CITY NEWS

hockey and kids’ birthday parties. It fills a much-needed gap, as ice enthusiasts in the southern Palm Beaches no longer need to make the schlep to Lake Worth Beach or West Palm Beach to lace up their blades.

But maybe the best offering at Boca Ice is the Ice Bumper Cars, in which you patrol the slippery surface in round neon-lit vehicles, Mad Maxing it with your fellow reckless drivers. Ah, to be 14 again.

In a Cinderella story that had Boca beside itself, FAU made college basketball history when it advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. The Owls were the first No. 9 seed to reach the Final Four since Wichita State in 2013, and the ninth seed or lower to make it this far since 1979. In fact, when FAU entered the tournament, it was given 300-1 odds of winning. There were zero NCAA Tournament wins in Florida Atlantic college history, but the Owls won their first game in the first round to advance to the round of 32, taking down No.

4 Tennessee in the

Sweet 16, Kansas State in the Elite Eight, and facing the San Diego State Aztecs in the Final Four—which they lost by one point in a heartbreaking Aztec buzzer beater, losing the national semifinal by a 72-71 final score. It was a dream season and a run that brought Boca together as a community— and shot FAU to stardom. For 2023, Coach Dusty May and the FAU Owls are our real-life hometown heroes. Thanks for the memories.

The yellow ribbon has been cut, and it’s official: Boca Raton has its very own Brightline station. Following its December debut, Brightline Boca has been a smash hit with locals who can finally enjoy a trip to Miami without the indescribable agony of getting there via I-95. Luckily for Miamians, that track runs both ways for those times when Miami gets to be too much, well, Miami. Also deserving a special shout-out is the Northwest First Avenue beautification project that was completed with Brightline’s Boca debut, giving pedestrians a gorgeous palm-lined walkway to and from the station to Palmetto Park Road, steps away from Downtown Boca’s hottest dining and shopping destinations.

The new Boca Ice and Fine Arts Center north of Midtown has become the new go-to destination for figure skating, competitive