Open Hearts for Orphans, a nonprofit dedicated to providing resources for abandoned and at-risk children, is enjoying the success of its first Festival Days event in coordination with the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce. The event drew an enthusiastic crowd of supporters and volunteers. It raised $3,000 for the organization’s adoption-grant program. ABOVE: (l-r) Lynn Victor, Open Hearts for Orphans CEO Lisa Murphy, and board member Julie Carr. Photo provided

More than 200 guests attended Hanley Foundation’s second gourmet event, which included a happy hour with appetizers, a signature mocktail, raffles and entertainment. The Boca Celebrity Cookoff served as the kickoff for the third annual Brice Makris Brunch, set for Dec. 3, and raised money for the Brice Makris Endowment Fund created in honor of its namesake. Mr. Makris died in 2019 of an accidental overdose. He was 23. The fund supports the foundation’s prevention-education and treatment programs. ABOVE: April Lewis, a friend of the foundation whose brother committed suicide in 1982, speaks at the event. Photo provided

One of the signature dishes at the Artist’s Palate is this cheese, meat and fig assortment served on a painter’s palette. Photos provided

By Jan Norris

A new coffee takeout near the beach in Delray Beach opened in mid-September, but it’s been a few years in the making.

Monica Laskay and her three partners opened the Artist’s Palate Cafe on the Avenue a couple of blocks from the beach just after Labor Day.

Already it’s packed with customers morning, noon and even late night.

“They love coming in for the coffee in the morning, and desserts, maybe a bite like charcuterie, at night,” Laskay said.

The Colombian native says the shop is her dream come true in a city that she has adopted and fallen in love with.

“I am a healer — spiritual, mental and physical. I had a spa-retreat in Malibu for several years. My sister was living in Delray, and every time I came to visit, I fell in love with the town.

“It reminds me of Malibu. So much peace, and so much beauty. It grabbed my heart,” Laskay said.

She was going to open a wellness center in town, but the pandemic hit, and her plans were stopped.

“When I was in Bogotá, talking with a partner and drinking coffee, she said we should open a cafe to serve coffee and bless people through food. I said I would only want to do it in Delray.”

She and her daughter and two partners began looking for a space to put the cafe. Often, she had passed a shop with beachwear on a corner near the beach, and thought it would be perfect for their idea. As they were narrowing their choices, though, it remained occupied.

“Just as we were getting ready to choose a spot, I decided to take one more look and drive by the shop. It was vacant for rent.”

Laskay got the partners together and they immediately signed on at first sight.

“Magic happens,” she said.

Beyond coffee, the shop has an international variety of foods sourced from local artisans.

“Our cook is Colombian and she makes delicious drinks and pasteles, and rice puddings. We have a Cuban baker; he loves mousses and makes mousse with fruit flavors. A local French baker supplies our croissants and brioche and desserts. A chef from Mexico makes our macarons. I really never liked them before, but these are delicious,” Laskay said.

Of course, the star attraction — the coffee — is Colombian, she said. It’s the reason for the shop.

“I grew up drinking coffee. People say oh, children drinking coffee! But from when we’re little in Colombia, we would sit in the morning, and had a cup of milk and sugar with a little coffee in it. We grew up with coffee,” she said.

“The aroma is beautiful. We use all organic coffee. It’s mild to medium, not too acidic, and easy to drink any time.”

The shop also offers cacao, a drink made from the bean that chocolate comes from. “We add water or milk and spices. It’s so good,” Laskay said.

Laskay runs the shop. Her daughter Paula Bast created the branding and offers the shop as a rotating art gallery. Pieces from local and emerging artists are for sale.

The small shop has no seating, but Laskay said she has applied for outdoor seats for guests to use after counter-service purchases.

The shop is open daily, with late hours on weekends. Word of mouth has brought in crowds, and Laskay and her team are tweaking menu items and hours as they settle in.

The Artist’s Palate Cafe, 1200 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. Online on Facebook and www.theartistspalatecafe.com.

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A picture perfect presentation of an assortment at Sushi by Bou.

The Sushi by Bou experience has come to Boca Raton.

Popular with groups, the omakase-style bar with a speakeasy’s intimacy opened last month in Royal Palm Place.

With a lavish and dramatic art deco setting paying homage to Addison Mizner (look for a nod to his monkey Johnnie Brown in the bathrooms), the restaurant is a modern take on a traditional sushi counter experience.

Diners will reserve their one-hour seat for a 12- or 17-course omakase. They leave choices for dishes and preparations up to the chef who works in front of them, preparing each dish separately.

Fish and proteins served include hamachi, botan ebi (spotted prawn), ikura (salmon roe), scallops, otoro (fatty tuna), unagi (barbecued eel), and a signature Wagyuni — surf and turf. Additional pieces, such as hand rolls and other favorites, can be purchased a la carte. Seasonal items also will be offered.

This is the 14th Sushi by Bou location nationally. It is owned by the SimpleVenue hospitality group, founded by Michael Sinensky and Erika London, both of South Florida.

Sushi by Bou Boca Raton, 409 SE Mizner Blvd. Open Tuesday through Sunday, 5 to 11 p.m. Reservations required and diners must be punctual; go to sushibybou.com or reserve through Open Table.

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At Eddie V’s, the filets are signature dishes.

Another steak and seafood house debuts in Boca Raton at Mizner Park. Orlando-based Darden Restaurants has brought Eddie V’s Prime Seafood to join the plaza restaurant lineup next to Yard House.

Seasonal specials, seafood dishes and prime steaks, or combinations of these, anchor the menu. Crab fried rice and a trio of filets are signature dishes.

A butcher is on the premises to hand carve meats, and desserts are made in-house.

In the V Lounge, “theatrical” cocktails are served. Example: a smoky old-fashioned finished at the table.

Modern lighting and decor and live music nightly set a supper club-type mood. Four private dining rooms are available.

South Florida native Michael Adelman is managing partner.

Eddie V’s, 201 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. Open seven days for dinner. www.eddiev.com.

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Yet another addition to the burgeoning number of steakhouses in South County: The Meat Market, a Miami-rooted chain, planned to open Oct. 5 in Boca Raton. The meatery, described by its publicist as “feminine friendly,” has a chic Halston design and super-club vibe. Chef Sean Brasel is known for unusual twists on the classics.

Happy hour and dinner now; brunch and more scheduled for November. 2000 NW 19th St.

In brief
Congratulations to Suzanne Wright of Delray Beach for winning the first Delray Beach Public Library Key lime pie contest. Judges considered appearance, texture, flavor, crust and creativity in deeming hers the best of the 11 entrants. People’s Choice award went to Terry Berger of Boynton Beach. The contest was such a success, it will be repeated next year, said library program coordinator Isabella Rowan.

• Coming soon to the former Taverna Opa spot on Atlantic Avenue will be the new concept from the Voodoo Lounge people. An Asian-tiki mashup, it will be called Roka Hula. Expect an opening later this fall.

• After a four-month delay waiting for permits, DalMoros Fresh Pasta To Go opened at 439 E. Atlantic Avenue. The fast-casual mini-chain originated in Venice, Italy, and serves pasta made on the spot with a variety of sauce combos. Tiramisu, garlic rolls and mini-meatballs round out the menu. Takeout in containers, or call for delivery.

Sandwiches by the Sea, the Delray Beach shop we wrote about last month, is reopening with the same name and in the same location at 1214 E. Atlantic, but with a new owner.

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

Fright Night films offer gruesome images as part of their appeal. ‘We have to be careful what we look upon, what we bring into our lives,’ Father Kevin McQuone says.
Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

Some holidays are sacred (Christmas and Easter, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur), some are patriotic (July Fourth and Memorial Day), and some are just for fun (St. Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day).

“Those are beer-and-Hallmark holidays,” says Father Kevin McQuone, assistant professor of pastoral theology at the Catholic St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach. But Halloween stands alone with its dark and dangerous themes.

Most holidays feature indulgence. You might wake up with a pulsing headache or upset stomach the next day, but Halloween, the church says, has its own inherent dangers.

“Our celebrations should reflect our values,” McQuone said. “If someone came to my home, what would they see is valuable to me?”

Would they find tombstones and gargoyles? Witch silhouettes in the windows and skeletons on the lawn?

Some will argue the origin of Halloween has a religious connection, and it does. As Christianity spread and the church expanded its reach, local pagan holidays were often absorbed to make the people feel more comfortable. All Hallows’ Day — also called All Saints’ Day — is a Christian feast day celebrated on Nov. 1 in honor of the saints. The night before was All Hallows’ Eve, a more solemn night of fasting and prayer.

When Catholics assimilated the Celts, they enveloped the Celtic bonfire festival, called Samhain, which celebrated the end of harvest with huge fires and the slaughtering of animals. It was much like a harvest festival, except that it ushered in winter, the “dark half of the year.”

At this time of year, practitioners believed the veil between the living and the dead was thinner and spirits could cross over and take living souls back to hell with them. To appease the spirits (demons), the fearful folk left plates of food out to distract them and dressed in deathlike costumes to confuse them.

Somehow these customs have morphed into the current Halloween, with more dark debauchery seemingly added to the palette each year.

From a clearly practical sense, Halloween is one of the deadliest nights of the year for children. The reason? Motor vehicle vs. pedestrian accidents. A study by JAMA Pediatrics looked at almost 40 years’ worth of data and found: “The relative risk of a pedestrian fatality was 43% higher on Halloween compared with control evenings.”

Of course, the numbers dropped significantly over the last two years, but looking at traffic fatality numbers for the first half of 2023, they’ve soared back to pre-pandemic levels — and higher.

And it’s not just kids who are vulnerable: Adults are more likely to crash their cars in the wee hours of Nov. 1 compared with typical days, Traffic Safety Marketing reported, citing more episodes of drunk driving.

But what if you save your life but risk your soul?

McQuone likens your spiritual health to your physical body and what you consume.

“No doctor will say one French fry is going to kill you, but a steady diet of them will certainly have an effect,” he said.

What you consume spiritually can lower your defenses. A diet of grisly horror movies, virus-infested zombies and evil serial killers has an effect, even if you can’t see it. Showing your openness to darkness is the first step to inviting it in.

McQuone says to think of demons as germs and spirituality as the immune system. The stronger your system, the less likely you are to get sick.

McQuone says that although our intentions may be light and playful, no spirits are benign. This is one place where things are truly black and white, he says. No spirit is neutral, unaffiliated or independent.

“There is God’s team and not-God’s team,” he said. “And it’s not harmless just because you believe it’s harmless.”

The devil and the demons who tempt us were angels who defied their allegiance to God, McQuone says.

“They said, ‘Hell no,’ quite literally to God,” who cast them out. Lucifer (some say he was God’s choir director!) was the highest of them all, but he was not and is not a God, McQuone says.

“He’s a creature, evil personified,” and McQuone further cautions, “Don’t take your stance on the devil from the movies. They make the devil more interesting than he is.”

Still, ask psychologists and they’ll tell you Halloween is good for kids. Pretending, playing dress-up and using one’s imagination build bigger brains. These folks condone more benign costumes, like princesses and athletes.

Other psychologists say scary costumes are fine and Halloween is an opportunity to face our fears, especially our fear of death.  

“Halloween rituals turn horror into play, death into levity, gore into laughter,” UC Berkeley psychologist Dacher Keltner says in an article for Greater Good Magazine, a publication of UC Berkeley (www.greatergood.berkeley.edu).

Safe, moderate levels of stress can be good for us. Still, are we talking about blood-drenched zombies and chainsaw-wielding killers jumping out at us like we find at Fright Nights?

McQuone’s best advice?

“We have to be careful what we look upon, and what we bring into our lives.”

Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Contact her at fontaine423@outlook.com.

Two of the participants in the beach cleanup in Boca Raton show a piece of their collection. The day was organized by the B’nai Torah Congregation and Gumbo Limbo Nature Center ahead of Rosh Hashanah. Photo provided

Each year, some faithful Jewish volunteers perform a “reverse tashlich,” a novel way to follow Jewish tradition and as a testament to their faith, by cleaning up the waterfront.

On Sept. 10, 110 volunteers ranging in age from 6 months to 86 years old from B’nai Torah Congregation, worked in collaboration with Gumbo Limbo Nature Center to pick up trash from Red Reef Park in Boca Raton.

During Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, Jews symbolically cleanse themselves by casting their sins into a body of water. Since 2015, following the lead of some environmentally conscious students, Jews have been collecting “sins” in the form of trash, litter and pollution from the water and waterfront. About 220 communities in 12 countries around the world participate in this annual community cleanup, called “Repair the Sea.”

For more information about the project, visit www.repairthesea.org/reverse-tashlich. Visit B’nai Torah Congregation, the largest Conservative synagogue in Southeast Florida with more than 1,300 membership families, at www.btcboca.org. 

Put on your running shoes for 5K to fight hunger
CROS Ministries’ annual Hustle to End Hunger 5K takes place at 7:30 a.m. Oct. 7 at John Prince Park, 2700 Sixth Ave. S. in Lake Worth Beach. All proceeds benefit CROS Ministries, which has served the hungry in Palm Beach and Martin counties for 45 years. Registration for the Hustle is $45. A run/walk option and a virtual option are also available. Register at www.adventuresignup.com/Race/FL/LakeWorth/Hustle2EndHunger5K.

Music in full swing at St. Paul’s Episcopal
Some of the best music available can be found at local churches. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Delray Beach kicked off its 35th season Oct. 1. The performances continue with the Delray String Quartet at 3 p.m. Oct. 15. The program is “The Bullfighter.” Tickets are $20 for adults, $5 for age 18 and younger. To secure tickets in advance, email music@stpaulsdelray.org with “tickets” in the subject line, then pay at the door. Tickets at the door are by cash or check. St. Paul’s Episcopal is at 188 S. Swinton Ave. Call 561-278-6003.

St. Vincent de Paul celebrates 60 years
St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary celebrates 60 years serving the church at the Friends of the Seminary Gala on Oct. 20. The event begins with Mass at 5:30 p.m. followed by a reception, live auction and dinner. The principal celebrant and homilist for the Mass is the Most Rev. Thomas Wenski, archbishop of Miami and chancellor of the seminary. For more information, call 561-732-4424 or visit www.svdp.edu/friends2023.

Community Mass has resumed at 12:15 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month at the seminary. The next Mass is Oct. 18. St. Vincent de Paul Seminary is at 10701 S. Military Trail, Boynton Beach. Info: www.svdp.edu

Florida author to address theological questions
“Select Florida Voices” presentations at the Society of the Four Arts cover a wide variety of subjects but all feature South Florida writers who show up to talk about their work.

On Oct. 25, Hollywood author Ira Mark Egdall speaks about his most recent book, Cosmic Roots: The Conflict Between Science and Religion and How It Led to the Secular Age.

The book traces the 5,000-year conflict (that’s 150 generations!) between science and religion and how it has affected both. Disagreements about cosmology and astronomy led to the widening conflict between science and religion.

Egdall, a retired aerospace program manager with 35 years in the business, is also the author of the award-winning book Einstein Relatively Simple: Our Universe Explained in

Everyday Language, which uncomplicates the complicated for people who are not science nerds.  

The event starts at 1:30 p.m. in the King Library at the Society of the Four Arts, 101 Four Arts Plaza, Palm Beach. It’s free, but reservations are required at 561-655-2766 or by email at kinglibrary@fourarts.org.

Holiday Bazaar returns at First Presbyterian
The annual Holiday Bazaar at First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach returns for your shopping pleasure from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 26-28. The clever crafters at Holly House, located on the campus of the church, reveal new and familiar offerings each fall. Jewelry, hand-sewn holiday items, floral arrangements, shell creations, and those unique treasures you only find at church bazaars can be snatched up for your holiday table, tree or gift-giving.

Shopping hours continue from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning Oct. 31. After Thanksgiving, Saturday shopping hours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Shopping continues Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday until Dec. 21.

Need to shop by appointment? Contact Linda Prior at Linda.Prior42@gmail.com or call 561-702-0245.

First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach is at 33 Gleason St. Check the Facebook page for more information at CleverCrafter Holly House.

— Janis Fontaine

Delray Medical Center now uses the POLARx cryoablation system to treat patients diagnosed with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, which is an irregular, rapid heartbeat.

During the cryoablation procedure, a balloon catheter delivers cryotherapy to the pulmonary vein, creating scar tissue to block irregular electrical signals. This new system, utilizing a special device that enables two balloon sizes in one catheter, allows physicians to address a wider range of pulmonary vein structures, and helps to achieve more complete tissue contact to better deliver treatment.

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FloSpine and the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University have announced the successful implantation of the Ti-Largo 3D printed cervical cage, which is designed to complement the FDA-cleared Panama anterior cervical plate. This procedure is used for minimally invasive spine surgeries.

The cervical cage uses 3D printing technology, so it is a highly customizable, patient-specific implant and is printed from a high-grade titanium alloy that minimizes the risk of adverse reactions and offers long-term durability.

The cage also has a porous structure that facilitates bone ingrowth, which promotes fusion and long-term stability.

This implantation was conducted in September by Dr. John Afshar, a spinal surgeon at Palm Beach Neuroscience Institute. FloSpine developed the implant.

“The Ti-Largo cervical cage represents a major leap forward in cervical spine surgery. Its patient-specific design and 3D printing technology have the potential to revolutionize the way we approach these procedures, offering greater precision and improved outcomes for our patients,” he said.

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Two Boca Raton companies were among the finalists for the GrowFL Florida Companies to Watch awards: HelixVM, a health care company, and PUR-FORM, a medical clinic.

Qualifying businesses must have between six and 150 employees and revenue between $750,000 and $100 million in 2022. The Orlando-based GrowFL organization supports Florida’s second-stage companies and their leaders.

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

LEFT: Melissa Perlman runs along the beach promenade in Delray Beach. RIGHT: Susan Magi and her daughter Jennifer ran the Key West half-marathon in 2022. Photos provided

By Jan Engoren

October, when the temperatures cool down enough to allow runners to enjoy their runs without the oppressive heat and humidity, is the start of outdoor training season for South Florida marathons.

All along State Road A1A and the greenway that runs alongside it, runners, cyclists, walkers, rollerbladers and parents with kids make this stretch of coastline a place to train, recreate, see friends and catch a sunrise or two.

Two Delray Beach women are among the distance runners who train along the A1A corridor.

One of them is a sub-3-hour marathoner, Melissa Perlman, 41, founder and president of BlueIvy Communications, a PR firm. Its clients include the Gumbo Limbo Coastal Stewards in Boca Raton and the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority.

Perlman trains year-round but during the past few months has geared up for the Oct. 8 Chicago Marathon.

The other is a novice, Susan Magi, 58, a vice president of marketing for a hydrogen company in Titusville. She has done several half-marathons and is finishing the 18-week training for her first marathon — the Marine Corps Marathon Oct. 29 in Washington, D.C.

In April, Perlman completed the Boston Marathon, finishing ninth in the women’s 40-44 age group in 2:49:47, a time she hopes to beat in Chicago for a personal record. If she finishes in 2:37 or better, she would qualify for the U.S. Olympic trials for the 2024 games.

“I love to run early in the morning along A1A and see the sunrise,” said Perlman, a high school track star who did not run a marathon until 2018. “It’s so rewarding to see the views and feel the breeze from the ocean. I’m lucky to train here.”

On non-run days she rides her ElliptiGO stand-up bicycle down A1A from George Bush Boulevard to Palmetto Park Road, and strength-trains at Slash Fitness in Delray Beach twice a week with a high-intensity interval workout. Committed to her sport, Perlman says, “I make time for it. It’s a physical and mental priority.

“It’s not a hobby — it’s my passion,” she says.

Her coach for the past six years, Leah Rosenfeld, 35, is based in Arizona and uploads her training schedule online.

“Melissa is a coach’s dream,” Rosenfeld says. “She’s excited and committed to see where she can take this and test what her limits are. She’s all in.”

Noting that Perlman’s performance continues to improve, Rosenfeld has tweaked her training, adding double threshold workouts, meaning two hard runs some days.

Perlman believes training in the Florida heat gives her an edge when running in cooler climes such as Boston or Chicago.

And switching to a plant-based diet, heralded in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s documentary The Game Changers, helped her improve her times and recover more quickly.  

“Set your sight on a goal and put in the work and planning to achieve it,” Perlman says.

While running, she listens to Audible biographies such as those of Michelle Obama and Tiger Woods, or Sandra Brown romance novels.

Magi came to the sport after her husband, Michael, 54, died from leukemia in 2020.

During the pandemic shutdown, she began running with her daughter Jennifer, watching the sunrise along the ocean.

“It’s hard to get up,” Magi says, “but, I love being up.

“Seeing the sunrise gives me a new inspiration,” she says. “Even on stressful days, I feel better once I get out there. I meet a lot of nice people on A1A; people cheer me on and encourage me.”

Her husband’s best friend, Uf Tukel, also a runner, encouraged her on her journey.

Magi was hesitant to commit to the 26.2 miles of a marathon, but once she realized she could follow Jeff Galloway’s Run-Walk-Run method for which he markets an app, she said she knew “this is my year to do it.”

Her goal, she says, is “to finish.”

She runs four days each week with one day of cross-training, including rowing and yin yoga. To keep her mind focused, she listens to meditation and spiritual tapes.

Up by 5 a.m., she feeds her pets, makes coffee and plays “happy music” — Kenny Chesney, Brett Eldredge’s Good Day, Travis Tritt’s It’s a Great Day to Be Alive — before heading out to run and see the sunrise.

What advice does she have for new runners?

“Never say never. Set your expectations. If you show up, that’s half the battle,” she says. “And … finish — that’s the other half.”

Jan Engoren writes about health and healthy living. Send column ideas to jengoren@hotmail.com

Bob Rollins, shown with his wife, Shirley, holds the trophy that recognizes his induction into the Florida Youth Soccer Association Hall of Fame. Rollins, of Boca Raton, was honored for his decades of coaching and leadership. Photo provided

By Faran Fagen

Bob Rollins of Boca Raton is a new member of the Florida Youth Soccer Association Hall of Fame — one of only 30 people to be so honored since the inaugural choice in 1987.

Approaching his third decade as a Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District commissioner, Rollins has championed youth soccer in Boca Raton for nearly 40 years. He started coaching his son’s team, later became president of the Soccer Association of Boca Raton — Florida’s largest soccer club — and has served as SABR’s treasurer for 20 years.

“It was something I never expected,” said Rollins, 77. “You don’t do things like this — work with these programs — to get accolades. You work with kids to teach them the game, teach them teamwork, teach them how to be good sports.”

One of the most rewarding aspects of his longevity comes from attending games and seeing players he once coached. Some still refer to Rollins as “Coach” and are now coaching their own sons and daughters — extending the legacy of excellence Rollins helped create.

“That’s where the satisfaction comes in,” Rollins said. “It’s just great giving back.”

His youth soccer journey began when his wife, Shirley, volunteered him to coach their then 6-year-old son.

“Basketball was my sport growing up, and I had no experience playing or coaching soccer, but grew to love the sport,” Rollins said. “I met so many nice friends, and those relationships kept me involved in the sport at many levels.”

His achievements include becoming a certified high school and USSF soccer official, coaching a first-place team in a tournament, and elevating a travel team to play in the Surf Cup in San Diego.

On a personal level, coaching soccer reinforced his belief in recreation as a good way to keep kids in a healthy environment.

“It’s a place where they can learn good sportsmanship and fair play,” Rollins said. “It will carry over in life.”

Rollins instills these values in his own children. He and Shirley raised three — Rob, Melissa and Scott — in Boca Raton. The boys were soccer players, and the older one grew to 6-feet-6 and scored a basketball scholarship to Florida Atlantic University.

Two of Rollins’ grandchildren also live in Boca Raton. One grandson started playing soccer at age 5, and now starts as goalkeeper on Team Boca at 17.

These days, Bob and Shirley spend time watching their grandson play soccer. When Bob can, he goes offshore fishing with his older son and visits relatives in Tennessee.

Rollins is “at the sunset” of his community service and of his insurance career as a president with the Beacon Group.

He served on the board of directors of the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, on the city parks and recreation advisory board for 10 years, and has been a Beach and Park District commissioner for 29 years. He also served on FAU’s Housing Finance Committee and Athletic Advisory Board. He was recently sworn in as chairman of Florida Association of Insurance Agents.

Rollins warranted induction to the FYSA Hall of Fame for his coaching contributions as well as his organizational guidance and expertise.

“With his professional career in insurance, the expertise that he’s lent to FYSA over the decades has really just been invaluable,” said Joel Dragan, FYSA executive director.

“People talk all the time about free legal services, but Bob has lent free insurance expertise to the association during a time that type of information has never been more valuable.”

The Florida Youth Soccer Association’s Hall of Fame recognizes people for their promotion of the sport, contributions to the growth of the game, and service as role models and standard-setters for future generations.

Posing for family photos on the haystacks or in front of piles of pumpkins is a popular pastime for visitors to the Boca Pumpkin Patch Festival in Mizner Park. Photo provided

By Faran Fagen and Janis Fontaine

If you’re looking to add some thrill to your pumpkin-seeking this month, you won’t need to go far.

First up, the Boca Pumpkin Patch Festival returns to the Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, with an extension to three days and the addition of timed sessions for attendees.

This seasonal event features a giant pumpkin patch in the center of all the action with more than 2,500 pumpkins and a carnival for all ages.

“We’re thrilled to extend the Boca Pumpkin Patch Festival to three days this year,” said Vanessa Goodis, festival executive producer. “And we’re really excited about our new timed sessions.”

Pumpkin enthusiasts can choose among these ticket options:
• Oct. 13 from 4 to 9 p.m.
• Oct. 14 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or 4 to 9 p.m.
• Oct. 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

General admission is $27.50 per person for those ages 3 years and up, and includes unlimited carnival rides, a kiddie cornstalk maze, multiple fall photo vignettes, a scarecrow dress-up village, and sponsor giveaways.

Admission is free for children under 3. Tickets must be purchased in advance at www.bocapumpkinpatch.com. Attendees must show proof of purchase at the gate via personal device or printout.  

The festival will limit attendance at each session to allow guests to immerse themselves in the festivities without overcrowding.

For an additional cost, attendees can pick and decorate the perfect pumpkin in the patch and enjoy the Pumpkin Food Court. Adults can also partake in pumpkin-inspired craft cocktails at the Pumpkin Beer Garden.

The festival is a production of Promo Moxie Inc., organizer of the nationally recognized Coconut Grove Pumpkin Patch Festival.

Cason’s Pumpkin Patch
The annual Pumpkin Patch at Cason United Methodist Church in Delray Beach has become a family tradition and a sure sign of fall in a county where the leaves don’t change color.

Hundreds of orange orbs of all sizes get delivered to the church parking lot at the corner of North Swinton Avenue and Lake Ida Road on Oct. 12. The Patch officially opens from noon to 7 p.m. Oct. 13.

But the highlight of the Pumpkin Patch is the Family Fun Day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 21. The Delray Beach fire department will be on site with a fire engine, and the city’s police K-9 unit will demonstrate this unique partnership.

Be sure to visit the Cason Kids Care lemonade stand. The kids are partnering with Food for the Poor and are supporting a micro-business in Haiti.

Emily Popolizio, a retired teacher from Massachusetts with 41 years’ experience, started the club last August to get more children involved in serving the community.

One of their first projects was a fundraiser for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer (ALSF). The foundation provides a blueprint for how to hold a lemonade stand fundraiser to fight pediatric cancer, and kids all over the world just follow the directions for a successful venture. The Cason Kids built their own stand at last year’s Pumpkin Patch and went to work selling lemonade for $1 per cup. They raised $500 and donated it to ALSF for pediatric cancer research.

This year, the kids are promoting handmade Christmas and greeting cards crafted from banana leaves by Haitian artists. These artists — among an estimated 4,000 worldwide — support their families on the money they earn selling the one-of-a-kind cards. The program is part of Food for the Poor’s investment strategy that turns people with talent and a desire to work hard into small-business owners.

Called micro-enterprise, this investment in small, self-run business ventures attempts to provide a long-term solution to poverty and instill pride in the work and ownership of destiny.

The Banana Bark program has been one of Food for the Poor’s most successful ventures. You can also order cards online at www.foodforthepoor.org/bananabarkcards.

The Cason Kids Care club, made up of about 20 kids ages 6-11, also baked cookies so each person who buys a card receives a cookie baked by the children as a thank-you.

The club also made blankets for children in foster care and, most recently, started a drive for supplies for local homeless people. The kids collected and assembled food/hygiene kits and socks.

Club membership is open to all, and it doesn’t require any church affiliation. If you have questions, you can ask them over a cup of lemonade at the Family Fun Day or at the church.

The Pumpkin Patch at Cason United Methodist Church takes place from noon to 7 p.m. Oct. 13-14 and noon-6 p.m. Oct. 15, then 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 21 and 28, and noon-6 p.m. Oct. 22 and 29. Call 561-276-5302 or visit casonumc.org.

Bedner’s festival
The annual Bedner’s Farm Fresh Market Fall Festival is back through Oct. 30 in Boynton Beach. Hayrides take visitors around its 80 acres of working farm, and a bigger corn maze awaits guests this year.

Some of the usual attractions include a pumpkin patch, petting zoo, tractor rides, bounce house and games. The festival is closed Tuesdays. Admission is $20.99 weekdays and $25.99 weekends.

Bedner’s is at 10066 Lee Road.

Canine Companions' service dogs are trained to help people with disabilities and differ from therapy dogs and emotional support dogs. Photo provided by Canine Companions

By Arden Moore

Given my 20-plus years in the pet industry, I am keenly aware of hot-button topics. What to feed — and what not to feed — your pet unleashes plenty of fierce opinions among pet parents.

Also triggering plenty of barky debates are canine credentials: What’s the difference between a therapy dog, an emotional support canine and a service dog?

Recently, new signs at the entrances of Publix stores across the state remind shoppers that only service dogs are permitted inside. For people with emotional support animals, that means their dogs are not allowed to ride in shopping carts or walk beside them on leashes up and down the aisles.

Even though this has been a Publix policy for a few years, the new signs out front have provoked heated comments.

So, let me carefully dive in and explain the differences among these designated dogs.

Therapy dogs
My terrier mix, Kona, is a registered therapy dog. To earn this designation, she had to complete basic dog obedience classes, ace her AKC Canine Good Citizenship test and complete a series of supervised visits to a memory care center.

Therapy dogs are canine goodwill ambassadors. They must be invited to schools, senior citizen facilities and other places to enter their premises. They are insured and must be well-mannered and tolerant of being touched by all types of people.

Two national therapy training groups are Pet Partners (petpartners.org) and Love on a Leash (www.loveonaleash.org).

Emotional support dogs
Now let’s move on to the next tier: emotional support animals. For a dog to be deemed an ESA, a person must obtain a “prescription” in the form of a letter from a mental health professional that states the dog is necessary for that person’s mental well-being. An ESA dog can be any age and any breed and does not require specific training.

According to the federal Fair Housing Act, people with these ESA prescriptions cannot be prevented from obtaining housing, even in places with no-pets-allowed policies. They cannot be charged a pet deposit. However, ESA dogs do not have any legal power to enter any business, including supermarkets.

One Boca Raton resident who asked not to be identified obtained a psychologist’s written prescription for an ESA-designated dog for her daughter, who is on the autism spectrum, to offset the stress of college life. The Lhasa apso mix lives with her in her dorm.

“This dog has really helped her at college, but she doesn’t need the dog for a trip to Publix,” added the mother.

Since December 2020, the U.S. Department of Transportation revised guidelines for animals traveling inside the cabins of commercial airlines. Only service dogs with DOT-required documentation as to their training, health and certification are allowed to travel in the cabin at no charge.

Service dogs
Finally, let’s discuss service dogs. The Americans with Disabilities Act defines service dogs as those “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.”

These dogs are trained by professionals to perform specific tasks to assist people who may have physical, hearing or visual impairments, or may be medically identified as having post-traumatic stress disorder.

Service dogs are legally allowed to accompany their people into restaurants, shops, hospitals, schools and hotels. But owners of these places can ask the person to leave if the service dog is acting unruly or urinating or defecating.

ADA guidelines allow anyone — be it a person on the street or a store owner — to ask the person with a dog wearing a service dog designation only two questions:

• Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
• What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

However, under federal law, no one is allowed to ask that person the extent of his or her disability, to show proof that this dog has been trained and certified as a service dog or ask the person to have the dog perform a specific task.

A genuine service dog must undergo extensive training, sometimes for up to two years. Canine Companions, with six training centers across the country, including Florida, is one of the largest groups producing service dogs.

“Each Canine Companion puppy is specifically bred, raised by a volunteer puppy raiser, then trained by professional instructors before being matched with a child, adult or veteran with a disability completely free of charge,” says Courtney Craig, Canine Companions spokesperson.

Beware false credentials
OK, now come blurred lines. I spent about five minutes online and located several sites proclaiming anyone can obtain a service dog vest, harness and ID card quickly without the dog undergoing any training.

And that’s the problem. There are genuine service dogs and fake ones. There continue to be incidents in which an untrained dog wearing an online service dog vest has attacked a legitimately trained service dog. In some cases, that service dog becomes “dog apprehensive” and is removed from service. The person partnered with that dog is now without a dog and loses safe opportunities to be out in public.

“When poorly trained dogs misbehave, businesses are more likely to deny access to service dogs,” says Wallis Brozman, communications and advocacy coordinator for Canine

Companions' Southeast center in Fort Lauderdale. “This decreases inclusion and independence for people with disabilities.”

A 2022 study by Canine Companions involving more than 1,500 service dog users found that:

• 93% reported encountering a poorly trained dog in places where pets are not permitted.
• 79% reported that a dog barked at, snapped at, lunged at and even bit their service dog.
• 80% of people with service dogs report that these fake, untrained service dogs have negatively affected their quality of life and independence.

Dee Hoult, a longtime professional dog trainer who operates Applause Your Paws in South Florida, says, “I can spot a fake service dog three aisles away. Legitimate service dogs also signal when they must go and will not defecate or urinate in the aisle or pull on their leashes.”

In 31 states, including Florida, it is against the law to pass off a fake service dog as a real one. It is considered a second-degree misdemeanor and, if convicted, a violator may face a $500 fine and up to 60 days in jail.

Yes, dogs are gaining more invitations these days to join their people, but for everyone’s safety, please know and respect the access opportunities among therapy, ESA and service dogs.

Arden Moore is an author, speaker and master certified pet first-aid instructor. She hosts a radio show, Arden Moore’s Four Legged Life (www.fourleggedlife.com), and the weekly Oh Behave! podcast on PetLifeRadio.com. Learn more by visiting www.ardenmoore.com.

Anthony Javarone Jr. holds a big jack that he caught on a live mullet while fishing from a boat. The fall mullet migration brings predator fish into play. Steve Waters/The Coastal Star

By Steve Waters

You know autumn has arrived in New England when the leaves turn different colors.

You know autumn has arrived in South Florida when tarpon turn cartwheels off the beach.

While many locals head north to catch the fall foliage, Palm Beach County anglers head to beaches, fishing piers and jetties, as well as offshore in powerboats and kayaks, to catch the annual fall mullet run, which starts with a trickle in late September and really gets going in October.

The mullet migration offers some of the best, most frenzied fishing of the year, as a variety of predator species show up to feast on the schools of mullet, which swim south before heading farther offshore to spawn.

Tom Greene of Lighthouse Point, who started fishing the mullet run more than 60 years ago when he worked at Boca Tackle on East Palmetto Park Road, one block west of the Intracoastal Waterway, said Oct. 15 is traditionally when schools of mullet show up in force off area beaches.

“Boynton Inlet has always been great,” said Greene. “Boca Inlet has been good the last 10 years, the north side and south side. Fish early in the morning at Deerfield Pier and Pompano Pier.”

During the mullet run, tarpon and Spanish mackerel will crash into a mullet school, then they and other fish gobble up the stunned and maimed mullet. Bluefish and jack crevalle will tear through a school, and snook will lurk underneath and pick up the pieces. Sharks and ladyfish also get in on the fun.

Meanwhile, pelicans and seagulls attack the mullet from above, which makes locating a mullet school easy.

Live mullet are the preferred bait, but Greene said a number of soft-plastic lures that imitate baitfish will catch their share of fish during the mullet run. Feather jigs, topwater plugs and 5/8-ounce Krocodile spoons, cast just beyond or in front of a mullet school, are also effective.

Greene recommended using a 6½- to 7½-foot fishing rod with 12- to 20-pound monofilament line or 30- to 40-pound braided line.

A teenage fish tale
Greene was a teenager when he pedaled his bicycle to a pavilion at the end of Palmetto Park Road on a Sunday morning. He was going to be in church later, so he left the trousers that he was going to change into with his bike, leaving his wallet in a pocket. Casting live mullet that he’d snagged with his fishing rod, he caught several small jacks off the beach. Then he hooked a fish that he’ll never forget.

“That fish ran out and almost took all the line off my reel,” said Greene, who followed the big fish along the beach to the north jetty of Boca Inlet. “When I got to the inlet, I wasn’t about to let that fish cut me off. My rod had a cork handle and I put that in my mouth. Although the tide was ripping out and sharks were swimming through the inlet —you could see their fins — I swam to the south jetty, then I fought the fish all the way to Deerfield Pier.”

Greene landed the fish, which turned out to be a huge jack, after a three-hour fight. He got a ride to the tackle store, where the fish weighed 43.5 pounds. Then he got a ride to the beach to get his bicycle, where the police were looking for him.

The incoming tide had swept over his bicycle and taken his pants out to sea. A swimmer found the pants floating in the ocean, discovered the wallet and assumed young Tom Greene had fallen overboard offshore.

“One of the cops said, ‘Tom, what are you doing here? We heard you were lost in the ocean,’” Greene said. “Then I had to call my mother. That was the scariest thing, but fortunately nobody had called her to say I was missing.”

Outdoors writer Steve Waters can be reached at steve33324@aol.com.

The recently built, 2,640-square-foot home has a contemporary facade with tropical ground cover, high horizontal windows, eclectic art friezes and marble tile panels along with stunning front doors. Photos provided

With its stylish horizontal design, this custom-built, fully furnished island home offers the perfect blend of luxury and comfort. Built by architect Scott Disher of Architectural Studio, on 42-foot-deep pilings, this four-bedroom, three-bath smart home has a magnificent open floor plan with 11-foot ceilings, porcelain flooring and expansive living room/dining room areas.

The living room boasts wall-to-wall large sliding hurricane glass doors that provide abundant natural light and great views.

The master suite has a tray ceiling, custom closets and an en suite bathroom. The bath features marble countertops, a soaking tub and a large walk-in rain shower. The other two bedrooms with en suites provide plenty of space for family and guests. A separate den/office area with a built-in Murphy bed can be easily converted to a fourth bedroom.
The amenities include two energy-efficient heat pump A/C units, two tankless water heaters, a whole house backup generator, remote-controlled shades on windows, remote-controlled Kevlar hurricane screens, a central vacuum, Ring camera/alarm system, and Emtek door hardware.

The 800-square-foot covered patio features a gas outdoor fireplace, two TVs and a full outdoor kitchen near the gas-heated saltwater swimming pool and spa.

Outdoors, a Rainbird drip irrigation system covers the fenced yard and hedges border the entertainment area of pool and patio. Offered at $3,495,000.

Contact Steven Presson, the Presson Group at Corcoran, at steven.presson@corcoran.com or 561-843-6057.

The dining area, which has an artistic stainless light fixture, is a complement to the open chef’s kitchen with marble top island and backsplash.

Each month, The Coastal Star features a house for sale in our community. The House of the Month is presented as a service to our advertisers and provides readers with a peek inside one of our homes.

ABOVE: Rebecca Germany, sea turtle conservation assistant at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, excavates a loggerhead nest in Boca Raton three days after the eggs had hatched.
BELOW LEFT: A baby loggerhead makes its way to the ocean after being rescued by Joan Lorne of Sea Turtle Adventures during a nest excavation in Gulf Stream. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

RELATED: Boca Raton: Gumbo Limbo’s new scope to include whales, manatees

By Steve Plunkett

It’s a banner year for sea turtle nests up and down Palm Beach County’s coast and all around the state.

It’s the result, experts say, of decades of educational efforts and government protection.

Boca Raton’s Gumbo Limbo Nature Center reported finding its record-setting 1,325th nest (and nine others) on July 28; two days earlier the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach announced it had documented more than 20,998 nests, also a record.

And on Aug. 10 the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said total nests by loggerheads and green turtles would surpass those species’ statewide annual records.

As of July 31, the agency said, there were 127,808 loggerheads nests (previous record was 122,707 in 2016) and 56,151 green turtle nests (previous record was 53,102 in 2017).
“And the nesting season isn’t over yet,” the FWC said. “We look forward to seeing what the final nest counts will be!”

Conservation pays off
Is the tame start to 2023’s hurricane season somehow boosting the sea turtles’ maternal instincts? Or climate change? Maybe sea-level rise?

Not at all, say the people who monitor the beaches.

“I honestly believe the increase, and now record-breaking season this year, is in part due to decades of conservation efforts now coming to fruition,” said David Anderson, Gumbo Limbo’s sea turtle conservation coordinator. “After all, it takes 20 to 25 years for sea turtles to reach sexual maturity and we are seeing the results of decades of protection.”

By Aug. 28, Anderson’s eight-person sea turtle conservation team and a few volunteers had counted 1,389 total nests on Boca Raton beaches: 1,038 loggerhead, 323 green and 28 leatherback. The previous record of 1,324 was set in 2019.

“On any given morning, there are about five of us on the beach, splitting up in different directions to cover Boca’s 5 miles,” he said. “A busy year is more enjoyable, but it makes the mornings longer.

“The more nests we have, the more work we put in. We start at the same time every morning, about 30 minutes before sunrise. A busy nesting season, however, means that we will be on the beach longer since there are more nests to mark, more nests to protect from predators, more nests that will hatch, more nests to inventory after hatch, etc.”

Ryder Hoffmann, 3, and his sister Everly, 6, of Boynton Beach watch as Joan Lorne of Sea Turtle Adventures rescues a loggerhead during a nest excavation three days after the original hatch-out.

‘Quite busy’ everywhere
Mornings were also hopping for Sea Turtle Adventures Inc., which monitors 3 miles of shoreline in Gulf Stream, Briny Breezes and the southern part of Ocean Ridge.

“We’re quite busy out there,” said monitor Joan Lorne of Delray Beach, whose daughter, Jackie Kingston, founded the nonprofit. “Double the amount of nests. It’s like crazy, which is a good thing.”

The totals for Sea Turtle Adventures in mid-August were 1,051 loggerhead, 283 green, 15 leatherback, one very rare Kemp’s ridley and 1,350 overall. Last year the group counted only 659 nests. “Definitely a record-breaking year,” data manager Emilie Woodrich said.

Delray Beach is also having a “pretty crazy” season, said Joe Scarola, senior scientist with Ecological Associates Inc., which monitors the city’s 3-mile beach. “We’re having a record year for all three species,” he said, with 396 loggerhead nests by Aug. 19 (old record was 356 in 2021), 90 green (vs. 58 in 2019) and 30 leatherback (vs. 21 in 2020).

And in Highland Beach there were 1,526 nests by Aug. 17, surpassing 2022’s total of 1,092 nests, said Joanne Ryan, who holds the FWC sea turtle permit for the town and lives just north of Gulf Stream’s Place Au Soleil neighborhood. The breakdown was 989 loggerhead, 530 green and seven leatherback.

Highland Beach has 2.8 miles of shoreline, making the town “a busy little beach for the turtles,” Ryan said. “I can only attribute it to it being private, and although we do have a fair share of lighting issues, it’s nothing like the public beachfronts, not to mention the people. I feel very lucky to have HB for my nesting survey program.”

Peak of season is past
Nesting season on Florida’s East Coast for the threatened or endangered sea turtles runs from March 1 to Oct. 31.

Anderson said “unfortunately” the loggerheads and the greens will not set species records for Boca Raton along with the new overall record this year. Loggerheads generally stop nesting in late August, he said.

The record high for loggerheads is 1,075 set in 1990, Anderson said, and historical data led him to predict only 1,040 to 1,045 nests this year. The record high for greens in Boca is 393 set in 2019. Anderson expects to hit 337 to 347 this season, “as our last green nest is usually in late September.”

Loggerhead nesting usually peaks in mid-June when Boca Raton gets over 100 nests per week, he said. Green nesting usually peaks in mid-July and his team counts about 30 nests per week.

But even post-peak there is plenty of work for turtle conservationists.

“We have major hatch-outs at this time,” Lorne said.

The county’s northernmost 9.5 miles of beach set records for loggerhead and green nests by mid-August, said Dr. Justin Perrault, vice president of research at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center.

By late August, his team had counted 24,799 nests in all: 15,652 loggerhead, 8,931 green and 216 leatherback. The team tallied 575 nests in just one night, he said.

Most of the discoveries are marked by GPS coordinates but many are also written down. Only those that appear vulnerable to being disturbed are marked.

“Obviously we can’t put 48,000 stakes on the beach,” Perrault said.

Farther north, Disney World’s Vero Beach Resort on July 27 reported that it had found more than 2,000 sea turtle nests on its 5 miles of beach, well above the average 1,500 nests that its conservation team usually sees in a full nesting season.

Aydil Barbosa Fontes and William Lowe, her husband who is charged with killing her, lived in this condo building on Venetian Drive in coastal Delray Beach. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack and Jane Musgrave

More than a month after parts of 80-year-old Aydil Barbosa Fontes’ body were discovered packed into several suitcases tossed into the Intracoastal Waterway — and weeks after her 78-year-old husband, William Lowe, was charged with murder and abuse of a dead body — why it all happened remains a mystery.

As they fill in parts of a complex puzzle, investigators say they know what happened to Barbosa Fontes, where it happened and how it happened. When it happened and what the motive might have been are still unclear.

Even some of the lawyers who met Lowe at the Palm Beach County jail several times soon after his early August arrest were left in the dark.

“He was friendly, polite and respectful but he couldn’t tell us what happened,” said Fort Lauderdale defense attorney Glenn Roderman. The lawyer wonders if a combination of injuries from Lowe’s time in Vietnam and head injuries related to frequent falls could be affecting his cognitive abilities.

Delray Beach police have said they also have been unable to determine a motive for the murder of Barbosa Fontes — who was shot in the head — since Lowe hired an attorney and remained silent when he was arrested on Aug. 2.

That arrest came after an intensive investigation that began when the three suitcases were found in water on July 21.

Detectives said they first identified Lowe as a possible suspect in the death of his wife of 21 years after one of the investigators took a photo of a license tag from a car that had been seen in the area near where the bags were found.

The tag came back to Lowe and to his address, which was a tenth of a mile from where two suitcases were found.

Lowe was brought to the Police Department to give a DNA sample, while at the same time investigators armed with a warrant searched his condominium on Venetian Drive. After leaving the Police Department, Lowe tried to get into the home through a back window, but was stopped by investigators who were still conducting the search.

He told them he wanted to get his phone and the key to his storage locker, where a battery-operated chainsaw later was found. Detectives found blood and other evidence on the chainsaw, which they say was used to dismember Barbosa Fontes’ body.

For more than a week, investigators had sought to identify the remains in the suitcases, asking for help from the public. It was only after they began investigating Lowe as a suspect that they could identify Barbosa Fontes as the victim.

Knowing that Lowe and Barbosa Fontes shared the apartment and that she hadn’t been seen by neighbors for weeks, investigators then were able to confirm her identity using dental records and DNA.

Another help in identifying the remains was an airline sticker attached to one of the suitcases with the name Barbosa Ontes on it — with the first letter of the last name unreadable. Barbosa Fontes was a Brazilian native who made frequent trips to South America.

Service-related disabilities
From all accounts, Lowe lived a law-abiding life in South Florida and in Shelbyville, Kentucky, where he lived before moving to Delray Beach.

Military records show he entered the U.S. Marines in 1968 during the Vietnam War and achieved the rank of chief warrant officer. Defense attorneys say he sustained injuries while in the service and some who know him say he acknowledged suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

That could explain why, for at least 10 years, Lowe has had a property tax exemption on his two-bedroom condo through a state program that allows veterans with total and permanent service-related disabilities to avoid taxes. Becky Robinson, spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office, confirmed Lowe had the exemption.

Roderman said he believes PTSD combined with concussions from several falls over the years could be an issue. “There’s no doubt there’s mental health issues,” he said.

Roderman said that when he talked to Lowe early on, Lowe had trouble finishing sentences and would walk away in the middle of a conversation. He said he had planned to have Lowe undergo a mental health evaluation, but was pulled from the case along with co-counsels Philip Johnston and Ed Hoeg before that could be done.

One of Lowe’s sons from his first marriage hired West Palm Beach attorney Franklin Prince as the latest to represent Lowe. Prince said he met Lowe at the jail briefly late last month but was still sorting out details of the case. “We were able to have a conversation,” he said. “It didn’t look to me as if he was out of it.”

The door to murder suspect William Lowe’s condo on Venetian Drive in Delray Beach. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Unexplained flowers
While conducting their investigation, detectives spoke to neighbors in the complex on Venetian Drive, just north of Casuarina Road, where Lowe and Barbosa Fontes lived since they married in 2002. It was the second marriage for both.

Neighbors told police they didn’t know Lowe or Barbosa Fontes well. But, one 38-year-old neighbor said Lowe would inexplicably leave flowers outside her door.

He did so on July 26, five days after suitcases containing parts of Barbosa Fontes’s body began surfacing in the Intracoastal Waterway.

Lowe bought the unit in the small, neatly manicured barrier-island complex in 1990 for $105,000, when he was married to his first wife and was living in Kentucky. Similar units in the complex now routinely sell for more than $1 million.

Records show the unit has been paid off for years, but in September 2022, Lowe’s mortgage company sued him for foreclosure. It claimed he failed to abide by his obligation to buy insurance and pay taxes on the condo when he got a reverse mortgage in 2008. The company said he owed at least $265,000.

Ultimately, Lowe hired attorney Reginald Stambaugh, got insurance and the action was dismissed.

When Lowe bought the condo, his parents already owned a unit on the second floor of the building. When his mother died in 2000, years after the 1982 death of her husband, Lowe and one of his sisters agreed to sell the upstairs unit to another sister, who lives in California, court records show.

Neighbors told police they hadn’t seen the sister, now 86, for several years and that Lowe used the unit for storage. About two weeks before Barbosa Fontes’ body was discovered, one neighbor said she saw a trail of what she thought was “soup” leading from Lowe’s unit, up the stairs to the second-floor apartment.

When police searched it, they discovered blood on the outside wall next to the front door.

Inside, they said they discovered a cover and battery charger for a chainsaw and bottles of cleaning supplies.

Lowe, like his father, had been in the auto parts business in Shelbyville. When he married his first wife in 1970, after he left the military, he said his occupation was “salesman,” according to a listing in the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Later records show he owned an auto parts business in his hometown. He registered the company in Florida in 1995, but there is no indication he ever had a storefront here. He let the registration lapse a year later, state records show.

Those who know Lowe as Bill say he and Barbosa Fontes owned Lowe’s Cash, an ATM company Bill ran out of the apartment with installations throughout the area. Barbosa Fontes was listed as president of the company, which records show operated from 2015 to 2017. There is no record of any other business they may have owned together.

Some of those who knew him said they believed Lowe was part of Delray Beach’s alcohol recovery community.

A good landlord
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Barbosa Fontes in 1966 married a Massachusetts Maritime Academy graduate in the seaside town of Winthrop, according to an engagement announcement in the Boston Globe. After moving to Broward County, the couple divorced in 1976. Barbosa Fontes became a U.S. citizen a year later.

Barbosa Fontes dabbled in real estate, owning two units in a condominium complex in Pompano Beach. One of her tenants described her as a good landlord who came to his apartment in July to take care of some plumbing problems.

Despite her age, he said, she appeared to be in good health. “She’s a very nice lady,” said the tenant, who has rented the unit for four years. Reeling from the news of her murder, he asked not to be identified. “We have a very nice relationship.”

Roderman said the case is unlike any other he has handled. “This is really a family tragedy,” he said. “It’s the saddest case I’ve been involved in.”

Michelle Quigley contributed to this story.

Residents object to plan for beach access, cite safety concerns

By Rich Pollack

Highland Beach residents were dealt a setback in their 36-year battle to prevent development of a beachfront park when county commissioners agreed recently to move forward with plans to develop the Milani Park property.

The fight, however, is far from over.

In an August letter to the town, Palm Beach County Administrator Verdenia Baker said that the county will begin the design and permitting process for Milani Park, 5.6 acres that straddle State Road A1A at the south end of town.

The county could have delayed its decision to initiate development for another five years as part of a 2010 settlement agreement with the town that came 23 years after the county bought the property from the Milani family for just under $4 million, but chose not to exercise that option.

News of the county’s decision to move forward spread quickly through Highland Beach, where Milani Park has been a hot topic for decades.

“This is a big deal,” Town Manager Marshall Labadie said. “It’s a big project for a small town and a small project for a big county.”

What Milani Park will look like and when the first shovel will hit the ground are still unknown, but Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Director Jennifer Cirillo says it will be a few years until all required impact studies and design work are completed and construction can start.

“It’s probably several years into the future,” she said.

Cirillo and County Commissioner Marci Woodward, whose district includes the property, say that conceptual plans for the parcel call for a passive park similar to Ocean Ridge

Hammock Park, about 10 miles to the north in Ocean Ridge.

Like that park, also operated by the county, Milani Park would have parking for a small number of cars — just over 40 — on the west side of A1A and would have boardwalk access to the beach.

Along the boardwalk at Milani Park, which will pass over native Florida vegetation that has been allowed to flourish, would be educational signs about the native habitat as well as about the history of the property, which is believed to have been a native American burial ground.

“It’s going to be more of a nature preservation park,” Woodward said.

Nearby residents say they can live with that concept, especially since earlier plans for the project included more than 100 parking spots on the west side of A1A.

The sticking point for residents is the beach portion of the park, according to Ron Reame, vice president of the board of the Boca Highland Beach Club & Marina, which is adjacent to the property on the west side.

“We’re not really in favor of anything on the beach,” he said. “It just doesn’t make sense.”

Reame said that the beach is not very wide during high tide and includes the Yamato Rock formation, which can be hidden and hazardous to those not familiar with it.

“If you make it a public beach, it will be dangerous,” he said. “It’s such a small area.”

Under the preliminary conceptual plan, the beach will not have a lifeguard or restrooms, at least as part of the first phase of development.

Reame said there is also a concern with beachgoers leaving the public park and entering private property to the north and south.

“This is more acceptable than the original proposal but it’s still something a lot of residents won’t support,” he said.

If final plans include beach access, Milani Park will offer the only public beach access in Highland Beach.

Beach access, Cirillo said, is one of the main reasons the county wants to go ahead with development of the park, since the county’s comprehensive plan requires a specific ratio of beach access countywide to population and as the population grows, additional beach access is needed.

Town Commissioner Evalyn David, who lives in the Boca Highland community, says she’s also concerned about traffic and pedestrian safety with beachgoers having to cross A1A.

“We want to make sure that traffic flows freely in our town and all our safety concerns are met,” she said.

Both Cirillo and Woodward say they want to work with town residents.

“There’s definitely room for discussion on how the beach access will work,” Woodward said.

Cirillo says the town and the county will also need to discuss updating 43 conditions placed by the town in the settlement order. Among those are requirements that people pay a fee for parking and that a parking attendant is present.

“This is a unique property and we want this to be a community project,” she said. “We like to be good neighbors.” 

Owners’ argument for property rights awaits final votes

By Larry Barszewski

Ocean Ridge is ready to draw a new, more accommodating line in the sand for the town’s beach property owners.

Town commissioners plan to scale back some earlier regulations that significantly limited how large of a home a coastal property owner could build. Those regulations also made it more cumbersome for the homeowners to get construction plans approved.

At their Aug. 7 meeting, commissioners gave preliminary approval to two ordinances that walk back some of the regulations imposed in 2020, regulations that coastal homeowners say were approved without their knowledge and that infringed on their private property rights.

Beach homeowners are paying attention now. Alvin Malnik, whose 3.43 acres at 6301 N. Ocean Blvd. is the largest oceanfront single-family home parcel in town — more than twice the size of the next largest one — has retained a law firm to lobby the commission to go even further than it has planned.

The commission will consider whether it wants to make any additional changes — before it gives final approval to the new ordinances — at its Sept. 5 meeting.

Currently, the proposed ordinances continue to protect dune parcels south of Corrine Street from being built upon, but they make it easier for property owners to get approval to construct non-habitable structures, such as pools and decks, seaward of the 1979 Coastal Construction Control Line.

The CCCL is used to demarcate beach areas where construction is given additional scrutiny because of its increased potential to cause erosion and destabilize dunes.

Construction projects along the beach also require separate approval from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. FDEP approval is needed for construction east of the state’s 1997 CCCL, which moved the CCCL line farther west, though still east of State Road A1A.

The proposed changes Ocean Ridge is considering relax the methodology used to calculate how big a new or expanded home can be on the beach. The town plans to revert to the mean high-water line and not the 1979 CCCL when determining a property’s size. Because the mean high-water line is seaward of the CCCL, the change makes the size of each property bigger, thereby increasing the permitted size of the home on each property.

For oceanfront homeowners between Anna and Corrine streets, whose homes all include portions built seaward of the 1979 CCCL, their homes will no longer be considered non-conforming uses. They will be able to rebuild within their homes’ existing footprints without triggering the need for them to get variances, which entails a more rigorous approval process.

Some hope to build larger
One of Malnik’s attorneys, Janice Rustin, suggested the changes don’t go far enough.

Rustin requested beach property owners be allowed to build larger homes — up to 50% greater than what would otherwise be permitted — through a waiver process instead of requiring them to get a more difficult variance. She said the change would be an incentive to bring beach structures into compliance with today’s stricter building code standards.

“I think that would encourage people to improve their houses,” Rustin said. “I think limiting the exemptions to only those developments within [a home’s existing] footprint misses an important tool that the town can use to encourage more hardy development.”

Vice Mayor Steve Coz wasn’t persuaded.

“That’s pretty huge,” Coz said. “That’s kind of what the town doesn’t want.”

Commissioners supported one idea Rustin presented, to create an administrative waiver — and not an administrative permit — for the town to use to approve non-habitable improvements east of the 1979 CCCL.

The town’s proposed ordinances say any rejected administrative permit would require a variance to move forward, forcing homeowners to show a hardship and requiring approval by the town’s Board of Adjustment and Town Commission. The waiver process would allow the appeal of any rejection to be heard just by the Planning and Zoning Commission.

“A setback waiver is a more common type of approach,” Rustin said. “There would be waivers granted administratively by the town manager, or after public hearing by the Planning and Zoning Commission.”

Commissioners asked Town Attorney Christy Goddeau to review all of the suggestions from Rustin’s firm — Lewis, Longman and Walker, P.A.

Goddeau said it was apparent the commission wants “to continue to make it harder for those new habitable structures — or expanded habitable structures — seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line” to be built by continuing to require such proposals go through the town’s variance process.

Goddeau planned to provide the commission with an alternative ordinance that would incorporate the suggested “waiver” criteria of Rustin’s request for the commission’s Sept. 5 consideration.

In a Kansas town of about 1,900 people, a weekly newspaper had its publication servers, computers, cellphones and other electronics seized last month during a raid by local police. Law enforcement officers with a warrant removed electronics from the paper’s office and from the home where the editor and publisher lived with his 98-year-old mother, a co-owner of the newspaper.

The elderly woman later died from the stress of the raid, according to her son.

News of the raid has gained national attention, with the countywide newspaper receiving an outpouring of support as an investigation takes place into whether the equipment seizure was justified. In the meantime, the small staff at the 4,000 circulation newspaper worked long, difficult days to cobble together and re-create enough editorial and advertising files to publish an edition with a large headline saying, “Seized … but not silenced.”

Amen.

In The Coastal Star’s 15-year history, we’ve never experienced such a dramatic attempt at silencing our reporting, but we’ve had lawsuits thrown at us purely for intimidation and many, many subpoenas delivered for our photos and stories. All of them required attorney’s fees and at least once increased the annual cost of our insurance.

Appallingly, the objective pursued in the raid of the Marion County Record was for information the newspaper chose not to publish before it became public. That made this Kansas-based threat to press freedom even more disturbing.

There are many times our publication obtains information that we choose not to write about. Sometimes because we don’t have the resources, but most often because either the source or the nature of the allegations doesn’t meet our threshold for what is critical for the community to know. It is never because we are afraid of being sued or raided.

What happened in Kansas appears to be a ham-handed attempt at silencing a free press to keep salacious information from exposure. The facts will no doubt be revealed as investigations (legal and journalistic) continue.

In the meantime, small newspapers all over the country are closely watching this case.

Without confidence in their ability to publish free of fear or intimidation, many will close. Already more than 2,500 dailies and weeklies have ceased publication since 2005 — leaving behind communities with essentially no local news.

Cronyism, misconduct and corruption flourish without a free press. Even a small free press. Just ask that little newspaper in the rolling hills about 150 miles southwest of Kansas City.

Our advertising partners believe in a free press and support our publication. We hope that you’ll support them. If you would like to more directly show support for our journalism, we do accept contributions used to enhance our ability to do in-depth reporting.

Mail your contribution to: The Coastal Star, 5114 N. Ocean Blvd., Ocean Ridge, FL 33435.

Or send tax-deductable donations to the Florida Press Foundation, 336 E. College Ave, Suite 304, Tallahassee, FL 32301 with The Coastal Star in the memo field. This is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit fund. Donations made through the foundation are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law, and are subject to a 5.5% administration and processing fee.

Contributions made directly to The Coastal Star have no processing fee, but are not tax deductible.

— Mary Kate Leming,
Editor

Lulis Camarena, shown with her husband, Hermán, founded Imagina Children’s Foundation in the United States with the purpose of raising funds for the libraries and other programs she established in her hometown of León, Mexico. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Sallie James

The transformative power of education was always a guiding force for Lulis Camarena, who grew up in León, Mexico. There, access to books was scarce and many children never finished school because they had to work.

She decided to help by establishing a children’s library in her hometown and then creating a nonprofit here in the U.S. to provide financial support.

On Sept. 30, residents in the tri-county area will also have a chance to help when the Imagina Children’s Foundation annual fundraising gala kicks off at The Studio at Mizner Park.

The event, “Imagine: A Musical Gala,” will feature a special performance by Mexican icon Fernando Allende, a famed actor, producer, recording artist and entertainer. Allende has starred in films, soap operas, and TV series like Miami Vice, Flamingo Road, Maria Bonita and Sortilegio.

The event will also feature Mariachi Pancho Villa, a full mariachi band; a silent auction; and a showing of artwork by Colombian artist Ana Maria Tamayo during cocktail hour.

“I think it’s a good way to spread the word about doing good for others and at the end of the day, whatever we get we know we’re transforming lives,” said Camarena, 63, of Boca Raton.

She and husband, Hermán, moved from Mexico to California in 1988 and to Florida in 2001. The couple has four adult sons. But it was in 1992 when her husband went to Mexico to work remotely that Camarena’s dream to help began taking shape.

Camarena realized she must open a library aimed at serving the children in her hometown. By 1994 she had a board of directors, and when she and her husband returned to the United States, her mother took charge of the Mexico project and worked to establish children’s programs.

In 1996 Camarena founded the nonprofit Imagina Biblioteca Infantil in León, which enabled the establishment of two libraries, a preschool and a flourishing ecological and cultural center. The programs took off, but they needed a steady stream of cash to stay afloat.

So, in 2010, Camarena established the Imagina Children’s Foundation, a U.S. nonprofit with the purpose of fundraising for IBI’s programs in Mexico.

“Now it’s a whole community center with learning education, art, music. It has kindergarten, it has virtual online high school and college,” she said. Today more than 1,300 children are enrolled in IBI’s various programs, which provide a range of educational experiences the students would otherwise not have.

Camarena’s dream to help children in Mexico was rooted in research. She wanted to do something to empower children in her hometown, but sought to be sure the need and interest existed.

What she learned was that children in her own community were attending school for only about five years and that only about 2% read for pleasure. The answers were proof she was on the right track.

“Parents whose kids participated in IBI’s programs became more aware of the value of education and IBI drew even more community support,” Camarena said.

Although IBI has only recently begun to compile metrics on its success, organizers believe about 20,000 students have benefited from IBI’s programs since it was founded.

IBI’s programs have helped children in León read at a higher level, stay in school and earn scholarships to fund their college education, Camarena said.

“We call it like our secret sauce, where the kids are really taken care of,” she said. “I call our hangout our magical place. It’s really a safe place for all these kids. The quality is very important — not just the education, arts and culture, but we take care of the whole child. We are changing the children’s lives, the family and the community.”

To learn more about Imagina, the foundation’s mission or the gala, or to get involved, contact Camarena at Lulis@imaginachildrenfoundation.org.

If You Go
What: Imagine: A Musical Gala
When: 6 p.m. Sept. 30
Where: The Studio at Mizner Park, 201 W. Plaza Real, Boca Raton
Tickets: $250 general admission online at imaginachildrenfoundation.networkforgood.com/events/58433-imagine-a-musical-gala
More info: Lulis@imaginachildrenfoundation.org

NOMINATE SOMEONE TO BE A COASTAL STAR
Send a note to news@thecoastalstar.com or call 561-337-1553.

By Steve Plunkett

After giving new police hires a $9,000 raise in June, Gulf Stream town commissioners are penciling in substantial raises for veterans and another raise for the rookies to keep up with other area police departments.

Town Manager Greg Dunham had warned the commissioners to expect the proposed pay hikes.

“Talking about the budget back in July, and even back I think the month before when we raised the starting salary, at that point in time I told you that we weren’t done dealing with the police officers’ salaries knowing what other towns and cities were in the process of doing, and that was developing their own budgets and or completing contracts with their union regarding the police salaries,” Dunham said at the commission’s Aug. 11 meeting.

Chief Richard Jones compared Gulf Stream’s police salaries to those in 16 nearby jurisdictions on starting salaries, for three- and 10-year officers, for five- and seven-year sergeants and for three-year captains.

Gulf Stream was near the bottom at all officer and sergeant levels and below the average for captain.

Jones and Dunham proposed moving a three-year officer, for example, to $72,000 a year, up from $66,763 for a $5,237 raise, or 7.8%.

The starting salary, which was bumped to $61,250 from $52,250 in June, would rise to $66,000, also 7.8%.

The chief also proposed incentive pay for officers hired with experience, those who further their education and those who become paramedics or emergency medical technicians.

He and Dunham also recommended that they be allowed to develop a long-range salary plan with steps based on length of service.

“It seems like we have to do this, you know, every two or three years with respect to police departments, but we want to stay competitive with the other cities and it’s been a challenge,” Dunham said. “That puts us basically right in the middle.”

Jones also introduced to the commissioners his latest hire, Vincentina Nowicki, whose first day on patrol was Aug. 7, and Alan Gonzalez, who joined the force in March. Officer Assel Hassan, who started in late June, could not attend the meeting and will be introduced later.

The chief said the promise of a higher starting salary helped motivate the new hires to come to Gulf Stream.

Mayor Scott Morgan welcomed Gonzalez and Nowicki.

“It’s really important that we get to see you in this context and for you to see us,” Morgan said. “I think it brings the Police Department, town staff and the commission a little closer together, so thank you very much, thank both of you for coming.”

Commissioner Paul Lyons praised Jones for doing an “incredible” job: “very comprehensive, thoughtful, logical, persuasive — I don’t know what else to say.”

“One of the things that the last three or four years we’ve been lacking is an adequate number of police officers and you’ve done a lot to cure that problem,” Lyons said.

In other business:

• Commissioners adjusted water rates for town residents, passing along a 6.1% increase imposed by Delray Beach starting Oct. 1. Dunham continues to talk with Boynton Beach about switching water providers.

• Commissioners moved their November meeting to 9 a.m. on Nov. 9, a Thursday, instead of Nov. 10, which is the observed holiday this year for Veterans Day.
On Sept. 8 they will meet at 4 p.m. instead of the usual 9 a.m. start and follow that with a budget hearing at 5:01 p.m. The final budget hearing will be at 5:01 p.m. on Sept. 27.

• Dunham said much progress had been made landscaping the entrance to the Blue Water Cove development just north of Place Au Soleil and obscuring the construction there.

“You’ll notice when you go by that wall, the fishtail palms are about 15 feet tall — they were originally going to put 8- to 10-foot ones in there. They weren’t available so they bought the larger ones. And when you’re inside there, you don’t see Walmart,” Dunham said.

Two Place Au Soleil residents, Julie Murphy and Miguel Newmann, complained to commissioners in July that they were living in an unsightly, “eternal” construction zone.

By Larry Barszewski

Ocean Ridge commissioners are considering turning over more than 150 town-owned streetlights to Florida Power & Light, which would then take over the cost of replacing them and charge the town a monthly fee for their use.

Town Manager Lynne Ladner included $1 million in her proposed budget for street lighting that may be needed on Ocean Avenue to replace about 40 aging decorative lights there, but the town would not need to spend that money if it works out a deal with FPL to take over all the town’s lighting. The town would be required to maintain four lights on its end of the Ocean Avenue bridge itself.

Resident Victor Martel, who has been in touch with FPL officials, told commissioners if the town were to turn over its lights to FPL, the Ocean Avenue fixtures could be replaced by lights the company has available, though they would not match the lights on the Boynton Beach side of the bridge.

Commissioners said they would need to discuss the proposal with FPL and get a better idea of what LED lighting it offers that would be appropriate for residential areas. The company does have lower intensity options suitable for neighborhoods, Martel said.

Final vote on beach signs
The commission will take one more vote before a new beach sign ordinance is enacted. The commission agreed to add language that would also permit “No Trespassing” signs that are strung across private stairways over the dunes. The revision is expected to be voted on at the commission’s Sept. 5 meeting.

Iguana removal questioned
During the commission’s Aug. 7 meeting, Ladner said the contractor hired to remove iguanas from town property has removed 1,868 iguanas in the past year, an average of almost 156 a month — or about 20 every twice-a-week visit. But Vice Mayor Steve Coz questioned the veracity of those numbers and commissioners asked Ladner to implement steps to check that the numbers reported are accurate.

“These iguanas are huge and I’m told this guy has a car the size of Volkswagen bug,” Coz said. “I want proof of this. I don’t believe it.”

Deal sought on building site
Commissioners are still working out the details of a permit extension for construction work that has been going on at 6273 N. Ocean Blvd. for eight years. They temporarily extended the permit until their Sept. 5 meeting to give Town Attorney Christy Goddeau time to work out the details of a fee the town would assess property owner Andrew Rivkin in exchange for granting an extension until February 2024.

Because the work isn’t expected to be finished until next year, that’s another year when the new construction won’t be included on the tax rolls. Commissioners want Rivkin to cover the town’s lost property taxes for the project’s not being completed this year.

“We’ve forfeited six years of taxing it on its value because it wasn’t completed,” Commissioner Carolyn Cassidy said. “I think that we’ve forgone almost a million dollars in tax revenue in Ocean Ridge.”

Manager disputes quotation
In a memo to commissioners read at the Aug. 7 meeting, Ladner questioned a quote attributed to her in The Coastal Star’s August 2023 edition about buried water valves in town.

In the quote, she said Public Works Supervisor Billy Armstrong “wanted to bring this issue forward for a couple of years and has been unsure of whether he should or not because of the potential cost of the project, so he opted not to.”

The Coastal Star confirmed the quote through a recording of the meeting.

Ladner said: “I do not believe that this is a correct quotation of what I said, however, if it is I apologize to Supervisor Armstrong for misstating the situation.” Ladner went on to say Armstrong had raised the buried valve issue with his direct supervisor and the town attorney even before he was promoted to supervisor.

The article also contained information from Armstrong that was included in an email sent to The Coastal Star. The email was sent by Ladner, not Armstrong, but included Armstrong’s responses to questions by The Coastal Star.