Town-Crier Newspaper November 7, 2008

COMMITTEE REVIEWS SCHOOL FUNDING

Abruzzo To Replace Vana As District 85 State Rep

By Ron Bukley and Paul Gaba Town-Crier Staff Report

Democrat Joe Abruzzo defeated his Republican opponent Howard Coates on Tuesday to become the next state representative for District 85.

Opinion

before the ghosts of 2000 are finally laid to rest. Page 4

Features

A Haunted Good Time For All At Wellington’s Annual Fall Festival The Village of Wellington and the Palms West Chamber of Commerce joined sponsor Royal Palm Toyota to present the Wellington Fall Festival last Friday at Village Park on Pierson Road. The fun included the Old Gym Haunted Hallways and continued with a costume contest. Page 21

Spor ts

Broncos Defeat WHS 38-7 To Keep The Wellington Cup The Palm Beach Central High School football team stampeded Wellington Oct. 31 to secure a 38-7 victory, walking away with the Wellington Cup for the third consecutive year and bringing the six-year competition to an even three wins for each team. Page 27

Business

Wellington’s Tutoring Club Offers Help For Students Of All Ages Open for four years in Wellington’s Courtyard Shops, the Tutoring Club has been owned by Jeff Santoloci for the past two years, offering programs for students in kindergarten through college in math, reading and writing, study skills, and SAT and ACT coaching. Page 32

According to nearly complete Florida Division of Elections results posted Wednesday, Abruzzo took 41,627 votes (57.6 percent) to 30,661 (42.4 percent) for Coates. The district includes most of Wellington and parts of Loxahatchee.

“I am extremely honored and excited to represent District 85 in Tallahassee,” Abruzzo told the Town-Crier Wednesday. “I will be fighting hard to bring affordable healthcare, strengthen our economy and improve

the education system here in Florida and in District 85.”

Abruzzo, a Wellington resident, said he was very proud of the campaign he and his supporters ran.

“It was an all-positive campaign,” he said. “It did not go negative. We stuck to the issues and concerns of the people in our community.”

Abruzzo said a broad base of volunteers, paid staff and family worked throughout the campaign and kept the effort running smoothly.

“We gathered a tremendous amount of support from community leaders, elected officials and organizations. I felt we were in a strong position to win the race the whole way through,” he said.

Abruzzo said legislation he

will introduce in Tallahassee includes a tax holiday bill that would exempt purchases of Energy Star-rated appliances in early August, when retail sales are historically slow.

The measure would accomplish three goals, Abruzzo said. “One, it boosts the economy by raising retail sales in the lowest period; secondly, it educates the consumer on the benefits of having green appliances in their homes; and thirdly and most importantly, it helps our environment,” he said.

He is also looking to introduce an animal rights bill that would use revenue from parimutuel betting to maintain retired racehorses and racing dogs.

Abruzzo said public safety is one of his primary concerns, and he plans to introduce a bill with

the backing of the Dori Slosberg Foundation that limits 16-yearold drivers to one passenger.

“What I am trying to do is cut down on the backseat distraction of drivers that are just starting out that has led to a high rate of fatalities throughout the state,” Abruzzo said. “I believe that will ultimately save many lives in our community and throughout the State of Florida.”

On education, Abruzzo said he will work with the Classroom Teachers Association of Palm Beach County and the Florida Education Association to work on a proposal that will raise teacher pay to at least the national average and implement stronger retention of teachers.

Abruzzo said these are common-sense goals that will attract bipartisan support in Tallahas-

see, where Republicans still hold sway.

“In order to be successful in passing legislation with the current makeup of the House, we need common-sense bills to work across party lines, and I believe the bills I will be introducing, when it comes to healthcare, education, the economy and public safety, will be bills that both Republicans and Democrats will be able to agree on,” he said.

Abruzzo will replace current District 85 State Rep. Shelley Vana. Vana was elected Tuesday to a seat on the Palm Beach County Commission. On Tuesday night, Coates said he felt he ran a good campaign under challenging circumstances. “This was a difficult

See ABRUZZO, page 18

HALLOWEEN FUN IN ROYAL PALM BREAKING BREAD IN WELLINGTON

RPB Approves Traffic Circle For La Mancha

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report

The Royal Palm Beach Village Council gave final approval Thursday to install a traffic circle at the intersection of Ponce De Leon Street and Infanta Avenue in the La Mancha subdivision.

The approval was postponed from the Oct. 2 meeting to make sure all residents were on board with the decision.

Last month, Councilman David Swift had said a La Mancha resident told him he had reservations about the circle’s effectiveness, its appearance and impact on his property. This week, Swift noted that he had shown the resident pictures of an existing traffic circle on Royal Palm Beach Blvd. and a comparative view of what the La Mancha circle would look like.

“This issue was on the front page of the newspaper, and I haven’t heard any complaints, so I think it’s time to move forward,” Swift said. “I’m not sure if I’m supposed to be knocking on everyone’s door there and say, ‘this is coming,’ but I did talk to one person there. In general, we need to slow traffic down on that street.”

Councilwoman Martha Webster said she had not heard comments from anyone who was unhappy with the traffic circle and said she was happy with the appearance of the circle herself.

“I think it looks good, and I think it will control traffic and will be a complement to the roadway there,” she said.

Mayor David Lodwick asked Village Engineer Ray Liggins if the village planned to install rumble strips to traffic approaching the traffic circle.

“With this traffic circle’s proximity to people’s living rooms and bedrooms,” Lodwick said, “we’re not going to have the option of putting rumble strips in because of the noise level.”

“The problem we had at Royal Palm Beach Blvd. was with cars going very fast late at night, more than 50, and there being a change from four-lane commercial to residential,” Liggins said. “It was catching people by surprise. This is in the middle of a neighborhood and you don’t have the change in lanes.”

Vice Mayor Fred Pinto added that most of the drivers will be residents who are familiar with the neighborhood and will anticipate the traffic circle.

Liggins said the circle is designed with a radius that will require a vehicle to slow to 15 mph, but that school buses will be able to navigate it. Pinto made a motion to approve the traffic circle, seconded by Swift. It was approved unanimously.

In other business, the council approved a landscape waiver for the Centre on 441, formerly known as the Southern (Kmart) Center. The waiver will allow 50 more parking spaces and additional landscaping at the shopping plaza on the northwest corner of State Road 7 and Southern Blvd. “This is the center we will probably always refer to as the Kmart plaza,” Lodwick said. “This was part of the renovations and modifications that were being made to the Kmart Plaza, now known as the Centre on 441. We had asked the developer to work with staff as much as they can to improve the traffic flow and aesthetics.” Agent Russell Scott of Urban Design Studios, representing Gertz Builders & Developers of Fort Lauderdale, said the number of periodic grassy strips placed intermittently between parking spaces was reduced in order for the plaza to meet the minimum parking space requirement with a reconfigured parking lot and two additional outparcels. Lodwick said the original parking lot was confusing to navigate. “You can get lost in there,” he said. “People aren’t sure where they are supposed to be going. It’s not only poorly laid out in my opinion, it’s unsafe the way it was designed. Looking at your new center, number one, I do see a lot more green, which I like, but at the same time it’s a lot more perpendicular and horizontal. It’s not diagonal. People have a lot better sense of where they’re supposed to be going. It’s a lot easier to get in and out.” Swift also was supportive of the project. “I think we should be giving an award to the Gertz family and all they have done to bring this particular piece of property up to scale,” he said. “I am very supportive of this. The gentleman has come in and invested a great deal of money in making Royal Palm Beach look really good.”

Councilman Matty Mattioli made a motion to approve the landscaping waiver, which was

New Building Will Double Size Of Old RPB Library

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report

system last year. That total is a million items (15 percent)

more than the previous year, Callahan said.

The expanded RPB library will provide more access to computers, with 36 Internet and word processing terminals in the adult, children and teen areas. Library catalog computers will be available throughout the building as well as free wireless access for laptop users.

The expanded branch will have three meeting rooms: a large room accommodating 72 people, a smaller conference room and a room for children’s programming, as well as more

study space including quiet space and three study rooms.

Parking will be expanded to 112 spaces, which is more than double the branch’s current number of parking spaces.

Like the other branches, the materials will have radio frequency identification readers, which help staff check more items and reduce repetitive checking.

The Royal Palm Beach branch will have the county’s first automated book return and sorting, Callahan said. “The book return outside will resem-

ble an ATM machine,” he said. The user will put the materials on a conveyor belt and the machine will issue a receipt.” The system will not accept late fees, but the library system is working on that, Callahan said. The expanded branch is scheduled to re-open in December 2009. In the meantime, a bookmobile is now stationed near the Royal Palm Beach branch, on the west side of the county’s Midwestern Communities Service Center, and is See LIBRARY, page 8

Tom Rooney Will Represent District 16 In Washington

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report

Republican Tom Rooney easily defeated incumbent Democratic Congressman Tim Mahoney, returning U.S. Congressional District 16 to Republican control Tuesday. Rooney took 208,293 votes (60.1 percent) to Mahoney’s 138,530 votes (39.9 percent), according to results reported by the Florida Division of Elections Wednesday evening.

Florida’s District 16 includes Charlotte County on the west coast of the peninsula, all of Glades, Highlands and Okeechobee counties inland, as well as parts of Hendry, St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach counties. The district includes much of the western communities.

On Wednesday, Rooney said the election went much as he and his campaign staff expected.

“Last night it was kind of crazy, and I really couldn’t get my thoughts together, but certainly this morning I woke up at about 7 a.m. after going to bed at about 2 a.m., and it probably was the first time I woke up in a great mood in over a year,” Rooney told the Town-Crier. “I got many great phone calls from a lot of great people, and we’re actually going to Disney World for about four days. Then we’re coming back, and I’m getting ready to go serve in Washington.”

Rooney will have staff orientation in Washington, D.C. Nov. 16 to 20 and will not need to return until he is sworn into office in January. He said in light of the overall election, which saw Republicans lose seats in both houses of Congress, he will have to work in a bipartisan manner to reach his goals in Washington.

“Congress has to get the message that the people expect us to work in a bipartisan fashion,” Rooney said. “We have a great opportunity as Republicans and Democrats to get a lot of things done for the American people and really do something to improve the approval rating of Congress. I think that regardless of what you believe, it means getting the job done and that means working together. You don’t have to sacrifice what you believe, but there are many things that we can get done together, and I’m looking forward to that very much.”

One of those things, Rooney said, is moving toward energy independence, despite the recent drop in gas prices.

“We haven’t solved the problem,” he said. “There’s just a demand stall right now, and that’s not going to last too long. We need to change the way we do business, and I think that we need to get alternative fuels for the future, and that’s going to be one of the things that I really push when I get up there.”

Rooney said he also wants to help diversify the Florida economy through oil drilling in the gulf as well as energy diversification programs.

“I think that it’s going to be a great opportunity,” Rooney said. “I think the drilling, especially if Florida gets a cut off the top, like Louisiana, of revenues we’re bringing in, that’s going to help Florida’s economy.”

Rooney said he has many questions to get answered at his orientation.

“I don’t even know if I’m allowed to sit on the board of a charity as I am now,” he said.

“Things like that I will have to find out, but I will find out before I take office.”

Mahoney, who enjoyed a strong lead in polls until allegations of extramarital affairs came to light last month, conceded defeat early.

“I would like to congratulate Tom Rooney on his victory tonight,” Mahoney said in a written statement. “It has been an honor to represent Florida’s 16th District. I am proud of all that we have accomplished together, including passing the Homeowners’ Defense Act, laying the foundation to make South Florida the biofuels capital of America, bringing air service back to Charlotte County, and getting the funding to build the Fort Pierce Courthouse. I can only hope that what we have achieved over the past two years leaves a lasting impact on this wonderful community. Thank you to all the 16th District voters for giving me the opportunity to fight for you.” In another local congressional race, incumbent Democratic Congressman Ron Klein survived a challenge from Republican Allen West in District 22, garnering 158,735 votes (54.9 percent) to West’s 130,400 votes (45.1 percent). The district includes large portions of Palm Beach and Broward counties, including parts of the western communities. Also Tuesday, Democratic incumbent Alcee Hastings of District 23 handily defeated Republican challenger Marion Thorpe by a margin of 167,526 votes (82.4 percent) to 35,797 votes (17.6 percent), and Democratic incumbent Robert Wexler retained control of District 19 winning a three-way race with 186,655 votes (66.3 percent). In that race, Republican Edward Lynch took 76,645 votes (27.2 percent) and independent candidate Ben Graber garnered 18,387 (6.5 percent).

New Whole Foods Market Opens On State Road 7 In Wellington

Whole Foods Market, the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket, held a grand opening ceremony for its new store in Wellington on Wednesday, Nov. 5. The store is located in the new Wellington Green Commons on State Road 7, just south of the Mall at Wellington Green. The festivities began at 8 a.m. outside the store with a free continental breakfast for customers, followed by a traditional Whole Foods Market “bread-breaking ceremony” — a foodie twist on the traditional ribbon-cutting event — at 9 a.m. The 50,000square-foot store is expected to generate more than 220 new jobs.

“Our number-one goal is to provide Wellington and the surrounding Palm Beach County communities with the freshest, most flavorful, and highest quality products, while providing superior value in every department,” Whole Foods Market Store Team Leader Jeff Figley said. “We’re excited to offer the community a truly unique shopping experience — from our wine and cheese tastings and cooking classes in our Lifestyle Center cooking school, to our store-made gelato at the coffee bar, every department has something that makes grocery shopping fun again!” For more information, visit www.wholefoodsmarket.com.

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Diane Garrigan gets help selecting a bag of coffee from Amy Schneider.

Irene Yovu samples tomatoes grown by Walter Ross, owner of Farmhouse Tomatoes in Lake Worth

Tracy Vasquez, with sons Jaden and Derrick, does some shopping with Marcia Esteras.

Store Team Leader Jeff Figley speaks while Regional President Juan Nuñez, Wellington Mayor Darell Bowen, Wellington Chamber of Commerce President Mike Nelson and Wellington Councilman Bob Margolis listen. Bakery staff Sean Ridge, Shoshana Poitier, Leah Ascenzia, Tom Cooch, Lisa Ballard and Francisco Cardoso.

OUR OPINION

Well-Run Election Begins Process Of Burying The Ghosts Of 2000

Tuesday’s general election was an historic moment for the nation, which saw the election of the first African-American to the highest office in the land. For Palm Beach County, the election was significant for another reason entirely — with a few exceptions, the votes were processed and tabulated with only minor problems. There were no headlines decrying the incompetence at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office.

Sure, there were problems with a few bad cartridges and thousands of absentee ballots still to be counted on Wednesday, but nothing that would change the outcome of any election, according to Assistant County Administrator Brad Merriman, who has been running the elections office since defeated Supervisor Dr. Arthur Anderson took a leave of absence after announcing he had terminal cancer.

Since 2000, Palm Beach County has struggled to overcome that year’s presidential election debacle, in which the so-called “butterfly ballot” and antiquated punch-card voting system turned the election process on its head and made us the laughing stock of western democracy. The situation didn’t look much better a few months ago when a West Palm Beach City Commission election saw nearly 14 percent of the votes lost on election night. Viewed as a “test” of the new optical-scan voting system, the verdict did not bode

Why The Big Rush On PBCC?

Would you buy a home or an automobile from the first person who approached you? More importantly, would you sell or buy a home or automobile without checking or investigating to find out how much it is worth?

We all know the obvious answer is of course not, yet that is exactly what the mayor and two members of our village council are doing with our 67 acres of K-Park land.

The mayor and these two council members have never requested bids or proposals to see who has an interest in or who has a plan for all or part of this land. They also have never requested an appraisal to see exactly how much this land is worth. Despite this they are now in the process of donating and giving away this entire 67-acre parcel to Palm Beach Community College for $10 per year for the next 25 years. Why? What is their motivation? What do they have to gain? What is their rush? Why exactly are they doing this? All good questions and ones the mayor and these two council members have repeatedly refused to answer. Why?

As we all know, the mayor and members of the village council were elected by us to be fiscally conservative and to treat our tax dollars as if they were their own. We are now in the worst financial and economic condition this country has seen since the Great Depression. Local businesses are closing at an alarming rate. People in this village are losing their jobs and their homes, and yet the mayor and these two council members want to give away the village’s

largest and most valuable asset without knowing or learning how much it is actually worth, and can not wait to spend an additional $15 million that we do not have to build a village hall. Why the rush? Why spend the money now? All good questions, and again no good answers. It is time for all of us to ask these questions and demand answers from these three elected officials. It is time to bring logic, common sense and fiscal responsibility to our village council. Stop the giveaway of this K-Park land and stop the $15 million village hall. We simply cannot afford it. Use the good judgment, common sense and fiscal responsibility that you promised when we elected you to office to be our voice and do what’s right for the community. Don’t let us down now. Do the right thing. Stop giving away our land and our money and stop spending when you should be saving.

Howard Sohn Wellington

Obama Election Offers New Opportunities

As we feel good about the election of Barack Obama to become America’s 44th president, special recognition is in order for:

• Voters of different races, cultures, religions, genders and ages who chose to believe in the humanity of everyone regardless of background and elected the first African-American president.

• African-Americans who have never given up on our

A.

B.

C.

well. Then a botched recount process left a judicial race in limbo for weeks after the August primary.

But here we are fresh off what many have heralded as the most important election of our generation, and ours was merely another county contributing to the democratic process. This shows what a turnaround two months and a competent administrator can make. The only unflattering national headlines relating to Palm Beach County of late concerned soon-to-be-former-congressman Tim Mahoney’s unceremonious loss to Tom Rooney, in the wake of Mahoney’s scandal involving extramarital affairs.

Merriman deserves high praise for his handling of the elections office, and State Rep. Susan Bucher should be congratulated on her election as the county’s next supervisor of elections. We are sure she will do a far better job than her predecessor. We ask that she makes a concerted effort to work with the county to transition the elections office back to a normal routine. We hope Bucher makes sure what Merriman began yesterday continues into the future. Although we made it through this election without any serious problems, it will take years of perfectly run elections before the ghosts of 2000 are finally laid to rest.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

country. Even when we were denied the rights of citizenship, we fought in every war beginning with the American Revolution. And despite some moments of anger, we continued to believe in the American dream.

• American youth, often charged with indifference, marched and some died during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement; and for today’s youth, who contributed significantly to the state-by-state ground campaign to bring out the vote.

I believe we have been given a great opportunity with this historic election, to strengthen our commitment to our national ideal and to encourage more individuals to reach out to others of diverse backgrounds on our journey to achieve dignity, justice and equality of opportunity for all.

Last but not least, this American victory will hopefully reduce the Karl Rove playbook style of divide-and-conquer dialogue and encourage a renewed sense of community as we seek to resolve the critical issues facing our country in this 21st century.

Lydia Patterson Wellington

Many Reasons To Support Barack Obama

Editor’s note: The following letter is a response to Phil Sexton’s letter “Short-Term Gain, Long-Term Pain” published in last week’s Town-Crier

To start, I would like to refute Mr. Phil Sexton’s comment “They [Democrats] will be elected by a combined vote of the sort of folks who maximize

economy. The market needs to correct itself.

their credit card debt and buy houses that they cannot afford.” This is simplistic and simply wrong. I voted for Sen. Barack Obama and have no credit card debt, paid cash for my house, own two businesses, have funded my retirement accounts and live below my means. And there are more like me out there who voted Democrat this election (I am not registered with either major party).

I want to explain the reasons I did so to Mr. Sexton and others who think like he does. First, I must say that he misunderstands the economic plan Sen. Obama and his party have outlined, but he is toeing the Republican Party line and it would be too long and drawn out to point out his misconceptions here.

I voted for Sen. Obama for a number of reasons. I am 51 (and lived through the Vietnam War), yet have never seen this country in such a poor state of affairs. Despite attempting to distance himself from the current administration of President George W. Bush, Sen. John McCain was a willing part of this disaster of a government, and he is part of this government. When I refer to the current administration, I am including Sen. McCain and his party, which will continue their current policies:

1) This current government felt that was all right to lie to the American people to get us into the Iraq War, which has needlessly claimed tens of thousands of lives (American, Iraqi and many others). I cannot accept this war.

2) They have deregulated and allowed this economic crisis to happen. They try to blame it on the Democrats, but if they are in power for eight years and saw this coming, they could have done something.

3) The “trickle down” effect does not work. As shown by the greedy Wall Street people, if you give the rich more money, they will keep most of it and try to figure out how to get what they don’t have. This administration is only pro-big business and not for the common man. (Are we any closer to energy independence or are oil companies still making huge profits?)

4) The current administration is anti-science. They are great believers in the supernatural. They want creationism taught in science classes alongside evolution. (Please also note that the word “theory” in science means more than it does in lay terms; evolution is a theory in lay terms, but it is a fact in scientific terms.) They also do not be-

lieve in global warming.

5) Despite the curtailing of civil rights (the Patriot Act), we are no safer now than we were on 9/11.

6) They are socially narrowminded and wish to impose their strict beliefs on everybody. They show this when they are against stem-cell research, pro-choice and gay marriage. They put their religious beliefs above any other issue (and those beliefs are the only correct ones to them, despite so many different denominations around — does this sound like a group in Afghanistan that all Americans abhor?).

7) The current administration and their party are worldwide bullies, and I believe that Sen. Obama, as a well educated, thoughtful man, can discuss issues with friend and foe alike. His intellect will be respected worldwide.

8) I also did not vote for Sen. McCain for I feel his choice of Gov. Sarah Palin as a running mate and potential vice president is unacceptable (for so many reasons). These reasons only touch the surface of what contempt I feel for the current government and its policies, which would have only been continued with the election of Sen. McCain and the Republican Party.

This country needs a leader who is not absent when disaster strikes (Katrina and the current economic crisis are two examples); who is for the people, not just the rich people; who is for peace and diplomacy; and who is for bringing this country well into the new century and not attempting to close down scientific thinking bringing us back into the 1800s.

Andrew Rosen Wellington

Let Residents Vote On PBCC

The Wellington Village Council is now considering donating 63 acres of land purchased with taxpayer dollars to Palm Beach Community College. The parcel, known as K-Park, has a value estimated at $30 million in today’s market.

K-Park is the village’s largest asset. Because PBCC is not paying for the property, there may be long-term implications to the village. In addition, PBCC will

pay no property taxes yet will require police and fire protection, and will significantly increase traffic on both State Road 7 and village roads. K-Park was purchased to keep pace with the recreational needs of the community, both young and old. Wellington was built for and by families; its parks and recreational programs create a lifestyle that has attracted many to move here. The giveaway of the K-Park property compromises the village’s ability to meet the level of service which its residents and taxpayers expect, and I believe it violates the village’s comprehensive plan.

Most importantly, the parcel could be used to generate income that could offset inevitable increases in the village’s tax rate. In these hard economic times, does the council’s action represent a sound financial decision?

The giveaway of K-Park should be fully explored by the council before moving forward with this plan. The residents and taxpayers in Wellington need to be a part of this process. Simply put, let the Wellington residents vote this up or down. I feel that I would rather trust our residents than the actions of a bare majority of the council. As a senior activist, I fully realize that the issues of concern to the senior community will not be met with this land giveaway.

Tony

Fransetta Wellington Parents Oppose PBCC Plan

The Wellington Village Council is currently negotiating with Palm Beach Community College to give away K-Park, 63 acres of land paid for with taxpayer money to satisfy the recreational needs of residents. The land value is, conservatively, over $30 million. Most of us moved here because we perceived this was a safe, attractive, family-oriented community. Many of us were attracted to the village’s parks and available recreational activities for our children. Now the council is rushing ahead to give away this land at a time when community sports See LETTERS, page 18

Acreage Gains A Future Leader With Election Of Carlos Enriquez

Compared to the highly charged and contentious Indian Trail Improvement District elections of the past, the race for ITID Board of Supervisors Seat 2 on this week’s general election ballot was a mere whimper on the Campaign Scale. Just two months ago, when Supervisor Michelle Damone was facing two gadfly opponents in defending Seat 4, the campaign got ugly even by Acreage standards when her challengers leveled baseless charges of corruption. Ms. Damone beat them both without the need for a runoff, a difficult feat when three people seek to occupy the same seat. Carlos Enriquez ran a low-key grassroots campaign that consisted of meeting and greeting residents wherever he could find them and mailing out postcards to just a few thousand voting households. His opponent Dr. Ted Van Istendal’s campaign was so low-key that it sank below the community’s radar. But at least it remained civil and respectful, which we can all hope will be the new community standard in the future.

By Don Brown

Mr. Enriquez and Dr. Van Istendal received a combined total of 13,641 votes in the election, reflecting a turnout of about 50 percent of the approximately 25,000 voters in The Acreage. That total likely puts The Acreage on par with the total Palm Beach County voter turnout of about 70 percent of the 810,000 voters in the 2008 presidential general election. My assumption is that more that a few Acreage voters showed up to cast ballots in the presidential election but bypassed the ITID race.

TOWN-CRIER

While Mr. Enriquez’ vote total of 7,617 was impressive, he has to take a back seat to Ms. Damone, who received 8,046 votes in 2004, which remains a record in ITID election history.

Speaking of the presidential campaign (won, in case you’re just waking up after falling asleep waiting for Palm Beach County results, by Barack Obama), some have already drawn a comparison with the ITID election. While America was electing its first black president, The Acreage was electing its first Latino board supervisor. While Mr. Enriquez is a native-born American (Miami), his parents emigrated here from Cuba.

“I’m proud that people put their faith in me,” Mr. Enriquez said. “We’re all Americans and we’re in this together as a community. I won’t let anyone down.”

He said that after taking office Dec. 10, he would immediately begin to push a proposal already before the ITID board to build a community center at Acreage Community Park. Cost esti-

mates for the 26,000-square-foot building are about $1.2 million. ITID is also looking for funding, partially from the county, for an additional $3 million to complete the entire park, a project that has been ripening on the vine since a battle broke out several years ago between a previous ITID board and then-county commissioner Tony Masilotti. Other major projects Mr. Enriquez will be asked to weigh in on include pushing the county to restore some $40 million in transportation money redirected from Acreage roads to public transportation and to shore up the county’s general budget. He’ll also be asked to convince both the county and the state to fund the State Road 7 extension to Northlake Blvd. In previous years, Mr. Enriquez has served on the ITID Planning Committee and as a board member and president of the Acreage Landowners’ Association. I believe he is up to the job and will make an excellent addition to the ITID board.

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

Wellington Education Committee Reviews School Requests

By Carol Porter Town-Crier Staff Report

The Wellington Education Committee reviewed requests from community middle and high schools Wednesday regarding distribution of their annual student enrichment funding, but pressed school representative for details on their wish lists.

The village provides public middle and high schools with $5 per student annually to be used on educational materials. The schools must each present a request to the village detailing how their share of the funding will be spent. Once approved by the Education Committee, the requests are reviewed by the Wellington Village Council.

Committee Vice Chair Theresa Ventriglio, sitting in for absent Committee Chair Marcia Hayden, said the village had calculated a total of 8,391 students in its middle and high schools, and allotted $41,955 to the schools for the 2008-09 school year.

Wellington High School Prin-

cipal Mario Crocetti told the committee his school’s funding would go toward books, calcu-

lators for FCAT testing, and some improvements to science labs.

Committee Member Murray Rosen asked for more information on the “silent reading” periods in the school day at WHS, and Crocetti said silent reading is part of the school’s improvement strategy, and the school wants to have reading materials available in classrooms for students who show up without something to read.

Committee Member Marianne Davidson asked if Crocetti could provide committee members a list of the books being considered for silent reading, and Crocetti said he would oblige. “The reading department would come up with that,” he said. “They are the ones who put this in the school improvement plan. They will put together the purchase list.”

Committee Member Dawn Ramos said some Wellington residents take issue with the annual grant of public money to local schools, claiming that their tax dollars are in some cases going to support students who do not actually live in Wellington.

Crocetti said the school’s student body, at one time greater than 3,500, had decreased to a current level of 2,157, mostly Wellington residents. He noted that despite the positive effect on crowding problems, a shrinking student body does pose some drawbacks.

“The smaller it becomes, the less you can offer in the way of elevated classes even in the core academic classes,” Crocetti said. “You won’t have enough students to offer a section of something, so you go without it. As enrollment rises, there is more opportunity for all the students. I would be thrilled if it went higher.”

Assistant Principal Larry Greenberg of Palm Beach Central High School, like Crocetti, said the bulk of his school’s money would go toward FCAT workbooks and other reading and writing materials. Committee members asked Greenberg to send them some documentation providing more detail on how the money would be spent.

“If you can get that to us, it would be appreciated,” Com-

mittee Member Michael Drahos said. Polo Park Middle School

Principal William Latson said the funding for his school would go toward reading, but he was still working out some of the particulars with his teachers and waiting to receive some information back. He said he and his teachers are looking at ways to get students to read more. He also noted that since reading is such a key issue, he decreased components of the language arts program and hired more reading teachers.

“Reading and literacy is an issue for Polo Park,” Latson said. “Our reading scores are not where they should be.”

Latson said the school is using practical materials rather than instructional materials in its reading programs. “We are using a literature-based learning process where we use books instead of textbooks,” he said.

Like WHS, Polo Park also has a block of time in which students can read whatever they like.

“We want the students to use materials that are of interest to them,” Latson said. “The best

practice is when the students read. Making the A is great, but when we are missing some of our student groups, such as our disabled students, that is not good enough.”

Addressing concerns of nonWellington residents getting village money, Latson said that while a small minority of his students do not live in Wellington, he cannot leave them out.

“We have 100 students out of 1,100 that are not necessarily from Wellington,” Latson said. “It would be difficult to say we’re using the materials, and you cannot use it. It’s got to be used for all students. The majority of students are students from local areas.”

Wellington Landings Middle School secretary Nancy Courtney said the requests from her school include technology upgrades.

“These new document cameras are a lot easier to use,” Courtney said. “This is an important tool for teachers to use. They can project lessons, and they can connect to CNN with interactive lessons for the students. We also have a new tool

called an Interwrite pad, which gives teachers the ability to manage their lessons anywhere in the classrooms. It’s connected to the computers. They are used for our math teachers so they can draw maps, circles and other objects on the screens. It’s a great new technology advancement for teachers and students in the classrooms.”

Committee members said they liked Courtney’s report because it was so detailed and asked few questions about it. Emerald Cove Assistant Principal Marianne Freese said the bulk of her school’s request was for printer cartridges and reading materials.

Committee Member Marianne Davidson said she wanted to see more backup information and asked for the teacher request forms. Other committee members expressed concerns about the request for printer cartridges, but Ventriglio noted that due to budget constraints more teachers must print out documents themselves. “Teachers are needing to print and copy and do more of

See EDUCATION, page 11

PIERCE HAMMOCK ELEMENTARY STUDENTS TAKE PART IN A MOCK ELECTION

Fifth grade students at Pierce Hammock Elementary School in The Acreage held a mock presidential election

Monday morning. Fifth grade teacher Andres Barrios cast his ballot, along with Principal Jeffrey Eassa. Eassa and Assistant Principal Christie Schwab checked in students as they came in to vote. The results of the presidential election were 206 votes for Sen. Barack Obama to 131 votes for Sen. John McCain.

PHOTOS BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER

Principal Jeffrey Eassa casts his ballot.Students show off their patriotic hats.

Teacher Andres Barrios votes.

Katie Fischer signs up to vote.

Thieves Nab More Than $10K From RPB Business

By Jason Budjinski Town-Crier Staff Report

NOV. 5 — A deputy from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office substation in Royal Palm Beach was dispatched Wednesday to a business on Business Parkway regarding a burglary. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 5 p.m. Tuesday and 5:30 a.m. the following morning, someone cut the chain-link fence to the adjoining property to access the north side of the business premises, where a truck was backed in to load the stolen items. The suspect used a forklift to move some of the heavy equipment and wire, according to the report. Stolen from the business were miscellaneous cables, wires, drills, a hammer and a saw, totaling $10,031.80. There was no surveillance video.

• • •

OCT. 29 — A resident of Alameda Bay Court called the PBSO substation in Wellington last Wednesday regarding a theft. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 2 and 3 p.m. someone stole a brown box containing miscellaneous Halloween items that was last seen on the front patio, just outside the front door. The total value of stolen items is approximately $100. There were no witnesses or suspects at the time of the report.

OCT. 29 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Wellington responded last Wednesday to a home on Laurel Trail regarding a burglary. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 10 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. someone entered the residence and stole two flat-screen televisions, a desktop computer and printer, miscellaneous power tools and a pressure washer. The victim had left the garage door open and the front door unlocked, according to the report.

OCT. 29 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach responded last Wednesday to a home on Sparrow Drive in reference to a residential burglary. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. someone forced entry through the front door and removed two LCD televisions, a digital camera and $1,000 cash. There were no witnesses or suspects at the time of the report.

OCT. 31 — A Royal Palm Beach man was arrested on drunk driving charges late last Friday night. According to a PBSO report, an off-duty deputy followed 50-year-old Donald Zurhorst from Florida’s Turnpike to the Seminole Lakes subdivision, noting that Zurhorst had almost caused several accidents and was visibly impaired. The arresting deputy responded to the call and conducted roadside sobriety tests on Zurhorst. He was arrested for driving under the influence and taken to the Palm Beach County Jail.

NOV. 1 — A Miami man was arrested last Saturday night for drunk driving in Royal Palm Beach. According to a PBSO report, a deputy from the Royal Palm Beach substation was working DUI saturation patrol when he stopped 59-year-old

Rolando Giron for speeding at approximately 10:40 p.m. The deputy noticed that Giron showed signs of impairment, and roadside sobriety tests were subsequently administered. Giron refused to give a breath sample. He was arrested for driving under the influence and taken to the county jail. He also received a citation for speeding. NOV. 3 — A resident of Equine Lane called the PBSO substation in Wellington on Monday morning in reference to a burglary. According to a PBSO report, the victim’s vehicle was parked outside the home between 10 p.m. last Sunday and 7:30 a.m. the following morning when someone entered it and stole a pair of Oakley sunglasses. The vehicle had been left unlocked, according to the report. The glasses were valued at approximately $180. The case is inactive pending further investigative leads. NOV. 3 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Wellington was dispatched to Tiger Shark Cove Park on Monday afternoon in response to an attempted burglary. According to a PBSO report, the victim parked her van in the parking lot sometime between 4:15 and 4:30 p.m. She was notified by someone at the park that her van’s front passenger window had been shattered. Upon inspection of the vehicle, the deputy determined that the suspect did not gain access to the interior and was likely scared off by the alarm. Nothing was stolen from inside. There was no suspect information.

NOV. 3 — A resident of Yarmouth Court called the PBSO substation in Wellington on Monday night regarding a residential burglary. According to a PBSO report, the victim left his home at approximately 3:30 p.m. When he returned at 8 p.m., the victim discovered the front window had been smashed, cabinet drawers were open, and clothing and miscellaneous items had been scattered throughout the bedrooms. The majority of the items stolen were men’s sneakers as well as two PlayStation 3 game systems and an Xbox 360. There were no witnesses or suspects, though a flashlight not belonging to the victim was found in one of the bedrooms. It was processed for latent prints and put into evidence. NOV. 4 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Wellington responded early Tuesday morning to a home on Folkstone Circle regarding a stolen vehicle. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 9 p.m. Monday and 5:30 a.m. the following morning, someone stole a 2000 white Ford Crown Victoria that was parked outside the house. The victim said she didn’t see anyone take the vehicle and that the keys were inside the house. NOV. 5 — A juvenile was arrested on drug charges Wednesday night after a traffic stop in Royal Palm Beach. According to a PBSO report, deputies from the Royal Palm Beach substation were on patrol when they observed a vehicle traveling See BLOTTER, page 18

Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County is asking for the public’s help in finding these wanted fugitives: • Arthur Blair, a.k.a. Donald Blair, is a white male, 5’10” tall and weighing 185 lbs., with blond hair and blue eyes. His date of birth is 03/07/54. He has tattoos on his left shoulder and right arm. Blair is wanted for failure to appear in court on the charges of felony DUI, driving while license suspended, cancelled or revoked, and refusing a chemical or physical test. His occupation is heavy equipment operator. His last known address was Swain Blvd. in Greenacres. Blair is wanted as of 11/06/08. • Tony Quinn is a white male, 6’ tall and weighing 190 lbs., with brown hair and brown eyes. His date of birth is 09/ 19/67. Quinn is wanted for unemployment compensation fraud. His occupation is unknown. His last known address was Royal Palm Beach Blvd. in Royal Palm Beach. Quinn is wanted as of 11/ 06/08. Remain anonymous and you may be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward. Call Crime Stoppers at (800) 458-TIPS (8477) or visit www.crimestopperspbc. com.

Arthur Blair

Tony Quinn

Voters Choose Susan Bucher To Lead County Elections Office

By Carol Porter Town-Crier Staff Report

State Rep. Susan Bucher defeated Wellington Councilman Bob Margolis by a margin of more than 15 percent Tuesday to become the next Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections.

Bucher, a longtime legislator term-limited out of office in Tallahassee, garnered 243,417 votes (57.9 percent) to 177,022 votes (42.1 percent) for Margolis, according to unofficial results posted by the county elections office Wednesday evening.

Margolis gathered with supporters at Tree’s Wings in Royal Palm Beach Tuesday after polls closed to await returns. With early results at about 9 p.m. indicating a likely Bucher victory, Margolis said he was optimistic no matter what the outcome. “We’re OK,” he said. “If we lose, we’re fine. I have my family and friends with me. Whatever happens, happens.”

Margolis said the campaign had been grueling, especially with his continued responsibilities of work and the Wellington council. “It was tough,” he said. “I have been through 57 debates and 102 interviews. Working full time and sitting on the council while running for this seat was difficult.”

But Margolis also said he had enjoyed a wealth of support in the campaign and had come to know many wonderful people in the process. “You can’t win unless you run,” he said. “I am happy either way.”

As a requirement for running, Margolis had to file a letter affirming he would resign his council seat as of the new year.

His fellow council members may decide to reappoint him to fill out the rest of his term, which expires in 2010. However, Margolis has said that he does not expect to seek re-appointment.

Bucher awaited returns at the Cypress Creek Country Club in Boynton Beach on Tuesday evening. With preliminary results indicating her victory by around 10 p.m., she thanked her supporters for their backing.

“We don’t have all the results in, but I am cautiously optimistic,” she said. “I just want you to know that everybody in this room helped me in some way.”

She especially thanked her husband Richard, who she said had endured enough during her legislative career. “I don’t really know how to cook, and he’s a great cook because he likes to eat,” she said. “It’s kind of scary because I have been leaving the house for about 15 years for about half the year to go to Tallahassee. Guess what? You have me home now.”

In another countywide race, Democrat Michael McAuliffe easily defeated Republican Joseph Tringali in the race to become the new State Attorney of the 15th Judicial Circuit. McAuliffe garnered 321,241 votes (64.65 percent) to Tringali’s 175,670 votes (35.35 percent). McAuliffe will replace retiring State Attorney Barry Krischer. Voters in three Palm Beach County Commission districts decided who would represent them, turning out one commissioner and returning two others.

State Rep. Shelley Vana, a Democrat, ousted Commissioner Bob Kanjian, a Republican

appointed to the District 3 seat by Gov. Charlie Crist last year after his predecessor Warren Newell resigned amid a corruption investigation. Vana garnered 43,029 votes (56.99 percent) to Kanjian’s 32,472 votes (43.01 percent).

Incumbent Democrats Burt Aaronson and Addie Green handily retained seats for districts 5 and 7, respectively. Aaronson drew 64,632 votes (75.25 percent) against Republican challenger Charlotte Linderman Beasley’s 21,258 votes (24.75 percent), and Green garnered 37,647 votes (76.64 percent) against Republican opponent Liz Wade’s 11,477 (23.36 percent).

In the race to determine the occupant of Seat 2 on the Palm Beach Port Commission, incumbent Democrat Wayne Richards held off a challenge from Republican challenger Thomas McCracken. Richards took 90,598 votes (61.46 percent) while McCracken claimed 56,811 votes (38.54 percent).

Susan Bucher (center) celebrates her victory with State Rep. Maria Sachs and Palm Beach County Tax Collector Anne Gannon.

PHOTO BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER

Winners & Losers — State Rep. Susan Bucher thanks supporters Tuesday evening at the Cypress Creek Country Club in Boynton Beach after winning the race to become Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections. (Below) Wellington Councilman Bob Margolis (center) gathered with supporters at Tree’s Wings in Royal Palm Beach.

Carlos Enriquez Elected To A Seat On Indian Trail Board

By Don Brown Town-Crier Staff Report

Carlos Enriquez swept to an easy victory over Dr. Ted Van Istendal for a seat on the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

Enriquez, in his second run for an ITID board seat, won with nearly 56 percent of the vote for

Seat 2, being vacated by Supervisor Sandra Love Semande, who did not seek re-election.

Enriquez and Van Istendal both ran unsuccessfully for separate ITID seats in 2006, and Van Istendal had another unsuccessful run in 2004. On Tuesday, Enriquez received 7,617 votes compared to 6,024 votes for Van Istendal,

New Supervisor — Carlos Enriquez, who won a seat Tuesday on the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors, is joined by wife Marie and other supporters, including fellow supervisors Michelle Damone and Carol Jacobs. Enriquez gathered with supporters to watch returns come in at Kocomo’s Island Grill in The Acreage.

DON BROWN/TOWN-CRIER

according to unofficial results from the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections’ office Wednesday night. The vote total does not include late absentee and provisional ballots, which are not likely to change the results of the election.

Enriquez, an aircraft technician and a five-year Acreage resident, has previously served as a board member and president

Library

Double The Space

continued from page 1 open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

While the Royal Palm Beach branch is closed, the Wellington branch has supplemented its programming, and some Royal Palm Beach staff members have been transferred there for the time being. “We are seeing a significant increase in Wellington use, which is attributed to Royal Palm Beach residents using the Wellington branch,” Callahan said. “People from as far as Loxahatchee are going into the Wellington branch now.”

The Wellington branch at 1951 Royal Fern Drive is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays from

of the Acreage Landowners’ Association and also on the ITID Planning Committee. He will be sworn in as a supervisor during the board’s Dec. 10 meeting.

“I’m humbled and honored by my election,” Enriquez said Wednesday. “I’m ready to start working immediately for the people of The Acreage.”

The Enriquez family and sup-

10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.

A new Acreage branch is in the planning stage, Callahan said. Library representatives have reached agreement with Indian Trail Improvement District officials on a donation of about six acres near the Acreage Shopping Center at Orange Blvd. and Seminole Pratt Whitney Road. The agreement is expected to be formalized in December, he said. In the meantime, the library is working with architects for the 30,000-squarefoot Acreage library, which he said should be open by 2011.

“It will be the county’s first green library,” using standards established by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED, Callahan said.

“The Acreage library will be the first LEED county building. Given the surroundings of the area, it’s very appropriate.”

porters, including several other ITID supervisors, gathered at Kocomo’s Island Grill to watch returns come in, agonizingly at a snail’s pace, on a laptop computer.

By 11 p.m. it became clear that Enriquez had won even with a few precincts still unreported. “Good job,” the candidate’s wife Marie said while surrounded by well-wishers. “My wife told me she had faith that I would win,” Enriquez said. Enriquez said he would begin work immediately on campaign promises he made, including building a community center at Acreage Community Park, building more sidewalks and adding a fire station in The Acreage. “I’m looking forward to joining the other board members to get the job done,” he said.

Callahan said the county system is keeping up with the state standard of 0.6 square feet of library space per capita despite the challenges of tremendous growth.

The current branch expansion campaign is financed in part by a bond issue approved by voters in 2002, Callahan said, but the library has been careful about spending the money.

“It was only $55 million, which has been supplemented with impact and operating fees,” he said. “That’s the only way we’re completing these projects. Palm Beach County grew so fast in the ’90s, the bond issue was seen as a way to bring it up to standard, but it would have only brought us to 0.4 square feet per capita.”

The library system’s standard is two books per capita, Callahan added. The system currently has 1.7 million items available to a population of 864,000.

Increasing construction costs have led the library system to postpone expansion of its 15,000-square-foot main branch on Summit Blvd. in order to continue projects underway at the new West Boca branch set to open Jan. 16, the Lantana Road branch opening in March, the Okeechobee Blvd. branch re-opening in mid-November and the new Hagen Road branch, which opened on July 11.

Callahan said some library business formerly conducted at the main branch has been moved to rental space elsewhere. “Our processing department is in a rented warehouse,” he said. “I would like to bring that back, but that won’t happen for several years until the economy picks up.” For more information about the Palm Beach County Library System call (561) 233-2600 or visit www.pbclibrary.org.

PHOTO BY

Lox Groves Town Council Unenthusiastic About Office Project

By Carol Porter Town-Crier Staff Report

The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council gave unenthusiastic approval Tuesday to a zoning change for a property on Southern Blvd. where a mixeduse development is planned.

The 9.13-acre property on the northwest corner of Southern Blvd. and E Road would contain two banks and five medical office buildings. The project, dubbed Southern Crossing, has been in the planning stages for years.

The council reviewed a request to change the zoning of the property from its current agricultural-residential status to that of a multiple-use planned development, but several council members and town residents raised concerns about the project’s design, particularly drainage plans.

Although council members wanted to table the request until their concerns were resolved, they gave their approval on first reading with assurances that the issues would be addressed before the item comes up for a second required hearing scheduled for Nov. 18.

Planner Brad Miller, representing the applicant, offered the council an alternative entranceway plan that would reconfigure its E Road entrance to allow right turns for traffic entering the site from the southbound lane on

the street, while forcing exiting traffic to continue southbound.

“It would restrict the traffic going north into the community,” he said. Miller also asked for the council’s assistance in convincing the Florida Department of Transportation to allow entrance and exit from Southern Blvd.

“You could consider assigning it through letter support or through a council member or the mayor attending a meeting with FDOT with us,” he said. “If the exit from Southern Blvd. is not approved by FDOT, there would only be one exit lane through the project… We feel it’s important for future tenants.”

Miller also told the council that outstanding concerns about drainage would be addressed, and that over several years his client had worked extremely hard to satisfy the requirements of Palm Beach County, neighboring residents, and the town once it incorporated.

“Our client is at the end of his rope,” Miller said. “We have done everything we can to address the issues with the county when dealing with the property.

Once the incorporation came along, we tried addressing the comments at the various hearings we had. Hopefully we can resolve all your issues of concern. Our goal is to have a final answer from you.”

Consulting engineer Rob

Rennenbaum, who handled the traffic and drainage engineering for the project, said he had met the legal standards for drainage.

“I have prepared a signed and sealed drainage statement for the proposed outfall and proposed drainage system as well as the list of permitting agencies we would go through,” he said.”

Councilman Dennis Lipp took issue with the proposed appearance of the project, noting that Miller attended the town’s visioning sessions earlier this year that discussed architectural standards.

“I heard we wanted to sort of create a different kind of look for Loxahatchee Groves, as opposed to every MUPD up and down Military Trail and to have more of a town feel on Tangerine,” he said. “This is the same project that I saw when the Loxahatchee Groves Landowners’ [Association] looked at it. Rita Miller and Joan Shewmake wanted a park. The project never changed. I was hoping that when I saw it, it would be different, but it’s the same-old, same-old.”

Councilman Dave Autrey said he was concerned about drainage. Autrey wanted to see something more along the lines of a master plan for the area, rather than working on one part at a time. “You are taking a fairly large part of the area and you are making a bathtub,” Autrey

said. “My concern is what this project will do to these homes and the overall drainage pattern to the area. If it’s flowing to the south, what are we going to do with the folks to the north?”

Councilman Dr. Bill Louda agreed with concerns raised by Autrey and Lipp, but said he also sympathized with the applicant’s lengthy review process.

Louda said he might support ingress and egress from Southern Blvd., but had some concerns about the drainage as well, especially given the recent difficulties residents in that area encountered due to Tropical Storm Fay.

During public comment, Marcella Blvd. resident Frank Schiola urged the council to apply a condition that the drainage concerns be met in order to get the project moving and protect residents as well.

“If the owner of the property doesn’t meet it, you don’t have to give a certificate of occupancy,” he said.

Tangerine Drive resident Guy Harmon said his land is surrounded by the property, and he didn’t have a problem with the project being built there, but he was worried about the drainage, and an apparent lack of sufficient buffering.

“I don’t have a problem with them building there,” Harmon said. “I have a problem with the barrier between my property and

‘I heard we wanted to create a different kind of look for Loxahatchee Groves, as opposed to every MUPD up and down Military Trail.’ — Councilman Dennis Lipp

a commercial business. That’s why I am not too happy about this. They block the highway with a 40-to-60-foot berm, and they have this strip of green between me and my property. They have a drainage ditch between me and my property.”

Miller said the applicant had responded to the requests and comments raised by the county and also by the town, and also said they were complying with drainage and buffering. He said he wanted to cooperatively work with and get approval from the town because the applicant is one month away from going to the county commission for rezoning of the property as well.

Attorney Marty Perry, also representing the applicant, said his client had also done his best to address the issues raised.

“These people have met every requirement of the ULDC and met every requirement for conditions that deal with drainage,” he said. “Once the approval is in place, they have to come back with the permits. This is not the end of the process. There will be continued review and super-

vision. I think it’s a good project. It’s well designed. I would urge your support.”

Louda made a motion for approval, but it died for a lack of a second. Town Attorney David Tolces asked if there could be a motion to table the item. Autrey made a motion to table, which was seconded by Louda. Town Clerk Matt Lippman urged the council to approve the item to get the process moving along and give the applicant an opportunity to address the concerns rather than wonder where to go next. Tabling it would only delay the process further, while the council would have another opportunity to withhold approval on second reading. “If you as town council don’t feel it’s satisfactory, the option is to deny second reading, and it won’t pass,” he said. After a motion to reconsider the tabling, Louda made a motion to approve, which was seconded by Autrey. It passed 4-0 with Mayor David Browning absent. A second reading for the item is scheduled for the council’s Nov. 18 meeting.

Town, District To Form Board Aimed At Fostering Cooperation

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report

The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council agreed last week to set up an inter-governmental board with the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District to improve cooperation between the two entities.

The council held a special meeting Oct. 28 to discuss the findings of a study that suggested the committee as an alternative to making the district a dependent entity of the town.

The council authorized the study after a summer of difficult relations with the district, which is the town’s official road and canal maintenance authority. Several council members have called for an end to the 90-year-

old district’s independence, saying residents would be better served, and their tax dollars saved, by a single government entity.

But the study, charged with evaluating the benefits of either making the district a dependent entity or reducing it to its original drainage responsibilities, determined that the district has performed well and that taking either direction would exact both a financial and a political toll.

While the report discussed a third alternative, leaving things as they are, it also drew up a fourth alternative, the creation of a special four-member committee consisting of a council member, a district supervisor and an

administrative representative from each body to work together on maximizing delivery of services to residents.

A chief issue has been the control of the town’s share of gas tax revenues, which are restricted to road maintenance projects.

Last week’s meeting was held at Loxahatchee Groves Elementary School and attended by several hundred residents.

Councilman Dave Autrey said the council spent two months debating the wisdom of providing $400,000 worth of the revenue to the district for road maintenance without control over the district’s work plans.

“After months and thousands

in attorney fees of your tax dollars we got nowhere and we ended up where we started,” Autrey said. “I am concerned about the costs when attorneys have to negotiate everything coming down the pike. How do we process land development applications if the town doesn’t have responsibility for roads?”

Autrey said the study highlighted the need for better cooperation between the two entities. “It’s cooperation that we don’t have currently at the level needed for us to move forward,” he said.

Councilman Dennis Lipp said he has been frustrated by what he felt was a lack of planning by the district on road stabilization projects that send drivers to

unpaved roads in order to avoid speed tables.

“My wife and I can’t breathe because of the dust,” Lipp said.

“Cut-through traffic will not happen with dirt roads? We all know the truth about that. What is there to love about a rutted dirt road? Is it the dust and washboard conditions in the wintertime or the mud, potholes and washouts that we have in the summer?”

Lipp said the Florida Department of Transportation recommends paving roads that bear more than 400 trips per day, and that some of the dirt roads in the town have well over 1,000 trips.

“It’s a thorny issue, and I think we all need to work together,” he said. “I think our best alter-

native is Alternative No. 4, which is to work together for the betterment of the town, and I think we can do that.”

Mayor Dave Browning, a former LGWCD supervisor, encouraged both entities to work together. “I’m the only one who has sat on both boards,” he said. “I would challenge anybody to find anything that’s run inefficiently as far as the water control board. I think they do a great job with our tax dollars. They spend it wisely, and they’ve done it for a long time.”

Browning, who spent 11 years on the LGWCD board, noted that the report determined there would be no fiscal advantage in doing away with the disSee STUDY, page 18

FUNDRAISER AT DUFFY’S SPORTS BAR BENEFITS HELPING HANDS CHARITIES

Duffy’s Sports Bar in Royal Palm Beach hosted a family-night fundraiser on Monday, Nov. 3 for Helping Hands Charities. The fundraiser was for a five-year-old A.J. Smyth, who has a rare eye disease as well as cerebral palsy. Smyth’s family and friends were there to show support. Ten percent of the checks went to Helping Hands, a charity that was organized to help out with the expenses for Smyth’s surgery. Helping Hands was started by Margaret Steinberger. Originally, the organization focused mainly on seniors and others who for one reason or another have trouble meeting their healthcare needs. Rose-Ann Raies spoke to Steinberger about Smyth, her grandson. One thing led to another and Steinberger decided she wanted to organize an event to help the boy. For more information about Helping Hands, contact Raies at (561) 795-2672 or rose-anne@ apvirtual.com.

Thanksgiving Parade Nov. 15

Indian Trail Improvement District Supervisor Carol Jacobs is hosting the inaugural Acreage Thanksgiving Parade on Saturday, Nov. 15 to kick off the Fall Festival at Acreage Community Park. The parade will begin at 9:30 a.m. for spectators; all participants must arrive at the ITID office by 8:45 a.m. The Mounted COP will park their trailers along 140th Street at the most southern end of the park. Visit www.indian trail.com to download an application to register your float, character, decorated vehicle, band, performing group, etc. You must register as a participant prior to the event. More information is available at the ITID web site. The Chili Chicks will be in the parade along with Santa and Mrs. Claus, the Mounted COP riders and others.

If you are the captain of a team that will participate in the American Cancer Society’s 2009 Acreage/Loxahatchee Relay for Life next April, this is a great way to display your team’s theme and to promote the relay. If someone is really creative and wants to mock the Macy’s

NEWS BRIEFS

Thanksgiving Day Parade, a large Snoopy or a large turkey would be great. For more info., e-mail Jacobs at caroljacobs121 @aol.com or Michelle Damone at mdamone70@aol.com.

Church Hosts

Financial Series

Feeling lost or worried about getting lost in today’s economy? Find your way in the “financial jungle” as Church @ the Grove focuses on what the Bible has to say about money and its impact on our lives. The church will host its Lo$t series Sundays at 10 a.m. at Golden Grove Elementary School (5959 140th Avenue North in The Acreage). On Sunday, Nov. 9, the topic is “Cha Ching!” and will include a discussion about the life-changing truth about money. The topic on Nov. 16 is “Weathering the Storm,” which deals with God’s help in the midst of turbulent economic weather. “The Rise and Fall of the Contentment Market” is the theme Nov. 23; follow God’s lead out of the financial doldrums. On Nov. 30, the theme is “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction,” a discussion about eliminating the need for “bigger, better, faster and newer.”

At Church @ the Grove, the music is upbeat, the teaching is relevant, the children’s program is a blast, the atmosphere is casual, the attire is comfortable and the goal is to provide practical, positive scripture-based tools to help you get through each week. For more info., call (561) 3332020 or e-mail churchatthe grove@bellsouth.net.

Thanksgiving At Palms West Presbyterian

Palms West Presbyterian Church in Loxahatchee Groves invites the public to a special celebration of Thanksgiving at the church’s annual Bountiful Harvest on Sunday, Nov. 23. There will be a worship service at 10 a.m., followed by a picnic fellowship lunch. Bring your family, a friend, and a lawn chair or blanket to sit on; chairs will be provided for anyone needing assistance. Food and drink will be provided by the congregation. However, if you would like to bring a dish to share, you are welcome to do so. Palms West Presbyterian Church is located at 13689 Okeechobee Blvd., one and a half miles west of Royal Palm

Beach Blvd. For more information, call (561) 753-6485.

Epilepsy Run/ Walk Saturday

In the spirit of its 2008 campaign theme “Let’s Talk About It,” the Palm Beach branch of the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida is inviting all those interested in learning more about the disorder to attend the Second Annual Walk Talk Run Free for Epilepsy Run/Walk on Saturday, Nov. 8 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Okeeheelee Park’s Micanopee Pavilion. Individual registration is $20, which includes a t-shirt; the cost for walk teams is $40 and includes two t-shirts.

The all-day event will feature a scenic walk and run in the park, a complimentary breakfast for runners and walkers, a silent auction, a Sandals Resort raffle and picnic. Sunny 104.3 FM radio personality Rick Shockley will serve as master of ceremonies and the event also will feature children’s injury prevention activities and appearances by Ronald McDonald and Rory the Lion.

For more information, call the Epilepsy Foundation at (561) 478-6515 or visit www.epilepsy foundation.org/local/florida.

RPB Council Land Gets Rezoned

continued from page 1 seconded by Swift and passed unanimously.

Also Thursday, the council approved the first reading of the rezoning of 63.3 acres of vacant land west of State Road 7 about 1,500 feet south of Okeechobee Blvd. from Residential Mixed Use to Limited Industrial. The rezoning actually reverts the land, which is behind the Regal Cinema, to the industrial zoning it had until 2005. That year the village ap-

proved a site plan and preliminary plat for a residential development on the land, but the site plan expired a year later as no building permit had been issued in that time. Earlier this year the village also reverted the land’s land-use designation to Industrial. “Since that deal wasn’t done, it is coming back to what it was originally zoned for,” Lodwick said. “The developer stands to make nothing more than what was originally on the table under its original zoning.” Mattioli made a motion for approval, which passed unanimously. A second and final reading is scheduled for Nov. 20.

PHOTOS BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER

Margaret and Stewart Steinberger.

Margaret Steinberger, A.J. Smyth and Lynn Keane.

Lisa Brown, Dave Batignani, Heath Lashelles, Karri Batignani and Lauren Taft.

Matt Raies, Rose-Ann Raies and A.J. Smyth.

NEWS BRIEFS

‘An

Implausible Claus’ Comes

To Wellington

The Studio Theatre of Wellington will present An Implausible Claus by Nikki Harmon Fridays and Saturdays, Dec. 5, 6 and 12 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 13 at 2 p.m.

An Implausible Claus is the story of Jensie, a precocious nine-year-old who wants to make sure her holiday wish list “gets looked at by the right person,” so she uses her computer to search the phone records for the address of the Ho Ho Hotline. In her search for Santa, Jensie finds Aaron Lefkowitz, a retired vaudevillian. In the short time the two spend together, an old man’s lost imagination is rekindled and a unique humor bridges an 80-year gap. The Alexandria Times called it “a captivating little jewel of a play.” The play won the 1990 Little Theatre of Alexandria National Competition.

In conjunction with Lee Harris Music Lessons, the Studio Theatre of Wellington’s holiday event will be presented with an open-house flavor. Harris will supply music to greet patrons outside the theatre, activities for both adults and children will be offered, and refreshments will be served both outside during the pre-show concert and inside following the performance. A special matinee performance is planned especially for families and will include the performance of the play along with refreshments following the performance. The studio is located at 11320 Fortune Circle in the Wellington Commerce Park. Reservations are needed due to limited seating. RSVP to (561) 2044100. Tickets are $15 for evening performances, which include an outdoor music concert, tree lighting, activities and refreshments. The matinee will cost $10 for adults and $5 for children, and will include the performance and refreshments only.

WCS Presents Fall Drama Production

Wellington Christian School is getting ready for opening night of this year’s fall drama productions, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap and Robert Mattson’s Much Ado About Murder. These two shows will be presented together on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 14 and 15 at 7 p.m. in the school’s Family Worship Center, located at 1000 Wellington Trace.

“We are so excited for this year’s fall production,” show director and WCS teacher Erika Grimshaw said. “The children have worked so hard perfecting their performances, and they have truly evolved into their characters. We are so proud of each cast member and their commitment to the show, the school and themselves.”

This is Grimshaw’s third year teaching drama at Wellington Christian. Previous performances include The King and I, The Wizard of Oz, A Christmas Carol and most recently, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

Wellington Christian School’s drama department continues to grow and wow audiences. This year, the option of a full dinner has been added. “We realize that the timing is very tight to be able to go out to dinner before the show, so this year, we are bringing a delicious dinner to the show,” Assistant Director Stacey Smith said. “This will allow those attending the ability to enjoy the evening without having to rush around.”

Tickets are available for advance purchase online at the school store at www.wellington

More Backup Needed

continued from page 5 that on their own,” Ventriglio said. After the presentations, Ventriglio asked for motions on the items being requested by the schools. All the requests were approved, although some committee members expressed concerns about how the money would be spent. Some school representatives were asked to bring back more information on where their money would go.

Committee Member Murray Rosen said it is not the intention of the committee to penalize teachers or principals, but in a tightening economy, the committee must keep an even sharper eye on where money is going. While the majority of prin-

christianstore.com or if available, tickets will be sold at the door. For more information on Wellington Christian School, visit www.wellingtonchristian. org or call (561) 793-1017.

Donate Clothing

In these tough economic times, even more pre-schoolers at local Head Start locations are in need of clothes, especially as the weather gets cooler. Some children are sitting out play times because their feet hurt in outgrown shoes. If you can donate, call Wellington Cares Clearinghouse at (561) 7905499. Canned goods, household items and paperback books are always welcome. If a “gently used” item still has life in it, Wellington Cares can probably find a home for it.

League Meeting

On Nov. 12

The League of Women Voters Palm Beach County is hosting a coffee and membership orientation on Wednesday, Nov. 12 from 10 a.m. to noon at Fire Station #30 (9610 Pierson Road, Wellington). The league is a non-partisan organization that advocates good government. Its purpose is to encourage members to promote political responsibility through informed and active participation in government, and to act on selected governmental issues.

This orientation is open to all residents. All former league members are also urged to attend. Guests will learn about the league’s exciting accomplishments this year and about its projects for 2009. Guests will also meet other interesting, civic-minded people have the opportunity to share experiences and ideas with others.

The League of Women Voters is not for women only; men are also welcome. If you plan to attend, or need a ride or have any questions, call Mary Castillo at (561) 793-1404, Bea Perkins at (561) 966-4073 or Elayne Goodman at (954) 933-1862.

Sculptor Demo

At Art Society

The Nov. 11 regular meeting of the Wellington Art Society will definitely “rock.” The featured guest will be local sculptor Stan Switkes, who will be giving a demo on stone carving. The meeting will be held at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center (151 Civic Center Way). Originally from Long Island, N.Y., Switkes began his career as a designer in the fashion industry, creating upscale women’s handbags and sunglasses. In 1992, he retired to Boynton Beach and expanded his interest in stone to full time, refining his skills in this age-old medium. Switkes’ works are created totally by hand — without the use of power tools — and have been exhibited at the Miami International Art Show. Currently, his work is being shown at Gallery 51 in Boca Raton and Down to Earth in Delray Beach, among others.

Light refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m., followed by a brief business meeting at 7 p.m., with the demo starting about 7:15 p.m. While the meeting is free and open to the public, there is a $5 fee for the Switkes demo for non-society members.

Founded in 1981, the Wellington Art Society is open to artists of all mediums and patrons of the arts, providing both local and regional artists the platform to share their work, learn more about their craft and serve the community through their art. For more information, visit www.wellingtonartsociety. org or call President Adrianne Hetherington at (561) 784-7561.

cipals are trustworthy and seek items for the benefit of their schools, he said, in past years principals ordered items that were not tied to such idealistic notions.

“You have to be careful,” Rosen said. “I have no questions about the integrity of the principals or staff within the room tonight, but I am a little cynical. We should see all these things.”

Committee Member Ted Miloch concurred, but also suggested it would be helpful if everyone in the process employed one standard application. It would make it easier on everyone if the principals and teachers could fill out a consistent document every year and not try to guess at what they should be doing.

Village liaison Kathy Tatgenhorst said the committee would get another chance to review the requests at its Dec. 2 meeting before the council’s scheduled review that month.

Nov. 2 at Wellington Village Park on Pierson Road. Children were invited to trade in their Halloween candy for tickets to a variety of fun activities such as games, arts and crafts, a bounce house, face painting and raffles. There were also giveaways, music and a question-and-answer session with Dr. Haik. For more info., call Dr. Haik’s office at (561) 333-8507.

Lily Miranda and Osvaldo Garcia with daughter Giovanni turn in more than seven pounds of candy.

(Front row, L-R) Danny and Debbie Kramer, Tara and Kelsey Marrugo; (back) Julie Silva, Dr. Tomer Haik and wife Shari.

Laura Abarca of Loxahatchee, with daughters Amanda and Alyssa, donated three pounds of candy.

Farrell family members gather for a group shot. Lauren Farrell looks at jewelry.

Richell Breakwell, Bonnie Gay Choman, Lee Spinosi and Sarah Matthews.

Visitors admire a Vietnam-era Huey helicopter.

John Johnson shows off his model trains to fair-goers.

Seminole Ridge Biotech Students Complete Summer Programs

Seminole Ridge High School

senior Jacquelyn Eckles participated in the annual eight-week Palm Beach Community College Math & Science Institute this past summer. In addition to lectures on DNA, gel electrophoresis, the biotechnology industry, cloning and bioremediation, Eckles’ experiences included hands-on laboratory work in DNA isolation, cell cultures and recombinant protein production. She was pleased to work in a professional setting.

“The new biotech facility at PBCC has a very nice lab in a brand-new, state-of-the-art biotech building,” Eckles said.

She also toured Scripps Florida, earning college credit for the experience. Eckles’ participation in an honors project required that her group produce a product to improve their community economically while preserving the environment. Her group’s idea: a genetically modified, drought-resistant grass which

grew more slowly, lowering lawnmower use and reducing gasoline emissions.

Hawk junior Chris Dreyer participated in the annual tenday National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine at Villanova University in Philadelphia. His experience included medical lecture sessions during the day given by professionals, paramedics and residents from local medical schools. He also went on field trips to hospitals and research centers, observed surgeries, learned how to suture and saw more than 50 cadavers.

“We went to one of the colleges that had a stem cell research lab,” Dreyer said. “It was interesting because college students were helping the professors. I’d really like to work in a research lab, and this experience was probably the most interesting one I’ve ever had.”

• Choral Student to Represent SRHS Statewide — Congratulations to Musagetes cham-

WILDCAT HOSA JOINS LIGHT THE NIGHT WALK

Royal Palm Beach High School’s Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) participated in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk at the Meyer Amphitheatre on Friday, Oct. 17. The Light the Night Walk is an annual event to raise money to support researchers in their quest for better therapies and cures for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. In addition to collecting donations, the RPBHS HOSA students served as volunteers for the Light the Night Walk by handing out awards and cheering on those who completed the two-mile twilight walk. Registered Nurses and RPBHS HOSA co-advisors Karen Kissel and Janet Fabra are the instructors at the school’s Medical Science Academy. Pictured above are HOSA members at the walk.

ber choir member Devin Tassi, who passed the third and final stage of the Florida Music Educator’s Association All-State testing Oct. 27. Tassi will represent SRHS at the FMEA AllState Conference Convention in Tampa Jan. 7-10. Selection to All-State is for students who are the best of the best — thousands of Florida high school band, orchestra and choral members audition annually, but only hundreds make it.

• Swimmers Finish with a Splash — The Seminole Ridge swim and dive teams competed in districts Oct. 27-28, with the girls team placing fifth out of 11 schools and the boys team seventh overall. In addition, several Seminole Ridge divers and swimmers secured spots in the regional competition Nov. 6.

Coaches Mrs. Mierka Drucker and Mrs. Marie Pelfrey recognize the following students for their achievements: Patrick Costan, 2008 district champion,

The Florida Council for Exceptional Children’s Palm Beach County Chapter recently announced its 2008 award recipients.

Barbara Tyler of Western Pines Middle School was named Regular Educator of the Year. Trudy Collins of the Royal Palm School was named Paraprofessional of the Year, and the Special School Board Award went to Gayle Zavala of Gove Elementary School.

Tyler has been a regular educator for 20 years and has worked with ESE students for 17 of those years. Through the illustrations she drew for Plugly, the Horse That Could Do Ev-

and Chris

first place, boys 100 butterfly and second place, 500 freestyle; Ptah Quammie, 2008 district champion, first place, boys diving; Nicole Infinger, seventh place, 100 butterfly and eighth place in 200 individual medley; Natalia Pieschacon, sixth place, 50 freestyle and eighth place, 500 freestyle; Stephanie Rodgerson, eighth place, diving; the team of Costan, Quammie, Elijah Sherriffe and Patrick Soucy placed third for regionals in the 200 medley relay. The following swimmers were honored for consolation finals and team points scored: Naomi Bishop and Chris Snowball, ninth and tenth places respectively, diving; Danielle Davis, 15th place, 100 backstroke; Jaymie Davis, ninth place, 200 freestyle and tenth place, 100 backstroke; Eric Dennis and Carey Elfring, 16th and 11th places respectively, 100 butterfly; Taylor Godfrey: 11th place, 200 freestyle and 13th, 500 freestyle; Ashley Jones, 13th place, 100 backstroke and 14th, 100 freestyle; Kemeta Quammie and Stephanie Rodgerson, 15th and ninth places respectively, 100 freestyle; Soucy, 15th place, 200 individual medley; and Brad Trammell, tenth place, 500 freestyle and 11th, 200 freestyle.

Summer School — Hawk biotech students

participated in summer programs

in their respective fields.

girls

• Volleyball Finishes Firmly in the Win Column — The Seminole Ridge junior

Western Pines’ Tyler Named Educator Of The Year

erything, Mrs. Tyler showed the benefits of inclusion and that no one has to be left out due to disabilities. Different personalities, appearances and abilities can be successful. Tyler instills this philosophy in all her classes because she believes art is one area in which everyone’s expressions are acceptable, no matter how different they might be. There is no “wrong” in art.

Collins has been a paraprofessional at the Royal Palm School for eight and a half years. Zavala has been an active member of CEC for 12 years. She is the current Children’s Advocacy Network representative for Florida CEC.

News From The Mighty Wolverine Sound Band

The Wellington High School Band and its members have had a very busy and successful first quarter this year.

The Mighty Wolverine Sound marching band members earned their 14th straight Superior rating at the Florida Bandmasters Association District Marching Assessment on Oct. 25. The band earned Superiors in all

judged categories, including Music, Marching, General Effect and Auxiliary, and received numerous compliments from the judges on their program and musicality.

Senior band members Meagan Kovacs and Ted Karmelin have been selected for the Tri-State Honor Bands, which will perform at Florida

State University Dec. 4-7. These two outstanding musicians were selected on the basis of musical skill and achievement, and were chosen to perform with the top 400 band students in Florida, Georgia and Alabama. The band members are now preparing for the annual winter concert, to be held on Thursday Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. in the Wellington Landings Middle School gym. Admission is free and all are invited. The concert will feature holiday favorites and traditional band music. Sponsorship opportunities are available for individuals and businesses. Call Band Director Mary Oser at (561) 753-9444 for more information on these sponsorship opportunities.

varsity

volleyball season concluded last week with a 12-3 record, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the players and coaches. Mr. Austin Clubb and “Coach Joe” congratulate Courtney Cotromano, Lindsey Hanrahan, Jenna Kratz, Karlee Lauer, Morgan McClain, Kelsey Schultz, Kailey Shinn and Alexa Wilhelm on an awesome season and a job well done.

Jacquelyn Eckles

Dreyer

to study

Awarding Educators — Palm Beach County School Board

Chair Bill Graham, Trudy Collins, Linda Boyd, School Board Member Dr. Sandra Richmond, Laura Pincus, Karen Woods, Barbara Tyler and Gayle Zavala.

Wellington High School ‘Day Of Health’

Wellington High School held a “Day of Health” on Friday, Oct. 24 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the school courtyard in conjunction with “Red Ribbon Week” to promote healthier lifestyle habits.

Students gathered pertinent information on health issues, including signing a pledge to remain free of drugs, alcohol and tobacco at the Key Club and SWAT (Students Working Against Tobacco) booths, and visiting booths devoted to the “Going Green Project” just launched in Wellington for tips on safeguarding the environment, conserving energy and reducing pollution. A major participant in the fair was the HealthCorps Fit Club, representing a new in-school program

offered to students to help motivate them to live an active and healthy lifestyle. The Fit Club offered stress relief and chances to win weeklong passes to the local LA Fitness for the entire family by participating in “Health Jeopardy.” In the U.S., about nine million children over six years old are considered obese. Disturbed by the staggering figures and his own experience in the operating room treating younger and younger patients, health expert and cardiac surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz founded HealthCorps to help stem the crisis of child obesity through a groundbreaking mentoring program modeled on the Peace Corps program. HealthCorps “coordinators” such as Sarah Levant at WHS are recent

college graduates who have deferred medical school or graduate health program studies to participate in public service. A chief goal is to empower students to become educated consumers and health activists and encourage them to develop positive behavioral shifts that enhance self-esteem and mental resilience. Another resource available to students at WHS is DATA (Drug Abuse Treatment Association). Their mission is to provide effective quality programs for children, adolescents and their families experiencing problems with substance abuse and/or juvenile delinquency. DATA provides school-based counseling services to 11 middle and high schools in Palm Beach County.

CRESTWOOD HOLDS MOCK ELECTION

in the election. The results were 794 votes for Sen. Barack Obama and 139 for Sen. John McCain. Pictured here, eighth grader Kayleigh

Hawk Chorus

Garage Sale

Set For Nov. 15

Highlights Red Ribbon Week

Claudia Penry is the schoolbased counselor at WHS. The services include assessment; intervention and treatment planning; individual, group and family counseling sessions; and substance abuse education. Counseling services are provided to students who are willing to meet weekly and implement an intervention plan to establish goals that may include, but are not limited to: grief, substance abuse, anger, family issues, stress and self-esteem. If a student is in need of more extensive services, the appropriate referral is given to the student and family. For more information, contact Levant at sarah.levant@health corps.net, or Penry at (561) 7954915 or penry@palmbeach. k12.fl.us.

WHS Debate Team Excels At Annual Blue Key Tournament

Wellington High School’s debate team enjoyed great success at the 25th Annual Florida Blue Key Speech & Debate Tournament in Gainesville over Halloween weekend.

Junior Michael Stechschulte took third place overall in Student Congress, while senior Amanda DeStefano joined him in the tournament’s Super Congress finals.

DeStefano also placed sixth in the Florida Blue Key Round Robin Legislative Invitational that took place the day before the full tournament.

and seventh grader Ian

Crestwood Pasta Dinner On Nov. 13

Crestwood Middle School in Royal Palm Beach will be hosting its annual Pasta Dinner/Silent Auction on Thursday, Nov. 13 from 5 to 8 p.m. in the school cafeteria. Ticket sales began Oct.

The Seminole Ridge High School chorus will hold a garage sale on Saturday, Nov. 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the parking lot of the Burger King restaurant at 7040 Seminole Pratt Whitney Road. Items include something for everyone — furniture, lawn tools, clothing, household items, books and much more. All items have been donated by the choral parents, students, families and friends. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the chorus students’ trip to Virginia Beach for competition during spring beak. For more information, call (561) 784-8881.

28. Come out and enjoy an evening of dining and entertainment with family and friends. The evening’s live entertainment will include the Eagle talent showcase, band, chorus, student/staff pasta eating contest and a fashion show. The silent auction will include gift certificates from local businesses and theme baskets from each grade level. The cost is $6 in advance, and tickets sold at the door on Nov. 13 will be $7. Everyone is welcome. For more information, call the Crestwood main office at (561) 753-5000.

In Dramatic Performance, sophomore Christine Simmons advanced to the quarterfinal round with her performance of Susan Parker’s “Tumbling After.”

The Public Forum team of senior Alexa Boulanger and junior Charlie Burke went 4-2 in preliminary rounds before bowing out in the double-octofinal round. Sophomore teammates John Cassel and Jack Townsend also went 4-2, but did not advance beyond prelims.

The Public Forum team of freshmen Collin Bachi and John Ferraris went 3-3 in their firstever competition together.

Lincoln

Alex

com-

the junior ranking as the 14th-best speaker overall. Wellington earned nine new National Forensic League degrees. Burke surpassed the 250point mark and his Degree of Distinction, while Boulanger passed the 150-point plateau and

Send school 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.

Finalists — Suncoast student legislators Bo Lint and Danneile Davis with Wellington legislators Michael Stechschulte and Amanda DeStefano at the 2008 Florida Blue Key Speech & Debate Tournament.

Douglas Debater

Hernicz went 3-3 in

petition, with

Crestwood Middle School in Royal Palm Beach held a school-wide mock election on Friday, Oct. 31. A total of 933 students in grades six through eight participated

Crenshaw (left)

Fawcett (right) cast votes.

her Degree of Excellence. Earning the Degree of Merit were first-year debaters Max Clark, Sara Fabben, Ferraris, Jackson Garber, Eric Melamed, Jason Tufenkdjian and Sarah Wagner. The Wellington High School debate team’s next tournament is this Saturday at J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs.

Day Of Health — Wellington High School students Yasmine Julimisse, Jovaniel Paisley and Stephanie Joseph at a booth promoting a drug-free lifestyle.

Correa, Klammer Wed

Veronica Correa and Kevin Klammer were married July 26 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Miami Beach. A reception followed the ceremony at Comber Hall in Coral Gables.

The bride is the daughter of Gilda Suarez and Pablo Correa, both of Miami. Veronica received her bachelor’s degree in food science and nutrition from the University of Florida in 2005. She then received her master’s degree in biomedical science from Barry University in 2007. Veronica is currently a second-year medical student at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, Va.

The groom is the son of Kenneth and Patricia Klammer of Wellington. Kevin received his bachelor’s degree in telecommunications from the University of Florida in 2003. He received his master’s degree in sports management from Florida State University in 2005. Kevin is employed in college sports marketing as a senior account executive for ISP Sports at their Virginia

Tech property in Blacksburg, Va.

The couple now resides in Christiansburg, Va.

Matt Auerbach’s ‘Night Shul’ Heads To

WBZT Radio

Night Shul, a Jewish-themed radio show heard solely on the Internet in August and September, has made the move to Clear Channel’s 1230 AM WBZT Radio.

Beginning Nov. 11, Night Shul can be heard Tuesdays at 8 p.m. throughout Palm Beach and Broward counties. The show, which is hosted by Wellington resident and quintessential New York transplant Matthew Auerbach, will also be streamed live on the Internet at www.wbzt.com.

Auerbach hopes to engage the unaffiliated Jewish community in a fun, entertaining and informative way.

Auerbach is a 20-year show business veteran, a multi-talented musician, comedian, producer and writer with credits that include HBO, Comedy

Central, MTV,VH1, FX and currently produces for Deco Drive on WSVN 7, Fox’s Miami affiliate.

Night Shul guests have included Rabbi Erica Rosenkranz from the Commission of Jewish Education, actor Stephen Collins, State Sen. Dave Aronberg and religious leaders from all denominations. Rabbi Michael Singer from Temple Beth David in Palm Beach Gardens will be a guest on the first show.

Night Shul is committed to connecting the Judaic community and bringing all aspects of Judaism into the 21st century. The show’s motto says it all: “a little schmooze, a little news and everything important to the Jews.” For more information, e-mail nightshulradio@aol.com.

Teacher Sal Muciño Honored By Gov. Crist

Wellington High School math teacher Sal Muciño and his family were invited to the Governor’s Mansion on Oct. 14 on behalf of his students and his contributions in the classroom. Gov. Charlie Crist honored Muciño along two other Hispanic teachers and student essay winners for their outstanding efforts during the annual celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

The AP calculus and informal geometry instructor was surprised by the nomination and honored by the award presented by the governor. He was joined by his wife Tami and daughters Katie and Brooke.

Muciño, Barbara Jarrett from Hillsborough County and Hector Varas from Broward County were honored with the Excellence in Education Award for their contributions to education in Florida. Each received an

award check for $1,500, as well as a $500 gift certificate for classroom supplies, made possible by Office Depot.

Muciño was nominated by past and current students. On the drive back to Wellington, he stopped in to personally thank University of Florida student Jonathan Keenan, who was instrumental in Muciño’s recognition.

Muciño also extended his appreciation to all his students.

“Winning the award gave me and my family a unique opportunity to meet the governor of our state. It also gave me a sense of pride for what I do every single day in class,” Muciño said. “I do not believe that I would be the teacher that I am without the students that I have. All of my students are great and they allow me to love my job.”

Crist applauded all the par-

ticipants for showcasing their exceptional talents, and congratulated this year’s winners.

“The Sunshine State’s diverse Hispanic community contributes greatly to our eco-

Ideal, Dream Schools Host ‘Koreystock’

More than 300 students, parents and staff of Ideal Elementary School and Dream Middle School attended Koreystock, a family campout and music festival on Oct. 18 at Pony Express Polo Farm in Wellington.

The event kicked off with a family field day of fun and games with the children, parents and teachers. Later, everyone set up tents and “rocked” to teenage sensations Amy Seach and C.J. Ehrenberg, rock bands Ruckus and Attractive Nuisance, Mr. Cesta’s Musical Group, and children’s entertainer Mr. Al.

In the spirit of music, family and fun, Ideal and Dream School created their own family version of Woodstock, Koreystock. Families could be seen singing and dancing to live music, socializing with each other around an enormous bonfire, and feasting at the delicious barbecue.

“The campout was a true testament to the fact that the Ideal and Dream schools offer a great sense of community and family,” preschool parent Nicole Mannino said.

The Koreystock music festival was such a positive experience that plans are already being made for next year’s event.

“Our wonderful families know that regardless of tough economic times… if you are able to play, sing and sleep under the stars with the ones you love… then life is good and you are truly rich,” Ideal and Dream director and owner Wendy Soderman said.

Ideal Elementary School and Dream Middle School are privately owned schools located in Royal Palm Beach, offering preschool through eighth grade. The curriculum for both schools is based on Dr. Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligence. For more information, visit www.idealelementary.com.

Veronica Correa and Kevin Klammer

nomic and cultural vitality,” Crist said, “and Hispanic Heritage Month is an outstanding opportunity to highlight individuals who embody the spirit of this unique community.”

Honored — Wellington High School math teacher Sal Muciño (second from right) with daughters Katie and Brooke, Gov. Charlie Crist and Muciño’s wife Tami.

Teenage sensation Amy Seach performs a song.

Quinn Van Popering hops along during a sack race.

Ideal students compete in the field day potato sack race.

Shaylee Flores competes in a hula hoop contest.

Acreage Cheerleaders Trick Or Treat At Southern Self Storage

The Acreage Xtreme Cheerleaders spent Saturday, Oct. 25 at Southern Self Storage on 8452 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach helping with the business’ Second Annual Trick or Treat Kids Fest.

Empty storage units were set up with fun activities for the children to enjoy. There was a bounce house, haunted house and hay rides.

Local businesses were there handing out candy. The Bloodmobile was also there for the adults to donate blood. For every pint of blood, donors received a free ticket to Fright

Nights at the South Florida Fairgrounds.

Upcoming events for the Acreage Xtreme Cheerleaders include performing at the Acreage Fall Festival at Acreage Community Park on Saturday, Nov. 15, performing at the End of Year Pep Rally at Acreage Community Park on Friday, Nov. 21, and competing at the Broward County Convention Center on Sunday, Nov. 23. To sponsor the team, or for more information, call Head Coach Melody Sayles at (954) 410-1709 or visit www.xtreme cheer.9f.com.

Bus

Royal Palm

Seniors Ride Palm Tran

On Wednesday, Oct. 7, a training trip was arranged for 20 seniors to travel via Palm Tran from Royal Palm Beach to the Mall at Wellington Green then transfer to another Palm Tran bus to Clematis Street in CityPlace. They then took Molly’s Trolley for a short run ending up at the Cheesecake Factory in West Palm Beach.

The participants enjoyed a delicious lunch and cheesecake, and then after a brief shopping trip across the street to Macy’s they returned to take the trolley

front row) Stephanie Fischer, Lindsey Sutherland, Allison Walker, Kristina Costanza, Daisa Grafton, Raylynn

Haley Beckowitz, Rebecca Birch, Alexis Howell, Shannon Nezbed, Brittany Holstein, Amber Amarescu and Amanda DeCosta;

Morgan Moody and Ashlyn Conerly.

For more information about senior programs in Royal Palm Beach, call (561) 792-5503 or (561) 790-5149.

Seniors wait for a Palm Tran transfer at the Mall at Wellington Green to take them to CityPlace. and buses back to Royal Palm Beach. The trip was educational, and for most people it was the first time they had traveled on the Palm Tran bus to CityPlace, saving gas and sitting back and enjoying the sights or catching up on some reading. The trip was arranged by Dolly Hughes, senior program coordinator at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center.

WHO’S NEW!

Konnor Ronald-Washington Williams — son of Kadie and Kaestner Williams of Wellington was born at Palms West Hospital on Oct. 1.

Cole Christopher Reickel — son of Christina and Kurt Reickel of Wellington was born at Wellington Regional Medical Center on Oct. 5.

Hunter Joseph Schaffner son of Cristy and Adam Schaffner of Loxahatchee was born at Palms West Hospital on Oct. 6.

Joseph Henry Wludyga Jr. — son of Leandrea Lynn and Joseph Henry Wludyga of Wellington was born at Wellington Regional Medical Center on Oct. 7.

Ava Juliann Castano daughter of Kristen Westfield and Anthonyn Castano of West Palm Beach was born at Palms West Hospital on Oct. 9. Felix Lucas Fernandez

son of Nellie and Felix Fernandez of West Palm Beach was born at Palms West Hospital on Oct. 10.

Michael John Hannah Jr. — son of Latoya and Michael John Hannah Sr. was born at Palms West Hospital on Oct. 12.

Jayson Allen Patterson son of Natasia Torres and John Patterson was born at Palms West Hospital on Oct. 13. Lysis Mariyah Croney daughter of Franteva Edmond and Irving Croney of Royal Palm Beach was born at Wellington Regional Medical Center on Oct. 16. Camilla Rose Linares daughter of Tiffany Falta and Edwin Linares of Wellington was born at Palms West Hospital on Oct. 20. Joseph Ryan Graves — son of Jannifer and Kevin Graves Sr. was born at Palms West Hospital on Oct. 23.

Trip —

Beach seniors enjoy lunch at the Cheesecake Factory in West Palm Beach.

(L-R,

Melendez,

(back row)

(L-R, front row) Stephanie Fischer, Rebecca Birch, Amanda DeCosta and Haley Beckowitz; (back row) Lindsey Sutherland, Alexis Howell, Shannon Nezbed, Taylor Lamoureux, Ashlyn Conerly, Morgan Moody, Soleil Anerio, Kristina Costanza, Daisa Grafton, Amber Amarescu, Raylynn Melendez, Brittany Holstein and Allison Walker. Present but not pictured: Bernadette Nunez and Hope Powell.

The annual Trick or Treat celebration was held last week on Citrus Grove Blvd. in The Acreage. The Indian Trail Improvement District

ITID supervisors Sandra Love Semande, Mike Erickson, Carol Jacobs and Michelle Damone.

ITID Parks Director Tim Wojnar, dressed as SpiderMan, joins little “Spidey” in the pumpkin patch.

Letters continued from page 4 fields are stretched. Practice fields are needed now. Our football, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, hockey and cheerleading programs serve thousands of our children. Enrollment increases every season. If the council moves ahead and gives away K-Park, where will it provide future facilities and at what cost? We parents also recognize these are hard economic times. This land could provide an income stream that could forestall cuts in existing village programs or increases in our property taxes.

Today more than ever we need a safe place in which our children can play, learn and, yes, compete. We are certainly not against education; on the contrary, we are totally in favor of it. However, education takes on many forms and venues.

The council showed great wisdom and insight when KPark was purchased. It was a bold and innovative decision. Giving K-Park away is not a win-win proposal for village residents; it is lose-lose.

Tom

Shea and Amy Gibbons Wellington

Town Should Be Dissolved

A few weeks ago, I sent out a survey regarding the Town of Loxahatchee Groves asking the people of the Groves whether they wanted to remain a town. My assertion was very simple — that the taxpayer will pay less out of pocket if there is no town versus having a town.

In response to my mail-out, I received a letter from Councilman [Dr. Bill] Louda stating that I was “misinforming the average reader into thinking that deincorporation would reduce taxes.” The letter made the ridiculous assertion that it is less expensive to have a town than not to have a town. Councilman Louda’s letter was handed out at the Oct. 7 town meeting. Other council members seemed to agree with his illogical statement that incorporation had reduced property taxes.

Do the members of the town council actually believe that the average voter in Loxahatchee Groves is not intelligent enough to look at his tax bill and see the line “Town of Loxahatchee Groves,” which has a 1.5 millage rate (exactly the amount passed by the town) and equal to $450 for a $300,000 taxablevalue property? There is absolutely no logical way to explain how a 1.5 millage rate increase equals a lower tax payment. It is this kind of “doublespeak” on the part of the council that initiated the drive to de-incorporate in the first place. The council attempted to defend their assertion by implying that extra sources of funds the town will/may get are somehow subtracted off what we pay in taxes. However, these monies are not returned to the taxpayers, nor do they lower the property tax rate to zero percent. Thus far, it seems that all of these extra funds are being spent on a long list of outsiders (lawyers, lobbyists, comprehensive planning, code enforcement, planning and zoning, and the list will go on and on). If the council sincerely believes that becoming a town is less expensive to the taxpayers, they should refund all of the property tax paid to the town plus some of the “extra money” coming in.

Another example of doublespeak is [Dave] Autrey, Louda and [Marge] Herzog’s vote to disregard the town charter and move forward with a study of the future of the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District. The charter states: “Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District: Continuation. Notwithstanding the incorporation of the Town of Loxahatchee Groves, the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District, an independent special district created pursuant to the laws of the state, is authorized to continue in existence.” Somehow, these three were able to convince themselves that it is acceptable to publicly disregard the charter, and spend taxpayer dollars on a study designed to substantiate their (incorrect) assertion that it would be cheaper to combine the two entities than to operate as we are today.

Blotter continued from page 6 eastbound through the parking lot of the 7-Eleven convenience store on Royal Palm Beach Blvd., just north of Southern Blvd. The vehicle then proceeded to Camellia Park Drive and made a right turn onto Royal Palm Beach Blvd., failing to stop both times for stop signs. The deputies stopped the vehicle on Balsam Drive and contacted the driver and passenger.

The study concluded that combining the two entities “does not currently present a material gain in efficiency or reduction in costs, would be costly to implement and may be viewed controversially by residents without clear return to the community. Legislative approval is difficult under the best of conditions when both parties agree.”

Despite the unequivocal results of the study, I predict that we will now watch these same three councilmen say they will follow the recommendations by first seeming to work with the water control district, and then at a future date go forward with an attempt to make the water control district a dependent district. They will come up with “other” reasons that outweigh the study’s results. They will spend large sums of taxpayers’ money on this endeavor, and the final result will be exactly as the study states: “several attempts by other municipalities to have such districts involuntarily convert to dependent status have not been successful.” A good use of taxpayers’ money? I think not. I ask the public, how can anyone believe anything that some of the councilmen say from this point forward? I personally have lost all faith in the town. They say that things have changed and they see things differently now. If this is the case, how do I know they will protect Loxahatchee Groves in the future any more or better than the county? Things will change again and they will see things differently in the future. In some respects, we are worse off today than we were under the county, and taxpayers are funding the decline.

Eric Marple Loxahatchee Groves

Leave Groves

District Alone

The recent attempts by the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council to dissolve or change the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District from an independent district (a district that has its own governing board elected by the taxpayers) to a dependent district (a district that is overseen by the town council) has turned into not only a political nightmare for the town council but a financial nightmare for the town and district taxpayers. The political nightmare: a study, approved by council members Dave Autrey, Marge Herzog and Bill Louda (Councilman Dennis Lipp and Mayor Dave Browning voted against it), commissioned and paid for by the town council, found that the water control district has and is currently operated as efficiently and fiscally responsible as possible. The report also found that any takeover by the town would cost more money than would be saved by keeping the district as is. This battle of power was initiated by the town over one and a half years ago (even though the town charter stated that the district would stay independent) while the town was just six months old. As we fast-forward to present day, we find the town still trying to find its way while the taxpayers of Loxahatchee Groves pay for their mistakes. The district was forced to defend itself from this hostile takeover by reluctantly spending taxpayer money. The taxpayer nightmare: the money that was spent by the district on attorney fees and the town on a water control district feasibility study as well as attorney fees is massive. The town has not been the guardian of taxpayer money and has not represented the taxpayers’ best interests.

This wasted taxpayer money could have paved a road or solved more urgent problems. The town needs to worry about trying to run day to day operations of the town before trying to take on more responsibilities. Maybe some years down the road when the town is operating smoothly it might make sense to bring the district under the town’s legislative umbrella. The town should listen to their consultant, and more importantly to the residents, and apologize for wasting our money and promise something like this won’t happen again. Frank Schiola Loxahatchee Groves

Upon speaking to the passenger, the juvenile, one of the deputies noticed that he was acting nervous and would not make eye contact, according to the report. After asking the juvenile to exit the vehicle, the deputy noticed a small plastic baggy of marijuana on his seat. The juvenile admitted the marijuana was his. He was placed under arrest and released to the custody of his mother.

ELECTION DAY IN THE WESTERN COMMUNITIES

Supporters of various local, state and federal candidates turned out to do some Election Day campaigning Tuesday at polling places across the

Abruzzo State Races

continued from page 1 district to run in as a Republican because of the registration disadvantages from the start,” Coates told the Town-Crier. “We were also outspent, which seals the deal. We were limited in terms of fundraising, due in part to what was happening in the county. We were unable to put on any high-priced television ads, while my opponent put in a very substantial amount of his own money. But I don’t know if that would have made a difference at the end of the day.”

The dominance of PresidentElect Barack Obama’s campaign did not help, Coates said, adding that he had hoped voters would have been won over by his “independent choice” stance on the issues, and less influenced by special-interest groups.

“Even though I’m on the Re-

publican ticket, in terms of where I stand on the issues, I’m independent,” Coates said. “I probably would have been more reflective of the district. I would have brought more life experience, and I think that’s important to help guide you in the judgments you’ll be making.”

In State House District 83, Republican State Rep. Carl Domino narrowly fended off a Democratic challenge from attorney Bryan Miller. Domino garnering 41,144 votes (51.6 percent) to Miller’s 38,565 votes (48.4 percent).

Over in the State Senate, Democratic incumbent State Sen. Dave Aronberg easily defeated Republican challenger Matt Caldwell of Lee County in the District 27 race. Aronberg took 119,587 votes (58.7 percent) to 80,902 votes (39.7 percent) for Caldwell with Green Party candidate Aniana Robas taking 3,404 votes (1.7 percent).

“I’m gratified and thankful to the people in the district,” Aron-

Study

Merger

Difficult

continued from page 9 trict. “I can’t see one thing that would be a duplication of services because each one has to do its own audits, have its own lawyers, do their own engineering, and I don’t see any place that would have saved the people a lot of money,” he said. Browning added that the district also gives representation to people who own property but do not live there.

“Now on the other side of it, guys, we’ve got to get along,” he said. “We’ve got to get together. We all represent the people of Loxahatchee Groves. I agree with the study that says

berg told the Town-Crier on Wednesday. “It was a great result in a challenging district. In this district, more people voted in Lee County than in Palm Beach County. I got a lot of crossover votes in Lee County from independents and Republicans.”

Aronberg noted that only 32 percent of Lee County voters are Democrats, and his Republican challenger campaigned as a representative for that area.

“I got 46 percent in Lee County, so I know I got a lot of crossover votes, and I’m grateful for that,” Aronberg said. “I’ve been working in a bipartisan way, and I’m glad it was not unnoticed.”

Aronberg was pleased with the national election results.

“Our country needed change in the worst way,” he said. “I was pleased with the presidential race.”

However, he was disappointed with state election results overall. “The state party will have to evaluate what

went wrong in the legislative races,” Aronberg said. “We had a big Democratic year, and we had no pickups in the Senate and only one pickup in the House. To me that’s a disappointment, not for me personally, but for the Democratic Party.”

Aronberg said he was especially grateful to the people of the western communities, where he concentrated his campaign efforts in Palm Beach County. “In Wellington in particular you have a lot of Republicans and independents who will vote Democratic,” he said.

Also Tuesday, incumbent District 25 State Sen. Jeff Atwater held his seat, defeating Democratic challenger Linda Bird 119,987 votes (62.1 percent) to 68,561 (35.5 percent), with Green Party candidate Anthony Mauro taking 4,782 votes (2.5 percent). Atwater is in line to become the next Senate president.

there is really no detriment to having two separate groups representing the people of Loxahatchee Groves. We do it in Congress. We have a House of Representatives and a Senate. You have the legislative, the executive and judicial that all balance each other out so that one cannot get out of balance. I was not for the study, but I am pleased with the results, and I feel we need to listen to them and work our problems out. We’re all family. We’re all trying to save the people of Loxahatchee Groves bucks.”

Consultant John Petty of District Offices Management, who prepared the study, said more than two decades experience taught him that special districts are very efficient because they engage in one or two specific tasks, such as

water control and roads. He also noted that in Tallahassee, as well as locally, a special district enjoys a certain amount of support.

“Creating a dependent district will cost a considerable amount of funds,” Petty said. “You will need a mandate from the residents, and in the meantime, in Tallahassee you will run into people who protect districts. Even with the will of the people, you probably will still encounter resistance.”

During public comment, equestrian resident Deborah Marshall said the surface the district is using for road stabilization projects, open graded emulsified mix or OGEM, offers bad footing for horses and that her business has suffered as it loses boarders. She also complained that the district has not

built promised horse trails. “I feel that the district is steamrolling over our needs,” Marshall said.

LGWCD Supervisor John Ryan asked the council to give the special committee a chance. He suggested that the participating members rotate every couple of months.

Autrey said he would like town staff to look at the alternative and how it would work, but added, “I don’t agree with everything that Mr. Petty said. If this doesn’t come to fruition, I will be the first to work toward a dependent district.” Browning said he wants to take steps for the two entities to work together. “The bottom line is we’ve got to cooperate,” he said. “The biggest cost is when our attorney is fighting their attorney.”

Three Winners — Joe Abruzzo, Shelley Vana and Dave Aronberg celebrate their election victories Tuesday night. Abruzzo was elected to the State House of Representatives, Vana will join the Palm Beach County Commission and Aronberg was re-elected to the Florida State Senate.

PHOTO BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER

Waiting For Results — Howard Coates checks the election results at his home in Wellington.

PHOTO BY PAUL GABA/TOWN-CRIER

PHOTOS BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER

western communities.

State representative hopeful Joe Abruzzo and his father Peter campaign at First Baptist Church in Wellington.

Mercedes Garcia, Delia Garcia-Menocal and Paul Dean outside village hall in Royal Palm Beach.

Stephanie Noel and Amy Mattessich campaign for Sen. Jeff Atwater outside Fire Station 20 in Wellington.

Candidate Howard Coates campaigns with his wife Cheri at the Wellington Community Center.

Mathew John with his sons Philip and John support Barack Obama.

A HAUNTED GOOD TIME FOR ALL AT WELLINGTON’S ANNUAL FALL FESTIVAL

The Village of Wellington and the Palms West Chamber of Commerce joined sponsor Royal Palm Toyota to present the Wellington Fall Festival last Friday at Village Park on Pierson Road. The fun included the Old Gym Haunted Hallways and continued with a costume contest. Other festivities included face painting, hayrides, a haymaze, door-to-door trick-or-treating, inflatable rides and more.

PHOTOS BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER

Ethan Dell as a car racer.

Jeremy Tyler goes dipnetting for treats.

Starr Considine and Katelyn Ford.

Avery Janenda with her stash of Halloween treats.

Anthony Forgione, Wellington Mayor Darell Bowen and Jeffrey Zipp try to decide the costume contest winners.

Regina, Miranda and Frankie Pritchard as folks from the Middle Ages.Bryce Camilleri as a pirate.Patricia Monroe, Matthew Diaz and Juliana Monroe.

Nick Lauritano with his daughter Arianna.Coral Hatcher gets groovy.

Natasha Bertrand horses around. Jack Wagner with his dad Bruce.Helen Archer greets visitors dressed as a witch.

The Leyva family goes trick-or-treating.

Charlotte Bertrand.

ROYAL PALM BEACH FALL FEST AT VETERANS PARK

The Village of Royal Palm Beach hosted its Fall Fest on Thursday, Oct. 30 at Veterans Park. The event featured magic by Gary Midnight, a performance by the blues rock band On Target, games and candy for kids, a scarecrow contest and more. Vendors were on hand to sell seasonal merchandise, and Wild Orchids Café offered plenty of food and beverage.

A parade of costumes took place on Friday, Oct. 31 at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church in Wellington. Students from the church’s Child Enrichment Center paraded in their costumes and had plenty of fall fun. PHOTOS BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER

Internationally renowned author Barbara Taylor Bradford visited the Wellington library Thursday, Oct. 30 to promote her new book Being Elizabeth . Approximately 75 people came to hear Bradford tell the history of her book’s characters and other anecdotes. There was a question-and-answer session as well as a book signing. Bradford’s husband Robert, who produced ten of her books as televised miniseries and movies, was also on hand. For more information about Bradford, visit www.barbarataylorbradford.com.

Magician Gary Midnight gets help from Jaylynne Mansell.

Royal Palm Beach Mayor David Lodwick and his wife Dana with Councilman David Swift.

Mike Weimer, Jack Donovan, Nanny Danielle Moore and Julia Donovan make scarecrows for the contest.Sydney Temperato decorates a mask.

Emma and Nathan Greetham.

The youngsters show off their costumes onstage.

Robert and Barbara Taylor Bradford.Shelley Raines with her mother Elinor Lawhorn.

Bradford with Donna Rossman and daughter Elana.

Why Good Things Don’t Necessarily Come In Small Packages

Halloween has been over for a week, so it’s a crazy, dizzying downward spiral into the “real” holidays from here on out. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, my Mom’s birthday — I don’t care how many holidays show up in December. I love them all.

Don’t tell anyone, but it was mid-October when I went out for my first holiday “fix.” I just wanted to be in the mall, watching the clerks shove Thanksgiving into a corner to make more room for the red and green, the blue and silver, the red, yellow, green, black… well, the colors of December.

Even though window-shopping is a fantastic pastime, I have become more frugal over the years. It’s not so much the economy (although it should be) but more a realization that my friends and family have every single thing they could possibly

Deborah Welky is The Sonic BOOMER

need or want and in the size, style and fashion they prefer. The only exception is kids and dogs. Kids and dogs can never have too many toys. Plus, toys are funner to buy. (Don’t tell me there’s no such word as “funner” until you set a kid down with two toys. He’ll go straight to the one that’s funner.)

So kids and dogs are exempt from any budget-

ary restrictions or hair-splitting philosophical guesses as to which wallet Uncle Dave would prefer. For kids and dogs, I take a cursory look at the packaging for promises of safety, then load up. Almost anything that comes in a gigantic box will be a hit — even with adults. Having a gigantic wrapped package under the tree or on the side table is like a promise of good things to come. Expectation is 90 percent of the fun of the holidays anyway.

Last year, I bought my husband a Nerf skeetshooting toy. He didn’t need it, want it or ask for it — in fact, he’d never heard of it — but it looked like fun and it came in a big box. Over the ensuing weeks, the box worked its magic and, by the time Mark finally was able to open it, he didn’t care a whit that it contained a plastic toy had been designed for ages seven through ten. In fact, he

and all our Christmas guests spent three happy days blasting foam darts at whirling discs and writing their top scores down on my message board. The game turned out to be pretty challenging, particularly after a few drinks. Since one of my sons works on an aircraft carrier, it was an unofficial “Test Your Skills Against the Fighter Pilot” match. (Relax, America. The fighter pilot won.) It was Jan. 16 before we starting talking about putting it away. Yet it’s still set up — in the kitchen. We diligently walk around it to make breakfast and every once in awhile, one of us will have a bad day so we’ll turn it on and take aim. It’s fun Remember fun?

I don’t know what I’m going to get him this year to top it. Maybe Nerf has come out with an Uzi or something. I’ll keep you posted.

Following Election Season, Even Drug Ads A Welcome Change

I and millions of other Americans are very happy the 2008 elections are now in the history books. I have been living for more years than I want to admit. I have been through many elections, but from the highest office in the land to the lowest, this year’s election was hands-down the dirtiest I have ever seen.

It appears the race for president has been going on for over two years. And as we got closer to election day, the mud-slinging came at us fast and furious. I am so sick and tired of all the political ads that polluted our mailboxes, TV and radio air waves, folks knocking at my door and of course the phone calls from some very famous and notso-famous folks. (Of course, the no-call list does not apply to political calls; gee, I wonder why?) I am ready to welcome with open arms the return of all the magic pill (drug) ads during the nightly newscast. I really hate these ads, but at this point anything is better than the political ads.

Wondering & Wandering

By Ernie Zimmerman

I think the only ones who are sad this election is over are at the TV stations. They had to have made millions. Of course they won’t tell us how much they made, but I am sure it was plenty. I wonder if all of these stations can now survive four more years until the next presidential election rolls around.

I keep asking myself why this election had to get so down and dirty, and for the life of me I can’t come up with a good answer. Both candi-

dates seemed like fine gentlemen just a couple of months ago. But as we got closer to Election Day, they both lost that title. After all, at the end of every ad, they both said their names very clearly and said they approved this ad. This presidential election has sunk to a new low. Many times I thought I was back in the gutters of Brooklyn. OK, maybe it wasn’t that low, but it was nasty. The ugly commercials didn’t only come from the guys running for president. I saw ads where folks running for state, local and federal offices were just as nasty. And they keep asking me why I don’t contribute money to political campaigns. Why should I, so they can run some ugly ads with my hardearned money? I don’t think so.

Now let’s see how green all of these candidates really are. Will they pick up all of their campaign signs that are littering, I mean, “on display” throughout the county? Yeah, you are right, I

won’t hold my breath. Of course to you candidates who did the right thing, my last statement does not apply. But to the other candidates, if the shoe fits… (I was wondering, did anyone ever vote for a candidate because they stuck a sign in the ground or nailed one to a tree or a pole? Just wondering.) Now to the bumper-sticker crowd: if you want to keep your stickers on your

A Senior Halloween Party was held last Friday at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center. In addition to lots of creative costumes, Dick Carmine provided live entertainment and there was plenty of food for everyone.

RPB Senior Activities Coordinator Dolly Hughes (center) with Angela Gregorio and Jean Audia.

Costume winners Charles Kasmir, Clara Sharon, Carrie Parod, Gretchen Lugo, Connie Heiser and Leona Post. Dick Carmine entertains the seniors.

TOWN-CRIER SPORTS & RECREATION Broncos Defeat Wolverines 38-7 To Keep The Wellington Cup

By Candace Marchsteiner Town-Crier Staff Report

For the varsity football teams of Wellington and Palm Beach Central high schools, their Oct. 31 match-up had higher stakes than just a move up the district ladder; the teams battled for the coveted Wellington Cup. The Broncos stampeded the Wolverines for a 387 victory, walking away with the cup for the third consecutive year and bringing the six-year competition to an even three wins for each team.

“It’s always a pleasure to put this back in our case,” Palm Beach Central Athletic Director Jeff Schwartz said.

Before the 7 p.m. kickoff, Wellington celebrated its seniors, introducing members of the football team, band, auxiliary, cheerleading and dance teams along with their parents. For the Mighty Wolverine Sound band, the night

marked their final field performance.

Throughout the first half, the Broncos continually held a frustrated Wolverine team, though not without a few problems. Palm Beach Central’s Patrick O’Donnell successfully kicked a 47yard field goal, but without enough men on the line, the Broncos were penalized five yards for illegal procedure. Undaunted by the 52-yard challenge, O’Donnell placed another perfect kick, giving the Broncos an early 3-0 lead. The night proved golden for the kicker, who nailed every extra point and sailed kickoffs well beyond the end zone for automatic kickbacks.

Senior running back Alex Muniz scored on the next Bronco drive and racked up three touchdowns in the game. An interception and touchdown by Bronco junior Peniel Jean brought the game to 17-0 with 1:18 to go in the

first quarter. By halftime, the Broncos led 31-0.

The game heated up in the second half as Ken Konn put the Wolverines on the board with a touchdown in the third quarter. But the Broncos could not be stopped. Senior Jon Bostic scored the final touchdown of the game to secure the Broncos a 38-7 victory.

After a week of grueling practice for the night’s match, Bronco coach Rod Harris was proud of the results. “The kids showed a lot of character. We had a tough loss last week [to Seminole Ridge], worked hard this week, and we bounced back and played real well tonight,” he said. Palm Beach Central faces top-seeded Royal Palm Beach on Friday, Nov. 7. Wellington has the week off, but will take on John I. Leonard on Friday, Nov. 14.

Cautious And Super-Safe, Chincoteague Ponies Are Great For Kids

When most people think of wild horses, they usually imagine Mustangs galloping over some far-western range, mountains painting a dramatic backdrop. But did you know that there’s another breed of wild horse that runs free on an island just a few hundred miles north of Florida?

Assateague Island is a barrier island on the coast of Virginia. It’s a mile wide and seven miles long, and home to two herds of Chincoteague ponies, which are recognized by the federal government as the only wild herd of horses still grazing east of the Rocky Mountains.

The ponies are protected residents of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and are free to wander the whole island and its beaches, salt marshes and pine forest. They generally travel in groups of five to ten. No one’s sure exactly how the ponies got there. One legend has it that the Spanish galleon Santo Cristo sank off the coast of Assateague, where its horses swam ashore, thrived and bred. A second story claims the horses made their way to the island from an English ship that was wrecked on its way home. Yet a third yarn has pirates bringing the ponies to the island. The most likely explanation is that by the late 1600s, European settlers used the island as a pasture since it needed no fencing and it contained adequate forage.

In order for the herd to remain on public land, it cannot exceed 150 ponies. Each year, toward the end of July, “saltwater cowboys” round them up, swim them across the channel to Chincoteague Island and auction off the foals. This helps keep the herd at a manageable size so it won’t denude the island of vegetation. The ponies also get vet checks twice a year, in spring and fall. Pony penning is an old custom. It was already an annual event in the 1700s, complete with a

Tales From The Trails

By Ellen Rosenberg

festival and lots of liquid refreshment. The penning and accompanying festivities proved a popular draw. In 1909, the last Wednesday and Thursday in July were set as the official pony penning and auction dates.

One of the most unusual parts of the penning is Pony Swim Day, which began in 1924. Before that, they were brought over in boats. The ponies are swum across Assateague Channel to Chincoteague Island on a Wednesday morning. After a vet exam and a brief rest, they’re herded through town to the carnival grounds where they’re penned. The auction is held Thursday, and then the remaining herd swims back to Assateague Island a couple of days later. The first foal ashore each year is given away free to a lucky ticket holder who must be present to win. Michael Dixon, Visitor Services Manager at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, said the experience is not a traumatic event for the ponies.

“Although they’re wild ponies, they’re used to this routine,” he said.

The penning and auction provide a unique experience for the thousands of visitors who participate each year, and include entertainment, rides and attractions and, of course, lots of succulent local dishes such as crab cakes and oyster sandwiches. An average of 85 ponies are auctioned

off at prices ranging from $1,000 to more than $10,000.

Visitors are welcome on Assateague Island every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. There are hiking and bike trails of varying lengths and degrees of difficulty, a wildlife loop and a bus tour. The ponies can be viewed roaming in bands in various places on the island.

Kendy Allen lives on Chincoteague Island and runs the Pony Centre, which is open Easter through Thanksgiving. The center offers pony rides and riding lessons. She loves Chincoteague ponies because they’re really smart, which is just what you’d expect of basically feral animals. Allen said they’re cautious and super-safe and understand the difference between kids and adults, which is why they make great first ponies for kids. Chincoteague ponies are easy keepers with sweet and gentle temperaments. They are versatile and well suited for children, with “puppy dog” personalities. They do well in hunt seat, jumping,

driving, dressage, western pleasure and trail riding. Although they’re called ponies, really the body structure is that of a small horse. They make great mounts for both children and adults. They love attention and are very people-oriented. They come in a variety of colors, including black and white, brown and white, solid black, and solid chestnut with flaxen mane and tail.

Helen Foulke of Loxahatchee bought her Chincoteague pony from a woman in Royal Palm Beach about six years ago. Kassie’s Conquest, known as Quest, is a 13.2-hand, black-and-white pinto gelding about nine years old.

“He was a little wild when we got him, but he’s the best pony we’ve ever had,” Foulke said. “He’s just gorgeous. He’s got this thick mane down to his shoulders, and his tail sweeps the ground. We show him in barrels, and he jumps a three-foot course. I ride him, the kids ride him, and my granddaughter has won tons of awards with him. He’s the most intelligent pony I’ve ever known — so smart, he learns anything in a flash.”

Veterinarian Dr. Eileen Gesoff of Loxahatchee owns Copper, a six-year-old Chincoteague pony. She got him from a woman in Okeechobee who was getting out of the pony party business. Copper is a flashy chestnut, with a long, thick flaxen mane and tail. He provides rides to hippotherapy patients. “He’s a wonderful little pony,” Gesoff said “Super temperament. Very easy keeper. The kids love him. I’m very pleased with him. He’s a great little horse.”

For more information about Chincoteague ponies, call the Chincoteague Pony Association at (757) 336-6917 or visit www. chincoteague.com, or the Chincoteague Pony Centre at (757) 3362776 or visit www.chincoteague.com/ponycentre.

Kassie’s Conquest, a Chincoteague pony.

Bronco Alex Muniz carries the ball as Victor Jones looks to tackle.

Jon Bostic jockeys for a clear running path.

Surrounded by reveling Broncos, PBCHS Principal Dr. Matthew Shoemaker and head football coach Rod Harris take back the Wellington Cup for the school’s third consecutive year.

Palm Beach Central’s Peniel Jean tackles Wolverine John Long. Bronco Alex Muniz carries the ball while Max Maltby looks to tackle.

Wolverine Ken Konn breaks away from the pack.

Wellington’s Stephen Bender kicks as Bronco players attempt to block.

Bronco captains and referees walk to midfield for the coin toss.

P.B. Central cheerleader Kara Brackney with the Bronco mascot.

The WHS dance team thrill the crowd as zombies. PHOTOS BY CANDACE MARCHSTEINER/TOWN-CRIER

POLO PARK WINS BIG IN CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

The Polo Park Middle School baseball team defeated Christa McAuliffe Middle School 11-4 last Thursday in the district championship game held at Olympia Field on State Road 7 in Wellington. Polo Park finished their season with a 12-1 record.

Wellington Hosts Halloween Softball Game

By Candace Marchsteiner Town-Crier Staff Report

On a dark and chilly night, the Village of Wellington men’s softball teams Miller Time and Arrigo Dodge donned costumes for their third annual Halloween softball game at Village Park on Pierson Road.

“They’re just a fun bunch of guys,” Wellington Parks & Recreation Athletic Programs Coordinator Jill Denoff laughed.

By request, Denoff purposely pits the two teams against each other for this game, the last game of the season, when both teams enjoy a combined barbecue.

The costume idea started with wigs, wings and four Miller Time teammates, but that’s another story. “We were scheduled to play the Arrigo Dodge team

and told them we were going to dress up. They showed up in costume, too,” Greg Christiansen recalled.

The two teams became fast friends, and a tradition was born. “We know each other well,” Christiansen added.

Well enough for trickery in the midst of serious competition, as Christiansen tossed a plastic bomb across the plate, causing a hilarious uproar. Miller Time broke the tie of one win each for the annual ghoulish game with a final score of 12-7.

The fall league is one of three men’s softball leagues for ages 18 and up. The next league begins in January. For more information, call Denoff at (561) 791-4786 or visit the village’s web site at www.ci.wellington. fl.us.

Team captain Kyle Perkins steps up to the plate.

PHOTOS BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER

First baseman Andrew Zipp and pitcher Gage Morey.

Third baseman Danny Hernandez.

Coach Craig Kaliser and Andrew Zipp with the trophy. PHOTO COURTESY SHARI ZIPP

Team Miller Time (front row, L-R): Dennis Carpenter, Dennis Davanzo and Bill Gates; (back row) Greg Christiansen, Scotty Gorczycki, Brad Goldstein, Jose DelRosario, Matt Besman, Jeff Greer and Jared Owens.

Team Arrigo Dodge (front row, L-R): Mike Brown, Danny Woodcum, Carlos Cortez, Chris Cortez, Gary Gustafson and Alan Lower; (back row) supporters Theresa Borsch and Keri Moynihan, Craig Lower, Dave Nichols, Frank Sarullo, Brian Nichols, Josh Brown and Greg Gerhardt.

Crybaby Alan Lower endures heckling from Jeff Greer, a.k.a. Curt Schilling of the Boston Red Sox.

Pirate Chris Cortez takes a swing. Mr. Incredible Brian Nichols takes aim for the pitch.

Jose DelRosario (pirate), first baseman Gary Gustafson (NASCAR fan) and base coach Greg Christiansen (Joker).

SPORTS & RECREATION

New Coach To Lead Defending State Champs

There’s a new face in charge of the Wellington High School girls soccer family. That’s right, soccer fans. The always joyous Michael Kozlowski has stepped down as the head coach of the Wolverines’ varsity girls soccer team.

Wolverine Watch

By Josh Hyber

The team’s new coach is Fern Brewer. Brewer and Kozlowski might have their slight differences, but Brewer is surely anchoring an entirely different group of players.

“They both require you to work your hardest,” sophomore Kaelin Ferreira said of their main similarity. Gone from Kozlowski’s 2007-08 state champion club are six seniors, including the franchise’s leader in goals Lindsey Wilkinson, finals co-MVP Danielle Deramo, captain Leah Sylvester and midfielder Star Bollinger.

Still several key players remain from Kozlowski’s closeknit crew.

Junior goalkeeper Samantha Bandremer will continue to be the last line of defense for the Wolverines this year. The veteran who has started since her freshman year will start the season with momentum from her stellar play in the state championship game. The Wolverines will need that momentum, because they open with rivals West Boca and Park Vista within a three-day period.

One significant difference between Brewer and Kozlowski is the style of play Brewer is having the team run. With the departure of the speedy Wilkinson, Brewer has changed the team’s formation. Instead of a two-person offense that focuses on pure speed, the new lineup features three players working to score by using precision passing and chip shots to get past defenders.

The new lineup has a greatly diversified trio of forwards. Making her way into the starting lineup for the first time is freshman Katie Casey.

The big scoring threat is sophomore Natalie Puñal. Puñal, who scored a freshmen record 24 goals last year, has planned on taking more of a leadership role this year.

“I do want to have more goals and assists, but most of all I want to be a better leader than last year and help the new players understand what’s going on,” she said.

However, during their opening game against West Boca Wednesday night — which the Wolverines won 2-0 — Puñal suffered a head injury and was taken to the hospital. It is uncertain whether she will be out for more games.

Puñal, along with defender

Kaelin Ferreira, leads a group of sophomores that is arguably the best in the state. Puñal is easily a Palm Beach County Player of the Year candidate while Ferreira is making a name for herself throughout South Florida. As a freshman, she made a crucial breakup on a two-on-one pass late in the second overtime of the state finals that would have sent the Wolverines packing. In addition to Puñal and Ferreira, defensive starter Brittany Wallrath, as well as important midfield reserves Melissa Welch and Chelsea McCaulley, solidify the unique sophomore class. At the starting midfield positions, the Wolverines offer their most experienced set of players. Seniors Sarah Lenhart, Nicole Lichtenwalner and Deana Bellen will give much-needed stability to the center of the Wolverine lineup, which also features freshman Brittany Middlebrook.

Senior defender Jenny Rigg rounds out the opening lineup with her gritty play and pure determination.

Despite the new look, Coach Fern Brewer has the same overall goal as Kozlowski, and that’s to win.

In the words of Wallrath, “As long as we keep up the hard work in practice, I think we can go along way… and once we get into a rhythm, you can’t stop us.”

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Senior leadership, team chemistry and experience playing together as a team are three important attributes needed by every successful basketball team.

In the case of this year’s Wellington High School girls varsity basketball team, it may take some time to develop the tools of success.

Coach Victor Navarro once again will man the bench of the up-and-coming team. Navarro expects to improve over the course of the season while his players continue to work hard and gain cohesion.

“Last year we were hoping to be above .500, but we finished two games under. This year we’re trying to be at least one game over,” Navarro said of his main preseason goal.

Senior forward Ashley Corrandino, along with juniors Katey Applegate and Stephanie Weiss, know they will have to

Ultima Fitness To Host Kick-Athon On Nov. 22

Ultima Fitness/Xtreme

a.m. Group fitness classes are requiring either a food or monetary donation to take classes that day. County Commissioner Jess Santamaria, who founded the charitable trust, will be on hand. The trust’s mission statement is that the strong and fortunate have an obligation to care for the

step their games up if they want to be successful this season.

Applegate, a starter since her freshman year, has always been a force from long distance, but this year she’s added some new dimensions to her game.

“Katey’s game has improved over the years, she penetrates and kicks more and also looks to score from the inside,” Navarro said.

With Corrandino on the low post and Weiss as a major threepoint scorer, the question is, who’s going to get them the ball?

The answer is sophomore Mercedes Queen.

“Mercedes is very young and very quick,” Navarro said of his new point guard.

How quickly Queen adapts to her teammates will have a significant impact on how quickly the team gains a winning attitude.

The rookie guard will start making her case on Nov. 17,

when the Wolverines open their season against Seminole Ridge.

CROSS-COUNTRY

She’s done it again. On Thursday, Oct. 30, Ashley Brasovan added to her already phenomenal résumé by winning her fourth straight county championship. With the win, Brasovan has certainly put herself into a league of her own as the greatest cross-country runner in the area’s history.

With the closet competitor finishing a minute and three seconds behind, Brasovan cruised to an easy victory at the tough Okeeheelee Park course. Her end time of 17 minutes, 48 seconds meant it was the third time she finished in less than 18 minutes at the county meet.

The star runner now looks to run smoothly through the district meet at Quiet Waters Park on Friday, Nov. 7; results were not available at press time. She will then go on to the regional finals on Nov. 13, and eventually the state finals in Dade City on Nov. 21.

COMMUNIT Y CALENDAR

Saturday, Nov. 8

• The 27th Annual Wellington Boys & Girls Club Golf Classic, presented by Builtx Land Development, will take place Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Binks Forest Golf Club in Wellington. Proceeds will help provide programming for the more than 750 children served by the Boys & Girls Club of Wellington as well as the 1,600 children served by the Boys & Girls clubs of the Glades area. Registration will begin at 7 a.m. for an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. The entry fee is $175. RSVP to (561) 683-3287.

• The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens (4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach) expects to welcome 600 to 1,000 people as it kicks off the Palm Beach County Library System’s fifth annual “Families Reading Together” campaign on Saturday, Nov. 8. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Each child presenting a valid Palm Beach County library card will get free admission to the Morikami for themselves and one adult. Each child will also receive a book, along with promotional library materials to start their own home library. The event will include a variety of crafts, activities and performances. For more info., visit www.pbclibrary.org.

• The Palm Beach County Genealogical Society will hold its general meeting on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 1:30 p.m. at the Main Library (3650 Summit Blvd., West Palm Beach). The speaker will be Loxahatchee resident Judge Nelson E. Bailey, the “Florida Cracker Storyteller,” who will weave a fascinating multi-colored quilt of the state’s history. For more information, call (561) 2332600.

• The Village of Royal Palm Beach will host a Holiday Trunk Show on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 4 p.m. at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center (151 Civic Center Way). Participating vendors include Memorable Treasures (personalized storybooks), Cookie Lee Jewelry, Designer Inspired Handbags and Belts, Uppercase Living, Party Lite Candles, Team Beauti (makeup artist and skin care), BeautiControl Spa experiences, Creative Memories, Kelly Soaps, silk arrangements and more. Doors close at 10 p.m., so bring a friend, show up early and have fun shopping. For more info., call Joanne at (561) 358-2623.

• On Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 8 and 9, residents of Wellington will be treated to the first flower show ever held in the village. The Wellington Garden Club will present “Post Time,” a standard flower show, and will also host a fabulous plant sale offering membergrown plants, nursery-grown plants and hard-to-find native plants. The competition and plant sale will be held at St. David’s-in-the-Pines Episcopal Church at the corner of Forest Hill Blvd. and Wellington Trace. Admission is free. For more information, call Deborah Russell at (561) 793-7360. Sunday, Nov. 9

• In anticipation of Thanksgiving and in commemoration of Kristallnacht, the Sisterhood of Congregation B’nai Avraham invites the public to the presentation “Count Your Blessings” by Rabbi Dr. David Abrams on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 10 a.m. The synagogue is located at 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 6, in the original Wellington Mall. For more info., call Ella at (561) 656-1916.

Tuesday, Nov. 11

• The Village of Wellington will honor all veterans at its Veterans Day Ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 11. The Veterans Day Parade will begin at 8:45 a.m. at the Wellington Community Center (12165 W. Forest Hill Blvd.) and end at the Veterans Memorial, located on the corner of Forest Hill and South Shore boulevards. The Veterans Day Ceremony will begin at 9 a.m.

• Royal Palm Beach will Salute Veterans on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 9 a.m. at Veterans Park amphitheater. There will be a flag-raising ceremony followed by a presentation and live musical performances by the Royal Palm Beach Community Band. Refreshments will be served following the ceremony. Veterans Park is on Royal Palm Beach Blvd. south of Okeechobee Blvd. For more info., call (561) 790-5149

• The next meeting of the Royal Palm Beach Na’Amat Sharon Club will take place on at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center (151 Civic Center Way, Royal Palm Beach). A light lunch will be served, followed by a short business meeting. The speaker will be local pharmacist Larry DeLong.

There is a small fee for lunch for non-members. For more info., call Annette Haber at (561) 793-1484. Wednesday, Nov. 12

• Many of the Palm Beaches’ veteran theater patrons as well as new performing arts enthusiasts are expected to attend “Notte Italiana!” (Italian Night!), a celebratory cocktail party taking place on Wednesday, Nov. 12 from 5 to 7 p.m. to benefit the Theatre Guild of West Palm Beach’s only professional resident theater company, Palm Beach Dramaworks. The evening will honor Charlotte Plotsky and Nada Tauber featuring a festive twohour cocktail party hosted by Café Sapori (205 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach). Café Sapori will further support Palm Beach Dramaworks by contributing 50 percent of all guild member dinner checks for those who choose to remain for dinner following the event. Call Gayle Jacobs at (561) 626-5418, for more info.

• The Northern Palm Beach Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association will host its monthly meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at the PGA DoubleTree Hotel (4431 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens). Networking will be at 6 p.m. with a dinner and program at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $30 for members and nonmembers. Guests are welcome. To RSVP, call Dee Weber at (561) 626-2027.

Thursday, Nov. 13

• WineStyles (10120 Forest Hill Blvd., Wellington) will host a wine tasting on Thursday, Nov. 13 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in recognition of National Diabetes Awareness Month. Throughout November, the Greater Palm Beach County Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the world’s largest charitable fundraiser of type 1 diabetes research, is focusing on a wide range of activities and events to increase awareness of type 1 diabetes. For more info., visit www.jdrf.org or call the JDRF Greater Palm Beach County chapter at (561) 686-7701.

Saturday, Nov. 15

• Royal Palm Beach will host its Fall Fantasy Craft Show at Veterans Park on Saturday, Nov. 15 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cost for vendors is $35 for a covered space and $20 for an open space. All items for sale must be handmade products approved by the event coordinator. Interested crafters may pick up applications at the RPB Cultural Center (151 Civic Center Way) or call (561) 7905149 for more info.

• The Acreage Fall Festival is set for Saturday, Nov. 15 from 12 to 9 p.m. at Acreage Community Park. The event will have two stages for both local entertainment and national acts. Other attractions will include a classic car show and a custom bike display. One of the highlights will be a baby back rib cookoff. Admission is $10 at the gate with children ten and under and active-duty military personnel admitted free. For more information, visit www.acreagefallfest.com or call (561) 420-9509.

• The top ten money saving tips for today’s woman will be revealed in the “Women’s $urvival Guide Series” on Saturday, Nov. 15 at the Wellington Community Center from 1 to 3 p.m. Women will share moneysaving tips and financial education with other women in a supportive, fun environment. For more info., call Beth Schneider at (561) 267-3149 or Sara Mills at (561) 3799991.

• The Neverending Necklace will have its first exhibit ever Nov. 15-16 at the Art of Life Gallery & Frame Shop in the Pointe at Wellington Green. The Neverending Necklace was started 10 years ago in Wellington as a fundraiser for charity and has now become an international project. For more info., call Ingrid Webster at (561) 793-5509. To contact Art of Life, call (561) 7938888.

• The Episcopal Church Women of St. David’s-in-thePines (corner of Forest Hill Blvd. and Wellington Trace) will host its annual Holiday Bazaar on Saturday, Nov. 15 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Sunday, Nov. 16 after Sunday services until 1 p.m. There will be many handmade items, a bake sale, jewelry and hot dogs for sale. Come browse, shop and enjoy lunch. For more info., call the church office at (561) 7931976.

Send calendar items to: The Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414. FAX: (561) 7936090. E-mail: news@gotown crier.com.

Wellington’s Tutoring Club Offers Help For Students Of All Ages

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report

The Tutoring Club is expanding its services to include counseling for college-bound students.

Open for four years in Wellington’s Courtyard Shops, the Tutoring Club has been owned by Jeff Santoloci for the past two years, offering programs for students in kindergarten through college in math, reading and writing, study skills, and SAT and ACT coaching.

Santoloci brought in Gale Nelson as the new director in April to facilitate the expanded college preparation service, which goes beyond coaching for the SAT.

“We brought Gale on to help parents with the preparation in getting their kids enrolled in college and everything that goes into it,” Santoloci said. “It’s one of the big new things that we have this year. The SAT preparation is just for building up their scores. This is for the whole process: scholarships, what schools to apply to, how to make your child more marketable and how to save money with loans and scholarships.”

Santoloci has a master’s degree in education and teaching for elementary and middle school math, and Nelson has a master’s degree in business administration. Counselor Shauna Dougherty, who has a master’s degree in biotechnology, also provides college preparation for students.

Dougherty said she meets with parents to see what colleges their children are looking to attend, and she advises what skill levels and grades they need, as well as other requirements such as whether they should be active in clubs. Santoloci said Dougherty can help students prepare for college as early as middle school.

“There’s two parts to it; she can work with kids who are in

middle school as an early preparation and also work with kids in high school,” he said. “It’s never too late to make sure all your forms are handed in on time and that you’ve applied for all possible scholarships.”

The college preparation is an extension of the Tutoring Club’s focus on scholastics. “We’ve always focused on our tutoring: math, reading, writing,” Santoloci said. “We wanted to be a little more well-rounded and offer the college planning services.”

Nelson said the Tutoring Club guarantees a student will climb one full grade level per subject in its math and reading programs in 32 hours or less.

“For the SAT, we can raise a child’s score on average 100 points,” Santoloci added. “Some children last year actually went up 200 points.”

The Tutoring Club evaluates all new students and sets up a program that focuses on the areas where he or she is behind, Nelson said.

“It’s all customized for what each child’s needs are,” she said.

“We have them take a pre-test, we analyze it and put it in a computer, and we get a custom program built up for them so that each student is working on what their needs are.”

Santoloci said the Tutoring Club’s assessment process begins with the parents.

“We talk to the parents and find out exactly why they came to us, how old their child is and what they are struggling with,” he said. “It may not be a problem but more of an enrichment. We’ll start them off with a pretest. We’ll do a national assessment, which is the California Achievement Test. That will pinpoint exactly where their child is, whether they are behind, and we’ll let them know exactly how quickly we can get them to grade level, and then we’ll work on enrichment afterward.”

‘It’s all customized for what each child’s needs are. We have them take a pre-test, we analyze it and put it in a computer, and we get a custom program built for them so that each student is working on what their needs are.’

—

Gale Nelson of the Tutoring Club

The California Achievement Test is the most accurate method to assess a child’s level of learning because it can determine specific areas where a student needs help, Santoloci said.

“If they are college-bound, we really have to focus on SAT or homework help,” he said. “If they are 10th grade or below, we give them the California Achievement Test, which will show if they have been struggling and exactly where they began to struggle.”

Other students who are already doing well are looking to improve their assessment test scores, Santoloci said. “We have some students who have already scored fairly high on SATs, but they’re trying to put their scores up even higher,” he said. “It’s very competitive.”

For SAT preparation, students are tested with a sample SAT exam.

“It will pinpoint exactly what they are struggling with,” Santoloci said. “We don’t want to worry about them working on what they already know. We want to build them up to where they are more complete.”

The age of Tutoring Club clients is fairly evenly distributed from elementary through high school, with some college students who seek help in a specific subject, Santoloci said.

“We’re primarily elementary through high school,” he said. “We might have a college kid who lives in Wellington who is going to FAU and is struggling in a subject. Whether it be math or science, our instructors are the cream of the crop. We get résumés every day. We even have professors who work here.”

No more than three students are grouped to one tutor, with each student working on his or her own program, Nelson said.

“Most of the younger kids come here for the math and reading programs. The high schoolers are mostly in the tutoring for homework,” she said. “They’re bringing in specific subjects, and we help them with their homework.”

If a struggling student already has the knowledge typical of their grade level, the Tutoring Club will look for other deficiencies such as study habits or organization, Santoloci said.

“We have a study skills program for that as well,” he said. Santoloci said no other tutoring service can offer what Tutoring Club does.

“This is a national franchise. We have over 200 locations nationwide and are one of the fastest-growing franchises right now,” Santoloci said. “Most of the locations you’ll find will be in areas where the parents really value education, so the kids are all college-bound. With our guarantee, there’s really no other firm out there that can offer

the same guarantee at our prices.”

Rates are surprisingly affordable, Santoloci said. “Right now, because of the state of the economy, we try to make things more affordable for everybody,” he said. “We don’t want to target just for the families who aren’t hurting. We want to make this work for everybody, so we have rates that start as low as $30 an hour, which you’ll find is the most competitive in the industry.”

The Tutoring Club also offers

100 percent in-house financing at zero interest, Santoloci said. Santoloci also plans to offer art classes for both parents and students beginning sometime this month.

The Tutoring Club is located in the Courtyard Shops at 13860 Wellington Trace, Suite 6, and is open Monday through Thursday from 1 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. College planning is available by appointment. For more information, call (561) 784-4434 or visit www. tutoringclub.com.

Help With Your Studies — Tutoring Club owner Jeff Santoloci and director Gale Nelson inside their location at the Courtyard Shops in Wellington.

PHOTO BY RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER

EWING OPTICAL HOSTS ‘SILHOUETTE

Ewing Optical in Royal Palm Beach held Silhouette Day on Tuesday, Oct. 28 to benefit Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. There were giveaways, chair massages, contests and plenty of refreshments, including a variety of teas offered by Cottage Garden Teas. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Silhouette frames was given to Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. Ewing Optical is located at 11388 Okeechobee Blvd. For more info., call (561) 798-0244.

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

DAY’ BENEFIT

to serve the western communities, adding to the two existing successful full-service facilities in downtown West Palm Beach and central Boynton Beach. For more info., call (561) 333-1811 or visit www.motorcitycarwash.com.

are

Wash staff members with Palms West Chamber ambassadors.

Kocomo’s To Host ‘Community Sundays’

Kocomo’s Island Grill in The Acreage has found a creative way of giving back to the community during these tough economic times. “Community Sundays” is a series of fundraising events held at Kocomo’s during which representatives from various charities and community organizations can be guest bartenders, hold raffles and sell fundraising items to benefit their organizations.

The first Community Sunday will take place on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. to benefit the Kids Cancer Foundation of South Florida. Loxahatchee resident Patty Lahman will be guest-bartending with Kocomo’s manager JoAnn Bouthillier, and hosting the event dubbed “Party with a Purpose.” In addition to the fundraising activities, Karaoke Express, a Kocomo’s regular, will donate the entertainment. Both survivors and current patients undergoing treatment at Palms West Hospital are expected to visit the event with KCF Volunteer Coordinator Sandra Erb, whose daughter is a leukemia survivor. Lahman is running the 2009 Walt Disney Marathon in Orlando to benefit the foundation.

Previously, she partnered with Bouthillier to raise more than $1,000 each for the Breast Cancer Fund and the Organization for Autism Research by hosting similar events. It was from this partnership that the idea for Community Sundays was born. The second Community Sunday will actually be held on a Monday — Nov. 24 — at 7 p.m. to benefit the American Cancer Society. The event will be a kickoff party for the 2009 Acreage/Loxahatchee Groves Relay for Life. Two representatives from the ACS will be guest-bartending, and Lahman (Kocomo’s team captain) will be selling raffle tickets and other fundraising items.

Other Community Sundays planned include a fundraiser for the Palm Beach Punishers football team, of which Lahman is the newest member. The Punishers are part of the Independent Women’s Football League (IWFL), a nonprofit, full-tackle women’s football league focused on creating a positive, safe and fun environment for the players and fans. For more information about Community Sundays, call Bouthillier at (561) 383-7550.

Karen Spath of Silhouette and apprentice optician Neilly Toller of Ewing Optical.

Sunrise Fire Rescue Capt. Chris Niebling makes the putt to win a massager.

Optician Angie Garcia, apprentice optician Neilly Toller, Ewing Optical owner Bobby Ewing and Denise Delaney.

B.J. Ewing gets a cup of tea from Carolyn Dwyer of Cottage Garden Teas.

Mair Armand gets a mini massage from Lisa Warner of Restorative Touch.

Essilor Laboratories representatives Mitchell Small and Michelle Hageman with gifts they donated.

The Palms West Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon cutting for the new Motor City Car Wash, located at 135 S. State Road 7, between Southern and Forest Hill boulevards. Owner David Daszkal and operating partner Jose Peralta are excited

Pictured above

Motor City Car

Learning Express Toys To Host Grand Opening This Weekend In Wellington

Learning Express, a leading national specialty toy store, is bringing a bit of its unique charm to the western communities with the opening of its new location at Wellington Green Commons.

Learning Express provides children and adults alike with a fun, friendly shopping environment that offers a toy wonderland the minute you walk through their doors, according to owners Seth and Marnee Schneider.

“I am so happy to offer children in this community good quality toys that foster learning, along with fun through play,” Seth said. “To me, toys are more than something to occupy a child’s time: they provide an outlet for creative thinking and learning. I invite families to come out and see what Learning Express is all about.”

In addition to toys, the store also offers its customers family-friendly activities and special services such as free gift wrapping and personalization. The company prides itself on its enthusiastic and friendly service.

To kick off the Learning Express experience, the store will host grand opening events Friday, Nov. 7 through Sunday, Nov. 9, which will include a storewide discount of 20 percent, visits from Elmo and Dora the Explorer, free balloons, face painting and hourly giveaways throughout the three-day event.

The Schneiders opened their first Learning Express store in Boca Raton in September 2005. They are thrilled to be opening their second store in the beautiful Wellington Green Commons near the new Whole Foods Market in Wellington.

Their goal is to continue to be a destination for fun and an educational partner and resource for parents, grandparents as well as children and they look forward to giving back to the community that supports them.

Learning Express is the largest specialty toy retailer in the United States with over 130 independently owned and operated locations across the country. As the leader of the specialty toy and children’s gift category, they are so much more than an average toy store. At Learning Express, you will find knowledgeable staff out from behind the counter happy to help you find a toy or game that is just right.

“At Learning Express, we believe that toys should be fun and that they should encourage learning through play,” Seth said. “There’s magic in watch-

ing children learn through play, and we’re happy to be a part of that experience.”

Learning Express stores provide an extraordinary shopping experience. The product mix is carefully selected from manufacturers around the world and has exceptional play value. A birthday gift registry, free gift-wrapping, free personalization, civic fundraising and consumer VIP programs make every Learning Express store an integral part of the community.

For more information about Learning Express of Wellington, call Seth and Marnee Schneider at (561) 422-3112. To discover more about Learning Express corporate operations, to find stores in other locations, or to learn about franchise opportunities, visit www.learningexpress.com or call (888) 825-3619.

Swerdlin, Ridolfo Join President’s Circle At Chamber

The Wellington Chamber of Commerce recently announced the appointment of two new members to the elite President’s Circle: Palm Beach Equine Clinic President Dr. Scott Swerdlin and attorney Phillip Ridolfo of the firm Fowler White Burnett.

Swerdlin is a native Floridian whose family raised cattle and horses. After graduating the University of Miami, he pursued a master’s degree at the University of Florida and was then accepted to Auburn University School of Veterinary Medicine. Upon graduation, he joined the United States Air Force where he was commissioned a captain in the Air Force Veterinary Services and was then appointed Chief of Clinical Services at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines. Following his tour in the military, Swerdlin started a private practice in South Florida. In 1983 he joined Palm Beach Equine Clinic, where he has practiced ever since. Swerdlin

served on the state Board of Veterinary Medicine from 1981 to 1987 and received the Gold Star Award for outstanding contributions to veterinary medicine in the State of Florida. In 1999, he was awarded a membership in the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and is licensed to practice in Great Britain. The Palm Beach Equine Clinic is a full-service referral equine hospital, employing 18 veterinarians and a support staff of 40 technicians and administrative staff. Swerdlin specializes in practice management and lameness of performance horses. When not occupied with his veterinary responsibilities, he en-

joys playing polo, fishing and traveling with his wife Amy.

The Palm Beach Equine Clinic is located at 13125 Southfields Road in Wellington. For more information, call (561) 793-1599 or visit www.equine clinic.com.

Ridolfo is a shareholder with the law firm’s West Palm Beach office. With more than 15 years of experience, he focuses his practice on general corporate law, litigation and criminal defense.

Prior to joining Fowler White Burnett, Ridolfo was a solo practitioner in West Palm Beach, where he handled general corporate and litigation work for business clients, including mergers and acquisitions, financing transactions and corporate governance. Ridolfo also served as general counsel and was principal of an upscale residential developer. Earlier in his career, Ridolfo was a shareholder with Greenberg Traurig’s West Palm Beach office. In this position, he per-

formed general corporate work, including assisting clients with matters involving SEC reporting and compliance, regulatory issues and confidentiality agreements.

Ridolfo was also an associate with Akerman Senterfitt in the West Palm Beach office and an assistant state attorney in Palm Beach County.

Active in the community, Ridolfo is the former president of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Palm Beach County and recently served on the board of Friends of Abused Children. Ridolfo is also a trustee member of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. His practice areas include corporate and securities, and white-collar criminal defense. Ridolfo received his law degree from the Florida State University College of Law in 1992.

For more information about Fowler White Burnett, call the West Palm Beach office at (561) 802-9044 or visit www.fowlerwhite.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.

MICHEL ANGELO HOSTS FUNDRAISER FOR HAITI

Michael Angelo Salon & Spa held an all-day fundraiser for Haitian storm victims on Sunday, Oct. 26. The idea came about after employee Gorvain Dornevil made a recent visit to Haiti and decided he wanted to do something that would directly benefit those who suffered through last summer’s spate of storms. The salon raised approximately

SwerdlinRidolfo

TOWN-CRIER CLASSIFIEDS

1 BD/1BA CONDO - over 55 community $750/mo. furnished. Completely redone, all new appliances. Call Madelyn. 561-422-2910

FOR RENT: Located just off Greenview Shores Boulevard at 1182 Periwinkle Place in Wellington, this well-situated 2 bedroom/2 bath home is just blocks from schools and shopping. It reflects the popular new "cottage style" with faux-painted walls, glass front cupboards, white beadboard and period lighting. It has been recently remodeled to include a top of the line fridge (ice & water on door and built-in water purifier) and has expertly-maintained appliances including a stackable washer/dryer, disposal, a/c & heat, satellite TV hook-up, lots of closet space, pantry and upgraded amenities. Annual lease at $1200./month, unfurnished; $1500./month furnished. For info or to arrange a home tour, call Mark at (561) 722-7195.

CONDO FOR RENT - Sheffield Woods Condo 2/2 immaculate condition. Updated appliances new A/C, new roof. Move in today $950 per month. 1st, last & Security. 561-793-9619

$18-$25/HR — Teachers/Tutors P/T. All subjects PreK to Adult. Certification/ Experience required. Palm Beach County Areas Fax 561-828-8128 or Email Tutorking@WPB3331980.COM LOOKING FOR FULL —-TIME EXPERIENCED HOUSEKEEPER - must be willing to drive 1 child to school. General housekeeping 6 am - 1 pm. Salary negotiable. Driver's License & Vehicle required. Background check. 561-5126892 Driver Needed —- working man needs transportation to work from Wellington To Riviera Beach Area and or pick-up 3-5 days per week. Gas plus salary. (561) 632-0464. MICHAEL'S THE WINE