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The Boca Raton Tribune C O M M U N I T Y
Boc a Raton resident evic ted from Big Brother house
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By: Matthew Lutey
Joe “Pooch” Pucciarelli found out the hard way you shouldn’t volunteer to be nominated for eviction in the Big Brother house.
The Boca Raton resident was sent home in a 12-0 vote on Sunday’s episode of the CBS reality show. Pooch’s eviction happened Thursday, and typically would have been shown live, but coverage of the Jan. 6 hearings changed the episode schedule for the week.
T h e o b jective of Big Brother is to be the last houseguest remaining, w h i ch r e s u l t s in a $750,000 prize. Houseguests are cut off from the outside world, followed by came r a s a n d v i e f o r p owe r t o be the Head of Household and nominate two players they would like to see eliminated. A weekly vote is conducted to evict one of the nominated houseguests.
Pooch originally volunteered to be nominated, thinking that the house-wide ostracism of fellow nominee Taylor Hale would be enough to keep him around. Instead he didn’t get a single vote in his favor, and apparently was never clued in that he was going to be voted out.
“It’s shocking. That they were all on the same page,” Pooch said in his interview with host Julie Chen-Moonves after he was evicted. “There’s no jury, so I figured at least bring it up. I thought I would have at least heard from one person. … they did what they felt they needed to do, so I understand that from a game point. I heard 12-0 I genuinely thought that OK cool I’m straight.”
Julie revealed to Pooch that an alliance of five women spearheaded his eviction and asked if he underestimated the women in the house.
“Absolutely, absolutely.” Pooch said.
After seeds were planted in last Sunday’s episode, Wednesday’s episode showed the target further shifting from Taylor to Pooch, with most of the women in the house deciding that getting rid of Pooch would be best for their games.
“Although we wanted to get Taylor out last week, I think our best move is to get Pooch out (of) this house,” Jasmine Davis said. “We know he’s going to be a big threat to us later on down the line, and we’re really trying to make it to the end.”
Pooch had the chance to remove himself from the block by winning the Power of Veto, but came up short in a competition that involved dressing up as a mermaid and pushing balls across a lane into holes.
Even though he didn’t win the veto, Pooch seemed confident there was nothing to worry about, despite being warned by his friend Joseph Abdin not to get too comfortable. “I’m feeling pretty good to be honest,” Pooch said in the diary room at the end of We d n e s d a y ’s e pisode. “I’m still sitting up t h e r e o n t h e block next to p u b l i c e n e my n u m b e r o n e Taylor. I think I’m playing a great game. I’m g reat for this house, great for Big Brother. I’ll let you in on a little secret, you don’t got to be too nervous, I think your boy Pooch is staying another week, and you’ll have a little bit more of Pooch.”
The guys that were close to Pooch didn’t vote to keep him because they didn’t have the numbers in their favor. It was revealed to Kyle Capener by Alyssa Snider that there may be an all-girls alliance, which set off red flags for him, but that wasn’t enough to spring a last-ditch rally for Pooch.
The second half of Sunday’s two-hour episode unveiled a new twist called “Festie Bestie,” meaning the houseguests will operate as seven duos for a portion of the game. If a houseguest wins Head of Household, their partner is also safe that week. In addition, the duos are nominated for eviction together and both removed from the block if the veto is used on them.
Matthew Turner, who goes by Turner, won the Head of Household competition. Turner was probably closest to Pooch in the house, and he was the last one to be clued in that Pooch was getting voted out.
“Going into this HOH competition, I’m doing this for Pooch, and I’m doing this for power to secure my safety,” Turner said.
Turner decided to nominate the duo of Brittany Hoopes and Michael Bruner, but with the veto having the potential to remove both nominees, a lot could change before Thursday’s eviction.
The scholarships are a first for non-academic students and the sum is a record for The Rotary Club of Boca Raton. The money will impact 35 students. For the 20222023 academic year, the Club is providing 12, $7,000 scholarships to students in the trades: HVAC Technolog y, Automotive Mechanics and Marine Services Technology. The Club also approved eight paramedic scholarships at $7,000 per award to student who have completed t h e E M T / f i r efighter cur riculum at PBSC.
B e yo n d t ui t i o n , s c h o l a rships in all trade programs include professional quality tools, exams and certifications for students who meet the criteria by achieving required g rades and submit an essay describing their passion for their chosen field and dedication to personal excellence.
“This is starting over; thank you for believing in me,” said EMS student Lindsay Barron, speaking for her fellow scholarship recipients at the presentation in the EMS training lab on the main college campus in Lake Worth. “I have three children and a special needs son.”
“Your story is important. You need to know how you are going to make a difference,” said Club scholarship chair and a PBSC foundation board member Pia Giannone.
“What really struck me was ‘Ser vice Above Self ’,” said David A. Rutherford, CEO of The Foundation for Palm Beach State College, citing Rotary International’s motto. “Our president embodies that, and your occupations embody the same t h i n g . ” P B S C foundation sponsored the check presentation, reception, tour of the Public Safety Complex. “ T h e r e a r e so many things you could do with your resources, we’re honored,” said Ava L. Parker, Palm Beach S t a t e C o l l e g e p r e s i d e n t . H e r husband Joe Gibbons is a Rotary member and a Paul Harris Fellow in the international service organization. “Eighty percent of our students stay right here in Palm Beach County,” Parker noted. “It made me feel like Santa Claus to give these scholarships.”
“In 10 years, I want you to be leaders; we are thrilled to be part of making this happen,” said Club president-elect Gerry Purdy.
Rotar y of Boc a Raton Gives $153K to 2 Paramedics at Palm Beach State College
K aufman Lynn Construc tion Announces the Addition of Christopher Christy to its Leadership Team
Kaufman Lynn Construction, one of the largest builders in the southeastern United States, has named seasoned preconstruction and estimating management professional, Christopher Christy to its leadership team as Vice President of Preconstruction. Chris is responsible for overseeing the estimating staff, as well as leading estimating efforts on all Florida and North Carolina projects along with estimating department employee training and budget controls.
With 30 years of experience in the building industr y, Christy has worked with multiple development firms across an array of markets and sectors. An expert in rough order of magnitude estimating, guaranteed m a x i m u m p r i cing and constr uction management, Christy has worked on all facets of the p r e c o n s t r u c t i o n process. He collaborates with design professionals, specialty engineers, subcontractors, and developers to provide a complete and comprehensive product. His experience in budget planning, design review, risk management, and contract negotiations provide him with a broad range of knowledge for this new role.
“Chris is joining our firm at an exciting time as we continue to grow at a robust rate with new and exciting projects throughout the region,” said Michael Kaufman, founder and CEO of Kaufman Lynn Construction. “His extensive experience paired with the strong relationships he’s built throughout the South Florida community will truly complement our team.” In his most recent role as Vice President of Preconstruction at Coastal Construction Company, Christy spearheaded projects in the residential, hospitality, entertainment, and Class A office
“I look forward to b u i l d i n g s e c t o r s. Notable projects he collaborating with contracted during their talented group of his tenure include the Porsche Design building professionals Tower and Oceana and being a part Bal Harbor, totaling over 10 million of one of the best Gross Square Feet and $4 billion.construction firms in “I’m excited to Florida.” join the K aufman Lynn Construction team,” said Christy. “I look forward to collaborating with their talented group of building professionals and being a part of one of the best construction firms in Florida.” Christy received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma in Construction Science. He is heavily involved in the Broward County community where he has resided with his family for the past 30 years.
Enrollment Now Open for the Fuller Ac ademy, Early Childhood Educ ation, and Afterschool Programs at Fuller Center
Designed to enable kids of all income brackets the opportunity to experience superior, personalized education, the Fuller Center, a not-for-profit organization focused on early childhood development, has space available in its private elementary school, the Fuller Academy, on the organization’s West Campus at 10130 185th Street South, Boca Raton.
T h e c e r t i fied Choice school ser ves kinderg arten through third grade students and features a customi z e d c u r r i c u l u m that follows B.E.S.T. ( B e n ch m a r k s f o r Excellent Student Thinking) standards and practices. Annual tuition is $8,500 – one of the most affordable private schools in the region – with Step Up Scholarships also available for those who qualify.
“Children of all incomes should be able to access top notch education, and the Fuller Academy provides a private school education for an affordable tuition,” said Ellyn Okrent, CEO of the Fuller Center. “Further more, our preschool and afterschool programs offer a nurturing, educational, and safe place for the children of working families.”
Fuller Academy follows the Palm Beach County School District calendar, operating Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM. Early drop-off and afterschool programs are available. Breakfast and lunch are provided, and physical education, arts and science, and field trips are included. Transportation from the East Campus to the West Campus will be available daily.
In addition, the Fuller Center’s preschool program still has spots available on both campuses in east and west Boca Raton. As the most affordable NAEYC-accredited early childhood education center in Boca Raton, it serves children from six weeks old through five years old. The Center is open from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday year-round, with the exception of national holidays, and the week between Christmas and New Year’s D a y. B r e a k f a s t , lunch, and snacks are provided daily,
The certified Choice and field trips for school serves children four years and older are includkindergarten through ed in the cost of tuthird grade students ition. This program is certified for Earand features a ly Head Start, Head customized curriculum S t a r t , E L C, a n d VPK. Parent direct that follows B.E.S.T. pay is also available. standards and T h e O u t - o f School-Time Propractices. gram, also available on both campuses in east and west Boca Raton, is also enrolling students on both campuses. It provides a safe and enriching environment for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. The afterschool program is open Monday through Friday from 2:30 PM until 5:30 PM and from 7:30 PM to 5:30 PM on nonschool days and during spring, summer, and winter break. The program provides a healthy snack, dinner, homework assistance, and extracurricular activities like fishing, ballet, computers, music, and field trips, along with year-round academic support and mentoring. Afterschool transportation is available to the East Campus from JC Mitchell, Boca Elementary, Addison Mizner, and AD Henderson and to the West Campus from Whispering Pines, Coral Sunset, Morikami, Sandpiper Shores, Sunrise Park, and Waters Edge (children attending Morikami must board bus at Whispering Pines for transportation to West Campus). To learn more, please contact Mio Vazquez at mvazquez@fullercenterfl.org or at (561)-482-3006, ext. 124.
With FAU Dorms at Capacity, School Turns to Hotels to House Incoming Freshmen Class
With the price of rent increasing tremendously in Boca Raton, many FAU upperclassmen have opted to live on-campus instead of living off-campus, causing a shortage of dorm space for incoming underclassmen.
According to Insurify, Boca Raton is one of the US cities with the highest increases in rent prices, with the median apartment costing $2,074 a month.
So, instead of moving into dor ms, some FAU students will be checking into hotels this fall, due to a housing shortage on campus.
Florida Atlantic University sent an email to a number of incoming freshmen families earlier this month notifying that they cannot provide housing.
The email states that dorms are at capacity “due to the size of our first-year class and the high volume of housing contracts we received.”
Nevertheless, FAU also told parents via email that they’ve secured a limited number of hotel rooms at the Fairfield Inn and the Renaissance Hotel in Boca Raton. Students can sign up to live in those rooms and take a shuttle to campus.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County honored the generous and continuous support of GL Homes with a special award presentation on Friday, July 8 at Flore n c e D e G e o r g e Boys & Girls Club, 4105 Pinewood Ave nu e, We s t Pa l m B e a c h , F l a . G L Homes Senior Director of Community Relations and k e y r e p r e s e n t ative of philanthropy, Sarah Alsofrom was in attendance to accept the “Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County Children’s Champion” Award on behalf of GL Homes.
“GL Homes is a proud supporter of Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County because the organization transforms the lives of thousands of children and teens in Palm Beach County,” said Alsofrom. “GL Homes is honored to be recognized for our philanthropic work and commitment to make a difference in our community.”
For the past two years, GL Homes has led the charge as the title sponsor for Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County’s successful Back To School and Holiday Gift drives, and has made significant contributions to the Clubs’ critical Hunger Relief Programs. Recently GL Homes expanded its support b y s p o n s o r i n g a graduation celebration dinner to recognize the accomplishments of over 50 minority senior graduates. Over the years, GL Homes has also made significant contributions to support the organization’s fundraising events.
“We want to thank GL Homes and Sarah Alsofrom for their generosity, philanthropy and passion to ensure Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County can fulfill its mission of ensuring all young people reach their full potential,” said Corporate Board Member for Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County Julie Kime.
