school and family draw. “The
idea of getting back to offshore fishing comes up from time to time,” he laughed. “I love offshore fishing.”
Wellington Christian School is located at 1000 Wellington Trace. For more information., visit www. wellingtonchristian.com or call (561) 793-1017.
Dr. Timothy Sansbury with his wife Tesa and their daughters Anna, Emily and Paige.
OUR OPINION
Alternative Energy Vehicles Are Key To Nation’s Future
Soon enough, more Americans will be worrying about charge time rather than gas mileage as we look for better alternatives to rising gas prices and the nation turns to electric vehicles. Many Americans seem to have forgotten the $4 gas prices every driver faced last summer. Slumps in the cost per barrel of oil saw us growing complacent this past winter, and now with prices on their way steadily back to where they were before, we seem to once more be growing aware of our options.
The United States government aims to make all new vehicles more fuel-efficient, calling for manufacturers to produce cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles that achieve 35 miles per gallon or better by 2020. However, the European Union is already well ahead of this: manufacturers in the EU chose in 2008 to voluntarily raise their standard average to 44.2 mpg. The U.S. has lagged behind, with resistant automakers that have for years lobbied against a change finally giving in to the demands of an increasingly power-hungry market. But the power that Americans are hungry for has switched from muscle to plug.
It is time for American automakers to redesign the outdated stereotype of what makes a good automobile. We have for generations been ingrained with the mantra of “bigger is better.” Now with the Hummer brand being sold to Chinese company Tengzhong and General Motors filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the matter has become more urgent. Where Americans used to call for bigger engines — a 10-cylinder Dodge here, a 12-cylinder Aston Martin there — they are now calling for more reliance on electricity and less on gas.
For those who are truly concerned about their bank accounts — and the condi-
Noise Report
Not Accurate
The Wellington Village Council [this week] passed, on the recommendations of staff, an amendment to the noise ordinance that permits golf courses to perform “normal operations” beginning at 6 a.m., seven days a week. The vote was unanimous and was for the first reading of the amendment. “Normal operations” is an undefined term.
Among the information upon which the council based their vote was staff’s statement that none of their measurements of noise produced by maintenance equipment ever exceeded a level of 50 decibels. That is a highly questionable statement. The morning after the vote, Wanderers Club personnel were performing “normal operations” consisting of trimming grass near their golf course borders. I measured the noise level at 82 decibels at my property line.
I hope that the council will attempt to clarify the actual noise produced and its effect on folks who live along the golf course, and that they will reconsider their previous vote if it turns out that information on
which their vote was based was, in fact, not correct. Phil Sexton Wellington
Not All Binks Residents Support Change
Editor’s note: The following letter was addressed to the Wellington Village Council. A copy was sent to the Town-Crier for publication. On Jan. 13, there was a Wellington Village Council meeting. Part of the agenda was a noise standard ordinance to be changed to an earlier hour for golf courses to run landscaping equipment.
A letter was presented from the Binks Forest Golf Course management the Cypress Forest HOA/Binks Preserve and signed by our president Kathy Mirra stating our community supports the golf course. This is a lie. Let it be known there was no written poll taken to support it by all 264 homes. There was not even a phone call to ask. Kathy Mirra has no right to send a letter on behalf of our HOA. It should have been a personal letter at
tion of our planet — hybrid and electric vehicles are looking more and more appealing by the day. The 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid boasts an impressive 51 mpg on city roads and 48 mpg on the highway. In fact, a local Toyota technician made headlines this week when he took a lithium ion-powered Prius, which will be available in 2011, from South Florida to Washington, D.C. in 11 days on 11 gallons of gas.
Toyota also proved that hybrid vehicles could be luxurious by releasing several vehicles on their Lexus line with hybrid engines. The arrival of hybrid luxury vehicles is another step toward convincing often-dubious American consumers of the benefits of a marriage between electricity and gasoline. And with Tesla Motors’ release of the Roadster, a high-performance vehicle that runs entirely on electricity, Americans should be ready to admit that perhaps it could be OK for the Corvette to get a hybrid makeover.
With the technology available, why are we so resistant to the change that is inevitable? It cannot possibly be that style will be sacrificed for efficiency. We can see that in the design of the Chevrolet Volt, which moved quickly from a sporty electric concept vehicle to a more practical four-door sedan reminiscent of newer Malibus, and is proposed to run on a lithium ion battery.
We have waited too long already to decrease our dependency on oil. Americans are going to have to bite the bullet and accept that hybrid, electric and perhaps even hydrogen-powered vehicles are not going away and should be embraced. It is the best way for us to achieve the 2020 deadline without losing our brands or our style.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
most. The purpose of this letter was to sway your vote by showing that our community supports the change, which is a lie. I request this letter be removed from the record because the facts are untrue.
My question to the council is, why make laws and rules when you only change them to fit the players?
I await your response.
Bart Novack Wellington
Kudos To
Gov. Crist
Several weeks ago I wrote about the Florida Legislature’s brilliant plan to cut the pay of state employees who earn more than $45,000 per year in order to help balance Florida’s budget. The legislature proposed such a course of action even though state employees have not even received a cost-of-living increase for the past three years. Fortunately, Gov. Crist saw the flaws in the legislature’s ill-conceived plan and granted our hardworking state employees a “stay of execution” from the legislature’s proposed two-percent cut. I believe in giving credit where it is due, and I think Gov. Crist deserves a tremendous
amount of credit for preventing such an injustice. I hope Gov. Crist will follow up this great deed by causing our property taxes to “drop like a rock” before he leaves Tallahassee next year.
Richard Valuntas Royal Palm Beach
Financial Committee
Not Necessary
Well, the nonsense has started. As the only Loxahatchee Groves Town Council member who voted against the formation of a “financial advisory committee” (FAC), I must reiterate my objection to this foolhardy, meddlesome initiative.
Consider these facts: (1) the Town of Loxahatchee Groves has been a municipality for a bit over two years; (2) the town has a total budget of about $2 million; (3) the present town management team (New Community Strategies) has built a town surplus/contingency of threequarters of a million dollars; (4) the Town of Loxahatchee Groves has suffered the largest setback in ad valorem taxes (more than 26 percent) due to property value decreases of
OPINION
any municipality in Palm Beach County; and (5) management will be presenting a budget for the next fiscal year that will roll back millage to 1.400, double the amount allotted for management (not this team, as they are leaving) and still maintain the large surplus/contingency.
Already, the meddlesome FAC members have railed against the present management’s revenue report at a public meeting. Their complaints, based on an unbelievable naiveté of fiscal management and reporting protocols, have since been shown to be unfounded. It is this type of lay interference with professional management services that will ring the death knell on the town. Of course, this could be their underlying goal.
Loxahatchee Groves needs
to run under “government lite” principles: [having] a contracted management team, providing for fire-rescue and sheriff’s services, working cooperatively but separately with the water control district and enjoying the beauty of a “ruralesque” setting — nothing more, nothing less! I can only offer the highest praise for New Community Strategies and their expertise in handling the finances of our fledgling town. I am disheartened by their leaving but I fully, really fully, understand. I do pray that the town will survive, but in light of recent events, including the FAC, I have serious doubts. I thank you for your time and consideration. Bill Louda, Councilman Loxahatchee Groves
SEND IN YOUR LETTERS
The Town-Crier welcomes letters to the editor. Please keep letters brief (300 words). Submit letters, with contact name, address, and telephone number (anonymous letters will not be published), to The Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414; fax them to (561) 793-6090 ; or you can e-mail them to letters@goTown Crier.com
KBR’s Electrical Engineering: A Beacon Of ‘Stunning Incompetence’
Footloose and...
By Jules W. Rabin
When Congressional investigators discovered that KBR Inc., the infamous offshoot of Halliburton and seemingly the Pentagon’s most favored military contractor in Iraq, had received $83 million in bonuses, things started to pop. The definitive comment about this disaster came in Sen. Byron Dorgan’s description of the Pentagon’s performance: “stunning incompetence.”
time has been reduced about $700,000 and all payroll forms are done in-house now, which has saved money.
continued from page 2 will continue to review ways to keep costs as low as possible in the next budget cycle, but there are mandated requirements, such as the collective bargaining agreement protecting deputies’ wages and benefits. About 82 percent of the PBSO budget is personnel costs.
Bradshaw said the Police Benevolent Association has been extremely cooperative in light of prevailing economic conditions. For example, the PBA has helped defray cost-of-living increases and accepted a year-to-year contract agreement. The department, meanwhile, has deferred about 92 percent of its capital projects. The PBSO has renegotiated its health plan to lower that cost of inmate medical coverage. Bradshaw said the current provider has put clinics in the jails rather than remove prisoners for medical attention, which has resulted in considerable savings. Over-
On the revenue side, contracts renegotiated with municipalities have increased between 4 and 6 percent. Inmate booking fees were increased from $10 to $20, and a new contract was signed with the federal government that significantly raised the rate to house federal prisoners, Bradshaw said. Since he was elected, the amount of revenue has gone from $6.3 million to over $47 million, and excess revenue was returned to the county at 100 percent rather than the 50-50 sharing that was done in the past, Bradshaw added. In summary, the department is asking $479,469,420 for fiscal 2010 as opposed to $469,770,686 in 2009, an increase of $9,698,734. “That is the lowest increase in 15 years,” Bradshaw noted. An area that had been discussed at earlier workshops but not resolved, Bradshaw noted that significant savings can be found through increased use of ankle bracelets for prisoners. “For every inmate that we can take out of the jail and put on an ankle
Imagine, over half of this bonus windfall came after Pentagon investigators tied faulty wiring to the electrocution of four soldiers while in relaxation mode — one while taking a shower and another in a swimming pool.
Further, an electrical engineer hired by the Army reported that 90 percent of
bracelet, it’s a significant savings,” Bradshaw said, explaining that the cost per inmate is about $123 per day.
County Administrator Bob Weisman said the PBSO budget amounts to roughly half of the county budget.
Commissioner Steven Abrams said it is difficult to
Golf
Mowing Can Start Earlier
continued from page 1 cio said she and her neighbors have sympathy for residents near the Wanderers course, but said their complaints have put a hardship on Binks.
“Binks has been cited every day with a $250 fine each day,” she said. “We are all frustrated to think that Binks again is in jeopardy due to an outdated and inapplicable ordinance. Those of us who helped fight against all the obstacles to the rebirth of Binks are again disappointed to see another obstacle in Binks’ way.”
But Lakefield West resident Dick Joseph, who is a
KBR’s wiring work in Iraq was not done safely. Also, about 70,000 buildings where troops lived and worked were not up to code. He explained it was “some of the most hazardous, worst-quality work I have ever inspected.” The engineer discovered most of KBR’ s wirers were not experienced in the applicable code. Many were third-country nationals with no electrical training at all! The Army investigations of death and reports of hundreds of non-lethal shocks suffered by our troops continue. The Army has even ordered “emergency repairs.”
compare PBSO to the private sector. “We know that companies lay off people because their demand is down,” he said. “You’ve demonstrated your demand is up.”
Commissioner Karen Marcus asked how long the PBSO can wait to increase the force.
member of the Binks club, told the council that the noise ordinance was intended for the health and safety of the community overall.
“I’m entitled to the same rights as the rest of the community,” Joseph said. “It doesn’t matter whether they’re mowing a golf course, a polo field or a lawn. You have a responsibility to find a time in which the golf courses can start, and that cutting will take place throughout the entire community… But what you can’t do is carve out a spot zone; you can’t carve out a separate community in this community and tell some of us citizens we’re not as good as some of the other citizens because we had the misfortune to buy a house on a golf course.”
During council discussion, Vice Mayor Dr. Carmine Pri-
Guess what? When the electrical inspectors checked out the building where the showering soldier was electrocuted, he found that it had remained unsafely grounded for ten months after the soldier’s death. So let us repeat Sen. Dorgan’s evaluation of “stunning incompetence.” And I am sure you will join me in saying amen!
“It really is a matter of how long the public wants to wait to get their case resolved and how long the calls for service keep going up,” Bradshaw said. “As long as the economy stays bad, these calls for service are going to keep going right up.”
The county’s total budget
ore said he had been among the council members who had wrangled with the deterioration of the Binks course and facilities, and the struggle to rehabilitate them. He said he could not in good conscience let that happen again.
“So this is a difficult decision to make from the standpoint of not having to make folks in the other club, the Wanderers, particularly unhappy, but unfortunately they’re caught up in what we have to do, I believe, and that is to support this ordinance,” he said.
Councilman Howard Coates also noted that courses in Wellington must compete for business not only against each other, but also against those elsewhere in the area.
“When you look at the start times of most of the courses
of about $1.09 billion proposed for fiscal year 2010 would be a decrease of about $36.6 million, according to the proposed budget package. Weisman said the directive to all departments in general was to reduce their budgets by about 10 percent due to anticipated drops in revenue.
in Palm Beach County, it’s 6 o’clock or earlier,” he said.
“The general consensus is that 6 o’clock is the customary start time. So the amendment to the ordinance to add the exemption isn’t doing anything that isn’t customary already throughout Palm Beach County. And to the contrary, to leave it intact the way the ordinance is, I think we’re putting our golf courses at a competitive disadvantage, which is something that I would not be willing to do.” But Coates also urged the village to strictly enforce the limits of the earlier maintenance start time, as some complaints allege that the mowers start even earlier than 6 a.m. “The least we can do as council is if there are any violations of that 6 o’clock start time, that we strictly enforce it,” he said.
PALMS WEST CHAMBER’S TASTE OF THE WEST A SWEET SUCCESS
PHOTOS BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER
Cooking contest judge Jan Norris waits at her table before the competition.
Loxahatchee Groves Councilman Dennis Lipp with the Met Life mascot.
Joanie Calcagno and Kathy Luciano try out some of the cupcakes.
Youngsters take part in the kids cooking class.
The gang from California Pizza Kitchen.
The judges make their decisions.
Rachelle Crain, Eric Gordon and Dale Pickford.
Debbie and Dan Neipling of Philly Connection.
PBSO Lt. David Dameron, Royal Palm Beach Councilwoman Martha Webster, Capt. Rolando Silva and Capt. Eric Coleman.
10 YEARS OF SERVICE
IN THE COMMUNITY. THANKYOU.
Ten
Thank
Vandal Damages Four Cars Outside Wellington Home
By Kristina Webb Town-Crier Staff Report
JUNE 4 — An Alexandra Circle resident called the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office substation in Wellington last Thursday regarding a vandalism incident. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 10 p.m. last Wednesday and 4 a.m. the following morning someone attacked four vehicles parked in the driveway of the home. The suspect first pulled a small tree from the front yard and struck one vehicle with it, then proceeded to break the side mirror of a second vehicle. The third vehicle was keyed, and the victim’s trashcan was thrown on top of it, and a window of the fourth vehicle appeared to have been punched. Although there was no damage to the window of the fourth vehicle, the deputy noted that there was blood smeared on the window. The victim has no known enemies. There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.
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JUNE 3 — The hood was stolen from a 1993 Honda Civic parked on Blue Diamond Place in Wellington last Wednesday. According to a PBSO report, someone took an engine hood valued at $400 from the car between 1 and 7 a.m. There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.
JUNE 3 — A man was charged with fleeing police last Wednesday in Royal Palm Beach after a passenger in his speeding car screamed obscenities at two deputies. According to a PBSO report, two deputies from the Royal Palm Beach substation were involved in a traffic stop when someone in a silver Nissan sped past them heading north on Ponce de Leon Street and yelled a phrase meant to offend them. The deputies got into their car and chased the Nissan, which they soon caught and attempted to pull over after clocking the Nissan’s speed
at 60 miles per hour in an area where the posted speed limit is 25. Both deputies approached the Nissan and noted that there were five girls ages 15 to 17 in the back seat and a strong smell of alcohol coming from the front seat. A passenger in the car was arrested for violation of probation after being found in possession of a water bottle containing an unknown alcoholic beverage.
JUNE 3 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Wellington was dispatched to a home on Oakberry Circle last Wednesday in response to a burglary. According to a PBSO report, the home was broken into sometime between 4 and 11:30 p.m. when someone cut through a patio screen and smashed the sliding-glass door leading to the master bedroom. Jewelry was taken from the dresser and rolled coins were taken from the closet. Jewelry boxes from the house were placed into evidence. There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.
JUNE 4 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach responded to a residential burglary complaint in the Shoma Homes community last Thursday. According to a PBSO report, the house had been broken into sometime between 10:45 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on June 3, but the homeowner did not notice anything missing until the following day. Upon inspecting the home, the deputy found a pry mark near the strike plate on the lock of the front door. A blank Bank of America check and pink Motorola cell phone worth $100 had been taken from the bedroom, and a black Toshiba laptop computer worth $800 had been taken from the living room. There were no witnesses or suspects at the time of the report, and the deputy was unable to recover fingerprints or DNA evidence.
JUNE 6 — A Loxahatchee See BLOTTER, page 18
Klein To Chamber: Feds Must Support Small Business
By Kristina Webb Town-Crier Staff Report
Congressman Ron Klein (D-District 22) stressed the importance of insurance reform and praised small business owners at the Palms West Chamber of Commerce’s monthly business luncheon Monday. Klein, whose father was a small business owner, is a member of the House Financial Services Committee and said he continues to see the problem of “availability of liquidity and access to capital for small businesses and large businesses alike.” He emphasized that he is working to make federal Troubled Asset Relief Program funds available at the small-business level because the billions of dollars awarded to large banks “has not, in many ways, trickled down or affected the ability for local businesses to obtain capital.” Klein said he has also been working to foster more small business loans in Florida. “We’ve changed the policy now where all lending fees are waived by the federal government,” he said. “Small business loans should be more attractive again, recognizing we are a small-business state. Where we live, it’s essential to get access to capital. Many people depend on home equity loans and a lot of other things to fund their businesses, and we know that small businesses are the ones that attract and support that.”
In addition to supporting small businesses, Klein said he has continued his efforts
on insurance reform legisla-
tion to create a national catastrophic risk pool, which would spread the risk and cost of natural disasters to lower the impact on home and business owners. He said hurricanes have created a “failed market” in Florida, and insurance companies have cut back their coverage here, with prices rising and the number of policies written dropping.
The risk pool would be open to any state and cover natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, large tornados and ice storms. Although the bill did not pass last year, Klein said he hopes it will be successful this time around with presidential support. “If it passes, I think it will do what all of us would like it to do,” he said. “Large companies will be more attracted to come to Florida because the risk will go away. We’ll be able to accomplish that through this risk sharing.”
Klein also urged chamber members to remember and support military veterans.
“We have the strongest mili-
tary in the world,” he said. “We have the greatest men and women who voluntarily serve in our military. When they do come home from their service, we have a responsibility as Americans to make sure they get all the services they need to live a dignified life, and I hope you will continue to join me in supporting our veterans when they come home.”
Monday’s luncheon took place at Carrabba’s Italian Grill in Royal Palm Beach and was sponsored by Paymaster payroll services and Atlantic Pacific Insurance.
Paymaster has been locally owned and operated for 14 years, with offices and clients in 38 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. “One of the things that I stress is chamber membership with our people,” said Rey Monzon, Paymaster’s director of marketing and sales.
Paymaster provides comprehensive payroll services for its clients. “We’re relatively new to Palms West, but we intend to get very much involved, and beginning with this sponsorship, we hope to meet with you on a regular basis,” Monzon said. “We have many, many clients, ranging in size from one to several thousand, and a lot of folks ask me why would a company with one employee hire a payroll service. The answer is, regardless of how many checks you write, at the end of the quarter you still have to do those payroll taxes, and if you do your own checks, you’re going to go
down and see your accoun-
tant and pay for that tax work. We provide all of our payroll taxes for our clients, state and federal, at no extra charge.”
Atlantic Pacific Insurance has been serving South Florida since 1981. Representing many insurance carriers, the company offers both commercial and personal policies. “Many of your businesses change,” company partner Matthew Peace said. “They grow, they get small, they change in different ways, and one of the things we try to do is sit down with the client, identify their needs and give them the best plan available.”
Also Monday, the chamber honored its businesses of the year for 2009 in two categories. The first, honoring a business with gross sales of less than $2 million, went to Graphic-Signs. Dale Pickford accepted the award for the company. Accounting Management Advisors, Chick-fil-A at the Mall at Wellington Green, Jordano Insurance Group, Professional Family Eyecare and Tiny Tots were also nominated.
Julie Kime’s Allstate Insurance agency in Wellington was recognized as the Business of the Year with gross sales of more than $2 million. Also nominated were Lion Country Safari and TD Bank.
For the second year in a row, Hoffman’s Chocolate won the People’s Choice Award from the chamber’s 2009 Chocolate Lovers Festival on June 4. Sandra Hoffman and company CEO Fred Meltzer accepted the award.
Stories, Crafts And More At St. Michael’s Vacation Bible School
By Candace Marchsteiner
Town-Crier Staff Report
Old Testament stories of Moses came alive in the swamp during Vacation Bible School at St. Michael Evangelical Lutheran Church this week.
“Crocodile Dock” was the theme, led by VBS Director Rhonda Beitmen and Music Director Donna Murphy. Children and their teen crew leaders gathered to sing and summarize each day’s lesson in front of a homemade swamp shack built by
Anneth Dreier and her sister. Crews rotated each evening for stories in Bible Bayou, crafts in the Critter Craft room, cliffhanger videos in Chadder’s Dockside Drive-in and treats in the Snack Shack, where clever treats helped children remember details from the day’s story. Each day of the Sunday thru Thursday program featured a swamp animal along with a bible message. Fireflies, crocodiles, spoonbills, opossums and turtles repre-
sented God’s light, power, promises, life-giving ability and care. Overall, in the eeriness of a frightening swamp, the main theme was to be fearless and shine God’s light everywhere.
Pastored by Reverend Marjorie Weiss, St. Michael Evangelical Lutheran Church holds summer worship services on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. St. Michael is located at 1925 Birkdale Drive in Wellington. For more information, visit the church’s web site at www.stmichaelelc.com.
LOTS OF ‘AG-UCATIONAL’ FUN AND LEARNING AT THE FAIRGROUNDS
The South Florida Fairgrounds held its Summer Ag-ucation Program June 8-12 for youth
the five-day program, children learned about animal care and grooming, worked with
garden and took part in other activities. In addition, a beekeeper gave a presentation on
visited MacArthur Dairy to learn about cows and the milking process.
and the
UNICO Hosts Bocce In Banyan Lakes
In a night reminiscent of evenings long ago in faraway Italy, the Palm Beach chapter of the Italian-American service organization UNICO enjoyed the traditional game of bocce and a bountiful table at the home of Michael and Marie Bianchini in Banyan Lakes on May 17. Adding to the great evening of fun and friendship, participants were feted with a performance by Gianni Bianchini on piano and Amanda Petrozelli on violin. Besides its social activities, UNICO exists to promote Italian culture, provide schol-
arships for deserving young people and assist those who are less fortunate. The Palm Beach chapter’s upcoming events include the screening of an Italian film during a potluck night and a wine and cheese tasting at a local wine shop. The chapter is planning a weekend “Taste of Italy” with food, drink and music in the western communities in the early spring of 2010. UNICO invites all those of Italian heritage to consider joining the chapter. For more information, call Chapter President Giulio Panzano at (561) 670-5080.
PHOTOS BY CANDACE MARCHSTEINER/TOWN-CRIER
PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Alyssa Lewis leads Marley over the jump on the obstacle course.
Bettye Thompson (left) and Eva Webb (right) with the kids in front of a fruit and vegetable table.
Melissa Robshaw and her llama Jazz demonstrate backing up between bars on the obstacle course.
Eva Webb helps kids identify fruits and vegetables.The kids taste freshly made peanut butter.
Lorie Stinson, Bettye Thompson and volunteer Tim Lewis make peanut butter for a taste test.
Music Director Donna Murphy, crew leaders Jared Brock and Justin Strassman, Rev. Marjorie Weiss, Aman and Logan Maharaj, VBS Director Rhonda Beitmen, and swamp shack co-constructor Anneth Dreier.
Lauren Farrells sings “This Little Light of Mine.”
UNICO members on the bocce court: (L-R) Rosa and John Jado, Darlene and Gabriele Finochietti, Norma and Giulio Panzano, Maria and Dr. J. Castro, and Maria, Gabriella, Alessandra, Gianni and Michael Bianchini.
Dale Pickford of Graphic-Signs accepts the 2009 Business of the Year Award from Matthew Peace of Atlantic Pacific Insurance (left) and Palms West Chamber Chairman Kevin DiLallo (right). PHOTOS BY KRISTINA WEBB/TOWN-CRIER
Julie Kime of Allstate Insurance accepts the 2009 Business of the Year Award from Paymaster’s Romeo Chicco (left) and Chamber Chairman Kevin DiLallo (right).
Sandra Hoffman (center) and Fred Meltzer (right) from Hoffman’s Chocolate accept the People’s Choice Award from the 2009 Chocolate Lovers Festival.
To motivate Wellington students to think about world peace and its consequences, the Wellington Rotary Club began its Fourth Annual Rotary Community World Peace Initiative last March. The purpose of the initiative is to raise awareness of world peace, multicultural understanding and conflict resolution in the Wellington community. World Peace contests were held in local elementary, middle and high schools; peace merit badges are being offered to local scouts; and local clergy will be requested to give a sermon on world peace in September before Wellington’s U.N. World Peace Day ceremony on Sept.
21. Student awards are presented to local students who have exemplified their commitment to conflict resolution issues in Wellington schools. The World Peace Poster Contest was sponsored for all fourth graders in Wellington schools. The best poster from each elementary school received a cash prize of $50, and the teacher of the winning poster in each school received a $50 stipend for the classroom. Middle School Peace Poetry and High School Peace Essay contests were also held. There were a record 182 posters entered in the contest this year from four Wellington elementary schools. The
Of-
winning posters from each school were: Morissa Dryden from Elbridge Gale Elementary School; Jake Ginelli from Panther Run Elementary School; Nicholas Franklin from Equestrian Trails Elementary School; and David Diaz from New Horizons Elementary School.
The following posters were awarded honorable mentions: Maxine Lubrico, Ashuald Lebay, Shayly Ratliff and Aaron Green, all from Equestrian Trails Elementary School.
The overall winner for best community peace poster was from Aziza Abdelaziz from Equestrian Trails Elementary School.
Wellington Regional Medical Center recently honored lactation consultants Pat Rizzo and Gina Johnson, both registered nurses, with its Employee of the Month award. Traditionally, only one employee is selected by the Service Excellence Committee to receive the award. However, this month the committee made the decision to recognize both women, who work tirelessly as a team to provide education and support to assist new moms in reaching their breastfeeding goals.
Both Johnson and Rizzo are international board-certi-
Winning checks for all contests will be presented to students at the World Peace Day ceremony sponsored by the Village of Wellington and Wellington Rotary Club.
Winners of both the Middle School Peace Poetry and the High School Peace Essay contests will be announced this summer. Cash prizes for these peace contests will also be presented at the U.N. World Peace Day ceremony. The ceremony is held each year at the Wellington Rotary Peace Park on Sept. 21. More than 200 community residents attended the peace ceremony last year.
fied lactation consultants. Rizzo began working for WRMC as a lactation consultant when the Centre for Family Beginnings unit first opened in 1992. Johnson joined WRMC’s nursing staff in 1999 in the neonatal intensive care unit and later joined the Lactation Center as a fulltime staff member when it opened in 2001.
“Pat Rizzo and Gina Johnson consistently exceed expectations in the care they deliver and education they provide to patients, staff and community,” Centre for Family Beginnings Director Barbara Nash-Glassman said.
“They continuously receive commendations from our patients who shout their praises.”
While their mission is to provide support and education to new breastfeeding moms, both Johnson and Rizzo also devote time to WRMC’s ongoing monthly Lactation Tea and Support Group.
In addition, Johnson teaches prenatal breastfeeding and baby care classes; Rizzo teaches childbirth education classes and assists with tours of the maternity unit. They also provide education to the nursing staff.
“At Wellington Regional Medical Center, we believe in the healthy advantages that breastfeeding offers mothers as well as babies,” NashGlassman said. Lactation consultants visit mothers during their hospital stay and provide telephone and outpatient consultations. The lactation center offers a variety of manual and electric breast pumps for purchase or rent and will assist in choosing a pump suitable for a new mother’s needs. In addition, the lactation center offers an array of educational materials and breastfeeding supplies.
Peace Poster — The overall best poster, drawn by Aziza Abdelaziz from Equestrian Trails Elementary School.
WRMC Employees Of The Month — Chief Operating
ficer Erik Olson, Pat Rizzo, Centre for Family Beginnings Director Barbara Nash-Glassman and Gina Johnson.
ANTIQUES FESTIVAL RETURNS TO THE AMERICRAFT EXPO CENTER
The West Palm Beach Antiques Festival was held at the Americraft Expo Center at the South Florida Fairgrounds last Saturday and Sunday. The festival attracts dealers from all over the country who sell a vast array of antiques, collectibles and decorative accessories. Visit www.festivalofantiques.com for info.
SCHOOLS HOST BLOOD DRIVE IN HONOR OF SEBASTIAN SARMIENTO
honor of
away earlier this year from
a
was
PHOTOS BY LAURA HAMPSON/TOWN-CRIER
PHOTOS BY LAURA HAMPSON/TOWN-CRIER
In
Sebastian Sarmiento, who passed
leukemia,
blood drive
held at Polo Park Middle School and Elbridge Gale Elementary School on Monday, June 8, the day Sebastian would have turned ten years old.
Carlos Pinilla, a friend of the Sarmiento family. Don Greetham donates blood.
Phlebotomists (front row, L-R) Laura Ransom, Stacey King and Nicola Cockrell; (back) Kathryn Henderson, Sheila Wilbon, Hollie Wadsworth and Toy Hazel.
Florida’s Blood Centers’ bloodmobile, in the parking lot of Polo Park Middle School.
Chris Sawicki, a.k.a. the Quilt Lady, with a restored quilt from 1880.
Patty Cohen with her collection of vintage jewelry.
Cheryl Krumrine removes dust from an antique bookend.
Jeff Cotton with one of the antique clocks he has restored.John Ezzo with his turn-of-the-century glassware.
Jane Greenawall with her collectable dolls, some of which are 100 years old.
Elaine Durow and Cass Stryker of Custom Creations display their artwork.
EQUINE FIRST AID AND HURRICANE CLINIC IN LOXAHATCHEE GROVES
Ron Seibly held a clinic on equine first aid and hurricane preparedness on Sunday, June 7 at Red Fences Farm in Loxahatchee Groves. Seibly stressed the importance of having a plan in place in case a hurricane hits, and explained the various steps horse owners should take to make their barns storm-ready. For more info., visit the Sunshine State Horse Council’s web site at www.sshc.org.
SHERIFF’S OFFICE HOLDS BIKE GIVEAWAY FOR SELECT STUDENTS
PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Ron Seibly stresses the need to keep hay dry.
Ron Seibly braids an ID tag into the tail of miniature horse Sammy.Shay Owsley with Black Velvet.
Carol Bailey, Nancy Hall and Bill Owsley check Black Velvet’s pulse.
Riding instructor Rae Ann Hayes of the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center bandages Black Velvet.
Ron Seibly shows how to bandage a horse’s leg.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office held its third annual bicycle giveaway at the PBSO headquarters on Gun Club Road on Tuesday, June 9. More than 30 students from various Palm Beach County schools were selected by school crossing guards. The students were selected for displaying exceptional personal conduct and compliance with the crossing guards throughout the school year. There were several representatives from the western communities.
PHOTOS BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER
Wellington Elementary students Tusiime Bahemuka and Emma Rack with crossing guard Cheryl Tenore.
Equestrian Trails Elementary School students Javon and Jaavari Duchatelier.
H.L. Johnson Elementary School student Alyssa Walker gets her bike.
COMMUNIT Y CALENDAR
Saturday, June 13
• The Village of Royal Palm Beach will celebrate its 50th anniversary on Saturday, June 13. Activities include a 5K run/walk race at 7 a.m. starting at Camellia Park; a 10 a.m. time capsule opening; a chili cookoff, cupcake bakeoff and pie-eating contest at Veterans Park with entertainment; a 7 p.m. concert featuring Hot Brass Monkey Evolution at the Veterans Park amphitheater; and culminate with a fireworks display at 9 p.m. For more info., visit www.royal palmbeach.com.
• Whole Foods Market (2635 State Road 7, Wellington) will present “Whole Art Series” for ages five and up Saturday, June 13 at 11 a.m. Participants will make Father’s Day cards with shaving cream. A $10 donation will benefit ArtStart. To pre-register, call (561) 9044000.
• The Leathernecks Motorcycle Club will hold an event to benefit all Agent Orange victims on Saturday, June 13 from noon to 6 p.m. at John Prince Park (Sixth Avenue South and Congress Avenue, Lake Worth.). For more info., or to volunteer, e-mail jeanelle@forgotten soldiers.org.
• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will hold “Famous Authors Live: David Hagberg” on Saturday, June 13 at 2 p.m. for adults. Meet the best-selling author and get the scoop on Burned , his new novel based on a true kidnapping story. A book signing will follow. Call (561) 790-6070 to pre-register.
• Wellington Parks & Recreation will host an Outdoor Summer Concert featuring the local rock band Rumour Hazit on Saturday, June 13 from 7 to 9 p.m. on the front field of the Wellington Community Center. For more info., call (561) 753-2484.
• The Cuillo Centre for the Arts (201 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach) will host Improv Comedy by Mod 27 on Saturday, June 13 at 9 p.m. General admission is $13, students and seniors $11. Call (561) 835-9226 or visit www.mod27.com for more info. Sunday, June 14
• My Brother’s/Sister’s Keeper Charitable Trust will hold a fundraiser on Sunday, June 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center featuring Copeland Davis on the piano and live/silent auctions. Tickets are $40 and include dinner, wine and soft drinks. For info., call (561) 793-7606. Monday, June 15
• The Jewish Community Center of the Greater Palm Beaches will hold Camp Shalom Jr. West for children ages two to five at Temple Beth Zion (129 Sparrow Drive, Royal Palm Beach). The camp will run from June 15 through Aug. 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with extended-day and part-time options available. For more info., call Sharon at (561) 253-6030 or visit www. campshalom.org.
• Wellington High School will hold a Summer Basketball Camp June 15-18 in the school gymnasium for boys and girls ages six to 14. Camp hours are 9 a.m. to noon each day. The cost is $80 per camper. For more info., call (803) 439-5348.
• Whole Foods Market (2635 State Road 7, Wellington) will present “Dine with the Doc!” at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 15. Activities will include a complementary massage and health screening. At 6:30 p.m., Dr. Tim DeCanio will give a presentation, “Eat Well, Move Well, Live Well.” Pre-registration is required by calling (561) 904-4000. Tuesday, June 16
• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will hold “Art for Tweens: Textured Collage” on Tuesday, June 16 at 2 p.m. for ages nine to 12. Create a collage of crayon texture rubbings. Call (561) 790-6070 to preregister.
• State representatives Joseph Abruzzo and Mark Pafford will host a Town Hall Meeting to discuss the 2009 legislative session on Tuesday, June 16 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center auditorium (3151 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach). The meeting is free and open to the public. For more info., call Abruzzo’s office at (561) 7914774 or Pafford’s office at (561) 682-0156.
• Whole Foods Market (2635 State Road 7, Wellington) will present “Be Good to Your Body this Summer!” on Tuesday, June 16 at 7 p.m. Mike Thompson of Whole Foods’ Whole Body Department will discuss the benefits of natural body care products. To preregister, call (561) 9044000.
• The Acreage Landowners’ Association will meet Tuesday, June 16 at 7 p.m. at the Indian Trail Improvement District office (13476 61st Street North). Chris Barry with LaMensa Daycare will present revised plans for its proposed facility on the south side of Northlake Blvd. just east of Hall Blvd. For more information, call Bob Renna at (561) 602-0676.
Wednesday, June 17
• The Wellington Chamber of Commerce will hold a luncheon on Wednesday, June 17 at Kontiki restaurant (13860 Wellington Trace, Suite 21-22). The keynote speaker will be Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office District 8 Capt. Greg Richter. The cost to attend is $20 for chamber members in advance, $25 for members at the door and $30 for non-members. Call (561) 792-6525 for reservations or more info.
• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will hold “Teen Art Scene: Shell Frames” on Wednesday, June 17 at 4 p.m. for ages 12 to 17. Make a frame with miniature shells and lowtemperature glue guns. Call (561) 790-6070 to pre-register.
• The Palms West Chamber of Commerce will host an After-Hours Networking Barbecue on Wednesday, June 17 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at TD Bank (1031 S. Military Trail, West Palm Beach). The event will be a business casual summer barbecue. For more information, call Catherine Engel at (561) 790-6200 or e-mail catherine@palmswest.com.
• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host “Socrates Café” on Wednesday, June 17 at 6:30 p.m. for adults. The Society for Philosophical Inquiry initiated the concept for this discussion led by Marji Chapman. Call (561) 790-6070 to pre-register.
Thursday, June 18
• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will hold at Poetry Recital Workshop on Thursdays June 18 through July 16 at 1 p.m. for ages seven to 12. Participants will spend six weeks writing and memorizing poems and creating costumes and props. Family and friends will be invited to the recital on July 23 at 7:30 p.m. Call (561) 790-6070 to pre-register.
• The Royal Palm Beach Village Council will meet at the Village Meeting Hall (1050 Royal Palm Beach Blvd.) on Thursday, June 18 at 7 p.m. Call (561) 7905100 or visit www.royalpalm beach.com for more information.
Friday, June 19
• Whole Foods Market (2635 State Road 7, Wellington) will present “The Five Basic Principles of Pilates” and how they can help you in everyday life on Friday, June 19 at 11 a.m. Learn and implement the basic principles to create a fusion of mind and body for overall wellness. Please wear comfortable clothing. Pre-registration is required by calling (561) 904-4000.
• The Lake Worth Playhouse will present Back to Babylon June 19 and 20. The critically acclaimed oneman show Back to Babylon is written, performed and directed by Gregg Tome. For more info., call the Lake Worth Playhouse at (561) 835-9226, ext. 100. Saturday, June 20
• Giselle’s Dance Studio invites the public to a wonderful evening of classical ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop and modern dance performed by the talented students from Giselle’s Dance Studio in Royal Palm Beach on Saturday, June 20 at 5 p.m. The presentation, titled “Variations 2009,” will be held at the Wellington High School performing arts auditorium. Call Zaida at (561) 7539543 for more info.
Send calendar items to: The Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414. FAX: (561) 793-6090. E-mail: news@gotowncrier.com.
“I found something at the mall that fits me perfectly!”
WHY IS WiiFIT A BIG HIT?
Try it for yourself with a Wii representative! Saturday, June 13 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Event will be held in Grand Court
• Register to win a Wii unit and sports game
• Sample delicious and nutritious smoothies
• Have a professional gait analysis
• Plus giftcards, giveaways and more!
Membership in Mall Terrain is FREE! As a member you’ll enjoy:
• Climate-controlled way to meet your fitness goals
• Secure environment
• Free gift with enrollment
• Member discounts
• So much more!
Wellington Christian School Graduates 27 In Class Of 2009
Caps flew and balloons fell after the Wellington Christian School graduating class of 2009 received their diplomas Friday, May 29. Despite the small class size of 27 students, their strong character and remarkable talent makes them a truly memorable group of individuals.
“It usually takes an army of students to obtain this much talent; we have achieved it with only 27,” said Kevin Goff in his valedictorian speech.
All 27 graduates have been accepted and are planning to attend a college or university for the upcoming 2010 school year. Several of the students plan to take their athletic abilities to the next lev-
el, while other students who excel in disciplines such as art are attending specialized schools for their area of expertise.
The senior class requested that the former campus pastor and Bible teacher Luke Davis fly down from Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis, Mo. to speak at the ceremony. He passionately spoke to the students, sharing ideas, provoking thought and offering advice for their future ahead. Davis ended his commencement speech with one of his old classroom traditions: the seniors gathered around each other as Davis prayed for them and their future. Representing the faculty,
Eric Spee spoke of change and hope for the students and their life ahead. Salutatorian Amanda Stearns reminisced with the class about many of their memories together such as the high school retreat, Grad Night at Disney and the senior trip to Costa Rica. The seniors chose Karlie Krieger to receive the Timothy Award, which is an honor that recognizes the student that most represents Christ-like attributes. Many of the speakers commented on the great pride and high expectations that they hold for this group of students. They have accomplished so much already, and their potential for future success is exciting and promising.
WHS Theatre Hosts Production Of ‘Showcase Of Emotions’
Spotlight of Wellington Performing Arts Studio put on its first feature performance titled Showcase of Emotions last Sunday at the Wellington High School Performing Arts Theatre.
The production was a true fruition of the performing arts for Director Niki Ann Giliberti, who opened Spotlight a year ago in the Kobosko’s Crossing shopping center.
“Spotlight of Wellington was a vision to create a place
for our community to come together through the performing arts,” Giliberti said.
The studio’s instructors, along with the student dancers, singers and actors who performed last Sunday, were truly what Giliberti was envisioning.
For more information on how to become a part of the Spotlight community, call (561) 790-7758 or visit www.spotlightofwellington. com.
Lois Spatz
Sylvan Learning Center Honors June Students Of The Month
Sylvan Learning Center in Royal Palm Beach recently announced that Jeremy Anderson and Parker Stevens are the students of the month for June.
Nine-year-old Jeremy Anderson is in the third grade at Wynnebrook Elementary School in West Palm Beach. He started at Sylvan in March, and his grandmother Mirtha Medina has already seen improvements in his reading and math skills after less than two months. “The attention he gets at Sylvan helped with his concentration,” Medina said. “I see an improvement with his ability to pay attention with an individualized program, as op-
posed to a large classroom setting.”
Jeremy’s favorite subject is science. He takes a special interest in dinosaurs, which is why he wants to be a paleontologist when he grows up. Outside of school, he likes to play video games, play with Legos and play with his friends. His favorite foods include bacon, carrots, broccoli and baked potatoes.
Seven-year-old Parker Stevens is in the first grade at Pierce Hammock Elementary School in The Acreage. He enrolled at Sylvan in January for help with reading and now receives help with writing as well. Parker’s mother Jodi Stevens noticed a dramatic
improvement within the first month.
“He used to take 45 minutes to read, but now those same books take him between eight and ten minutes,” said Jodi Stevens, who is extremely happy Parker is signed up at Sylvan. “The teachers here are trained how to help him read better, so this was good for him. Because he knows how to read better, homework has become easier for him. Everything else has become easier.”
Jodi Stevens is hoping that Parker’s enrollment in the summer will put him ahead of the other students in his class when school starts again in August. Parker, who likes
earning tokens and getting rewards from Sylvan, said, “I got ahead with my reading groups at school.”
Science is Parker’s favorite subject in school because he likes bugs. His hobbies include playing football, playing with his sister Paige, and going to work with his father. His favorite sports team is the Gators, and his favorite foods include chicken, brownies and salmon. When Parker is older, he wants to work on pools like his dad and be an astronaut.
Sylvan Learning Center is located at 1169-B Royal Palm Beach Blvd. For more information, call (561) 422-6176 or visit www.sylvanpbc.com.
Spotlight of Wellington instructors Holly Montes, Niki Ann Giliberti, Brittany King and Rachel Morris.
Jacob DeFazio and Eaven Spatz narrate a scene.
Parker Stevens Jeremy Anderson
Wellington Christian School Class of 2009 — The 27 graduates gather at the commencement ceremony on Friday, May 29.
WHS Band Performs At Pearl Harbor
Members of Wellington High School’s Mighty Wolverine Sound performed at the USS Missouri in Pearl Harbor on March 30. The music performed included a tribute to all five branches of the United States Armed Services. This invitational performance was part of Hawaii’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of its statehood. Along with the honor of performing at Pearl Harbor, the band members and chaperones had a wonderful six-day cultural experience. The WHS band members thank community members for their support and were honored to represent Florida.
In other WHS band news: • On April 7, 44 band members performed in the State Solo and Ensemble Assessment in Naples. Seniors Kaitlin Dombrowski and Ted Karmelin earned Superior
ratings in Solo Performance. The brass quartet, woodwind trio and flute trio earned Superior ratings in Ensemble Performance. All students participating earned high commendations from the collegiate-level judges.
• Eleven WHS band members were selected by audition for the Palm Beach County All-District High School Band. The school would like to congratulate seniors Rachel Greenspan, Ted Karmelin, Meagan Kovacs and Brian Nelson; juniors Bianca Becker, Patrick Magner, Rachel Rowlinson, Carl Saville and Courtney Smeriglio; sophomore Sidney Oser; and freshman Audrey Bridge. These musicians performed with the top band students in the county in a concert on April 24, which included the world premier of “Danzas Cubanas,” written in
honor and memory of Wellington High School’s first band director, Ubaldo Montesino.
• The WHS Band’s Majorettes are state champions again. They performed in the Drum Majorettes of America state contest on May 16, and earned first place in eight
and
out of ten categories: Dance Twirl 1, Dance Twirl 2, Twirl Team, Show Team with Twirl, High School Line, High School Team 1, High School Team 2 and High School Halftime. Their “swing” performance also earned the honor of Most Outstanding Baton Team.
Polo Park Bids Farewell To Steven Morris
After 36 years of dedicated service to children and adults, Polo Park Middle School Assistant Principal Steven Morris has retired. Morris began his teaching career in New York State, and then relocated to MiamiDade, where he taught both children and adults before becoming an administrator in that county. After the devastation of Hurricane Andrew, Morris relocated his family to Palm Beach County and began that part of his career at JFK Middle School in Riviera Beach. In 2000, when Polo Park opened its doors, Morris came on board as assistant principal under then-princi-
pal Connie Gregory. Morris served the children, parents, community, faculty and staff as an assistant principal, mentor and friend during his nine years with the school.
Morris was honored by both past and current staff at a retirement dinner last Wednesday evening, and again at the end of the year
luncheon on Friday. He was presented with a plaque by Principal William Latson, recognizing his invaluable service to education. Morris will be missed by many, but forgotten by none. Everyone at Polo Park wishes him and his wife Carol many happy and healthy years of retirement.
Fifth-grade students from Panther Run Elementary School got to experience first hand what the business world is like.
Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches created JA Biztown to educate and inspire young people. It helps them better understand business and economics hands on. Students do this by taking the roles of mayor, CEO, CFO, sales managers, designers, tellers, foreman and construction workers. Biztown is set up like a town with various merchants, businesses, a town hall, etc. Prior to com-
ing to JA Biztown, the students and teachers are given packets that explain various roles. They also are instructed how to balance a check book and how to write checks. All of this is incorporated into their four-hour day at JA Biztown. JA Biztown is non-profit. It depends on adult volunteers and business partnerships. Each parent volunteer goes through two hours of training before coming with classes to Biztown. You can find more information about JA Biztown at www.junior achievement.com.
•
Austin Gilman
Nalen Vattigunta lead a “town hall meeting.”
Andrew Kohner Receives ‘Future Of Medicine’ Award
Suncoast High School jun-
ior Andrew Kohner was recently presented with the Abraham Goldman Memorial Future of Medicine Award during an award ceremony at Palms West Hospital. The award is given to the Palm Beach County high school junior who has best demonstrated the attributes of a “future physician.” The award is based on academics, community service and service in the medical field.
The award includes a beautiful Lucite plaque, a check in the amount of $250 to purchase college books and, most importantly, an oppor-
Shay Roman
To Star In Film
G-Star School graduate and Wellington resident Shay Roman will star in the school’s first full-length motion picture It’s a Dog Gone Tale: Destiny’s Stand. G-Star recently announced the start of filming.
G-Star students will be involved in all aspects of production, including acting, set design and more. A team of award-winning industry professionals including actors, directors, writers and special effects supervisors have donated their time and services in support of G-Star and the film.
This is the first of many movies that G-Star will be filming and producing. The goal is to produce four such movies per year. The movie will be filmed at the G-Star Studios on the G-Star campus in Palm Springs, in addition to several other sites around Palm Beach County. Roman has acted in other films including Sex Drive and TWO. She is currently a student at Sarah Lawrence College, having graduated from G-Star last year.
Two Graduate Army Basic Training
Army National Guard Pvt. Nestor J. Seda and Spec. Schnita M. Duncombe re-
tunity to spend up to 100 hours with one of five participating physicians in the program. This mentorship is designed to expose the student to the experience of the dayto-day practice of medicine.
“This is quite an amazing and bright young man. We have a budding genius in our midst,” said Dr. Steve Pliskow, who presented the award.
Kohner’s list of accomplishments is lengthy, including: ranking among the top students in Suncoast’s junior class, starting a charitable organization to provide bicycles to underprivileged chil-
cently graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C. During the nine weeks of training, Duncombe and Seda studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, the military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches, and field-training exercises. Seda is the son of Quetcy Caraballo of Royal Palm Beach.
Duncombe is the daughter of Donald and Phyllis Duncombe of The Acreage. Duncombe graduated in 1992 from Suncoast High School and received a bachelor’s degree in 2001 from Florida A&M University.
dren (Bikes for Kidz), doing stem-cell research at the University of Miami and with physicians at Shands in the neurology department, volunteering at the ER department at Palms West Hospital, being captain of the varsity lacrosse team, serving as vice president of the Robotics Club and volunteering as a big brother for Big Brothers/ Big Sisters.
Abraham Goldman, for whom the award was named, served as a medic during World War II. The award honors the memory of his selfless service to his country providing medical care on
Students Make Lynn Dean’s List
The following area students received academic honors at Lynn University by making the dean’s list in the spring 2009 academic term: Richard Freiheit of Royal Palm Beach, a senior majoring in criminal justice; Craig Mullings of Loxahatchee, a senior majoring in business administration; Anthony Bennett of Wellington, a senior majoring in criminal justice; and Michael Slavin of Royal Palm Beach, a freshman majoring in multimedia journalism. All students earned a GPA of 3.5 or better.
Schroeder
Completes Basic Training
Navy Reserve Seaman
Apprentice Brooke K. Schroeder, daughter of Karen and Steve Knight of Wellington, recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill.
During the eight-week program, Schroeder completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and ship-
the battlefield to his fellow soldiers.
In addition to the Abraham Goldman award, Andrew received many top honors during the awards ceremony. He received awards for IB Biology, IB Spanish, IB Chemistry, was in the top ten IB students and won the University of Virginia Book Award. Andrew is looking forward to attending a college or university that has a seven- or eight-year medical school program, but has not yet decided on his specialty. He is considering neurology, plastic surgery or orthopedics.
board and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness.
The capstone event of boot camp is “Battle Stations.” This exercise gives recruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet.
Schroeder is a 1995 graduate of John I. Leonard High School in Greenacres.
Delta State Honors Two Area Students
Two Delta State University students from Wellington have been honored for their high marks during the 2009 spring semester.
Jacqueline To was named to the president’s list of Del-
Brody Finn O’Dell — son of Denise and Patrick O’Dell of Wellington was born at Palms West Hospital on May 28.
Trent Jason Jackman son of Amanda and Jason Trent Jackman of West Palm Beach was born at Palms West Hospital on May 28.
Jared Adonay Ulloa son of Flor de Maria and Abel Ulloa of West Palm Beach was born at Palms West Hospital on May 29.
Grace Honor Tomlinson — daughter of Jennifer and David Tomlinson of Welling-
ta scholars for compiling a 3.80 to 4.00 grade point average while attempting 12 or more academic hours.
Jazmin Yacaman has earned dean’s list honors for compiling a 3.50 to 3.79 grade point average while attempting 12 or more academic hours.
Perez Tops Community Service Hours
Ashley Perez recently received an award for logging the most community volunteer hours ever with Everglades High School in Miramar. Perez, who is one of 17 grandchildren of Bob and Helen Prior of Wellington, had a total of 1,526 commu-
WHO’S NEW!
ton was born at Wellington Regional Medical Center on May 29.
Connor Stephen Danley — son of Tara and Robert Danley of Royal Palm Beach was born at Wellington Regional Medical Center on June 2.
Nicholas Henry Nethercote — son of Lucia and Mike Nethercote of Loxahatchee was born at Wellington Regional Medical Center on June 2. Azaria Amaya Jessica Adams — daughter of Valerie Hernandez and Tay Iori
Adams of Greenacres was born at Palms West Hospital on June 5. Bella Colette Costa daughter of Leah and David Costa of Loxahatchee was born at Palms West Hospital on June 5. Ayanna Calena Arenas — daughter of Jennifer and Marcos Arenas of Boynton Beach was born at Palms West Hospital on June 6. James Alan Bowser III son of Tanya and James Alan Bowser II of Wellington was born at Palms West Hospital on June 8.
Shay Roman
Ashley Perez
Dr. Steve Pliskow and Andrew Kohner.
nity service hours. She was also the Silver Knight nominee in art for her high school.
Construction Starts On Devonshire At Wellington Green
In a real estate environment that has seen almost no new commercial construction starts in the last nine months, the developers of Devonshire at Wellington Green started construction recently on their $40 million skilled-nursing and assisted-living center.
TD Bank closed a $30 million construction loan with William Meyer and Steven Tendrich, the developers of Devonshire at Wellington Green. The state-of-the-art, skilled-nursing and assistedliving healthcare center is a specialty campus within the Devonshire at Wellington Green development. The 135,000-square-foot campus
will consist of two- and threestory buildings with 120 skilled-nursing beds and 56 assisted-living beds.
“This is the first skillednursing center built in the western communities in 25 years,” Meyer said. “Devonshire has been serving Palm Beach County for well over a decade, and our newest center continues a tradition of providing the highest quality of life to those that we serve.”
It is estimated that Devonshire at Wellington Green will need to hire approximately 160 full-time employees including nurses, CNAs, physical therapists, administration staff, food service staff and plant engineers, among oth-
HealthSource Chiro Earns Top Rankings
HealthSource Chiropractic and Progressive Rehab, which features a location in Royal Palm Beach, was ranked as high as number one in the January 2009 edition of Entrepreneur magazine’s “Franchise 500,” and number one in the March 2009 edition of the Franchise Times’ “Fast 55.”
HealthSource — the fastest-growing and largest chiropractic franchise in the world — was ranked as the number-one franchising opportunity in its category by Entrepreneur magazine, and number five in the magazine’s “Top New Franchise” category.
HealthSource also garnered a number-32 ranking in the “Fastest Growing Franchise” category, and was named number 109 overall among the entire Entrepreneur “Franchise 500” list. The list is compiled using a variety of objective criteria.
HealthSource followed up that showing in the latest edition of Franchise Times when it was ranked number one out of the 55 fastest-growing, young companies within the U.S. The “Fast 55” compares
the positive growth displayed by companies over the past five years or less. This year’s list included 17 industries and represented 40 sectors. HealthSource’s number-one ranking was attributed to its an incredible average unit growth of 2,185 percent.
CEO and founder Dr. Chris Tomshack launched HealthSource Chiropractic in April 2006 to provide a true franchise opportunity to other chiropractors, which enables them to run an efficient clinic with outstanding service to their patients.
HealthSource specializes in proven, systematized treatment procedures and operating protocols, while providing a unique combination of chiropractic and rehabilitative care to its patients.
There are now more than 240 HealthSource franchises nationwide.
Dr. Sandra Hernandez is the owner of the local HealthSource clinic located in Royal Palm Beach. To schedule an appointment, call (561) 792-4016.
For more information on HealthSource visit www. healthsourcechiro.com.
• • • Send business news items to: The Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414. Fax: (561) 793-6090. E-mail: news@goTownCrier.com.
er positions, just prior to the winter 2010 opening.
“We are thrilled to start what will ultimately be the premier senior retirement resort community in the country,” Vice President of Marketing Dean Tendrich said. “We are pleased to move our project forward, and to help get people back to work. We’re happy for our residents, and we’re happy for the Village of Wellington.”
The Devonshire sales office is accessible alongside the southern perimeter road of the Mall at Wellington Green. For more info., call (561) 795-6100 or visit www. devonshireatwellington green.com.
South Florida Fair Honors Women’s Chamber
When it comes to action, one has to hand it to the Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Palm Beach County. The venerable service organization was recently feted by the South Florida Fair for recruiting the most board members in attendance at a reception during January’s South Florida Fair.
Also attending the event were board members of the chambers of commerce serving Palm Beach, Broward, Martin and Okeechobee counties as well as Leadership Palm Beach County.
The contest was hotly contested by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Palm Beach County and Palms West Chamber of Commerce, which finished as first- and second runner-up.
The Women’s Chamber of Commerce was presented with a beautiful trophy and will retain possession until next year’s South Florida Fair, slated for Jan. 15-31.
For more information about the Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Palm Beach County, visit www.womens chamber.biz.
Wellington Chamber Ambassador Of The Month
The Wellington Chamber of Commerce recently honored Jonathan Porges as its Ambassador of the Month.
Porges represents the accounting firm Donald K. Porges CPA and has served as an ambassador as well as sponsor of Flavors 2009.
Porges resides in west Boynton Beach and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
Porges is also a board member of the Greater Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce and the Spencer Crawford Children’s Foundation. He is the founder of the Boynton Beach Police Foundation.
Donald K. Porges CPA provides accounting and tax services, forensic accounting, bookkeeping, payroll and controller services for small to medium-sized businesses internationally. The firm is an active member of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. For more information, call Porges at (561) 737-5568.
Discuss
The Wellington Chamber of Commerce will hold a special meeting to discuss State Senate Bill 360 on Wednesday, June 24 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Grand Cypress Room of the Wellington Community Center (12165 W. Forest Hill Blvd.).
Senate
Bill
There is no cost to attend, but reservations are required. The meeting will discuss how the bill will meet the economic challenges facing Florida while preparing the state for future population growth. For more information, call (561) 792-6525. Wellington Chamber To
&
Jonathan Porges
An artist’s rendering of Devonshire at Wellington Green.
Women’s Chamber Executive Director Pat Taras, South Florida Fair Community Outreach Committee Chair Jack Frost and Women’s Chamber President Theresa Lepore.
‘Beat The Pros’ Added To Heath Evans Foundation Championship
The Fourth Annual Heath Evans Foundation 7-on-7 Championship has added several new twists for fans and players. There will be a “Beat the Pros Challenge” giving fans and high school players a chance to test their skills against NFL players attending the event.
The invitation-only, 16team tournament, which benefits the Heath Evans Foundation, is scheduled for Saturday, June 20 at 9 a.m. at the King’s Academy.
Among the NFL players expected to attend include Randy Moss, Vince Wilfork (Santaluces High School and the University of Miami) and Wes Welker of the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel, former University of Florida star wide receiver Jabar Gaffney (now with the Denver Broncos) and Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Kelley Washington.
The Heath Evans Founda-
tion is selling raffle tickets only at the event, and two fans will be chosen for each skill competition. Two high school players will also participate in each event, which includes a 40-yard dash, catching punts from a JUGGS machine and passing accuracy.
“We wanted to do something different, something unique that involved everyone,” said Evans, who graduated from the King’s Academy and attended Auburn University. “A chance to meet and test your skills against an NFL player will be fun. And that’s our goal, to make this a highly competitive tournament while having fun.”
Evans, who signed with the New Orleans Saints in the off-season after four years with the New England Patriots, is looking forward to the new developments at this year’s event.
“At our practices in New England, Vince Wilfork
would challenge anyone to catch punts,” Evans said. “And he would usually win. He can catch punts behind his back.”
In addition to making it more fan-friendly, high school linemen will have their own competition. The Lineman Challenge features a series of events including a 185-pound bench press rep combine-style, a large tire flip over a 30-yard course for time, and the agility course with crawling through a chute, tire-stepping, running around dummies, pushing a one-man sled and catching a tipped pass. The top teams will qualify for the final event, a five-man sled push over 30 yards for time. An individual champion will be crowned from among players who compete in the three opening events as well as an overall team champion.
Teams that have accepted invitations to attend the 7-on7 Championship are two-time
Class 1B state champion Jupiter Christian, traditional power Glades Central, Class 2A finalist Miami Gulliver Prep, Dwyer (featuring Florida’s top prospect Matt Elam), Class 3A pre-season favorite Booker T. Washington of Miami, Miramar, Boyd Anderson, Ely, Park Vista, Daytona Mainland, Daytona Seabreeze, Glades Day, King’s Academy and Cardinal Newman.
Evans started the 7-on-7 Championship to bring something back to Palm Beach County while raising awareness and money for his foundation. “Bringing in NFL players gives the kids an opportunity to learn firsthand about the integrity, discipline and character that are needed to help them reach the next level,” Evans said. “It helps set this event apart and makes it special.”
The tournament is open to the public. Tickets are $5 person and available at the gate.
The King’s Academy is located at 8401 Belvedere Road, approximately one mile east of State Road 7. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the not-forprofit Heath Evans Foundation, which is dedicated to fostering hope and healing in the lives of children and families affected by sexual abuse. It is committed to breaking the cycle of abuse through
healing the psychological, physical and spiritual wounds inflicted on innocent children; to bring hope and healing to the young victims of sexual abuse. For information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Heath Evans Foundation President Glenn Martin at (561) 282-6345 or by e-mail at glenn.martin@heathevans. org.
MOUNTED POSSE HOSTS BARREL POINT SHOW AT BRANDON CENTER
The Palm Beach County Mounted Posse held a barrel point show on Saturday, June 6 at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center. It was a rainy day, but that didn’t stop some of the racers from trying their luck in the Cloverleaf Jackpot race. The winners collected money for their efforts. A barrel fun show will be held Saturday, June 13 at the center. For more info., visit www.pbcposse.com.
BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Britney Phillips sells horse treats to benefit her friend Jessica Toresco, who suffered a brain injury following a car accident.
TRAINER CELEBRATES HIS 75TH BIRTHDAY
Seventy-five-year-old Bill Siung, a trainer at Wellington’s Ultima Fitness and Xtreme Tae Kwon Do, celebrated his landmark birthday last Thursday with fellow trainers and friends at the gym. Ultima co-owner Jill Merrell and office manager Judy Duany presented Siung with a birthday cake and a trophy in recognition of the special day. For more information about Ultima Fitness, visit www.ultimafitness.com or call (561) 795-2823. Pictured above, Siung’s friends join him for a group photo.
PHOTO BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER
ANOTHER WILD WIN
The Wellington Wild 12 red team won the championship of the Second Annual Briana Marie Cox Memorial Tournament in the 12B division. The Wild finished on top after the seeding round, going 3-0 and then winning three games in a row during the single-elimination bracket to capture first place. The Wild team dedicated the tournament to the Gaidosh family in honor of their daughter Briana, whose sister currently plays for the Wild red team. Pictured above are: (front row, L-R) Baillie Jorth, Brianna Gonzalez, Kristen Wright, Jaime Scher and Jordan Ray; (second row) Britney Schmidt, Barbara Gaidosh, Kelsey Lay, Becky Gaidosh, Jessica Onega, Cristina Teems, Toni Pancione, Tracey Lay and Jenny Schmidt; (back row) Chris Pancione, Bruce Jorth and Bill Gaidosh.
OKEEHEELEE 9A ALL-STARS WIN TITLE
The Okeeheelee 9A all-star baseball team is celebrating back-to-back championship wins. After winning the 9-U championship at the Jupiter Memorial Weekend Tournament, the team swept the competition at the Lake Worth Tournament, Mustang-B Division last weekend. After playing three games in one day over a 16-hour period, the talented boys persevered with scores of 17-3, 7-3 and 12-4 to clinch the championship title. The group of all-star players will play in the Cal Ripken District Tournament at Okeeheelee Park beginning June 25 in hopes of earning a bid to the state championships for the third year in a row. Pictured above are: (front row, L-R) A.J. Evans, Dylan Tosto, Braiden Wilder, Damian Allione, Cameron Lauer and Zane Argott; (back row) Coach Danny Dunnam, Havier Sans, Alex Garces, Conner Dunnam, Coach Kevin Argott, Logan Cook, Raymond Sanchez, Pierson Reynolds and Coach Eric Cook.
PHOTO BY LISA KEENEY
Heath Evans
PHOTOS
Katelyn Palermo atop Lil Man won 2D third place. Nikki Silva races to the finish line.
Double Jackpot winner Jessica Rheney won 3D fourth place on Dually and 3D first place on Brisk.
Dakota Thiery rides Toasty.
Red Barn Feed & Supply Celebrates 20 Years Of Service
The crowds were enthusiastic, the staff exuberant, the weather excellent. On Saturday, June 6, Red Barn Feed & Supply in Loxahatchee Groves celebrated its 20th year serving western Palm Beach County.
The parking lot was buzzing: tents went up, supply tubs got unpacked, a miniature petting zoo got unloaded, rides arrived, and the barbecue was fired up, blanketing the area in tantalizing aromas. You could have your face painted or adopt a greyhound. It was part celebration, part carnival.
People who hadn’t even planned to attend found themselves parking and wandering around. Abraham, his wife and two young children had been driving from their Loxahatchee home into Royal Palm Beach. They saw all the fun and pulled in.
“This is very nice,” Abraham said as his youngest daughter petted a miniature horse hitched up to a cart. “The kids love all the animals. We really had to be somewhere else today, but I guess we’re staying here now.”
There were bargains to be had inside the store. Many items were 10 or 20 percent off the regular price, including cat, dog, and bird food. Veterinarian Dr. Virginia Sayre was setting up her tables: she’d be offering low-cost vaccinations and preventative medications.
Senate Major Changes
continued from page 1 expect him to win quite handily on Aug. 4.”
Dinerstein said Palm Beach County Republicans are organizing a telephone campaign to help get voters out for the special election.
“Elections like that tend to have miserable turnout, and we’re going to make sure that Palm Beach County Republicans in that district at least know about it and have an opportunity to weigh in on Joe’s behalf,” he said.
Democrats are behind Ramos, according to Palm Beach County Democratic Party Chairman Mark Alan Siegel.
“Everybody from the five counties in the district is in support of him,” Siegel said. “We’re working hard to get him elected. He’s an outstanding young man with a very good family. He’s worked very diligently in his community… Mr. Ramos would bring fiscal prudence to the state government as well as responsibility for what happens to Floridians.”
Dinerstein said three Republican candidates are emerging to replace Atwater in District 25: State Rep. Carl Domino of Jupiter (District 83), State Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff of Fort Lauderdale (District 91) and Nick Loeb of Delray Beach.
“We have three top-tier candidates,” Dinerstein said.
Domino is being term-limited out after eight years and has an excellent reputation,
Tales From The Trails
By Ellen Rosenberg
“We have all the normal cat and dog vaccines, including rabies and distemper,” Sayre said. “Very reasonably priced. You can get all the canine shots plus a heartworm test for $55. We also do feline leukemia testing, and we have all the flea and tick medicines available.”
Sayre said she would be offering low-cost services at Red Barn on the first Saturday of each month, from 10 a.m. to noon. “Except when a major holiday falls on that day,” she said. “Next month, the Fourth of July is on Saturday, so I’ll be out the following Saturday.”
Mario Mejia, the head manager at Red Barn, was bustling around, answering questions and helping vendors. Overall, he was pleased with how the day was unfolding.
“All of the proceeds from the games and raffles are being donated to Pure Thoughts Horse Rescue,” he said. “A lot of our vendors, as well as our store, donated the raffle prizes. There will also be additional sales at the store for the rest of the week.”
“This is a wonderful place, a great environment to work in,” said Trina Molgard, a manager at the Red Barn for six years. “My co-workers are like family. And this sale is a terrific thing, a nice way to help the community, give back to people and support a worthy cause.”
The raffle prizes ranged from a flat screen TV to saddle pads, jewelry to iPods, pet gift baskets for dogs, cats and horses, a pair of goats, and a ton of Purina feed. Tickets were $1 each, and you could put your tickets in the
The Palm Beach County Young Democrats held its monthly meeting Tuesday at Brogue’s Irish Pub in downtown Lake Worth. Speaking at the meeting were State Senate District 28 candidate Bill Ramos and State Rep. Mary Brandenburg. For more info., call Club President Matt McWatters at (561) 3158788. (Left) Wellington High School Young Democrat Club President Evan Baumel says a few words. PHOTOS BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER
Dinerstein said. Bogdanoff has been part of the leadership in the State House the last three years. “She has a great reputation, she’s a lawyer, and she’s very smart,” he said. Loeb made one failed attempt for a seat on the Delray Beach City Council but has a reputation as a hard worker with the ability to bring money to the race, Dinerstein said.
Democrats have recruited State Rep. Kelly Skidmore (D-District 90) for the District 25 race, Siegel said.
“We’re extremely lucky to have Kelly Skidmore as our nominee,” Siegel said. “She has complete support, not just from Palm Beach and Broward counties, but from the Democratic Senate Victory Committee as well. She has an outstanding reputation and is so committed to an intelligent future for Florida that she is willing to leave her safe State House seat and go forward to help us win control of the State Senate.”
For District 27, Dinerstein feels either of the two Republicans running, two-term Wellington Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto and four-term former District 83 state representative Sharon Merchant of Palm Beach Gardens, would be good candidates.
“We’re going to have two very well known, very highly skilled women in that primary,” Dinerstein said. Merchant campaigned for the District 27 seat in 2002 but lost in a five-way primary. Siegel said Democrats have not yet chosen their candidate.
box for whichever prize you wanted.
Brenda, a regular customer from Loxahatchee, had stopped by for her usual needs and ran smack-dab into the bash.
“I’m really impressed with the prices today, so I bought some extra stuff,” she said. “And I’m really tempted to buy some raffle tickets for the dog basket. I have three dogs.”
Lissette, also from Loxahatchee, came to see the sale. She plunked down $40 for raffle tickets and put them in a few different boxes, but she was really hoping to win the goats — and she did.
Claudia, from Loxahatchee, also came just for the sale. She snatched up some sale items, riding pants and side reins, and also bought $20 of the raffle tickets; she was trying for the horse basket and the flat screen TV.
Out in the parking lot, Lextron Animal Health sales rep Shellie Newbauer had tubs of giveaways displayed under a tent.
“I’ve been a vendor at the Red Barn for three years,” she said. “This is a whole lot of fun. And it’s a good way to let the community know that we’re here. An event like this just brings in a lot of people, and it’s a great way for animal lovers to meet and find a way to network. It’s a wonderful family outing, and you can’t beat that barbecue!”
Jennifer Swanson and Brad Gaver of Pure Thoughts Horse Rescue were setting up their booth. The proceeds of the games and raffles would be donated to their non-profit.
“Any funds we get come in handy,” Swanson said. “We currently have about a hundred horses, most of them adoptable. We’re getting in a lot of Thoroughbreds off the track, and we have a ton of yearlings. There’s a real need right now because so many people have fallen on hard times, and it’s financially tough to keep a horse fed and healthy. We’re thinking of setting up a community equine food bank to help people out.”
Along with some volunteers, they had brought Mary, a young sheep that suffered
A customer goes for a ride on
mini horse-drawn cart. (Below) Mohawk the porcupine.
brain damage when kicked in the head by a miniature horse.
Noah’s Ark Animal Shows of Loxahatchee had uncrated the menagerie: bunnies, guinea pigs, a prairie dog, a leopard gecko and hedgehog, two sheep and a Tennessee fainting goat, the mini pulling the cart, and Mohawk, the African crested porcupine. Even the two tortoises were enjoying themselves, chowing down on the lush grass. A fun time was had by all. Red Barn is located at 12948 Okeechobee Blvd. in Loxahatchee Groves. For more information, call (561) 790-0004.
GARDEN CLUB COLORING CONTEST WINNERS
As part of National Garden Week, which was observed June 7-13 in the Village of Wellington, the Wellington Community Center displayed the winning entries from the Wellington Garden Club’s coloring contest. More than 200 kindergarteners, first and second graders from five local schools participated in the contest, along with a Royal Palm Beach High School student who drew the coloring illustration. (Above left) First-place winner Alexandra Wharton of Elbridge Gale Elementary School. (Above right) WGC National Garden Week Coloring Contest co-chair Diane Rice, WGC President Barbara Hadsell and WGC National Garden Week Chair Jayne Kieswetter.
Crist Bill Signing
continued from page 1 better place to live. “I personally want to thank you on behalf of the almost 20 million people who live in this state,” he said. “I know the courage that it takes to take a family tragedy like this and turn it into something very positive for so many other people. My heart bleeds for you, but my heart also sings for what you’re doing for Florida.”
Crist also thanked the bill’s sponsors State Sen. Dave Aronberg (D-District 27) and State Rep. Joe Abruzzo (DDistrict 85) and co-sponsor State Rep. Mark Pafford (DDistrict 88), all of whom attended the signing.
“Without their help and without their sponsorship of great legislation like this, I would not have the honor and privilege of signing this bill into law today,” Crist said. “I know Sen. Aronberg and Rep. Abruzzo worked very hard on this legislation. Sometimes it takes a good while to make a good thing happen.”
Aronberg said the bill, which was three years in the making, would not have come about if not for the work of the Hornstein family. “Nicole’s death will not be in vain because of the hard work of Nicole’s family and all the friends that are here today,” he said. “This is a remarkable achievement, because good legislation often does not happen for years in Tallahassee. It takes a groundswell.”
With thousands of bills presented each session, it is not unusual for legislation to get lost in the shuffle, Aronberg said.
“The fact that this bill did not pass the first year wasn’t unusual,” he said. “What’s special is that the perseverance of the Hornstein family and all of you put it back on the agenda. When Gov. Crist came out in favor of it, it really rocketed that bill to the top.”
Aronberg also credited freshman state representative Abruzzo for pushing the bill through. “He was able to
come up there the first year and pass this bill,” he said. “It shows you what real talent and dedication can do in the legislative process.”
Abruzzo said the Hornstein family spent a great deal of time driving to Tallahassee to speak to the legislature about the importance of the legislation. Abruzzo, a Democrat, also credited Republican Crist for putting partisanship aside to support the bill.
“Without such a caring and dedicated governor, we would not be in this position today,” he said.
Abruzzo also credited State Sen. Jeff Atwater (R-District 25), who was not at the signing.
“This bill was difficult to move through the process, and at quite a few roadblocks Senate President Atwater put aside time to allow me to come in to his office and discuss the issues,” he said. “Without his support, we also might not be here today.”
Abruzzo thanked members of the local community for standing behind the bill, especially Damone and Wellington Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto, who recently announced her intention to run for a State Senate seat.
“Councilwoman Benacquisto was also by my side its entire way through, and I believe as a candidate for state office, she truly learned what it takes to move a bill through the process,” he said, adding that he hopes the bill
Blotter continued from page 6 man was found with half a gram of marijuana at the Wellington Dog Park early last Saturday. According to a PBSO report, 21-year-old Brandon Bagoo was sitting in his vehicle at the park around 1:30 a.m. when he was approached by a deputy from the Wellington substation. The deputy found that Bagoo had marijuana in his right pocket. He was issued a notice to appear in court and then released.
JUNE 8 — A Shoma Drive resident called the PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach on Monday re-
“As
the process, we had
garding a vehicle burglary. According to a PBSO report, sometime between May 25 and Monday at 3:45 p.m. someone entered the victim’s Toyota Camry and stole a black Jennings semiautomatic pistol valued at $80 from the center compartment of her vehicle. The victim said she believes the doors were unlocked. The pistol was loaded with six .25 caliber Winchester bullets. There were no witnesses or suspects at the time of the report.
JUNE 9 — A Belle Glade man was arrested on drug charges following a traffic stop in Royal Palm Beach
early Tuesday morning. According to a PBSO report, at approximately 2:45 a.m. a deputy from the Royal Palm Beach substation pulled over a Dodge Caravan for speeding near the intersection of Southern and Royal Palm Beach boulevards. After learning that both occupants had suspended driver’s licenses, the deputy asked if there was any illegal contraband in the car and discovered a bag containing 108.4 grams of marijuana. The deputy arrested 23-year-old Andre Jerome Washington for possession of marijuana with intent to sell and possession of narcotics equipment.
Mario Mejia and Trina Molgard.
(Above)
Noah’s Ark’s
State Senate District 28 candidate Bill Ramos State Rep. Mary Brandenburg
will teach children equestrian safety habits they carry with them through their lives.
I was moving this bill through
(Above) Monique and Gary Hornstein, parents of the law’s namesake Nicole Hornstein. (Below) State Rep. Joseph Abruzzo, who sponsored Nicole’s Law, speaks as Gov. Charlie Crist, State Rep. Mark Pafford and State Sen. Dave Aronberg look on. PHOTOS BY RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER
three incidents in Palm Beach County: one death, one coma and another severe injury of people falling off horseback,” he said.
Mom’s Lessons On Self-Reliance Don’t
Sunday night, I arrived home from a weekend away to find my son with his nose in my refrigerator.
“There’s nothing to eat in here,” he said.
I took a peek. “There’s fresh corn on the cob, a dozen eggs, a tub of really good roast beef from the other night, two cases of soda and a pitcher of juice,” I tallied, then took a look in the pantry. “We also have four bags of chips, a jar of peanut butter, a box of macaroni and cheese…”
“There’s no milk to make the macaroni with,” he whined.
I took a deep breath and continued. “…six cans of soup…”
“Not the kinds I like.”
“You don’t like chicken noodle soup? Who doesn’t like chicken noodle soup? Anyway, you should have some anyway. You sound as if you’re getting a cold.”
Deborah Welky is The Sonic BOOMER
“Probably because I haven’t been eating properly. We’re out of waffles, you know.”
“Waffles aren’t even food. They’re little platforms to hold other food — strawberries, ice cream…”
“We have ice cream?”
“Well, no we don’t. But we have canned tuna, which is a suitable substitute. Would you like a tuna salad sandwich?”
“There’s no bread.”
Take Mom’s Place
“What about that loaf of French bread sitting on top the toaster oven?” He rapped it on the counter where it split into shards.
“I guess you should’ve eaten that sooner,” I remarked. “I will make you some baking powder biscuits, some tuna salad and some nice, hot corn on the cob. How does that sound?”
He sniffled pathetically and gave me a hug. Sometimes when you’re sick you just want your mother. A mother with a tray of hot food is especially nice.
Still, the mother in me had to lecture him as I prepared the meal. “Everything I’m making here, Charlie, evolved from ingredients that were home all weekend, just like you. Here is the recipe card for making biscuits. You will note that it is stored in the recipe card index file above the stove.”
He sunk lower into the chair at the counter.
“Chunk light tuna can actually be eaten straight out of the can. I’ve done it myself. And how much effort does it take to mix that up with some mayonnaise and a cup of chopped celery?”
He crossed his arms and flopped his head down onto them.
“Corn. What does it take to boil water and throw an ear of corn into it? Just remember seven/11: seven minutes if the water is already boiling; 11 minutes if it isn’t.”
Charlie let out a wheeze, followed by a cough. Meanwhile, from the living room, Mark was exuberantly hollering, “I smell biscuits! Who’s making biscuits? Are the biscuits ready?” A word of advice to single women hoping to land a Southern man: biscuits.
Two words of advice to mothers of unmarried, eligible sons: cooking school.
Get Rid Of Science FCAT And We’ll Make Some Progress
We finally got through another year of schooling in the county. All things considered, it was not a bad one. We owe a great debt of thanks to the teachers, translators, secretaries, aides, and yes, the managers and administrators for making it through in tough times. Despite salaries frozen for some at rates that seemed barely above the poverty level, they worked hard, and most of our children made real progress.
The plan to have students take courses within academic disciplines as early as the third grade is a good one. I recall my own children learning far too little science and social studies in the early grades (not in Palm Beach County, by the way). In the future, here in the county, we can reasonably assume that the children will actually learn subject matter that they are supposed to. At a certain point, children should be using their reading rather than simply practicing word recognition.
That does not mean there are no speed bumps on the road to educational progress. The largest is concern not for this coming year’s budget, but the one coming right after-
Newspaper
‘I’ On CULTURE
By Leonard Wechsler
ward. The feds are putting up money all over the country to cover many revenue losses, and I think Superintendent Dr. Art Johnson and his staff deserve praise for fighting to keep every job. But what happens if the economy does not get better? Will avoided cuts come back in a year?
I am also reasonably convinced that the science FCAT is an abomination that should not exist. The other three exams, in reading, writing and math, cover skills. We use those skills all the time. Teaching toward an exam in reading and writing, for example, means not much more than teaching children to use the printed word more effectively and effi-
ciently. In theory, a bright student in the third grade might be able to pass the high school exam. Learn the needed skill, and you can pass. And just about everyone can agree that the skills are important. Math is a bit more problematical. While you might feel that long division is a crime against humanity, it is a necessary skill. Teachers can, as early as the first grade, make a list of exactly the skills a student needs in order to pass the math exam: adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing integers, decimals, fractions, and so on. Passing the science FCAT involves merely knowing a lot of facts. Some may be very important and some not. Knowing Boyle’s Law will be valuable in learning chemistry, but if you ask people at random what it is, only a handful will know. There are millions of specific facts that could be learned, and a huge number of possible ones could be on the science FCAT. This is one exam where the teachers must teach to the test. A student who learns an enormous amount of scientific information, presumably a future Nobel prizewinner, will probably never learn all the facts.
Therefore, what is on the test should (although I would not care to wager my last dollar on it) determine what our children are taught. I would, however, wager that a higher percentage of students always do worse on the science FCAT than on the others. It is the nature of the test. In New York City, where I used to work, the vast majority of qualification tests failed were in science and social studies, the subjects where learning a lot of specific facts was far more important than learning a set of useful real-life skills. We need to rethink. But as our kids wake up later and spend their days enjoying the wonderful Florida weather, all parents should encourage them to read (even if it means reading books that are not all that educational) and go over schoolwork. My wife the teacher always points out that students forget a lot during the summer. Remind them that we have places called libraries that are staffed by people who can suggest material that is not only good, but interesting. Education should be year round even if schools are not.
Work Won’t Be The Same Without Don Brown
Don Brown, one of the best writers who ever appeared in any newspaper in the western communities, is now writing a column for the man upstairs. The newspapers in the western communities will not stop printing, but they will never be the same without Don’s words of wisdom.
Don announced in his column about a month ago that he would no longer be writing it. He went on to say he was going to get more involved in local politics. But that was not to be the case; the man upstairs decided Don was needed there.
Before I even met Don, I was one of his fans. I couldn’t wait to get my Town-Crier to see what he had to say. While not always
Wondering & Wandering
By Ernie Zimmerman
agreeing with him, I loved to read his words. Through the years, Don had made a lot of friends, and maybe one or two folks who were not on his friends list. Don told it like it was, and sometimes some folks didn’t want to hear
the truth. But through his words, Don would tell them anyway. He told it in language that everyone was able to understand, from the kid in the fifth grade to readers of the New York Times. Everyone was able to digest and understand his columns.
Don liked to read my column. I know this because every now and then my phone would ring, and Don was on the other end ready to talk about one I had written.
Lucky for me, most of the times he called to tell me had liked my column, but every now and then he gave me, let’s say, some constructive criticism. But that never bothered me; after all, I was learning from the master.
Yes, he was a master with his writing skills and his knowledge of the western communities. Don knew more about what was going on in the west then just about anyone else. He was a great person and a great writer. I am very sorry to say the last time I saw Don was at the Town-Crier’s holiday party last December. As usual, we had a great conversation. Little did I know that it would be the last time I would see him. When I grow up, I can only hope that I learn to write half as good as Don did. But I doubt that I or many other people will ever be able to write as well as Don did. He was a throwback to the old-time newspapermen. Don, you will be missed. R.I.P.
Camp Shalom Jr. West at Temple Beth Zion in Royal Palm Beach — Camp Shalom offers preschool children (ages 2-5) a fun-filled summer in a safe, loving and engaging environment. Campers will enjoy art, science and nature, music and sports. The camp is also a bus stop for Camp Shalom in WPB. For more information, call (561) 253-6030.
Future Stars Basketball Camp — Held in Summit Christian School, Future Stars is a fun and instructional camp for boys and girls ages five to 15 of all ability levels featuring basketball drills, competitions and games. Campers are grouped by age and ability. All campers will receive a camp t-shirt. Awards will be presented the last afternoon of camp for team winners, competition winners and special recognition. The instructional staff is comprised of high school coaches who are teachers. Lunch may be bought or brought. There will be three weekly sessions available running from June 22 through July 6. Hours are 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Call (561) 400-3397 for more information.
Loxahatchee Country Preschool — The Loxahatchee Country Preschool has been here for 19 years and provides a safe environment with small ratios for our summer campers, which means our children are well supervised. Throughout the summer, our camp program offers arts and crafts, field trips (which our management team attends), swimming lessons in our swimming pool, Spanish lessons, movies, a bounce house, golf, bowling and more in-house activities. A free pizza lunch will be provided on Fridays. Our school provides a safe environment for our children, while providing an excellent educational program! In a letter sent to our school, the Kings Academy said, “What preschools are better prepared for Kings? Loxahatchee Country Preschool was mentioned with enthusiasm!” Call (561) 790-1780 for additional information.
Palm Beach County 4-H 2009 Summer Day Camps — Palm Beach County’s 4-H Youth Development Program is again offering educational, fun day camps for youth this summer. The camps are a five-day experience in specialty areas, challenging campers through hands-on experiences. Camper to staff ratio is 4:1. You can learn more about the camps and obtain registration forms at www.pbcgov.com/coopext/4h.
Palm Beach Riding Academy — Palm Beach Riding Academy will be offering spring and summer camps for 2009. We are proud to offer a unique equestrian experience including riding lessons and instruction in horse care, as well as games for children. There will be trips to the horse show and polo grounds. We will also be able to offer adult sessions. The academy is located at the corner of Pierson Road and South Shore Blvd. Recently featured events have included the Palm Beach Steeplechase and the Palm Beach Jumper Derby. Times and dates to be announced to accommodate school schedules. For more information, Call Kate Turner at (561) 644-7179.
Pine Jog Environmental Education Center/Florida Atlantic University — Pine Jog offers parents several summer options. The Everglades Youth Conservation Camp provides week long, sleep-away sessions focusing on environmental education and outdoor adventures including archery, fishing, canoeing, swimming and hiking. The Pine Jog Summer Camp provides full-day/all-summer or full-day/weekly options. Each week has a different environmental theme with outdoor exploration, nature crafts, recreation and more. All programs provide low child-to-instructor ratios, qualified staff and a safe environment for your child to engage in new ex-
periences and learn more about our natural environment. For more information, call (561) 686-6600 or visit www. pinejog.fau.edu.
St. Peters Child Enrichment Center (CEC) VPK & Summer Camp — There is still time to enroll in summer VPK or camp! Conveniently located on Forest Hill Blvd. just steps away from the Wellington Community Center, St. Peter’s offers a learning environment backed by over 20 years of teaching Wellington-area children and a Gold Seal certification. St. Peter’s offers VPK-eligible four- and five-year-olds an educational summer June 8 through Aug. 14 of themed week classes full of reading, mathematics and more all taught by a certified teacher. The VPK program is a great way to get your child ready for Kindergarten this fall. A few VPK spots are still available, but you must register by Tuesday, June 9 to be eligible for the program. For VPK enrollment information, call School Director Pat Banks at (561) 798-3286. If you are just looking for a great summer activity to keep your three-year-old through entering first grade child active and learning, enroll in the summer camp at St. Peter’s, offering camp sessions with all on-site activities — no buses and no additional activity fees! Campers remain on-site for themed week events with arts and crafts, indoor/outdoor games, creative play and more. Four two-week sessions are available. Two-, three- and five-day options are available with a choice of 9 a.m. to noon or 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. St. Peter’s first camp session starts Monday, June. Enroll children in camp for as few as two days a week and for as little as $40 per week. Even a couple of days a week will keep your child active and learning and give you a chance to run errands or just relax! For a camp information, call (561) 798-3286. See St. Peter’s ad in this publication to get half off the registration fee per camp session if you enroll by June 8. Zolet Arts Academy — Come and have fun this summer at Zolet Arts Academy, located in the original Wellington Mall for 18 years. Register now for separate weekly sessions offered Monday through Thursday, June 15-18, June 22-25 or June 29-July 2. Classes are held from 1 to 4 p.m. and all supplies are free. Professional, individualized instruction in all media with rotating subject matter is offered. The total fee is $150 per week, per child. Registration for the Zolet summer program is Tuesdays at 6 p.m. or Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Call (561) 793-6489 for more information.
Kalext Productions Offers A Revolutionary Approach To Educational Entertainment
Kalext Productions LLC, founded by Keith Thomas, is a business-technology publishing company located in West Palm Beach. The company presents its educational product lines BilingualGames and Biznizgames as creative learning concepts.
The BilingualGames concept bridges the cultural gap between the English and Spanish languages by introducing educationally entertaining bilingual word games and puzzles in a unique, creative combination of both languages.
For children grades K through 6, BilingualGames presents three CD programs with interactive, audio-visual, bilingual activities. These products provide extra-curricular bilingual activities to children while immersing them in both languages through interactive word games and puzzles. These activities are easily programmed to complement the teaching curriculum of corresponding grades in any institution.
For teens and parents, BilingualGames presents audio-visual, interactive bilingual crossword puzzles on CD. Additionally, for enthusiastic word games and puzzle lovers, BilingualGames offers a 72-page paperback workbook called Bilingual Challengers. Bilingual Challengers introduces intriguing word games and puzzles in English and Spanish, along with grammar sessions, phrases and vocabulary to enhance the learning process.
These creative bilingual products are all available on the company’s web site www. bilingualgames.com.
Kalext Productions also offers creative learning activities to business professionals and students through educational entertainment. The company’s BiznizGames product line introduces Project Management, Six Sigma and Florida Real Estate terminologies and definitions through multiple-choice tests, glossaries, word games and puzzles. Customers admire these products as they provide an enjoyable way to understand and digest otherwise difficult and complex subjects. These creative products, the pre-exam workshops on CD, and Project Management Games, a 72-page paperback workbook, are all available on the company’s web site www.bizniz games.com.
As a management consulting firm, Kalext Productions offers contractual services in project management and business analysis for technical, as well as non-technical solutions. The company is prepared to assist you in analyzing your business requirements for a program management office (PMO) for your organization. They also provide project management consultation in establishing the PMO.
Technology services from the company include website design and deployment for small- to medium-sized companies. The company will implement a professional web site designed to your specifications with a minimum of four pages at a very affordable rate. Optional services include shopping cart, database and ongoing content management requirements.
Business services include small book publishing for paperback books, office handbooks, procedure manuals, product catalogs and personal manuscripts. The company also provides business stationery and marketing materials including postcards, brochures and presentation folders.
Company founder Keith Thomas is an experienced business process improvement consultant. He is also a certified project management professional, a certified Six Sigma Black Belt facilitator, an ISO9000 lead quality assessor and a graduate of Nova Southeastern University with an MBA in financial management.
For more information about Kalext Productions or its products and services, call Keith Thomas at (561) 310-4338 or e-mail xela319@comcast.net.
Product information is available in detail at www.bilingualgames.com and www.bizniz games.com.
Keith Thomas of Kalext Productions
DINING &
‘West Side Story,’ ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ At Maltz This Summer
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s Conservatory of Performing Arts (COPA) is accepting registrations for a few more days for the Summer at the Conservatory program featuring two student productions on the professional theater stage and three separate sessions.
The first summer session is running now through June 26 and will end with a production of West Side Story on Friday and Saturday, June 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for students.
Jo Patrick will serve as director and choreographer for West Side Story. Patrick is a Broadway veteran and was cast in the theater’s recent production of Evita. He was a principal dancer for the internationally renowned Hubbard Street Dance Chicago for 15 years and was a featured dancer in the first national tour of Fosse. Patrick most recently finished a successful run of A New Day starring Celine Dion at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and after West Side Story, he will perform in Cats. Having starred as Tony in his seventh-grade production of West Side Story, Patrick loves
the show and grew up surrounded by the story. He will incorporate a few non-traditional transitions within the show and challenge the students by keeping some of the more difficult pieces.
“Some people expect me to cut the more difficult dance parts throughout the show since this is a student production, but I intend to challenge the students to do all of the dance pieces and really exert themselves for the entire show,” Patrick said.
An introduction to theater for ages four to six will take place July 6-10. The camp will cover the fundamentals of theater through literature and classic music, using storybook characters and other identifiable children’s icons to teach theater. Students will learn wardrobe, makeup, props, mask-making, improv, puppetry, theater games and more. The cost is $215 for the entire camp.
The second summer session will take place July 13-31, ending with performances of Annie Get Your Gun on Friday, July 31 and Saturday, Aug. 1 at 7:30 p.m. The cost for the camp is $615 per student. Tickets for
Annie Get Your Gun cost $20 for adults and $15 for students. The production is directed by Kara-Lynn Vaeni.
As a not-for-profit theatre, the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, recognizing the importance of arts education for youth, has made its mission to “entertain, educate and inspire.” COPA offers a challenging, innovative and quality theatre experience to students of every ability and provides professional theatre training as well as tools to develop their imagination and self-esteem. COPA students take classes in dance, voice, acting and musical theatre and workshops that feature local and national talent.
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre is an award-winning professional not-for-profit regional theater. It is a member of the prestigious League of Resident Theatres and is located east of U.S. Highway 1 at 1001 East Indiantown Road and State Road A1A in Jupiter.
For more information about upcoming productions, or to purchase tickets, visit the theater’s web site at www.jupitertheatre.org or call the box office at (561) 575-2223.
FAU’s Jupiter Campus Library Now Presenting Two Art Exhibits
Florida Atlantic University’s John D. MacArthur campus library gallery is hosting “Real-E,” an exhibit reflecting on the year artist Jacklyn Brickman spent as a Realtor. The exhibit is being presented now through Friday, Aug. 14 at the FAU Jupiter campus.
Brickman, who resides in Royal Oak, Mich., worked as a Realtor in 2007, the beginning of the housing market quandary. Her exhibition features drawings made of electrical tape on reclaimed polyethylene sheeting that explore subdivision layouts, floor plans and facades.
The show includes a floor installation of 300 houses that mimics a subdivision and a video titled House of Cards , designed from leftover Realtor business cards. Brickman’s work draws from Google maps and developer web sites of new communities in Jupiter.
Also on display at FAU’s John D. MacArthur campus library gallery is “Found/As/Art/As/Found,” a mixed media exhibit by Bill Keaggy, a photographer, artist, collector and author. The exhibit will continue through Friday, Aug. 14. Keaggy’s exhibit is about the life
behind everything people leave behind. His projects are half formal experiment, half social document, half visual art and half visual reporting. “Found/As/Art/As/Found” includes found grocery lists and original photography, including images of discarded chairs and other items that Keaggy collects. To get a better understanding of Keaggy’s work, visit www.keaggy.com.
For more information about the gallery, visit www.library.fau.edu/ npb/npb.htm.
Florida Atlantic University’s John D. MacArthur campus is located at 5353 Parkside Drive. The exhibitions are free and open to the public. The library’s hours are 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday.
Broadway veteran Jo Patrick
50 Sad Chairs by Bill Keaggy.
Terra Ethylene by Jacklyn Brickman.
Buca di Beppo gets to the heart of fresh Italian cooking with our new summer menu featuring Mozzarella Caprese, Linguine Frutti di Mare, Oven-Roasted Salmon, Apple Gorgonzola Salad and Gelato della Casa. At Buca, we serve family-style meals in two portion sizes. Buca Small™ feeds two to three and Buca Large™ feeds an average-size country. Well, actually it feeds four to six.
THIS SATURDAY, JUNE 13TH7:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. - Something for everyone. 15 St. Davids Way (Off of Wellington Trace)
THIS SATURDAY, JUNE 13th 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. - MOVING TO BALIEVERYTHING MUST GO! 2738 Linkside Drive (Fairway Cove) Off Southshore Blvd.
DATA ENTRY POSITION - Must be detail oriented. Minimum associates degree, $14.00 hourly. 561-6624498
TEEN COMMUNITY SERVICEHELP WANTED - Are you 14 and over? Looking for something meaningful to do this summer? Join us at the Good Earth Farm. JuneAugust 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Mon. - Fri. Call for more info. 792-2666.
CARETAKER/TENANT WANTED
— Live on small estate in the Acreage (Western Palm Beach County) June, July, and August, possibly September. To care for and live on property. Rent $175.00 per week. References required. 561-862-8581
1997 GREY SEBRING JXI CON-
VERTIBLE — new a/c, clean & well maintained. Engine & transmission in excellent condition and new top. Feel free to take it to a mechanic & check it out. Mint condition. $3500 (561) 793-5569 (917) 494-3422
1990 RED MAZDA MIATA CONVERTIBLE — mint condition incl. hard top. New clutch, tune-up in excellent condition. Great on gas. (561) 793-5569 (917) 494-3422
$2,500
1976 Mercedes 450 SL - Light blue w/navy leather interior. 3 cars in one. Convertible, soft top & hard top included. 83,000 Original miles. Good condition. Asking $7,500 Call Bob 561-758-9938
JUNK CARS, TRUCKS WANTEDTop prices paid. Call Now for FREE pick-up. 561-512-9606 PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIED AD HERE CALL 793-3576 FOR MORE INFORMATION
4 BEDROOM, 2 BATH HOME - For rent, $1,900 per month. Available March 1st. For more information call (561) 385-3605 FOR RENT 4BR/3BA/2CG SINGLE FAMILY HOME - Curb appeal, light, bright. New tile, A/C, paint (11/08). Huge enclosed, private patio. $1,850 (561) 319-1292
LOST YELLOW LABRADOR — in Eastwood development on Sanderling Drive. Answers to BUCK Terrified of thunderstorms. Family and Puggle companion heartbroken. Please call Candy at (561) 6444489.
4/2 BEAUTIFUL HOUSE - 1.25
Acres Walking Distance to both Middle/Elementary schools, on paved main road. $1,400/mo. Contact Lillyan 561-644-0877.
JOHN C. HUNTON AIR CONDITIONING & REFRIGERATION, INC. —Service & new installation FPL independent participating contractor. Lic. CAC 057272 Ins. "We are proud supporters of the Seminole Ridge Hawks" 561-798-3225. Family Owned & Operated since 1996. Credit Cards Accepted
SeaBreeze Air Systems, Inc. — for Air Conditioning and Heating Indoors and Outdoors. Let us heat your pool for year round enjoyment. Call 561-964-3817 Lic. CAC039717
ARE YOUR TREES READY FOR A HURRICANE? — Florida Arborists has highly trained professionals to provide superior and quality services. 561-568-7500
MEDICAL AND PROFESSIONAL
BUILDING CLEANINGS SPECIALISTS — • Pressure Cleaning
Office Cleaning • Residential Cleaning • Parking Lot Maintenance • Concrete Coatings. Call for Free Evaluation. 561-714-3608
HOUSECLEANING - Reliable with long term clients. Over 12 years experience. References available. Karen 561-632-2271
RESIDENTIAL CLEANING SATISFACTION GUARANTEED!- Cleaning supplies furnished. Over 16 years - references available. Call now to secure your space. Call Hope 561-502-6607
SAVE TIME & LET US DO THE DIRTY WORK - Blue Water Home Services offers professional cleaning with earth friendly and HEPA filter equipment. Lic. Bonded & Insured. Call 561-784-1611
ANN MARTIN & ASSOCIATESMeticulous House Cleaning & Property Management year round or seasonal (We'll open & close your home). Equestrian Cleaning Special! References available. 20 Years experience.Wellington/Palm Beach. 561-791-3700
COMPUTER REPAIR — We come to you! After hours and weekends services available. Spyware/ Adware/Virus Removal, Networking, Wireless, Backup Data, Upgrades. Call Anytime. 561-713-5276
MOBILE-TEC ON-SITE COMPUTER SERVICE — The computer experts that come to you! Hardware/ Software setup, support & troubleshooting www.mobiletec.net. 561-248-2611
COMPUTER REPAIR - We come to you. Spyware/Virus Removal. Reinstall operating system with/without backup. After hours service available. On-Site/Carry In Service. 561-713-5276
PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIED HERE CALL 793-3576
STAFF PLUS — Looking to fill full and part-time positions in customer service. For more info. Call 1-888333-9903
HIGH QUALITY LAMINATE FLOORING — at affordable prices. Hardwood floors. No deposit until delivery. Contractors welcome. Western Communities resident. Family owned and Operated. Licensed and Insured. Se Habla Español 561-568-6099
GUARDSMAN FURNITURE PRO — For all your furniture repair needs including finish repairs, structural repairs, Leather repairs, chair regluing, antique repairs, kitchen cabinet refurbishing. 753-8689
PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIED HERE CALL 793-3576
BILLY’S HOME REPAIRS, INC. — REMODEL & REPAIRS Interior Trim, crown molding, rottenwood repair, door installation, minor drywall, kitchens/cabinets/countertops, wood flooring. Bonded/Insured U#19699. 791-9900 Cell: 370-5293
ANMAR CO. —James’ All Around Handyman Service. Excellent craftman Old time values. Once you’ve had me! You’ll have me back! Lic. Ins. Certified Residential Contractor CRC 1327426 561-2488528
MCA CUSTOM WOODWORKING, INC. — “Make your home standout from the rest” Call us for all your home improvement needs. Kitchen & bathroom remodeling, custom wall units, design your home office, cabinetry, tile & drywall repair. Lic. #U-19564. Bonded & Ins. 561-7235836
INC. Interior/Exterior, artistic faux finishing, pressure cleaning, popcorn ceiling, drywall repair, & roof painting/cleaning. Free est. 7984964. Lic.#U18473
COLORS BY CORO, INC. — Interior/Exterior, residential painting, over 20 years exp. Small Jobs welcome. Free estimates - Insured. 561-383-8666. Owner/Operated. Lic.# U20627 Ins. Wellington Resident.
CREATIVE PAINTING SYSTEMS, INC. — Interior • Exterior • Residential Specialists. WE DELIVER WHAT WE PROMISE. All work guaranteed. FREE EST.Family owned & Operated. Over 23 years exp. Lic. #U-18337 • Bonded • Ins. Owner/Operator George Born. 561-686-6701
ELITE POOL CLEANING —"You dealt with the rest now deal with the best" All maintenance & repairs, salt chlorinator, heaters, leak detection. 561-791-5073. Inquire about 1 mo. free service.
J&B PRESSURE CLEANING —
Established in 1984. All types of pressure cleaning, roofs, houses, driveways, patios etc. Commercial & Residential.Call Butch 561-3096975 BD
MINOR ROOF REPAIRS — Roof painting. Carpentry. License #U13677.967-5580.
ROBERT G. HARTMANN ROOFING — Specializing in repairs. Free estimates, Bonded,insured. Lic. #CCC 058317 Ph: 561-790-0763.
ROOFING REPAIRS REROOFING
ALL TYPES — Pinewood Construction, Inc. Honest and reliable. Serving Palm Beach County for over 20 years. Call Mike 561-309-0134 Lic. Ins. Bonded. CGC-023773 RC0067207
WWW.GARABAR.COM — Now is the time for the Best Prices. Re-roof & Repairs. No Deposit Until Permit Credit cards accepted. Free Estimate. Call 561-337-6798 Lic.#CCC1327252 & CGC1510976
HORIZON ROOFING QUALITY WORK & SERVICE — Free estimates, No Deposits. Pay upon completion, residential, commercial, reroofing, repairs, credit cards accepted.561-842-6120 or 561784-8072 Lic.#CCC1328598
AQUATIC SPRINKLER, LLC —
Complete repair of all types of systems. Owner Operated. Michael 561-964-6004 Lic. #U17871 Bonded & Ins. Serving the Western Communities Since 1990
INSTALLING TILE IN SOUTH FLORIDA FOR 25 YEARS — Free estimates, residential/commercial, bathroom remodeling, floors, walls, backsplashes, custom design GOLDEN TILE INSTALLATION 561-662-9258
PAPERHANGING & PAINTING BY DEBI — Professional Installation & Removal of Paper. Interior Painting, decorative finishes, clean & reliable. Quality work with a woman’s touch. 26 years experience. No Job too big or too small. Lic. & Ins. References available. 561-795-5263
WATER CONDITIONERS FROM $499.00 —- Reverse osmosis units for the whole house. Mention this ad for equipment checkup and water analysis $19.99561-6896151
JOHN’S SCREEN
SERVICE — Pool & patio rescreening. Stay tight,wrinkle-free,guaranteed! CRC1329708 798-3132.
ROLL DOWN SHUTTERS — Accordion shutters, storm panels and rolling shutters...prices that can’t be beat. All shutters Systems, Inc. 8630955
AFFORDABLE HURRICANE PROTECTION — 2 - 4 wks. Installed Guaranteed! 10% deposit . Will get you started. All products, Dade County approved. We manufacture our own product. 772-342-8705 Lic. & Ins. CGC 1511213
