Town-Crier Newspaper November 2, 2012

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WELLINGTON RUN/WALK THIS SATURDAY SEE STORY, PAGE 3

STORM COSTS A CONCERN IN WELLINGTON SEE STORY, PAGE 7

THE

TOWN - CR IER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE

Your Community Newspaper

INSIDE

Volume 33, Number 44 November 2 - November 8, 2012

PARTY IN THE PUMPKIN PATCH

Budweiser Clydesdales Get Starring Role At Big Dog Fundraiser

Bocoy Stables in Loxahatchee Groves will host the Bocoy Stables Backyard BBQ, featuring the Budweiser Clydesdales, to benefit Big Dog Ranch Rescue on Saturday, Nov. 10 from 2 to 6 p.m. Page 3

Green Market Kicks Off Second Season Nov. 10

The second season of the popular Wellington Green Market kicks off next Saturday at a new location. Page 4 St. Peter’s United Methodist Church in Wellington held its annual Party in the Pumpkin Patch on Saturday, Oct. 27. Families picked out pumpkins while par ticipating in many fun activities. Shown here are Brandon and Kelsey Abhau. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY JESSICA GREGOIRE/TOWN-CRIER

Long Ballot Will Greet Voters ‘Pamper Me Pink’ Party At Palms West Hospital

The Breast Cancer Center at Palms West Hospital hosted “Pamper Me Pink: Mammograms, Massages and More” on Tuesday, Oct. 23. Page 13

Halloween Comes Early At WHS Trunk Or Treat

Wellington hosted its Halloween Trunk or Treat event Sunday, Oct. 28 in the Wellington High School parking lot. The event was free and open to the public for an afternoon of candy, treats, live music, games and fun costumes. Page 19

OPINION Endorsements, Part 4: State Senate, Congress And Indian Trail Board

With the Nov. 6 election just days away, Florida voters have plenty of decisions before they enter their polling place. This week, the Town-Crier finishes offering our opinions on some of the items on the ballot. This week, we discuss the races for State Senate in District 25, U.S. Congress in District 18 and two Indian Trail Improvement District seats. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS ............................. 3 - 13 OPINION .................................4 CRIME NEWS .........................6 NEWS BRIEFS........................ 8 SCHOOLS ............................ 14 PEOPLE ............................... 16 COLUMNS .................... 25 - 26 BUSINESS .................... 27 - 29 ENTERTAINMENT .................31 SPORTS ........................ 35 - 37 CALENDAR ...................38 - 39 CLASSIFIEDS ................ 40 - 44 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report When voters head to the polls, they will be tasked with voting not only on a number of candidates, but also several amendments and ballot questions. The Town-Crier encourages all voters to be well informed and read up on each race before stepping into the polls, which are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 6. National Election — At the top of the ballot is the presidential race, where President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden face a challenge from Republican nominees Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, as well as several other minor-party candidates. The Libertarian Party is fielding Gary Johnson and James P. Gray, while the Green Party has nominated Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala. In all, there are 12 named presidential and vice presidential candidates on the ballot from various parties, along with the option for a write-in candidate. U.S. Senate & Congress — For the position of U.S. Senator, incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson is up against Republican Connie Mack and two no-party candidates, Bill Gaylor and Chris Borgia. There is also an unnamed write-in candidate in the running. There are three local races for U.S. House of Representatives

spanning parts of the western communities. The newly drawn District 18 gives voters a choice between Republican incumbent Allen West, who currently serves in District 22, and Democratic opponent Patrick Murphy. There is also a write-in candidate option. Most Acreage residents and some Royal Palm Beach residents are in this district. In District 20, longtime Democratic incumbent Alcee Hastings is challenged by no-party candidate Randall Terry, a national antiabortion activist and West Virginia resident. Much of Royal Palm Beach and Loxahatchee Groves is in this district. In District 21, Democratic Congressman Ted Deutch faces two no-party challengers, Cesar Henao and Michael Trout. Most Wellington residents are in this district. State Attorney — Next up on the ballot is the race for Palm Beach County State Attorney with three candidates in the running. Republican Dina Keever, Democrat Dave Aronberg and no-party candidate Robert Gershman are all seeking the position. State Legislature — In the race for the newly drawn District 25 State Senate seat, State Rep. Joseph Abruzzo (D-District 85) is up against Republican nominee Melanie Peterson. Nearly all residents of the western commu-

nities are in this district. There are two local races for state representative, with incumbents facing challengers in their bids for election to newly drawn seats. The District 85 State House Seat is being sought by State Rep. Pat Rooney (R-District 83) and Democratic nominee David Lutrin, an elementary school teacher. Most of The Acreage is in this district. Meanwhile, the District 86 Seat pits State Rep. Mark Pafford (DDistrict 88) against Republican challenger Tami Donnally. This district covers most of Royal Palm Beach, Loxahatchee Groves and Wellington. Tax Collector — Palm Beach County Tax Collector Anne Gannon, who won the Democratic primary in August, is on the ballot facing only an unnamed, write-in candidate. Court Races — Voters will also decide on whether several state judges should stay on the bench. For Justice of the Supreme Court, justices R. Fred Lewis, Barbara J. Pariente and Peggy A. Quince are looking to be retained. In the 4th District Court of Appeal, the fate of judges Burton C. Conner and Carole Y. Taylor will be decided by voters. Port of Palm Beach — There are two elections this year for seats See ELECTION, page 20

Sign Aims To Draw Attention To Royal Palm Pines Natural Area By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Royal Palm Beach is preparing to draw attention to a relatively unknown portion of the village called the Royal Palm Beach Pines Natural Area. On Thursday, the Royal Palm Beach Village Council was expected to approve a request by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission to add a sign on Crestwood Blvd. for the birding trails, pointing out the Royal Palm Beach Pines Natural Area, which has an access point in the Saratoga Pines community off Crestwood Blvd. at 110 Nature’s Way. “This is an agreement between

the village and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission concerning signs on our roadways,” Village Manager Ray Liggins told the Town-Crier on Tuesday. “I live in the Royal Pines area, and I actually watch the birds out there. You can see hawks hunting, and there was an eagle that actually used to hunt out there. I walk back there quite a bit with my kids. I love it.” The sign will direct people to the Royal Palm Beach Pines Natural Area as a place to see birds and wildlife. “There is a little parking lot out there and a walkway and a trail that takes you to a little pavilion that’s over some water,” Lig-

gins said. “It’s actually a nice area.” The 800-acre area has a 1.5-mile trail and a 3-mile trail, as well as horse trails that are accessible from other areas in Loxahatchee Groves and The Acreage. The signs on Crestwood Blvd. will direct the public to the area for birdwatching and getting into the property. “It is kind of hidden, and the signage is what gets you back there,” Liggins said, pointing out that the village is proud of its public space and its designation as a bird sanctuary. Of the village’s 7,000 acres, more than 1,000 acres is public open space. “It is significant that See RPB PINES, page 4

Serving Palms West Since 1980

County Discusses How To Prevent Future Flooding By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Palm Beach County Commission held a workshop Tuesday to examine the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaac, including the flooding that occurred in The Acreage, and steps that could be taken to prevent such problems in the future. Part of the discussion focused on using the 2,000-acre Mecca Farms property and the 4,000-acre Vavrus Ranch property north of The Acreage for stormwater relief and to convey water to the Loxahatchee Slough. Assistant County Administrator Vincent Bonvento noted that Isaac caught nearly everyone by surprise, including the National Weather Service, which predicted 4 to 8 inches of rain. “When we realized that we were experiencing a significant event, we activated our damage assessment teams,” Bonvento said. Rainfall of 15 to 18 inches was concentrated in the western com-

munities. “That amount of rain really inundated and taxed the ability of the drainage districts to respond as quickly as possible,” he said. Tommy Stroud, director of operations at the South Florida Water Management District, said his district initiated a pre-storm drawdown, but the weather service had been predicting most of the rain would be in Miami-Dade County and the Florida Keys. The SFWMD took unusual measures to control the flooding, including back-pumping to Lake Okeechobee, pumping to the newly created L-8 Reservoir at Palm Beach Aggregates and discharging to the Intracoastal Waterway. They also gave Wellington permission to pump directly into the rim canal of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. Stroud said the greatest dangers were on the roads. “You couldn’t tell the difference between a floodSee ISAAC, page 20

RPB FALL FESTIVAL

Royal Palm Beach held its Fall Fest on Saturday, Oct. 27 at Veterans Park. The festival featured vendors, craft projects for the family and lots of great food and fun. Shown here are Zoe and Nicholas Bumgardner. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 12 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Wellington, Chamber Partner On Brochure By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report The Village of Wellington will partner with the Wellington Chamber of Commerce to produce the Winter Equestrian Capital of the World 2013 brochure promoting the community’s seasonal equestrian events. Council members voted Tuesday, Oct. 23 to pay about $5,100 to fund the brochures, but council members specified that they preferred to use a local printer. Victor Connor, representing the chamber’s equestrian committee, said that the brochure will be distributed in residents’ water bills and at local hotels and other venues. “If anyone comes to visit and wants to know what is happening in Wellington, they give out our brochures,” he said. “Since we have started doing this, we have received a lot of comments that it’s appreciated. A lot of people didn’t

know about these activities. It’s used over and over throughout the year.” Councilman John Greene said he felt the brochure is a great idea. “I think it’s important that we, as a community, come together and promote our most recognized industry,” he said. But he was concerned that in the past, the printing has come from a company in Texas. “It looks like there are a number of chamber members who are able to produce this piece,” he said. Connor said that he’d rather see the brochure printed locally, but noted that there would be an added cost. Greene asked for clarification as to whether Wellington would be funding the entire cost of the brochure, and Connor said it had in the past. “It covers the printing and distribution,” Connor said. “We put See BROCHURES, page 20

Cards Cheer Up Royal Palm Teacher Battling Cancer

Dawn Fresch with breast cancer patient Tracy Milbee. PHOTO BY JESSICA GREGOIRE/TOWN-CRIER

By Jessica Gregiore Town-Crier Staff Report Glancing around the room in her Royal Palm Beach home, breast cancer patient and H.L. Johnson Elementary School teacher Tracy Milbee sees more than just the cards on the wall — she sees an avalanche of support and encouragement. One card written in pencil catches her eye. It reads “Alex” in big letters. “That one’s from one of my students,” Milbee said proudly. The cards, which come from all over the country — Iowa, Illinois and Texas, to name a few states of origin — and from people Milbee doesn’t even know, take up two walls of the bedroom that she shares with her husband, Rob.

“They keep coming in,” longtime friend Dawn Fresch said. As each card arrives in the mail, Fresch tapes it neatly onto the wall. “I started putting them in the living room,” she said. “But as more came in, I got the idea to tape them to the wall in her room.” When Milbee began receiving cards with monetary gifts, Fresch set up a special account at TD Bank for donations under the Tracy Milbee Cancer Fund. All this stems from a social media campaign launched by Fresch to support her friend. The idea was to get people, even complete strangers from around the country, to send Milbee cards. Fresch started by word of mouth and then created a Face-

book event. Then she made a page, Cards of Encouragement for Tracy Jolly Milbee, alerting friends and family about Milbee’s cancer diagnosis and telling of ways to support her and spread the word. “With the Internet, we don’t seem to send cards anymore,” Fresch said. “I thought it would be very encouraging if she could go to the mailbox and get a card, sent by anybody, it doesn’t matter who, so long as they were thinking of her.” Milbee has been receiving cards since September, when she found out that her cancer had metastasized to her liver. Milbee’s battle began in June of last year, when she was first diagnosed with See MILBEE, page 20


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