Anastasia Neff, with an injured pelican she managed to save, makes it her goal to rescue and document pelicans.

Photo provided

By Cheryl Blackerby

    An osprey with a fish in its beak flew overhead, a blue heron perched at the end of a pier and submerged manatees blew bubbles next to Anastasia Neff’s kayak.

    It was an idyllic scene in Lake Worth Lagoon that made the horrors of Pelican Island even more appalling. 

    Dead pelicans hung high in the island’s mangrove branches, monofilament fishing line wrapped around wings and feet. Fishing line with a sinker weight trailed from one bird’s gaping bill, a treble hook embedded in its throat.

    Three birds had silver metal bands, tagged by biologists, on their dangling legs.

    Fifteen-year-old Neff counted eight dead pelicans in the trees, and one in the shallow water that covered the island, just north of Hypoluxo Island, at high tide. 

    Tromping over the mangrove roots in rubber boots, she pointed out a lifeless pelican lodged on a branch, fishing hooks protruding from its throat, its white and gray wings, ruffled by the breeze, spread in death.

Anastasia Neff works her way through a stand of mangroves

north of Hypoluxo Island looking for injured pelicans.

Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Mission to save pelicans

    Neff, who grew up on Hypoluxo Island, is on a mission to save the pelicans. As a small child, she named the little mangrove island near her house Pelican Island, but she now calls it Dead Pelican Island. 

    She has recruited friends to cut the fishing line out of the mangroves so pelicans, which like to roost on the island, don’t die. She has pulled out fishing hooks snagged in their mouths and wings. 

    “You push the hook through, snip off the barb, then push it back out,” she says of the grisly task.

    After one pelican died, Neff felt its throat and found five more hooks.

    Her mother, Candace Neff, used to help, but Candace finds the island too depressing these days. “Where there might be one dead pelican years ago, there are now many more hanging in the trees,” she said. And often there are those that are not yet dead, desperate to escape the fishing line.

Candace Neff helps her daughter by spotting from a kayak.

    This is a familiar problem for the South Florida Wildlife Center in Fort Lauderdale, says Sherry Schlueter, the center’s executive director.

    “We get brown pelicans in frequently,” she said. “At least 75 percent are coming in for fishing hook and fishing line injuries.”

    The center has wildlife ambulances, three veterinarians, and a staff of 60 who rescue wildlife in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

    “We’ve had to rescue pelicans from high trees with line wrapped around their heads and necks and feet,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of pelicans who have ingested hooks that are swallowed with a fish. Many of those require pretty extensive surgery. The hooks can do a lot of damage to the esophagus and stomach. And cause long drawn-out agony and death.”

Policy on fishing hooks

    Other places in Florida are getting tired of seeing pelicans injured by fishing hooks.

    On April 2, Naples became the first town in the state to pass an ordinance that forbids treble hooks and fishing lines with multiple hooks on the city pier. The law was passed in reaction to 76 injured pelicans in December alone. 

    Clearwater has had a treble hook ban for 15 years, although it’s a policy, not an ordinance.

    “I’ve had my share of rescuing pelicans, and it does seem most do have those treble hooks, which is not to say regular hooks don’t cause damage, too,” said Ricardo Zambrano, regional biologist at Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

    The fishing hooks and line are just two more problems on a long list for the brown pelicans. Another is the disturbance of nesting areas, he said. 

    “They were susceptible to the use of the pesticide DDT and their numbers dropped quite a bit. They are coming back from a decline, but they are still not out of the woods,” he said. 

    Zambrano warns fishermen not to cut the line if a pelican is snagged by a hook. “If you cut the line, the bird goes free and most likely will get tangled in the line. Try to bring the bird in safely, if possible. Cover the bird with a T-shirt or towel, and cut the hook’s barb off, which will allow it to be removed safely. And then call a wildlife rehab center,” he said.

    Schlueter reminds rescuers not to close the bird’s bill. “Most people don’t know that if you keep the bill closed they can’t breathe,” she said.

    On the day in late April when Anastasia counted the nine dead pelicans, a brown pelican landed on a nearby branch, thought better of it and flew off.

    Neff stopped to admire its slow-motion flight over the water.

    “I think they’re beautiful, ” she said. “They’re very sweet, and when they look at you their eyes are very soft.”

    The ninth-grader at G-Star School of the Arts hopes to someday make wildlife documentaries. Surely, at least one will be about pelicans.

AmeriCorps members Michael Owen, 27, and roommate Cathy Hentschel, 23,

relax with their dogs in their pet-freindly Las Ventanas third floor loft apartment.

Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

AmeriCorps member Courtney Cambra works on spelling

with Chalino Sanchez-Trejo, 5, at The Pines North in Delray Beach. 

Corps lives lean while teaching ‘money math’ and lots more

By Ron Hayes

    The next time you cross the Woolbright Road Bridge and a red light catches you at Federal Highway, use the moment to ponder that impressive apartment complex on the northwest corner of the intersection.

    “Las Ventanas” — Spanish for “the windows.”

    Earth tones and townhouses, apartments and lofts, private parking, pools and a spa. The sort of attractive development favored by trendy young professionals in search of a dynamic lifestyle — “Luxury Apartment Homes.”

    But for 35 young men and women who inhabit 13 of those three-bedroom lofts overlooking the intersection, the luxury ends when they leave for work each morning.

    To them, Las Ventanas is affectionately known as “the AmeriDorm”— home since 2009 to members of AmeriCorps, a domestic service organization patterned on the Peace Corps.

    Locally, they work for Literacy AmeriCorps, a project of the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County.

    From those luxury apartments, AmeriCorps members disperse each morning to 30-plus sites in Palm Beach County.

    At In The Pines, two affordable housing developments for migrant workers in Delray Beach, they tutor children learning to read.

    At Ed Venture Charter School in Hypoluxo, they teach students with severe cognitive and mental health deficits to prepare for job interviews.

    At the Boynton Beach City Library, they help adults earn a high school diploma and children with their homework.

    Last year, AmeriCorps members contributed more than 68,000 hours of service in Palm Beach County.

    And they did it all for $12,100 a year each.

    In other words, they didn’t do it for the money.

The AmeriCorps group gathers at the end of a training session

at the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County. 

Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

•

    “I love these guys,” says Audrey McDonough. “They’re full of life and idealism. It just recharges you, and every year you have a fresh new crew ready to go.”

    If Literacy AmeriCorps has a den mother, it’s McDonough, the program’s director since it came to the Literacy Coalition in 1998.

    In 2008, she got help when Brad Hertzberg, a former member here, was hired to help coordinate the program.

    Together, they are responsible for hiring, assigning and supervising as many as 40 recent college graduates from about 20 to 25 states.

    “If you’re gonna pack up and take a road trip across country to be in a new experience sight unseen,” she says, “you’ve already got some spunk.”

    McDonough interviews and hires her applicants by phone, so just as they come here sight unseen, she also greets them sight unseen. She doesn’t actually see who she’s hired until they arrive.

    And then Kevin walks through the door.

•

Kevin Hovick helps mulch a community garden

at Cason Community Church in Delray Beach.

    If you’re assuming all AmeriCorps members look like the youth pastor at a Baptist Sunday school, meet Kevin Hovick.

    “When he showed up,” McDonough recalls, choosing her words carefully, “his hair was … kind of long.”

    Hovick, 23, of Hamden, Conn., has a degree in anthropology. He wears  beaded jewelry, prominent tattoos on both arms, and earlobes pierced and stretched with those painful-looking hoops you used to see only in National Geographic.

    “I thought, ‘Well, now, where will he fit in?’ ” McDonough recalls.

    Hovick wanted to tutor children. McDonough assigned him to the troubled teens at Ed Venture Charter School, and he hated it. 

    “I was very intimidated at first because I’m this small little white kid,” he says. “I didn’t think I had the skills.”

    This is his second year there. The long hair is gone, but the earrings remain, and he loves the job.

    Hovick spends his days tutoring students 15 to 22, who read at a fifth- or sixth-grade level, if that.

    “I’ve had a student ask me if I was alive when Abraham Lincoln was president,” he says. “It can get frustrating, but it’s never boring. You just have to take your time and not rush things.”

•

    In 1989, Jerry and Donna Goray of Ocean Ridge founded the Farmworker Children’s Council, the outgrowth of a church project that now provides housing and educational services at two In The Pines developments in Delray Beach.

    This year, Courtney Cambra, 23, of Carlsbad, Calif., a graduate in special education, spends her afternoons at In The Pines North on Hagen Ranch Road, tutoring children whose parents speak little or no English.

    “We’ve had AmeriCorps here for 10 years,” Goray says. “They’ve all been good, but Courtney’s the most outstanding.”

    Today, she’s working with two boys, Chalino and Michel, 5 and 6, so shy they speak in a whisper.

    “I have one student here whose focus is so scattered he’ll look at the first letter, and if the word is ‘maybe,’ he’ll guess ‘make.’

    “But I love it,” she quickly adds. “What’s frustrating is when I don’t know if I’m doing enough to help them.”

•

    On a recent Sunday morning, Michael Owen, 27, of West Liberty, Iowa, relaxed in his third floor loft, reflecting on life in the AmeriDorm and what it’s like to live on $12,100 a year.

    Each AmeriCorps member pays $450 a month rent toward the three-bedroom lofts, he explained. After that, they get creative.

    “Food stamps is a life saver,” Owen said, “and you learn how to cook.”

    Some roommates pool their $200 in monthly food stamps to make sure one apartment isn’t supporting three bottles of ketchup.

    Bar Louie has $1 burgers on Tuesday nights, and Tijuana Flats has Taco Tuesdays. It’s $6 for a movie at the Boynton Cinemark on Tuesdays and at the Alco Cinema on Military Trail on Thursdays.

    Owen works a part-time job tutoring after work, and so does Courtney Carma.

    Kevin Hovick and Leah Levy work nights at Delivery Dudes. On a good night, they can make $170 in tips.

    “I go from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. without going home at all,” Owen said, “and then I come home so tired I don’t even go to the gym here, even though we have one. I work out in my room and go to sleep.”

    They call it the AmeriDorm, but in fact, there isn’t a lot of socializing.

    If AmeriCorps members see each other in a group, it’s probably during the weekends, when they might walk over the bridge to relax on the beach at Ocean Ridge.

    “I’m a jogger, so I love the beach,” says Cathy Hentschel, 23, of Plainfield, Pa. “I’ll jog over the bridge and take a walk on the beach and then jog back.”

    Most of the time, though, they’re all too busy to hang out.

    “Kevin and I are roommates,” says Ithran Kaoyton, 24, of Detroit, a graduation coach at Lake Worth High School, “and we might see each other five minutes a day.

    “We call it our five minutes of fame.”

•

AmeriCorps member Aman Kaur, 22, of Parsippany, N.J.,

works with adults at the Boynton Beach City Library

to help them prepare for their GED tests.

    While Kevin Hovick teaches the teenagers in one room at Ed Venture, Owen is in another, using a Sam’s Club website to try to teach “money math.”

    Two-for-the-price-of-one isn’t necessarily a good deal when another product costs a bit more but offers more content, he points out. But if the handful of students in class understand, it doesn’t register on their faces.

    Owen is teaching them how to cope with supermarkets, live within a budget, plan a party, rent an apartment.

    And they are teaching him patience.

    “You don’t look at the big picture,” he explains. “You have to look at the little brush strokes, the little victories. When you understand where they came from, you don’t see them as a behavior problem. You see them as a person.”

    When he leaves Ed Venture, Owen heads over to the Boynton Beach City Library, where Cathy Hentschel spends five hours a day helping children from area elementary schools with their homework.

    “I love my kids,” she says. “I couldn’t imagine them with someone else.” 

    Noah buys a pencil. He uses one quarter and two nickels to pay. How much does the pencil cost?

    As she coaches a first-grader through the problem, Owen slips into another chair at the table and welcomes the next child.

    His workday is over. This is not his part-time job. He does this because he wants to.

•

    Meanwhile, in a conference room just off the library’s lobby, Aman Kaur, 22, of Parsippany, N.J., is helping four adults prepare for their GED tests.

    Mondays she teaches English; Tuesdays, math; Wednesdays, science; and Thursdays, social studies.

    This is Thursday, and the four adults are seated at the table, reading very simple books about Charles Lindbergh and Eleanor Roosevelt, Ellis Island and Sept. 11.

    Ask what they think of their teacher and you’ll hear the real value of Literacy AmeriCorps.

    Reynold Destine, 41, is a prep cook.

    “She’s great,” he says, then reconsiders. “No, she’s more than great. She’s wonderful.”

    Criselda Desir, 41, cleans houses. “We have a very intelligent teacher, so if you’re a good listener you will learn. I’ve learned that money math is the most important kind of math.”

    Adeline Roger, 52, worked as a cook but dreams of becoming a home health aide.

    “I learned that zero is a real number,” she says, and her voice swells with wonder. “I thought zero was just zero, but I learned that a 1 with a single zero after it is 10, but 1 with three zeros is 1,000. Zeros are not nothing! Zeros matter!”

    And Belshebay Edden is 74.

    “This beautiful lady here” — she gestures reverently toward the teacher, 52 years her junior — “she takes her time if you don’t understand, and she’s helped me so, so much.

    “She is the mother, and I am the child.”

•

    Two Saturdays a month, each of the AmeriCorps members is also required to perform community service work as part of their annual responsibilities.

    You’ll find them at Habitat For Humanity or the United Way, the Community Caring Center or Special Olympics.

    On April 12, for example, while Michael Owen and nine other members helped out at the West Palm Beach Public Library, Kevin Hovick and colleagues were weeding and mulching a community garden at Cason Community Church in Delray Beach.

    When his AmeriCorps year here ends on July 11, Michael Owen will join the Peace Corps in Colombia.

    Courtney Carma has applied to the Peace Corps, too, but is also considering another AmeriCorps program, working with the mentally disabled in Pennsylvania.

    And Kevin Hovick, who volunteers with the Special Olympics every Monday after work, is taking an online course in therapeutic recreation through the University of Milwaukee.

    Take a moment to ponder all this the next time a red light catches you by the AmeriDorm at Woolbright Road and Federal Highway.

    And when at last the light turns green and you drive on, try not to feel a little better about the younger generation.

What Is AmeriCorps?

    In 1993, Congress established the Corporation for National and Community Service to manage three main programs: the Social Innovation Fund, Senior Corps and AmeriCorps.

    In Florida, more than 16,000 people are serving in CNCS programs. About 14,000 are with Senior Corps, while 2,359 are at 88 AmeriCorps programs throughout the state, including the 39 young men and women working with the Palm Beach County Literacy Coalition.

    “The federal money is distributed through Volunteer Florida, which pays about 60 percent of our $800,000 annual budget,” says Audrey McDonough, director of the Literacy Coalition’s AmeriCorps project.

    The remaining 40 percent comes from grants and a $5,700 fee each service site pays to employ an AmeriCorps member.

    At the Boynton Beach City Library, for example, two AmeriCorps members cost the library $11,400 a year. However, one of those members is sponsored by the Friends of the Library through its used book sales. 

    The Literacy Coalition’s AmeriCorps members serve from Aug. 12, 2013, to July 11, 2014.

    Monday through Thursday they are at their service sites, while Fridays are reserved for training at the Literacy Coalition headquarters on Quantum Boulevard.

    For this, they are paid $12,100, before taxes are deducted, or about $450 every two weeks. 

    In addition, all members who complete the 1,700 service hours receive a $5,550 “education award,” which can be used toward college tuition or to pay off student loans. If the member leaves early, the entire award is forfeited.

    In his 2015 budget, President Obama has requested $1.05 billon for the CNCS.

— Ron Hayes

The view of Boca Raton Airport from Glades Road and Interstate 95.

Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

The federal government pays to staff the control tower at the Boca Raton Airport.

Clara Bennett, the Boca Airport Authority’s executive director,

came to the airport after more than 20 years with Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport.

By Rich Pollack

    It is an oasis on more than 212 acres of prime real estate in the heart of Boca Raton.

    It is an economic-development magnet, helping to attract businesses and business owners who choose to make Boca Raton their home. 

    And it is a beehive of activity, where if you wait long enough you’re likely to see celebrities, high-powered CEOs and sports stars.

    Yet the Boca Raton Airport remains somewhat of a mystery to many in the area who drive by it every day on Interstate 95 but know little about its day-to-day operations and its  impact on the community.

    “We are a major amenity for people who want to come into the area in a convenient, safe and secure manner,” says Clara Bennett, the Boca Raton Airport Authority’s new executive director. Bennett came aboard early this year after spending more than 20 years at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, rising to the position of executive director in 2004. “Most of what happens here is related to the business activity in the area.”

    In all, there are more than 48,000 takeoffs and landings at the airport each year, with jets making up about 35 percent of the flights. It is the only general aviation airport in Palm Beach County capable of accommodating private jets. 

    “Boca is a first-class city and it has a first-class airport,” says Jim Costa, president of the Boca Raton Pilots Association. “The airport provides everything the city needs to achieve its goal as a business hub and a convention destination. It’s very convenient and it’s very well run.” 

    Built in 1936 as a general-aviation city airport for small planes, the airport was temporarily used by what is now known as the U.S. Air Force as a radar-training school from 1941 until 1948, when it reverted back to the city for general aviation use. 

    Currently owned by the state, the airport is operated by the Boca Raton Airport Authority — a seven-member board appointed by the Boca Raton City Council and the Palm Beach County Commission — which is responsible for overseeing all operations on the airport property. 

    With an annual budget of about $4 million, the authority draws its revenues from businesses who pay rent to operate on airport grounds — including two national fixed-based operators that provide hangar and aircraft services, and several non-aeronautics leaseholders, including a movie theater, a hotel and a furniture store on airport’s west side. 

    The airport also receives revenues from fuel-flow fees paid by pilots and is essentially self-sustaining, receiving no local tax dollars. 

    It does, however, depend on the federal government to pay for staffing of a control tower built in 2000. That cast the airport into the headlines just last year when the FAA, as a result of federal budget cutbacks, threatened to stop funding the tower. 

    With funding restored, the tower continues to operate uninterrupted, but Bennett says the authority is keeping a close eye on the federal budget process to make sure money is available in the next fiscal year.

    For Bennett, 45, who came from an airport six times the size of Boca’s, taking on the job as executive director was a chance to get back to doing what she loves best — running day-to-day airport operations.

    A licensed pilot with a degree in aviation management, Bennett was one of nearly 50 applicants seeking the $165,000 per year job, which became open when longtime airport director Ken Day died unexpectedly in June. 

    While working for the city of Fort Lauderdale, Bennett’s responsibilities had expanded to include non-airport-related functions.

    “This was a chance to get back to running an airport, which is what I really enjoy,” she said. “It’s also a chance to work directly with the authority members to implement their vision.”

    Next up on Bennett’s radar screen is the continuing feasibility study of bringing a U.S. Customs station to the airport, which would make it possible for flights coming from overseas to land there directly without having to stop first at another field. If that idea does have wings, it will be at least three to five years before a station would be operational. 

    Bennett is also working with a new fixed-based operator, Atlantic Aviation, a national company with a reputation for quality standards, which recently purchased Boca Aviation.

    In the interim, she is focused on quantifying the beneficial impacts the airport has on the community, making sure it remains financially strong, and continuing to enhance the amenities it offers to the high-end clients who have a big impact on the community.

    “The economic impact of the airport is huge,” Bennett says. “Everyone who comes through here gets out of their plane and spends money in local hotels, restaurants and shops.”

Air traffic controllers generate a record of each flight.

The airport has more than 48,000 takeoffs and landings each year.

Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Myths about the Boca Raton Airport

Here are five misconceptions about the Boca Raton Airport:

Myth: It is owned and operated by the city of Boca Raton. 

Fact: The airport is owned by the state and operated by the Boca Raton Airport Authority.

Myth: It is paid for with local tax dollars. 

Fact:  All of the operating costs of the airport are paid from fuel-related revenues and leases.

Myth: Commercial planes can fly out of the airport. 

Fact:  No scheduled commercial aircrafts use Boca Raton Airport.

Myth: The airport is used mainly by recreational and weekend pilots. 

Fact:  While that was the case years ago, most of the flights in and out of the airport today are related to business.

Myth: When IBM left Boca in the 1990s, airport traffic decline dramatically. 

Fact:  IBM, in fact, was not a large user of the airport.

SOURCE: Boca Raton Airport Authority

By Steve Plunkett

    Pay attention to the sign when you pull into a free on-street parking space in downtown Boca Raton. The city is enforcing the mostly two-hour time limits for the first time in at least three years.

    City staff also are putting up new parking signs where there are none and will report back in June on what else should be done.

    “We all know there’s a lot more downtown activity. There’s a lot of development going on in the downtown — construction, other things — and that is causing on-street parking to be at a premium. And the phone calls are coming in,” city Municipal Services Director Dan Grippo said at the April 7 meeting of the Community Redevelopment Agency.

    Deputy Mayor Constance Scott said even more construction workers will flood downtown as building exteriors are completed and interior work begins.

    “That problem is only going to get worse,” Scott said.

    In 2011 the CRA suspended enforcement of timed on-street parking while metered parking was expanded downtown.

    Boca Raton currently has 242 timed parking spaces on downtown streets and 299 no-limit spaces, Grippo said.

    That’s not enough for everyone.

    Gerry Whidden, owner of Natures Symphony, an aromatherapy shop, said her building on Northeast First Avenue does not have parking.

    “So we have to rely on parking on the street,” she said. “I don’t know what we would do if we had to pay for parking or had to move our car every two hours.”

    Philip Scandariato, owner of Phil’s Cycle Ward, a nearby bike shop with a coffee bar, said workers at a restaurant on Palmetto Park Road monopolize parking on Northeast First and even post a guard to alert them to open spots. 

    “By 2 or 3 o’clock in the afternoon that entire street is taken up by employees,” he said.

    Architect Doug Mummaw said his client, downtown property owner Investments Ltd., “vehemently we’re against any kind of metered parking.”

    Businesses that have parking lots tend not to allow other businesses to use them, he said. “You probably have a thousand parking spaces within the downtown that are sitting empty most of the time,” Mummaw contended.

    The Downtown Boca Raton Advisory Committee took the opposite stance, recommending that parking meters be installed where parking is most scarce.

    Among the trouble spots is the area bounded by Dixie Highway, Mizner Boulevard and Palmetto Park Road, which has 21 half-hour spaces around the post office and 32 two-hour spaces. Boca Raton Road has 29 no-limit spaces and Northwest First Avenue has 23.

    The other troublesome area — bounded by Dixie, Mizner, Palmetto Park and Southeast Fifth Street — has 96 timed spaces, mainly on Southeast First Avenue, and 86 no-limit spaces sprinkled throughout.

    Pierre Samaha, owner of Salon Pierre & Co. on South Federal Highway, asked that enforcement of the two-hour limit be delayed until a parking solution is found. CRA commissioners termed his hair salon “collateral damage” to Subway sandwich shop’s insistence that the two-hour limit be enforced on that block.

    “We have competing interests,” CRA Chairman Scott Singer said. “We’ve got employers who have no space for their employees. We’ve got employees themselves who want to park closer and not walk many blocks. We’ve got stores like Subway that require quick turnover. We’ve got stores like yours that require a longer turnover. So it’s a delicate balance.”

    In the end, CRA commissioners agreed to let city staff sign new areas as they see fit, enforce limits that have not been enforced and report back in 90 days on a long-term solution.

INSET BELOW: Walter O'Neill

By Lucy Lazarony

    Walter O’Neill can sum up his vision for the Art School of the Boca Museum of Art in four simple words, “community and building community.”

    O’Neill, who took over as director on April 7, sees the Art School as a second home for artists of all ages and all skill levels, where they can leave the daily stresses of life at the door, come inside and create art.

    “It’s a place to come. It’s a second home,” O’Neill said. “It’s about being in a supportive community, whether it’s the teacher or the student sitting next to you.” Too often at home, distractions can impede the creative flow.

    “It’s so much easier to do the dishes and to vacuum than do the art,” O’Neill said. 

    But inside the Art School, art students can leave their cares at the door and focus on their art. 

    And students have many artistic options and disciplines from which to choose.   

    Classes, workshops and lectures are available in ceramics, drawing, jewelry, painting, photography and sculpture. Thirty-five teachers and professional artists teach more than 100 classes per week.

    “We’re a serious cultural institution,” O’Neill said. “We have classes for beginners and experienced artists, six days a week, evenings, daytimes and weekends.” 

    Summer art camp for kids with a strong focus on art history and a multicultural arts curriculum begins June 9. 

    One of O’Neill’s goals is to offer even more evening and weekend classes for working adults and younger, 30-something adult artists.

    “Working adults are creative,” O’Neill said. 

    Leading an art school with close ties to a museum is a natural fit for O’Neill, who began as a student artist taking high school art classes in a local museum in Montclair, N.J.

    “This job attracted me. It perfectly fits my background,” he said. “I started out taking art classes in high school in a local museum. So after the art class you could wander into the museum and see the art … That was really where I began.” 

    The Art School of the Boca Museum of Art, 801 W. Palmetto Park Road, began in June 2001. It also is the original site of the Boca Museum of Art, which moved to its Mizner Park location in January 2001.    

    Prior to coming to the Art School in Boca, O’Neill was director of the Educational Alliance Art School and Gallery in New York City. He has also served as supervisor of school programs at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, and educator at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, Calif. 

    A practicing artist with a focus on fresco painting, O’Neill has taught fresco painting at The Cloisters in New York and at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, a summer residency program in Maine.

Lake Boca was filled with boats, partiers and music on April 27 for Boca Bash,

an annual floating party held between the Camino Real and Palmetto Park Road bridges.

Ocean Ridge resident Luke Smith, sporting a pink flamingo hat,

collects trash for recycling. 

Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

MORE PHOTOS

By Tim Pallesen

    A majority of city commissioners wants to charge a dollar for trolley rides to discourage the homeless from riding free to a soup kitchen. 

    To stop the homeless from begging for money, commissioners also want a tough new ordinance to prohibit panhandling.

    “We have beautiful trolleys that are supposed to bring individuals to our city to spend money — not to give free rides to the homeless so they can go to a soup kitchen,” Commissioner Adam Frankel said. 

    Frankel joined Mayor Cary Glickstein and Commissioner Jordana Jarjura to say  during an April 8 workshop they will support trolley fares.

    Volunteers at the largest Delray soup kitchen serving the homeless were stunned by Frankel’s comment to a TV reporter after the meeting.

    “To single out such a vulnerable population and deny them services is appalling,” Caring Kitchen director April Hazamy said. “I am shocked that the city wants to make the homeless situation worse.”

    Trolley fares and the crackdown on panhandlers were recommended by a police-led task force that studied the impacts of the city’s homeless population. The proposed panhandling ban duplicates a Fort Lauderdale ordinance designed so people can be free from fear of intimidation in public places.

    Nonaggressive panhandling would be prohibited in places where the public is likely to feel threatened, such as within 15 feet of sidewalk cafes on Atlantic Avenue.

    Aggressive panhandling would be banned everywhere the city. Panhandlers who sit and hold a sign would not be considered a threat, the task force said. 

    The task force recommended trolley fares because “free transportation may have the unintended effect of enabling the homeless population,” according to its report to commissioners. The group suggested that residents and employees in the city be given annual trolley passes at a reduced rate.

    Only Commissioner Al Jacquet questioned trolley fares at the April 8 workshop. “I have a problem that the purpose of this is to get rid of the homeless,” he said.

    “The homeless are people, too,” said Ruth Magaria, executive director of Christians Reaching Out to Society Ministries, which operates the Caring Kitchen at 196 NW Eighth Ave. “We need to figure out a way that they can get to a place to eat.”

    The task force also urged the city to work with the Caring Kitchen and other soup kitchens near downtown to prevent takeout food containers from being discarded at the city library, beach and private yards.

    Police believe much of Delray’s homeless problem can be attributed to recovering drug addicts who become homeless when they relapse and get kicked out of Delray’s many sober houses.

    Police say more than half the city’s property crimes are by people here for recovery. The task force is studying performance standards for drug treatment centers to reduce the number of relapses and crime.

    “Relapses and desperate people are a problem for the community,” said task force member Marc Woods, a retired police officer who monitors sober houses for the city. 

    Caring Kitchen administrators say most of Delray’s homeless are not addicted to drugs or alcohol.

By Rich Pollack

    Concern over a water leak that led to one small neighborhood association receiving a $4,000 water bill has Highland Beach town leaders looking into new ways to detect leaks and save not just treated water but also a lot of money.

    The issue surfaced recently after town commissioners received correspondence from Jerry Wolff, president of the Villa Del Alto Homeowners Association, who said that the association’s water bill for a two-month period was double what it should have been due to an undetected leak. 

    While commissioners decided against a refund to the association for fear of setting a precedent, the town has begun investigating several options that could reduce the impact of a leak, or better yet, help detect water-line breaks within a day or two.

    One solution, according to Highland Beach Public Works Director Ed Soper, could be for the town to install a fixed-base, remote meter-reading system to alert town staff if it detected unusual usage, such as a meter that was constantly running. 

    “It polls the meter more than 20 times a day and theoretically could catch a leak within a day,” Soper said. 

    While he is still researching prices, Soper said, the cost to install the system in the town, which has only 600 water accounts, would likely be under $60,000 — about $100 per account  — which could be paid over months or years.

    Several factors, some unique to Highland Beach, are helping to keep the cost of the “smart meter” system down. One factor is that Highland Beach already has a system where meters can be read remotely by town workers in their trucks within close range of the meter. That “drive by” system could be converted to a fixed-base system fairly easily, Soper said. 

    Highland Beach’s size — only 3½ miles long — and its fairly linear shape would also be advantages because the town could minimize the number of repeaters required to send signals from meters to the base.

    Soper is quick to point out that the system is just one solution he is looking at to help minimize the problems experienced not only by Wolff’s homeowners association but by a few other neighborhood associations and facilities over the past few years. 

    Another option he will lay out for town commissioners is to switch from a bi-monthly billing system to a monthly billing schedule so that any subterranean leaks could be detected sooner. 

    That, however, could come with an additional expense to the town for the processing and mailing of the bills. 

    “There are several ways to address the problem,” he said.  

    Town commissioners say they are open to suggestions but have to consider the financial impact of any fixes. 

    “We would have to work it into our budget,” said Commissioner Lou Stern, who has been working with Wolff and his association to try to resolve the problem. 

    “Certainly, having an undetected water leak is a waste of water and it’s also a waste of money.”

About 600 runners laced up their shoes to take part in the Green Turtle Gallop at Spanish River Park

in Boca Raton. The 6.2-mile run raised about $10,000  for Gumbo Limbo’s Sea Turtle rehabilitation facility.

Runners, walkers and watchers were greeted by Luna the Green Sea Turtle Ambassador (above).

The overall winner was Andrae Drummonds (below).

Photos provided

Stop Hunger Now volunteers recently packed 100,000 meals to be shipped to Haiti.

Photo provided

By Mary Thurwachter

    About 600 students and other community volunteers rolled up their sleeves April 19 to prepare 100,000 meals in the Florida Atlantic University fitness center. The event, a combined effort by Stop Hunger Now, FAU and LexisNexis Risk Solutions, was aimed at feeding the world’s hungry.

    Stop Hunger Now meal packaging events like the one at FAU coordinate the streamlined packaging of nutritious, dehydrated meals made up of rice, soy, vegetables, flavoring, and 21 essential vitamins and minerals.

    All the meals were shipped to Haiti, said Katie Burke, a graduate student and associate director of student involvement and leadership at FAU.

    “The meal-packaging program provides students with an opportunity to learn about hunger and develop a heart for service,” says Christine Galenski, community development director for Stop Hunger Now. “It teaches the students about leadership and develops a foundation for future involvement in global issues.”

    Both Burke and Galenski reside in Boca Raton and have tasted the packaged meals during past events. This is the second year a packaging event was held at FAU.

    “It’s a rice concoction and very edible,” said Burke.

    FAU student Vadine Eugene said she was inspired by the mission to end world hunger.

    “They provide a great opportunity for FAU and the surrounding communities to come together and make a difference in the world,” Eugene said. “The meal packaging experience is unparalleled and generates a spirit of empowerment among our community. Our continuous partnership with Stop Hunger Now and LexisNexis has really sparked this annual tradition at FAU.”

    More than 868 million people in the world lack adequate food and more than 25,000 die each day from hunger-related illnesses, according to Stop Hunger Now, an organization which operates meal packaging in 18 cities throughout the U.S. and in South Africa and Malaysia. 

    Founded in 1998, Stop Hunger Now has delivered aid and disaster-relief supplies in the form of food, medical supplies, clothing, school supplies and more to thousands of disaster victims and other hungry and vulnerable people in 65 countries.

By Sallie James

    After news of the Boca Raton Children’s Museum’s financial plight was publicized and emails requesting support were sent out to supporters, donations have been trickling in.

    The financially strapped museum had expected to run out of operating funds April 30, according to Executive Director Denise St. Patrick-Bell. She asked for help from the city during a meeting late in April.

    “The public has stepped forward with donations,” she said by phone on April 29.  “It’s enough to keep us open past the April 30th deadline, and possibly another month. We are encouraging people to keep donating. It helps.”

    St. Patrick-Bell said she has not received any more updates or information from city officials on possible solutions to the museum’s long-term financial woes, and had no more details on the status of another non-profit’s possible future involvement in the museum.

    The Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District also will be meeting with Boca Raton city officials to discuss other possible partnership options.

    “There are a couple of entities that have come forward.  We are at least optimistic and heartened. They are talking about collaboration,” said St. Patrick-Bell. 

    She outlined the museum’s dire financial straits to the City Council during an April 21 workshop meeting, proposing the city share museum costs in a partnership by providing an annual $150,000 grant. 

    A day later, she left the April 22 City Council meeting baffled after city officials took no action, saying they needed more time to do research.

    “Our funding is good through April 30,” she said. “Unless my staff wants to work totally as volunteers, we will have to close the doors,” St. Patrick-Bell said afterward. 

    City officials said Boca Raton could likely operate the museum for half of what St. Patrick-Bell is seeking, or about $77,500, if the city took over operations completely. However, such a move would likely affect existing programming and staffing.

    Mayor Susan Haynie said the decision is too big and the potential financial obligations too great to decide too quickly.

    “It’s just premature for the council to give the city manager direction because of these things,” Haynie said after the council meeting. “We don’t have enough information.”

    Council member Michael Mullaugh didn’t have an answer to the museum’s money problems, but insisted the facility would remain open, despite St. Patrick-Bell’s dire predictions.

    “It’s not going to be easy but it’s not going to close,” Mullaugh said. “These programs are important and we have to keep them going.”

    Lack of funding has been an ongoing problem for the 34-year-old museum, whose mission is to expose young children to history, sciences, art and the humanities. 

    The museum operates on a $300,000 budget, with three full-time and five part-time employees.

    The museum leases 0.8 acres at 498 Crawford Blvd. from the city for $1 a year. Two of its three buildings were donated. The city provides the museum with an estimated $12,000 in landscaping services.

    Donations have been sparse, and grants have been scarce. Meanwhile, the bills just keep piling up, St. Patrick-Bell said.

    In June 2013, the museum received an emergency $127,000 grant from Boca Raton to help it survive until October, when it was counting on an annual $23,400 award from the City Council. 

    The museum received a $75,000 bailout grant from the city, also for operating expenses, in March 2012.

    “No one treats us like a nonprofit,” St. Patrick-Bell said. “We pay business-level prices for everything we do.” 

    Council member Scott Singer said the city would be discussing possible options during Boca’s upcoming goal-setting sessions, May 1-2.

     “I appreciate the work of the museum and want to find a solution to keep it open,” Singer said.

By Jane Smith

    HIGHLAND BEACH — John Henry Cochrane II was 88 when he  died at home on April 14 from complications of COPD. 

    “He was the most kind, sweet and gentle person,” said his wife, Shirley. “He had a way about him that made everyone feel comfortable around him.”

    Mr. Cochrane was born in Chicago on Jan. 31, 1926, to the Rev. John and Elisabeth Boyd Cochrane. His father was a Presbyterian minister.

    He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II on the Marshall Islands and graduated from Northwestern University in 1951. He then spent a career at the Illinois Bell Telephone Co., where his latest position was as a field manager. He was able to retire in his 50s.

    He married Bernette Carlson on Sept. 9, 1949. She died from cancer in 2004.

    Shirley had met the Cochranes before his first wife died. “They were motor-home people,” she said. 

    “We met (again) through friends. They introduced us — a widow and widower,” Shirley said.  

    “We thought about not getting married and just living together, but that wouldn’t be a good example for the kids,” she said. She has two adult daughters, Pam Thomas and Debra Kraus.

    Mr. Cochrane was married for the second time on July 14, 2008, at the First Presbyterian Church in Pompano Beach.

    “The pink church,” Shirley said.

    In addition to his wife, his survivors are four children, son Dr. Bruce Cochrane and wife Dianne of Watertown, Wis.; son Brett Cochrane and wife Kristen of Chicago; daughter Diane Cochrane Majeski and husband Brian of Tenafly, N.J.; and son John H. Cochrane III and wife Lisa of Pasadena, Calif.; two brothers, James Cochrane of Lake Geneva, Wis., and David Cochrane of Wild Rose, Wis.; nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

    A memorial service was set for late April at the First Presbyterian Church of Pompano Beach. 

By Ron Hayes

    BRINY BREEZES — Elsie Silva was a single mother who reared six children by herself, made their clothes, cooked homemade meals, worked two or three jobs, and baked molasses cookies that were sweet to eat but hard on a diet.

    “She made cookies all the time,” remembers her daughter, Joanne Friedman. “Homemade bread. Swedish pastries. She’d say, ‘Want a cookie?’ when I was on a diet, and I’d say, ‘Oh, Mom, why’d you do that?’ I’d resist, but it was hard, they were so good.”

    Ms. Silva died March 27 at Pinecrest Hospice in Delray Beach. She was 78 and had wintered in Briny Breezes for about 10 years before moving here permanently in 2007.

    In addition to her baking, she was active in the town’s shuffleboard and watercolor clubs, played the card game Train and made a ritual of Wednesday visits to local thrift shops with several friends.

    “When you have six kids, I’m not sure strict even came into it,” Mrs. Friedman said. “I know you never talked back to her, but somehow she always made ends meet and ended up buying her own house.”

    Elsie Ostergberg Silva was born in Jamaica Plain, Mass., on Jan. 21, 1936, and worked as a telephone receptionist in Boston hospitals and private businesses before moving to Freeville, N.Y., with her companion, Charlie Hatfield.

    In addition to Joanne and Ira Friedman, also of Briny Breezes; and Mr. Hatfield of Freeville N.Y., Ms. Silva is survived by three other daughters, Laurie Kirby and her husband, John, of Worcester, Mass.; Deborah Deluca and her husband, Peter, of Leicester, Mass.; Cyndi Hylton and her husband, Mark, of Oxford, Mass.; and a son, James Donald McEwen and his wife, Katherine, of Franklin Mass.; 18 grandchildren, eight great-grandsons and a great-granddaughter. 

    She was preceded in death by her daughter, Denise, and is survived by her husband, Andre, and a son, Reynard, of Becket, Mass.

    A memorial service was held in Briny Breezes on April 9, with another planned at the McLean Community Church in McLean, N.Y., on June 15.

    The family asks that donations be made to a hospice of readers’ choice.

Palm Beach County Commissioner Steven Abrams is joined by mayors from Manalapan, Boynton Beach and Ocean Ridge on April 30 at a press conference held to draw attention to newly installed public safety signs warning swimmers to stay 75 feet away from the Boynton Inlet jetty. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Editor's Note: Confusion about beach access abounds

By Jane Smith and Dan Moffett
    
Palm Beach County closed the beach access on the north side of the Boynton Inlet in late April because of a rash of nearby drownings and rescues since January, according to the county parks and recreation director.
    By the last Friday in April, the new signs were in place and the gate, near the shower pole, was welded shut. One sign read: “BEACH ACCESS CLOSED-Use South Side Of Inlet.” The other two signs warned beachgoers about the hazards of the inlet and the sand transfer plant.

April 27, A  Manalapan Police officer warns a man that he is not allowed on the beach north of the pumping station. Jerry Lower/ The Coastal Star

    Over the weekend, Manalapan police officers were stationed on the north side of the inlet, directing beachgoers to the south side. When questioned by fishermen about the reason they couldn’t fish from the beach, the police officers said a county ordinance restricts people from getting within 75 feet of the sand transfer plant — a confusing point considering a fishing pier sits adjacent to the plant.
    County Commissioner Steven Abrams, whose district includes the South County coastal areas, was set to give a press conference April 30 at the inlet with the mayors of Manalapan, Boynton Beach and Ocean Ridge. He wanted to call attention to the hazardous conditions on the north side of the inlet, where going in the water within 75 feet of the sand transfer plant is prohibited by a little-known county ordinance.
    Linda Stumpf, Manalapan town manager, said she and the Manalapan mayor met with Abrams in mid-April to express their concerns about the dangerous conditions on the north side of the inlet. “I brought up our concerns about the rip currents and the drownings to Abrams. He agreed with us that closing the access was a step in the right direction. There have been far too many drownings and near drownings.”
    The beach access closing lasted for four days.
    Late on April 28, Abrams’ staff sent out this text message: “The county inadvertently restricted access to the beach area. The gate is being removed in the a.m. and access will be restored. It was a premature move that is being corrected. They [county Parks and Recreation Department] received numerous complaints. Also advised the Manalapan police of this so that they will not restrict access to the beach. The focus is diverting the swimmers not the beachgoers.”
    The following day, Stumpf was perplexed: “We don’t know exactly what they’re going to do next but I do know the gate has been opened. My understanding is that they are going to try to prohibit swimming there.
    “Apparently there’s been some pushback, and DERM [Department of Environmental Resources Management, which operates the sand transfer plant] said we have to allow access. [Congresswoman Lois] Frankel’s office called and said she’d gotten a number of complaints.
“We received calls from both sides. Some people were very happy that there wouldn’t be any more drownings there. Others were upset that the beach was closed. Nobody who called that was unhappy was from the area. They were from west Lantana, or out of town and didn’t live here.”        

Abrams said his goal was not to stop people from playing Frisbee or sunbathing on the beach, but to stop people from getting in the water on the north side of the inlet where conditions are hazardous.

A series of area incidents
    The three young men who drowned since the start of the year were either wading or swimming in unguarded areas. Two drowned near the Boynton Inlet, which is hazardous even on a calm day, said Phil Wotton, south district captain for Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue.
    “What makes the Boynton Inlet so dangerous is all the activity that takes place there,” Wotton said. “You have an inlet, with that comes strong tidal currents. When people swim too close to the inlet on an incoming tide, the current pulls them towards the inlet. If you are swimming on the north side that takes you towards the jetty. On the south side it does the same, but it will suck you into the inlet.
    “During guarded hours our staff will blow their whistles to keep people away or rescue, if needed. On the north side we cannot see them until the fishermen get our attention.”
    Boats zipping in and out of the inlet, snorkelers looking at the reef below and surfers trying to catch a wave add more activity, creating a hazardous area, Wotton said. The sand transfer plant with its sudden drop-off adds another hazard.
    Plus, the north side of the inlet sits in Manalapan, which does not have lifeguards.
    The north side also has a large sign prohibiting swimming, diving or wading near the sand transfer plant.
    Even so, Sebastian Francois, a 15-year-old visiting from Haiti, was wading on the north side on Jan. 14 when he went under. Two days later, recreational divers recovered his body in the ocean.
    Francois might not have known the sand transfer plant there has a sudden drop-off, said Ocean Ridge Police Chief Chris Yannuzzi, who first offered condolences to the families of the drowning victims.
    That death was followed by the drowning of Billy Jeudi, 23, who went for an early morning swim on Feb. 13 on the south side of the inlet and was caught in a rip current that pulled him into the inlet. His body was found the next day in the Lake Worth Lagoon.
    Two male teenagers were stranded on March 1 when they were surfing on the north side of the inlet. A strong current pushed Nick Quigley and Jonah Zucker into the jetty and they managed to hold on to a pillar for 20 minutes until they were rescued.
    On March 26, an unidentified 19-year-old nearly drowned after he was caught in currents while swimming near Ocean Inlet Park, south of the inlet. He was able to swim back to shore on his own, although the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit and Coast Guard had dispatched boats.
    Less than a week later, 20-year-old Jacobo Dorcely drowned off Ocean Ridge Hammock Park, about 1 mile south of the inlet and another unguarded beach with two warning signs about the lack of lifeguards. He was swimming with two other men when he went under and didn’t resurface. The rescue call went out about 5:30 p.m. on April 2, and his body was found about an hour later.
    “We encourage them to swim by a lifeguard, [but] there has to be some personal responsibility also involved,” said Eric Call, director of the county’s Parks and Recreation Department. “The county can’t [afford to] have guards working till dark and on beaches that are infrequently used.”
    On Good Friday, April 18, a day without school, two Park Vista High School seniors visiting the south inlet beach were called to rescue two younger boys who were stranded in the inlet. The seniors, Collin Barch and T.J. Preble, both 18, jumped in the water, according to news reports. The two younger boys then climbed onto Barch’s back, and as Preble swam closer, one climbed onto his back. Barch and the kid on his back made it to the shore safely. But the boy on Preble’s back kept pushing him under and the water soon separated the two.
    That boy was estimated to be about 10 years old by Wotton of county ocean rescue. “Our rescue boat responded and rescued a minor who was holding on to a surf board against the jetty,” he said.
    The boy was transported to Bethesda East Hospital with minor injuries. Wotton’s staff was alerted about 4:30 p.m. of the situation by county fire rescue dispatch and a beach patron who came to the lifeguard tower on the south side of the inlet.
    Preble was rescued by some people who threw a rope down to him from the end of the fishing pier.  He was taken to JFK Medical Center and remained overnight because of a fever.

An increase in visitors
    During the first quarter of the year, visitors to South County beach parks have increased four- or fivefold, said Lt. Allan MacQueen with county Ocean Rescue. Just over 150,000 people have visited Ocean Inlet park this year, which started on Oct. 1. The attendance figure ranks the park fifth out of 13 for county beach parks.
    Last year, it also ranked fifth with attendance at 332,539. County beach parks are popular, MacQueen said, because they mostly have free parking.
    Swimmers unfamiliar with the strength of the ocean currents or those who simply don’t care to find out are also problems, MacQueen said. He mentioned a May 2013 incident when lifeguards warned a group of teens against entering the rough water in Gulfstream Park. The teens walked a half-mile south to an unguarded area to go into the ocean, where one drowned that day. His body still has not been found.
    If MacQueen were in charge, he said he would have a big stack of foam noodles for inexperienced swimmers to use. “That way, you have something to hold on to when you’re out there and get in trouble,” he said. “You can kick to stay afloat until you are rescued.”

Hypnotherapist Annette Annechild with Coastal Star columnist Paula Detwiller.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Paula Detwiller

    Why do we continue unhealthy habits knowing full well we’re paying a price? Why does our own “will power” so often fail us, even to the point of self-loathing?

    I’d been wrestling with that question recently in connection with my out-of-control caffeine habit when I met a psychologist whose business card listed, among other services, hypnotherapy.

    Wow. My mind leapt back to an old movie. A Freudish-looking doctor suspends a pocket watch in front of a patient’s eyes, swinging it like a pendulum, and intoning, “You are getting veeeeery sleepy. You will soon fall asleep, and when you awake, you will remember nothing about the next 10 minutes …”

    Could hypnotherapy be the help I needed? Could it help me break my self-destructive coffee-and-cola habit once and for all?

    “It’s not like the hypnotism you’ve seen in the movies or on the nightclub stage,” explained the psychologist, Annette Annechild of Delray Beach. “Hypnotherapy is a combination of meditation, visualization and therapeutic techniques. It’s a way in, to deal with yourself.”

    Sign me up.

    A few weeks later I am sitting in Annechild’s office learning more about the topic.

    Hypnotherapy was brought to the U.S. in the 1940s by dentists, to help patients endure pain in the pre-Novocain days. Practitioners like American psychiatrist Milton H. Erickson (1901-1980) advanced the field, pioneering various clinical techniques. Today, almost every professional sports team has a hypnotherapist who can help players improve their mental focus a la Tiger Woods.

    “We need to learn how to control the mind,” says Annechild, “because the mind lies.”

    It certainly does. It seduces me into believing I need that café latte to be alert and productive. It pulls me toward the Coke machine with sweet, bubbly promises of happiness. It tells me not to worry about the upset stomach, the pounding heart, the subsequent blood sugar crash, or the fuzzy brain and irritability that show up as the buzz wears off.

    Annechild says hypnotherapy helps us reach the unconscious mind, or intuition, which never lies. Getting into a deeply relaxed state opens us up to our unconscious mind and allows us to work with it, she says.

    And so we begin. I recline in her leather chair, close my eyes, and focus my attention on slow, deep breaths according to Annechild’s softly spoken instructions. Inhale. Exhale.

    “Now imagine a warm white light coming in through your feet … relaxing the feet … and now the light comes up into the ankles, fills the calves, the knees, and now the thighs …”

    I feel the warm light flowing up through my body and out the top of my head — the power of suggestion at work. Once I’m limp as a rag doll and glowing from the inside out, Annechild tells me to drift down a staircase into my subconscious mind. 

    There’s a hallway at the bottom with a room at the end, a special room just for me, filled with healing properties. There’s a special chair in the room, and if I sit in it, all attachments I might have to anything not good for my body will begin to drain from the soles of my feet. 

    “Just let it all go now, completely,” she whispers. “You’re totally safe, totally protected, and anchored now in that true self that’s always peaceful, always does the right thing, drinks the right things, eats the right things.”

    She instructs me to “pull up a chair for the child, or whatever part of us really likes soda and coffee and caffeine,” even though the adult knows it’s not good. “Imagine her … and tell her to give you any information about that part of yourself that breaks the rules and has the caffeine.”

    Suddenly I see myself at 11 years old, eating a meal in a restaurant with my family. I’m having my favorite: cheeseburger, fries and a Coke. The mood at the table is tense. Family members are not talking to one another. I comfort myself with a sweet, cold, fizzy gulp.

    “And you can imagine comforting her, the way a wise parent would comfort a child, and letting her know that the caffeine has to go. It’s just not good for her.”

    Another scene pops into my mind. Now I’m 19, cramming for a final exam in college, doctoring up some stale dormitory coffee with cream and sugar so I can stay up longer to study. 

    Eventually Annechild brings me back up the staircase. She asks me to slowly open my eyes as she counts to 10. 

    I tell her about seeing the 11-year-old and the college student. She says those memories, long forgotten, are caffeine triggers in my unconscious mind. She encourages me to take home the audio recording we’ve made of our session for further self-discovery.

    “Hypnotherapy gets to the root of things a lot quicker than other therapies, and with better results,” Annechild says. “People have an experience. And it changes things.” 

    As I pack up to leave, I realize it’s a good idea to love, rather than loathe, my caffeine-dependent inner children. But I’m kicking her out of the driver’s seat. From now on, I’m taking the wheel.

    Note: Hypnotherapy prices vary; a 50-minute session in Annechild’s office costs $250. She also offers pro bono services to those with financial hardships.

Paula Detwiller is a freelance writer and lifelong fitness junkie. Visit her at www.pdwrites.com.

It's Mom's Day, so why not make her feel special?

Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, Manalapan

Photo provided

By Jan Norris

    Forget brunch. What Mom really wants is an “ah” day, de-stressing and relaxing on her own. A day at a spa is one “time out” Mom will appreciate.

    Local hotels have come up with packages to treat moms like queens, with pampering programs that include waterfall massages, reflexology to rejuvenate, exotic floral baths and more — served with Champagne, or even drinks on the beach.

    Even those soon-to-be mothers can get in on special massages designed just for them.

    These spas are rated among the top 100 in the county by Condé Nast travelers. 

    While all the spas have extensive treatment menus available year-round, special Mother’s Day (May 11) packages are available this month, with some including a special room rate.

    Treatments at Eau Spa in Eau Palm Beach draw from global roots for relaxation. The “Make-It-Up-to-Mom Hammam” service is a detox for the body. She will be submerged into a heated float bed, then wrapped in a rhassoul clay cocoon. Orange quince mist cools her down; then comes the massage with amber oil tangerine fig butter crème. 

    “The Queen Mother” treats Mom like a royal, and includes a hand-drawn bath of exotic florals, Oriental teas and precious oils where an attendant hand bathes her and polishes the skin. A soft buff is followed by a massage with butter and silk.

    These are 90-minute treatments for $295.

The mani-pedi stations at Seagate Spa, Delray Beach

    A “Better Than Flowers” package at Seagate Spa in the Seagate Hotel includes a jasmine rose milk bath mani-pedi, a frangipani body polish and 50-minute lavender oil massage, plus a glass of Champagne. It’s $280 for this deal.

    New at Seagate is the Sodashi skincare holistic skin treatments, including a thermal infusing facial (80 minutes is $250), a green tea salt therapy exfoliation (50 minutes for $150), a chakra-balancing treatment (80 minutes for $185) and a hair and scalp mud treatment (25 minutes for $60).

N Spa at the Delray Beach Marriott

    The Skin Authority skin care line, a pioneer in anti-aging and natural, organic ingredients, is used at the N Spa at the Delray Beach Marriott. A special “Rose Spa Day” features head-to-toe pampering and relaxation for moms. 

    Choose from a 50-minute aromatherapy rose massage ($112), an 80-minute anti-aging rose facial — a signature treatment at N Spa — for $184, or the rose mani-pedi, a two-hour treatment for $104. Bundle all the rose treatments for $400 and save $100.

    Special “Spoil Yourself” Spa packages for a deluxe room, and a choice of a Swedish massage or essential classic facial start at $189 online.

The spa at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. 

    At the award-winning Spa Palazzo in the Boca Raton Resort & Club, moms who stay at the hotel get a complimentary ritual bath with the purchase of any 50-minute spa service. 

    The gardens, elaborate mosaics and cypress woodwork at this spa have earned the spa top honors among Condé Nast travelers.

    The ritual bath starts with a trip through the steam room, the inhalation room and sauna, followed by the ritual soak, a Swiss shower, a waterfall massage and a dip in the Jacuzzi. 

    Signature packages include a Renew and Detox three-hour package. With it, moms get an O2 facial, a marine algae wrap, a 50-minute signature massage and a Natura Blisse spa gift.

    The Spa Staycation package includes a luxury room, a Lomi-Juma massage that encompasses massage, exfoliation and a treatment wrap.

    Rates at the resort start at $249 a night.

Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach

    Moms and mothers-to-be can be pampered at the spa — then have lunch and a day at the beach at the Four Seasons in Palm Beach. 

    Their Day Spa & Beach Retreat package includes a 50-minute spa treatment, lunch at the beachfront or poolside restaurant, and beach access all day for $195. Valet parking is free, too.

    For expectant moms, the resort offers those in their second and third trimesters of pregnancy a special de-stressing massage. Others get an Ocean Bliss massage with blended organic essential oils.

The Omphoy Resort & Spa in Palm Beach

Photos provided

    There is a pregnancy massage and a fitness class with a deep-cleaning facial, mani and pedi at The Omphoy’s Babor Spa. The Mothers-to-Be Dream Package is $296.50.

    The “We Love You, Mom” deal includes the same without the massage for $180.50. A glass of wine is included in the happy hour package of classic manicure and pedicure — served up 2-6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, for $59.50.

    For a whole day event, choose ADay She Deserves package: a deep cleansing facial, Swedish massage, classic mani and pedi, and a fitness class. It’s $249.50.

    For all spa treatments, reservations are required. Expect a service charge to be added at many of the spas; ask in advance. Many can be booked online with special deals available using online codes. Visit the spa websites to find these.

Coastal Hotel Spas

Eau Spa at the Eau Palm Beach, 100 Ocean Blvd., Manalapan; 533-6000; www.eaupalmbeach.com

Seagate Spa at the Seagate Hotel & Spa, 1000 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; 655-4950; www.theseatgatehotel.com

N Spa at the Marriott Delray Beach, 10 N. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach; 278-8111; www.marriott.com

Spa Palazzo at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, 501 E. Camino Real, Boca Raton; 447-3000; www.bocaresort.com

Spa at the Four Seasons Palm Beach, 2800 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach; 533-3715; www.fourseasons.com/palmbeach/spa/

Babor Spa at The Omphoy, 2842 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach; 540-6440; www.omphoyspa.com

Members of Christ Fellowship Church, above, are led in prayer by the worship team, below, on April 13.

It was the first service at their new permanent location, in the former Dillard’s department store in the Boynton Beach Mall.

Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Tim Pallesen

    With a last-minute flurry of construction, Christ Fellowship opened in time for Easter at its new South County location in the Boynton Beach Mall.

    The megachurch based in Palm Beach Gardens also opened a new satellite church in New York City to hear founding pastor Tom Mullins lead Easter worship.

    Christ Fellowship purchased a vacant Dillard’s department store here for $4.6 million in 2012.

    Todd Mullins, the current lead pastor, says the familiar location is ideal for a church: “We’re hoping they will stay and shop in the mall and go eat in the food court.”

    Part of the 127,000-square-foot department store’s second floor was removed to create a sanctuary with a capacity for 1,500 people.

    The Boynton location starts with two Sunday services and envisions four on weekends in the future for a total of 6,000 people at worship. 

    About 1,000 South County residents have been attending Christ Fellowship services at Boynton Beach High School this past year, waiting for the permanent mall location to open.

    Another large South County congregation, the Journey Church, wasn’t able to finish construction for Easter at its new location on South Federal Highway in Boynton.

    About 1,400 have been attending services at Park Vista High School. Church leaders hope to open this month.   

    More than 700 children and parents celebrated the first-year anniversary of PJ Library, each donating a pair of pajamas to enjoy the April 6 fun at a park.

    PJ Library enrolled more than 1,100 South County families this past year with children ages 6 months to 8 years old to receive Jewish children’s books and music in their mailboxes each month.

    About 2,800 children, parents and grandparents in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Highland Beach also enjoyed 25 programs ranging from PJ Library story time to puppet shows at synagogues.

    “This extraordinary program is enriching the lives of Jewish children and bringing our Jewish community together in such a meaningful way,” library chair Ilene Wohlgemuth said.

    PJ stands for pajamas. So children were asked to donate pajamas to Jewish Family Services for those in need. The April 6 anniversary party at South County Regional Park featured a petting zoo.

    PJ Library is supported financially by individuals and foundations. The Jewish Women’s Foundation of South Palm Beach County again chose PJ Library as one of nine charities to receive $170,000 in grants at its Granting Wishes Reception on March 24. 

    People of faith are raising awareness about human trafficking in very different ways.

    The mountain-climbing initiative led by Debbie Dingle at Advent Lutheran Church in Boca Raton is best known locally for getting the word out.

    Now the women of Temple Beth El are using chocolate to help the public understand the plight of slavery today.

    The Advent Lutheran ladies hosted an April 11 wine-tasting fundraiser to support Dingle, pastor’s wife Susan Hagen and seven other women from the congregation who will climb seven Colorado mountains this summer.

    The nine women are training by running in hiking boots at the beach. “The deep sand simulates what’s like to have altitude,” Dingle explained. 

    Her climbers raise money for Operation Mobilization, a worldwide Christian ministry to rescue women from prostitution and exploitation.

    Dingle has raised awareness for the rescue effort by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in 2012 and Mount Everest last year.

    The ladies at Temple Beth El took a somewhat less physical approach when they hosted the first Jewish Women’s Chocolate Passover Seder last month.

    The Jewish ladies chose chocolate when they learned while studying human trafficking that 1.8 million children are slaves in cocoa production in Africa.

    Chocolate eggs, cookies and cheesecake were served to encourage 200 women at the Chocolate Seder to open their hearts for the growing cause among Christians and Jews. 

Music by Live Hymnal during the Unplugged services at St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church

has brought national attention to their nontraditional approach to worship.

INSET BELOW: The Rev. Wendy Tobias 

Photos provided

    Unplugged at St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church has received national recognition for its success in attracting unchurched young adults into a traditional church.

    The 11:45 a.m. Sunday worship features old hymns such as Love Divine and Be Thou My Vision rearranged by composer Charles Milling and performed by his band Live Hymnal.

    The national Episcopal Church gave the Boynton Beach congregation a $20,000 grant last month, declaring that its contemporary worship service is a “fresh expression” that other Episcopalian churches should duplicate.

    “Unplugged is a new way to do liturgy and worship to attract a population that might not otherwise be interested in walking through our doors,” the Rev. Wendy Tobias said.

    Tobias attended St. Joseph’s School and served 12 years as its chaplain before she was ordained.

    She delivers a sermon, serves communion and blends nicely with the Live Hymnal band, which has recorded seven albums since Milling assembled his favorite South Florida musicians in 2005. 

    “Unplugged is for those who want to get away from the stiff and traditional,” Tobias said.

    Jennifer Gomez, 27, is typical of the young adults attracted to the relaxed worship service with uplifting music. “It’s a great opportunity to get new people interested in church,” she said. 

Tim Pallesen writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Email him at tcpallesen@aol.com.

As advertised, the Fountains Center in Boca Raton boasts a spectacular water feature

with waterfalls, fountains and wooden bridges.

The green and red leaves of a coleus add color and character to the commercial center’s gardens. 

Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley

    Office complexes in South Florida are generally tall buildings set in a field of parking spaces. So I was pleasantly surprised to discover the garden-like Fountains Center in Boca Raton.

    The landscaping at this 15-acre property was upgraded in 2012 when Zvi Schwarzman of TJAC Development bought it. “Back then the place was pretty run down,” says a spokesperson for the firm. 

    Now as you turn into the sweeping paver drive, the center island is filled with towering royal palms and medjool date palms. Along the edges of the street are the large orange and green leaves of a sea grape and the shimmery green foliage of silver buttonwoods. 

    Park your car and head for the central courtyard that’s created by low-rise buildings surrounding it. 

    None of them is over four stories, so the space feels nicely defined but open. And each building is architecturally different to add interest. Two have mirrored finishes on their windows, creating what looks like a mural by reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, palm trees and colorful plants. 

    Think cheerful red ti plants, fire bushes with orange blooms that attract butterflies, purple and salmon bougainvillea and pink and yellow hibiscus.

    Even more color comes from blue plumbagos; newly planted red, white and lipstick pentas; the lime green foliage and lavender flowers of Durante; and the greens, reds and yellows of crotons and coleus.

    And, for something a little different, check out the screw pine that looks like a silvery fan palm with Christmas ornaments hanging from it. Those fruits that resemble pine cones will turn from orange to red as they mature.

    But the focal point of this courtyard is the water feature. It’s made up of three large pools filled with pristine blue water. You can cross over them on walking bridges.

    Water tumbling down eight royal blue tile steps fills the air with a gentle sound. And jets in the center of each pool send the water skyward. 

    It’s Mark Torchetti of Gold Coast Property Maintenance who helped bring these gardens back to life by replacing mulch with peachy rock in the plant beds and exchanging tall hedges that blocked views with more manageable and colorful varieties such as trinette and green island ficus.

    During the day, there’s shade from two royal poincianas, a Florida slash pine and plenty of palms. At night, a gentle breeze blows through to sooth and cool visitors. 

    That’s when in-ground spotlights as well as overhead fixtures illuminate the park-like setting.

    The trunks of some of the palms are wrapped with white string lights that add their own sparkle.

    Visitors can sit on concrete benches that surround eight mosaic-topped tables. Or they can take a seat on the top of the low stucco wall that wraps around the plants and palms.

    If you prefer, there’s outdoor seating at the restaurants that sit on the ground floor of the complex and border the pools.

    “Having this courtyard here is a big plus,” says John Vacante, a bartender at the Butcher Block Grill, a restaurant that has been in the center for about six months. In fact about 90 percent of the steakhouse’s customers choose to sit outside.

    It’s no wonder: If you spend a little time here before an appointment or visit one of the restaurants for a meal or even just a drink, the garden view is a real attraction.  

    “This is a nice place to be outdoors,” Vacante says.

Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley is a certified master gardener who can be reached at debhartz@att.net when she’s not in her garden.

Laura Simon of the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority

holds a box of ladybugs at the green market.

Anna Gumley (center) and friends reach for ladybugs.

Photos by Colin Lorne

Finn and Huck are 4-week-old domestic shorthair kittens in the foster program

at Peggy Adams Rescue League. Kitten season runs through the end of August.

Libby Volgyes/The Coastal Star

By Arden Moore 

    Just about the time snowbirds flock back to their Northern states and just before hurricane season blows in, Palm Beach County braces for the annual “kitten season.”

    Kittens? What could be so challenging about these fluffy, mewing, four-legged acrobats? 

    Plenty. 

    Recently, I spent time with Heidi Nielsen, assistant director of the Peggy Adams Rescue League in West Palm Beach.

    You may need to sit down as I share these staggering statistics and cat facts:

    • A female feline can produce three litters a year and can go into heat while nursing kittens. 

    In 2013, Peggy Adams and the county animal control took in 13,827 homeless felines, many of them kittens.

    • Orphaned kittens younger than 4 weeks can’t eat or eliminate on their own and require 24/7 bottle feeding and bathroom assistance.

    • Kittens as young as 4 months old — that’s 16 weeks and a mere 120 days of living — can be sexually reproductive. That is the human equivalent of a preteen becoming pregnant.

    “We are ready for kitten season that lasts between now and the early fall,” declares a determined Nielsen. “We know that we need to focus our efforts on spaying and neutering feral cats and loosely owned outdoor cats. We have been hard at work at developing kitten season guides — similar to those hurricane preparedness guides — and a lot of kitten care information is now available on our website” (www.peggyadams.org).

    In 2010, the league created its feral cat program and least year, sterilized more than 4,000 felines living in feral colonies. The league has qualified for grants in order to offer discounted spay and neuter surgeries and team up with local trap-neuter-release volunteer groups to address cat overpopulation issues. They also have a supply of traps with spring-loaded doors available for rent for $75 for two weeks (you get $65 back when you return the trap) or for purchase at $75 apiece.

    “Cats keep on breeding, and we have a lot of work to do to control the feline reproductive cycle,” says Nielsen. “We haven’t turned the corner yet, but in some areas of the county that we’ve targeted, there are not as many kittens being born, so we know our efforts are working.” 

    And they need our help. 

    Here are some do’s and don’ts to heed if you do discover a litter of kittens outdoors:

    • Do stop and observe before approaching the litter. The mother cat may be nearby or returning soon after hunting for food. “Most discoveries of newborn kittens do not call for human assistance, and in fact, no intervention is the best thing,” says Nielsen. “In the first weeks of their lives, kittens need their mother’s care and antibodies from her milk. In this instance, mother knows best, and keeping the mother and kittens together ensures the kittens’ best chance for survival until they are weaned.”

    • Don’t immediately assume a young solo kitten is motherless. “A mother cat will instinctively move her nest of kittens,” says Nielsen. “If you see a single, young kitten, he may be the first in the group moved to the new location or the last of the litter to be moved from the old location.”

    • Do fortify the mother cat. “Provide food and water to the mother, but be sure to place the food and water far enough away from the nest so you do not disturb the mother and kittens, or draw predators,” adds Nielsen.

    • Do contact the Peggy Adams league or area shelters/animal control for guidance on how to bring in the mother cat and her kittens (once they are weaned) safely to be spayed and neutered, assessed and, possibly, placed in foster homes or put up for adoption.

    • Do consider becoming a foster parent to kittens or puppies to help them become healthy and socialized. And, if you have the time and interest, consider learning how to bottle feed pre-weaned orphaned kittens. 

    “By following these simple measures, you can increase the survival rate of kittens and allow local animal shelters to use their resources to further assist the current shelter population with the critical care they need and help place adoptable animals in homes,” Nielsen says.

How you can help

Discover ways you can help the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League take care of kittens and other companion animals by visiting www.peggyadams.org. The league welcomes people of all ages, including children and teenagers looking to earn community service hours.

Arden Moore, founder of FourLeggedLife.com, is an animal behavior consultant, editor, author, professional speaker and master certified pet first aid instructor. Each week, she hosts the popular Oh Behave! show on PetLifeRadio.com. Learn more by visiting www.fourleggedlife.com.

John Gatti, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Station Lake Worth Inlet,

says simple steps can help boaters avoid many of the problems that require Coast Guard intervention.

The station in Riviera Beach will hold an open house May 17 as part of National Safe Boating Week.
Willie Howard/The Coastal Star 

Dave Deckard shows off the 16-inch hogfish he caught

with a live crab for bait from the Lady K drift boat off of  Boynton Inlet.

Photo by Bruce Cyr/Lady K

By Willie Howard

    Seasoned boaters often notice dangerous situations when they see passing boats in Palm Beach County. 

    Boats overloaded with partiers lumber along, their captains distracted by the festivities on board. 

    Some boat operators don’t carry enough life jackets of the correct size for everyone on board — a mistake that will end a day of fun when law-enforcement officers force them to tie up at the nearest public dock.

    Parents let children dangle their legs over the bows of boats, not realizing their loved ones could be severely injured or killed by propellers if they slipped under the railing while the boat is moving forward. 

    Some captains run their boats way too close to red-and-white dive flags — either because they’re not paying attention or because they’re not aware that the state’s dive-flag law requires them to stay 300 feet away from dive flags in open water.

    The consequences of sloppy boating can be serious. Three people died in Palm Beach County boating accidents last year. An additional 20 were injured. The 56 reported boating accidents in the county last year caused $927,650 in property damage, according to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.

    With the coming of warmer weather in May, the Coast Guard and other on-the-water law enforcement agencies will remind boaters about good boating habits during National Safe Boating Week, which is May 17-23.

    The Coast Guard Station Lake Worth Inlet in Riviera Beach, which handles boating rescues and emergencies from St. Lucie Inlet in Stuart south to James A. Rutherford Park in Boca Raton, will hold an open house May 17 at the station in Riviera Beach to kick off National Safe Boating Week and the busy summer boating season.

    John Gatti, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Station Lake Worth Inlet, said boaters can avoid common problems on the water by thinking ahead and taking simple precautions.

    Good boating habits include:

    • Wearing a comfortable life jacket (such as a suspender-type inflatable jacket) at all times on the water. Gatti recalled the case of a boat found running with nobody on board in the ocean off Jupiter. The lone operator, who was not wearing a life jacket, had slipped and fallen into the water.

    “We responded and found the boat,” Gatti said. “Some other fishermen just happened to find the guy. He was super lucky.”

    • Making sure there are enough life jackets of the correct size in an accessible location for every person on board. Citations are common when young children don’t wear life jackets. State law requires children younger than 6 to wear Coast Guard-approved life jackets at all times on boats 26 feet or smaller when the boat is moving.

    “I hate to see kids not wearing life jackets,” Gatti said. “If something happens, [wearing a life jacket] is going to keep them alive.”

    • Having the correct safety gear — including distress flares, a fire extinguisher, a whistle or horn, and a throwable floating cushion or life ring. 

    The Coast Guard Auxiliary offers free boat examinations to help boaters make sure they have the correct safety equipment. To schedule a free vessel exam, call the Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 54 in Boynton Beach at 818-7905.

    • Designating a boat driver when people on the boat will be drinking alcohol. The designated driver should be a competent boat operator. Worth noting: A BUI (boating under the influence) conviction in Florida can enhance penalties for a subsequent DUI.

    • Getting basic boating education. Florida law requires anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1988, to complete an approved boating education course before operating a boat with 10 horsepower or more. Young skippers must carry a photo ID and the Florida boating safety education identification card while operating the boat. 

    The Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Palm Beach Sail & Power Squadron offer short basic boating courses. Online courses include this one: www.floridaboatingcourse.com.

    • Filing a written float plan that describes where you are leaving from, about where you are heading, the type of boat you’re in and, most important, when you are due back on land. Even a text message or an email to a friend or relative will work. Float plans give the Coast Guard a big head start in their search-and-rescue efforts if you don’t show up at the dock or boat ramp on time. 

    • Buying a satellite beacon. If you plan to spend a lot of time fishing or cruising on the Atlantic Ocean, consider investing in an EPIRB or a floating personal locator beacon. If you are adrift at sea, an activated emergency beacon will tell rescuers who you are and where to find you.  

    “If you’re going to spend any time offshore, I would consider the investment in an EPIRB to be minimal,” Gatti said. 

    To report problems on the water, including possible violations of boating and wildlife laws, call the Wildlife Alert Hotline at (888) 404-3922.

National Safe Boating Week events:

    • The Coast Guard Station Lake Worth Inlet will hold an open house May 17 at the station in Riviera Beach. The free open house is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 3300 Lake Shore Drive. (Take U.S. 1 about 600 feet north of Blue Heron Boulevard. Turn right on Riviera Drive and drive a block east to the Coast Guard station.) The open house will include boating safety displays, a rescue demonstration by the Naval Cadets and a display of the Coast Guard’s go-fast pursuit boat.

    • The Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 54 will hold a boating safety day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 10 at the Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park boat ramps (east side of Federal Highway south of Gateway Boulevard in Boynton Beach). Free vessel equipment examinations and boat-handling tips will be offered. 

    • A basic boating safety class by the Coast Guard Auxiliary is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 24 at the building next to the boat ramps in Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park in Boynton Beach. The fee is $36. Call Bruce Parmett at 818-7905.

    • The Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 54 will show boating safety equipment and conduct free vessel safety examinations from noon to 4 p.m. May 23 at West Marine, 2275 S. Federal Highway, Delray Beach. Call 266-8489.

    Fishing Club meeting: D.O.A.  Fishing Lures founder Mark Nichols will be the featured speaker at the May 27 meeting of the Boynton Beach Fishing Club. The meeting, free and open to the public, is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the building next to the boat ramps at Harvey E. Oyer Park in Boynton Beach. For details, call 707-5660.

    Unusual catch: Dave Deckard caught a 16-inch hogfish — a fish that doesn’t typically fall for baited hooks — while fishing on the Lady K drift boat in 65 feet off Boynton Inlet. The key: A live crab for bait. Deckard was fishing for cobia by working the crab near the bottom with an ounce of weight, a 5/0 circle hook and 30-pound-test fluorocarbon leader when the hogfish took the bait, said Lady K Capt. Bruce Cyr.

    Tip of the Month: Fish for dolphin (mahi mahi). The beautiful pelagic fish is a favorite among ocean anglers, and May is considered the best month to find dolphin in the Gulf Stream waters off Palm Beach County. 

    Dolphin grow fast, fight hard and taste great. Dolphin fish also have colors such as turquoise that “light up” in the blue ocean water when they’re excited. 

    Dolphin are often caught by trolling ballyhoo or lures near weed lines, floating debris and other structure that shelters bait fish on the surface. Pay attention to wind direction. Easterly winds are considered best for dolphin. 

    Try running the boat until you find a spot such as a weed patch or floating log that might hold dolphin, then pitch out live baits such as pilchards — or dead ballyhoo or sardines — to catch them. Cut chunks of dead bait can be used to attract the dolphin. Minimum size for dolphin: 20 inches to the tail fork. Daily bag limit: 10 per person. Boat limit: 60.

Willie Howard is a freelance writer and licensed boat captain. Reach him at tiowillie@bellsouth.net.

The Boca Raton-based fishing team Keri-n-On shows the 29.8-pound bull dolphin and the 41.8-pound kingfish

they caught April 19 during the Boynton Beach Firefighters Fishing Tournament based

at Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park. The dolphin, caught by team member Stephen Simmons,

was the third-heaviest dolphin of the tournament. From left are Simmons,

boat captain Jason Naumann, Luke Naumann and Tommy Tyson.
Willie Howard/The Coastal Star