Town-Crier Newspaper May 6, 2011

CULTURAL DIVERSITY DAY MAY 7 IN RPB SEE STORY, PAGE 3

REP. MARK PAFFORD RECAPS SESSION SEE STORY, PAGE 7

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Volume 32, Number 18 May 6 - May 12, 2011

GARDEN CLUB SPRING LUNCHEON

Great Strides Walk Benefits The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

The Great Strides Walk for Cystic Fibrosis was held Saturday, April 30 at Village Park in Wellington. Participants walked two miles around the park before returning for some food, fun and activities. Page 2

Request From Ibis Opens The County’s Redistricting Process

A representative of the Ibis Golf & Country Club asked the Palm Beach County Commission on Tuesday to remove the neighborhood from District 6 and place it in District 1, as county of ficials discussed how to proceed with the once-a-decade redistricting process. Page 3

The Wellington Garden Club held its annual Spring Luncheon and Installation of Officers on Monday, May 2 at Oli’s Fashion Cuisine restaurant in Wellington. In addition to the installation, various adult and y outh awards were presented. Shown here is newly installed Wellington Garden Club President Susan Hillson with her parents Natalie and Jerry Steinmetz.

MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 22

Serving Palms West Since 1980

Math, Engineering The Focus Of New RPBHS Academy

By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Royal Palm Beach High School students will be able to enroll next school year in a new science, technology, engineering and mathematics academy that aims to draw more high-level students to the school.

The academy, nicknamed STEM, will include both engineering and design classes, and will put students on an accelerated track by offering college credits.

It joins other academic programs such as the Excelsior Academy, which began this year, meant to make the school more attractive to local students. Other RPBHS career academies include heating and air conditioning, global business and medical science.

“We spoke to members in the community and found out that students were electing to attend oth-

er schools’ programs because they offered high-level classes in math and science,” RPBHS Academies Coordinator Nikki Lanier said.

“That’s why we decided to open the STEM Academy. Hopefully, it will attract students from the community.”

Royal Palm Beach High School has struggled in recent years to keep local students in the school amid high turnover of principals, reports of rising crime and falling academic performance.

It was given a D grade for the 2008-09 school year, mostly because of failure to improve the lowest 20 percent of students on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). Last year, the school received a B grade.

The D grade prompted the Village of Royal Palm Beach to set up a task force to demand changes at the school, including boundSee RPBHS, page 20

Wellington’s Senior Groves Council Defies Manager Transport Program To Seek Hurricane Season Bids Given A Revamp PHOTO B Y DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Local Youths Fast To Raise Money To Fight World Hunger

Youth groups from three area churches gathered at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church in Wellington to participate in the “30 Hour Famine” to raise awareness and donations for world hunger. Page 5

‘Get Active America’ At Ultima Fitness

A ‘Get Active America’ week of fun and fitness is taking place at Ultima Fitness/Xtreme Tae Kwon Do in Wellington through May 8. Page 9

OPINION Let American Triumph Bring Us Together For More Than Just One Day

While reactions to the death of Osama bin Laden varied from cautious optimism to people parading through the streets in celebration, the news brought the country together. Just as Americans came together in the wake of 9/11, forgetting about partisan bickering and realizing the common bond we all share, party lines were not an issue as people celebrated the demise of Public Enemy No. 1. Unfortunately but not surprisingly, the nation’s bout of solidarity quickly evaporated.

Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS ............................. 3 - 15 OPINION ................................ 4 CRIME NEWS ........................ 6 NEWS BRIEFS .......................8 SCHOOLS ..................... 16 - 17 PEOPLE........................ 18 - 19 COLUMNS .................... 27 - 28 SUMMER CAMPS ........ 29 - 32 ENTERTAINMENT ................33 BUSINESS ...................35 - 37 SPORTS .......................41 - 44 CALENDAR...................46 - 47 CLASSIFIEDS ...............48 - 53 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council decided Tuesday to put out a request for proposals for new hurricane debris removal and monitoring firms, rejecting Town Manager Frank Spence’s recommendation to extend existing contracts.

Spence said he had attended a meeting on hurricane debris removal that morning with the Solid Waste Authority, where he was told that a town Loxahatchee Groves’ size does not need multiple hurricane removal contractors.

Spence read from a memo he had written to the council dated April 28, stating that the town already had a contract for hurricane debris removal with AshBritt Inc. through Nov. 30, 2010. The original contract with AshBritt was dated Nov. 18, 2008, with allowance for one-year extensions.

In October 2009, the council approved an extension with the proviso that AshBritt hire quali-

fied local vendors to assist them in providing the services. The local vendors provided were Vila & Son on D Road, John Choquette on Compton Road, the Plant Factory on A Road and Odum’s Sodding Inc. on Okeechobee Blvd.

The letter also pointed out that AshBritt is already under contract with the Solid Waste Authority to provide services in the unincorporated parts of the county.

“All of these large companies must rely on local contractors to assist them; however, each local vendor must be certified and qualified by the SWA,” Spence noted.

“Also, we currently have a contract with Calvin, Giordano & Associates Inc. for disaster debris monitoring services dated Oct. 8, 2008. Since we have not had a hurricane since our incorporation in 2006, we haven’t had to activate these contracts.”

Spence added that the price would be the same as the county’s.

“Because of that, I would rec-

ommend that the council confirm AshBritt for the remainder of this year, ending Nov. 30, 2011, at which time we would go out to bid,” Spence said. “This way they are already on board.”

Councilman Ron Jarriel said he thought the council had clarified last hurricane season that it wanted to seek requests for proposals for the coming hurricane season.

“I don’t know if we have time, but I felt like we should have gone out for RFPs,” Jarriel said. “No matter how good we think they are, this is a big project. Even though we haven’t used them, we still need to go out for RFPs.” Spence said he thought the existing contract would suffice to get the town through the coming season. “To go through all the work advertising, and the volume is just not necessary,” he said. “If you want to direct me to do it, I will do it.”

Councilman Tom Goltzené asked Spence if he had anything See GROVES, page 20

‘Peter Rabbit’ At Amphitheater Offers Fun For The Whole Family

By Jackson Wolek Town-Crier Staff Report Immeasurable Theater will be presenting The Tale of Peter Rabbit, a free show for the public to enjoy at the Wellington Amphitheater from Friday, May 13 through Sunday, May 15. Shows begin at 8 p.m. each evening and end around 9:15 p.m.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit is based on the popular children’s story written by Beatrix Potter following a rabbit named Peter, who always finds himself getting into some kind of trouble. Whether being chased by Mr. McGregor or running away from the cat, he’s always on an adventure.

“Peter Rabbit is such a classic tale, and a lot of children love it,” Director Ouida Williams said. “I also wanted to do it to bring some wholesome family theater for the children and their families.”

Immeasurable Theater was started in 2009 when Williams, the founder and director, and nowManaging Director Bethany Ortega, decided to create the organization because of their love of theater and their desire to bring more live theater to the Wellington area.

“We love Wellington, and the Wellington community has been very supportive of us,” Williams said.

This will be the fourth play in two years that Immeasurable Theater will perform in front of a live audience.

Joe Piconcelli, Wellington’s cultural programs and facilities manager, was responsible for bringing Immeasurable Theater to the Wellington Amphitheater.

“Last year, we did Paradise Lost, and they did an excellent job, so we decided to do a children’s play this time with Peter Rabbit,

and they have done an excellent job again,” Piconcelli said.

The company has big plans for the future and is hoping to expand.

The troupe is easily mobile, so they can perform wherever there is a stage.

“Our goal is to bring theater art to the community, bringing culture and theater to your community,” Williams said.

The current show offers a comedic spin on the classic tale that is sure to have young children, teens and adults laughing in enjoyment.

David Tompkins, cast as the main character Peter Rabbit, will be going out on stage as an actor for the first time in his life. “It’s like a dream come true. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” he said.

Tompkins learned about ImSee PETER RABBIT, page 20

By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington announced changes last week to its Transportation Voucher Program for seniors, reinforcing its original cap on vouchers and limiting destinations.

Wellington rolled out the transportation program last summer to help senior residents who are unable or unwilling to drive get around town. The pilot program was then extended until the end of the current fiscal year in September 2011.

Originally, seniors who were at least 60 were given six one-way vouchers each month good for a ride anywhere within Wellington or to nearby hospitals. Wellington Cab and Wellington Towncar provide the taxi rides at a cost of $2 per ride to seniors. Meanwhile, Wellington pays $13 of the fare.

“Originally, we limited it to six

uses,” Deputy Village Manager John Bonde said, “so that seniors could get to their doctor’s appointments, get food or other essentials.”

But because the program started with a limited number of participants, the six-use limit wasn’t enforced.

“A handful of people began using it more than that,” Bonde said.

“We just didn’t police it because when we only had a handful of people using it, why would you put a cap on the program?”

Though the program started small, it soon grew in popularity.

Bonde said that while there were 182 residents signed up for the program from July 1 to Sept. 30, that number climbed to 306 residents from Oct. 1 to April 3.

Additionally, Wellington invested another $10,000 into the program for a total of about See VOUCHERS, page 20

CHAMBER INSTALLATION

The Palms West Chamber of Commerce held its 28th annual installation gala Friday, April 29 at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington. Carmine Priore III was sworn in as the chamber’s chairman for the second year in a row. Pictured above, Chamber Chairman Carmine Priore III is sworn in by his father, Wellington Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Carmine Priore.

MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 13 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Visionary RPB Mayor Sam Lamstein Dies At Age 96

Sam Lamstein

By Ron Bukley very aggressive Palm Beach Town-Crier Staff Report County.”

Former Royal Palm Beach Lodwick said Lamstein was one Mayor Sam Lamstein is being re- of the reasons he got into local membered by many as a vision- politics. “I watched him give a talk ary leader who led the about home rule and Recollections village during a time Of Sam Lamstein how proud he was of of tremendous change As Mayor Of RPB Royal Palm Beach, and growth. Lamand he got me inPAGE 4 stein, who served as volved in the code enmayor from 1982 to 1990, died forcement board at that time,” April 28 at the age of 96.

Lodwick said. “He was a great “He was certainly one of our leader and a good person.” great early leaders,” former mayLodwick said Lamstein’s mind or David Lodwick said. “He was was crystal clear until the end. “I a great defender of home rule, remember at the opening of the believing that the residents of our time capsule [in the summer of town should have a voice, and de- 2009],” Lodwick recalled. “He fending us against, at the time, a could tell stories about every one

of the newspaper clips that were in that capsule, and remember the very early days of the village.”

Lodwick said it was Lamstein’s vision to obtain the land where the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center and Royal Palm Beach Recreation Center are now, as well as to buy the water utility from Royal Palm Beach Colony Inc. “He used to joke with me that we got the credit for selling the water utility [to Palm Beach County], but he almost got voted out of office for buying it,” Lodwick said. “He was a great person and really one of the visionary people of our village.”

Current Mayor Matty Mattioli

agreed. “I think Royal Palm Beach today is the vision that he had 20 or 30 years ago,” Mattioli said.

He said Lamstein’s leading the purchase of the village’s water utility years ago led to the relative financial security the village enjoys today, with $70 million in reserves from the subsequent sale of the water utility. “The sale of the water utility was one of the greatest things we ever did,” Mattioli said. “It saved us from financial disaster.”

Lamstein was an ardent defender of the rights of seniors, who dominated the population of the early village, Mattioli said, alSee LAMSTEIN, page 20

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May 6 - May 12, 2011

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The Town-Crier

NEWS

GREAT STRIDES WALK IN WELLINGTON BENEFITS CYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATION

The Great Strides Walk for Cystic Fibrosis w as held Saturday, April 30 at Village Park in Wellington. Participants walked two miles around the park before returning for some food, fun and activities.

PHOTOS BY LAUREN MIRÓ/T OWN-CRIER

The Kingston’s Gold Rush team with their award for bringing the most people to the event.

Nancy Pena-Brink, Susan Kingston and Sharon Elwell with one of the giveaways.

Denise Tims, Tatiana Neumann, and Sean, Megan and Ryan Tims.

Michela Smith and Justin Wallace build crafts after the walk.

The Poirrier family enjoys the day.

Matthe w, Deena, Emily and Julia Schutz of Team Emily and Julia with their team’s plaque for raising the most money.

The Town-Crier

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May 6 - May 12, 2011

Page 3

NEWS

Request From Ibis Community Opens County Redistricting Process

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report A representative of the Ibis Golf & Country Club asked the Palm Beach County Commission on Tuesday to remove the neighborhood from Commissioner Jess Santamaria’s District 6 and place it in Commission Chair Karen Marcus’ District 1.

The request came during a preliminary discussion regarding plans to redraw the county’s seven commission district lines starting later this year.

Sal Faso, chairman of the Ibis Governmental Relations Committee, a member of the North County Neighborhood Coalition and president of the City of West Palm Beach Transition Team, requested that the county commission consider moving Ibis into District 1.

“No offense to Commissioner Santamaria, [but] we have discussed this in the past,” Faso said.

“We’ve had brief discussions with Commissioner Marcus as well.

The reasons are quite simple.

When we formed the North County Neighborhood Coalition, we did so because we wanted an affinity with other communities that had common interests in mind such as ourselves.”

Faso explained that Ibis is very close to District 1 and shares manmade borders, whereas it is the

northeastern-most neighborhood of District 6, which is dominated by the western communities and the Glades.

“As we all know, District 6 has quite an expansive geography,” Faso said. “We really don’t have much in common with District 6.

As a matter of fact, we don’t attend most of the meetings that the commissioner sponsors. We have attended some of the meetings that Commissioner Marcus has sponsored.”

Faso made the comments during the commission’s discussion to begin review and development of district maps based on the 2010 Census data, using criteria that achieve populations of 10 percent or less variance among districts while following major natural and man-made boundaries.

The criteria require that the county maintain the integrity of communities of interest, including municipal boundaries. The criteria also require that the boundaries retain compactness and contiguity, and preserve the core of the existing voters’ districts.

Assistant County Administrator Verdenia Baker said those criteria were utilized during the 1991 and 2001 redistricting processes and recommended that they be used again during this cycle.

Faso said the members of the North County Coalition, in addi-

tion to Ibis, are the Carlton Oaks community north of Ibis in unincorporated Palm Beach County, Iron Horse, which is part of West Palm Beach, BallenIsles, PGA National, Mirasol, Mirabella and, most recently, Evergreen. Old Marsh, East Pointe and Frenchman’s Reserve may join in the future.

“The reason the coalition was put together was we want a voice to provide you feedback from a citizenry point of view,” Faso said.

“We have over 35,000 residents represented in this coalition. We want to be a proactive, smart growth organization, participating in the planning process. We’re concerned with our safety and security with traffic, build-out and further development. We have a lot of interests in common as we proceed.”

Faso said the transfer to District 1 would not violate any of the redistricting guidelines being reviewed by the commission. “Our population is about 3,500 people, so we would be clearly in the guidelines being promoted,” he said.

Santamaria said he agreed that the idea should be given consideration. Marcus said she had spoken to county staff members about the Ibis request.

Joan Karp with the League of Women Voters said her organiza-

Cultural Diversity Day Set For May 7 At Veterans Park In RPB

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Each year for the past seven years, Cultural Diversity Day in Royal Palm Beach has grown, showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the village, according to organizer Elet Cyris.

This year’s event, which is free and open to the public, will be held Saturday, May 7 from 1 p.m. to sundown at Veterans Park on Royal Palm Beach Blvd.

The event is run by CaribbeanAmericans for Community Involvement (CAFCI), which seeks to showcase the broad base of culture in the village and the surrounding area.

“CAFCI decided that we needed something to get the village to know we’re a diverse

community,” Cyris said.

Cyris recalled how she and Amanayea Abraham, who passed away April 28, first approached the village for permission to hold a festival. It was not only approved, but Royal Palm Beach joined as a co-sponsor.

“Every year we put on entertainment, arts and crafts at Veterans Park,” Cyris said. “The event has grown each year, and we also have funding from the Palm Beach County Cultural Council.

This year, we have a group from Quito, Ecuador, that will be performing for us, and a man from Jamaica who is coming up.”

Entertainment will also be featured from Jamaica, India and Japan, as well as an American Shakespeare comedy team, along

with Korean and Chinese dance groups.

“It’s an opportunity for us to learn, celebrate and enjoy our different, diverse cultures and heritages,” Cyris said.

Saturday entertainment will begin with a band from 2 to 4 p.m.

The festivities will begin formally at 4 p.m., with a proclamation from Mayor Matty Mattioli, and continue until sundown.

Also featured will be food, fashion, history, arts and cultural programs, with face painting, dominoes, music, dance, food and displays.

For more information, call Elet Cyris at (561) 791-9087, Ernie Garvey at (561) 676-5664 or the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center at (561) 790-5100.

tion agrees in general with Faso’s comments, but also asked that the redistricting guidelines include the provision that districts may not be drawn to favor an incumbent or political party, in accordance with the state’s Fair Districts Amendments 5 and 6 passed last year.

Karp pointed out that in Palm Beach County, 72 percent of voters supported the Fair Districts amendments. She also thought the Palm Beach County School Board boundaries should match the county’s.

Baker noted that the criteria set up in Amendments 5 and 6 apply only to congressional and state legislative districts, and do not put requirements on county redistricting.

“We have addressed those is-

sues,” Baker noted. “We have employed those requirements and restrictions. You have complied with [Amendments] 5 and 6 before they were actually approved.”

Commissioner Burt Aaronson agreed with the suggestion that the school board boundaries be coordinated with the county.

“I think it would be appropriate,” Aaronson said. “Voters are totally confused. It would be much better for the voters, the taxpayers of this county, if the districts were the same. There are seven county school board members.

There are seven county commissioners. If the districts were the same, it would lead to less confusion.”

Baker noted that the school board draws its own boundaries.

However, she said that county staff members plan to meet with school district officials to discuss better coordination.

Commissioner Steve Abrams disagreed with coordinating the boundaries, because school board issues are not the same as county issues.

“We have a coastal district, for example, because the district deals regularly with coastal issues, which obviously are not on the plate of the school district,” Abrams said. “They, in turn, deal with issues regarding schools that may have differences based on geography that would be better reflected with separate districts.”

Commissioner Paulette Burdick, previously a member of the See DISTRICTS, page 7

Local High Schools Prepare For Graduation Ceremonies

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The four high schools in the western communities will hold commencement ceremonies at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in late May. Wellington High School’s commencement is scheduled for Monday, May 23 at 4:30 p.m.; Seminole Ridge High School’s seniors will graduate Monday, May 23 at 12:30; Palm Beach Central High School’s ceremony will be Wednesday, May 25 at 8 a.m.; and Royal Palm Beach High School students will graduate Monday, May 23 at 8 a.m.

This will be Royal Palm Beach High School Principal Jesus Armas’ first year leading commencement exercises.

“I’ve been to a lot of graduations in 24 years of education, but this one will certainly be the most special because it will be my first as a principal,” Armas said. “I’ve been an assistant principal and a teacher and other things, but never the principal. I’m sure this is as exciting for me as it is the kids.”

The valedictorian at Royal Palm Beach High School is Rashaa Fletcher, who has been a member of the National Honor Society the past three years and president her senior year. She has a GPA of 3.97, an HPA of 4.7 and is ranked highest in her class. She is also a mem-

ber of the National Art Honor Society, the National Latin Honor Society, the National Junior Classical League and the National English Honor Society.

Salutatorian Michelle Kautz is certified to perform CPR and first aid and to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) on adults, children and infants; has an HIV-104 Florida certification to teach about HIV; is HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)-compliant, verifying that she knows and follows the HIPAA rules; and is a certified medical administrative assistant. She scored a 5 on her Advanced Placement exams for world history and psychology and took first place in regionals in 2009 and first place in the state in 2010 for veterinary assisting.

Pre-commencement activities include Senior Awards Night on Thursday, May 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the school cafeteria.

Seminole Ridge High School’s valedictorian is Andrea Comiskey, and the salutatorian is Nickolaus Hofmann.

Comiskey was the school’s Pathfinder nominee for academic excellence, is a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society, has a 4.97 GPA and was a fouryear member of the school’s Accipiter program.

Hofmann was the school’s Pathfinder nominee for instrumental music. He is also in the National Honor Society, a member of the Tri M music honor society and also an Accipiter graduate with a 4.9 GPA. Pre-graduation events include Senior Awards Night on Monday, May 16 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium; senior breakfast Tuesday, May 17 at 9:15 a.m. at Madison Green; and Senior Field Day on Wednesday, May 18 at 10 a.m. at Acreage Community Park.

Palm Beach Central High School’s valedictorian is Andrea Cedeno-Tobin. The salutatorian is Alexis Shankman. Pre-graduation events include Senior Awards Night on Monday, May 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium.

Wellington High School’s valedictorian is Alexander Small, and the salutatorian is Ben Aqua. They both plan to attend Emory University, according to graduation coordinator Susan Cooperman.

Pre-graduation highlights at WHS include a senior lunch at Hurricane Grill & Wings on Tuesday, May 17; a senior picnic at Loxahatchee Groves Park on Wednesday, May 18 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and the Senior Awards Ceremony on Thursday, May 19 at 7 p.m. in the school auditorium.

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May 6 - May 12, 2011

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OUR OPINION

Let American Triumph Bring Us Together For More Than Just A Day A week ago, Americans were arguing over the big headline news at the moment — President Obama’s recently released long-form birth certificate. Regardless of your thoughts on the issue, there’s no denying that for such a matter to be at the forefront of national news, our country had some morale issues. Obama’s reason for releasing it was to put an end to a divisive, if not-quite-rational, discussion. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. It seemed like there was nothing he could do that would satisfy his critics. And then, last Sunday night, he announced the news Americans have been waiting a decade to hear — Osama bin Laden had been killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan.

While reactions varied from cautious optimism to people parading through the streets in celebration, the country was united once again. Just as Americans came together in the wake of 9/11, forgetting about partisan bickering and realizing the common bond we all share, party lines were not an issue as people celebrated the demise of Public Enemy No. 1. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the nation’s bout of solidarity quickly evaporated, and the divide again manifested in the usual arguing.

Ardent Obama critics realized it will be seen as a victory for the president and went out of their way to downplay his role and suggest that until there’s photographic evidence, that there’s no reason to believe bin Laden is dead. Others have criticized the fact that people were shown celebrating in news reports, worried that it will offend Arab countries.

Regardless of who you want to credit — and there is plenty of credit to go around — it was a score for the U.S. military and the intelligence communities. Not only did the U.S. decapitate the head of Al Qaeda, which has been severely compromised over the past decade, but the raid possibly uncovered information that could lead to further action against the terrorist organization.

While many Americans view this as a matter of justice being served — a message to anyone hoping to follow bin Laden’s footsteps that they too will be found and dealt with — not everyone sees this as a celebratory occasion. Granted, there is nothing inherently joyous about someone being killed, but again, bin Laden’s death is symbolic. It’s like finally catching the mob boss who for years kept a distance from his dirty business, letting others kill and be killed while he remained untouchable.

Most of all, when Americans come together this Sept. 11 to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, there won’t be a feeling of frustration and fear, knowing that bin Laden is still out there somewhere plotting another attack.

However, responding to terrorists with violence is only treating the symptom. To get at the root cause, we need to affect the hearts and minds of the rising generation in the Islamic world. For now, all we can do is set an example for how a democracy should work — together.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Memorial Not Needed Here I agree with most of the views regarding Wellington’s 9/11 memorial, as I am against it as well. I am probably one of the few who were actually there and working during 9/11 as an officer in the NYPD who will comment on this, but I figure after reading all the comments, it is my time to chime in.

Sept. 11, 2001 was a tragic day for us all, some more than others.

To have such a memorial in Wellington is not the right thing to do.

Did we even lose one resident during that tragic day, or were any of the close to 3,000 killed a resident or former resident of Wellington? The cost overruns are outrageous to even consider spending in these tough economic times.

If the project does go through, one consideration please. Can the Wellington Village Council approve parking for the memorial?

I would love to take my kids to visit the Veterans’ Memorial, but there is no parking anywhere.

Shall I park on the side of the road and risk a ticket or park in the gas station, or the Publix parking lot and risk being towed? I often wondered why I never see anyone there when I drive by it!

Craig Jacobson Wellington

Langer Responds To Webster I have to thank Councilwoman Martha Webster for her criticism of my letters in the Town-Crier with regard to the work of the Wastewater Treatment Plant Task Force because her response contradicts in a peculiar way her own arguments. Although she complains about “misinformation” in my texts, she does not state a single false statement she claims I have made. Instead, she practically confirms everything I have written. Most importantly, she cites the mission for the Wastewater Treatment Plant Task Force the same

way I have done: “To deliver a land use recommendation for the wastewater treatment plant site to the Village of Royal Palm Beach Council.” My words were: “On behalf of the citizenry the task force will work out a suggestion for the village council what should be done with the land.” Obviously, there is no difference in content, and that was exactly my main point: the mission was open. It did not mention the need for commercialization. It did not mention the aim of finding new revenue for the city.

The rest of her letter is obfuscation. She summarizes the task force’s procedures; she praises the “Sunshine Law” (prohibiting the members to talk to each other), and the input that was given by certain experts, etc. She indicates the missed opportunity for me to apply for the group and blames me for having attended the meetings only twice. I did not apply because my usual working hours are the evening hours but, nevertheless, I managed to witness the group’s work actually three times at Village Hall, and I was well informed by members of the task force and, as even Ms. Webster seemed to agree, by the great Town-Crier reports. And, as it turned out, it was the right choice. This way, at least, I wasn’t restricted by “sunshine” or other restrictions to express my views.

Most importantly, Ms. Webster avoids to comment on the Pandora’s Box argument that Royal Palm Beach will turn over the land to private developers entirely, even the recreational part that is designated by the task force as open for the public. The way the future developer will do business is beyond the group’s power.

Guenter Langer Royal Palm Beach

Red-Light Cameras Not The Answer I feel for Amanda Devine who was badly injured when a truck ran a red light and who has suf-

fered a long and painful rehabilitation, as reported in your April 29 issue. However, it’s likely that any driver brazen or inattentive enough to run the light 12 seconds into the red, as happened in her case, would not have been stopped by a red-light camera.

On the other hand, scores of careful drivers fall victim to a mindless device that targets otherwise safe everyday maneuvers such as a slow rolling right turn on red, or completion of a left once in the intersection; that cannot discern who, in fact, was at the wheel during a violation; and that (let’s be honest) is aimed just as much at collecting revenue for cashstrapped local governments as it is at safety. If not, why the emphasis on who gets what of the pie, and the lack of license points for a violation?

It’s tempting to think that Amanda would have been helped by such a camera, but it’s more likely that government treasuries and the vendors who sell the systems would be the real beneficiaries, while the rest of us lose out.

Legislators should repeal the redlight camera law now.

Jay Schleifer Wellington

Support For Wellington Memorial I would like to respond to the criticism of a 9/11 memorial being built in Wellington.

I am the father of Lt. John Napolitano of the FDNY, Rescue 2, who was killed in action that day in September while saving lives in the north tower of the World Trade Center. I was able to make it to the World Trade Center to participate in the search and rescue. At my side was my best and lifelong friend Lenny, both of us former NYPD police officers. We grew up together on the same block in Brooklyn. Also missing besides my son was Lenny’s brother, Lt. John Crisci, FDNY, and three of my son’s friends from our neighborhood.

I have read most of the letters from those who are against the Wellington Patriot Memorial, and I can understand the issue of cost, as I can understand and appreciate any concerns of cost on any government project. What I do not understand is the obvious bias against New York, and those who came from New York, and the personal attacks against those who support the memorial, the snide remarks against firefighters and police officers — the very same heroes who are prepared to do, if necessary, what my son did for his country and the people of New York City.

This constant bickering among Wellington Village Council members and some of the people who live here (and I believe that they are in a minority) is an insult to the victims who died in their place and the first patriots of the 21st century, our first responders, firefighters and police officers, who faced terrorism with profound courage and compassion, and showed the world what America stands for, and their fallen banner picked up by our brave troops who have also given their lives to protect us and our freedoms, and have recently cut off one of the heads of the evil serpent that attacked us… and they will get the rest.

One dissenter said we were not united after 9/11 but were united at the aftermath of a hurricane; that person is wrong. I stood with rescue workers from all over our great country, moving debris a bucket at a time. People came from all over to help and to lend support to give a shoulder to lean on.

I have been to other memorials besides the ones at the World Trade Center. I have seen battlehardened firefighters, police officers and soldiers cry, strangers hugging strangers, and this will happen whenever there is a memorial in Wellington, or anywhere else in this country. To the council: fix your problem and build this memorial with the dignity that it deserves.

John Napolitano Wellington

Cancel Wasteful Memorial Project

Coming Soon: ‘Thrift Bill’

Mike Nelson, in his letter to the Town-Crier last week, hit the nail on the head with his factual vision and clarity. I suspect, however, that the Wellington Village Council has, as they have in the past, closed their minds to reversing decisions they have made in error.

Little do they apparently understand that businesses every day make decisions to cancel and/or modify projects that they have found to be unsound even if sizeable investments have already been made.

There is no reason that the council could not have, for instance, either totally cancelled this wasteful expenditure, or put it on hold until such time as the public funds required to build the memorial have been collected. Spending this amount of money surely could be better directed to projects vital to our community improvement or improving the quality of life in our village.

I would make one additional comment questioning the naming of this 9/11 memorial. By definition, a “patriot” is a person who loves, supports and defends his/ her country and its interests with devotion. I would endorse just calling it a “9/11 memorial.” Let’s not start diluting the term “patriot” as we have done with the term “hero.”

Joseph Manning Wellington

I believe I have discovered the next deficit reduction initiative that the president and the Democrats will put forward. Commerce Department data suggest that U.S. consumers are spending $1.2 trillion each year on “non-essential” goods and services.

Look for an Obama thrift bill that will outlaw such purchases and demand, instead, that the money be given to government in order to eliminate the deficit and the debt. After the deficit and the debt are eliminated, the money will be “invested” in all the good things that we “should” be investing in, such as ethanol in gasoline, eliminating incandescent light bulbs, more “fair” distribution of income, lethal drones for attacking Libyan government forces... You get the idea.

Phil Sexton Wellington

Legislature Suppressing Voters The Republican-dominated Florida Legislature and Republican Gov. Rick Scott have obviously taken the voters for granted.

They are absolutely suppressing the vote of the majority of people who normally vote Democratic.

They will stoop to anything to bring this state to anarchy. Perhaps See LETTERS, page 20

SEND IN YOUR LETTERS The Town-Crier welcomes letters to the editor. Please keep letters brief (300 words). Submit letters, with contact name, address, and telephone number (anonymous letters will not be published), to The Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414; fax them to (561) 793-6090; or you can e-mail letters@goTownCrier.com.

OPINION

Recalling Sam Lamstein’s Tenure As Royal Palm Beach Mayor They say timing is everything, and, as that adage applies to the tenure of the late Royal Palm Beach Mayor Sam Lamstein, it couldn’t be more apt. Lamstein, who died last week at the age of 96, was unquestionably and fortuitously in the right place at the right time.

I met Sam Lamstein in January 1986 when I became a reporter for the TownCrier, assigned to cover Royal Palm Beach Village Council meetings. Sam, who became mayor in 1982 and held the post until 1990, served with a steady, firm hand on the gavel during the community’s most challenging and rapid growth period.

Sam frequently invited me to his village hall office to explain the complex issues coming before the council for a vote. Even later, when I served as a councilwoman myself, I always thought of Sam Lamstein as “mayor,” and I don’t think I ever called him by his first name.

I was impressed by his keen intelligence and understanding of local governmental. Sam “got it.” He was remarkably determined and self-confident as well, much to the chagrin of his detractors. His ego, like his abilities, was nearly boundless. During council meetings, his supporters — referred to as “Sam’s Army” — sat close to the front to cheer on their leader. Across the aisle sat an opposing contingent, usually members of COG

POINT OF VIEW

By Barbara Isenberg Yoresh (Citizens for Open Government), a watchdog group dedicated to thwarting any perceived shenanigans. It wasn’t exactly the Hatfields versus the McCoys, but there were more than a few negatively charged ions in that council chamber many nights, and I usually went home after adjournment feeling drained.

By the mid-1980s, the village dais was most assuredly not the place for the meek or easily fatigued. Meetings often lasted until midnight as elected and staff officials, interested residents and developer applicants debated the merits (or lack thereof) of countless proposed commercial and residential building projects.

What had been a small, “Mayberry-like” village was beginning to hit its stride. The debates often grew hot-tempered, and more than once, Sam had an unruly resident removed by police from the council chambers. Council members too often took verbal swipes at each other in a clash

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of egos, opinions and just plain frustration.

Entire subdivisions of vacant land were up for grabs. Heavy-hitting developers, beginning with Royal Palm Beach Colony and later including Levitt Homes (the Strathmore Gates) and Cenvill (developer of Century Village), joined local builder-developers Jess Santamaria and Wally Sanger (Royal Professional Builders) and others with applications to build homes and commercial projects.

“The times, they were ‘a changing,” to quote Bob Dylan, and not everyone was pleased with the notion of such explosive growth. Many residents decried what they perceived as the pending loss of their small town. Nonetheless, with thousands of new residents pouring into the county each month, there was no way to stem the influx of those wanting to enjoy their own Florida lifestyle.

Many communities floundered under the pressure to build just about anything, anywhere. And Royal Palm Beach might have followed suit were it not for its visionary mayor and council members who had the good sense and commitment to assure that densities, building heights, zoning designations and other good planning and restrictive covenants were enacted to preserve the village’s quality of life.

Sam could wheel and deal with the best

of them, and I say that with the utmost admiration and respect. Despite allegations of “back-room dealings” with developers, under his tenure, the Royal Palm Beach Village Council laid the foundation through ordinances and other actions that would preserve and enhance the community’s aesthetics. Developers might eventually build their projects, but not before Sam and the council made sure the builders would make a contribution to the village. A much-needed, $300,000 ladder truck for the municipal fire department was obtained through such negotiations.

Commendably, the council and staff managed to hold the line on tax increases while expanding services to residents, a difficult feat still embraced by current council members.

Sam worked tirelessly with then (and present) Councilman David Swift and others to bring much-needed schools to Royal Palm Beach, and the mayor was diligent to assure that western communities residents would be served by local hospitals. For more than 20 years he served on the board and in advisory capacities at Wellington Regional Medical Center, and despite the fact that he was no longer a youngster, his devotion and enthusiasm never flagged.

The present fiscal strength of the village’s municipal government is in great part attributable to the vision and busi-

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ness acumen of Sam Lamstein who, with fellow council members, successfully negotiated with Herb Kaplan of Royal Palm Beach Colony to buy that company’s water and sewer utility that served the community.

Sam was adamant about owning that utility because he viewed it as a great revenue producer for the village, with tremendous long-term potential. I am very glad he lived long enough to subsequently see that utility purchased by the county for tens of millions of dollars, thus assuring not only financial stability for the village during difficult economic times, but also the ability to commence such major projects as Village Commons Park, now underway on Royal Palm Beach Blvd.

The enviable quality of life I and countless others have enjoyed in Royal Palm Beach is largely due to the adept public service and vision of Sam Lamstein. We owe him a debt of gratitude for the outstanding community we see today.

Rest in peace, mayor; you will be sorely missed.

Editor’s note: Barbara Isenberg Yoresh, then writing under the name Barbara McNeely, covered Royal Palm Beach for the Town-Crier during Sam Lamstein’s tenure as mayor. She later served on the Royal Palm Beach Village Council herself.

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May 6 - May 12, 2011

Page 5

NEWS

Local Youths Fast To Raise Money, Awareness Of World Hunger

By Eric Woodard Town-Crier Staff Report Youth groups from three area churches gathered at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church in Wellington to participate in the “30 Hour Famine” to raise awareness and donations for world hunger.

The 30 Hour Famine is an international event that benefits World Vision International, an evangelical relief and development organization. This year the youth groups of Community of Hope Church in Loxahatchee Groves joined with Trinity United Methodist Church in Palm Beach Gardens and St. Peter’s own youth group to total 53 participating students. The three groups raised more than $2,000 over the weekend.

Community of Hope Church Director of Student Ministries Kasey Castle said this was their second year participating in the fast and that they were “only rookies.”

“We’re fasting so they’re going to experience hunger,” Castle said, “and we’re sleeping outside so they’re going to experience what it’s like to be homeless and not to have the regular amenities that we as Americans are used to having.”

Castle said the objective of the “famine” was for the students to get a “little taste” of what life is like in a third-world country. By the time students arrived in buses with backpacks and sleeping bags

at St. Peter’s, they had already been fasting for six hours since their school lunch period. Until 8 p.m. Saturday night, students were only allowed to sustain themselves on one gallon of 100-percent fruit juice they provided for themselves. Because no bathing was allowed, the only toiletries they could bring were a toothbrush and deodorant. They also weren’t allowed to use cell phones or any other electronic devices.

All students slept outside for the night, the girls in the church’s playground and the boys outside the office. Besides the clothes they arrived in, pajamas for sleeping and a change of clothes for gleaning were all they could bring.

“We’re picking vegetables of the crops that have been harvested and then sending them off to feed to the homeless,” said Katie Keiser of St. Peter’s youth group.

First on the itinerary for the night was a video about “Teenage Affluenza,” a mock public service announcement comparing the hardships of American teenagers to those of teenagers in the third world. After the video, St. Peter’s youth pastor Christine Oien explained to the students the purpose of discomfort in enriching their understanding of faith and charity. Students were also encouraged to visit the “Fam Cam,” a realityshow-styled video confessional booth, if their discomfort became to great.

The youths hold opening prayer in the gymnasium.

The famine wasn’t only about discomfort. Students were allotted roughly four hours for free time in the youth room to occupy themselves at the crafts tables or play games like foosball and table tennis. Students also participated in six different “tribe” challenges, giving them a perspective of a less developed world than their own.

After being split into five groups, their first challenge was to build the tallest structure using only plastic cups before time was called.

Another challenge was a take on Mad Gab, in which the five tribes had to find numbered cards that were scattered all over the floor. Each card had a message

that appeared nonsensical at first but became clear as it was repeated over and over again, teaching students communication using language at its most basic level.

By Saturday evening, the famine ended with communion in the gymnasium, followed by a dinner of chicken with black beans and white rice with tortillas, refried beans, salsa and lemonade.

When Castle asked the students about the most important memory they took from the weekend, one acknowledged the realization that many in the world feel every day what they only had to feel for a weekend.

For more information, visit www.30hourfamine.org.

Cameron Dressett and Katie Keiser at the crafts table.

Will Butzirus and Lauren Alvarez play foosball.

PHOTOS BY ERIC WOODARD/TOWN-CRIER

ACREAGE PINES CELEBRATES ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY AT FOX FAMILY FESTIVAL Acreage Pines Elementary School celebrated its 20th anniversary Saturday, April 30 with ceremony and plenty of festivities. The event coincided with the annual A creage Pines Fox Family Festival. The ceremony opened with the school chorus performing, followed by Principal Colleen Iannitti honoring nine of the school’s educators for over 20 years of dedicated service.

PHOTOS BY ERIC WOODARD/TOWN-CRIER

Students perform a skit about the history of Acreage Pines, under the direction of Christie La vigna.

Karla Powell, Patti Roselli, Barbara Schumacher and Rocio Soucy serve breakfast provided by Keiser Career College.

Principal Colleen Iannitti (R) honors Assistant Principal Betty Sivik.

Page 6

May 6 - May 12, 2011

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CRIME NEWS

Vehicle Burglary Reported At RPB’s Veterans Park

By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report MAY 1 — A deputy from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office substation in Royal Palm Beach was dispatched to Veterans Park last Sunday afternoon regarding a vehicle burglary. According to a PBSO report, the victim parked her vehicle at the park while attending a birthday party.

Sometime between 2 and 3:15 p.m., someone smashed the vehicle’s front passenger window and stole the victim’s purse, which was left on the front passenger floorboard. The purse contained the victim’s wallet, checkbook and driver’s license, as well as the Social Security cards, medical cards and birth certificates of the victim and her two children. The stolen items were valued at approximately $115. There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.

••• APRIL 28 — An Acreage man was arrested early last Thursday morning on drug charges following a traffic stop on Lake Worth Road. According to a PBSO report, a deputy from the Wellington substation initiated a traffic stop on 21-year-old Jonathan Brunn near the intersection of Lake Worth Road and 120th Avenue South. According to the report, the deputy made contact with Brunn and discovered he had .9 grams of marijuana on him. Brunn was arrested and issued a notice to appear in court.

APRIL 29 — A woman called the PBSO substation in Wellington early last Friday morning to report an act of vandalism. According to a PBSO report, the victim was driving down Greenview Shores Blvd. near Morning Glory Drive when someone threw a rock at her vehicle and broke the right rear window. There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.

APRIL 30 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach responded to a home on New Kent Court last Saturday morning regarding a theft. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. last Friday, someone stole the victim’s white 27-inch Schwin “Earth Cruiser” bicycle from the front of his garage. The victim said that there was a community activity in the area for the children on that day, but he did not know if that led to his bicycle being stolen. The bicycle was valued at approximately $220. There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.

MAY 1 — A deputy from the

PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach responded to a home in the Willows II neighborhood last Sunday morning regarding a burglary.

According to a PBSO report, sometime between Monday, April 25 and 8:30 a.m. last Sunday, someone entered the victim’s home, which is under construction, and stole several pieces of copper water pipe. The victim said that there is an ongoing problem with juveniles entering the home to hang out, and noted that he found several open beverage containers, food wrappers and tobacco. According to the report, the deputy observed that the patio has no ceiling and therefore there is no barrier between the patio and residence, so the perpetrator(s) could have entered the home through that area. The stolen items were valued at approximately $1,400. There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.

MAY 1 — A resident of Alford Way called the PBSO substation in Wellington last Saturday morning regarding a vehicle burglary.

According to a PBSO report, sometime between 11 p.m. last Saturday and 8 a.m. the following morning, someone entered the victim’s unlocked vehicle and removed her gate card key. The stolen item was valued at $50. There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.

MAY 2 — The owner of a consulting agency in the Royal Palm Town Center on Belvedere Road called the PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach on Monday to report a theft. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 4 p.m. last Friday and 8 a.m. Monday, someone stole a 4-foot by 2foot A-frame advertisement sign from the parking lot on the north side of the building. The victim said she already called the Village of Royal Palm Beach to see if code enforcement officers had removed the sign, which they said they didn’t. The stolen sign was valued at approximately $150. There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.

MAY 2 — A resident of the Willows II neighborhood called the PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach on Monday to report an act of vandalism. According to the report, the victim parked her vehicle in the driveway at 11:30 p.m. last Saturday, and when she returned to her vehicle at 11:30 a.m. Monday, she discovered that all four of her tires were slashed.

The victim noted that none of her neighbors’ vehicles had been damaged and that she did not have any problems with anyone. There were See BLOTTER, Page 20

Acreage Man Dies In Accident On Sem Pratt APRIL 29 — An Acreage man died last Friday morning following an accident on Seminole Pratt Whitney Road.

According to a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office report, at approximately 6:11 a.m., a recycling truck was crossing the road from the west side of 67th Court North to the east side. Meanwhile, 42-year-old Roger King Jr. was

riding his motorcycle, traveling northbound on Seminole Pratt.

According to the report, King struck the passenger side of the recycling truck and died at the scene. The report noted that this part of the road has a sweeping curve and no streetlights.

Alcohol, drugs and speed were not believed to be a factor in the crash.

Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County is asking for the public’s help in finding these wanted fugitives: • Diane Swan, a.k.a. Diane Buehler, Diane Johnson and Diane Capozio, is a whit e female, 5’4” tall and weighing 170 lbs., with red hair and brown eyes. She has a tattoo on her right hip. Her date of birth is 08/10/52. Swan is wanted for unem ployment compensation fraud. Her occupation is waitress. Her last known addresses were Fairway Lane in Royal P alm Beach and NE Third Cour t in Boynton Beach. Swan is wanted as of 05/ 05/11.

• Jason Watson is a white male, 6’0” tall and w eighing 160 lbs., with brown hair and brown eyes. He has tattoos on both arms. His dat e of birth is 09/01/80.

Watson is wanted for felony burglary and misdemeanor charges for failure to appear f or retail theft (two counts) and failure to appear for petit theft. His occupation is laborer. His last known address w as Sunny Pine Way in Greenacres.

Watson is wanted as of 05/05/11.

Remain anonymous and you may be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward. Call Crime St oppers at (800) 458-TIPS (8477) or visit www.crimestopperspbc.com.

Diane Sw an

Jason Watson

THE INFORMATION FOR THIS BOX IS PROVIDED BY CRIME STOPPERS OF PALM BEACH COUNTY. CRIMESTOPPERS IS WHOLLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT SHOWN HERE.

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May 6 - May 12, 2011

Page 7

NEWS

County’s Inspector General Explains Her Mission To LGLA Members

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Palm Beach County Inspector General Sheryl Steckler told Loxahatchee Groves residents last week that her office is well on its way to cleaning up the “Corruption County” image that has dogged the area for years.

Steckler and Megan Rogers, staff counsel for the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics, spoke at the Loxahatchee Groves Landowners’Association meeting last Thursday about the progress of their recently formed offices.

Rogers said that after approval of a referendum last November, not only are their offices included in the county charter, but their authority now extends to the county’s 38 municipalities.

“It’s really exciting how we’re moving forward now, and we’re very soon going to have the municipalities under our jurisdiction,” Rogers said, explaining that a Code of Ethics, Commission on Ethics and the Office of the Inspector General were developed after a series of county and municipal officials were convicted of betrayal of public trust.

“The grand jury did an investigation and uncovered a significant amount of corruption throughout this county,” Rogers said. “Our Code of Ethics was developed in response to those particular problems.”

The inspector general oversees waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse of taxpayer money, while the commission looks at complaints by citizens or public employees. It also provides ethical training for organizations.

“We talk to all our municipal employees, elected officials and advisory board members to see that we don’t run into those prob-

lems again,” Rogers said.

Cases where there is evidence of corrupt intent or willful ethics code or law violations are referred to the State Attorney’s Office.

“Where there is a willful, conscious effort to violate the code, to misuse one’s public position with corrupt intent, we will turn those cases over to the State Attorney’s Office,” Rogers said.

However, she stressed that a vast majority of public employees and elected officials do exemplary jobs. “The main intent of our office is to give training and make sure we give people good advice,” Rogers said.

Although there are ethics commissions all over the nation, Rogers said few of them have the level of independence that Palm Beach County’s has. “We are not under the oversight of the county commissioners or the city commissions, so we have that independence, which allows us much more flexibility,” she said.

Steckler said independence is critical to the functionality of both offices. “The key to my office is independence,” Steckler said.

“When I do these speeches, what I hear from elected officials especially is: ‘We already handle our own things. We do this our way.’

And I say: ‘Yeah, but you forgot one thing. The people don’t trust you. At least, 70 percent of the people don’t trust you.’”

She said that her office was created to bring a clean culture back to the county. “There are very good people who work in government, whether it’s state, county or municipal government... trying to do the right thing,” Steckler said.

“It’s the few that turn this all around where it becomes a bad thing for everybody.”

Steckler pointed out that her

office, unlike others, has unrestricted access. “At the end of the day, it is about promoting accountability and responsibility,” she said. “We do not report to anyone, and that is important. We will be the model for the country.”

Steckler pointed out that Florida agencies alone have more than 30 inspectors general, but none has such unrestricted access. She stressed, however, that her office does not have criminal powers.

“Our focus in point is to be able to have access to records to be sure that there is no cover-up and we know what’s going on,” Steckler said. “At times we give notice, and at times we don’t want to give notice. It is about promoting transparency. You, the people, need to be comfortable with your government, and we are your eyes and ears.”

Another part of the office’s responsibility is to detect fraud, waste, abuse and corruption. As a preventive function, the office will get notice of bid procurements for contracts. “What’s important about that is twofold,” Steckler said. “One, we can watch the process early on to make sure it’s clean, and, two, at the back end, since we were at the front, we’ll be able to follow it.”

Problems often happen where the apparent low bidder puts in change orders that raise the cost of the contract. “We will be watching that process,” she said. “We need to be watching the contracts.”

All the investigations will be online for public viewing at www.pbcig.org. There is also an overview presentation on the web site about what the office does.

“My responsibility to you is that all our investigations will be transparent,” Steckler said. “We have

lots of complaints that come in.”

While some have suggested that Steckler’s office is simply taking authority already given the clerk of the court, she said her office differs from the clerk’s in that the clerk audits only the county’s fiscal records and not the governmental side. It also differs from the internal auditor because its work is more focused on bookkeeping compliance.

“In my world, we look at things much differently,” Steckler said.

“The beauty of having the municipalities is we’ll be able to look from an enterprise approach: ‘How do we cost-save,’ not, ‘Is this policy being followed?’ We can ask, ‘Should you even have this program? What is it giving to the citizens? What are the measures?’ At the end of the day, it’s about tightening of controls, making a good process, finding some efficiencies; and if there’s bad stuff happening, we’ll find that, too.”

The office is funded by a small levy on contracts run through participating governments.

The cost to the Town of Loxahatchee Groves, for instance, will be $2,122 per year, which can be collected through as high as a 0.25 percent vendor contract fee, although her budget proposed for next year was based on a 0.19 percent fee.

“The cities can charge that off to the contractors,” Steckler said.

“My job is to prove to you that we are worth it. Once we get ramped up and going, we plan on finding efficiencies. In a government that’s hurting for money, you would want to welcome this, because you want an outside, independent eye to see things that you wouldn’t normally see.”

She said her office and the ethics commission have rules that

Palm Beach County Inspector General Sheryl Steckler at last Thursday’s LGLA meeting.

PHO TO BY R ON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER differ on accepting gifts. The ethics commission follows a state rule that says no more than $100 aggregate for the year. The inspector’s office has zero tolerance, although she agreed that maintaining that level of compliance is difficult for a politician whose role includes meeting and greeting people.

“We’re seeing it now,” Steckler said. “We do our tours with my staff. The word is out, don’t bring them doughnuts, don’t bring them coffee, don’t get them anything, because that’s the way it has to be.”

Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District Supervisor John Ryan asked how a special district might come under the inspector general’s umbrella.

Steckler said that can be done on a voluntary basis, citing the Solid Waste Authority, which asked the IG’s office to participate in the bid process for its procure-

ment of a $600 million waste-toenergy contract.

“They actually asked us to come into the contract back in November to participate in that project and make sure that it was as transparent as possible,” Steckler said.

“We have been at every one of those procurements, and I have to say unequivocally that was an incredibly clean process.”

Steckler, who was inspector general for the Department of Children & Families in Tallahassee and used to live in Wellington, said she has a four-year contract and wants to do good for the area. She said her tenure so far has been rough at times because of political and bureaucratic leaders who did not want an outsider looking at their affairs.

“The people need our help, and so, yes, I have been beaten up, but I do it for the people because you are looking for help to get this county back on its feet,” she said.

Rep. Pafford: Legislative Session An ‘Attack On The Middle Class’

State Rep. Mark Pafford

Districts

County To Begin Redrawing Boundaries

continued from page 3 school board, agreed that it would be nice to work with the school district, but said that if the county is going to ask another entity to make changes, the county should be willing to make changes to its boundaries as well.

Burdick said she would like to divide districts into roughly urban, suburban and rural areas and reaffirmed her interest in continuing to have a minority

By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report As the legislative session in Tallahassee is set to wind down this week, State Rep. Mark Pafford (DDistrict 88) is looking forward to the break after a session that he called an “attack on the middle class.”

“Over the session, what we’ve seen is a pretty harsh attack on the middle class,” he said. “People who have to work for a living are the ones being attacked.”

He cited several bills passed by the predominantly Republican State House, notably an unemployment compensation bill that would reduce the number of weeks recipients could receive state benefits from 26 weeks to 20.

“It’s tampering with unemployment compensation,” he said.

Another troubling bill, he said, was HB 7129, which would eliminate most state oversight of district and, as much as possible, try to concentrate the Hispanic community into one district.

Aaronson said he thought commissioners should at least talk to the school board and feel members out.

“As far as a Hispanic district, there is no centralized Hispanic community,” Aaronson said.

Commissioner Shelley Vana agreed that the Hispanic community is dispersed. “The Hispanic groups are different,” Vana said.

“People have different issues. I don’t know that you have a homogeneous Hispanic political group.”

Vana made a motion to go with the criteria used in the last county redistricting, which carried unanimously.

growth management. The bill also would remove the limit for local governments to make comprehensive plan changes, and eliminate the requirement that calls for the review of growth policies and maps.

And Pafford said that a measure in the bill changing developers’ requirements could lead to higher taxes. “The measure that requires developers to build schools, roads and transportation was eliminated,” he said. “That is going to increase taxes for local government and the residents.”

Pafford also expressed concern over a bill that attacks a women’s right to choose to have an abortion. HB 1127 would require women seeking abortions to first see or hear a description of an ultrasound of the fetus.

Women do not have to view the images, and women who have been victims of rape or have med-

ical reasons may opt out, as long as they have documentation such as a medical report, police report or restraining order.

But Pafford said that the biggest item to tackle was still the budget, which by law must be settled by Friday, May 6.

As of Wednesday, the list of items for which to cut financing included restoring the Everglades, guarding endangered species and protecting environmentally threatened lands, as well as programs helping mentally ill, catastrophically sick and unemployed people. Public schools are also expected to face budget cuts of about $540 per student.

“It’s the most immediate concern,” he said. “I think when the cuts come in, it’s going to affect most people somehow.”

Pafford said that throughout the session, he has been outspoken on these issues.

“When you’re in the minority party, it’s not just about passing bills,” he said. “It’s also about speaking out on the legislation before you. I spent a lot of time preparing my arguments and preparing for questions.”

But Pafford has been successful with some of his legislation this session. A child pornography bill he sponsored with State Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto (R-District 27), his Senate sponsor, passed through several committees and was amended onto a larger bill.

“Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been heard on the floor,” he said.

“It’s one of the ways to get things done.”

The bill would prohibit intentionally viewing any photograph, motion picture, exhibition, show, representation, image, data, computer depiction or other presentation that includes sexual conduct by a child. A second bill sponsored

by Pafford would allow residents to challenge applications for growth management, aimed at helping the environment.

Pafford said that though the session was tough from his point of view, he expected most members of the majority party to follow their Republican leaders and vote accordingly.

“If you expected anything else, you’d be kidding yourself,” he said. “Very few people step outside party lines. It’s more pronounced this year, but that may be because there are so many freshmen. They’re still learning, so they tend to vote with leadership.”

Pafford said that he’s looking forward to returning home to Palm Beach County.

“I think it has been a busy session to say the least,” he said. “I can’t wait to come home and see my family. Then it’s right back to work Monday morning.”

OBITUARY

CAFCI Leader Amanayea Abraham Dies At 66 Royal Palm Beach resident Jacqueline Ann “Amanayea” Abraham passed away Tuesday, April 26 at the age of the age of 66.

Abraham was born Nov. 30, 1944 in St. Andrew, Jamaica. She moved to Washington, D.C., where she later obtained her master’s degree from George Washington University.

Abraham was a founding member of Workshops Unlimited Inc., an organization that provided educational services to children, youth and families. She was a cofounder of the First Studio Arts & Cultural Center Inc. Abraham was also a member of Caribbean-

Americans for Community Involvement (CAFCI) and the African American Cultural Arts Organization Inc. Abraham (Earl-deceased) is survived by her mother Marjorie Louise Schleifer and her brother John “Jay” Schleifer; aunts Cynthia Rainford and Hazel Holness (deceased), both of St. Andrew, Jamaica; nephew Shon Schleifer (Keisha) of Jacksonville; stepsons Sydney Jr. and Ronnie Butler both of Washington, D.C.; stepson Ateem and stepdaughter Jamilia Abraham, both of the U.S. Virgin Islands; grandnephews, Kavantae and Shon Jr. Schleifer; sister-in-

law Marvelle Edelin of Washington, D.C.; cousins Grace Titus (deceased), Harry Holness of Jamaica, and Samuel Holness of Chillum, Md. Abraham accomplished so much in life and truly lived life to the fullest. A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 7 at 11 a.m. at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church (1063 North Haverhill Road, West Palm Beach).

Arrangements are entrusted to the Palms West Funeral Home (110 Business Park Way, Royal Palm Beach).

To contact the funeral home, call (561) 753-6004.

Amanayea Abraham

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NEWS BRIEFS May Events At Temple B’nai Jacob

Quantum Foundation President Kerry Diaz and Easter Seals Florida Inc. CEO Sue Ventura at the ribbon cutting.

Easter Seals Celebrates Quantum Foundation Day Easter Seals hosted Quantum Foundation Day at the Igoe-Amar Child Development Center last month in honor of the special funding received from the Quantum Foundation to implement a meal and nutrition program for the special needs children at the center.

Bringing a meal and nutrition program to the child development center in West Palm Beach was a longtime vision of Easter Seals Florida Inc. CEO Sue Ventura.

“We are delighted to have the support from the Quantum Foundation to ensure that each child in our center received a nutritious breakfast, lunch and snack each day,” she said.

Quantum Foundation President Kerry Diaz joined Ventura in a ribbon-cutting ceremony and dedication of the new food service kitch-

en. Additional festivities included a tour of the child development center as a delicious, healthful breakfast was served to the children and a special interactive classroom activity to highlight the exciting curriculum materials that have been introduced to coordinate with the daily meals and nutrition themes.

Diaz was excited for the new meal program. “Just knowing that over 8,000 nutritious meals and snacks have been served to the special needs children in our community since January profoundly impacts our foundation, and we are honored to help these children and families,” she said.

To learn more about Easter Seals, visit www.fl.easterseals. com or call (561) 471-1688. For more about the Quantum Foundation, visit www.quantumfnd.org.

Temple B’nai Jacob of Wellington has interesting and exciting activities coming up this spring for the entire family. B’nai Jacob has offerings for all age groups to enrich and expand the Jewish experience. The temple invite members of the community to join them as they grow.

Starting this month, the temple will host a morning study group every Monday and Thursday at 10 a.m. Each week the Torah portion of the week will be discussed, and participants will develop a deeper understanding of its meaning. The study group is free to all and will also include occasional guest speakers with a bagel breakfast.

It is a wonderful opportunity to learn, see old friends and meet some new ones. The morning study group will meet at the temple.

For the young set, Temple B’nai Jacob will host its “End of the School Year Tot Shabbat” Friday, May 13 from 6 to 6:45 p.m. All children from toddlers to 7-yearolds are invited to join “Miss Emily” Aronoff and Rabbi David Abrams for a music- and storyfilled Shabbat, including the “Shabbat Rap.” Tot Shabbat is free to all and all are welcome.

Temple B’nai Jacob will end the school year and kick off summer with the annual Picnic in the Park.

On Sunday, May 22 at 12:30 p.m., head over to the Micanopy Pavilion at Okeeheelee Park for a day filled with fun, food and activities

for the whole family. There’ll be lots of delicious barbecue and other treats, and lots of games for everyone to enjoy. This is a great way to say goodbye to the school year and hello to summer. The cost is $12 per adult and $8 per child; children under 2 are admitted free.

RSVP to the temple by May 16.

Temple B’nai Jacob of Wellington is located at 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 6, in the original Wellington Mall. For more information, call (561) 793-4347.

Postal Service Food Drive On May 14 On Saturday, May 14, Feeding South Florida (formerly the Daily Bread Food Bank) will join letter carriers and Palm Beach County residents to fight hunger in South Florida with the 19th annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive.

To participate in Stamp Out Hunger, the nation’s largest oneday food drive, postal service customers in Palm Beach County will simply place a bag of non-perishable food by their mailboxes, which letter carriers will pick up during mail delivery.

Stamp Out Hunger is conducted by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) in cooperation with the U.S. Postal Service. Letter carriers in more than 10,000 cities across America will pick up donated food items when they service their postal routes on May 14. In 2010, Stamp Out Hunger collected a nationwide record 77.1 million pounds of food donations, pushing the 18-year total

to more than one billion pounds of food.

More than 50 million Americans currently suffer from hunger.

Feeding South Florida serves 800 not-for-profit agencies in four counties, and agency feedback shows that local demand for food services is up 39 percent due to the current economic climate.

Additionally, Stamp Out Hunger sustains area soup kitchens and food pantries during decreasing summer donations. Many not-forprofits experience bare shelves during the summer, a crucial time due to the lack of school meal programs for the 312,000 food insecure children in South Florida.

In 2010, letter carriers collected and donated approximately 1.1 million pounds of food for Feeding South Florida.

Suggested donations include: canned meats such as tuna, salmon, chicken, turkey and ham; canned chunky soups and stews; canned beans, fruits and vegetables; new, unopened plastic containers of peanut butter and jelly; and dry goods such as cereal, rice and coffee. After they are collected, the items will be delivered to Feeding South Florida’s headquarters, where they will be sorted and distributed to food pantries, shelters and soup kitchens in Palm Beach County. This food will provide nourishment for families, children, the elderly, people with disabilities, veterans, and the homeless population, some of whom represent the newly unemployed.

Residents can also help on the day of the event by volunteering to sort food collected by the letter

carriers. Volunteers are needed for afternoon and evening shifts, and must be at least 16 years of age.

To volunteer, contact Feeding South Florida’s volunteer coordinator Leroy Green at (954) 5181863 or lgreen@feedingsouth florida.org.

YWCA Seeks Racial Justice Award Nominees The YWCA of Palm Beach County is seeking nominations for its 2011 Youth Racial Justice Award. The award is presented annually to a youth or youth group in Palm Beach County that has demonstrated leadership in reducing and/or preventing racial injustice in the community.

Information required on the application includes the nominee’s name, the person making the nomination’s name, address and phone number, and details about how the nominee has exemplified racial justice leadership. Clippings, photos and other supporting material may be included. The award will be presented at the YWCA annual membership meeting to be held on June 28 at Sea Gull Cottage, Royal Poinciana Chapel, 60 Cocoanut Row, Palm Beach.

Applications must be received by the YWCA no later than June 10 at: Youth Racial Justice Award Committee, YWCA of Palm Beach County, 2200 N. Florida Mango Road, Suite 102, West Palm Beach, FL 33409. For more information or to request an application, call the YWCA at (561) 640-0050, ext. 115.

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NEWS

Wellington’s Ultima Fitness Participating In ‘Get Active America’

By Jackson Wolek Town-Crier Staff Report A week of fun and fitness is taking place at Ultima Fitness/ Xtreme Tae Kwon Do from May 2 to May 8, featuring free admission to use any of the equipment and select classes, free screenings, table vendors, a 5K walk sponsored by thinkPINKkids and a Mother’s Day celebration.

The event is being staged in conjunction with the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), which works with health and fitness centers across the country. It is part of the group’s national campaign called “Get Active America” designed to combat inactivity and

obesity. This is the second year that Ultima Fitness has participated.

“We always do something with the hope of making it bigger and better the next time,” said Lynette Laufenberg, fitness and program director at Ultima Fitness. “So what we did last year, we’re expanding upon that with some of the extra things such as the charitable event and some of the master classes and the mixer on Thursday night to try to get people to come out.”

Roxanne Stein of WPTV NewsChannel 5, a member of Ultima Fitness, has been named honorary chair for the weeklong event. Stein will be at Ultima to help spread

Lilly Ann Interlandi is one of the people participating in the Ge t Active America program at Ultima Fitness.

Crazy Games Returns To RPB On June 11 The Royal Palm Beach Parks & Recreation Department has decided to offer Crazy Games as a summer program to all daycares, after-cares and summer camps in addition to the regular Crazy Games summer league that will start Saturday, June 11.

So far the program has had a great response with more than 400 children scheduled to participate this summer. Childcare programs such as Planet Kids, La Petite, ABC Children’s Learning Center,

Hands On Learning Center, Suncoast Christian School and Palm Beach Preschool understand why physical activity is necessary for their students and provide a variety of opportunities. They are taking advantage of Crazy Games to promote physical fitness in young children.

Crazy Games is developmentally appropriate and will enhance physical and motor development.

“We combine the required skills from a number of sports to create games children love to play,” Crazy Games Director Nancy Molina said.

Crazy Games will enhance the fundamental athletic skills used in

the word on the importance of fitness and how it has affected her life.

The focus of the event is to help people become more active by introducing fitness into their lives and helping to educate the community on disease prevention and healthy living through exercise.

“We are going to be having our trainers on hand to talk to people about their individual needs,” Laufenberg said. “We have people come in all the time who are either diabetic, hypertensive, have cholesterol issues or heart problems, and our trainers are educated in that, so they will be talking to people about their one-on-one needs.”

A fitness fair will take place Saturday, May 7 from 8 to 11 a.m.

There will also be plenty of handouts and articles with information on health, as well as vendors, including Wellington Regional Medical Center, which will offer cholesterol screenings; Whole Foods Market, which will be passing out health smoothies; and other vendors.

From Monday, May 2 through Wednesday, May 4, there were no special events taking place, but the doors were open to anyone wanting to try the gym out and see what it’s like free of charge.

“I like coming to the gym. I feel good coming to the gym, and I like the social aspect of it also,” said one non-member, LillyAnn Interlandi, who said she plans to sign up for a membership after the week is over.

On Thursday, May 5, a social fitness event took place at nearby Beef Wellington that allowed participants to get appetizers and two soccer, baseball, hockey, volleyball, golf and football. Children also will have fun improving their athletic ability by participating in sprint races, tag games, parachute games, water balloon fights, dodge ball, obstacle courses, three-legged races and much more.

This non-traditional co-ed sports program is intended to promote fun exercise and team-building skills. For more information about Crazy Games visit www. crazygamesfl.com. Registration is now open for the summer league.

Crazy Games takes place at Lindsay Ewing Park in Royal Palm Beach. For more info., call the

Get Active! — (L-R) Ultima Fitness Office Manager Judy Duany, General Manager Meggin Gray and Program Director Lynette Laufenberg.

PHOTOS BY JACKSON WOLEK/TOWN-CRIER drinks for $10 while enjoying the company of others. This incorporated getting active with your family, friends and community. It was also for a good cause, as all proceeds went directly to New Hope Charities and thinkPINKkids.

On Friday, May 6 at Wellington High School, a 5K walk being sponsored by thinkPINKkids will start at 7 p.m. to help win the battle against breast cancer. Walk participation costs $10 for students and $20 for adults and includes a thinkPINKkids T-shirt with registration for the walk at 6 p.m. All of the money will be used to help fight breast cancer.

The weekend kicks off with free

mind-body classes that feature tai chi from 9 to 10 a.m. and Pilates Mat II from 10 to 11 a.m. as well as free family tae kwon do classes from 10:45 to 11:15 a.m. for kids ages 3-5 and 11:15 to noon for kids 6-13.

Along with the free classes, there will also be charity master classes that require a minimum $15 donation to attend. The classes include a two-hour indoor cycling master class held in the group fitness studio from 9 to 10 a.m. and a two-hour Zumba master class held outside from 9 to 11 a.m., with each class having a check-in 30 minutes before.

To cap off the week, there will

be a special Mother ’s Day celebration Sunday, May 8 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. A class will be open at that time for all mothers and children age 5 and older to attend together.

“The point is to help get moms active with their children, because we believe that for kids to have active lives as adults, it has to start with childhood, and also seeing their parents as active role models will [have] a huge impact on kids,” Laufenberg said.

Ultima Fitness is located at 12799 W. Forest Hill Blvd. in Wellington. For more information, call (561) 795-2823 or visit www. ultimafitness.com.

Parks & Recreation Department at (561) 790-5124.

home as soon as it is safe to go outside by visiting www.pbcgov. com/idart from their smartphone or via the web.

Here’s how the program works: • After the storm passes and it is safe outside, survey the damage to your home and compare it to the homes in the pictures. Select the one that best represents the condition of your home for damage level and flood level. It doesn’t matter if you live in a single-family home, condo, townhouse, apartment, duplex or mobile home.

• Access www.pbcgov.com/ idart via smartphone or web. You will need to enter your street ad-

dress, city and zip code. If your phone has a GPS, the program will determine your location.

• Select the picture for your level of damage and your level of flooding. Uploading a photo into the system is optional.

When you are done, submit the information.

Individual reports provide critical early indications of where major damage has occurred. They do not constitute a request for individual assistance and do not replace damage assessments performed by county, state or federal assessment teams. For more info., visit www.pbcgov.com/public safety/emergencymanagement.

PBC Emergency Management Introduces iDART The Palm Beach County Department of Public Safety Division of Emergency Management is introducing a new program individuals will be encouraged to use to help identify countywide devastation after a disaster has occurred.

The program is called iDART. iDART is an individual damage assessment reporting tool that asks residents to report damage to their

UPCOMING Events

Caringfor

You.

Attend our informative upcoming events and meet our experienced surgeons and speakers.

May 9 Monday 2pm May 10 Tuesday 2pm

May 11 Wednesday 3pm May 11 Wednesday 6pm

Mommy Makeover: Restoring Your Body After Childbirth Matthew Goodwin, MD, Plastic Surgery Hospital Main Entrance

The Modern Hysterectomy Using Robotics Howard Goodman, MD, Gynecological Oncology Hospital Main Entrance

Prostatectomy Using Robotics Murray Goldberg, MD, Urology Hospital Main Entrance

Sick and Tired of Knee Pain?

Andrew Noble, MD, Orthopedic Surgery Midtown Imaging Center 345 Jupiter Lakes Blvd., Ste 100, Jupiter

May 12 Thursday 9am - 11am

FREE Heart Health Screening BMI, BP, Glucose, Cholesterol

May 12

Total Disk Replacement

Thursday

12pm

Hospital Main Entrance Pasquale Montesano, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon Hospital Main Entrance

May 12 Thursday 2pm

New Technology for Total Knee Replacement

May 13 Friday 11am

Living with Facial Pain?

May 19

Hypertension & Diabetes

Thursday

Harvey Montijo, MD, Orthopedic Surgery Hospital Main Entrance

Jordan Grabel, MD, Neurosurgery & Jeffrey Rubin, MD, Neurology Hospital Main Entrance

10am

Jaime Steinsapir, MD, PhD, Endocrinology Hospital Main Entrance

May 24

Diabetes...”Food Alert”

Tuesday

12-1pm

Marci Sloane, MS, RD, LD/N, CDE Hospital Main Entrance

May 25

Sick and Tired of Knee Pain?

Wednesday

3pm

Gary Wexler, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon Hospital Main Entrance

RSVP to 561.650.6023. Seating is limited, call now.

Refreshments will be served.

RSVP by phone now, scan with your smart phone QR Code reader!

Corner of Flagler Drive and Palm Beach Lakes Blvd. | GoodSamaritanMC.com

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NEWS

RPBHS MEDICAL SCIENCE ACADEMY GOLF TOURNAMENT AT MADISON GREEN

The Medical Science Academy at Royal Palm Beach High School held its second annual golf tournament Saturday, April 30 at the Links at Madison Green. A total of 55 golfers played, and afterward there were raf fles, a silent auction and barbecue luncheon.

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/T OWN-CRIER

Closest to the pin winner Burke Grant and Longest Drive winner Tom Ferris.

Nikki Lanier and Cr ystal Amado with first-place winners Tom Ferris and Rick Leone.

Third-place winners Gary Hines, Dennis Hines, Frank Daniels and Randy Inman.

Nikki Lanier with second-place winners Sean Odwyer, Rick Alabanese, Jeff Reid and Burke Grant.

Student Council President Angela Bianchi, Mike Lugrand, Robert Rodriguez and Vice President Kenneth Rodriguez.

Crystal Amado, Royal Palm Beach Councilwoman Martha Webster, Gar y Hines, Justin Arnone, Janet Fabra, Nikki Lanier and RPBHS Principal Jesus Armas.

GATHERING TIME PLAYS FOLK-ROCK CONCERT AT WELLINGTON AMPHITHEATER Gathering Time, a New York-based acoustic folk-rock trio, played a concert Friday, April 29 at the Wellington Amphitheater. The group features Stuart Markus, Hillary Foxsong and Glen Roethel. Guests enjoyed classic folk-rock music from storytellers such as Peter, Paul & Mary, Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel and more, as well as some original songs by Gathering Time. For more info., visit www.gatheringtimetrio.com.

PHOTOS BY LAUREN MIRĂ“/T OWN-CRIER

Stuar t Markus harmonizes while playing guitar.

Gathering Time entertains the crowd at the amphitheater.

Glen Roethel pumps up the crowd.

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Ma y 6 - May 12, 2011

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NEWS

May 6 - May 12, 2011

Page 13

PALMS WEST CHAMBER OF COMMERCE INSTALLS NEW OFFICERS FOR 2011-12

The Palms West Chamber of Commerce held its 28th annual installation gala Friday, April 29 at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington. Carmine Priore III was sworn in as the chamber’s chairman for the second year in a row. In addition, many awards were presented and there were silent and live auctions, and live music and dancing.

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/T OWN-CRIER

County Commissioner Jess Santamaria swears in the Palms West Chamber officers for 2011-12.

Madison Green President Todd Schoenwetter with Palms West Chamber CEO Jaene Miranda and her husband Ron.

Carmine Priore III with David Albright and Greenacres Mayor Sam Ferreri, who were honored for serving six years on the board.

Chamber Chairman Carmine Priore III and his wife Teri with Erika and Palms West Hospital CEO Bland Eng.

Dr. Jeffrey Bishop, Kevin DiLallo and Dr. Ishan Gunawardene.

(Sitting) Royal Palm Beach Mayor Matty Mattioli and Councilwoman Martha Webster; (standing) Beth McCall and RPB Village Manager Ray Liggins.

Selena Smith, Mair Armand and Terri Wescott.

David and Brooke Unversaw with Jacqueline and Dr. Juan Ortega.

(Sitting) Robin van Hoffman and Wanda Butcher; (standing) Dale Butcher, Sharon Fitzgerald and Jason van Hoffman.

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May 6 - May 12, 2011

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Page 15

NEWS

TEMPLE BETH TORAH BROTHERHOOD HOSTS ANNUAL BENEFIT GOLF TOURNEY The Temple Beth Torah Brotherhood held its annual golf tournament Sunday, May 1 at the Palm Beach Polo Golf & Country Club in Wellington. In addition to the tournament, there were raffle prizes and a silent auction of sports items. Proceeds will be used for congregation programs and scholarships.

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/T OWN-CRIER

Ross Cohen accepts first-place trophies for his team.

Keith Wolfe, Jack Hirschfeld, Chris Russell and Steve Miller won second place.

Event committee members Gregg Lowenstein, Joel Zaidspiner, Steve Miller, Scott Rubenstein, Vince Gerardi, Andrew Goldstein and Douglas Barr.

Cory Strolla, Steve Mammales and Rich Gustke on the green.

Richard Ryabik, Fred Roxas, Nancy Hart and Neal Efron won third place.

Sponsors received a thank-you.

A SECOND CHANCE HOSTS ADOPT-ATHON AT PETSMART IN ROYAL PALM BEACH

A Second Chance Puppies & Kittens Rescue organized an adopt-athon Saturday, April 30 in the parking lot outside PetSmart in Royal Palm Beach. The organization of fers pets for adoption every Saturday inside PetSmart. Contact info@secondchancerescue.org for more information.

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/T OWN-CRIER

Debbie and Scott Deason with Leroy.

Peggy Deminico has Luigi take a jump on the rally course.

Nilla gets adopted by Zara Siassi and mom Susan Bierster.

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SCHOOL NEWS

WPMS Honors Its Students Of The Month

Marcus Sandoval, Jayden Booth, Connor Worontsoff and Eric Nguyen in front of the “Classroom Care” poster.

Elbridge Gale Students Read For ‘Classroom Care’ Elbridge Gale Elementary School students in Laura Corzo’s fourth-grade classes recently completed the Scholastic Book Clubs Reading Challenge called “Classroom Care.” This is a unique reading motivation program that teaches children the importance of reading and giving.

With the class having completed the challenge, Scholastic Book Clubs and its charity partners will donate one million books to kids in need in all 50 states. Every student in Corzo’s class pledged to read 10 books in 10 weeks. Each student was given a bookmark to

document their reading. Once a bookmark was completed, a star was added on a tracking poster.

The class finished the challenge, and the students exceeded the goal. The students read 750 books in 10 weeks. Scholastic matched the class pledge by donating the same amount of books to charities. Corzo said it was very exciting to see the number of books read growing. “I am very proud of these students,” she said.

“They not only improved their reading skills, but at the same time learned the value of giving and helping others.”

Western Pines Middle School Principal Robert Hatcher is proud to announce the school’s students of the month for April.

These students, selected by their social studies teachers, have shown leadership and academic excellence throughout the school year.

From the sixth grade, Matthew Casten is an excellent student, earning straight A grades for the second and third nineweek periods. He plays football and baseball, volunteers by serving meals to the homeless at his church, and wants to join the Army when he grows up. Casten is a great kid who is appreciated by his teachers and peers.

Seventh-grader Jessica Quiggle is another outstanding student at Western Pines. She always comes to school prepared and is very interested in every topic in class. She genuinely wants to learn all that she can. It doesn’t matter the subject — Quiggle gets very involved in every aspect of her education.

She also has great leadership qualities in and out of the classroom.

Finally, eighth-grader Camila Yepes is a model student. She is well respected by her peers and teachers alike. Yepes strives to challenge herself, especially as a student in the Western Pines Medical Magnet Program.

Students Of The Month — (L-R) Jessica Quiggle, Matthew Casten and Camila Yepes with Principal Robert Hatcher.

SRHS Honor Societies Elect New Officers The Seminole Ridge High School chapter of Mu Alpha Theta, the national mathematics honor society, has chosen its officers for the coming school year. They are: Robyn Exclusa, president; Kemi Adeagbo, tutoring vice president; Natoya Brown, social vice president; John Little, induction vice president; Ryan Meingasner, competition vice president; Timothy Sumell and Mitch Vasquez, Pi Day vice presidents; Taylor Godfrey, secretary; Brooke Kelly, treasurer; David Beguiristain, historian; and Jesse Pentz, graphic artist.

The SRHS chapter of the Future Educators of America has also

chosen its 2011-12 officers. They are: Audrey Miller, president; Lindsey Hanrahan, community involvement vice president; Summer Roque, competition vice president; Nicole Hulen, secretary; Taylor Godfrey, treasurer; Brittany Godfrey, historian; Candice Lynch, parliamentarian; and Cassidy Heitman, social director.

The SRHS chapter of the Sociedad Honoria Hispanica has announced its officers for the coming school year. They are: Herman Castro, president; Aileen Roblero, vice president; Julia Frate, secretary; Alex FahSang, treasurer; and Grethel Bot, historian.

• Graduation 2011: No School for SRHS Students — Seminole Ridge will hold its graduation ceremony for the Class of 2011 on Monday, May 23 at 12:30 p.m. at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach.

Due to the ceremony time, there will be no school for SRHS students on that day.

• Choristers Earn State Honors — SRHS choral students earned honors recently at the 2011 Florida Vocal Association state performance assessments. The school congratulates its chamber choir and chamber ensemble, each of which received “Superior” ratings, the combined women’s cho-

rus and the varsity show choir, both having received an “Excellent” rating, and the following individual winners: soloists Melissa Au Yeung, Nick Hoffman and Lorelle Wrice, each earning “Excellent” in the competition.

• Hawk Debater Wins Pathfinders Scholarship — Seminole Ridge debate student Marlee Arnold has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship as a winner of this year’s Pathfinder Awards. The Pathfinders, given to high school seniors in Palm Beach and Martin counties, honor students who have demonstrated exceptional academic, vocational or athletic achievement.

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Page 17

SCHOOL NEWS

PBSC Dental Program Helps RPBHS Special Populations Students

Royal Palm Beach High School Principal Jesus Armas with PBSC dental students and RPBHS ESE students.

STEM Academy Coming To RPBHS Royal Palm Beach High School recently announced that its program proposal for a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) academy has been approved.

It will begin as an in-house STEM program next year; the following year it will be available as a choice program. The STEM academy will involve both engineering and design. In the program, each student will have a graduation plan that will lead him or her on an accelerated college preparatory track. This includes dual-credit (high school/college) courses that better prepare them for 21st-century college careers.

In addition, students will participate in interactive field experiences, summer enrichment programs and internships. Students will be immersed in a learning environ-

ment that encourages them to identify, create and solve problems while meeting the rigorous academic demands of such disciplines as science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“Starting this academy is in keeping with the school’s vision to increase small learning community opportunities, to personalize instruction and to perpetuate rigor throughout the curriculum,” RPBHS Principal Jesus Armas said. “Furthermore, it is in the best interest of the school and the Royal Palm Beach community to provide students with the opportunity to learn in a challenging math/ science program. We’re thankful to Academies Coordinator Nikki Lanier, who worked diligently for this accomplishment, with support from the Department of Choice and Career Options.”

Kindergarten Roundup May 9 At Cypress Trails Cypress Trails Elementary School will host its kindergarten roundup Monday, May 9 at 6 p.m. inside the school’s cafeteria.

Parents are invited to visit the school and learn about kindergarten. All children must be 5 years old on or before Sept. 1 to be eli-

gible to enter kindergarten in August.

Cypress Trails Elementary School is located at 133 Park Road North in Royal Palm Beach. For more information about the May 9 kindergarten roundup, call the school’s main office at (561) 9049000.

A special partnership between Palm Beach State College and Royal Palm Beach High School results in brilliant, gleaming smiles for Palm Beach County exceptional education students.

The partnership links PBSC Dental Health students with RPBHS special populations challenged with intellectual disabilities. The partnership is now in its fourth year of success and going strong, and both sets of students are gaining valuable experience and knowledge.

At the beginning of the second semester of every year, PBSC assigns two students to RPBHS as a part of their community dental health course. The professionalism provided by the college students year after year is extraordi-

nary. Each year the high school based lessons provided to the disabled students includes knowledge and understanding of the importance of their teeth, anatomy of the mouth and gums. They also learn about nutrition and cooking exercises, daily oral care and flossing information, which includes preventive tooth decay, brushing instructions and more.

The benefit of this partnership offers exceptional opportunities.

This academic service increases trust and mutual respect for both sets of students. The Palm Beach State College students gain course credit as well as clinical application skills, and the high school students challenged with intellectual disabilities receive not only valuable dental lessons but also gain

free dental cleanings at the PBSC Dental Health educational center.

Along with the cleaning, the students are also provided with a check-up with Dr. Loew and Dr. Galeta (including X-rays) and a bag containing a toothbrush, floss, toothpaste and a coloring book.

The relationship began in 2007 between PBSC associate professor Kerry Flynn and RPBHS exceptional student education teacher Wanda Malave.

“The extended efforts and support the PBSC students provide each year are truly amazing,” Malave said. “Every single student who has provided lessons for our class has always been appropriately designed with special consideration for our student population.

Learning was always fun, engag-

ing and information varied to maintain the interest of oral care as well as reduce fears for our special populations. Every year, we look forward to new students and exciting lessons.”

Flynn sent Malave an e-mail thanking her for her mentorship.

“Wanda, thank you for your exemplary mentorship of our Palm Beach State dental hygiene students,” she wrote. “Without caring partners like you, these wonderful learning opportunities would not be possible. Everyone involved truly benefits from our joint experiences. Thank you so much for inspiring all students to be the best that they can be and helping to make it all happen. We will look forward to working together again next year.”

Another Great Career Day At New Horizons New Horizons Elementary School students recently experienced an incredible Career Day. Students heard from a plethora of speakers, including many parents and local business professionals.

Inside presenters included a chef, a retail fashion manager, a table etiquette specialist, two civil engineers, a pilot and flight attendant, a dental hygienist, a physical therapist, a horse gym trainer, a tae-kwon-do instructor, a builder, a dance troupe teacher, a florist, a baker, a helicopter instructor, a nurse, a hospital data analyst, a choreographer, a physician, a concert pianist, a business entrepreneur, an LED light specialist, an attorney, a former rock star and equine veterinarian students from Wellington High School.

Outside presenters included a pottery maker, a karate instructor, a Publix truck driver, an army sergeant, a golf course grounds spe-

cialist, a golfer, a dentist, a paper recycling truck, beekeepers, a race car builder, a car salesperson and an electrician. Also included were Build-a Bear; a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office patrol car, motorcycle, Hummer, Justice the bloodhound and two horses from the mounted unit; Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue Station 27; a Palm Tran bus; and W4CY radio station, which broadcast from the outside area.

“Students were encouraged to stay in school, do their best, and follow their interests as they pursue any career they choose,” event planner and guidance counselor Lynne Bray said.

Wellington Mayor Darell Bowen greeted students as they came outside. New Horizons offers a special thanks to the Village of Wellington for providing tent pavilions for each of the outside speakers.

Concer t pianist Roxanna Mathieu with fifth-graders.

PBCHS Hosts White House Youth Roundtable Student Government Association officers from across Palm Beach County and students from Lynn University participated in a roundtable discussion Tuesday, April 26 at Palm Beach Central High School. After President Barack Obama announced he was tasking his administration with participating in 100 youth roundtables all over the country, Palm Beach County students took that challenge to heart.

Florida Joint Center for Citizenship Executive Director Dr. Doug Dobson and Lynn University American Studies Professor Dr. Robert Watson served as moderators for the roundtable. Students discussed issues of mutual concern, including education reform, student safety, cyber bullying and the 21st-century job market.

“The students were articulate and passionate as they conversed on issues relevant to them,” said

Laurie Cotton, social studies administrator for the Palm Beach County School District. “We sincerely hope that this roundtable forum will become an annual event.”

Although White House staff members were not present at the Palm Beach County roundtable, the web cast and transcript of the discussion have been submitted to the White House. There, the youth team will gather the information

and contact all participants in the coming weeks via White House conference calls, web chats and other opportunities to speak with staff members from the Obama administration on a number of important issues.

Presidents and administrations of the past have encouraged citizens to debate and discuss issues of the day, as the freedom to do so is one of the great strengths of a democratic society.

Page 18

Ma y 6 - May 12, 2011

MOLEJON, GONZALEZ WED IN WELLINGTON

PALMS WEST PEOPLE

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION FOR SEBASTIAN OSORIO

Wellington residents Aristides Osorio and Paola Restrepo recently celebrated their son Sebastian Osorio’s first birthday. Sebastian was born April 18, 2010.

Brian Deal Finishes U.S. Army Training

Jennifer Rosbel Molejon and Fernando Gonzalez were united in holy matrimony Saturday, April 16 at St. Therese de Lisieux Catholic Church in Wellington joined by family members, friends and their daughter Jullissa Rosa Gonzalez. It was followed by a breathtaking reception at Paradiso Ristorante in Lake Worth, where the couple announced they are expecting their second daughter, Josalinn, on Sept. 1.

The Town-Crier

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PV2 Brian Deal, son of Monica Deal of West Palm Beach and David Deal of Columbia, S.C., recently completed 20 weeks of basic training and a military police program with the Alpha Company 701st Military Police Battalion at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. The training involved classroom and field assignments, learning first aid, uniform regulations, combat and water survival, marksmanship, hand to hand combat, and assorted weapons training.

Deal also received instructions on

the Army’s core values.

Out of a class of 130, Deal graduated second and was platoon honor graduate. He also received honors for physical training and expert marksmanship on the M4 and M9.

Deal was the only one in his class to receive the Coin of Excellence. He will be stationed with the 230th Military Police Company at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany.

Deal graduated from Royal Palm Beach High School in 2010.

James Coleman

Michael Waites

Coleman, Waites Graduate Air Force Basic Training Air Force airmen James Coleman and Michael Waites recently graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.

The airmen completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

Airmen who complete basic

training earn four credits toward an associate’s degree in applied science through the Community College of the Air Force.

Coleman is the son of Robert and Rachelle Coleman of Royal Palm Beach. He graduated in 2010 from Royal Palm Beach High School.

Waites is the son of Michael and Denise Waites of Wellington. He graduated in 2009 from the Glades Day School in Belle Glade.

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May 6 - May 12, 2011

Page 19

PALMS WEST PEOPLE

PBAU Promotes Faculty Members From The Western Communities Palm Beach Atlantic University Provost and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Joseph Kloba recently announced faculty promotions, including four from western Palm Beach County.

Dr. Dana Brown of Wellington has been promoted to associate professor of pharmacy practice and administration. She holds a Pharm.D. with highest distinction from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to joining the university’s faculty in 2005, Brown completed an ambulatory care/managed care residency at Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C. Dr. Jenifer Elmore of Wellington has been promoted to associate professor of English. She holds a master ’s degree and a doctorate from Florida State University, and a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from University of the South. Her primary area of research involves American and

British women writers of the late 18th and 19th centuries. She joined the university in 2005.

Dr. Seena Haines of Wellington has been promoted to professor of pharmacy practice. She holds a Pharm. D. degree from Nova Southeastern University, a bachelor’s degree from Florida International University and associate’s degrees from Broward Community College. Prior to coming to Palm Beach Atlantic in 2001, Haines completed a postgraduate residency in ambulatory care at Nova Southeastern University.

She is certified in immunizations and serves as the OTC advisor through the American Pharmacists Association.

Dr. Susan Jones of Royal Palm Beach has been promoted to professor of English. She holds a doctorate from the University of Florida, a master’s degree from Stetson University and a bachelor’s degree cum laude from the Uni-

YACAMAN INDUCTED INTO HONOR SOCIETY AT DELTA UNIVERSITY

Jazmin Yacaman of Wellington was one of eight students at Delta State University recently inducted into the university’s chapter of Kappa Omicron Nu, a national honor society recognizing excellence in family and consumer sciences in the College of Education. To be eligible for induction by Kappa Omicron Nu, a student must declare a major or minor in family and consumer sciences, and complete 45 semester hours, with at least 23 hours completed at Delta State, 12 in family and consumer sciences courses. The student must have a minimum grade-point-average of 3.0, be in the top 25 percent of the class, and be recommended by the faculty. Pictured above are the inductees.

Yacaman is second from right in the back row.

Send Palms West People items to: The Town-Crier Newspaper, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414.

Fax: (561) 793-6090. E-mail: news@goTownCrier.com.

Dr. Dana Brown

Dr. Jenifer Elmore

Dr. Seena Haines

Dr. Susan Jones

versity of New Hampshire. She joined the university in 1998. Her general areas of focus are Renaissance and medieval British litera-

ture, especially Shakespeare.

Palm Beach Atlantic University is a private, independent university offering undergraduate,

graduate and professional degrees, with campuses in West Palm Beach, Orlando and Wellington.

The university is dedicated to the

integration of Christian principles to prepare students for learning, leadership and service. For more information, visit www.pbau.edu.

Mickey Smith Working To Preserve Judiciary Longtime Wellington resident Mickey Smith has seen a lot in his 26 years of practicing civil trial law. Few things rattle him. The events of the latest legislative session in Tallahassee still leave him saddened, though.

“The legislative branch is trying to destroy another, co-equal branch — the judiciary,” Smith said. “The legislature is attempting to gut our supreme court and deprive our trial courts of the funding they need to function properly.”

Smith calls these attempts “sickening.” But he and other prominent trial lawyers are fighting back. Smith is president of the Palm Beach Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). ABOTA is a national, invitation-only organization of experienced jury trial lawyers who are peer reviewed for not only

their prowess in the courtroom but also their high standards for ethics and professionalism.

“ABOTA stands up for the judiciary” and is fighting these attacks “tooth and nail,” Smith said.

ABOTA’s core values include protecting a fair judicial system and the right to trial by jury, as guaranteed by the Seventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Smith said those attacking the justice system have less lofty goals. “It is politics, pure and simple,” he said. “Think of it this way.

If one side to a sporting event tried to fire all the referees, do you think they would be doing so to ensure the game was played fairly? Of course not.”

Smith is quick to add that ABOTA has no hidden agenda. Its members are equally composed of those who file civil cases and those who defend them. Smith calls the

organization “balanced,” unlike the politicians seeking to effectively dismantle the court system.

Smith began his legal career by representing insurance companies and large corporations. A partner at Lesser, Lesser, Landy & Smith, he has spent the past nine years of his career fighting exclusively for individuals and families in personal injury and wrongful death cases against the very interests he used to protect. To Smith, the point is simple.

“All of us need a balanced, fully funded judiciary,” Smith said. “It is what sets our country apart.”

According to Smith, the citizens of Palm Beach County have every reason to be proud of the local judiciary. “It is considered the finest in the state,” he said.

Showing a touch of hometown pride, Smith points out that sever-

Mickey Smith al local trial judges and a current Florida Supreme Court justice hail from Wellington. “We just need to make sure they are allowed to do their jobs. That’s all,” he said.

Dumancas Presents At Annual APS Meeting Lorenzo Dumancas, a sophomore at the College of Wooster and a graduate of Wellington High School, presented research at the annual American Physical Society (APS) meeting in Dallas, Texas.

A physics major, Dumancas ad-

dressed “Specific Heat at the Micellization and Phase Transitions in a Triblock Copolymer-Water System.”

The research, conducted with Professor Don Jacobs and fellow student David Simpson, analyzed a long molecule with “water-hat-

ing” ends and a “water-loving” center, which curls up in water to form geometrically diverse masses. By changing concentrations and temperature, the trio was able to characterize solutions of the molecules at different temperatures and concentrations.

“Wooster’s strong showing at the largest annual physics meeting is impressive,” said John Lindner, professor of physics at Wooster. “Our students presented their research alongside professional physicists and gained valuable experience.”

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Page 20

May 6 - May 12, 2011

The Town-Crier

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NEWS Lamstein

‘Visionary’ Leader

continued from page 1 though Lamstein later saw that the village was gaining a healthy demographic mix. “He was a kind man; he was always looking out for the other person and how you could improve the life of the residents,” Mattioli said. “Never that I knew him did he ask anything for himself. That’s the way I remember him.”

Councilman David Swift sat on the dais with Lamstein in the late 1980s.

“What I remember about Sam the most is his legacy to the village; one of the major ones is he campaigned for the village to purchase the utility,” Swift said. “The reason for that was that utility rates were going up, and he wanted to make sure that the village pur-

Peter Rabbit

On Stage May 13-15

continued from page 1 measurable Theater when he came down from Pennsylvania, and decided to try out for a part in the show. Even though this will be his first time acting on stage, he said that he will not be nervous, since he was in a band for seven years and has played in front of crowds before.

Maggie Phillipi, who is playing the role of Benjamin Bunny, has been acting for years and can share her expertise with her fellow cast members.

“I have forgotten my lines on stage before, and that can be really scary,” Phillipi said. “The one thing you have to keep in mind is you have to keep in character and you have to know that character well enough to be able

Groves

Council Seeks Bids

continued from page 1 in writing directly from AshBritt stating that they would use the contractors listed in his memo.

“My concern is that I saw during the last hurricane where people from Alabama, Mississippi and other states came here and raped everybody in the State of Florida and got all the work,” Goltzené said, adding that he would prefer to see an original document from AshBritt stating that they would use the local contractors.

“I believe in RFPs and I believe in being able to compare,” he said.

“AshBritt is well connected, but I do not believe that is helpful to us.”

chased it so that we could freeze the rates and not have the village impacted by higher water rates.”

That ended up as a business resource for the village that provided revenue while keeping residents’ utility rates under control, Swift said.

“If it hadn’t been for Sam’s forward thinking in purchasing the utility, we wouldn’t be in the financial position we are right now,” he said.

Swift also credits Lamstein with cutting hard deals with developers. When Lamstein was serving on the council, Royal Palm Beach was among the fastest-growing communities in the nation.

“There was all kinds of development going on in the village,” Swift said. “Agendas at our meetings would go to 11, 12 o’clock at night because there were so many items on there. It was a very busy time. We had a lot of pressure from developers to get what they wantto keep the scene going.”

With the mix of some old cast members along with new ones, the rehearsals that have taken place for the show look to make it a wonderful evening for the entire family.

“I have to say I really love the actors who have come on board, and it is a well-molded group,” Ortega said.

Immeasurable Theater survives off donations but has done well so far because the public likes what it does. Although this production of The Tale of Peter Rabbit is free to the public, donations are appreciated, and can be made at the show.

The Wellington Amphitheater is located at 12100 W. Forest Hill Blvd. Lawn chairs or blankets are recommended for the performances.

For more information, call Immeasurable Theater at (561) 7276891.

If the town does use AshBritt, Goltzené said he would want a document from the company stating that it will use local haulers.

“As for Calvin Giordano, I personally think we have given them more than enough money, and I would rather have somebody else,” Goltzené said.

Spence said the town would have to terminate the existing contract with Calvin Giordano, explaining that the contract continues until terminated. Nevertheless, Goltzené said he would rather seek a new firm. “Personally, I feel the concept of eternal contracts until terminated to be an invitation to corruption,” he said. “You need to go out for contracts on a scheduled basis, you need to make sure that it is broadly advertised, and you need to be sure that it is broadly vetted so that we do not run into a situation that we are just

ed, and he tried to extract as much from them to benefit the village.”

As a result, at a time when there were no set impact fees, the village got many of its recreation areas and equipment as a result of Lamstein’s bargaining. “I would call him probably our first strong mayor,” Swift said. “We really don’t have that category, but I would put him as that.”

Swift also credited Lamstein with holding density down, to developers’ frustration. “He worked as much as he could to reduce density,” Swift said. “I think he did a good job getting developers to reduce density and develop a good land use plan.”

Swift also pointed out that when he first moved to the village in 1978, it had no recreational activities. “The Royal Palm Beach Jaycees, of which I was a member, started the first recreational activities,” Swift said.

Lamstein greatly expanded rec-

reational programs. “It was a time that the retirees saw the village growing so fast. With so many families moving in, it was retirees vs. the new people,” Swift said.

“He had the forward thinking to know this community was going to grow out to be more than a retirement community.”

The issue at the time was that seniors thought their taxes would go up to pay for recreational amenities, Swift said. Lamstein and his council were able to set up those amenities in the face of strong opposition. “Without their forward thinking, this would have been a very different village, in my opinion,” Swift said.

A veteran of World War II, Lamstein spent time in Japan and won the Legion of Merit medal.

Originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., Lamstein and his wife, Silvia, moved to Royal Palm Beach in the 1970s. Aside from his work in the village, he served as a Wellington

RPBHS

New STEM Academy

A Scene From ‘Peter Rabbit’ — (L-R) Hannah Lewis as Flopsy, Marianne Haaland as Mopsy, Maggie Phillipi as Benjamin Bunny, David Tompkins as Peter Rabbit, Phil Deese as Mr. McGregor, Phyllis Spear as Mrs. Rabbit and Natalie Lemo as Cottontail.

PHOTO BY JACKSON WOLEK/T OWN-CRIER

using the same contractor over and over again.”

Goltzené made a motion to seek bids on contracts for both debris removal and monitoring, which was seconded by Vice Mayor Ryan Liang.

Spence said he was not defending AshBritt but pointed out that it is a major contractor with the Solid Waste Authority. Goltzené responded, “I am sure you would agree that Halliburton being a major contractor for the United States government does not mean a lot.”

Councilman Jim Rockett said the council had been discussing RFPs for hurricane hauling and monitoring for nine months.

“We don’t want to wait until we get to June 1 to figure out what we’re going to do,” he said, noting that the council had directed Spence to put out RFPs for the

contracts. “We told you what to do, and you haven’t done it. I’m at the point right now that I need somebody else to get the job done.”

Town Attorney Mike Cirullo said there could be a new contract in place after RFPs are back for consideration by mid July. “Hopefully, that’s well before the peak of the season,” Cirullo said.

Mayor Dave Browning called the question to ask for proposals for new contracts, and it carried 5-0.

In other business, the council tabled discussion of the format of evaluation forms for Spence.

Goltzené made the motion to table the item to the council’s June 7 meeting. “I really think it needs a lot more thought and discussion than is possible tonight,” he said.

The motion carried 4-0 with Goltzené away from the dais.

NEWS BRIEFS Jazz Concert May 7 At Wellington Amphitheater The seventh annual Palm Beach Central High School “Groovin’ Hard” jazz concert will be held Saturday, May 7 at 8 p.m. at the Wellington Amphitheater.

The concert will feature the Palm Beach Central jazz ensemble and the Bronco jazz band as well as the Emerald Cove Middle School jazz ensemble.

The family-friendly event will feature the music of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Buddy Rich, Maynard Ferguson, and Lennon and McCartney.

Letters continued from page 4 the people who voted for Gov. Scott and his Republican majority didn’t know what or who they were really voting for. Now their elected leaders will take their vote away. Shame! Join the rally nearest you on May 10 at 5:30 p.m.

Show them that they cannot take away our early voting rights. They will pay at the next election.

Shirley Bass Wellington

Don’t Pander To Callery-Judge Mr. Nat Roberts and CalleryJudge Grove state that their challenge to the Loxahatchee Groves comprehensive plan, as already passed by the Department of Community Affairs and Palm Beach County, is based on traffic concurrency. That is, since our comp plan includes the return of some remaining parcels RR-10 (one unit in 10 acres) to our historic designation of RR-5 (one unit per five acres), they state that the extra 250 potential units will so greatly increase traffic that it should not be

The Wellington Amphitheater is located at 12100 W. Forest Hill Blvd. Attendees are advised to bring their own seating, such as a lawn chair or blanket.

For information about the concert, call Cultural Programs & Facilities Manager Joe Piconcelli at (561) 791-4756.

Scott’s Place barrier-free playground will open at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 30 at the conclusion of Wellington’s Memorial Day Parade & Ceremony.

The Memorial Day Parade be-

Wellington is offering a new opportunity for elementary school students who attend village schools or live in Welling-

ton to have their artwork displayed at the Wellington Community Center.

Students must submit their artwork on Wednesday, May 11 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Wellington Community Center (12150 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 100).

The Wellington Art Society will review the elementary submissions and select pieces to include in the student art program. These works of art will be on display for four months, ending in September.

For additional information and entry forms with program dates and guidelines, call the Wellington Art Society at (561) 795-1691 or speak to your school’s art teacher.

allowed. Further, they wish the town to agree, in advance of any development within CalleryJudge, to identify and fund several connections around the periphery of the town. These “connections” would link the town to Callery-Judge and directly into The Acreage, with negative impacts on them, our existing neighbors. True, there is a history of traffic infrastructure falling behind development out here. Loxahatchee Groves will need to accept the fact that Okeechobee Blvd. is a county road and will eventually go to four lanes. Let’s accept that and help plan it correctly for our town.

The demands within the Callery-Judge challenge to the Loxahatchee Groves comp plan derive from one and only one thing — enhancing their speculative fiscal gain. That is, they view any additional units gained by Loxahatchee Groves as subtracting from their density dreams. Many of us objected strongly to the Callery-Judge DRI (development of regional impact), which included 13,000 units plus commercial, etc.

Now “all” they want is 3,000 units.

According to the state bill that they bought (oops, had passed), they are allowed, if a land use change is granted, “what is around them” (density of lands abutting within a three-mile radius). If one does the math, and I did, that equates to 0.588 dwelling units per acre (1 du/1.7 ac) or 2,307 units, period. Additionally, they will likely want to go the route of all developers in South Florida. That is, cluster those units and develop the then unencumbered lands as commercial or industrial. That is, double-dip. This is now and always has been a disservice to any and all precepts of growth management. If you develop commercial or industrial, the dwelling units on that land should disappear forever, not be entitled for use elsewhere!

Remember, Callery-Judge does have property rights and they extend only to agriculture and RR10, one unit per 10 acres (393 units, period!). That is, property rights extend only to what is current. Anything beyond that is speculation. They have the right to ask, but they do not have the right to expect. Also, remember that only

the Callery-Judge land is our neighbor. They do not live here.

They are not our neighbors and couldn’t care less about our quality of life! They do care a lot about money, future money and more of it.

The Town of Loxahatchee Groves should stop any and all pandering to this blackmail. Given that, the town should, of course, work with all of its true neighbors in the future to ease traffic problems, but not in a vacuum of knowledge and while being held hostage. Imagine a very possible scenario: the town legally promises to fund and construct connections along our northern border as it abuts Callery-Judge. CalleryJudge gets a land use change, sells to a large foreign developer and they obtain commercial/industrial classifications. We are still legally bound to build those connections — oh joy!

All of this is extremely possible as the present Florida government strips away all vestiges of growth management under the guise of creating jobs.

Bill Louda Loxahatchee Groves

Scott’s Place To Open On Memorial Day

Regional Medical Center board member.

Lamstein’s first involvement with village government began in 1977 as a council appointee to the village’s planning and zoning commission, a group he later chaired. In 1981, Lamstein ran for the council and was elected. He resigned his seat to run successfully for mayor in 1982.

In interviews after he left office, Lamstein noted that the boom decade of the 1980s was busy and challenging. When he took office as mayor, Royal Palm Beach was without a village manager, and the finance director had just quit, along with the police chief. Two village residents who were certified public accountants stepped forward to assist in running the village’s financial affairs, he recalled.

As the trickle of new residents increased into a deluge, Lamstein spent long hours grappling with a never-ending list of priorities.

During his administration, Lamstein and fellow council members: reduced the permitted height of multi-family dwellings from five to three stories; finalized and passed the village’s comprehensive plan; donated, with Royal Palm Beach Colony Inc., land to build Crestwood Middle School; computerized the internal functioning of municipal administrative offices; successfully lobbied the county to install traffic lights

gins at 8:45 a.m. at the Wellington Community Center (12150 W. Forest Hill Blvd.) and ends at Wellington’s Veterans Memorial, located on the corner of Forest Hill and South Shore boulevards. The ceremony begins at 9 a.m.

For more information, call Community Programs Manager Michelle Garvey at (561) 7914082.

Seeking Elementary School Artwork

continued from page 1 ary changes, more high-level courses and more outreach to students opting to leave Royal Palm Beach for high school.

When Principal Jesus Armas took over the school last year, he opened the Excelsior Academy, a program open only to students already set to attend RPBHS. The academy offers a wide variety of Advanced Placement classes to high-level students, which offers them more opportunities for college credit.

Lanier said that the STEM Academy would have 50 slots open next year, but only to students who would already attend the school. The following year, it will be open for students across Palm Beach County as a choice program.

“It’s a way for the school to offer more opportunities for local students to get a high-level education and go to their own high school in the community they live in,” she said.

Students within the RPBHS dis-

Vouchers

Restrictions Enforced

continued from page 1 $35,000, Bonde said. The extra money will keep the program financed until September.

“It’s still in a growing stage,” Bonde said. “So we’ve had to budget for a little bit more growth.”

The program became so popular that Wellington officials have had to scale back the number of vouchers sent out and how they could be used. Seniors will once again be limited to six one-way vouchers each month.

The limit will be enforced with a bar code given out on the voucher.

“That way it’s not up to the cab driver to know if it’s someone’s sixth or seventh trip,” Bonde said.

“They’ll be able to swipe the bar code and know how many trips are left.”

Additionally, the vouchers may be used only to travel to medical facilities, pharmacies, food markets, congregate meals and religious institutions.

“We want to be sure that the destinations are to hospitals and other necessities,” he said. “Some of the seniors were using the vouchers for social calls, and that wasn’t what the program was intended for.”

Bonde noted that Wellington hopes participants would use the vouchers wisely by grouping together errands rather than using one voucher to go to one location for only one purpose.

Blotter continued from page 6 no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.

MAY 2 — A resident of Eastwood called the PBSO substation in Wellington late last Monday night to report an act of vandalism. According to a PBSO report, at approximately 11:50 p.m., someone threw a small rock at the victim’s living-room window, shattering it and causing $500 in damage. The victim said she did not observe anyone outside. There were no suspects or witnesses at

and widen Okeechobee Blvd.; installed street lights in La Mancha, as well as initiating much-needed drainage relief for residents there; purchased the water and sewer utility in 1983; expanded recreation facilities and programs; built a police station following approval of a voter referendum and added an enhanced 911 system; fought to bring hospitals to the western communities; and began what was to become a decade-long negotiation with the county and the Diocese of Palm Beach to create Seminole Palms Park. The street leading to the park was later named Lamstein Lane in Lamstein’s honor.

Lamstein was a major proponent of maintaining green space and building parks. It’s a priority the council has maintained in the two decades since Lamstein left office. To this day, Royal Palm Beach maintains one of the highest parkland-to-population ratios in South Florida. In recent years, Lamstein continued to lobby village officials in support of park projects and open space.

Silvia, Lamstein’s wife of 62 years, died two years ago. Survivors include his daughter Loree and son Joel, as well as six grandchildren and a greatgrandchild.

A memorial service was held on Sunday, May 1 at I.J. Morris. Burial followed at Star of David Cemetery.

trict boundaries will have the added bonus of being able to enroll in both the Excelsior and STEM academies if they qualify for both, Lanier said.

In addition to a rigorous academic schedule, Lanier said, students will get real-life experiences with field assignments, summer internships and enrichment programs that allow them to apply what they learn in their classes and better prepare them for their future careers.

Lanier said that the school would be hiring additional teachers in engineering and design to provide students with the best quality education.

“Starting this academy is in keeping with our school’s vision to increase small learning community opportunities, to personalize instruction and to perpetuate rigor throughout the curriculum,” Armas said. “Furthermore, it is in the best interest of the school and the Royal Palm Beach community to provide our students with the opportunity to learn in a challenging math/science program. This is another important step in the quest to be the best high school in the district.”

“We want to be sure that the program is being used how it was intended,” he said. “But we’re not going to question every destination. For example, someone could go to the mall area and get their grocery shopping and other appointments taken care of.”

Though Wellington has had to tweak its program, Bonde said that the spike in use of the program is a good thing.

“We look at it as a positive thing,” he said, “because if people are using it, it shows there was truly a need for it.”

An alternative method of transportation was high among the priorities of the Senior Citizen Task Force, a Wellington-appointed temporary committee that met in 2006 to reach out to the senior population and address issues it faced.

The village also surveyed residents 55 or older that year and found that transportation, affordable housing and a senior center were the top three priorities for those who responded. “[The program] isn’t costly compared to other alternatives,” Bonde said. “The council was smart to roll this out as a pilot program in order to provide that transportation to seniors who need it.”

Bonde said that the program would come before the council during budget hearings, and anticipated that Wellington staff would recommend keeping the program.

The program is still accepting enrollment. For more information, or to sign up, call the Safe Neighborhoods Office at (561) 7914796. the time of the report.

MAY 2 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach responded to a medical office on Southern Blvd. Monday evening regarding a vehicle burglary. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 4 and 9:15 p.m., someone smashed the right front window of the victim’s vehicle and stole a black vinyl bag containing water and a bag of pretzels. The stolen items were valued at approximately $11. There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.

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NEWS

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WELLINGTON GARDEN CLUB HOSTS SPRING LUNCHEON & OFFICER INSTALLATION The Wellington Garden Club held its annual Spring Luncheon and Installation of Officers on Monday, May 2 at Oli’s Fashion Cuisine restaurant in Wellington. In addition to the installation, various adult and youth awards were presented, there was also a Chinese auction and music.

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/T OWN-CRIER

Denise Friedlander, Dottie Hovan, scholarship recipient David Ramos, Palm Beach State College Professor of Horticulture Dr. George Rogers and Club President Susan Hillson.

Outgoing Club President Barbara Hadsell passes the gavel to Susan Hillson.

Newly installed Wellington Garden Club officers for 2011-12.

Derb y Day hat winners: Best Use of Theme, Doreen Baxter; Best Fascinator, Andra Karp; and Best Hat, Marilyn Walvoord.

Carol Hoenich, Ann Cavaleri, Andra Karp and Marilyn Walvoord don lovely hats.

Beverly Miller, Stormi Bivin and Ann Parker.

WHS LACROSSE CELEBRATES SEASON’S END WITH BANQUET AT BINKS FOREST The Wellington High School lacrosse program held its end-of-year banquet Monday, May 2 at the Binks Forest Golf Club in Wellington.

Players from the varsity and junior varsity lacrosse teams were honored for their par ticipation this season, and seniors received a special send off.

PHOTOS BY LAUREN MIRÓ/T OWN-CRIER

Senior players are awarded their jersey as well as an embroidered blanket.

Most Valuable Player Tyler Kuhlman with his father Tim, who was awarded a helmet signed by the team for his dedication.

Members of the All District teams receive their awards.

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Vinceremos Volunteer Orientation A Great Experience

On a recent Saturday afternoon in March, the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center in Loxahatchee Groves hosted a volunteer orientation meeting. More than two dozen enthusiastic future volunteers attended to learn more about helping out at this local nonprofit group. Ellen Rosenberg’s Column, Page 27

May 6 - May 12, 2011

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Okeeheelee Park Hosts The BMX Gator Nationals

Local and national competitors came out to Ok eeheelee Park on Saturday and Sunda y, April 30 and May 1 to par ticipate in the BMX Gator Nationals sanctioned by the National Bicycle League. More than 1,300 competitors were registered to compete, with over 100 races held each day. Page 42

Shopping Spree A TOWN-CRIER PUBLICATION

INSIDE

Business Great Fashion Selection At Connie’s Collection Consignment Boutique

Located in the Woods Walk shopping center at the corner of Lake Worth Road and State Road 7, Connie’s Collection Consignment Boutique is an upscale women’s consignment boutique run by owner Connie Cosmos. All aspects of the female wardrobe are featured. The boutique serves women from different generations and lifestyles. Cosmos has an extensive background in the retail industry. Page 35

Sports SRHS Flag Football Team Claims District Championship

The Seminole Ridge High School varsity flag f ootball team traveled to Palm Beach Central High School on Wednesday, April 27, where they topped the Broncos 7-0 to win the District 17 championship in a game that saw both teams struggle to put points on the board. Page 41

THIS WEEK’S INDEX COLUMNS & FEATURES .......................27-28 DINING & ENTERTAINMENT ..................... 33 BUSINESS NEWS .................................35-37 SPORTS & RECREATION ......................41-44 COMMUNITY CALENDAR ..................... 46-47 CLASSIFIEDS ....................................... 48-53

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FEATURES

Volunteer Orientation At Vinceremos A Great Experience On a recent Saturday afternoon in March, the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center in Loxahatchee Groves hosted a volunteer orientation meeting. More than two dozen enthusiastic future volunteers attended.

Begun in 1981, Vinceremos offers four basic programs for people with varying emotional and physical disabilities: therapeutic riding, hippotherapy, Horses for Heroes and equine-assisted psychotherapy. The center owns 22 horses of varying breeds and sizes, plus Teddy, a miniature horse who’s their mascot.

The eager group pulled up folding chairs or sat at the two picnic tables set end to end under a shady plastic tarp. There were parents, teens and young kids. Volunteers can be as young as 12.

Debbi Levinsky, a 21-year-old, full-time student at Palm Beach Atlantic University and Vinceremos’ volunteer coordinator, welcomed everyone and handed out the orientation manual and a packet of helpful hints. She collected $25 from those who were definitely going to be volunteering, to cover insurance costs. Those paying the fee at that time also received a Vinceremos T-shirt.

Levinsky gave a brief overview of the center and its programs and how important volunteers are. “We’re really big on flexibility,” she said, “especially when it comes to scheduling our volunteers.”

The large group was then split up into four smaller contingents who headed off to learn a little about the different kinds of activities

Tales From The Trails

By Ellen Rosenberg they’d be expected to know: grooming; tacking up horses, both English and Western; helping riders mount and dismount; and leading and/or side walking a mounted rider.

Madison MacIntosh, 15, was there with her mother Michelle. The Wellington teen had friends who were already volunteers.

“I love horses,” Madison said. “I used to ride, but I stopped two years ago. I didn’t have time because of school and homework. Since I need community service hours, this seemed like a perfect way to help out and also get some time to ride again.”

Volunteers are welcome to ride the horses, subject to availability. There are horses for every level of rider — dead quiet to very spirited.

Carly Brown, one of the instructors, led Madison’s group into one of the smaller riding rings, bringing along a volunteer mounted bareback on a horse.

“Leading and side walking are a huge part of volunteering,” Brown explained. “We all work together as a team — horse, rider, leader and side walkers. Some of our riders don’t

Debbi Levinsky, on a mounting block, shows volunteer Madison MacIntosh how to position a horse. have a lot of balance. They need support.

Anyone can ask the leader to stop the horse at any time to help shift the rider back into a safer position.”

Brown demonstrated where the leader should be in relation to the horse: on its left

side and between its ears and shoulders. The two side walkers remain beside the rider, forearm braced over the rider’s lower leg.

“The leader is in charge of the horse,” she said. “The side walkers are concerned primaSee ROSENBERG, page 28

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FEATURES

With Nuptials Boosting Britain, Countries Try To Compete The royal wedding of William and Kate dominated the airwaves around the globe last week, with 2 billion people watching as the one-day king of England wed his queen. As for Kate, she’ll have to be content with the title of duchess until then, but, having risen from the inauspicious rank of “commoner,” that’s quite a step up. Of course, I don’t think anyone who is able to stroll the campus of St. Andrews University with a future king is as “common” as all that to begin with. I wonder what the tuition costs.

Yet, from what I’ve seen, I like Kate. She has a sense of style.

Bringing some green trees into Westminster Abbey was a stroke of genius. Her gown was perfect for her. And wedding commentators were shocked to learn that she did her own makeup (she knows her own face better than anyone, I’d assume).

Deborah Welky is

The Sonic BOOMER I was happy for the British. Since the untimely death of Princess Di, not a lot of style has come out of Britain, and I think that’s about to change with Kate. Having grown up with it, her generation is well aware that entertainment and politics seem to be merging into one big glistening ball of media excitement worldwide.

And one can’t fault William for his timing.

Britain’s economy is in trouble due to the worldwide economic woes; the only thing that can save it is tourism; the number of visitors has been steadily declining and — bink! — William decides to get married after dragging his royal feet for eight long years. Suddenly, people were cashing in their IRAs to get to England.

Not to be outdone, America ramps up the hype surrounding American Idol (which doesn’t feature royalty, but will have to suffice) and brings in yet another TV talent show contender, The Voice.

Television advertising sales are slowly climbing.

Other countries are sitting up and taking note. Without royals or idols, they’re going to have to scramble to compete, but I’m sure they’ll come up with something.

In fact, I’ve just heard Australia announce

that, for the next three months only, each and every visitor will be given a free kangaroo.

(Don’t wait! Be the first on your block!)

Japan is trying to overcome its recent bad press by selling radioactive beetles on the Internet. (One to a customer, please! Special handling required.)

And China, which has been getting an awful lot of free ink lately for its quiet takeover of everything marketable, is reminding everyone to Buy Chinese by offering two-for-one deals on cheap knick-knacks. (Order by midnight tonight!)

So even though last weekend’s royal wedding is going to have to last us for a while, there are other interesting things on the horizon. Make sure you’re tuned in next week when the Celebrity Apprentice men’s team gets another surprise member — Homer Simpson.

New Show ‘Body Of Proof’ Not Original, But Has Potential The new TV show Body of Proof is essentially the love child of House and CSI. Not that it is a bad show; it is reasonably enjoyable, but it is, to put it mildly, derivative. Dr. Megan Hunt (Dana Delany) is a former brilliant neurosurgeon, injured in an auto accident just enough so that she cannot perform surgery, who becomes a cranky pathologist and medical examiner in Philadelphia. And week after week, she solves tricky crimes using cutting-edge techniques as well as her brilliance to do so. As I wrote before, this is not very different from quite a few other shows.

The show was originally set to be part of ABC’s Friday night lineup, but the quick, disastrous showing of several shows led to the network’s holding it back so it could become a replacement show in a far better time slot.

And it has done very well, actually beating out The Good Wife several times on Tuesday nights.

What makes this show different from all the others? Not much, really. If you like most of the crime shows on television, this program will do it for you. Although only a half-dozen episodes have aired, enough of them provide for a real question of who committed a murder to make it interesting.

Rosenberg

Vinceremos Volunteers

continued from page 27 rily with the rider. Everyone has to communicate with each other at all times.”

The volunteers took turns leading the horse and acting as side walkers. Brown had the volunteer rider overbalance one way and the other, so they could practice stopping and repositioning her. “Go ahead and start sliding again,” she’d holler.

After everyone had had a turn, the group moved on to Levinsky’s presentation at the mounting blocks. These were fairly large structures, one with steps and one with a long, gradual ramp for wheelchair-bound clients.

Getting someone mounted is a somewhat-in-

That means that it is up to the characters to entertain. Dr. Hunt is almost as cranky as Dr. House. But since she’s not limping and going totally crazy, quite often her lack of manners is attributed to, well, her lack of manners. She goes out of her way to clearly demonstrate to just about everyone that she is smarter than anyone else in the room and that she can solve any crime just by looking at the body. And, since the writers have to back her up, that generally happens, although she does manage to have too many “aha!” moments, when she suddenly figures something out, occasionally well after she should have. But, after all, this is television.

The writers attempt to make her more palatable by showing some flaws. She has a broken marriage and a very tentative relationship with a 12-year-old daughter who

lives with her father. One of the more affecting lines in one of the scripts was when she said, “I gave up my personal life to build my career, and now my career is gone.” The problem is that in the very best-written shows, you learn a lot more about all the characters right from the start. That has not yet begun in this show.

The rest of the cast is reasonably interesting, although in most cases, the audience has not had the chance to really learn much about them. Jeri Ryan, as Hunt’s boss Dr. Kate Murphy, is beautiful. But beautiful is key to every role she gets. Her character can also be cranky. She does have some kind of social life, although she seems to want to keep it relatively secret. Peter Dunlop (Nicholas Bishop) is a sort of detective, a former badly injured cop who does a lot of the direct investigating for the office. It is clear that the producers eventually plan to use him as a sort of sexual foil for the star, but it still seems a bit too early for that. Hunt is still too controlled for any real contact with anyone she likes.

Several of the supporting cast members are particularly interesting, especially since the roles have been altered since the first, pilot episode. Bud Morris (John Carroll Lynch) is a

hard-boiled, middle-aged, balding cop whose marriage is on the rocks. At first, seemingly a buffoon whom Hunt could play off, he has become an intelligent detective, able to think for himself, who has begun to create a tentative relationship with Hunt. And Dr. Curtis Brumfield (Windell Middlebrooks) was originally simply a budget-hugging bureaucrat but has shifted to become an excellent colleague and a mentor to young Dr. Ethan Gross (Geoffrey Arend), who has become more serious and adult. It is clear that the producers, realizing that there were weaknesses in the portrayals, made changes.

The guest stars have been excellent.

Christina Hendricks, one of the splashier Mad Men performers, had a lovely guest appearance as one of a set of twins whose sibling has been murdered. Joanna Cassidy was good on an episode as Hunt’s mother.

Having excellent performers improves the show immensely.

But the secret to success in a series like this is twofold. One is how interesting the cases are. The second is how well we like the characters once we get to know them. It will be interesting to see how well the writers do on both fronts. The show is engaging and might eventually become a favorite. Maybe.

volved process. “Before you bring the horse over here, make sure you check the equipment,” Levinsky said. “The girth should be tight, the stirrups down and there need to be reins. A lot of times people forget about the reins.”

Levinsky demonstrated, with another horse, how to lead it to the mounting area, where to pause and turn, and then how to situate the horse in relation to the mounting block (“right in the middle and fairly close”) and how to work together with the rider.

“After the rider is up, you become the secondary aide,” she said. “Wait for the rider to control the horse, and gauge how much help he needs from you.”

The group moved along. They watched horses being tacked up with English and Western saddles, and a horse getting groomed. Each horse has its own bucket of

brushes, curry comb and hoof pick, complete with the horse’s name and picture right on the bucket — a great idea to avoid using the wrong implements on the wrong horse.

The group reunited briefly at the picnic tables for a wrap-up, and the orientation was over. “I think it went pretty darn good,” Levinsky said.

It was her first time running an orientation meeting. “I love this place. It’s like my home. I started out volunteering here three years ago, knowing nothing, and now I’m running the volunteer program,” she said. “We’re very much a family, a team. Vinceremos totally depends on its volunteers. It’s a true collaborative effort.”

After the meeting, Levinsky got to work finding time on the schedule for the new volunteers. “It usually takes a few weeks to work out a schedule that fits everyone. A lot of our

volunteers come out once or twice a week.

Some come every day,” she said. “We have a spot for everyone, whatever their calendar.

What matters is consistency. That makes for a smoother operation. I hope to hold volunteer orientations every two months or so, or whenever they’re needed.”

Michelle MacIntosh was impressed.

“I thought it went very well,” she said. “Debbi was very personable. It seems to be a very nice establishment, clean and well-run. The people look happy; the horses look healthy and well-groomed. It has a good feel to it. It’s safe. People are on top of things. I won’t feel nervous about having Madison there.”

Madison was also enthusiastic and was looking forward to volunteering often, mostly on the weekends. “I love horses,” she said.

For more information, visit www. vinceremos.com or call (561) 792-9900.

‘I’ On CULTURE

By Leonard Wechsler

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Academy for Child Enrichment — In the heart of Royal Palm Beach, the Academ y for Child Enrichment offers free all-day VPK. Infants through after-school day and night care, 6:30 a.m. t o midnight (Monday through Friday), meals included. Qualified staff. Se habla Espanol. Special rates for all registration. The Academ y for Child Enrichment is located at 700 Camellia Drive in Royal P alm Beach. Call (561) 7983458 or visit www.smallworldpbc.com for info.

Full day camps (Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.) for ages 6-11 will include ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop and more. Early care and af ter care are available at an additional fee for the full-day camps. A pizza par ty and performance will be held each Friday of the full-day camp sessions. The studio is conveniently located on State R oad 7, just south of Okeechobee Blvd. F or more information, call (56 1) 792-9757 or visit www.movementartsdanceacademy.com.

Breaker s West Summer Camp — For the summer of a lif etime, children ages 5-14 are invited to join the 2011 summer camp at Breakers West. Enjoy wildlife demonstrations, science e xperiments, magic shows, arts & crafts, cooking classes, golf, tennis, baske tball, soccer, daily swimming instruction and much more!

Camp runs June 6 - Aug. 19 (excluding July 4-8), Monday –through Friday from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sessions are $300 per camper, per week , plus a one-time registration fee of $50, which includes a camp essentials bag. Discounts are offered to families regist ering multiple children and/or for multiple sessions. Af ter-care is available. Space is limit ed. To register for Breakers West Summer Camp, call (561) 653-6333.

Noah’s Ark — Noah’s Ark is located on Okeechobee Blvd. in Loxahatchee Groves. They of fer free all-day VPK. Lower rates and special registration for fall. Meals are included. Noah’s Ark offers care for infants and preschool children as well as after-school care. Se habla Espanol. Conveniently located at 14563 Okeechobee Blvd. between Royal Palm Beach and Loxahatchee Groves elementar y schools. Call (561) 753-6624 f or more info.

Camp Giddy-Up — Ravenwood Riding Academy has been located in Wellington for 21 years. Licensed and insured, with all safety equipment provided, they are located on a beautiful, safe and clean f arm with plenty of shade. Ravenwood is now accepting 12 students per session, ages 6-14. Camp hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. Campers learn safety, horse care and grooming, with riding lessons daily, as well as scheduled visits with a blacksmith, horse vet and equine dentist. Weekly sessions are $185. Sibling discounts or multi-session discounts are available. Camp Giddy-Up has a full staf f and a hands-on director. Register today by calling (561) 793-4109 or visit www.ravenwoodridingacademy.com.

Hurry, sessions f ill up quickly!

Casperey Stables Horse Camp — Casperey Stables is a small, fun-filled day camp for children ages seven to 14. With four riding opportunities each day, arts & crafts and outdoor games, camper s find little time to be bored. The lo w counselor-child ratio ensures your child will receive individual attention. There are camp sessions for spring and winter school breaks, and during the summer, each two-week session has a theme, such as Indian Days, Circus Days and Medieval Days. Casperey Stables has a weekly swim party and ends each session with a horse show and family BBQ. Call soon — this small, q uality program fills quickly! To learn more about the camp, locat ed at 2330 D Road in Loxahatchee Groves, call (561) 7924990 or visit www.caspereystables.com.

St. David’s Episcopal School — Howdy Pardners, mosey on over to St. David’s Ranch and be a part of west ern-themed summer fun! Campers ages two and a half to eight are invited for arts and crafts, Bible stories, music, games, a shaded outside playground, water play, movie days and more. All activities are super vised by the teaching staf f and take place on the St. David’s campus. The round-up has already star ted, so come in soon to reserve your place. The ranch will be open from June 6 through August 12. For your convenience, y ou may register for one week, or as many as you want. Camp is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. t o 3 p.m.; campers can pick Monday through Friday, Monday-Wednesday-Friday or Tuesday-Thursda y. So saddle on up and head on over to become a par t of this rootin’-tootin’ summer fun.

For more information, call (561) 793-1272 today or visit www.stdavidsepiscopal.com.

High Touch High Tech — High Touch High Tech has been providing hands-on science experiments to children in South Florida for over 15 y ears. The program brings science to life for children in preschool through middle school. They are happy to introduce “The Lab,” a hands-on science facility now open in Wellington. The y offer summer cam p programs, after-school enrichments and bir thday parties at a new location off Pierson Road. The camp offers af fordable pricing, hands-on science experiments with lots of cool science take-homes, nature experiences, as well as art projects that relate to the scientific investigations. High Touch High Tech knows that children are naturally curious. They tap into that natural curiosity and provide safe, exciting and fun experiments to help them under stand the world around them. The ultimate goal is to give children the tools t o be able to think scientif ically in order to solve problems. Kids will erupt volcanoes, pan for gems, launch rockets, make ice cream, gro w plants, make fossils, observe live animals, dissect o wl pellets and much, much more! Come visit and explore the all-new High Touch High Tech science laboratory! High Touch High Tech is at 3080 Fairlane Farms Rd., Suite 2. For more info., visit www.ScienceMadeFunSFL.net, call (561) 792-3785 or e-mail info@ScienceMadeFunSFL.net.

Call now to book a free tour.

Jewish Summer Camp — Enjoy a Jewish summer camp on a f arm for girls ages 7-11 at the Good Earth Farm. Featuring a six-week cer tificate of hor se care competency. Candy making, soap making, painting, drawing, 3D design, sewing and crafts. Kayak instruction; European spa comes to the camp for beauty day. Jewish music singing, ar t and a Shabbat program with a local rabbi. Direct or Nancy Fried Tobin (BFA, MAT, MFA, RM, Equine Certified Specialist/Instructor) has been working with kids for year s. Regist ering now; call (561) 792-2666. Located at 2141 B Road in Loxahatchee Groves, the f arm is 25 minutes from anywhere in the Palm Beach area.

The King’s Academy “Camping Around the World” — TKA’s summer cam p welcomes ages 5 through 8th grade. Experience different cultures through craft projects, science experiments, f ield trips, music and more. Counselors are q ualified teachers, first aid certified and offer a lo ving environment. Day camp/ sports camp with daily lunches run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m with many options and before/after care. Field trips to Calypso Bay, the South Florida Science Museum, the Palm Beach Zoo, Lion Countr y Safari and more, all for one inclusive price. Regist er now at www.tka.net and sa ve $25 when you mention this offer.

Call Helga Van Wart (56 1) 686-4244 for more info.

The Learning Foundation of Florida’s Academic Summer Camp — TLFF’s Elementary, Middle, & High School Summer Academic Camp Program has several different ser vice options available to assist the diverse needs of students. TLFF’s kindergarten thr ough eighth grade summer program focuses on individualized academic remediation using thematic units and a varie ty of teaching strat egies, including a multi-sensory, hands-on approach. TLFF’s high school program focuses on grade f orgiveness and or acceleration. Students who have received Ds or Fs in classes can redo them for a higher grade. Both programs are open Tuesday through Thur sday from 8:30 a.m. through 12:30 p.m. For more information, call (561) 795-6886.

Loxahatchee Countr y Preschool — Loxahatchee Country Preschool will start of f this summer with a “home run!” Baseball, football and soccer activities will take place throughout the summer. The school has been here for 20-plus years and provides a safe environment with small ratios for summer campers, which means the children are well supervised. Throughout the summer, the camp program offers ar ts and craf ts, field trips (attended by the management team), swimming lessons, Spanish lessons, movies, a bounce house, bowling and much more. A free pizza lunch will be pro vided Fridays. The school provides a safe envir onment for the children, while providing an excellent educational program. In a letter sent to the school, the Kings Academy wr ote, “ What preschools are better prepared for Kings? Loxahatchee Country Preschool was mentioned with enthusiasm!” Call (561) 790-1780 for more info.

Movement Arts Dance Academy — Movement Ar ts will be holding five w eeks of fun-filled summer camp from June 20 through July 29. Weekly themed mini camps (Monday through Thursday from 9 - 1 1:30 a.m.) for ages 3-5 will include arts and crafts and games in addition to learning se veral styles of dance.

The Royal Palm Beach Elementar y Bobcat Summer Camp — Bobcat Summer Camp offers a magnificent schedule of f ield trips, four or five times per week, which include: bowling, skating, swimming, the Discovery Museum & IMAX Theater, Rapids W ater par k, fitness festival, Chuck E. Cheese, Fun Depot, Veterans Park, movies, Lion Country Safari, Super Play USA, U-Bounce, Golf World, the zoo, Carnival Fun Station and an Orlando trip. On campus activities include: sports, craf ts carnivals, computers, academics, game room, shows, carnivals, D.J. par ties and more. The professional staf f is dedicated to providing a q uality summer camp. It is Gold Seal certified and an award-winning camp. For a summer of fun, call Deb Pagliaro at (561) 633-4431, ext. 30.

Temple Beth Torah’s Leonie Arguetty Preschool — If y our child is between 2 and 6 years old, “Summer of Fun” Enrichment Camp at Temple Beth Torah’s Leonie Arguetty Preschool is the place to be! Here, your child will enjoy a variety of fun activities that will mak e them smile, while promoting learning and social development. A ctivities include: arts & crafts, gymnastics, computers, spor ts, nature, cooking, water play and a state-of-the-ar t playground. They’re sure to love the weekly entertainment, including High Touch High Tech, storytellers and animal shows. All of this in a loving and nurturing environment. Eight w eeks, full and part time. Free summer VPK. Now enrolling for preschool 2011-12. Contact Sandy for more information at (561) 793-2649 or psdirect or@templebethtorah.net.

TNT Gymnastics Center — TNT is of fering a great summer program with flexible hours and fun-filled days.

They pr ovide a safe, positive environment for your child to enhance self-esteem and physical fitness through gymnastics, trampolines, rock climbing, group games, arts & crafts, water play, martial arts and much more! TNT owner Tina Tysk a is a former Class 1 gymnast coached by two-time Olympian Kim Chase.

She has over 25 years of coaching experience, including toddlers thru Level 9 gymnasts as well as specialneeds children. TNT Gymnastics is located at 3120 Fairlane Farms Road in Wellington. F or more info., call (561) 383-TNT1 (8681).

Wellington Tennis Center — Have fun and learn to play tennis this summer! Children ages 6 to 13 at all levels of play (beginners through advanced) are welcome. All instruct ors are USPTA/USTA QuickStar t certified. The new QuickStart format will be used for ages 6 to 8. Camp runs Monday through Friday, June 6 - Aug. 12 (excluding July 4-8). Tennis camp only (9 to 11 a.m.) is $100 for Wellington residents ($120 for non-residents) per camper, per week. Extended camp (9 a.m. t o 1:30 p.m.) includes tennis, lunch and super vised swim and costs $150 for Wellington residents ($170 for non-residents) per camper, per week .

Discounts are offered for registering multiple children in one family or for multiple w eeks. Pick your weeks and register early! Space is limited. To register, call the Wellington Tennis Center at (561) 791-4775.

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TREAT YOUR KIDS TO A

Summer OF fun

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2011 Breakers West Summer Camp Calling all campers for a summer of a lifetime. Sports-minded, adventure-seeking, nature-loving kids, ages 5 – 14, will find something for everyone at Breakers West, where there is fun for all and all for fun.

Daily Golf, Tennis, Basketball, Soccer Play & Swimming Instruction Arts & Crafts | Magic Shows | Cooking Classes Wildlife Demonstrations | Science Projects Friday’s Famous Family Cookout And Much More...

After Care Available

WEEKLY SESSIONS: June 6 – August 19, 2011 {Excl. July 4 – 8} Monday – Friday 8:45 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

For more information or to register, please call 561-653-6333.

Weekly sessions are Monday – Friday. No camp July 4 – 8, 2011. Discounts will be offered to families registering multiple children and/or for multiple sessions. Additional fees apply for After Care. Restrictions apply.

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DINING & ENTERTAINMENT

Auction Gallery To Feature International Artists May 23-24 The market for Cuban art is strong, competitive and definitely mysterious in South Florida. On Monday and Tuesday, May 23 and May 24, Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches will offer to collectors both locally and internationally a group of Cuban artworks that according to Gallery President Brian Kogan, “is as far as I know, totally new and unseen to the auction market.”

The problems in establishing authenticity are well known in the Cuban art market. With the political issues surrounding Cuban art and the some of the scandals that have ensued in Cuba and in Miami over the past 25 years, getting a Cuban work of art authenticated in writing is next to impossible. Aware of these diffi-

A painting by Suzanne Valadon.

culties, the consignor decided to offer the works without any guarantee of authenticity and let the buyers establish how desirable and valuable the works are.

The collection features an array of Cuban artists, including paintings and watercolors by Rene Portocarrero, Mario Carreno, Segundo Cabrera Moreno, Leopold Romanach, and two bronze sculptures by Manuel Carbonell. There are two paintings by Portocarrero, one an oil oncanvas of the façade of the Cathedral de Madrid at night in his characteristic colorful palette and heavy impasto, and a watercolor of a Harlequin musician dated 1960.

The paintings by Segundo Cabrera Moreno are visually exciting, with the imagery of farm workers wrangling horses. Both are signed and dated for 1964. There are two paintings by Leopold Romanch y Guillen of beach scenes and two figurative bronzes by Manuel Carbonell.

The May 23 auction will also feature an oil on canvas still life by French artist Suzanne Valadon dated 1926 from a Boca Raton private collection with provenance. Valadon is the mother of Maurice Utrillo (French, 1883-1955), and there is a large and very beautiful Le Pho oil-on-silk painting from a Fort Lauderdale collection, with many other paintings and prints coming from

A Sino-Tibetan gilt bronze bodhisattva. a Boca Raton estate, as well as additional fine art by James Coignard, Franklin De Haven, Erte, Salvador Dali, Eugene Lami, Fritz Bultman, Robert Motherwell and many others.

The auction will also have a wonderful array of Orientalia. As the market for Chinese and Oriental items is still ascending, the consignments from South Florida and the Palm Beaches continues to unearth some fabulous objects. Including an important collection of jades to include a set of ten 19th-century green nephrite book tablets with imperial marks and a celadon nephrite ar-

Some pieces by Russian artist Peter Carl Fabergé. chaistic Fang Ding censor with elephant handles. Also featured is a Sino-Tibetan gilt bronze bodhisattva with a Yung Lo (15th century) mark and an exotic 50 lot snuff bottle collection with some excellent examples in jade, enamel and ivory.

From the Boca Raton estate there is a Rene Lalique “cactus” table, a pair of five-foot uncarved ivory tusks, a 19th-century Chinese fourpanel screen, Paul Storr silver, Meissen ten-piece monkey band, Lalique, and a Russian five-piece silver and enamel tea service, along with English, Italian and French fur-

niture, carpets, lighting and much more.

For more information and images of this collection, visit www. agopb.com or call (561) 805-7115 and ask for Leslie Baker or Brian Kogan. Live bidding with www.live auctioneers.com and absentee and phone bidding will be available.

Previews will be offered online and in the gallery from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday; from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday; and 10 a.m. to auction on Monday. The auction starts each day at 6 p.m. The gallery is located at 1609 S. Dixie Hwy., Suite 5, in West Palm Beach.

Space Explorers Weekend May 7-8 At S.F. Science Museum Launch yourself into the next generation of space exploration at the South Florida Science Museum’s Space Explorers Weekend, May 7 and 8. The event will be out of this world for guests who want to learn more about becoming an astronaut, discover space and what’s really out there, as well as view the spectacular rings of Saturn from the museum’s observatory.

The two-day event will turbocharge your curiosity through hands-on activities for the whole family. Guests can race a balloon rocket, make glow-in-the-dark galaxy goo to take home, create UV bead bracelets that change color in the sun, check out liquid nitrogen experiments and be a part of the solar system by drawing a galaxy or constellation.

The weekend will also feature guest speakers Dr. Rick Chappell of Vanderbilt University on Saturday, May 7 at 1 p.m. and Dr. Edgar Mitchell on Sunday, May 8 at 1 p.m.

Guests can stay late on Saturday night for the “Dark Sky” party at the museum. Check out the rings of Saturn, the crescent moon, the Great Nebula of Orion as well as star clusters through the new and improved museum observatory. The evening

will also feature free planetarium shows, hands-on activities, food and fun for guests of all ages. The event is sponsored by the Wellington Chamber of Commerce.

“If you’ve ever wondered about what is ‘the right stuff’ to become an astronaut, you’ll find that out at the South Florida Science Museum this weekend,” museum CEO Lew Crampton said. “We’re all about space exploration with news-youcan-use talks by space legends, make-and-take crafts for kids and an eye-popping view of the rings of Saturn visible through our telescope at our Dark Sky party on Saturday night. Space Explorers Weekend is fantastic family fun, all within the cool confines of our comfortable South Florida Science Museum.”

Chappell trained as an astronaut and coordinated the science experiments on the Spacelab from Mission Control. He was scheduled to fly, but the flight was scrubbed when the Challenger spacecraft exploded. His presentation “So You Want Your Children To Be Astronauts…” will give advice to young people and their parents about what he learned while going through the training process to become an astronaut. Guests will see video foot-

age from when he was training and also learn about the physical conditioning, nutrition required for best performance, the courses to take, and much more information on becoming an astronaut. He’ll also talk about the importance of science to the nation’s future and its competitiveness in today’s world economy.

“The weekend at the South Florida Science Museum is a great opportunity for kids to learn about space exploration,” Chappell said.

“In the immediate future, America will have to depend on other countries to launch our astronauts. But if kids keep up with their math and science, and following their dream of curiosity, by the time they are old enough to be considered as part of a space program, maybe Americans will be ready to launch our own astronauts again.”

Former astronaut and space shuttle pilot Mitchell’s discussion will showcase his experiences in space.

His presentation will also feature photos and video. As the lunar module pilot of Apollo 14, he spent nine hours working on the lunar surface in the Fra Mauro Highlands region, making him the sixth person to walk on the moon.

Space Explorers Weekend will

Dr. Rick Chappell of Vanderbilt University will be the guest speaker on Satur day, May 7. take place during normal museum hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Museum admission is $11.95 for adults, $10.50 for seniors 62 and up, $8.95 for children ages 3 to 12, and free for children under 3 and museum members. The “Dark Sky” party will take place from 6 to 10 p.m.;

admission is $3 for museum members and $5 per person for nonmembers. The South Florida Science Museum is located just off I95 and Southern Blvd. at 4801 Dreher Trail North in West Palm Beach.

For more information about the museum, call (561) 832-1988 or visit www.sfsm.org.

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BUSINESS NEWS

Some of the clothing available at Connie’s Collection Consignment Boutique.

PHO TOS BY DAMON WEBB

Great Fashion Selection At Connie’s Collection Consignment Boutique

By Damon Webb Town-Crier Staff Report Connie’s Collection Consignment Boutique is an upscale women’s consignment boutique run by owner Connie Cosmos. All aspects of the female wardrobe are featured.

The boutique serves women from different generations and lifestyles.

Cosmos has an extensive background in the retail industry. After retiring from working in Palm Beach, she found herself bored and restless. She decided to start a new venture. Cosmos wanted to remain in the retail industry but didn’t want to work with the new retail aspect. Around the same time, consignment shops were coming into vogue. She decided to proceed with the idea, and in 1992 she opened her store in West Palm Beach.

“I was so excited to open the store,” Cosmos recalled. “I definitely have a passion for fashion as well as for people. This allowed me to bring the two together and create something special. I wanted to deliver a high level of personal service and give a ‘wow’ experience.”

The boutique offers a variety of options for customers. There are the everyday brands as well as some of the most sought-after designers on the market. The inventory is in a constant state of change. Jewelry and handbags are among the more popular items searched for at the boutique. “There are no two days alike,” Cosmos said. “We are constantly adding to our selection of merchandise. We are able to add up to 1,800 additional pieces to our stock, especially during season.”

After years of success, Cosmos decided to relocate the boutique west from Jog Road to Lake Worth Road and State Road 7. She has been at her current location for two years.

“We outgrew the last location and wanted to offer additional merchandise in new areas,” she explained. “We also wanted to be closer to the western communities. We have seen the area evolve over time and there has been

Connie Cosmos a lot of growth. We wanted to be part of the boom. We also have been able to reconnect with some of our customers who were seasonal, as well as some people who are here year round.”

Cosmos decided early on to partner with Hospice of Palm Beach County. “It’s so important to be a part of the community. We decided to support Hospice,” she said. “We donate items on behalf of our customers. Our customers have always been willing to support this charity.”

Cosmos has stayed true to her original vision for the store and continues to stay on that same path for the future. “We have been in business for a while now,” she said. “During that time, we have built up our reputation with our clientele. They have come to depend on us as their personal shoppers. They know we will look out for them and only offer merchandise that is of the highest quality.”

Connie’s Collection Consignment Boutique is located at 9859-22 Lake Worth Road in the Woods Walk shopping plaza at the corner of State Road 7. For more information, visit www.conniescollection.com or call (561) 964-0990.

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Credability: How To Get

By On A Limited Budget While the nation’s employment picture is improving, many Americans continue to struggle to make ends meet. When paying basic monthly bills is a challenge, it is especially difficult to cover unplanned expenses or save for the future. CredAbility, a national nonprofit credit counseling and education organization, can help you find ways to achieve financial stability even if you are living on a limited budget.

To create a priority spending plan, CCCS advises people to take the several actions. First, list your current income and expenses. If your expenses exceed your current income, you will have to adjust your spending plan. Develop and follow a spending plan that eliminates all unnecessary expenses. These include cable television, water or newspaper delivery, upgraded cell phone plans, gym memberships, magazine subscriptions and dining at restaurants.

If expenses still exceed your income, contact your creditors and ask for the “hardship” department. Explain your situation and ask if there are payment programs available to assist you. Often, creditors are willing to lower interest rates, fees and

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monthly payments in times of financial hardship.

Next, you need to identify organizations where you can buy food and medicine at lower prices, as well as find ways to reduce childcare costs. These include: for childcare assistance programs, visit www. childcare.gov or for information on help paying for childcare, contact Child Care Aware at www.childcare aware.org or call (800) 424-2246.

For information and assistance in paying for medical care for you and your family, visit the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services at www.hhs.gov/children. For prescription assistance contact the Partnership for Prescription Assistance at www.pparx.org or call (888) 4772669.

Next, you need to relieve stress by finding ways to exercise, eat properly and maintain healthy relationships with friends and family members. Consider taking up a hobby, including one that could turn into an additional source of income.

Finally, to enhance your education and skills, visit www. credability.org/education to take advantage of a variety of free courses on demand.

BUSINESS NEWS

Gryskiewicz Elected Trustee At Palm Healthcare Foundation

The Palm Healthcare Foundation has announced that Christopher Gryskiewicz has been elected to the foundation’s board of trustees.

Gryskiewicz is executive vice president of Templeton & Company LLP, a full-service CPA firm offering audit, tax and consulting services. He manages all consulting engagements, as well as all aspects of audit and review engagements, which include the preparation and review of financial statements for mid-size and small non-public companies, as well as large nonprofit organizations.

Gryskiewicz received his accounting degree from Palm Beach

Atlantic University in 1988 and completed his fifth-year accounting education requirements from the University of Central Florida.

Gryskiewicz is active in numerous professional groups including the American Institute of CPAs, Florida Institute of CPAs, Palm Beach County Business Development Board, Economic Forum of Palm Beach County, Association of Management Consulting Firms and is a certified information technology professional and certified public accountant in Florida.

For more information about the Palm Healthcare Foundation, visit www.palmhealthcare.org.

Christopher Gryskiewicz

Superior Rating For Thrivent Financial A.M. Best has affirmed Thrivent Financial for Lutherans A++ (Superior) rating and has given the organization a stable outlook. A++ (Superior) is the highest of A.M. Best’s 16 ratings categories. A.M. Best cited improved operating results, strong risk-adjusted capitalization and strong market presence within the Lutheran community as

some of the overall strengths of the organization.

Thrivent Financial is represented in the Palm Beach area by South Florida Associates, which includes Donna Tagg in Wellington. “The affirmation of our A++ (Superior) rating with a stable outlook, along with our recent affirmation from Fitch Ratings, reflects continued

confidence in Thrivent Financial for Lutherans,” said Randy Boushek, senior vice president and CFO of Thrivent Financial. “This affirmation is just one more indicator of our overall financial strength and the value we provide to our members.”

For more information about Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, visit www.thrivent.com.

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BUSINESS NEWS

Hristov, Nugent Join Friends Of Mounts Board Of Directors Michael Zimmerman, the president of the Friends of Mounts Botanical Garden, Palm Beach County’s oldest and largest public garden, recently announced that two new people have joined the nonprofit organization’s board of directors: Laurie Hristov and Jane Ellen Nugent.

“With their strong person-

al interest in gardening and their personal commitment to supporting Mounts Botanical Garden, both Laurie Hristov and Jane Ellen Nugent are sure to be invaluable additions to our board of directors,” Zimmerman said.

Hristov became involved with the Mounts in December 2009 after completing her courses as a Palm Beach

County master gardener. She first became passionate about gardening four years ago when she joined the Wellington Garden Club and after visiting the many gardens on both the Mounts Connoisseurs Garden Tour and the Wellington Garden Club Tour, which eventually included Hristov’s own home garden.

Power Partners Chapter Of BNI Visitors Day May 6 BNI, an international networking organization specializing in business referrals among members, will host Visitors Day for the Power Partners Chapter on Friday, May 6 at the Binks Forest Golf Club in Wellington.

BNI is a great way for businesses to experience growth by maximizing their marketing efforts through word of mouth.

Last year, members of BNI passed more than 6.5 million

referrals, which generated $2.8 billion worth of business for each other.

BNI was founded in 1985

by Ivan R. Misner, Ph.D, author of The World’s Best Known Marketing Secret, Business by Referral, Masters of Networking, Masters of Success, Masters of Sales, It’s in the Cards, Truth or Delusion? and The 29% Solution.

“Our style of networking is based on the philosophy ‘giv-

er’s gain’ — if I help you, then you’ll help me, and we’ll all do better business,” Misner said.

As part of Visitors Day, Sandy Donovan of BNI will be joining in to share the BNI secrets to success through “word-of-mouth” marketing.

Anyone interested in attending the meeting is welcome. RSVP to Rachel Hecker at (561) 809-2878. For more information about BNI, visit www.bni.com.

In addition to serving on the Mounts board, Hristov is a member of the Bromeliad Society and the Rare Fruit Council, and plans to join the Native Plant Society in order to teach others about the importance of having a balanced sustainable landscape.

Nugent’s diverse background includes 25 years of experience in marketing, public relations, corporate development, licensing and business strategy. She is also the author and developer of the GardenKeeper, a system for smart gardening.

Nugent has spent the last eight years volunteering with non-profit organizations in the fields of marketing and fundraising, chairing flower shows and as a certified master gardener for the Massachusetts Horticulture Society.

A part-time resident of Palm Beach County for more than two decades, Nugent also is a master gardener at Mounts Botanical Garden.

Mounts Botanical Garden is Palm Beach County’s oldest and largest public garden.

Laurie Hristov

Jane Ellen Nugent

Mounts displays tropical and subtropical plants from around the world, including plants native to Florida, exotic trees, tropical fruit, herbs, citrus, palms and more.

As a component of the Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service, and through its affiliation with the University of Florida, Mounts is the place to connect with Extension Horticulturists, Master Gardeners, the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Program, and profes-

sional horticultural advisors.

Mounts also offers a variety of horticultural classes and garden-related events and workshops.

Located at 531 N. Military Trail in West Palm Beach, Mounts Botanical Garden is open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. The suggested donation for entry to the garden is $5 per person.

For more information, call (561) 233-1757 or visit www. mounts.org.

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SPORTS & RECREATION

SRHS Flag Football Team Claims District Championship

By Bryan Gayoso Town-Crier Staff Report The Seminole Ridge High School varsity flag football team traveled to Palm Beach Central High School on Wednesday, April 27, where they topped the Broncos 7-0 to win the District 17 championship in a game that saw both teams struggle offensively.

“I told the girls the defense had to step up and make a play,” Seminole Ridge coach Austin Bowe said.

The Hawks started out strong, bringing the ball all the way to the Bronco two yard line but failed to score. The Broncos’ first possession fared no better as they too ended up turning the ball over. In the second quarter, the Hawks again brought the ball into Bronco territory just inside the ten. The Hawks went for it on fourth down, only to have the quarterback sacked. The Broncos, unable to move the ball, had to punt.

Seminole Ridge again came on strong with a 35-yard pass for a first down, but with only eight seconds

remaining on the clock, they were held scoreless by the Bronco defense.

The Seminole Ridge defense made the difference early in the third quarter when a pass by Bronco senior Sara Rajda was intercepted by Hawk junior Bianca Lagos. Lagos made it into the end zone, and the extra-point attempt was successful, making it 7-0.

Both teams continued to struggle on offense the remainder of the third quarter and into the fourth. Palm Beach Central surged late in the fourth quarter, bringing the ball to the Seminole Ridge 20 yard line for the first time. The Hawk defense held them and forced a turnover on downs. The Hawks moved quickly, but time did not allow another chance to score.

“We knew by halftime that they were prepared to play, and we weren’t playing the way we’d like,” Bowe said. “They had several chances to get ahead, but our defense stepped up and held them scoreless.”

Bronco Ashante Doby is stopped by the Hawk defense.

Seminole Ridge players and coaches with their District 17 championship trophy.

Hawk quarterback Alexa Wilhelm looks down field.

Bronco Sara Rajda reaches for more yardage.

PHOTOS BY BRYAN GAYOSO/TOWN-CRIER

Wellington Softball Team Headed To State Tournament The Wellington High School girls varsity softball team’s banner season rolls forward after the Wolverines defeated Viera High School 6-0 on Tuesday, May 3 to win the Class 5A regional softball title.

With the victory, the WHS girls will advance to the state tournament, where they will next play Niceville High School on Friday, May 13 at 5 p.m. at the National Training Center in Orlando.

The Wolverines’ game against Viera was set up Friday, April 29 when sophomore pitcher Corrie Boggess escaped three bases loaded jams and six different batters had RBIs as Wellington defeated Dwyer High School 9-3 in the regional semifinals.

Against Dwyer, Wellington jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the first inning.

Freshman first baseman Stephanie Schmidt doubled and advanced to third on the throw,

Wolverine Watch

By Josh Hyber scoring junior centerfielder Michaela Hollis, who singled. Junior catcher Macey Cheatham hit an RBI groundout to score Schmidt a batter later.

The Panthers singled twice leading off the third inning, but the game was postponed due to rain. The game resumed ten minutes later, and the Panthers loaded the bases with one out. Schmidt made a great catch at first base for the second out, and a

ground ball to third baseman Mariah Gonzales ended the frame.

The first three batters in the bottom of the third (Hollis, Schmidt and Boggess) loaded the bases for Wellington. Macey Cheatham hit a ground ball back to the pitcher, but the throw from the pitcher to home (to get the force) went awry. Hollis and Schmidt scored to make it 4-1.

Junior left fielder Alyssa Cheatham and Amy Groover followed with an RBI each as the home team scored four runs in the inning.

“I was more relaxed when we scored, but that didn’t change my mindset because anything could have happened,” Boggess said.

“We played like it was still tied. Macey and I started to control the game better and helped each other through it. She caught a great game, as usual.”

After surrendering a lone run in the top of

the fourth, Boggess sailed through the fifth, as senior shortstop Natalie Puñal ate up three straight groundballs. Dwyer did score in the sixth inning to cut the lead in half (6-3), but Boggess struck out a batter with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Wellington secured the lead and pretty much put the game away with three runs in the sixth inning. After two quick outs, Mariah Gonzales and Puñal both singled. Hollis doubled to score Gonzales, and then after Stephanie Schmidt walked, Boggess singled to score Puñal and Schmidt.

“The team couldn’t have pleased me any more then they did. We stuck together until the last out of the game, and that’s what a team is all about,” Boggess said.

The wins cement one of the team’s best seasons in team history, with a record that now stands at 24-6.

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SPORTS & RECREATION

Over 1,300 Turn Out For BMX Gator Nationals At Okeeheelee

By Bryan Gayoso Town-Crier Staff Report Local and national competitors came out to Okeeheelee Park on Saturday and Sunday, April 30 and May 1 to participate in the BMX Gator Nationals sanctioned by the National Bicycle League. More than 1,300 competitors were registered to compete, with over 100 races held each day.

Racers of all ages participated.

The area around the track located on Forest Hill Blvd. near Florida’s Turnpike was reserved for RVs, allowing competitors from all over the country to spend the weekend next to the track.

Racers in the 2- to 3-year-old age group were allowed to compete with small bikes called Striders. Striders have no pedals, and riders must sit and walk the bike over the rollers to the finish line.

Competitors of all skills were in attendance, including racers at Olympic skill levels. Races were run at a fast pace, with one race ending before the next was immediately started. Races were one lap and featured rolling jumps, curves and rollers (a series of short hills) that led to the finish line.

For additional information about BMX racing at Okeeheelee Park, visit www.okeeheeleebmx.com.

PHOTOS BY BRYAN GAYOSO/TOWN-CRIER

Racers run wheel to wheel.

Racers make their way around the bank.

A racer gets some air time.

Some of the young racers compete on Striders.

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SPORTS & RECREATION

RPB DANCERS HOST ANNUAL RECITAL

Dancers from the community school at Royal Palm Beach High School presented their annual recital Tuesday, April 26, under the artistic direction of master choreographer Michele Blecher.

For their recital, the dancers presented their production of Horton Hears a Who! The girls, who range in age from 3 to 24, let their dancing tell the popular Dr. Seuss story of how JoJo and Horton saved the Whos from eminent danger. Pictured here, the community school dancers gather for a group photo.

Sem Ridge Boys Volleyball Finishes Regular Season 22-0 The Seminole Ridge High School boys volleyball team completed a perfect regular season with an April 28 victory over Palm Beach Central High School.

David Frazee had 10 kills and nine service points, leading the undefeated Hawks to a 25-15, 25-13, 25-20 sweep. David Specian added 19 assists, nine aces and six kills.

The Hawks, currently ranked third statewide by www.floridavolley

ball.com, moved on to compete in the district tournament May 3.

In other Seminole Ridge sports news, the school has announced the 2011 varsity football schedule. All home games (H) will take place at 7:30 p.m.; all away game (A) times will either 7 or 7:30 p.m. The schedule is as follows: Friday, Aug. 26 (H) Pre-Season Classic vs. Hollywood Hills; Friday, Sept. 2 (H) vs.

Palm Beach Central; Friday, Sept.

9 (A) at Park Vista; Friday, Sept. 16 (A) at William T. Dwyer; Friday, Sept. 23 (A) at Wellington; Friday, Sept. 30 (bye week); Friday, Oct. 7 (A) at Pahokee; Friday, Oct. 14 (H) Homecoming Week game vs. John I. Leonard; Friday, Oct. 21 (H) vs.

Palm Beach Gardens; Friday, Oct. 28 (H) vs. Boca Raton; Friday, Nov. 4 (A) vs. Jupiter; and Friday, Nov. 11 (H) Senior Night vs. Royal Palm Beach.

BEREAN SOFTBALL TEAM WINS THE DISTRICT TITLE

The Berean Christian School sof tball team won the district title for the fourth year in a row. First, they defeated Wellington Christian School 11-1. The Bulldogs then went on to shut out the Brevard Heat 4-0 in the quarter-regionals. This win advanced the Lady Bulldogs to semi-regionals where they defeated Masters Academy from Vero Beach 10-0. The team traveled to the Canterbury School in St. Petersburg on Tuesday for a re-match of last year’s regional playof fs. The Bulldogs fought hard last year but were defeated in the 12th inning. They were looking forward to the rematch and hoping to win, which would advance them to the state tournament. The Bulldogs are coached by Phil Johnson, T err y Dickerson, Dale Romnosky and Jack Flynn. Berean Christian School is located at 8350 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. For more information on the Bulldog Athle tics, visit www.bcsbulldogs.org.

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Saturday, May 7 • The South Florida Science Museum (4801 Dreher Trail North, West Palm Beach) will host “NASA Weekend” Saturday and Sunday, May 7 and 8. Learn cool space facts, enjoy informative space-related lectures and get hands-on with fun space activities. The event is free with paid admission and is for families of all ages. Visit www.sfsm.org for more info.

• The 13th annual Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) Classic Golf Tournament will be held Saturday, May 7 at the Abacoa Golf Club in Jupiter. The primary beneficiary is the Safety Council of Palm Beach County. The tournament begins with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. The cost is $150 per player and includes a continental breakfast, driving range, greens and cart fees, along with an awards reception and luncheon. Visit http://palmbeach.rims.org or call (561) 845-8233, ext. 12 for info.

• Story Time at Scott’s Place Playground (12190 W. Forest Hill Blvd.) will feature animals from the Palm Beach Zoo on Saturday, May 7 at 10 a.m. Children will be entertained with three stories, all with an animal theme. Afterward, children will have the opportunity to learn about and interact with the special guests from the zoo. The event is free and open to the public. Call (561) 791-4137 for more info.

• The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-bythe-Sea (141 S. Country Road, Palm Beach) will host its Spring Carnival and Family “Fun Raiser” on Saturday, May 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. by welcoming parishioners and the public to a day of family fun at the church. The event is free to attendees and will include games, inflatable fun, food, prizes, a petting zoo, face painting, a visit from the Palm Beach Fire Department and more.

For more info., visit www.bbts.org or call Regina at (561) 655-4554.

• The Conservatory of Music at Lynn University (3601 N. Military Trail, Boca Raton) will host a Preparatory School of Music Recital on Saturday, May 7 at 10 a.m. in the Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall in the de Hoernle International Center. For more info., call (561) 237-7000 or visit www.lynn.edu/ academics/colleges/conservatory.

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host a Mother’s Day Special for age 2 and up Saturday, May 7 at 10:15 and 11:15 a.m. Share story time with mom and make her a special gift. Call (561) 7906070 for more info.

• Caribbean-Americans for Community Involvement (CAFCI) and the Village of Royal Palm Beach will present Cultural Diversity Day on Saturday, Ma y 7 from 1 p.m. to sundown at Veterans Park. Enjoy food, fashion, history, arts, entertainment and cultural programs of the village’s diverse communities, with face painting, dominoes, music, dance, food and displays, and artists. For more info., call Elet Cyris at (561) 791-9087, Ernie Garvey at (561) 676-5664 or the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center at (561) 7905100.

• The Palm Beach Central High School Bronco Band will perform the seventh annual Groovin’ Hard Jazz Concert on Saturday, May 7 at 8 p.m. at the Wellington Amphitheater. For more info., call (561) 7532484.

• The South Florida Science Museum (4801 Dreher Trail Nor th, West Palm Beach) will host a “Scorpio Dark Sky Party” on Saturday, May 7 from 7 to 10 p.m. Enjoy an evening of food, fun and star gazing from the museum obser vatory’s 14-inch telescope, as well as many other scopes and sights set up throughout the night. This event is for families of all ages. Visit www. sfsm.org for more info.

Sunday, May 8 • The Links at Madison Green Golf Club (2001 Crestwood Blvd., North, Royal Palm Beach) will host a Mother’s Day Brunc h on Sunday, May 8 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The first 100 moms will receive a $35 Sanda Gané European Day Spa certificate good for a facial or massage and free haircut by stylist Sammy Paipa of Moda Salon. The cost for the brunch is $24.95 per adult, $9.95 for children ages 6 to 12 and free for children under 5. For more info., visit www.madisongreengolf.com.

• Whole Foods Market (2635 State Road 7, Wellington) will feature “Mother’s Day Mimosas & Truffles” on Sunday, May 8 from noon to 2 p.m. Chef Joe will be serving mimosas and truffles to all mothers who stop by his table in the specialty department. There is no charge and no registration is necessar y. Call (561) 904-4000 for more info.

Monday, May 9 • The Palms West Chamber of Commerce will host a luncheon Monday, May 9 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wanderers Club at Wellington (1900 Aero Club Drive). Tickets cost $15 for members and See CALENDAR, page 47

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR CALENDAR, continued from page 46 $25 for non-member s. For more info., call Mary Lou Bedford at (561) 790-6200 or email marylou@palmswest.com.

• The Royal Palm Beach library (500 Civic Center Way) will host “Bring Your Mom to the Library” for ages 6 to 9 on Monday, May 9 at 3:30 p.m. Celebrate Mother’s Day for one more day with a story and a craft.

Call (561) 790-6030 to pre-register.

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host “School Sleuths: The Great Forensic Challenge” for ages 9 to 12 on Monday, May 9 at 4 p.m. Wrap up the year as the school sleuths solve mini-mysteries using photographs, fingerprints and actual forensic techniques. See who can solve the mystery first. Call (561) 790-6070 to preregister.

• The Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District will meet Monday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the district office (101 West D Road, Loxahatchee Groves). Visit www. lgwcd.org for more info.

Tuesday, May 10 • The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will feature “Checker Challenge” for age 6 and up Tuesday, May 10 at 3:30 p.m.

Call (561) 790-6070 to pre-register.

• Oxbridge Academy (3151 Military Trail, West Palm Beach) will host open houses on Tuesday, May 10 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 14 from 10 a.m. to noon.

For more info., call (561) 697-4300, ext.

295 or visit www.oxbridgeacademy.org.

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host a Teen Advisory Group meeting for ages 12 to 17 on Tuesday, May 10 at 6 p.m. Call (561) 790-6070 to pre-register.

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will feature “Smoothly Salty” for ages 12-17 on Tuesday, May 10 at 6:30 p.m.

Make relaxing bath salts. Call (561) 7906070 to pre-register.

• The Wellington Village Council will meet Tuesday, May 10 at 7 p.m. at the Wellington Municipal Complex (12300 W. Forest Hill Blvd.). Call (561) 791-4000 for info.

Wednesday, May 11 • Wellington will present Seniors BrunchN-Bingo on Wednesdays, May 11 and 25 from 12:30 to 3 p.m. at the Wellington Community Center. The cost is $6, payable at the door. For more info., call Howard Trager at (561) 791-4785.

• The Royal Palm Beach library (500 Civic Center Way) will host “Bricks & Books” for ages 7 to 12 on Wednesday, May 11 at

4:30 p.m. Build Lego creations while listening to a new audio book . Call (561) 7906030 to pre-register.

• The Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors will meet Wednesday, May 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the district office (13476 61st Street N., The Acreage). Visit www.indiantrail.com for more info.

• The Royal Palm Beach library (500 Civic Center Way) will feature “Bilingual Story Time” for ages 3 to 6. on Wednesdays, May 11 and 25 at 6:30 p.m. Call (561) 7906030 to pre-register.

• The Northern Palm Beach Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association will meet Wednesday, May 11 at the PGA Doubletree Hotel (4431 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens). Networking will take place from 6 to 6:30 p.m. with the dinner and program beginning at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $35 and guests are welcome. RSVP to Sharon Maupin at (561) 624-3816.

Thursday, May 12 • The Royal Palm Beach library (500 Civic Center Way) will host “Great Outdoors Story Time” for ages 4 to 6 on Thursday, May 12 at 3:30 p.m. Listen to stories about the joys of playing outside. Call (561) 7906030 to pre-register.

Friday, May 13 • The Royal Palm Beach Rotary Club will host its annual golf tournament Friday, May 13 at the Links at Madison Green with an 8 a.m. shotgun start. Proceeds will benefit the Children’s Miracle Network, student scholarships and community service projects. For more info., visit www.rpbrotary.org.

• Whole Foods Market (2635 State Road 7, Wellington) will feature “Mom’s Morning Escape & Whole Kid’s Club Stor y Time” on Friday, May 13 from 9 to 11 a.m.

Moms will receive a free mini-massage, coffee or tea and muffin from the coffee bar. Story time will be from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Call (561) 904-4000 to pre-register.

• Wellington and Immeasurable Theatre will present The Tale of Peter Rabbit, a children’s live theater production, at the Wellington Amphitheater (12100 W. Forest Hill Blvd.). Families are invited to this free production beginning at 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday, May 1 3-15. Spectators are encouraged to bring their own seating. For more info., call (561) 727-6891.

Send calendar items to: The Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414. FAX: (561) 793-6090. Email: news@gotowncrier.com.

May 6 - May 12, 2011

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HUNTINGTON LEARNING CENTER opening in Wellington needs CERTIFIED PART TIME TEACHERS new and experienced elementary & secondary teachers wanted to instruct K-12 in Reading, Math, SAT/ACT Exam Prep. No lesson plans or homework, paid training and flexible hours.

Please e-mail resume to marlenegiraud@hlcwellington.com or call 561-594-1920 and leave a message TEACHERS/TUTORS P/T SAT/ACT/FCAT- MATH Flexible Hrs. Great Pay. PB County Area Experience required Fax: 828-8128 E-mail tutorking@wpb3331980.com

ATTN: COMPUTER WORK — work from anywhere 24/7.

Up to 1,500 part-time to 7,500 full-time. Training provided. www.jdincomenow.com or 754-244-2760

JJJ AUTOMOTIVE,INC. — we’re looking out for you! John Lawson.

561-204-2855 600 Royal Palm Commerce Rd. Suite E, RPB. Lic. #MV52657

HOUSECLEANING — 20 yrs experience. Excellent local references. Shopping available. 561572-1782

MOBILE-TEC ON-SITE COMPUTER SERVICE — The computer experts that come to you! Hardware/ Sof tware setup, support &troubleshooting w w w.mobiletec.net.

561-248-2611 D.J. COMPUTER — Home & office, Spyware removal, websites, networks, repairs, upgrades, virus removal, tutoring. Call Jef f 561333-1923 or Cell 561-252-1186 Lic’d Well. & Palm Beach We accept major credit cards.

CHRISTY’S BAKERY NEEDS — Counter help. Experienced only.

2 shifts 5:30am - 1:30 pm and 1:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Drop of resume.

The Pointe@Wellington Green.

10160 Forest Hilll Blvd.

CAMP COUNSELORS NEEDED FOR CAMP GIDDY UP NEEDS COMMUNITYSERVICES HOURS? — Call for info 793-4109 14 and over w/horse experience.

OWN A COMPUTER? PUT IT TO WORK— up to $500 dollars-$3,000 dollars a month. PT/FT free info! www.global2global.com or call 601653-6412 SECRETAR Y NEEDED FOR LEGAL& ACCOUNTING OFFICE — 30 hours per week. Heavy Phones, computer literate, will train! Fax resume 561-333-2680

JOHN C. HUNTON AIR CONDITIONING & REFRIGERATION, INC. —Service & new installation FPL independent participating contractor. Lic. CAC 057272 Ins. "W e are proud supporters of the Seminole Ridge Hawks" 561-798-3225.

Family Owned & Operated since 1996. Credit Cards Accepted

AUDIO PLUS ELECTRONICS — for all your electronic needs, home theater, stereo, plasma TV, satellite, security systems, computer systems. 561-471-1161

VOLUNTEER NEEDED — 14 years and over for community service. Have fun with animals & kids 792-2666 WINDOW INSTALLERS W ANTED Lic. & ins. subcontractors only. Top Pay. No Brokers. Call Matt 561714-8490 DRIVERS WANTED — Full-Time/ Part-Time W ellington Town-Car NIGHT DISPATCHER — for Wellington Town-Car. Call for details 561-333-0181

POSITION WANTED COMPANION AIDE — Live In/Out, meals, laundry, errands, years of experience. References available. Call 561-3334285

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DRIVEWAYS — Free estimates.

A & M ASPHALT SEAL COATING commercial and residential. Patching potholes, striping, repair existing asphalt & save money all work guaranteed. Lic.& Ins. 100045062 561-667-7716 BACHE DEVELOPMENT INC. — General Contractor Christopher G. Bache 561-662-8353 CGC 1510884. New construction, barns, kitchens, baths, complete remodeling, flooring, painting. Residential and commercial visit us at www.bachedevelopment.com

THE MASTER HANDYMAN — All Types of Home Repairs & Improvements. No job too big or small done right the first time every time 40 yrs of satisfied customers. See me on Angies List. Tom (561) 801-2010 or (954) 444-3178 Serving Palm Beach and Broward Counties.

BILLY’S HOME REPAIRS INC. REMODEL & REPAIRS — Interior Trim, crown molding, rottenwood rep air, door inst allation, minor drywall,kitchens/cabinets / countertop s, wood flooring.

Bonded and Insured U#19699. Call 791-9900 or 628-9215

ANMAR CO.—James’ All Around Handyman Service. Excellent craf tman Old time values. Once you’ve had me! You’ll have me back!

Lic. Ins. Certified Residential Contractor CRC 1327426 561-248-8528 ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS HERE CALL 793-3576

HOME INSPECTIONS — Mold inpections, air quality testing, US Building Inspectors mention this ad $20.00 Off. 561-784-8811

HURRICANE SHUTTERS P&M CONTRACTORS — ACCORDION SHUTTERS Gutters, screen enclosures, siding, soffits, aluminum roofs, Serving the Western Communities. Since 1985. U-17189 561-791-9777

BOB CAVANAGH ALLSTATE INSURANCE Auto • Home • Life • Renters • Motorcycle • RV • Golfcart • Boat Serving the Western Communities for 24 years Call for a quote 798-3056, or visit our website. www.allstateagencies.com/ rCavanagh

J&B PRESSURE CLEANING & PAINTING, INC. — Established 1984. All types of pressure cleaning, roofs, houses, driveways, p atios etc. Commercial & Residential.

Interior & Exterior p ainting.

Certified pressure cleaning & painting contractor . Lic. #U21552 Call Butch at 309-6975 or visit us at www.jbpressurecleaningandpainting.com

MR. CLEAN PRESSURE CLEANING — 27 years. Roofs $100+up • Wall $75+up • Driveways $50+up and Patios $20+up (Chlorine PreSoak). Licensed & Insured 561541-4339 ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS HERE CALL 793-3576

HORIZON ROOFING QUALITY WORK & SERVICE — Free estimates, Residential /commercial .

Rep airs: Shingles, Flat s & tiles, Rotted Facia, & Decking. We also do Flat Roof Coating and Pressure Cleaning credit cards accepted.

561-293-0891 Lic.#CCC1328598 ROBERT G. HARTMANN ROOFING — Specializing in repairs. Free estimates, Bonded,insured. Lic. #CCC 058317 Ph: 561-790-0763.

MOLD & MILDEW INSPECTIONS Air Quality Testing, leak detection.

US building inspectors, mention this ad for discount. 561-784-8811.

ROOFING REPAIRS REROOFING ALL TYPES — Pinewood Construction, Inc. Honest and reliable. Serving Palm Beach County for over 20 years. Call Mike 561-309-0134 Lic. Ins. Bonded. CGC-023773 RC0067207 ROBERT CHERRY ROOFING INC Reroofing - Repair - W aterproofing 561-791-2612 or 954-741-4580 State Lic.& Ins. #CCC-1326048

www.jbpressurecleaningandpainting.com

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS HERE CALL 793-3576 JOHN PERGOLIZZI PAINTING INC. — Interior/Exterior - Repaint specialist, pressure cleaning, popcorn ceiling, drywall repair & roof painting. Family owned/owner operator. Free Est. 798-4964 Lic. #U18473

COLORS BY CORO, INC. — Interior/Exterior, residential painting, over 20 yrs exp. Small Jobs welcome. Free est. Ins. 561-383-8666.

Owner/Operated. Lic.# U20627 Ins. Wellington Resident

JEREMY JAMES PLUMBING — Licensed plumber, legitimate estimate. Water heaters, new construction. CFC1426242. Bonded and Insured. CFC1426242. 561-601-6458

SPECIAL SUMMER ACADEMY

Great Rates!

All Subjects: PreK- Adult 561 •333 •1980 • CLUBZ.COM America’s Largest In-HomeTutoring Co.

PAPERHANGING BY DEBI — Professional Installation,Removal. Repair of Paper. Neat, Clean & Reliable. Quality work with a woman's touch. 30 years experience. No Job too big or too small. Lic. & Ins. References available. 561-795-5263

WE DO WINDOWS — 20 years professional window cleaning. Residential/Commercial references available. Lic. & Ins. 561-313-7098

MINOR ROOF REPAIRS DON HARTMANN ROOFING — Roof painting, Carpentry. Lic. #U13677 967-5580

GREENTEAM LANDSCAPING — We make your grass look greener than the other side Call now 561337-0658. www.greenteamllc.com LANDSCAPE & DESIGN — Commercial & Residential. We meet your needs. Free Estimates, Tree Trimming, Landscape & Maintenance, Small & Large Gardens.

954-471-8034

RJA PAINTING & DECORATING, INC. — Interior, Exterior, Faux Finish, Residential,Commercial.Lic. #U17536 Rocky Armento, Jr. 561793-5455 561-662-7102 J&B PRESSURE CLEANING & PAINTING, INC. — Established in 1984. All types of pressure cleaning, roofs, houses, driveways, patios etc. Commercial & Residential.

Interior & Exterior painting. Certified pressure cleaning & painting contractor. Lic. #U21552 Call Butch 309-6975 visit our website at

ClubZ! In-Home Tutoring

OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT — in Wellington Commerce Park off Pierson Road. Furnished or Unfurnished 575 Sq. Ft. with beautiful view of water. 2 upscale private offices, reception area, bathroom and storage loft. AvailableImmediately $600 per month (561) 722-7195

2000 HONDA ACCORD — 209,000 miles, red w/cream leather interior good running condition, good A/C $5,000 OBO 561-7137794 RV MOTER HOME 2005 — 31 ft. fourwinds, Chateau Class C, 4,700 miles, V-10 Ford Chasis, Fullyequipped, 1 slide out $48,000. Offers considered. 561-398-1825

SECURITY — American owned local security company in business 30 plus years. Protection by of ficers drug tested. 40 hour course. Licensed & Insured. 561-848-2600

JOHN’S SCREEN REPAIR SERVICE — Pool & patio rescreening.

Stay tight,wrinkle-free,guaranteed!

CRC1329708 call us 798-3132. www.poolscreenrepair.com

ACCORDION SHUTTERS — Gutters, screen enclosures, siding, soffits, aluminum roofs, Serving the Western Communities. Since 1985.

U-17189 561-791-9777

AQUATIC SPRINKLER, LLC — Complete repair of all types of systems. Owner Operated. Michael 561-964-6004Lic.#U17871 Bonded & Ins. Serving the Western Communities Since 1990

SPECIALIZING IN BA THROOM REMODELING — Free estimates serving South Florida since 1980.

Quality you expect, service you deserve. License, bonded and insured. U21006 561-662-9258 T OWN-CRIER CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS CALL 793-3576 TODAY T OPLACE YOUR AD

SALE THIS SATURDAY, MAY 7th, 9a.m. - 1 p.m. — 100 Santander court. (Off LaMancha to Viscay Ave) Household items. and more.

$1000 REWARD JACK RUSSELL — female smooth coat, all white, except for face tri-color. Mostly brown. Cropped tail. Call Rose 561305-5058

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APARTMENT FOR RENT — 1 bedroom, 1 bath, kitchen, living room, private entrance, electric & cable included. $700 mo. 561-252-2622

2/2 NEW APPLIANCES — good condition “The T rails” good area. pool and amenities. 561-714-8376 561-793-1718 $900 monthly. Cable included.

TOWNHOME FOR RENT — 2 / 2 2 car garage. Lakefront seasonal or annual lease. No Pets 561-6442019

EFFICIENCY FOR RENT — fully furnished/full kitchen,TV,washer/ dryer. Private entrance. No smoking.No Pets. Single adult $700 per month includes all! 561-6320464 561-790-0857

ROOM FOR RENT — Furnished bedroom near turnpike $600/mo with $200 Security, Includes utilities & cable. 684-1401

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WELLINGTON LAKES BANK APPROVED SHORT SALE

$139,000 3 bed/2 bath. Call Michelle Burgess 239-834-3589.

Tannassee Realty.

Make an offer now.

RLS4634 DPBR STATE OF FLORIDA — Serving Acreage, Royal Palm Beach, Loxahatchee, Palm Beach Country Estates, Jupiter Farms and Coastal areas East Florida Site Planning, Dep Compliance Assured Mapping. 561-5960184 Cell Call for a Quote.

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