By Rich Pollack

    After months of planning and preparation, Highland Beach’s $2.8 million water main replacement project is expected to begin this month.
    “The contractor is ready to go,” said Public Works Director Ed Soper.
    As part of the project, approved by voters in March 2015, the town will replace approximately 6,700 feet of water mains serving residents on six public side streets.
    The current pipes were installed in the 1940s or ’50s and are about at the end of their life expectancy, Soper said.
    While there have been no major water main breaks recently, Soper said, the goal is to avoid an emergency situation, where replacement and repairs could be costly and residents throughout all of Highland Beach, not just in the impacted neighborhoods, could be inconvenienced.
    “Water mains are like your heart arteries,” he said. “You have to take care of them before it’s too late.”
    During the project, crews will dig a small trench in the road or public right of way and install new pipes. The current mains will be left in place and sealed.  
    In addition, crews will be improving water flow to fire hydrants in the area and replacing all older hydrants on the side streets while adding some hydrants.
    Soper said contractors expect the project to take between seven and eight months and added residents on the affected streets can expect minimal interruption to normal activity.
    To better explain the process and to answer any questions residents may have, the town will host a resident-notification meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 8 at the Highland Beach Public Library.
    Soper and other town officials will attend the meeting, as will representatives from the engineering firm, Mathews Consulting, and the contractor, Mancon Inc.
    During the presentation, representatives will discuss the work schedule, explaining to residents when work will be done on the side streets and for how long they can expect disruption to their water service.
    Soper said the Town Commission will be asked to give final approval to the project at its Dec. 6 meeting with a notice-to-proceed for contractors to be issued Dec. 7.
    While crews are expected to start on the project before Christmas, Soper said any excavations will be restored before the holiday to minimize interruption.
    The public works director said he has heard concerns from residents worried about the impact the project will have on their property.
He said, however, that the town will work to keep that to a minimum.
    “We anticipate minimal damage to property. But if there is any, it will be restored to the same condition or better,” he said.
    During the project, crews likely will replace the current mains with more durable high-density polyethylene pipes.
    When the project is completed, residents living on the side streets can expect to have a more reliable system for potable water and fire suppression, Soper said.
    “This is a high priority for the town,” he said, adding that a similar project that affected residents along State Road A1A was completed in 2009.

As Delray Beach begins ordinance changes,

others stand pat

By Jane Smith

    The U.S. Cavalry arrived last month in the form of a 20-page federal joint statement on sober homes, delivered by U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel.
    She hoped beleaguered cities in her district and around the country would use the legal guidance to help protect their neighborhoods from over-saturation of the homes while safeguarding the rights of people in recovery.  
    So far, only Delray Beach among south county’s four large coastal municipalities will use the statement when revising its reasonable accommodation ordinance. The local statute covers group recovery homes.
    “The city will be able to say how many is too many in one neighborhood,” Mayor Cary Glickstein said at the Nov. 10 announcement. Previously, cities had to accept group recovery homes wherever they wanted to be.
    Now cities can consider two issues when deciding whether to grant a waiver and allow more than three unrelated people to live together. The municipalities can weigh the financial impact group homes have on single-family neighborhoods as well as the cost for city services, particularly 911 calls for relapsed addicts succumbing to overdoses.
    The revised joint statement, crafted by the departments of Justice and Housing and Urban Development, now recognizes that zoning and land use are best determined locally, Glickstein and Frankel said.
    The revision was sparked in May when Frankel led a federal housing official and his staff on a tour of Delray Beach sober homes. The housing official was shocked by what he saw: suitcases, clothing and personal belongings strewn on lawns where patients had been evicted. He vowed to talk with Justice Department lawyers and craft a joint statement that also protects the rights of recovering addicts, who are protected under federal privacy and disability laws.
    Elected leaders and officials in three other coastal cities are less enthused.
    Boca Raton, battle-scarred from losing federal court lawsuits over sober home ordinances, is more cautious. It had to pay more than $2 million in attorneys’ fees in the cases.
    City Attorney Diana Grub Frieser recently gave a lukewarm assessment on the statement to the City Council.
    “I don’t think it is as much of a deviation from what the case law already does allow,” she told the council members on Nov. 22. Frieser said she liked the language that allows cities to deny the waivers under certain circumstances but proving the circumstances would “put an undue burden on a local government.”
    Boynton Beach Mayor Steven Grant and Lantana Mayor Dave Stewart don’t see enough of a change in the revised joint statement. They say if people are receiving treatment in the homes or selling drugs there, they have ordinances that make those activities illegal.
    “We are not going to do anything different at this point in time,” Stewart said.
    Grant said his city will keep using nuisance abatement and code enforcement to monitor the group homes.
    Delray Beach leaders know they have to walk a fine line when revising the ordinance.
    “It’s not a panacea,” City Attorney Max Lohman said. “But it can be used to draft a more even-handed ordinance that also protects the homes’ residents.”
    Police Chief Jeff Goldman called the statement a “game changer. … Over-saturation is a major issue as it pertains to the heroin epidemic in Delray Beach.” The city had less of a problem with heroin overdoses in 2015 compared with this year.
    The city is using outside counsel Terrill Pyburn to bring a revised ordinance to the Planning & Zoning Board’s Dec. 19 meeting and then to the City Commission in January, the mayor said.
    The city had a revised ordinance already on the board’s Nov. 21 agenda. The major changes required the group medical homes to apply annually for the waiver, said Tim Stillings, planning and zoning director.
    As of mid-November, Stillings said the majority of accommodations were for a waiver to the unrelated persons rule. Since 2012, the city has granted 82 waivers, he said.
    In addition, city code inspectors work with the police department to identify illegal practices, such as drug sales, occurring at sober homes, said Michael Coleman, director of community improvement. So far this year, 21 sober home operators were evicted after the property’s owners were alerted to illegal activity, Coleman said.

Arrests made, bills proposed
    Separately, the state attorney’s Sober Homes Task Force is recommending some changes to state laws to weed out rogue operators.
    Suggested revisions include: Increasing the penalties for patient brokering, creating an amendment that bans lying on websites designed to attract potential patients, changing voluntary certification of recovery residences to mandatory and providing more money to the state Department of Children & Families to better police the recovery industry.
    Rep. Bill Hager has agreed to sponsor the bills in the Florida House during the 2017 legislative session. “There is absolutely bipartisan and statewide support for this issue,” said Hager.
    The task force’s law enforcement arm arrested a Boynton Beach treatment center owner, James Kigar, and manager, Chris Hutson, in late October. It also seized the financial records of the Whole Life Recovery center.
    Since then, four Delray Beach sober home operators have been charged with violating the patient brokering law. In an effort to circumvent the law, authorities say, they allegedly accepted payments, called “case management fees,” for each insured patient directed to Whole Life for treatment.

A bungalow built in the ‘20s will become Luff’s Fish House Restaurant,

which is expected to open in about a year.

Rendering provided

By Sallie James

    A historic 1920s bungalow tucked in the heart of downtown Boca Raton will be transformed into a rustic fish restaurant under a plan approved by the Community Redevelopment Agency.
    Luff’s Fish House Restaurant, at 390 E. Palmetto Park Road, is expected to open in about a year, said architect Derek Vander Ploeg. The structure, which has a coral rock chimney, will need to be remodeled and updated to accommodate the eatery, he said.
    “In its day it was a very significant house, given it was built around 1927,” Vander Ploeg said. “In order to preserve the character, we will preserve the outside skin. It will get new windows and new doors. It needs some tender loving care.”
    The CRA unanimously voted to change the 2,717-square-foot structure’s designated use from retail to restaurant during its Oct. 24 meeting. Members said they weren’t concerned that the bungalow did not fully meet existing parking requirements, driveway design, and parking aisle width, saying it was more important to preserve the historic building.
     “I wasn’t concerned about any of the building’s shortcomings,” said CRA member Mike Mullaugh. “We could have fewer parking spaces here because of the unique circumstances of this restaurant.”
    Said Vander Ploeg: “The code really says you need to be able to prove you tried to conform as much as possible.”
    Boca Raton pioneers Theodore and Harriet Luff, who moved to the city in the 1920s from East Orange, N.J., built the house, said Mary Csar, executive director of the Boca Raton Historical Society.  
     In its day, the house was quite a standout, she noted. The bungalow style, with coral rock on the porches and chimney, was once very common, but no more. The house is considered an “exceedingly rare survivor” and is unique in Boca Raton, Csar told the CRA members.
    She called the restaurant use a “perfect adaptation” for a building that will be a “wonderful asset” for the downtown. “We believe having a restaurant in the Luff house is a wonderful use of this historic treasure — a truly unique setting on much-developed Palmetto Park Road,” Csar said. “It also is a great way to tell Boca Raton’s story to our new residents.”
    Over the years, the structure housed many retail businesses, and was the first office of the Historical Society, Csar noted.
    Investments Ltd. restaurateur Arturo Gismondi owns the property. He also is the owner of Trattoria Romana at 499 E. Palmetto Park Road and La Nouvelle Maison at 455 E. Palmetto Park Road. He entered into a long-term lease to operate Luff’s Fish House, Vander Ploeg said.

By Steve Plunkett
    
    The election over, commissioners of the Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District began welcoming the two new commissioners-elect and saying farewell to the defeated incumbents.
    “I’m sorry to go. It was a great 12 years, but Erin, you just have to get your legs under you and I think everything will be fine,” Commissioner Earl Starkoff told Erin Wright, who outpolled him at the ballot box by a 52-48 percent margin, 23,423 votes to 21,846.
    “I’m just very excited for the opportunity I have ahead of me. I’m excited to get going,” Wright said at the commission’s Nov. 14 meeting.
    Commissioner-elect Craig Ehrnst was equally upbeat.
    “You’ve always had the vision of looking out for the residents, and I don’t think that’s going to change,” said Ehrnst, who beat eight-year incumbent Dennis Frisch by 56 to 44 percent, 25,608 votes to 19,938. “I think we’ve got some good challenges ahead of us, and hopefully we can accomplish a lot.”
    District Chairman Robert Rollins seemed pleased by the comments. “It’s evident that we have the same enthusiasm for having the best parks,” he said.
    Later in the meeting, Rollins solicited feedback from Ehrnst and Wright, who take office in January, on the district’s idea of offering to finance the city’s possible acquisition of the Ocean Breeze golf course at the north end of town.
    Wright called it “a fantastic opportunity.”
    “That’s one of the reasons that I wanted to be on the commission is to keep the green space in the city and try to find as much as possible,” Wright said. Ehrnst agreed, as did all the seated commissioners. “I think it’s a great thing, so yes, move forward,” Ehrnst said.
    Rollins turned bittersweet as the meeting drew to a close. “I must tell you, Dennis and Earl, I will miss their participation. And I’ll save my going-away remarks for the appropriate time. And welcome to the new commissioners,” Rollins said.

By Sallie James

    Florida voters last month legalized a constitutional amendment that made using marijuana legal for certain medical reasons, but Boca Raton residents who need marijuana for medical use won’t find any dispensaries here.
    In November, for the second time in two years, the City Council approved a yearlong moratorium on the operation of medical marijuana treatment centers and dispensing organizations. Council members unanimously agreed they needed time to address land development regulations that will address this issue.
    Boca Raton has historically prohibited marijuana’s cultivation and use.
    “We are not prohibiting the delivery of [medical] marijuana to residents of our city,” explained City Council member Robert Weinroth. “They could still have it dispensed from an outside dispensary and they would still have the use of medical marijuana if it was required.”
    A previous moratorium on operating medical marijuana treatment centers ended when the same measure was presented and failed on the 2014 ballot, but a city moratorium on dispensing and cultivation facilities remained in effect until Nov. 10. Weinroth said the city is simply buying time to address a possible land use it had never before considered and one that would have previously been considered illegal.
    No one from the public spoke for or against the issue.
    The moratorium gives Boca Raton time to address possible new land development regulations.  
    Amendment 2, which voters approved on Nov. 8, allows doctors to prescribe marijuana to anyone with cancer, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, hepatitis C, Lou Gehrig’s disease, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, Crohn’s disease or other conditions for which they think the use of medical marijuana “would likely outweigh the potential health risks for the patient.”
    Since 2014, the Florida Legislature has revised the definition of “dispensing organization” to include the transportation of cannabis and to include the use of “medical cannabis” for eligible patients with terminal conditions.
    Deputy Mayor Mike Mullaugh wondered why the city’s Planning and Zoning Board had only approved the measure with a 4-1 vote instead of a unanimous vote.
    A city staff member told Mullaugh that Planning and Zoning Board member Arnold Seville voted against extending the moratorium because he wondered what staff had done since the last extension and also noted that the city did not try to regulate traditional pharmacies such as CVS, which sell potent drugs.

Stacy Beaulieu-Fawcett chose Delray Beach for her office because of its ‘small-town’ feel.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Brian Biggane

    As a single mother of a young, autistic child, Stacy Beaulieu-Fawcett recalls having some sleepless nights when she launched what is now the Beaulieu-Fawcett Law Group in Delray Beach 10 years ago.
    “I’ve always been an adventurous person. But I do remember lying in bed many nights praying to get through that month,” she said. “Those first three months were very scary.
    “But it really was an adventure, and a lot of people have walked through it with me. And now we want to see the people who have been through this 10-year process with us and say thank you.”
    Honored as the 2014 Businesswoman of the Year in Delray Beach, Beaulieu-Fawcett and her 13-person staff have since grown into one of the leading family and Christian law firms in Palm Beach County, and celebrated their success with a 10th-anniversary open house Nov. 17 at their Pineapple Grove offices.
    A graduate of both the University of Miami and the UM Law School, Beaulieu-Fawcett clerked under Miami family law Judge Amy Karan before starting her own firm. She decided early on that family law was her calling.
    “I wanted to help families, so it was either family law or probate law, where I could help grieving families get through that process. But once I spent a little time in her courtroom, I knew that’s where I needed to be.”
    Her firm moved from near the courthouse to its current location in 2008, and with clients coming from Palm Beach and as far as north Palm Beach County, opened a Palm Beach Gardens office in 2011. Beaulieu-Fawcett anticipated closing on an office property off A1A in North Palm Beach by the end of November. That office is run by Celia E. Henry.
    “Family firms are usually a one- or two-man show, or a department in a bigger firm. But [the growth] shows we’re doing our job. Most of our business comes from word of mouth and past clients, so that we’ve been growing and are able to keep growing [means] we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing.”
    The firm is also doing an honorable job of giving back. After a staff vote, the decision was to also use the anniversary party to honor and contribute to 4 Kids of South Florida, a foster agency it has also helped in the past.
    “We try to be supportive of many agencies, but we narrowed it to teens in foster care, because no one is going to adopt them,” said Beaulieu-Fawcett, whose son, Daniel, is now 12. Guests to the party were each asked to bring a gift card for the organization.
    Beaulieu-Fawcett said she did some searching before settling on Delray Beach as the home for the firm back in 2006.
“It has that small-town community feel, and I wanted that,” she said. “I didn’t want the big city, downtown or up on a high floor. I considered Stuart for a time, again looking for that small-town feel, but eventually I decided on Delray. So I went to Delray and haven’t left.”

By Rich Pollack

    Highland Beach residents will have a chance to come together and enjoy the season during the annual Light Up the Holidays celebration set for Dec. 5.
    Held at 5 p.m. at Town Hall, 3612 S. Ocean Blvd., Light Up the Holidays will feature a performance by the award-winning Dimensional Harmony choir from Boynton Beach High School. Father Gerald Grace from St. Lucy Catholic Church will offer a Christmas message and resident Harry Adwar will say a Hanukkah blessing.
    Cookies and other sweets will be offered along with coffee, hot chocolate and water.
    “Light Up the Holidays is a wonderful time for us all to come together and embrace the spirit of the season,” said interim Town Manager Valerie Oakes.
    Parking is available at St. Lucy Catholic Church with golf cart transportation available to the free event.
    For more information, contact Highland Beach Town Hall at 278-4548.

By Janis Fontaine

    The students in Banyan Creek Elementary School’s chapter of the Samaritans365 club are proof that young people can take the initiative in helping others.
    More than three dozen fourth- and fifth-graders at the Delray Beach school participated in an educational fundraiser Oct. 20 to help homeless families.
    The students learned about family homelessness and how they can help homeless families with children. Each student created a House for Change, a house-shaped collection box to save spare change. The coins collected will be donated to the charity Family Promise to use to help homeless families become independent.
    The nonprofit Samaritans365 is a free after-school program. The program teaches children to be compassionate caretakers of the Earth and its people.
    The Houses for Change campaign was launched in 2010, and since then 50,000 kids nationwide have raised more than $500,000 for charities that help homeless people.
    Find out how you can start your own House for Change or Samaritans365 chapter at www.samaritans365.org.
    Call 715-3534 or email kgellen@comcast.net.

St. Paul’s Christmas music
    The December performance of Music at St. Paul’s features “Noel! Noel! A French Christmas.” The St. Paul’s choir and musicians will present the Lessons of the Seasons through carols and traditional French hymns, including the Christmas Oratorio of Camille Saint-Saens, at 3 p.m. Dec. 18. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is at 188 S. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. The concert is free. Call 278-6003 or visit www.music.stpaulsdelray.org.

Putting faith into practice
    “Walking Toward Eternity,” a two-day seminar with Jeff Cavins, will be hosted by St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church on Dec. 9 and 10. The seminar will help guests put their faith into practice, challenge them to make changes in their lives that will bring them closer to God and become the people they were meant to be. The seminar is designed for Catholics, but the message is universal.
    Cavins is an author, speaker, preacher, radio personality, theologian, evangelist and married father of girls.
He created his own Bible study guide, The Great Adventure Bible Study series, which has guided thousands of people though Bible studies around the world.
    Cavins’ seminar kicks off Dec. 9 with a book signing and reception from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
On Dec. 10, the work begins. The cost of the seminar is $38, which includes all seminar materials, continental breakfast, and lunch.
All events take place at St. Vincent Ferrer at 840 George Bush Blvd., Delray Beach. Call 276-6892 for more information or register at www.stvincentferrer.com/jeffcavins.

Share the Light Gala
    Chabad of East Boca Raton hosts “Share the Light, a Gala Reception and Concert,” at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 19, at Hyatt Place Hotel, 100 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton. Lamplighter Awards will be given to three people who exemplify the prayer “A little light dispels much darkness.” Marc Goldman, Arlene Herson and Eric Reid will be recognized.
    An acoustic performance by Matisyahu will follow the awards. His music is a fusion of styles ranging from reggae to rock, with a deeply spiritual flavor. Tickets are $180. Sponsorships are still available. For more information, visit www.bocabeachchabad.org/sharethelight.

Prayer breakfast date set
    The annual Pray for Delray Prayer Breakfast will begin at 7 a.m. Jan. 11 at Old School Square Fieldhouse, Delray Beach.
Proceeds will benefit City House Delray Beach, a not-for-profit organization whose vision is to provide two-year transitional living for single mothers and their children. (www.cityhousedelray.com)
    The keynote speaker is Capt. Kevin Saxton of Delray Beach Fire Rescue. Austin French, the worship pastor at the Avenue Church, will perform. French was the runner-up on the ABC series Rising Star in 2014.
    Tickets are $25 and are available at www.theacdelray.ccbchurch.com.

Jewish Film Festival
    The 27th annual Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival will bring 30 movies by Jewish filmmakers to local stages in January and February. The PBJFF was founded in 1990 to bring the best films to more people, especially in America.
    Jewish art, culture and history, Jewish political challenges and social issues, Jewish achievements and acts of valor are all explored in the movies.
    The festival will open Jan. 19 at the Kravis Center with the film On the Map, the story of Israel’s 1977 basketball team, which was the first to bring the coveted European Cup to Israel. The film’s director, Dani Menkin, and basketball legend Tal Brody will attend the screening and a post-film discussion.
    Films will be screened from Jan. 19 to Feb. 12 at the Kravis Center; Jan. 21-27 at the Cinemark Palace in Boca Raton; Jan. 28-Feb. 4 at Cobb Theatres in Palm Beach Gardens; Feb. 5-11 at the Frank Theatres in Delray Beach; and closing Feb. 12 at Muvico at CityPlace in West Palm Beach. Visit www.pbjff.org; call 877- 318-0071.

Walk where Jesus walked
    First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach is hosting a trip to Israel April 19-28, led by Doug and Grace Hood. Travelers will find a new dimension and a deeper understanding of Christian history. The cost is $3,998 per person, all-inclusive. Money is due Jan. 10. Register at www.friendshiptours.com or email Nancy Fine at nancyfine@FirstDelray.org.

Audio engineer needed
    Cason United Methodist Church in Delray Beach is looking for a weekend audio engineer who can provide audio reinforcement for Sunday morning services. The engineer must be dependable, a team player and organized. For details, visit www.casonumc.org/job-opportunities.
    
Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Contact her at janisfontaine@outlook.com.

'Dr. R2' is the telemedicine device named after Rogers.

From left, Charles K. Cross Jr., chair of the Palm Beach State College Board of Trustees;

Jacqueline Rogers, Lake Worth campus dean of health sciences and public safety and founder

of the Center of Excellence in Medical Simulation; college President Ava L. Parker;

and Florida College System Chancellor Madeline Pumariega.

Photos provided

By Christine Davis

   In “Healthgrades 2017 Report to the Nation,” Delray Medical Center received recognition as one of America’s 100 best hospitals for stroke care.
    Healthgrades is an online resource that helps consumers make informed decisions about doctors, hospitals and care. It evaluated nearly 4,500 hospitals nationwide for 34 of the most common inpatient procedures and conditions.
    Its new report shows how clinical performance differs among hospitals nationally, regionally and at the local level, and the impact that this variation may have on health outcomes. For example, from 2013 to 2015, if all hospitals as a group performed similarly to hospitals receiving five stars, on average 223,412 lives potentially could have been saved and 162,215 complications potentially could have been avoided.
    Healthgrades also recognized Delray Medical Center with Specialty Excellence in Cranial Neurosurgery, Critical Care and eight other five-star achievements. For its analysis, Healthgrades evaluated approximately 45 million Medicare inpatient records for nearly 4,500 short-term acute care hospitals nationwide, assessing hospital performance.
    The Healthgrades 2017 Report to the Nation can be found at www.healthgrades.com/quality. For information about stroke services at Delray Medical Center, visit www.delraymedicalctr.com/our-services/neurosciences/comprehensive-stroke-center.
                                
    In November, the Center of Excellence in Medical Simulation at Palm Beach State College received the Chancellor’s Best Practice Award by the Florida College System as a 2016 recipient. Jacqueline Rogers, Lake Worth campus dean of health sciences and public safety, founded the center in 2011. The center allows students to practice clinical skills using human patient simulators that can mimic medical conditions.
    At the college’s Lake Worth campus, the center is set up like a hospital. The patients are wireless computerized male and female mannequins in various stages of life. The students care for them while their instructor observes behind a one-way mirror. The simulation system operators, who are paramedics and nurses, work closely with the instructors, speak as the patients and instantly change vital signs depending on the patients’ conditions and the treatment given by the students.
    The Center of Excellence in Medical Simulation has provided more than 4,613 simulations to 8,561 students in 1,428 classes in the college’s health science and emergency medical services programs.
    Recently, the center added telemedicine training scenarios to simulate how a physician can interact in a health-care setting from a remote location. “Dr. R2” is a double robotics technology utilizing an iPad on a stick on wheels. Through wireless technology, Dr. R2 can be driven by the remote practitioner using a tablet or smartphone. The practitioner maneuvers the device and is able to see and speak to patients and medical staff in real time.
    “From the various levels of training in our health science and EMS career paths, students can not only envision their role, but understand the role of their colleagues caring for patients,” Rogers said. “Through reality-based scenarios, students apply learning concepts and develop critical thinking skills, all without jeopardizing patient safety. It is for this reason graduates from Palm Beach State College’s Health Science and EMS programs are sought after by employers.”
    To view a video of the center in action, visit www.palmbeachstate.edu/MedicalSimulation.
                                
    Donna Clark is now Hanley Center Foundation’s director of finance and administration. She’ll oversee administrative operations as well as financial activities performed on behalf of the foundation. With more than 25 years of experience in finance and administration, she has served in government and nonprofit environments.
                                
    In September, Palm Beach Ocean Rescue was presented with a $4,400 scholarship check from the Palm Beach County Community Assistance and Benefit Corp. The money will help two of its lifeguards take an emergency medical technician course.
                                
    Michael Cortese was promoted to Bethesda Health’s director of outpatient rehabilitation services. He has worked at Bethesda for 25 years, previously serving as the outpatient rehabilitation supervisor. Cortese’s 30 years of experience in health care includes his work as a physical therapist for the Colorado Sports and Spine Center and as an athletic trainer at the Methodist Sports Medicine Clinic in Indiana.
    He earned his master’s degree in physical therapy from Krannert Graduate School of Physical Therapy at the University of Indianapolis. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Colorado College.
    He is a certified athletic trainer and serves an athletic trainer and physical therapist for the USA National Sled Hockey Team. In the past, he has served as an athletic trainer for the United States 2014 Paralympic team, United States Soccer Federation and the Ladies Professional Golf Association.
                                
    Mark Trepanier is Abbey Delray’s new executive director. He will oversee day-to-day operations of the senior living community, which has 352 residential living apartment homes and villas, and offers a variety of services to more than 450 residents. Trepanier previously was a regional executive director for ClubLink Corp., a golf and country club management company.

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

Liz Bernstein, a coach at the Power Stretch Studios’ Delray Beach location,

stretches Megan Bell Taylor, the studio owner. The studio opened in November.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Lona O'Connor

    Lee Taylor got his first power stretching session in New Jersey in May. He was running out of options for pain relief from spinal stenosis and he was willing to try anything that might ward off surgery.
    “I did it for an hour with one of the stretch coaches and absolutely loved it,” said Taylor, a commodities broker. “I signed up for a 10-pack of sessions. That was mid-May. By mid-June, I was talking to Kika about opening a studio in Florida.”
    Kika DuBose, an actor and dancer, had launched three Power Stretch studios in New York and New Jersey, where power stretching coaches use her “Kika method” of stretching tight muscles while clients relax.
    Taylor and DuBose worked out an agreement. Taylor and his wife, Megan Bell Taylor, scouted locations in Delray Beach, where they had visited friends.  
    In August, a few blocks north of Atlantic Avenue, they discovered a mint-green house with a separate small building in the back. They moved into the house and outfitted the studio with a big exercise mat and large exercise balls.
    “I’m so optimistic about power stretching that I made my agreement for the entire state of Florida,” Taylor said. “Meg saw the excitement in my eyes when I told her — she’s seen how much pain I’ve gone through — and she was ready.”
    “Usually, he starts something and then after a couple of weeks he doesn’t want to do it anymore,” said Megan, who runs the newly opened Power Stretch studio in downtown Delray Beach. “He really took to this 100 percent.”
    She  hired and trained four stretching coaches and opened the Power Stretch studio in November.
    The target demographic for power stretching is men, who tend to be tighter than women. Both sexes often relegate stretching to a few minutes before or after other forms of exercise, said Megan Bell Taylor.
    Power stretching makes mindful stretching a central activity that improves other forms of exercise and gives an immediate sensation of relaxation.
    Unlike conventional massage, power stretching does not occur on a table. The client sits on a spongy floor mat and the stretching coach measures how close the client can come to touching his toes while in a seated position. Then the coach places the client in a series of positions and helps him stretch neck, chest, hips and extremities. All the client has to do is breathe deeply in and out as instructed. Sessions are 45 or 60 minutes long.
    “It was like night and day,” said Lee Taylor, who first went to the doctor after losing some feeling in his feet three years ago. “I felt taller and more flexible. My joints weren’t cracking.”  Before he began stretching, his golf swing was getting shorter and he was often in too much low- and mid-back pain to walk for 18 holes. After power stretching twice a week with a coach, he recently golfed three times in three days.
    Chris Gallucci, 31, a personal trainer and body builder, became a coach for power stretching as a part-time job opportunity. He has three bulging vertebral disks and because of his age hopes to put off surgery as long as possible. He had been getting massaged once a week, but “the pain comes back right away,” said Gallucci, who lives in Lantana.
    After a few sessions of power stretching, he got relief from his back pain.
    “He looked completely different, his chest was open, he was much more relaxed,” recalled fellow coach Liz Bernstein. Gallucci and his girlfriend, also a personal trainer, now power stretch each other at home.
    When he started power stretching, Gallucci was less flexible than one of his clients, a 70-year-old. And now?
    “I’m walking taller, my posture is better. It helped my back and hamstrings, big time. And I can put my socks on. Before, I couldn’t even put my socks on.”
    Lee and Megan Taylor are considering opening as many as five future locations in Palm Beach and Broward counties, perhaps in Boca Raton, Palm Beach Gardens and West Palm Beach. They are also considering demonstration sessions at golf clubs, as DuBose has done in the New York-New Jersey area.
    “Delray is a fantastic place for us,” said Taylor. “You see a ton of people, older, younger, active, in great shape. We’ve made an investment in ourselves and in our future.”
    The Power Stretch studio is at 334 NE First Ave., Delray Beach. Phone 562-5321. An introductory 45-minute session is $45. Normally, sessions are $80 for 45 minutes or $90 for 60 minutes. Package rates are available, too. For more information, visitpowerstretchstudios.com/delray-beach-fl/

Lona O’Connor has a lifelong interest in health and healthy living. Send column ideas to Lona13@bellsouth.net.

A simple red and green theme conveys the essence of Christmas.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Everything we do centers on food. After all, we’re only human.
And at no time is that more obvious than during the holidays.
Think about it: Near the end of each year, we savor Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas fare. We bid farewell to the old year with parties and welcome the new with brunches at which we recover from festivities the night before.
So why not feed the eye as well as the belly?
This year’s holiday gift guide offers options to treat our friends and ourselves to the quirky and the fun for our tabletops, as well as the elegant and the refined.
Surrounding those tables with people we love transforms those spaces into something exquisite.
Perhaps that’s the greatest gift of all.
— Scott Simmons

Your shopping guide to 12 gifts

for the perfect host or hostess (or yourself!)

Naughty/Nice matches
Who’s naughty and who’s nice?
We can’t say for sure. But this is the perfect gift for that matchless friend.
Most folks tend to light a lot of candles during the holidays.
These boxes of long matches offer an elegant alternative to burning your fingers while using a cigarette lighter to do the job.
And the naughty folks on your list? Isn’t it nicer to give them a box of matches than a lump of coal?
Available at $5 a box at Spice, 521 E. Atlantic Ave. (just west of The Colony Hotel), Delray Beach; 562-8869.

Stylish salad tongs
It’s easy to put on a few pounds over the holiday season.
But these salad tongs by Michael Aram may inspire hosts and guests alike to dine sensibly.
As always, Aram’s style embraces organic motifs of leaves and vines.
They’re fanciful enough for everyday use, but fancy enough for even the fussiest of entertainers.
Priced at $100 each at Clive Daniel Home, 1351 NW Boca Raton Blvd. (at Glades Road), Boca Raton; 440-4663 or www.clivedaniel.com.

Holiday spreaders
For hosts and hostesses who spread themselves a little too thin, we offer these cute enameled knives, perfect for a schmear of cream cheese, hummus or whatever suits you.
I was especially partial to the cardinal- and the poinsettia-handled blades, but all were pretty and work in any setting.
Plus, at $8 apiece, they’re perfect to throw in with a gift of jam or cheese and crackers.
Available at The Fancy Flamingo, 640 E. Ocean Ave., Suite 20, Boynton Beach; 735-8848.

Plates that are a feast for the eye

At first glance, these colorful dinner plates are pottery from France, Portugal or Italy.
Pick one up. It’s sturdy melamine, making it perfect for dinner on the deck or a picnic on the beach.
Le Cadeaux, the company that makes these plates, cups and bowls, infuses the dishes with deep, lustrous colors that will hold up to years of parties without fading or chipping.
That rooster plate truly is something to crow about.
Available at $14.95 each at Gulfstream Pharmacy, 4998 N. Ocean Blvd., Briny Breezes; 276-4800.

A centerpiece of silvered fruits and vegetables

Mom always told you to eat your vegetables.
But now that you’re all grown up, you can simply admire them.
These life-size Ruzzetti & Gow creations would be appetizing at the center of any table.
The ear of corn is especially beautiful in its detailing, right down to the tiniest kernel.
But I also went nuts over that exquisitely crafted walnut. Hungry yet?
Priced at $1,200 (for all) at Great Stuff, 901 George Bush Blvd., Delray Beach; 243-0010.

Abalone jar
Picture the tea table. You have the water pot and the teapots, the cream, the sugar, some cups and saucers.
But what’s missing? A biscuit jar.
This seaside-themed glass and metal container is whimsical enough for a casual setting, but classic enough in its design to fit in with a more formal space.
Available for $83 at Excentricities, 117 NE Fifth Ave., Delray Beach; 278-0886 or www.excentricities.com.

Flamingo party napkins

We offer you two options — cloth and paper.
The venerable Pioneer Linens in downtown West Palm Beach had a huge selection of witty embroidered cocktail napkins. The “Monkey See, Monkey Drink” motif napkins drew a chuckle, but these flamingo-themed “Flock Tails” napkins reminded me of our coastal communities.
Don’t feel like washing or ironing?
The stylish Quigley Maguire is selling these elegantly simple paper cocktail napkins by Caspari. I’m not sure whether the flamingo has had one too many, but it is smiling and wearing a hat and a wreath.
“Flock Tails” napkins available for $36 for a set of four at Pioneer Linens, 210 Clematis St., West Palm Beach; 655-8553 or www.pioneerlinens.com.
Caspari paper napkins are available at $5 per package at Quigley Maguire Collections, 301 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach; 450-7471 or www.quigleymaguire.com.

Food-themed ornaments

These blown glass ornaments have appetizingly crisp detail, from the pomegranate seeds right down to the veins on the leaves of that Brussels sprout.
Picture a whole bowl of these ornaments as a table centerpiece. Or use them as table favors at each place setting.
It’s a nice way to give guests a souvenir of good times and good company.
After all, isn’t that what the holidays are all about?
Prices start at $10 apiece at Sur la Table, Mizner Park, 438 Plaza Real, Boca Raton; 953-7638 or www.surlatable.com.

Venetian glass
For centuries, the glassblowers of Venice have cornered the market on elegant flights of crystal fancy.
This set of 1920s goblets, part of a larger set that includes plates, bowls and other stems, has fanciful enameling of mythical centaurs.
Priced at $2,800 for a set of 12 at Devonia Antiques, 3703 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach; 429-8566 or www.devonia-antiques.com.

Handpainted peppermills
Lois Brezinski always has a nice selection of artwork, handcrafted items and other accessories that harmonize with life along the shore.
Picture one of these unique peppermills painted with scenes of pelicans, sea turtles and other motifs that evoke the sea and remind us of why we live in South Florida.
These are painted stylishly enough that you could dress them up or down, using them in either formal or casual settings.
Available at $75 and up at Lois Brezinski Artworks (next to The Colony Hotel), 533 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; 400-8869 or www.loisbrezinskiartworks.com.

The Pioneer Cook
The Boca Raton Historical Society has the recipe for a little nostalgia this holiday season with its reprinting of Donald W. Curl’s The Pioneer Cook, offering recipes from late 19th- and early 20th-century settlers of Southeast Florida.
Some recipes, especially those involving sea turtle eggs, are outdated. But society Director Mary Csar points out that many, including coconut cakes and pies, would be right at home on any table this holiday season.
Available for $18.95 at the Boca Raton Historical Society’s Fire Bay Gift Shop, 71 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton; 395-6766, Ext. 302, or www.bocahistory.org.

An elegant holiday bouquet

Nothing says, “I love you,” quite like flowers.
And nothing says, “I really love you,” like this centerpiece by Joseph Roehm of From Roehm With Love.
He combined roses, amaryllis and magnolias for color, the red berries of prickly heath, plus seeded eucalyptus, James Storie orchids from Bangkok and gray Dusty Miller for texture, and lit it all up with underwater lights. “It’s truly an international bouquet,” he says.
We think that you’ll agree it’s one harmonious mix.
Priced at about $365 From Roehm With Love, 257 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach; 274-0190.

About the cover

Our holiday table is one at which friends and family could gather for lunch or dinner.
We wanted something that was simple, yet elegant and could transcend time and holiday traditions.
The 1930s Minton Lyre pattern dishes and 1930s ruby Candlewick goblets evoke the season without hitting you over the head with a Christmas theme.
The 1920s Towle sterling flatware lends a sophisticated touch, as do the 1920s Fostoria Irish Lace needle-etched stems, perfect for raising a glass to those we love and to that exquisite floral centerpiece by Joseph Roehm and company at From Roehm With Love.
 Special thanks to Val and Steve Coz, who lent us their Ocean Ridge dining room in which to create this scene.
China, crystal, silver and styling provided by Scott Simmons.

Talia Vessal and Christelle Singh show their plans for adding an outdoor gym to Barwick Park.

The gym will include an elliptical machine, leg press, chest press, pull-up bars, dipping bars and an abdominal bench.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Janis Fontaine

    Atlantic High School seniors Christelle Singh, 17, and Talia Vessal, 18, are in their final year in the international baccalaureate career program. The students, whose career paths focus on drafting and engineering, paired up to develop a plan and design for a community asset.
    After brainstorming, they suggested designing an outdoor gym in Barwick Park in Delray Beach. Similar gyms have been popping up elsewhere, but there weren’t any in Delray Beach.
    The project quickly gained momentum and got a lot of support from their teachers. The more work they did, the more support they got, and the more enthusiastic they became.
    They chose Barwick Park because it is a little run-down from overuse. Barwick Park, at the intersection of Lake Ida and Barwick roads, has a 1¼-mile running trail, a children’s playground, a large field used for sporting events, and pavilions. “It’s in constant use by its large residential population,” Christelle said.
    A meeting with the Delray Beach Parks and Recreation Department ended with approval from the city for them to raise money to build the first public outdoor gym in Delray Beach.
    Now the students needed money, so Christelle and Talia created a GoFundMe web page.
    The two plan to build the gym in four phases, especially if they don’t raise all the money they need right away. On Dec. 6, they’ll present their plan to the City Commission.  They’re hoping to get some funding from the local government.
    They’ve got a list of positive outcomes that could come from the gym: “We believe building an outdoor workout gym will create a healthier community, mentally and physically.”
    Most people know about the physical benefits of exercise, but the mental and emotional benefits are sometimes overlooked, they said. Exercise improves mood by releasing endorphins, which are your body’s natural feel-good chemicals.
     Christelle notes that since Delray Beach has become ground zero for a lot of people in recovery, “a gym could really help them.”
    “And other low-income people who can’t afford a gym membership,” Talia said.
    “Through this project, we’ve grown a stronger sense of community,” Christelle said, “and an appreciation for the people who get things done.
    “We want to get people out of the house into the park. It has a lot of potential. We’re planning a renovation day to get the community out there to fix it up.
     “We’ve been Facebooking, but we also made fliers. And we’ll talk to anyone who will listen.”
    Neither Christelle nor Talia is a resident of Delray Beach. Christelle is from Boca Raton and Talia is from Boynton Beach.  
    “If things go well, we’ll be breaking ground by spring,” Christelle said.
    Check out their page at www.gofundme.com/BarwickWorkoutPark. For more information, email Talia.Vessal@gmail.com.
    “We need sponsors,” Christelle said, “but any donation is greatly appreciated.”

Swiss chard can come in many colorful varieties.

Michael Page says that tending the vegetable garden at Mounts Botanical Garden is a relaxing task.

Chinese cooking staple bok choy.

Amethyst bush beans will turn green when cooked.

Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley

   Wend your way to the southwest corner of Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach and you’ll find tomato, red cabbage and other tender young plants laid out in well-organized rows.
    This is Mounts’ half-acre vegetable garden where we find Horticultural Supervisor Michael Page bending down to plant young basil stems.
    “This garden has an educational purpose to show people what they can do in their back yards,” he says.
    Page has been tending the Mounts gardens for 17 years. Ask him how he decides what crops to plant each year and he’ll tell you that he looks for vegetables that do well in South Florida’s climate, are disease-resistant and “catch my eye.”
    This year his choices include red, purple and white carrots; purple beans that turn green after cooking (“kids love them,” he says); Sierra onions that he has grown to the size of soccer balls; and cheddar cauliflower that’s actually yellow.
    There also are plenty of fruit trees, including mango, cherimoya, star fruit and jaboticaba, which has grapelike fruit that grows from the trunk of the tree. The trees are kept small by selecting dwarf varieties and selective pruning that makes harvest easy.
    Ask Page what he won’t plant and he’ll tell you: corn and anything in the cucumber family like zucchini that are susceptible to disease. “They are a nightmare. If you want to spray the heck out of them, be my guest. But for me it’s just too time-consuming,” he says.
    After all, there’s always something to keep him busy. To prepare the soil, he uses composted cow manure available in bags at big box stores. He pores over seed catalogs from Johnny’s Selected Seeds (www.johnnyseeds.com) to decide what to purchase.
    He has a file drawer full of catalogs but sticks with this company. “I’ve never had a bad package of seeds from them,” he says.
    After receiving the seeds, he begins planting. “Perhaps the biggest mistake people make is placing the seeds too deeply in the soil. Many need light to germinate,” he says.
    He shows us where, the day before, he planted carrot seeds by raking the ground, scattering the seeds and then lightly tamping them in with his rake.
    “You just have to make sure they come in contact with the soil and boom, you have a garden,” he says.
    As one type of crop matures and is harvested, he replaces it with another. He hopes to replant the rows three times during the growing season that ends in the spring.
    It ends sooner for people who overwater their gardens. “People water everything and end up killing it,” he says.
    Instead of traditional irrigation systems that use sprinklers, he has changed the garden over to drip irrigation. “It makes a big difference,” he says.
    As we walk through the garden he proudly points to the straight rows of Italian dandelion greens, bulbing fennel, Chinese cabbage and kale, many of which are swathed in straw. That helps keep the weeds down and the moisture in the soil. It also forms walkable paths between the crops so he and volunteers can lovingly tend each of the plants.
    “We just want to show you how simple it really is to grow this stuff,” he says, hoping he can persuade you to go home and start digging.

Gardening tip of the month
“If you don’t have room for raised tomato beds, grow them in pots. Just be sure to put the pot on something like a growing cloth or cement surface. You don’t want the roots growing out the hole in the bottom of the pot and coming in contact with the soil. Once the roots touch the soil, nematodes or small worms can get in and damage the roots. Then you have a problem.”

Michael Page, horticultural supervisor, Mounts Botanical Garden

If You Go
Mounts Botanical Garden, 531 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach
Hours: The garden is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon to 4 Sunday. Suggested donation for entry is $5 per person. Mounts Botanical Garden nursery, where you can purchase plants, is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Potted plants also are available at the gift shop.
Information: 233-1757; www.mounts.org

Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley is a master gardener who can be reached at debhartz@att.net.

The private school joined Jumpstart’s literacy initiative to help break a world record for the most students

reading the same book the same day. The book at hand was ‘The Bear Ate Your Sandwich’ by Julia Sarcone-Roach.

'Our children love to read,’ said Milka Santos, the school’s advancement director. ‘They often get to school early

to visit our Richard J. Schmeelk Family Library and check out books.’ A total of 200 readers participated

and were read to by WPTV-TV’s Ashley Hinson and Lake Worth Mayor Pam Triolo. Above are students,

administrators and board members (l-r): Nathaniel Sasser, 12, Cristina Balestrieri, Cynthia Ansel,

Denis Coleman, Frankie Stevens, Triolo, Isabella Walker, 11, Carla Cove, Hinson, Tomaxa Nazier, 12,

William Finneran, Samantha Gilles, 11, Candace Tamposi and Colleen Fitzgerald.

Photo provided

Students in prekindergarten through eighth grade gathered to show their support

against bullying in a celebration of Unity Day, a national initiative. To demonstrate acceptance,

inclusion and kindness, they created posters with uplifting messages and participated in an afternoon rally.

From left, fourth-graders Kylie Trainor, 9, Olivia Scott, 10, and Alivia Pugliese, 9, join fifth-graders

Ryan Fellowes, 10, and Cash DuBois, 10, at the rally.

Photo provided

Harriette Margolin, a patient at Bethesda Hospital, enjoys a visit from therapy dog Harley and Boynton Beach Detective Astrel Labbe, who investigates crimes against children and older adults.

Boone, Boynton Beach’s other therapy dog, led Harley on a tour of the hospital.

Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Arden Moore

    The city of Boynton Beach is doubly blessed with canine charm and compassion. And they answer to the names of Harley and Boone.
    Boone, a 4-year-old labradoodle, has been on the job since 2013 and mingles with city employees, occasionally attends City Commission meetings and spends a lot of time lifting spirits of children battling illnesses at local hospitals.
    Harley, a 5-year-old beagle mix, came on board in September. She reports to the Police Department’s Special Victims Unit and her task is to help children who are victims of abuse or neglect to feel safe and secure when being interviewed about criminal cases by detectives and attorneys.
    Harley represents a new breed of therapy dogs starting to be specially trained all over the country to help law enforcement, legal and health officials reach out to help people of all ages cope with stress, fear and traumatic experiences.
    Only two months into her role, it appears that Harley is perfect for this mission.
    She received training at the Paws & Stripes College at the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. Just before graduating, she was paired with Boynton Beach Detective Astrel Labbe, who traveled up to Brevard County to undergo training with this former shelter rescue.
    Labbe has been with the Boynton Beach Police Department for 15 years, spending the past decade in the Special Victims Unit, where he handles child neglect and abuse cases as well as sexual battery cases involving children and adults.
    “Harley is very perceptive, very quiet and very helpful toward children who are stressed by these circumstances,” says Labbe, a former social worker. “Some of our cases involving children can be very challenging and it can be very difficult for some of them to open up and talk. But the kids love and trust Harley. She welcomes their hugs.”
    Harley’s quiet, even-keeled nature is an asset to kids in need. Children are in a living room-like space where they are interviewed by police, forensic specialists and other officials. When Labbe enters the room, he quickly introduces Harley to the child.
    He gives each child the option of having Harley with them during the interviews and when necessary, during medical examinations.
    “A lot of the kids pick the option of having Harley with them,” he says. “In one of our first cases with Harley, a 5-year-old girl who was an alleged victim of child abuse was being very quiet. I then introduced her to Harley. She started petting Harley and then started to answer my questions.
    “Harley is an extra special tool we can use during our investigations. She is a great dog.”
    He spends 24/7 with Harley. At home, Harley hangs out with Labbe’s personal dog, Leah, a 6-year-old boisterous miniature pinscher.
    “Leah likes to yap, especially on walks, and the two get along pretty well,” notes Labbe. “Once I remove Harley’s vest at home, she knows she is off duty and is more playful than when at work.”
    Boone, on the other hand, shines as the city’s canine goodwill ambassador. He was undergoing extensive training to be a service dog by the Dogs for the Disabled organization in Martin County when he injured his anterior cruciate ligament in a rear leg. He was released from the program and then adopted by city employees Wally and Debbie Majors.
    Wally Majors is the director of recreation and parks administration while his wife serves as the city’s grant and Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator.
    “Boone comes with me every day to work and on weekends, Debbie and I take him to Bethesda Hospital where he meets with patients,” says Majors, now in his 31st year with the city. “Boone has proven to be too much of a gift to just be a pet. Before he was released, he had learned more than 80 skills, including turning on lights and putting socks in a laundry basket.”
    On occasion, Boone and Harley get to combine their canine talents in public appearances. The goal is for Boone to show Harley “the ropes” in putting her therapeutic talents to use at hospitals and schools, says Wally Majors.
    “Harley is definitely more quiet and reserved — perfect for her mission to work with children involved in something traumatic to help them feel more comfortable in communicating with police officers,” says Majors. “Boone is very energetic, playful and loves to chase a ball. When he visits kids in hospitals, he brings smiles to their faces when he performs a bow, waves or does some other trick.”
    Boone’s good nature also seems to be embraced by family members visiting terminally ill patients as well as hospital nurses.
    “One-third of Boone’s friends are nurses and yes, he has his own Facebook page,” said Majors, ushering me to view it (www.facebook.com/BooneMajors). “More and more people are recognizing the incredible impact therapy dogs like Boone and Harley have on people and how they help them deal with stress in a more manageable way. The city of Boynton Beach is very lucky to have these two dogs.”
    Paws down, I heartily agree.

Arden Moore, founder of www.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 www.PetLifeRadio.com. Learn more by visiting www.fourleggedlife.com.

Ryan Jones of Nautical Ventures demonstrates the Hobie Eclipse’s handlebars and pedals.

Steve Sprague of Tuppen’s Marine in Lake Worth stands near the stern of a Jupiter 38 FS.

Photos by Willie Howard/The Coastal Star

By Willie Howard

    When one of the world’s largest boat shows comes to Fort Lauderdale in November, it’s almost impossible for those of us addicted to boating to stay away.
    I made my annual trek to the 57th annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show on opening day, Nov. 3.
    For fellow boat lovers who weren’t able to make it to the show, here’s a sample of powerboats, paddlecraft and accessories I found there:

Catamaran paddleboard:

    The twin-hulled paddleboard by Live Watersports is billed as more stable than a traditional paddleboard.
    The “cat board” is designed as a fishing platform and can be fitted with a variety of accessories.
    The 14-foot L4 Expedition model on display at the boat show was rigged with an electric outboard motor, a depth finder, a Power Pole stake-out system, a marine audio system and a live bait well.  
 “I tried to turn a paddleboard into a micro skiff,” said Ryan Jones of Nautical Ventures in Dania Beach, who takes his board offshore, onto the Florida Keys flats and into freshwater canals.
 The 14-foot model sells for $2,699 (without the add-ons) and can carry 700 pounds. The smaller L2 Fish (12 feet, 6 inches) will carry 500 pounds and sells for $2,299.
    Divers use the catamaran boards as platforms to rest and to carry gear and the dive flag, Jones said.
 No trailer is required for paddleboards such as the L2 Fish, which weighs 51 pounds (without accessories). Carry them in the back of a truck or on top of a car. Launch at the beach or anywhere you can drop in a kayak.

Boston Whaler 13:

    The 13-foot Boston Whaler, formally known as the 130 Super Sport, has been a go-to skiff for generations of boaters.
    The 2017 model sells for about $15,000 rigged with a 40-horsepower Mercury four-stroke outboard, optional padded seats with folding back rests and a galvanized trailer.
    Other options include a bow pad for sun lounging and a Bimini top for shade.
    This wee Whaler is rated to hold four people, draws 7 inches of water and weighs about 850 pounds including the engine and fuel.
    Boaters often choose the smaller 11-foot Whaler with a 25-horsepower outboard for use as a tender behind larger boats and sailboats, said Danny Brown of Marine Max in Palm Beach Gardens.  

Paddle or pedal board:

    For people who have trouble paddling and balancing on a standup paddleboard, Hobie offers the Eclipse.
    The Eclipse features handlebars extending up from the front of the board — both for balance and for steering.
    Users stand on pedals that enable them to use their legs instead of their upper bodies to propel the board through the water with the MirageDrive — flipper-like blades under the board driven by the pedals.
    The 12-foot Mirage Eclipse sells for $2,599 and will support up to 275 pounds. Tie-down straps hold a small cooler or life jacket on the back of the board. The rudder kicks up when the board is beached.
    Board riders who would rather paddle than pedal can remove the MirageDrive and the steering bar to paddle the Eclipse.
    For details, go to www.hobie.com.

Pursuit C-260 center console:

     This slick-looking center console is rated for 400 horsepower, making it a good match for a pair of the relatively light, four-cylinder outboards that produce 200 horsepower.
    Standard features include a 30-gallon live bait well, a 31-gallon insulated fish box (with separate cooler in the transom) and a forward-opening center console door that provides access to a small head (toilet).
    The C-260 comes with a smooth-edged hard top, padded forward seats and coaming bolsters to protect legs when they’re leaning against the gunwales.
    Rigged with twin 200-horsepower Yamaha four-stroke outboards, the C-260 weighs 6,130 pounds (dry weight) and gets 2.49 miles per gallon at its optimum cruising speed of 28 mph, according to Pursuit.
    Base price: $112,000 with twin 200 Yamaha outboards.  For details, go to www.pursuitboats.com.

Regulator 25:

    Regulator is known among offshore anglers for building beastie boats that handle big seas well compared with other boats of the same size.
    One reason: They’re heavy. The 25-foot Regulator FS (forward seating) weighs 7,500 pounds (dry) with twin 200-horsepower Yamaha outboards. That’s almost 1,400 pounds more than the comparable Pursuit C-260 with the same engines.
    Another reason: Regulators are built in North Carolina, where inlets are notoriously rough and a run into the Gulf Stream can easily be 30 to 40 miles.
    All hatches on the Regulator are insulated, gel-coated and lighted. They include a forward deck fish box large enough to double as locking rod storage when the fishing day is over.
    Standard features include a surfboard-style, smooth-edged hard top, triple batteries, a standup head in the console, bow seating pads, and coaming bolsters all around to pad the legs when the boat is rocking.
    The 25 Regulator also has a flush-folding transom seat and a yacht-style transom door that fully seals the transom when closed.
    Base price: $156,000 with twin 200 Yamaha outboards. For details, go to www.regulatormarine.com.

Jupiter 38 FS:

    This center console offers a lot of fishing space but is still fast and trailerable (with a strong truck and a highway permit).
    The Jupiter 38 FS (forward seating) on display at the boat show will be visible in Palm Beach County offshore fishing tournaments. Dealer Steve Sprague of Tuppen’s Marine in Lake Worth will be at the helm during tournaments. (Look for the Jupiter 38 with triple outboards and a wahoo decal on the side.)
    The 38 FS comes standard with a 60-gallon live bait well. The Tuppen’s boat at the show was built with a second 60-gallon live well, giving it 120 gallons of bait-holding capacity.
    Jupiter Marine offers many options for the 38 FS, including a bow thruster for docking, a dive door for easy entry into the water, bucket storage in the aft bilge and a stern seat.
The base price for the 38 FS with triple Yamaha 300 outboards:  $357,900. The 38 FS at the boat show, rigged with triple 300 Yamahas, electronics and options, was priced at $483,723.
To learn more, go to www.jupitermarine.com.

Just float and relax:

    Once you’ve reached that idyllic boating destination, what then?
    Pull out the Nauti Buoy floating platform, inflate it with the electric pump and take a few hours to relax on the water.
    Unlike a basic inflatable raft, Nauti Buoy platforms are made for tough duty and are stabilized with ballast bags in the corners, similar to those used to keep life rafts upright.
    Nauti Buoy platforms were developed in Europe by former yacht crewmen who used inflatable platforms for hull maintenance near the waterline.
    Nauti Buoy platforms can be linked in sequence to produce makeshift docks extending from the side of a yacht or a dock.
    The top-of-the-line 800 model (13 feet, 1 inch by 6.5 feet) demonstrated at the boat show can support 1,543 pounds and was fitted with a leisure package, including comfy lounge seats.
    Price for the 800 model with the leisure package: About $7,600. For more info, go to www.nautibuoymarine.com.

Company founder Troy Faletra of Fort Lauderdale holds a yellow Throw Raft float.

Willie Howard/The Coastal Star

Throwable flotation device easy to tote on boat

    Carrying a Type 4 (throwable) flotation device such as a ring buoy or seat cushion can be a hassle on a boat.
    The Coast Guard requires throwables and wants them to be out and accessible in case someone suddenly goes overboard.
    At the same time, if your boat runs more than, say, 30 knots, a seat cushion or ring buoy is likely to flap around or might even blow out of the boat if it’s not strapped down.
    Throw Raft came up with a solution: a compact, inflatable, throwable device that’s Coast Guard-approved.
    The little orange packet inflates automatically when submerged. Or it can be manually inflated and thrown after it’s inflated.
    The Throw Raft is far smaller than a ring buoy or seat cushion and less likely to flop around. Deflated and packed, it measures 11 inches by 4 inches. (Inflated, it measures 22 inches by 21 inches and provides 20 pounds of buoyancy.)
    One drawback: Like an inflatable life jacket, the Throw Raft must be dried, repacked and rearmed with a CO-2 cartridge after it’s used.
    The Throw Raft Type 4 inflatable sells for $129 or $199 with a protective mounting case. For details, go to www.throwraft.com.

Shark fishing regulations
on hold in Palm Beach
    The Palm Beach Town Council postponed action in November on proposed shark-fishing regulations for town beaches.
    Approved on first reading Oct. 10, the ordinance would prohibit shark fishing and chumming within 300 feet north and south of town beaches and beach-access points.
    The council was scheduled to take a final vote on the shark fishing ordinance Nov. 8 but instead sent it back to the ordinances, rules and standards committee for review.

Coming events
    Dec. 3: Basic boating safety class offered by Coast Guard Auxiliary, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the 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.
    Dec. 9-10: Operation Sailfish, a sailfish release tournament, based at Sailfish Marina in Palm Beach Shores. This is the first leg of the Quest for the Crest sailfish tournament series organized by Bluewater Movements. Entry fee $4,770 per team. Call 954-725-4010 or visit www.operationsailfish.com.
    Dec. 9: The Boynton Beach/Delray Beach Holiday Boat Parade kicks off at 6 p.m. with music at Boynton Harbor Marina. Decorated boats will line up at the Ocean Avenue Bridge in Lantana and begin moving south through the Intracoastal Waterway at 7 p.m. Boats will continue south through Delray Beach this year to the C-15 Canal. It’s free. Donations of new, unwrapped toys will be collected along the parade route. For details, call 600-9097.

Tip of the month
    Want to stop your boat near shallow snorkeling spots along the beaches of Palm Beach County?
Consider using a mooring buoy instead of dropping anchor and risking damage to corals and hard bottom.
    Ten mooring buoys can be found at the Boca Raton patch reefs — about 2 miles north of Boca Raton Inlet in about 25 feet of water. (Look for the floating balls that hold the pickup lines.)
Farther north, mooring buoys can be found off Mar-a-Lago, off The Breakers hotel, off Singer Island and at the Diamondhead Radnor Reef north of the Juno Beach Pier.
To use a mooring buoy, have a boat hook or gaff available to reach out for the loop on the end of the floating pickup line.
    Pass your boat’s bow line through the loop on the pickup line, then secure it to a cleat.
    Mooring buoys are designed for boats up to 40 feet and for use in seas of 2 feet or less. Using them with larger boats or in bigger seas could rip them out of the bottom.

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

Brightline celebrates a construction milestone at the station in West Palm Beach.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Road work to wrap as Brightline comes

on board and airports upgrade

By Mary Hladky

    If there’s one constant in South Florida, it’s the never-ending hassle to get from Point A to Point B.
    Woefully inadequate public transit forces people to remain behind the wheels of their cars. All those cars clog roads and highways. An accident can bring Interstate 95 to a standstill for hours. Road construction intended to make things better brings with it detours and delays.
    But 2017 is expected to usher in the completion of some major projects that will bring some relief. No cure-all, mind you. Enough, though, to ease the burden a bit — until the next major disruption comes along.
    Mark your calendars for a big one. Construction of I-95 express lanes will extend into Palm Beach County in 2018, as existing HOV lanes are converted into two express lanes in each direction. While the project will move into the southern part of the county that year, most of the work — from just south of Glades Road to Linton Boulevard — is scheduled to launch in 2020.
    Drivers using the lanes will pay a toll using SunPass, with the amount varying depending on how congested the express lanes are. Toll amounts for Palm Beach County have not yet been announced.
    For those commuters who want nothing more than to never venture onto I-95 again, All Aboard Florida’s Brightline is promising to begin train service next summer between Miami and West Palm Beach, with a stop in Fort Lauderdale.
    Brightline’s plans to run 32 trains each day will offer a transportation alternative to Palm Beach County residents who need to get to a meeting in Fort Lauderdale or Miami, or want to catch a Miami Heat game or performance at the Adrienne Arsht center.
    The start of service will mark the completion of the first phase of Brightline’s vision to eventually run trains from Miami to Orlando — in all, a $3 billion project. The company also is considering expanding service north to Jacksonville.
    Stations in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale hit construction milestones in September, and work on the MiamiCentral transportation hub — which also will include office, retail, entertainment and rentals — is well advanced.
    As part of the project, Brightline is adding a second track to the Florida East Coast Railway line and improving 178 grade crossings between Miami and West Palm Beach. The work has caused a series of road closures and detours.
    The second track and crossing work, as well as construction of a maintenance station for trains just north of downtown West Palm Beach, are expected to be completed later this year.
    Brightline President Michael Reininger says South Florida residents will welcome Brightline as a way around I-95 gridlock and parking woes.
    He cites the modern trains, the 30-minute transportation time from West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale, another 30 minutes to Miami, and conveniently located stations.
    “We understand we are challenging the monopoly of the car and therefore need to give riders the incentive to change their behavior to take an alternative form of transportation,” Reininger said in an email. “Overall, we believe that if we provide a better experience, something that people like and it gets them to their destinations faster and more relaxed, then we will attract many riders.”
    Tri-Rail has offered commuter train service between Mangonia Park and Miami International Airport on the CSX rail line since 1989. But Brightline will operate on the FEC tracks, which run farther east through the three cities’ downtowns — an advantage for many commuters.
    A Brightline spokeswoman said ticket and frequent rider pass prices will be announced in the spring.
    “In terms of pricing, we are being very thoughtful and looking at it from the perspective of the frequent traveler who is already spending quite a lot on gas, tolls, parking and insurance,” as well as experiencing the unpleasantness of the drive, Reininger said.
    Brightline’s success would be better assured if it is able to complete the proposed route to Orlando, and ferry tourists wanting to experience both amusement parks and South Florida’s beaches.
    For now, that outcome is in doubt. Indian River and Martin counties filed a suit in federal court that challenges the U.S. Department of Transportation’s decision to allow the privately owned railroad to sell $1.75 billion in tax-exempt bonds to complete the project. In August, a judge allowed the challenge to proceed.
    Brightline officials have said that they have other financing options, but have not offered specifics.

Spanish River/I-95 work has year to go

Construction on the $69 million Spanish River interchange on Interstate 95

includes new entrance ramps to Florida Atlantic University.

Photo provided

    For drivers who have no intention of ditching their cars, one major headache will end late next summer.
    That’s when construction of the $69 million Spanish River interchange on I-95, begun in 2014, is scheduled for completion. As of the end of October, 81 percent of the work was done, said project public information officer Andi Pacini.
    The massive project, which includes construction of 13 bridges, will provide direct access to Spanish River Boulevard from I-95 as well as Yamato Road.
    It includes widening Spanish River west of FAU Boulevard, signalized intersection improvements, the addition of auxiliary lanes on Yamato Road, sound wall construction along Yamato and on the east side of I-95 north of Yamato.
    The long-planned interchange originated as a way to alleviate congestion on Glades Road and to give drivers another way to get to Florida Atlantic University. It is also expected to help ease traffic on Palmetto Park Road, which has been used by drivers avoiding Glades, and to end the long lines of motorists backed up on I-95 trying to exit at Glades.
    The construction has caused complications for drivers, with a series of lane and ramp closures on I-95, street closures and detours. The misery was compounded in October by the nearly weeklong closure of the Yamato railroad crossing to make improvements for Brightline.
    The Spanish River interchange is the biggest Florida Department of Transportation project along I-95 in Palm Beach County, but not the only one. The agency also has been upgrading the Woolbright Road, Hypoluxo Road, 10th Avenue North and Donald Ross Road interchanges for a total cost of $28.1 million. All that work is expected to be finished next summer.

Tri-Rail aims to go beyond airport routes

Stacks of ties lie alongside the CSX tracks as a Tri-Rail train pulls into the Boca Raton station.

The service remains popular with airport passengers.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

    Faced with competition from Brightline, chronically underfunded Tri-Rail is trying to up its game.
    A key for the commuter rail line is the ability to transport passengers directly into downtown Miami. Now, passengers who want to get downtown have to transfer to Miami-Dade’s Metrorail line in Hialeah — an inconvenience that adds to the commute time.
    After much drama earlier this year when Tri-Rail ran into an impasse with the Florida Legislature, it arranged to borrow money so it can move forward with plans for service to the MiamiCentral transportation hub.
    “We are in the final stages of getting our funding in place,” spokeswoman Bonnie Arnold said in mid-October. “Our main goal is to get into the MiamiCentral station.”
    Tri-Rail’s big advantage is that it services many more cities than will Brightline. In south Palm Beach County, for example, it has stations in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach.
    But since it operates on the CSX tracks, many passengers need to take its shuttle buses to get to downtown destinations. And for years, its reputation with riders was hurt by frequent train breakdowns and delays.
    But if the downtown Miami station becomes reality, Tri-Rail hopes to expand further by using the FEC corridor. Plans for a Coastal Link service call for 28 stations. It would first offer service from Miami to Aventura, and eventually on up the coast.
    “What we are hoping is to be able to run service as far north as Jupiter,” Arnold said.
    Tri-Rail would not ditch its service on the CSX corridor. But at three points along the line — West Palm Beach, Pompano Beach and Miami — passengers could use a rail connector to transfer to Coastal Link.
    Judging by the frequently crowded luggage racks on Tri-Rail, the train is a popular option for travelers going to and from airports. Parking at Tri-Rail stations is free.
    Tri-Rail resumed direct service to Miami International Airport in 2015 upon completion of the Miami Intermodal Center. Take the train to the Miami airport station, then board the MIA Mover for the short ride to the terminals.
    A round-trip ticket from the Boca Raton station to the Miami airport station on a weekday costs $9.70. Travel time to the airport is about 80 minutes. Go to www.tri-rail.com to get schedule and fare information.
    To get to FLL, take the train to the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport station and transfer to shuttle bus route FLA 1 to the airport. To get to Palm Beach International Airport, take the train to the West Palm Beach station and transfer to shuttle route WPB 1.
    One possibility on the horizon is opening a new Tri-Rail station on the CSX corridor at Military Trail and Northwest 19th Street in Boca Raton. A new station has been on the radar for several years, and has strong support from Boca Raton officials.
    Crocker Partners sees the station as an important component of its ambitious plans for MidTown Boca, a walkable mix of residences, retail and offices between Glades Road and Town Center Road just west of I-95. The developer has not yet submitted plans to the city.
    Arnold confirmed that Tri-Rail officials have been in discussions with Crocker Partners about building the station, but said Tri-Rail is focused for now on getting a downtown Miami station.

Boca, Palm Beach airports upgrading

Reliable Jet MX, which services aircraft, is among companies that have moved to the growing

Boca Raton Airport. The expected completion of a $4.3 million Customs and Border Protection facility

next summer is likely to attract more companies.

Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

    Prefer to get above it all and fly? Boca Raton Airport and Palm Beach International Airport have changes in the works.
    The Boca Raton Airport is expected to complete construction of a $4.3 million Customs and Border Protection facility in June or July, said executive director Clara Bennett.
    Once it is open, pilots and their passengers on international flights will be able to clear customs at the airport, rather than first landing at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport or at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport or PBIA.
    That will be a big convenience, and will help the airport attract more international flights.

Boca Raton Airport is adding a safety system of crushable concrete at both ends

of the runway to stop aircraft if they overrun the pavement.

    The airport also is in the midst of a safety improvement project, adding a system on both ends of the runway that will stop aircraft if they overrun it.
    The first half of the project, costing $5.5 million, was completed in July. The second half, for the end of the runway closer to Glades Road, is being designed and could be completed next summer at a cost of about another $5 million, Bennett said. The system is in use at about 65 other airports across the country, she said.
    The airport had about 63,000 takeoffs and landings in the past 12 months.
    PBIA is adding new flights and resuming seasonal ones.
    As of Dec. 15, Sun Country, an airline new to PBIA, will launch direct flights between West Palm Beach and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport four days a week through April 23, the airport announced last month.
    Delta Air Lines is adding a daily flight to Minneapolis effective Dec. 17. Frontier Airlines launched new service to Chicago effective Oct. 31. Air Canada will increase service to Montreal to once daily beginning Dec. 16.
    These and other airlines are resuming seasonal service in November and December.
    The airport’s Travel Plaza is expected to open at the end of this year, at the southwest corner of Belvedere and Florida Mango roads. It’s built to meet airport customer demand. It will include a 7-Eleven, Dunkin’ Donuts, car wash, cell phone lot and free Wi-Fi.

Sara Wilkinson, visiting her old neighborhood, steps into floodwaters

generated by king tides at Marina Delray, along the Intracoastal Waterway.

Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Crews repair a pump as water from the Intracoastal Waterway floods Briny Breezes’ marina area

during the October king tides.

Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

King tides expected to rise
Nov. 14, 15 and 16 to near October levels

By Cheryl Blackerby

    South Florida got two worrisome weather alarms in October: a warning in advance of Hurricane Matthew and, two weeks later, a National Weather Service coastal flood advisory for king tides.
    Coastal residents usually don’t pay as much attention to king tides as they do to dramatic TV graphics tracking hurricanes across the Atlantic, although high tides can cause tremendous damage on the coast.
    But king tides are starting to get their due.
    Alarmed by flooded streets on clear days and waves that wash over docks and seawalls, coastal residents have become increasingly familiar with the phenomenon of king tides, the name for the highest tides of the year, which occur in the fall.

    Flood advisories, issued to coastal community officials and residents, have been given in the last few years by the National Weather Service because of increasing problems with street flooding, sometimes as high as 1 or 2 feet.
    The king tides, a five- to seven-day event that happens at the full and new moons in October and November, reached their highest October level this year in the middle of the month. Although the tides were exacerbated by strong winds, they were not related to the hurricane.

Jennifer Turton of Lantana shoots a video of her dog, Campbell, walking through standing water

in the parking lot at Sportsman’s Park in Lantana just after high tide Oct. 14. The water is from king tides

that are common around the full moon in the fall.

Willie Howard/The Coastal Star

    “We’re very lucky king tides didn’t coincide with the hurricane,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Hagen. King tides can be greatly enhanced by factors such as rain, strength and direction of winds, and storms.
    “There was one additional factor this year that made king tides a little bit higher,” Hagen said. “We had pretty strong east/northeast winds about 20-25 mph blowing from the ocean to land. If winds had been calmer or from the west, water levels would have been lower.”
    Coastal residents in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties should be prepared for more high tide water Nov. 14, 15 and 16, when tides are predicted to rise again near October levels.
    Delray Beach issued its own advisory prior to the tides, saying, “The public may notice excessive water in roadways as well as water levels higher than some seawalls and docks.”
    The city’s precautions, according to the notice, included checking and cleaning storm drains, monitoring pump stations to ensure efficient operation, installing back-flow preventers on some storm water outfalls, and inspecting basins and tidal valves in flood areas.
    The city asked residents not to walk through floodwaters, not to drive on flooded streets, and to pick up debris that could obstruct storm drains.
    Residents should be aware that there is a big difference between flood advisories and flood warnings, said Hagen.
    “An advisory means there is 6 to 8 inches of water in some streets and sidewalks but not a lot of cases of water entering buildings, and that most roads are still open,” he said. “A flood warning means there is significant water entering buildings and residences, and there is a major impact produced by high water that could be life-threatening.”
    National Weather Service advisories are updated every 12 hours during high tides. Residents should keep in mind that the first high tide of the weeklong king tides is not the highest. Peak high tides will hit the third day.
    The term “king tides,” unknown a few years ago except to meteorologists and the most passionate of weather enthusiasts, is now common in South Floridians’ vocabulary. Most residents now know that the tides are dictated by the alignment of the moon, the sun and Earth in the fall.
    Another high tide, though not as high as king tides, occurs in the spring.
    Made more dangerous by rising seas related to climate change, these tides can add 12 inches or more of water to the average high tide, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, parent agency of the National Weather Service. NOAA scientists say the high tides give a preview of what rising seas will be like in the future.
    To check for high tide updates, go to www.weather.gov/mfl and look under “Watches, Warnings and Advisories.”

Water topped the sea wall on the north side of Lake Boca Raton. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

    Thanksgiving. A single word that combines two acts of grace: giving thanks and simply giving. Both actions have been top-of-mind as we head into November.
    In this edition you will find stories of organizations and individuals who are working to combat one of our area’s most difficult struggles: hunger.
    According to Palm Beach County’s 2015 Hunger Relief Plan, there are more than 200,000 people in our county struggling with hunger. Over 20 percent of all children in the county live in “food-insecure” households and up to 28 percent of residents older than 60 may not have resources to consistently access healthy food. When you study the demographics, you might be surprised to discover how many of these people are your neighbors. Hunger can — and does — exist in the midst of plenty.
    But you will also find friends and neighbors who are working to help.
    We cover efforts as diverse as the Junior League of Boca Raton’s community garden, Boynton Beach’s Secret Garden Café and its related veggie mobile initiative, and the Palm Beach County Food Bank’s Empty Bowls fundraiser in Delray Beach.
    So as you prepare to gather for the American tradition of a Thanksgiving feast, I suggest you stop for a moment and reflect on the plenty we’ve been given and then practice gratitude beyond the dinner table. In the spirit of the holiday, give thanks and give.

— Mary Kate Leming
Editor