Town-Crier Newspaper October 12, 2018

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LOX COUNCIL FAVORS NEW BOND VOTE SEE STORY, PAGE 3

MEET THE SIX INDIAN TRAIL CANDIDATES SEE STORY, PAGE 7

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TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE

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Karen’s Equine Intervention Seeks Volunteers, Donations

Volume 39, Number 39 October 12 - October 18, 2018

Serving Palms West Since 1980

SOCK HOP FUN AT ST. RITA CHURCH

Nora Janssen launched Karen’s Equine Intervention in 2011 to honor her daughter, Karen, who passed away following complications from a car accident. “That’s the sad part,” Janssen said. “The good part is using the animals to help people.” Page 3

Wellington Meeting Features Annual School Grant Awards

The Wellington Village Council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 9 featured the village’s annual grant awards to local schools. Principals from 10 of the community’s 11 Palm Beach County School District schools were on hand to receive their Keely Spinelli Grant awards. A total of $330,000 in grants were awarded, with each school receiving $30,000. This is up slightly from the $297,000 awarded by the village last year. Page 4

The Knights of Columbus Council #8419 and the St. Rita Church Council of Catholic Women hosted a Sock Hop Dance & Party on Saturday, Oct. 6 in the St. Rita Parish Hall. The evening featured dancing to favorite hits from the 1950s and 1960s. Shown above, are “hippies” Pat Tormey, Lisa and John Clausen, and Nancy Wall. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 12 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

RPB Has High Hopes For New Art In Public Places Program

Strokes For Stroke Educates Community On Stroke Awareness

The second annual Strokes for Stroke event returned to the Mall at Wellington Green on Saturday, Oct. 6, bringing nearly 70 participants of all ages together to paint and learn about stroke prevention and symptom identification. Page 7

By Denis Eirikis Town-Crier Staff Report The Royal Palm Beach Village Council approved a new Art in Public Places program last week that village officials believe will lead to aesthetically pleasing improvements to the community. “Let the record show that the council has unanimously passed a historic ordinance here tonight,” said Mayor Fred Pinto after the program was approved by the council on Thursday, Oct. 4. It is the community’s first Art in Public Places program that specifically places requirements on large-scale commercial/industrial developments and on village capital projects. Councilwoman Jan Rodusky said that she has fought for this program since 2016 and could not be more overjoyed.

“Our mission is to provide services and facilities to create an aesthetically pleasing, active and connected community,” she said. “With this new public art policy, we will infuse art in a more intentional way, aligned with our vision and mission through a vetted process.” Rodusky is employed by the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County and has professional appreciation for the proven ways that arts and culture can benefit a community. “We see it already around the village,” she said. “Our public sculptures add vibrancy to our open spaces. Artists are selling their artworks at our green markets. Musicians and dancers are performing at our community gatherings. In partnership with the Caribbean-Americans for

Community Involvement, we celebrate our differences while being inclusive and enjoying rich cultural traditions of dance, food, music and history. Our Parks & Recreation Department offers a variety of art classes for the young, and not so young, to participate and engage on a personal level.” Royal Palm Beach fine artist Michael Kuseske agreed. He exhibits at art shows all around the country and had an interesting observation. “Communities that promote and encourage art, that help create a mindset in residents and visitors that art is valuable — those communities seem to be the best places to work and live,” Kuseske said. Professional artist Barbara Powell has called Royal Palm Beach home for the last 18 years. She is See PUBLIC ART, page 20

Lox Groves Council, Residents Alarmed As PBSO Plans Exit

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Amid complaints that police services are very costly and an initial refusal to pay an increase in the annual contract, it seems that the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council has distinguished itself in the eyes of Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, who provides those police services. And the attention is not good. Bradshaw sent a letter to Loxahatchee Groves Town Manager Bill Underwood dated Oct. 1 indicating that the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office would terminate law enforcement services to the town, in accordance with its agreement with the town, at the end of the current contract next year. “As such, the town should begin planning its transition to a town police department, or make whatever other arrangements as are necessary to provide law enforce-

ment for the town,” Bradshaw’s letter stated. The letter continued that the PBSO is committed to the town and to fulfilling its contractual obligations until the contract’s termination, and will cooperate with the town during its transition, as required by the agreement. “However, since the sheriff has provided almost a full year’s notice of the termination, the town is being given more than sufficient time to arrange [other] law enforcement services,” the letter continued. In response to an inquiry from the Town-Crier, PBSO Media Director Teri Barbera stated that Loxahatchee Groves has indicated that they are not satisfied with the level of service they are receiving from the PBSO and that the cost of the service is too expensive. “Given that position by Loxahatchee Groves, the sheriff’s ofSee LOX PBSO, page 11

ARTHUR’S JAM AT IPC

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation hosted its 22nd annual Arthur’s Jam on Friday, Oct. 5 at the International Polo Club Palm Beach. The tailgate-themed event included music by DJ Roy Price, a catered tailgate, dancing, and live and silent auctions. Shown above are Wellington Mayor Anne Gerwig, Jan Weiss, Amelia Weiss and Cystic Fibrosis Development Director Colette Beland. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Mast Vs. Baer Congressional Southern Widening Race Sparks National Interest Project Underway

Wellington Football Team Struggles In Game Against Dwyer

The Wellington High School football team hosted stateranked William T. Dwyer High School in a non-district contest on Friday, Oct. 5. Wellington (4-3, 1-1) struggled after the first quarter to hang with the Panthers and fell 55-7. Page 23 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 19 LETTERS.................................. 4 PEOPLE................................... 8 SCHOOLS................................ 9 NEWS BRIEFS....................... 10 COLUMNS............................. 18 CALENDAR............................ 20 BUSINESS............................. 21 SPORTS..........................23 - 24 CLASSIFIEDS................ 25 - 26 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

By M. Dennis Taylor Town-Crier Staff Report The race for Florida’s 18th Congressional District is among the most closely watched in the nation because of its potential to switch from red to blue next month. Until 2016, the seat was held by Democrat Patrick Murphy, who opted for an unsuccessful bid to challenge U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio instead of seeking re-election. Republican Brian Mast replaced Murphy and is now running for re-election against Democratic candidate Lauren Baer. The district includes all of Martin and St. Lucie counties, along with northern portions of Palm Beach County, including parts of Royal Palm Beach and all of The Acreage. Mast is wrapping up his first term representing the district, having won the seat in 2016 with 53.6 percent of the vote. Mast is a highly decorated military veteran who lost his legs while deployed

as a bomb disposal expert in Afghanistan. Baer is a graduate of Harvard University, Yale Law School and has a degree from the University of Oxford, where she was a Marshall Scholar. She attended local public schools and was the valedictorian of her graduating class at Suncoast High School. After several posts in the Obama administration, she is currently a consultant for the global strategy firm Albright Stonebridge Group. The Town-Crier reached out to each candidate now that the general election is upon them, asking them to speak directly to the voters with the message they would like to send to them. BRIAN MAST Mast feels that God had a plan for him to be a fighter. “I believe that God built me to fight, which is why I have lived my life always fighting with all I

have for the most worthy causes I could find,” Mast said. “When I was serving in the Army, I drew strength from working together with my fellow soldiers, regardless of their ideology or background. We all worked toward the same common goal of protecting the United States.” A devastating injury caused Mast to fine-tune his lifetime goals. “I intended to spend the majority of my career serving in the Army, but when I was injured, I had to come to grips with the fact that I would never be an asset again on the battlefield. While I may have lost this physical ability, I didn’t lose my purpose. That’s when I set out to find another opportunity to serve our country,” Mast said. He is proud of his new career in public service. “In Congress, I’ve brought this service-before-self mentality to the fight for our waterways, for See DISTRICT 18, page 20

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The widening of Southern Blvd./State Road 80 to six lanes from Crestwood Blvd. to Lion Country Safari Road, which is now underway, may cause some confusion for drivers over the next year during the construction process. However, the Florida Department of Transportation is doing its best to make the process easy for drivers and pedestrians. According to FDOT spokesperson Angel Gardner, construction has begun on the east end of the 7.2-mile project, which will increase the road’s vehicular capacity from the current 45,100 trips daily with four lanes to 66,500 with six lanes, an increase of about 32 percent. During construction, side streets may be impacted with flaggers directing traffic, Gardner told the Town-Crier on Wednesday. There will be occasional lane closures throughout the project’s time-

frame. As drainage is installed, some business entrances will be impacted temporarily with a partial closure. However, entrances will remain accessible. Signs have been installed notifying drivers of entrances to Walgreens, 7-Eleven and Palms West Hospital. Other businesses will receive temporary signs as construction progresses westward. Some people have complained about the right-turn-only access in some areas, which was deemed necessary for a six-lane road. Right-turn-only access is not changing in most locations as the road is widened from four to six lanes, Gardner said. Access will change at Palms West Plaza when the existing full median opening is converted to an eastbound directional median opening. A westbound directional median opening will be added further west. Essentially, this means that drivers leaving the plaza will See SOUTHERN, page 7

Rubio Eyes Federal Action To Combat Opioid Crisis

By Chris Levy Town-Crier Staff Report Opioid abuse has spread through the nation like a plague, afflicting hundreds of thousands of individuals and killing an alarming 115 people a day — or 42,249 a year — in 2016 as a result of overdoses. The epicenter of this plague is South Florida, and Palm Beach County in particular, which is home to one of the largest collections of rehab and recovery centers in the nation. There is an insidious quality to opioid addiction that makes it stand out among other drug addictions. Many of the addicts who first come in contact with the drug do so in a medical situation, where they are prescribed an opioid for a legitimate temporary or chronic pain. Patients who never before

abused drugs or alcohol suddenly found themselves addicted to opioids at a time before most physicians understood the full ramifications of opioid dependence. Statistics from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services estimate that 21 to 29 percent of patients misuse opioid prescriptions, 8 to 12 percent become addicted to opioids and 4 to 6 percent later transition to heroin. Most alarmingly, it is estimated that 80 percent of heroin users first used opioids. Many of these patients in recovery live in sober homes, which have become a big business, rife with corruption. Unscrupulous middlemen have been known to receive payments for referring patients to illegal sober homes, in what has become known as “patient brokering.” This often results

in patients not receiving proper care, relapsing in their addiction, and suffering adverse health effects and even death. The issue of illegal sober homes even occurs in Wellington, where just this past January, two Wellington residents — Tovah Lynn Jasperson and Alan Martin Bostom — pled guilty to insurance fraud and money laundering in relationship to sober homes and treatment centers. Despite one of the most toxic political environments in U.S. history, two important figures from differing sides of South Florida politics have come together to address what some call the largest crisis facing Palm Beach County. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has been a leader on this issue, as has Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg.

In May, Rubio introduced the Sober Home Fraud Detection Act and once again he is back working with U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) on the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act. Rubio spoke with the TownCrier about the importance of this issue and the new legislation working through Congress. “[The opioid crisis] is ravaging communities in Florida,” Rubio said. “Hundreds of thousands are affected in different ways. It’s straining local services. We’ve been brainstorming what we could do.” Improving the quality of sober homes in Palm Beach County seemed a logical step, since patients in illegal sober homes are not being cured, Rubio said. “They’re trapped in a cycle of perpetual rehab,” he explained.

Rubio stressed that legislation is only the start of a process and success would ultimately depend on enforcement. “I hope so,” Rubio responded when asked if he had the support of U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “We’ll see how its enforced. The U.S. attorney needs to enforce it. The FBI can bring a lot of pressure. There are gaps at the state level. A federal statute can bridge [the gaps].” Rubio took time to address the insidious nature of opioid addiction and how it has affected him personally. “People are overdosing because of substance abuse,” he said. “It’s ravaging parts of the Northeast. It is sad, people get into it after injury or surgery. They end up on the street unable to fight off the addicSee OPIOIDS, page 11


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