Serving Highland Beach and Coastal Boca Raton
December 2019
Volume 11 Issue 12
Boca Raton
Along the Coast
Virgin moves full steam ahead to get Boca station By Mary Hladky Negotiations between the city and Virgin Trains USA on a Boca Raton station are moving ahead at breakneck speed, with the City Council expected to vote Dec. 10 on a final deal. Under an aggressive schedule requested by Virgin Trains, the council would have voted on Nov. 26. But council members and Virgin Trains officials on Nov. 12 agreed to delay a final public hearing for two weeks to give city staff more time to finalize an agreement and to avoid casting a vote in Thanksgiving week when interested residents might be unable to attend. Even with the delay, the prospect that an agreement could be wrapped up less than five months after Virgin Trains notified the city it wanted to build a station in the downtown is stunning, considering the See STATION on page 6
A perfect storm
Moon phases and weather patterns combined to create high tides and wild waves in November. ABOVE: A surfer catches a ride off the beach at the north end of Spanish River Park in Boca Raton on Nov. 18. A winter-like storm off the Carolinas brought rolling surf to South Florida. Jerry Lower/ The Coastal Star RIGHT: A king tide driven by the high seas and a new moon floods the parking lot of the Banana Boat in Boynton Beach the same day. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
A charitable windfall and a place to thrive for kids ‘Havana Nights’ raises $1.6 million for nonprofits
As it turns 50, Achievement Centers ‘at top of its game’
By Charles Elmore
By Charles Elmore
The price to get in started at $6,000 a seat. Dress was chic Havana evening attire. Live music, dinner and a cocktail reception set the stage for a poker tournament of epic proportions at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. Lest anyone be shocked — shocked! — to find gambling going on here, the proceeds went to charities offering preschool and after-school education, meals, help learning to read and a host of other services. The Havana Nights Poker Charity Tournament delivered its biggest jackpot yet, more than $1.6 million, for Achievement Centers for Children and See POKER on page 10
In 1969, a moon landing, a raucous music festival near Woodstock, New York, and the Vietnam War dominated the news. Tucked into South Florida newspapers that fall: mention of a “pilot project” in Delray Beach to educate children of working parents who could not otherwise afford preschool. The program set out to cap parent fees at $2 a week and relied on community donations to keep the doors open, recalled Nancy Hurd. She was hired as a teacher and social worker fresh out of Michigan State University in that founding year for $100 a week. “I remember watching Neil See TURN 50 on page 11
Bobby Julien, CEO of the Kolter Group, and Sala Brown, his executive assistant, enjoy a comedy skit that was part of the poker extravaganza. Julien came up with the idea when he served on the Achievement Centers board. At left is Tarun Bhalla, Kolter’s IT chief. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Inside Penning a tradition
Underwear in the open
Inside Out at the Flagler examines women’s fashions. Page AT9
Why writing Christmas cards remains a beloved ritual. Page H1
Boca Museum turns 70
The cultural hub showcases diversity during celebrations. Page AT1
Helen Babione honored for lifetime of helping others. Page 2
Delray food hall breaks ground. Page 22