Delray Medical Center earned the thrombectomy-capable stroke center certification from The Joint Commission in collaboration with the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. Certification means the hospital meets standards for performing mechanical endovascular thrombectomy, a specialized surgical procedure used to remove a blood clot from the brain during an ischemic stroke.

Stroke is the fifth- leading cause of death in the United States, and more than 87 percent of cases are ischemic strokes. These types of strokes are largely treatable if a patient gets to a hospital that can provide the right treatment in time.

Delray Medical Center appointed Maggie Gill to the position of chief executive officer in September. Previously, Gill was CEO of Novant Health UVA Health System, which runs three hospitals in Virginia. Prior to that, she was president and CEO at Memorial Health in Savannah, Ga.

The exterior of the Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute is bathed in pink to recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Photo provided

The Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital was illuminated with pink lights during October in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The initial lighting included a program that was attended by Boca Regional administrators, physicians, supporters and other community leaders.

The new Kathryn Krickstein Pressel MammoVan was on display to showcase its customized interior and advanced mammography equipment, and Saks Fifth Avenue featured designer Lafayette 148 New York with a fashion presentation and beauty bar.

Basis Medical’s Basis Fitness Recovery, a health and fitness center that is drug- and alcohol-free and caters to people battling addiction, opened at 2702 N. Federal Highway, Delray Beach. The center is at the newly constructed Basis Medical, Delray Beach, a multi-specialty practice. For information, call 775-4900 or visit www.basismedical.org.

Send health news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@gmail.com.

Renovation work by DPR Construction began at the Virginia and Harvey Kimmel Milagro Junior Teen Leadership Center, as the Milagro Foundation adds a third location. The center will offer cultural arts and academic programs to economically disadvantaged children aged 11 to 14. The mission is to offer a special place of comfort and support for middle school students.

ABOVE: Workers celebrate the beginning of the work.

BELOW: Delray Beach residents Harvey and Virginia Kimmel. Photos provided

St. John Paul II Academy held its annual Lady Eagle volleyball match to fight breast cancer, going up against the team from American Heritage of Delray Beach. Volunteers sold baked goods and souvenirs to augment fundraising. Darci McNally from Boca Raton Regional Hospital spoke about how a hospital program assists families struggling to handle the costs for treatment of breast cancer. ABOVE: (l-r) Jamee Roegiers, Sue Perez, Sister Maria, Christina Garcia-Robinson, Jordyn Robinson, Carla Thrower and Isabella Raciunas. Photo provided

By Arden Moore

When facing new or strange circumstances, far too many dogs transform into scaredy-cats and far too many cats become doggone full of fright. This full-throttle fear factor kicks into high gear during the holiday season.

From Halloween to New Year’s, household routines disappear, leaving some pets filled with dread and confusion about loud house guests, odd decorations in the home, late meals and skipped daily walks that they cherish.

Lisa Radosta, DVM, who operates the Florida Veterinary Behavior Service in West Palm Beach, is among those leading the charge to give pet professionals and pet owners the tools they need to cultivate a sense of safety and security to pets 365 days a year.

She recently co-authored with Dr. Marty Becker, Dr. Wailani Sung and Mikkel Becker a new book, called From Fearful to Fear Free, that identifies ways veterinarians, pet sitters, boarding staffs, groomers, other pet professionals and families can work together to take the “pet” out of petrified in their four-legged friends. These experts bring a combined 88 years of professional experience in working directly with fearful animals.

They identify three crippling emotions in some pets: fear, anxiety and phobias.

Fear is a normal emotional response to a real or perceived threat, such as a dog dreading the anticipation of a cold bath or a cat seeing you bring out his pet carrier — a signal that he will have to go on a car ride to the veterinary clinic. These trigger an immediate response in the brain to the perceived threat. Mild-level signs include a tucked tail, trembling and hiding in the dark corner of a bedroom closet. Other less-obvious signs of fear include squinting eyes, lip licking, lifting a front paw and yawning.

Anxiety is apprehension or nervousness regarding an anticipated threat, such as what a dog is thinking when you pull your vehicle into the veterinary clinic’s parking lot. Your dog is able to make the association that for the past three times he went for a car ride, he experienced unpleasant things at the veterinary clinic. Or your pet may urinate or poop in your house or bark nonstop when you leave him home alone due to his separation anxiety.

A phobia is fear on steroids. It is an exaggerated and irrational response that can emotionally and physically cripple a pet. A far-too-common pet phobia is toward thunderstorms. An affected dog or cat can develop behavioral issues, such as fear biting, or develop medical issues, such as a weakened immune system or chronic diarrhea.

“When a dog is frightened, on the surface, we see only that he is hiding under a chair, trembling, but major events have occurred inside his body, altering the way he feels emotionally and physically and ensuring that he will never forget that particular experience,” says Radosta.

Here’s a rundown of things that can turn pets into panic puddles:

• Car rides

• Veterinary visits

• The sound of a delivery truck backfiring and smell of exhaust fumes

• The loud beeping of a smoke detector

• Vacuum cleaners, especially the self-operating types

• Strangers, especially those wearing hats or sunglasses

• Singing battery-operated Santas

• The slippery floor inside a veterinary lobby or exam room

Unfortunately, there is no single solution to aiding scared pets. And pets are not cured overnight from their fears. You first need to tap all your senses and do a candid assessment of your pet’s reactivity.

Do your best to remain calm and upbeat. Becoming impatient, yelling at your pet or forcing him into a carrier will only put him on full-fright alert.

Instead, try towel-wrapping or anti-anxiety pet vests, playing soothing music and using high-quality treats as a distraction.

“During the holidays, don’t force your dog or cat to interact with guests. Forcing them will only make them fearful of people,” says Radosta. “Instead, keep your pets in interior sanctuary rooms set up with their needs. For dogs, that includes food, toys, water, a bed, television or music. For cats, that includes a litter box, a bed, a place to go up high and water.”

You also need to take a team approach with your veterinarian and possibly an animal behaviorist or certified pet trainer for your fearful pet.

“I want pet owners to know that they can ask for what is best for their pet in a respectful way and expect to have an honest and fair conversation with their veterinarian,” says Radosta. “There are more and more veterinarians becoming certified in the Fear Free practice of handling pets.” 

Your pet may need over-the-counter supplements, prescriptions as well as behavior modification. Effective medications to address fear, anxiety and stress in pets include:

• Zylkene, a supplement that contains casein, a milk protein. It can be given before identified fear causers, such as a trip to the groomer or a follow-up veterinary visit. 

• Adaptil, a dog-appeasing pheromone available in a plug-in diffuser, spray or collar. It contains chemicals that mimic relaxation in some dogs. The cat version is known as Feliway and comes in a plug-in diffuser or spray.

• Trazodone, Valium and Xanax, anti-anxiety prescriptions designed to be given before an anticipated fearful event, such as a thunderstorm or veterinary visit.

• Prozac, Zoloft and Clomicalm, medications prescribed to be given every day to help keep a dog in a steady, calm state.

“Stress happens to everyone, people and pets, so you have to decide how you will handle it,” says Radosta. “For example, you can’t change the smells in a veterinary clinic, but you can condition your dog to relax on a mat. And that mat can go anywhere with your dog.”

Arden Moore, founder of fourleggedlife.com, is an animal behavior consultant, editor, author, professional speaker and master certified pet first-aid instructor. She hosts the popular “Oh Behave!” show on petliferadio.com. Learn more by visiting www.ardenmoore.com.

By Ron Hayes

“Publix — Where Shopping Is a Pleasure.”

And then you spot that scale at the front of the store — that old-fashioned Toledo Model No. 2830, that always-present Publix scale, waiting to reveal your weight.

You set the bag of fried chicken aside, the footlong roast beef sub from the deli, the fresh-baked, cream-filled doughnuts from the bakery, and bravely step aboard.

The needle ascends, shivers to a stop and your heart sinks.

Suddenly shopping isn’t such a pleasure anymore.

Or maybe you smile.

“It’s one of our more common questions,” says Wade Rinderknecht, manager of the new Publix supermarket at Plaza del Mar in Manalapan. “People ask, ‘Where are the scales?’ It’s a unique design of the store.”

Some folks can’t resist checking their weight every time they stop at Publix. Others don’t want to know.

Lantana’s David Smith weighs himself in Manalapan. He checks his weight every visit. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

David Smith of Lantana is a regular. On a recent Saturday morning, he stood on the green-trimmed scale at Manalapan right after the cashier handed him the receipt.

“I have diabetes,” he explained, “so I check my weight at every Publix.”

His fiancée, Jennifer DiMattina, kept her distance.

“David had me get on it once,” she confessed, “and I said, ‘Never again.’ ”

Actually, the scales have been part of Publix supermarkets a lot longer than shopping there has been a pleasure.

Toledo scales (right rear) first appeared at Publix in 1940, and Publix bought and stored as many of them as it could when the manufacturer discontinued Model No. 2830 in 2015. Photo provided

When George Jenkins opened his Publix Food Store on Sept. 6, 1930, in Winter Haven, there were no scales in the 27-by-65-foot space, and the store’s motto was “Florida’s Finest Food Store.”

The scales arrived on Nov. 8, 1940, when Jenkins introduced his bigger, grander “Publix Food Palace.” That newfangled supermarket had piped-in music, automatic doors, air conditioning, terrazzo floors — and a Toledo scale.

In those days, most folks didn’t have bathroom scales at home, Jenkins reasoned, and public scales usually charged a penny. His were free, instantly popular, and every Publix has had a Toledo scale ever since.

“Where Shopping Is a Pleasure” didn’t become the Publix motto until 1954, when Bill Schroter, the company’s advertising director, dreamed up the slogan, but Publix has had a bright green color scheme right from the start.

“Why green?” Jenkins once said. “Because A&P used red.”

Jenkins died in 1996, but the original Publix scales are still kept in his former office at the company’s headquarters in Lakeland, and they still work.

The last A&P supermarket closed in 2015, but Publix is still green, and getting greener. Since the Manalapan store opened Aug. 16, another nine Publix supermarkets have debuted, most in Florida, reports Nicole Krauss, the Miami division’s communications manager.

Publix opens about 40 new stores every year, and every one has a Toledo scale, Model No. 2830, near the front doors.

Rinderknecht, the Manalapan manager, notes that every time the U.S. Department of Agriculture stops by a Publix store to calibrate the scales back in the produce department, they calibrate the “people weighers,” too.

But yes, the Publix scales do get a workout. The cashiers see it daily.

“We have kids who dance on it,” says Gayle Steventon, working Express Lane No. 5, just across from the scales. “They get up on them and dance, and get off and jump back on and, ‘Oh, look at my numbers!’ ”

The scales don’t service only human beings, either.

“Some people will come in the night before a trip and weigh their luggage to make sure they don’t go over the airline’s weight allowance,” Rinderknecht says.

Luggage doesn’t worry about its weight, but when it comes to self-image, perception is not always reality. At the Publix in the Fifth Avenue Shops on Federal Highway in Boca Raton, Ann Hankel stepped off the scales in disbelief.

“It must be way off because I’m not that fat,” she muttered to no one in particular.

Hankel weighs herself every time she’s in the store because she doesn’t have a scale at home.

“When I was 20 pounds lighter, I felt fat, and now I’m heavier, I feel lighter,” she said with a bemused smile. “I like Publix, but I should weigh myself before I buy the bread and doughnuts.”

Yes, a shopper’s relationship with the iconic Publix scales can be … complicated.

Cashier Patti Gamble has found an approach that works for her.

“I used to weigh 300 pounds,” she says — though it’s hard to believe today. “I’m a lot lower than that now, but I don’t want to see what I weigh, so sometimes I stand on the scales backward, so I can’t see what it says.”

Then she tells a family member to report the weight to her doctor.

And not everyone who steps off the scales disheartened is overweight.

Carlos Ballbe steps on the scale in the Publix at Boca Raton’s Fifth Avenue Shops. He says he wants to gain weight.

Carlos Ballbe, 23, an urban design student at Florida Atlantic University, was frustrated when the Publix scales rated him a mere 150 pounds.

“I’m trying to gain weight,” he said. “I need muscle mass. I gain and lose 2 or 3 pounds here or there, but I fell off my bike and haven’t been able to work out, so it was down 3 pounds.

“The most I’ve ever weighed is 165 pounds,” he lamented. “I need to get back to that.”

A Publix store without Toledo scales up front? It’s unthinkable. But not impossible.

In 2015, the same year A&P closed its last store, the Mettler Toledo Co. stopped making Model No. 2830. Publix bought many of the remaining scales and stored them in a Florida warehouse.

“As stores have closed, we stored the scales so they can be placed in new stores,” Krauss says. “I don’t think there’s a large stockpile of them, but we should have enough to keep them in rotation for a while.”

So, put down the chicken, the subs and the doughnuts. Step right up and be prepared to smile if you like what you see, or shout “Holy Toledo!” if you don’t.

Valerie Pullman works in the deli at Manalapan, and she’s seen it all.

“I’m from the Bronx, and I find it hard to believe,” she exclaims. “They’re getting ice cream and cake and then they get on the scales and get a little sad. Why would you do that to yourself?

“I say don’t not get the sub. Just don’t get on the scales!” 

Unicorn Children’s Foundation welcomes back seven incumbents and 13 new members to its board of directors.

The group brings a wealth of business acumen and commitment that will help the organization expand its impact.

“Board members play a very crucial role in the growth and direction of our organization,” foundation CEO Sharon Alexander said. “This dynamic group will help Unicorn Children’s Foundation redefine what’s possible by expanding cradle-to-career initiatives that help kids and young adults with special needs excel in their communities.” 

The roster is: Gregory Fried, president; Melissa Burkhardt, vice president; Angela Fisher, secretary; and Adam Ziffer, treasurer; along with Alisa Bachana Jaffe, Marilyn Blanco-Corey, Lori Cabrera, Dr. Rafael Cabrera, Patti Chiaia, Michael Church, Joseph Eppy, Juliette Ezagui, Sue Heller, Madeline Hillsberg, William Kruegel, Tabitha LeTourneau Meyerer, Valeria Rosenbloom, Jeannette Stark, Gail Wasserman and Michelle Yellin.

Dixie Manor children receive school supplies

Through the Lois Martin Community Center in Dixie Manor Apartments, children and teens can attend a program through which they receive tutoring and a variety of other support activities, including book bags and school supplies donated by the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce’s Golden Bell Education Foundation.

Send news and notes to Amy Woods at flamywoods@bellsouth.net.

Nov. 7: A new fundraiser for the Naoma Donnelley Haggin Boys & Girls Club in Delray Beach will feature renowned athletes and sports celebrities. Time is 6 p.m. for the VIP cocktail hour and 7:30 for dinner. Cost is $200 for the VIP cocktail hour and $150 for dinner. Call 683-3287 or visit bgcpbc.org. RIGHT: Former Miami Dolphins coach and honorary Co-Chairman Don Shula with Dan Paulus, sports chairman. Photo provided

Nov. 7: The Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum’s Walk of Recognition Induction Ceremony and Reception will celebrate individuals and entities making a positive impact on the city. Time is 6 p.m. Tickets are $75. Call 395-6766, Ext. 101 or go to bocahistory.org. ABOVE: (l-r) Irvin Lippman, executive director of inductee Boca Raton Museum of Art; Jody Grass, board chairwoman of the museum of art; Hank Jawhari, board president of the historical society; presenting sponsor Marta Batmasian; inductee Rita Thrasher; inductee Dick Reed; and Mary Csar, executive director of the historical society. Photo provided by Gina Fontana

(l-r) Junior League President Renata Sans de Negri, Heather Shaw, vice president and general manager of Saks Fifth Avenue Boca Raton, and event Chairwoman Nicole Stelzer will preside over the luncheon and fashion show. Photo provided

By Amy Woods

The Junior League of Boca Raton’s Woman Volunteer of the Year Luncheon already has broken records. The highest number of nominees — 50 — was submitted this year, and the highest number of guests — 1,000 — purchased tickets.

The Nov. 16 fundraiser might break another record if Chairwoman Nicole Stelzer’s $300,000 goal is met.

“All signs are pointing to a sold-out and successful event,” Stelzer said.

The luncheon showcases female philanthropy in Boca Raton and beyond by recognizing those who work in all areas of charity — from arts and sciences to disease and hunger to child advocacy.

“It really is a representation of our community and what our community deems as areas of concern,” Stelzer said.

Each of the nominees will be recognized onstage with an introduction and a plaque. Among them, a winner will be selected and presented with a gold pin.

“I think that the women, just for being nominated by one of their organizations, that is a truly special moment for them,” league President Renata Sans de Negri said. “Our mission is to celebrate all the women who are committed to volunteerism in our community.”

The event begins at 10 a.m. with a reception and silent auction, continues with the luncheon and fashion show at 11:30 a.m. and concludes with an after-party at 2 p.m. that runs into the early-evening hours.

“Last year, I was there until 5 p.m., believe it or not, and I was not the last to leave,” de Negri said. “Many of our guests, they do take the Friday off. They really make it a full-day event.”

The fashion show features couture by Tanya Taylor, who will attend and be available for a meet and greet with Runway VIP ticket holders. Saks Fifth Avenue sponsors the full-scale production.

“We let Saks Fifth Avenue bring the magic,” de Negri said. “It’s like a true New York Fashion Week coming into Boca Raton.”

If you go

What: Woman Volunteer of the Year Luncheon

Date: Nov. 16

Time: 10 a.m. reception and silent auction, 11:30 a.m. luncheon and fashion show, 2 p.m. after-party

Where: Boca Raton Resort and Club, 501 E. Camino Real

Cost: $150 for general seating, $250 for Runway VIP seating

Information: Call 620-2553 or visit www.jlbr.org

Men and women who served in the U.S. military dating back to World War II were treated to a show by music legend Tony Orlando in recognition of the National Day of Honor for American Veterans Disabled for Life. The world-famous USO Show Troupe, the Palm Beach Symphony and the Dreyfoos School of the Arts choir also performed. The Oct. 5 date has special meaning for disabled veterans in America, because on that day in 2014, the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C. It was conceived by Lois Pope, who heads the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation.

ABOVE: Pope with Orlando. BELOW: Suzi and Rick Goldsmith.

Photos provided by Capehart

More than 80 thirsty art fans attended a fundraiser for the Arts Warehouse in Delray Beach, an incubator space for creative people, as well as for education, exhibitions and talks. The event included samplings of beer and wine, food and a raffle. ‘It is a great way to have fun with friends and supporters while also bringing critical focus and extra income to community and cultural groups that contribute to the overall quality of life right here in Delray Beach,’ said Cathy Balestriere, general manager of the hotel. ABOVE: (l-r) Agata Ren, Vicki Siegle, Grace Gdaniec and Sixto Garcia.

 Suzy Geller with Michael Tavel.

Judy and Mike Smith.

Photos provided by Tom Tracy

Il Circolo, the Italian Cultural Society, had its first event of the season in celebration of Italian Heritage Month. A gathering of 80-plus enjoyed dinner al fresco. Spirited music entertained diners who joined in singing and dancing. Throughout the evening, there was much table-hopping as friends welcomed one another back after a summer away. ABOVE: Tracy Caruso with Barbara Salani. Photo provided by Joan Nova

A caption in the October issue on the George Snow Scholarship Fund’s Boca’s Ballroom Battle incorrectly stated the amount of funds raised. The amount is $480,000. Photo: Community dancers and professional instructors included (l-r) Jamie Rosemurgy, James Brann, Nancy Dockerty, Joseph Veccia, Sayra Vazquez Brann, Matthew Maschler, Tracy Tilson, Aleksandr Skarlato, Dr. Cristina Mata, Samir Changela, Loreta Kriksciukaityte and Chris Warren.

Photo provided

Men of all ages from across the Jewish community enjoyed learning how to brew their own custom beer amid great camaraderie. The Men’s Division of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County’s first event of the season was a sold-out success. Division Co-Chairman Chuck Lichtman invited everyone to join in the fun, and event Co-Chairman Jeffrey Bovarnick talked about how much good the division brings to the federation. ABOVE: (l-r) Steve Naide, Dan Kobak, Lichtman and federation President and CEO Matt Levin.

 (l-r) division Co-Chairman Ira Holz, Bruce Nimhauser and Ross Nimhauser.

Herman Lebersfeld with division Co-Chairman Kenneth Lebersfeld.

Photos provided by FANEFOTO.com

Palm Beach County Food Bank supporters had a common goal of making hunger disappear as they gathered for an evening benefit that helped more children, seniors and families have nutritious meals on their tables. The benefit featured a progressive, three-course dinner, a strolling magician and magic tricks, and it closed out efforts for Hunger Action Month. Food Bank Executive Director Karen Erren said a shortfall of nearly 55 million pounds of food exists between what is needed and what is available in the county. ABOVE: George Elmore with Marti LaTour. Photo provided by Tracey Benson Photography

The Plate: Food Truck Egg Rolls

The Place: Tucker Duke’s, 1658 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton; 717-8153 or www.tuckerdukes.com.

The Price: $7

The Skinny:  I was starving. But I had dinner plans in a few hours. What was I to do? I started to grab a snack at the neighboring Chipotle, then decided to check out Tucker Duke’s, which specializes in locally sourced, seasonal foods.

The menu offers a range of burgers and what I’d call bar foods-plus — fried green tomatoes, mini corn dogs, smoked wings, onion rings.

I opted for the egg rolls, which were filled with diced buffalo chicken, celery, onion and cheddar, then deep fried and served with a creamy avocado ranch dressing on the side.

They were hot but not greasy, and the chicken was moist and tender.

The aforementioned burgers other customers ordered looked tasty.

There’s always next time.

— Scott Simmons

The Loch Bar should be open in mid-November in Boca Raton. Photos provided

By Jan Norris

The Smith brothers, Alex and Eric, who brought to town Ouzo Bay in Boca’s Plaza Real, are at it again with their new Loch Bar.

Under their Atlas Restaurant Group umbrella, they are set to open Loch Bar this month in Mizner Park in the old Gigi’s spot. It’s a seafood concept with large raw bar and nightly entertainment, and the first of several planned outside of Baltimore in their home state.

Eric Smith spoke about choosing Boca Raton for the bar and the company’s plans for other concepts in South Florida.

“We’re very familiar with the area,” he said. “Our family had a house in South Florida in the Boynton Beach area for 25 years, and as children we grew up spending a lot of time vacationing down there.”

When it came time for the duo to expand, they looked to places they knew. “We used to go to Mizner Park all the time,” Eric said. “We knew it was a thriving market.”

A number of closures there have not scared them off.

Brothers Alex and Eric Smith. Photos provided

“We saw there was a dip in the market right now and it’s a great opportunity to get involved so that when it comes back up, we’re right in the swing of things.

“We think Mizner’s going through a renaissance in a very positive way. A lot of the older retailers are working their way out” with “new, fresh tenants” taking their places, Eric Smith said.

“We think we’re the start of the F & B (food and beverage) change in Mizner Park.”

The restaurant will be an upscale seafood bar with a large raw bar and a whiskey-forward bar program.

“We’ll start with 350 whiskeys,” Smith said. Because they’re produced like wine, with limited releases after aging, it takes several years to accumulate a 500-bottle list — their goal, he said.

A majority of the foods on the menu will be tweaked to include local products. “We mix in a handful of our traditional Maryland seafood dishes — i.e. crab cakes, oyster po’ boy sandwiches — stuff like that. But the majority of the raw products will be local,” Eric said.

Red snapper, grouper, mahi and other local fishes will be featured in the dishes already on the Baltimore menu.

A stone crab night on Mondays with a fixed-price meal, $79 to include appetizer and dessert, will replace the one that fans of Truluck’s came out for before its Mizner location closed this year, he said.

The audience skews older than at the company’s Baltimore outlets — they have eight already successful concepts in and around Baltimore harbor.

Smith said it’s changing down here, however, with all the new development in residential space as well as hotel and retail real estate going in.

The publicist for the group, Kristen Skladd of the Gab Group, said new, younger professionals are attracted by the modern rental properties popping up in east and central Boca in particular. They are coming up from Miami and from out of state from the Northeast and California, she said.

“It’s an opportune time for catering to the newbies,” she said.

They will cater to locals first, then tourists, Smith said.

“Our job and our mission for all of our concepts across the country is not to get the tourist business, but to understand the locals and become a part of the community, and that’s been our focus in Boca,” he said.

The Smiths have hired Laura Huron and Brian Bagley, long-timers from the Dennis Max restaurants, to help them navigate and provide community links to the new restaurant.

“We want local faces and we want to establish a local clientele,” Eric Smith said.

Live entertainment nightly will be set for the patrons, he said. “It will be acoustic, background noise and not in-your-face rock ’n’ roll. It’s not going to be loud, jam-it-out style.” He said it’s been successful in all other venues they’ve used it.

Kerry McCabe, formerly of the Dubliner and Kapow restaurants in Mizner, heads up the cocktail program. Signature frozen drinks from the Maryland restaurant will be featured here, especially the “Crush” — a fresh squeezed citrus and vodka drink served over crushed ice, sometimes with a champagne topper. “It’s perfect for the warm weather,” Smith said.

The Smith brothers group began in Baltimore with older brother Alex buying a Häagen-Dazs franchise while still in college. At age 21, he bought a deli in Harbor East, and succeeded with $2 million profits in one year, laying the groundwork for a career as a restaurateur.

Eric joined his brother in Ouzo Bay, a new concept from the Smiths in Baltimore in 2014, then became a partner in the new family business: Atlas Restaurant Group. One opened in Mizner Park in 2017 in the former Jazziz space.

Expansion plans are bold: Several more concepts from Baltimore’s successful group are being floated for South Florida and nationwide, Eric said.

Next up will be a Loch Bar in Houston, set to open in January, but Smith hinted there may be one more concept coming to Mizner or somewhere else in Boca before year’s end.

“We’re constantly looking,” he said.

Loch Bar will be at 346 Plaza Real and is expected to open in mid-November.

In brief

The iconic Banana Boat on the Intracoastal Waterway and Ocean Avenue in Boynton Beach is celebrating its 40th anniversary Nov. 8-11.

The Therien family owns the popular restaurant along with another eatery on the Intracoastal Waterway in Boynton Beach, Prime Catch.

“Many people in the Boynton area don’t realize that between Banana Boat and Prime Catch, we employ over 210 employees, of which about 150 are full-time,” says Luke Therien, who began working at the restaurant in 1996. His older brother, Pierre, and younger brother, Gilles, have been with the restaurant since it opened on Nov. 9, 1978.

Crazy Uncle Mike’s is now open in Boca Raton. The brewery/lounge/music hall with upscale eats is raising eyebrows with its prices, starting with $9 drafts and gourmet-priced sandwiches. House-made, all scratch, of course. Don’t look for burgers and tacos and such: Roasted cauliflower and broccoli are not your average bar fare. Acoustics aren’t, we hear, just right yet. Or maybe they’re going for that ear-splitting, concrete floor bounced sound. Judge for yourself — they will tweak as they go along. It’s at 6450 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton; phone 931-2889.

A new taco spot created by two Wellington restaurateurs has opened off Powerline Road in Boca Raton: Don Chepo’s Taco Shop came into the mix mid-October after first opening in Wellington at the mall. Fashion Cuisine co-partners Dustin Parfitt and Juan Gando came up with the casual, fresh taqueria and with its western county success, came south. It’s at 6897 SW 18th St., Boca Raton, and is open till 2 a.m. on weekends. 

Jan Norris is a food writer who can be reached at nativefla@gmail.com. Thom Smith is on leave.

Through Jasper’s Eyes: My Weekend on Death Row, by John Lipscomb. Electio, 190 pp., $13.99

The Painting and The Piano, by John Lipscomb and Adrianne Lugo. ALJ Marketing, 328 pp. $15.50.

By Steve Pike

More than a decade removed, John Lipscomb could still hear the prison doors slam shut and the haunting “swoosh’’ of the airlock; still smell the unholy mix of disinfectant on the dining room floor and barely edible food.

Above all, Lipscomb could still heard Jasper’s words: “Man, you got the saddest story I ever heard.’’

Those were powerful words, considering that Jasper was on Death Row at Missouri’s Potosi Correctional Center.

A nondescript, small Missouri town, Potosi is far removed from Lipscomb’s upper-crust childhood in the posh St. Louis suburb of Ladue. But as he interacted with inmates, Lipscomb knew his decisions and actions made early in his adult life could have landed him in Potosi as one of them.

Instead, he was there as a stranger to spread the gospel through the Catholic Church’s Residents Encounter Christ program.

“I drove home drunk a thousand nights,’’ said Lipscomb, who now lives with his wife, Adrianne Lugo, in Ocean Ridge. 

The pair collaborated on Lipscomb’s first book, The Painting and The Piano, which chronicles each of their battles with addiction.

In his second book, Through Jasper’s Eyes: My Weekend on Death Row, Lipscomb details his 2006 visit to the prison and his opening up to inmates about multiple DUIs, lost marriages, lost children, lost businesses and lost houses.

“This is what addiction does to you,’’ Lipscomb tells them, knowing that to a man, he was telling them what each already knew.

When he finished, he was approached by Jasper (a fictitious name), who had tears streaming down his face. 

Lipscomb, who has been sober for nearly 20 years, used Jasper’s words as the inspiration for his 190-page book, published by Electio.

“I think I got more out if it (than the inmates), but it’s hard to say,’’ Lipscomb said. “You can see the guys get a lot out of it when you’re there through the smiles on their faces. It’s just about one human being helping another.’’

And it’s about some powerful words.

By Mary Hladky

      The Florida Commission on Ethics has found probable cause that suspended Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie violated state ethics laws in eight instances.

      The examination of Haynie’s financial links to downtown landowners James and Marta Batmasian and their company Investments Limited found that she failed to disclose income, acted to financially benefit herself and her husband, and improperly voted on matters that benefitted the Batmasians without declaring a conflict of interest.

      Commission advocate Elizabeth A. Miller, an assistant attorney general, minced no words in a stinging report to the commission.

      Haynie “consistently voted on measures benefitting the Batmasians and/or their affiliates between 2012 and 2016 while surreptitiously reaping the financial rewards of their business association,” Miller wrote.

      “When confronted with the possibility of impropriety, [Haynie] consistently denied any association, involvement or knowledge. The bank account records revealed her deception. These acts and omissions indicate a corrupt intent,” Miller stated in her recommendation that the commission find probable cause.

      In her concluding analysis, Miller said that Haynie knew her ties to the Batmasians created a conflict of interest “because, for years, she concealed her private interest to the public and, even more recently, to the commission’s investigator.”

      Haynie could not properly discharge her duties as a public official concerning the Batmasians “when a source of her livelihood was dependent upon their continued business relationship and the success of the Batmasians’ companies,” she wrote.

      The Oct. 19 probable cause findings are not a determination that Haynie violated state laws, but a conclusion that there is enough evidence of violations to allow the investigation to proceed.

      Haynie now has the option of trying to reach a settlement with the commission. If not, a full evidentiary hearing will be held on the allegations.

     Bruce Zimet, Haynie’s criminal defense attorney, said after a brief case status hearing on Oct. 26 that she will seek an evidentiary hearing.

      Haynie’s ethics attorney, Mark Herron, did not comment.

      Haynie was suspended from office in April by Gov. Rick Scott after the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office lodged seven public corruption charges against her, but she has not resigned. The state ethics commission has the power to seek her removal from office.

      But that rarely happens. More typically, a public official is fined up to a maximum of $10,000 per violation.

      The state ethics commission followed the same investigatory path blazed by the State Attorney’s Office and the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics, which settled with Haynie after she admitted to violating the county’s ethics code and agreed to pay a $500 fine for failing to disclose a conflict of interest.

      Investigators examined her financial disclosure reports, business dealings, bank records and the votes she cast as a Boca Raton City Council member and Community Redevelopment Agency commissioner.

      The evidence gathered against her by the three agencies is similar. One key difference is that while state prosecutors determined that Haynie voted on four matters that financially benefitted  James Batmasian from 2014 through 2017, state ethics investigators found 17 votes between 2012 and 2016.

      State ethics investigators found that Haynie did not list on financial disclosure forms income she derived from two companies she and her husband, Neil, had formed — Community Reliance and Computer Golf Software of Nevada.

      Bank records show that she wrote checks to herself from 2014 through 2016 totaling $72,000 from the Computer Golf Software of Nevada bank account.

      She also wrote checks to herself totaling at least $5,600 from the Community Reliance bank account.

      And while Haynie has said she was not involved with Community Reliance or Computer Golf Software, bank records show she signed Community Reliance checks that were made out to businesses including Allstate, AT&T and Office Depot.

      She also did not report rental income deposited in the couple’s joint bank account from two properties they own in Key Largo and Boca Raton that totaled $182,307.

      Community Reliance, a property management company, was paid by the master association of Tivoli Park, a 1,600-unit apartment complex in Deerfield Beach, where 80 percent of the units were owned by James and Marta Batmasian and most of the board members worked for Investments Limited.

      Haynie “intentionally concealed several years’ worth of business and financial dealings with James and Marta Batmasian and/or their companies,” Miller wrote. “She failed to disclose any common interest even though Community Reliance did tens of thousands of dollars in business with the Batmasians while [Haynie] cast votes benefitting their companies.”

      The criminal charges against Haynie, 63, include official misconduct, perjury, misuse of public office and failure to disclose voting conflicts.

      She has pleaded not guilty and waived her right to a speedy trial.

      The state investigation found that Haynie failed to report $335,000 in income in disclosure forms required by the state, including $84,000 from Batmasian or Investments Limited, from 2014 through 2017.

      Former BocaWatch publisher Al Zucaro, a Haynie adversary whom she defeated in the 2017 mayoral race, filed complaints against her with both the county and state ethics commissions after The Palm Beach Post published an investigation that detailed financial links between Haynie and the Batmasians.

      “These things were uncovered during the course of the [mayoral] race and they have proven to be accurate,” Zucaro said. “I am sure this [probable cause finding] is not welcome news to Ms. Haynie and her criminal defense team.”

      Mark Bannon, the county ethics commission’s executive director, has said he did not act on Zucaro’s complaint because he received it after his office had launched an investigation.

      In the county ethics case, Haynie denied she acted improperly and said she had requested in 2013 an opinion from the county ethics commission on whether she should recuse herself from voting on matters involving Batmasian. The opinion said she could vote.

      But the opinion was narrowly written, and Bannon has said Haynie should have understood the opinion to mean she should not vote when Batmasian was a developer or applicant of a project coming to the City Council for approval.

By Mary Hladky

Suspended mayor Susan Haynie will seek an evidentiary hearing before the Florida Commission on Ethics on allegations she violated state ethics laws in eight instances.

Haynie’s attorney, Bruce Zimet, said he had requested that the commission delay proceedings until after her criminal case was resolved.

But the commission went ahead, and on Oct 19 said it had found probable cause that Haynie had violated ethics laws.

By seeking a hearing, Haynie is indicating she will not enter settlement talks.

The commission examined Haynie’s financial links to downtown landowners James and Marta Batmasian and their company Investments Limited. Commission advocate Elizabeth A. Miller, an assistant attorney general, found that Haynie failed to disclose income, acted to financially benefit herself and her husband, and improperly voted on matters that benefitted the Batmasians without declaring a conflict of interest.

The findings are not a determination that Haynie violated state laws, but a conclusion that there is enough evidence of violations to allow the investigation to proceed.

Zimet said the commission’s report has no bearing on Haynie’s criminal case. “It’s a totally separate proceeding,” he said, adding that it’s findings are only one side of the case.

Zimet spoke after a brief court hearing on Oct. 26, where he told Circuit Court Judge Glenn Kelley that discovery in the criminal case is proceeding. Another case status check will be held on Jan. 15.

Haynie, 63, did not appear at the hearing. She has pleaded not guilty and waived her right to a speedy trial.

She was arrested on April 24 on seven public corruption charges, including official misconduct, perjury, misuse of public office and failure to disclose voting conflicts. If convicted, she faces more than 20 years in prison.

Gov. Rick Scott suspended her from office, but she has not resigned. Scott Singer was elected mayor on Aug. 28.

Prosecutors contend that Haynie used her position on the city council to vote on four matters that financially benefitted James Batmasian, the city’s largest downtown commercial landowner, and failed to disclose income she received from him.

The investigation by the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office found that Haynie failed to report $335,000 in income in financial disclosure forms required by the state, including $84,000 from Batmasian or his company Investments Limited from 2014 through 2017.