Il Circolo members enjoyed an afternoon of eating, learning, music and sports, including a cooking demonstration, to mark the establishment of a new scholarship fund in the culinary arts. The 100 attendees watched the preparation of pasta alla vodka and zabaglione for dessert and played bocce ball. LEFT: (l-r) Dr. Douglas De Orchis, Mario De Orchis and Emilio Petti.
Photo provided by Joan Nova
Pat Barnes, of Briny Breezes, was treated to lunch — and dessert — by a group of friends for her 100th birthday. The afternoon celebration continued with 15 hands of bridge. Barnes was the big winner. A larger birthday celebration took place May 26.
LEFT: Lu McInnes and Barnes.
Photo provided
Donning pink hard hats and pink sapphire-and-diamond earrings, more than 100 women gathered to kick off Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach County’s Women Build 2018. Guests enjoyed taking photos in their bling and being inspired by a homeowner’s story. LEFT: Rosie Martin and Lise Orr.
Photo provided by Carlos Aristizabal
By Jan Norris
Just in time for summer blockbusters, the Cinemark Palace 20 and XD in Boca Raton has revamped, and opened the Movie Bistro on its premier level to slake the beer and cocktail thirst of moviegoers.
Open for both lunch and dinner, as well as a happy hour and après theater desserts, the open-floor restaurant has a full-service bar, tables and high-tops, and an adult arcade. It's a public restaurant — no movie ticket required, though it becomes 18-and-older after 5 p.m. for happy hour.
Casual fare includes burgers, pulled pork sliders and vegetarian Southwest black bean burger as well. Handcrafted pizzas feature house-made dough. A full menu of appetizers, entrees and desserts is available for both lunch and dinner.
The theater took over the former Bogart’s Bar & Grill, operated by Burt Rapoport of Deck 84 and Henry’s fame, in late 2016.
The redesign of the 249-seat eatery complements the six premier-level theaters, where moviegoers get free small popcorn, free valet parking and tables at their seats for dining and drinking during the movie.
Also new is the VIP screening room, available for private rental with 29 reclining seats and in-seat call buttons for the wait staff.
The new adult game room has billiard tables, a shuffleboard table, and two foosball games; game tables are also set around the bar.
Other theatergoers will have the option of alcoholic beverages at the main concession stand, which also has expanded food offerings.
The Cinemark Palace 20 was the benchmark for new theater offerings when it opened as a Muvico in the summer of 2000. It changed hands to Cinemark in 2009.
The building that will house Tyler Levitetz’s 5150 Chocolate on southbound Federal Highway in Delray Beach is on the former site of the Waffle House. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
The huge building touting “Chocolate Factory” on U.S. 1 in Delray Beach has been in the works for months. A little digging produced some answers about the “coming soon” spot.
Tyler Levitetz, a chocolatier with fine chocolate-making experience, is behind the “bean to bar” place called 5150 Chocolate. His cred comes from working with nationally recognized chocolatier Norman Love Confections on the west coast of Florida.
At some point, he decided to go deep into the chocolate process and make it from the raw cacao beans.
Making chocolate from scratch — that is, sourcing and roasting cacao beans, then grinding and cooking them into edible chocolate — is the candymaking world’s elaborate answer to roasting single-source coffee beans.
Difference in taste is incomparable to the homogenized variety most chocolate is turned into. Subtleties from the cacao beans give depth and complexity to the flavor.
But it’s an intricate process — and why most chocolatiers just buy the finished product to form their fancy chocolates sold retail.
Hence Levitetz’s shop name, 5150 Chocolate. Levitetz writes on his website that it represents the cop code for a mentally ill person on site. He laughs off friends’ observations that he’s conducting a mad-scientist type experiment.
Trials with varieties like a malted milk bar, a Vietnamese lemongrass and an organic Nicaraguan cacao bean are typical of his direction.
No word on when the factory will open, or how the chocolate will be retailed.
Mark Militello, a James Beard award-winning chef, has returned to Josie’s in Boynton Beach, bringing with him menu creations and his unique resources for the kitchen.
“I’m getting the most beautiful mushrooms you’ve ever seen from The Mushroom Guy in Fort Pierce,” he said.
He’s bringing in fresh seafood from several fishermen, and meats from specialty butcher Pat LaFrieda in New York City.
He also attracted his former pastry chef, Ashley Roehrig, whose 16-layer chocolate cake has a special following.
A new restaurant concept from Militello and the owners of Josie’s is in the works, he said, but he is keeping the plans close so far. No location or date has been leaked.
In brief: Congrats, all you grads out there. To honor the future classes of 20-something, Boston’s on the Beach is saluting students with a free meal. The “Make the Grade” deal is this: Kids who bring in a report card eat free with a grown-up ordering a meal. Straight-A students get a T-shirt. The deal runs through June. More info at www.bostonsonthebeach.com. ...
June 2 sees the return of the Taste of Recovery at Old School Square in Delray Beach, hosted by Louie Bossi of the namesake restaurant. A variety of top area restaurants serve tastings, but don’t look for alcohol at the event. Cost is $40 and benefits the Crossroads Club in Delray Beach; go to tasteofrecovery.com for info.
Jan Norris wrote this column for Thom Smith, who took the month off. Jan can be reached at nativefla@gmail.com. Smith can be reached at thomsmith@ymail.com.
The Plate: A 1¼-pound Maine lobster
The Place: Prime Catch, 700 E. Woolbright Road, Boynton Beach; 737-8822 or www.primecatchboynton.com.
The Price: $21.95
The Skinny: Sometimes, you can combine fine dining, good eating and a good value.
That’s the case with the Monday night lobster special at Prime Catch.
For $21.95, you can order a 1¼-pound lobster and feast like royalty; it’s $26.95 otherwise.
Restaurant management says the special should be in force throughout the summer.
That tender lobster comes with one side — we opted to carb-load with the baked stuffed potatoes and shared a house salad of fresh, crisp mixed greens, cherry tomatoes and carrots.
It also comes with a view — we sat facing the Intracoastal Waterway and enjoyed watching boats and birds as they moved along the shore.
— Scott Simmons
Guests celebrated the opening of the museum’s current exhibitions: ‘Nomadic Murals: Contemporary Tapestries and Carpets’; ‘Lisette Model: Photographs From the Photography Institute of the National Gallery of Canada’; and ‘Nick Carone: Shadow Dance.’ The first two exhibitions will be on view through Oct. 21, while ‘Nick Carone: Shadow Dance’ runs through July 29. LEFT: (l-r) Gerri and Mitch Rymer, with Jody Grass.
Photo provided
The board, life trustees and standing committee members were honored at the afternoon affair. Sponsor Laurie Silvers welcomed guests and shared news about the arts-education programs. Board Chairman Michael Bracci gave an overview of the expansion project and presented a video showing the enhancements that will begin to take shape this summer. ABOVE: (l-r) Jeff Stoops, Kravis Center CEO Judy Mitchell and Jim Harpel. Photo provided by CAPEHART
By Janis Fontaine
Gareth Johnson will perform a program of works by Beethoven, Ysaÿe, Bruch and Gnarls Barkley on both acoustic and electric violins with pianist Tao Lin in the June 10 performance of Music at St. Paul’s Church.
Johnson is a gifted performer, master instructor and arranger. He earned a bacherlor of arts and a master’s in music performance from the Lynn University Conservatory of Music.
The concert begins at 3 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 188 S. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. Tickets are $20. Admission is free for ages 18 and younger. For more information, call 278-6003 or visit music.stpaulsdelray.org.
Rummage sale donations wanted at Cason
Cason United Methodist Church is hosting a rummage sale on June 8 to benefit its music ministry. The annual sale will be from 8 a.m. to noon.
Donations are being accepted through June 6 at the church. Items needed include clothing and shoes of any kind, accessories, household items, toys, sporting goods, garage items, lawn and garden, electronics (must be working), holiday items and linens. All items must be clean or laundered. No large furniture.
Bring items the week of the sale to the fellowship hall. The Cason music ministry is always welcoming new members for the handbell and chancel choirs. Cason is at 342 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. For more information, call 276-5302.
The God debate
The Interfaith Café asks the ultimate question in June: God or no God?
To answer, at least in part, the group has invited Geoff Kashdan to speak at 7 p.m. June 21 at the South County Civic Center.
Kashdan is a life-long learner and teacher. He worked with children and adults with disabilities throughout his career, and his public speaking life came later with a series of 30-minute slide presentations called Mind Odysseys.
Kashdan is a member of the ACLU, the League of Women Voters, NOW, Planned Parenthood, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, He’s also a board member of his HOA, which probably tops them all in terms of stressful meetings.
This is no lecture: Audience participation will be encouraged and Kashdan won’t be the only one offering answers. Be ready to brainstorm.
The South County Civic Center is at 16700 Jog Road, Delray Beach.
The meeting is free, but donations are appreciated. Light refreshments are served. Email Jane@Aurorasvoice.org for more information.
Spiritual retreat for adults with physical disabilities
A spiritual retreat for individuals 18 and older who require physical assistance will be offered June 29 to July 1 at the Duncan Conference Center, 5820 S. Military Trail in Delray Beach.
St. Mark’s of Boynton Beach is looking for volunteers who would like to help. You must be willing to be fingerprinted and be available to attend training in safety guidelines.
For information or to volunteer, contact Paul Paschke at 392-2476 or paschkepa@yahoo.com, or Margarita Castellon at 954-821-6077.
Advent Pastor Andy Hagen and Rhythm Nation were part of a $35,000 fundraiser. Photo provided
Advent Church raises funds to fight human trafficking
Advent Lutheran Church in Boca Raton Freedom Challenge’s Team Advent hosted a Bourbon and Blues event in March that raised $35,000 to support projects in India and Moldova.
Blue is the color of the National Human Trafficking Awareness Campaign, so choosing a blues band was a perfect fit, and the Rhythm Nation blues band didn’t disappoint. Pastor Andy Hagen even joined the band on stage and got thunderous applause from the crowd.
The money will be used to double the size of a shelter in India that will house 100 young girls and create an emergency shelter for 50 women. The new complex also will have a health clinic and a skills training center.
For more information on human trafficking and what’s being done to stop it, visit thefreedomchallenge.com.
Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Contact her at janisfontaine@outlook.com.
The garden team includes (l-r) new Director Christina Nicodemou, horticulturist Jeannie Fernsworth, nature and science program assistant Veronica Green and Director Shelly Zacks, who specializes in early childhood development. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Lona O'Connor
Something is growing in the Delray Beach Children’s Garden, and it’s much more than the 50 or so varieties of plants with magical names, the strawberry tree or the peanut butter fruit.
Among the clumps of fragrant bushes and knee-high collard greens are small groups of parents talking and nearby, children playing.
Often the children have never met before, but somehow in this enclosed and safe space, they are soon fast friends. The mothers are — well, if it were anywhere else, it would be called networking.
They are talking about their ideas, work, raising children, starting businesses.
Co-founders Jeannie Fernsworth and Shelly Zacks planted the ideas that became this garden.
The aptly named Fernsworth is a horticulturist. When someone asks her the name of a plant, she almost reflexively rattles off Latin names and thorough descriptions.
Zacks’ expertise is early child development.
Their patron saint is author Richard Louv, who wrote the book Last Child in the Woods, coined the term “nature deficit disorder” and advocated “green schoolyards” to stimulate the minds of children.
Fernsworth and Zacks brainstormed with local advocates and then, about five years ago, were off and running on a $5,000 grant.
What became the Delray Beach Children’s Garden is a plot of land a block west of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, leased to the garden by the church.
Behind blue gates, whose posts are topped by well-used garden gloves, the garden emerges gradually, revealing rare and tropical fruit trees that lend a fragrance to the air and offer some surprising taste treats.
“Fruit is our candy,” proclaims a hand-painted sign.
The garden’s pond has a solar-powered fountain and is stocked with gambusia fish that keep mosquitoes to a minimum by eating the larvae.
On a recent Thursday morning, at a regular get-together, children sat in a circle around Veronica Green for a story. Green, the garden’s nature and science program assistant, has published four children’s books featuring her cartoon avatar, Veggie Vero, a vegan superhero for kids. The self-published Green makes appearances all over South Florida, and her books are available in a variety of paper and electronic formats.
A few minutes after story time, Green offered to help a visitor learn self-publishing.
Other projects include garden-to-table cooking (and eating) with Chef Adam Potash. The garden has produced a short play for Earth Day and done meatless Mondays, container gardening and worked with children in nearby schools. The garden hosts private birthday parties and other events.
Growing a future
Lorel Hartley of Margate and Lacey Toro of Davie became friends at the garden. They share interest in hand-dyeing fabric, home birth and what Hartley calls “free-range children.” As the two sat on a bench, it took Hartley a minute to scan the garden and find her three kids, then she returned to chatting with Toro.
They have visited gardens closer to their homes, but found that they weren’t really designed with children in mind. The Delray Beach Children’s Garden is “worth the ride,” said Toro.
The kids make use of the garden in their own ways. One boy decided he was more comfortable sitting on top of a child-size picnic table. A little girl ran her hands through a bucket of soapy water for making bubbles. It may not look quite like education, but all these kids are learning something.
“This age, zero to 7, is essential to their development,” Zacks said.
One mother confided to Zacks that her daughter stopped being clingy after a few visits to the garden.
“Nature makes you feel safe,” Zacks told her.
Not that Fernsworth and Zacks show any signs of slowing down, but they wanted to have the next generation in place to take over running the garden.
They were able to hire Christina Nicodemou, a volunteer, as a director of the garden. Nicodemou, who has experience working with nonprofit organizations, will work with a $100,000 grant the garden received this year from Impact 100 Palm Beach County, a women’s philanthropy group.
Spread over two years, the grant will pay the salary of Nicodemou and a weekend assistant, as well as help to grow the garden’s programs.
Sharing responsibility with their new director gives Fernsworth and Zacks more freedom to do what they feel they do best — brainstorm new projects.
As children played at their knees, Zacks filled Nicodemou’s arms with brochures and magazine articles about a planned mud day.
“I had gotten to a place where I was overwhelmed,” said Zacks, recalling the point just before Nicodemou came on board as manager. She sat at the low-slung plank table under the garden’s chickee hut, surrounded by preschoolers coated in sticky papaya juice.
“My forte is being here with the children.”
For more information, visit www.delraybeach childrensgarden.org.
Lona O’Connor has a lifelong interest in health and healthy living. Send column ideas to Lona13@bellsouth.net.
In a nod to history, nurses at Boca Raton Regional Hospital wore traditional uniforms and caps during National Nurses Week in May. Photo provided
By Christine Davis
In a process that began a year ago, Boca Raton Regional Hospital has narrowed its choice of potential strategic partners to Baptist Health South Florida and Cleveland Clinic.
“Each of the five health care systems that we selected to explore are impressive organizations that presented exciting and robust proposals,” said Jerry Fedele, president and CEO of Boca Raton Regional Hospital. “While each brought interesting and innovative ideas to the table, in the final analysis we believe the two chosen presented offerings that were best suited to meet the goals and objectives the board established for the partnership.”
Those aims include enhancing Boca Regional’s ability to develop nationally recognized clinical programs, mitigate the challenges of a stand-alone organization in the health care industry, and provide greater access to capital.
Boca Raton Regional Hospital has two new reasons to celebrate when it comes to its care for stroke patients. The hospital received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With the Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award, in recognition for the hospital’s commitment to ensure that stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment.
To earn the award, the hospital met quality achievement measures that evaluated the proper use of medications and up-to-date guidelines for speeding recovery and reducing mortality and disability for stroke patients.
The hospital also received the association’s Target Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus award. To qualify, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, a drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.
In honor of National Nurses Week, May 6-12, nurses at Boca Raton Regional Hospital participated in a “Throwback Thursday” event by wearing traditional white nursing uniforms and caps during their shifts.
In May, Delray Medical Center received a Healthgrades 2018 Patient Safety Excellence Award for superior performance in preventing the occurrence of serious complications for patients during hospital stays. The distinction places Delray Medical Center among the top 10 percent of all short-term acute care hospitals reporting patient safety data as evaluated by Healthgrades, an online resource for information about physicians and hospitals.
David C. Brodner, M.D., has begun offering a new procedure to treat postnasal drip. He uses a special cooling probe, part of the new ClariFix device, to freeze a small area of nasal tissue in the back of the nose. It is performed in his office with local or topical anesthesia.
“The ability to select out the nasal nerve and to reduce its function without actually severing the nerve is a huge advance in the treatment of these disorders,” Brodner says. “ClariFix works by selectively freezing the ‘runny nose nerve.’ The procedure involves no cutting or suturing.”
Brodner’s office is at 8794 W. Boynton Beach Blvd., Boynton Beach.
Ken Dawson-Scully recently became associate vice president for strategic initiatives and head of institutional partnerships for Florida Atlantic University and Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience. He will develop and implement co-branding programs, develop new educational programs, secure joint-funding opportunities, conduct research training, build partnerships and foster collaboration between academic and administrative units.
Send health news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@gmail.com.
Donors who contributed to the hospital’s Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit were invited to take a sneak peek of the new unit. Donations from the past three years raised more than $1 million to make the renovation possible. A special gift from Yvonne Boice was unveiled at the event: a painting by Haitian artist Joel Gauthier featuring giraffes that match the theme of the NICU. ABOVE: (l-r) Vicky Crawford, Boice, Barbara James, vice president and executive director of Bethesda Hospital Foundation, and Roger Kirk, hospital president and CEO. Photo provided by Downtown Photo
Teachers and middle school students received a plaque from the Susan J. Komen Race for the Cure to recognize their work as the largest middle school group to participate in the annual race. This is the 15th year the middle school's Builder's Club has participated. Photo provided
Scuba divers and dive charter operators turned out in force at the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission’s April 26 meeting in Fort Lauderdale to oppose a proposal that would have allowed a limited harvest of goliath groupers. FWC commissioners scrapped the idea, leaving the groupers' protected status intact. Willie Howard/The Coastal Star
By Willie Howard
After hearing pleas from South Florida scuba divers and dive-charter operators, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission scrapped a proposal to allow anglers to keep a limited number of goliath groupers — a large, slow-growing fish that has been protected from harvest since 1990.
During their April 26 meeting in Fort Lauderdale, FWC commissioners decided not to pursue a rule that would have allowed the statewide harvest of 100 goliath groupers annually. Instead, they directed the agency’s scientists to continue research on goliath groupers and to “develop a road map for future conservation efforts.”
After holding 16 workshops around the state last year, the FWC gathered more than 5,000 comments on the possibility of a limited goliath grouper harvest.
The sentiment at the April FWC meeting was clearly pro-grouper, with many divers in the crowd wearing “Save the Goliath Grouper” T-shirts and dive operators touting the economic value of the big fish, which often linger around artificial reefs during the summer spawning season.
Charter operators said goliath groupers attract divers from around the world to South Florida during the relatively slow summer tourist season.
“There are very few countries that have giant animals like this that will swim right up to you,” said Jim Abernethy, a veteran Palm Beach County dive charter operator. “These types of wildlife interactions are world-class.”
Abernethy showed photographs of one of his favorite goliath groupers, nicknamed Shadow, who he said moves with the group on drift dives. Another goliath grouper, named Wilbur, can be found on the MV Castor wreck off Boynton Beach. Wilbur has become so popular with divers that he has his own Facebook page.
Some divers at the April FWC meeting said the state’s population of goliath groupers — overharvested by anglers and spearfishers during the 1980s — has not recovered enough to justify the proposed harvest.
CCA/Florida, the recreational fishing organization, disagreed, arguing that removing 100 groupers annually from Florida waters would not harm the goliath grouper population.
The FWC staff and others noted that anglers might not eat goliath groupers even if they harvested them, because the flesh of larger groupers contains high levels of mercury.
If a limited harvest of the groupers were allowed, the FWC noted, the agency would have to work with the Florida Department of Health to develop consumption advisories.
“Why are we even considering a fishery?” said Chris Koenig, a retired Florida State University researcher who spent 20 years studying goliath groupers. “We already have a catch-and-release fishery.”
The goliath grouper, Epinephelus itajara, is known to live at least 37 years and can grow up to 8 feet in length and 800 pounds. It reaches sexual maturity at 3 to 6 years of age. But the FWC says there are still many unknowns about the large groupers, meaning more research is needed.
Ed Tichenor, director of Palm Beach County Reef Rescue, told commissioners that allowing goliath groupers to be harvested, even in limited numbers, would be a “state-sanctioned animal sacrifice.”
Goliath groupers often stay around wrecks such as the artificial reefs off Boynton Beach where scuba divers find them. The long-lived groupers have been protected from harvest since 1990. Photo provided by Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
FWC increases minimum size for tripletail
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission voted April 26 to increase the minimum size for tripletail by 3 inches, to 18 inches in total length.
The new minimum size takes effect July 1.
Commissioners also reduced the daily bag limit for sheepshead to eight fish per person, a reduction of seven.
Full Moon Wahoo Tournament starts June 30
The West Palm Beach Fishing Club will host its Full Moon Wahoo Tournament Series again this summer with three wahoo-fishing events scheduled around the full moons of June, July and August.
Fishing dates are June 30, July 28 and Aug. 25.
The kickoff party begins at 6 p.m. June 28 at Twisted Trunk Brewery in Palm Beach Gardens.
Cash and merchandise prizes will be awarded.
The entry fee is $60 per team for each full-moon tournament or $150 for all three. Each fishing team must include at least one West Palm Beach Fishing Club member.
Call 309-1397 or visit www.westpalmbeachfishingclub.org.
Paddlers headed to Lake Worth Beach from Bimini
Paddle boarders and kayakers will take to the water early on the morning of June 16 in Bimini for a human-powered trip to Lake Worth Beach as part of the Crossing for a Cure (www.crossingforacure.com).
Travis Suit, whose daughter, Piper, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, started the event in 2013. Suit wanted to raise awareness about people living with the disease.
Participants in this year’s crossing are asked to raise at least $1,000 each for the Piper’s Angels Foundation (www.pipersangels.org). Their journey is scheduled to begin at 1 a.m. in Bimini.
Paddlers are scheduled to arrive on the north side of the Lake Worth pier between 4 and 7 p.m.
Lantana Fishing Derby canceled due to weather
The Lantana Fishing Derby was canceled because of strong winds on May 5.
The National Weather Service issued a small craft advisory that morning, and conditions at Boynton Inlet were dangerous for boaters, said David Arm, tournament chairman and president of the Greater Lantana Chamber of Commerce.
“The safety of our anglers is our primary concern,” Arm said.
A land-based Kids Derby for boys and girls was held from the platform under the Ocean Avenue Bridge on May 5, with volunteers from the Lantana chamber and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office assisting.
Prize money was awarded by random drawing during the May 6 awards party at the Lantana Recreation Center.
Lagoon fishing tournament helps researchers
The Lake Worth Lagoon Fishing Challenge began May 25 and continues through July 8.
The free fishing tournament, open to anglers ages 5 and older, offers the chance to win prizes.
Fish can be kept if they are of legal size and in season, or may be photographed, measured and released.
The tournament helps scientists gather data about fish in the 20-mile-long estuary, which stretches from Ocean Ridge to North Palm Beach. For details, go to www.LWLI.org/FishingChallenge.
Coming events
June 2: Palm Beach County KDW Classic tournament for kingfish, dolphin and wahoo based at Riviera Beach Marina. Captain’s meeting and final registration 6 p.m. June 1 at Riviera Beach Marina, 200 E. 13th St. Entry fee $300 per boat after May 18. Call 832-6780 or go to www.kdwclassic.com.
June 5: Boynton Beach Fishing Club meets, 7 p.m. in the clubhouse building next to the boat ramps, Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park, 2010 N. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach. Call 436-4690 or visit www.bifc.org.
June 9: Sail Inn KDW Charity Fishing Tournament for kingfish, dolphin and wahoo. Benefits Hospice of Palm Beach County. Captain’s meeting June 7 at Sail Inn Tavern in Delray Beach. Weigh-in at Palm Beach Yacht Center in Hypoluxo. Entry fee $250 per boat after May 4. Call 703-1907.
June 9: Basic boating safety class offered by Coast Guard Auxiliary, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in headquarters building at Spanish River Park, 3939 N. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton. Fee $35. Register at the door. Bring lunch. Call 391-3600 or email fso-pe@cgauxboca.org.
June 23: Basic boating safety class offered by Coast Guard Auxiliary, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in building next to boat ramps, Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park, 2010 N. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach. Fee $25. Register at the door. Call 704-7440.
Tip of the month
Want to take your family to the Bahamas by boat this summer but aren’t confident about crossing to the islands alone? Try joining a group of boaters as part of a “fling” led by the Bahamas Tourist Office. The boating groups leave Bahia Mar Yachting Center in Fort Lauderdale on Thursdays and return Sundays on selected dates. The first fling is scheduled for June 21-24. The minimum boat size is 22 feet. The nonrefundable registration fee is $75. For details, call the Bahamas Tourist Office at 800- 327-7678 or visit www.bahamas.com and click on boating.
Willie Howard is a freelance writer and licensed boat captain. Reach him at tiowillie@bellsouth.net.
By Janis Fontaine
Boca Raton High School senior John “Jack” Chapman has an impressive résumé: student body president, co-valedictorian, multiple-sport varsity athlete.
But the thing that proved his biggest challenge?
Putting on a Speedo to join the Boca High water polo team.
The standout athlete played center on the football team in the fall and wrestled in the spring, but he lost interest in wrestling when his favorite coach left. His best friends played water polo and they wanted him to join. “It’s a very relaxed program and everyone is really friendly,” he said.
Never one to back down from a challenge, he put up with the teasing from the football team about his suit. “That was not the ideal attire,” Chapman laughed.
Academically, though, Chapman is confident, with good reason. He is a U.S. Presidential Scholars candidate and National Advanced Placement Scholar. He threw his hat into the ring at the nation’s best universities but says, “I never really definitely decided my top school. I thought, ‘No matter what, I should be happy.’ ”
Chapman, 18, was accepted into the honors programs at Florida and Virginia, as well as the University of California, Irvine, and the University of Wyoming. So, he had plenty of options.
But when he was accepted to Stanford, it felt right. The acceptance rate for the class of 2022 is 4.3 percent. In 2018, Stanford offered admission to just 2,040 of the 47,450 students who applied.
So the scholar is bound for the Silicon Valley, an area that fits into his big-picture plan: Ultimately, Chapman intends to go to law school, and he’s leaning toward corporate law, with a special interest in tech companies. To lay the groundwork, he plans to minor in computer science.
This won’t be his first foray in the Stanford pond. He took Mandarin Chinese at Stanford the summer between his sophomore and junior years, a really tough class but worth the effort, he said.
Then more recently, Stanford called again, with the football team asking if the Florida All-Star wanted to walk on to the special teams squad. Chapman said yes, so he’ll incorporate the team’s eating plan and workout schedule to get football-ready while he’s holding down a prestigious internship in trade relations with the Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C., this summer.
Participating in sports has made Chapman, who excels individually, into a strong team player. And he’s not afraid to try new things or to fail. “I definitely try to step out of my comfort zone, to try things that I’m not great at, like water polo. I want to improve myself,” he said.
For his community service, Chapman coached Pop Warner football, organized Boca High’s dance marathon to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network and led a supply drive for Florida Keys victims of Hurricane Irma.
He says his strong suit is his genuine curiosity. “I’m interested in a lot of things, and I like to be productive. I have two younger brothers and I like mentoring,” he said.
He stays on top of things, sometimes using a schedule, sometimes just to-do lists. Prioritizing is key, he said, but so is seeing the big picture. “You have to be observant of all the parts, and how they all fit together. I had a math teacher who taught me to find the thing that ties everything together,” he said.
As president of the 3,300-member student body at Boca High, Chapman spent the last few months in discussions about plans to improve security. After Parkland, everyone was on alert.
“Safety is something we’ve always prioritized, and we’ve been proactive,” he said.
The school advisory board recently approved new metal detectors, Chapman said.
On May 19 at the South Florida Fairgrounds, John “Jack” Chapman, the eldest son of Ann and Frank, graduated with 895 other students, all ready to start new chapters of their lives. Most would agree with Chapman: “I’m looking forward to more independence.”
By Mary Hladky
Suspended Mayor Susan Haynie has pleaded not guilty to state corruption charges and asked that they be tossed out.
Bruce Zimet, Haynie’s new criminal defense attorney, filed the not guilty plea and demand for trial on May 20, two days after he asked that the criminal charges be dismissed. Haynie has denied the allegations.
A fixture in city politics for the past 18 years, Haynie was arrested on April 24 on four felony and three misdemeanor charges, including official misconduct, perjury in an official proceeding, misuse of public office, corrupt misuse of public office and failure to disclose voting conflict. She faces more than 20 years in prison.
Gov. Rick Scott suspended her from office and she withdrew from the District 4 county commission race.
Her unexpected arrest has roiled city politics and set into motion the elevation of Deputy Mayor Scott Singer to the top job and an Aug. 28 special election to elect a mayor to serve until the March 2020 end of Haynie’s term of office, unless Haynie prevails in her legal case, and to fill Singer’s seat on the council.
Prosecutors contend that Haynie used her position on the city council to vote on four matters that 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 public corruption unit found that Haynie failed to report $335,000 in income in disclosure forms required by the state, including $84,000 from Batmasian or his company Investments Limited, from 2014 through 2017.
She told investigators that she had no involvement in running two companies she and her husband founded, property management firm Community Reliance and Computer Golf Software of Nevada, and derived no income from them.
But subpoenaed bank records revealed she wrote checks to herself totaling $5,300 from the Community Reliance account and received $72,000 from Computer Golf Software.
Zimet, a highly regarded Fort Lauderdale criminal defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor who replaced Leonard Feuer as her attorney, cites deficiencies in the charges against Haynie in the dismissal motion.
Chief among them is one that involves a state anti-corruption law that was amended by the legislature in 2016 to make it easier for prosecutors to prove corruption. The law initially said the state had to establish that a public official acted with “corrupt intent.” The amended law changed that to “knowingly and intentionally,” a lesser standard of proof.
In two of the felony official misconduct charges against Haynie, prosecutors said she acted “knowingly and intentionally” even though her alleged crimes occurred before that language went into effect. Therefore, Haynie was charged with a “non-existent crime,” the motion states.
Prosecutors can amend the charging document.
State law requires Scott to reinstate Haynie if she is acquitted at trial or if the charges are dismissed. She would then return to her job and complete her term of office.
By Dan Moffett
South Palm Beach Police Chief Carl Webb has decided to retire from his position effective immediately, ending a 30-year career with the town.
Webb, 64, went on a medical leave of absence in January, and officials said he chose to take the retirement he was planning instead of returning to the job.
“The town appreciates his service,” said Town Manager Mo Thornton. “We wish him all the best in his retirement.”
Webb grew up in the Pittsburgh area and earned his police certification at Indiana (Pa.) University. He came to Palm Beach County in 1986 and took a job as a patrol officer with the Greenacres Police Department. Three years later, South Palm Beach hired him and he’s worked for the town ever since.
Webb first served under Chief Stanley Morse until his retirement in 1993 and then under Chief Roger Crane until 2013 when Webb took over as interim chief. The Town Council promoted him to chief and public safety director in April 2014. He became only the third chief in the town’s history.
After taking command of the department, Webb made a priority of upgrading technology and also obtaining military grade weapons for his officers. He oversaw a security renovation of the Town Hall front office that included the installation of bullet-resistant glass and electronic locks.
As safety director, Webb emphasized hurricane preparedness and the need for residents to heed evacuation notices when they are given. He worked to improve communications between the town and residents on crime prevention and emergency medical responses.
Police Sgt. Mark Garrison, a 17-year veteran of the department, took over Webb’s duties in February, and Thornton said he will continue to fill in until the town finds a permanent replacement. She said the council will begin advertising for applicants and screening candidates soon, with the hope of naming Webb’s successor by summer.
Webb’s annual salary was $98,515.
Club members, sea turtle volunteers and their families toast the St. Andrews Club’s donation toward the purchase of an all-terrain vehicle for Sea Turtle Adventures. The local nonprofit monitors turtle nests and organizes beach cleanups. Major sponsors of the ATV purchase, in addition to the St. Andrews Club, included Save the Sea Turtle Foundation and the Briny Breezes Charity Bazaar.
Photo provided
The Highland Beach chapter of UNICO National had its third-annual celebration named after the NFL star who died at age 26 from testicular cancer. This year, Madison Borsellino, 17, a figure skater with a 5.2 grade-point average, was honored with a check to offset the costs of travel. RIGHT: (l-r) Co-Chairwoman Anne Matarazzo, Borsellino and Co-Chairwoman Lisa Marie Conte Browne.
Photo provided
The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County’s 2018 event attracted 300 guests and raised more than $200,000 for arts and education. The theme of the night was Arts and Culture Transform Communities, and it marked the 40th- anniversary year of the council. ABOVE: Co-Chairs Nathan and Julie Slack. Photo provided by JACEK photo
The Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County’s Jewish Women’s Foundation welcomed more than 160 guests to its special occasion and announced $105,000 in donations to organizations in the local community and in Israel. ABOVE: (l-r) Co-Chairwomen Randee Rubenstein and Amy Rosenberg, with Denise Albert, Melissa Musen Gerstein and Co-Chairwoman Alice Kemper. Photo provided
