August 2014
Serving Hypoluxo Island, South Palm Beach, Manalapan, Ocean Ridge, Briny Breezes, Gulf Stream and Coastal Delray Beach
Along the Coast
Volume 7 Issue 8
Along the Coast
Unified license-tag checking system considered
Cameras along A1A and bridges can identify suspect vehicles By Rich Pollack
C lues i n t he C r u mbl i ng A lbu m Researcher Janet DeVries channels her inner Nancy Drew to unearth the roots of a photo collection that portrays a Florida lost to time.
By Mary Thurwachter
In her search to learn the provenance of a century-old photo album, Janet DeVries uncovered stories of shipwrecks, sailors, suicide and a whole lot of coconut palm trees. DeVries — a historical researcher, author and president of the Boynton Beach Historical Society — calls her latest project “Clues in the Crumbling Album,” a takeoff of an old Nancy Drew title. Indeed, she found several clues on the fragile pages of the old photo book she discovered on eBay. The photographs were See ALBUM on page 6 Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Police departments along the coast of southern Palm Beach County are studying the feasibility of cooperating on an automated system to scan the license plates of every car traveling along State Road A1A from Boca Raton through Manalapan. For more than a year, representatives from several coastal police departments, and a small group of private communities, have been exploring the costs and benefits of implementing an automatic license-plate recognition system that scans license plates on passing cars and compares them to criminal and other databases. Growing in popularity throughout South Florida, the automated license-plate recognition systems are already being used by police in Manalapan and also on a limited basis in Boca Raton and Delray Beach. “Our goal with this initiative See POLICE on page 8
Along the Coast
Sun sets on county lifeguard’s three-decade career on the ocean By Jane Smith
Cathy Conlin does not see herself as a groundbreaking feminist. When she retires Sept. 3 from Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue after 30 years of service, she will be South Florida’s first woman ocean rescue lifeguard to achieve that
Inside Health & Harmony
Art aids in healing at Harbour’s Edge in Delray Beach. Page H1 Plus: Prime Catch celebrates 10 years. Page 21
milestone. No Florida department tracks ocean rescue lifeguards and years of service, said her immediate supervisor, Capt. Phil Wotton. He checked with other agencies and found another female lifeguard who retired in Volusia County after 30-plus years of service. “So glad I am getting out in
Around town
Not only are South Florida’s dragonflies beautiful, but they are prime ’skeeter eaters and indicators of a healthy ecosystem. Page AT1
Cathy Conlin at Gulfstream Park. Tim Stepien/ The Coastal Star
one piece without any chronic injuries,” Conlin, 54, said. “You know the stuff they tell you about how to lift properly, bend your knees and not your waist. I try to be mindful of that every day.” She likes working outdoors and says every day is different from her tower perch at See LIFEGUARD on page 10
Seeing red over charity fundraiser
Objections by residents cause Red Cross to cancel plans for a Designers’ Show House in Point Manalapan. Page 19
Summer Arts Dramaworks’ production of The Most Happy Fella with Jessica Hershberg and William Michals was extended an extra week. Page AT6