Utilities Director Poonam Kalkat praised the quick work to fix and clean up the leak at the east end of Boynton Beach Boulevard. But the state is investigating the leak and could penalize the city. Tao Woolfe/The Coastal Star

By Tao Woolfe

The corrosive power of saltwater seeping into a junction box caused a sewer pipe spill last summer that dumped millions of gallons of sewage into the Intracoastal Waterway.

The incident has cost Boynton Beach about $1.6 million so far, and could cost much more, as the city investigates other potential infrastructure problems in a system whose oldest pipes date back to the 1970s and ’80s.

Those were the conclusions of Poonam Kalkat, utilities director for Boynton Beach, who delivered the report to city commissioners on Dec. 19.

Then on Dec. 21, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection sent a “warning letter” to the city, adding another potentially expensive layer to the repair process.

The letter states that due to a broken city meter, approximately 22 million gallons of untreated wastewater discharged “into the waters of the state affecting water quality,” and that the city could be liable for damages and restoration. The breach occurred July 3 and the leak was stopped July 6.

The warning is part of a DEP investigation and is preliminary to the department’s taking action in accordance with state statutes, the letter says.

Earlier, a department spokesman said the DEP was “pursuing formal enforcement in this matter, in the form of a consent order, which may include civil penalties.”

“The consent order will also include corrective actions and solutions to avoid future discharges, with timelines for completion.”

At the Dec. 19 City Commission meeting, Kalkat gave a dramatic accounting of how Boynton Beach utilities staff, as well as emergency contractors called in to help, spent days and nights at the spill site — at the far eastern end of Boynton Beach Boulevard.

Divers worked hours against unusually high tides to access a so-called conflict box designed by the Florida Department of Transportation. The box enabled an 84-inch DOT stormwater pipe to intersect with a city force main pipe bearing sewage from a lift station.

“Divers arrived on site to do repairs as this was considered the fastest way to stop the spill,” Kalkat said. “A team of divers attempted to repair the damaged pipe, using a repair clamp; however, after trying for over 10 hours the divers were unsuccessful as the back pressure in the pipe, and the tidal water, did not allow the repair clamp saddle to be tightened completely.”

While divers worked to repair the pipe, city staff contacted other municipalities asking for help and parts — scarce with the July 4 holiday approaching, Kalkat said.

The conflict box was filled up with water twice a day, Kalkat said. The brackish water running in and around the storm pipe corroded the pipe bearing wastewater and caused sewage to leach into the ICW.

City officials originally estimated that some 12 million gallons of wastewater emptied into the Intracoastal following the breach, a lesser estimate than that of the Florida DEP.

Kalkat said at the time that the 50-year-old clay piping that ran beneath Boynton Beach Boulevard was on the books to be replaced, but had not been.

To reduce back pressure, the emergency contractor’s crews decided to install a 20-inch line stop downstream of the break. The action alleviated pressure, which would theoretically allow the dive team to repair the leak during low tide, Kalkat said. But divers failed at that attempt, too.

City staff removed 38 truckloads of water and material. Meanwhile, the DEP and the state Health Department monitored the situation and sampled the water every day. Clean Harbors, a Boynton-based waste removal service, placed booms and turbidity barriers around the spill and removed another 37 drums of waste, Kalkat said.

“Over 900 linear feet of above-ground bypass hose, along with a 20-inch by 12-inch wet tap, was installed by the contractor, successfully stopping the spill,” Kalkat said.

Department of Health signs posted near entrances to Mangrove Park warned visitors to avoid contact with canal and lake water “due to high amounts of bacteria.” The city report said water was sampled until Aug. 10 at the point of entry, upstream and downstream of that point, at the city boat ramps to the north and the Woolbright Road bridge to the south.

Kalkat said she was pleased with how the city staff — and contractors — worked steadily until the repairs were made.

“I’m so proud of how our staff responded,” Kalkat told the commissioners. “It took two weeks to clean up completely.

“The city’s quick response prevented further damage.”

But Mayor Ty Penserga said the city had received many complaints from people who live near the spill. The city was slow to let residents know what was happening, and whether their water was safe to drink, he said.

Better communication and response times are needed, he said, because lack of communication sows distrust.

Four work permit extensions have been granted for the 1.5-acre spec estate at 1460 S. Ocean Blvd. Anne Geggis/The Coastal Star

By Christine Davis

The long-running saga of a construction eyesore in Manalapan has another chapter: The Nigerian oil mogul who sank millions into the property gave it up to his lender who had filed to foreclose on it.

A week after the deed was recorded in December, the new owner of 1460 S. Ocean Blvd. took his turn in front of the Manalapan Town Commission, seeking a fourth permit extension for the work that started in 2018 on the 1.5-acre, lake-to-ocean property.

Commissioners agreed to move the Dec. 26 construction deadline back another half year, until July 1.

But it didn’t happen without some grousing first.

“It looks like you’ve got a lot of site work left to do,” Mayor Stewart Satter observed, addressing the new owner, Ed London of London Financial South Ocean LLC, Key Biscayne, who acquired the property for $21.5 million, court records show.

Many of the twists and turns — and delays — have been due to former owner Onajite Okoloko’s financial state. “Domestic problems,” London told commissioners.

Later he clarified: That means “divorce.”

Okoloko purchased the property in 2017 for $12.4 million. Over the years, he borrowed $48.5 million (and paid off $20 million of that) to build the house, official records show.

London Financial’s foreclosure case against Okoloko, chairman and CEO of Nigerian-based oil and natural gas producing and exploring companies, was still open at the end of December, court records show.

But London said the project’s completion is on the horizon — it really is.

“Structurally, the house is done,” London said.

The latest $37,877 fee for the permit extension brings the total Manalapan has collected for permit fees on the project to $583,038.

“In a spirit of cooperation, the commission extended the permit request until July 1st,” Satter said. “If the project is not completed by July 1st, they will be required to apply for another permit extension.”

The first permit was pulled in 2018 and construction began in 2019. The unfinished home is now on the market for $87.5 million, bumped up from Okoloko’s asking price last summer of $79.5 million. An online description of the property shows it will be nearly 20,000 square feet, with six bedrooms and 11 baths.

At the last request for an extension on the construction permit, the project’s representatives blamed Florida Power & Light for the delays. London said the electric company’s work on the property still could prove a wild card that prevents the project’s completion before the new permit’s expiration.

Whatever he and the construction company can control, they’ll be striving to meet the deadline, he said.

“We don’t want to be back here,” London said.

-- Anne Geggis

***

Kenneth A. Himmel, president and CEO of Related Urban, a company that develops mixed-use properties nationally, was the keynote speaker during Palm Beach State College’s 2023 fall commencement ceremony in December, which was held at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach.

Degrees and certificates were given to more than 2,000 graduates. George T. Elmore was presented with an honorary degree. Elmore founded and is president of Delray Beach-based Hardrives Inc., a paving construction company. Elmore has been a longtime donor and a board member of the college’s foundation since 2011.

Among properties developed by Related Urban are The Square in West Palm Beach; Time Warner Center and Hudson Yards in New York; the Grand Avenue redevelopment project in downtown Los Angeles; and Related Santa Clara in California.

***

Real estate agent Shelly Newman has joined The Corcoran Group and is now affiliated with the company’s Palm Beach office. Newman, one of RealTrends Top 1.5% producers nationwide, was previously with William Raveis Real Estate. Her expertise covers land sales to oceanfront, waterfront and Intracoastal properties.

***

Following the Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce’s merger with the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce in 2019, Rick Maharajh, chairman and CEO of RM Logitech, co-founded the Boynton Beach Professionals networking group. Along with 35 other members, the group has since driven more than $900,000 in business sales among its members. 

Recently, Maharajh founded the Boynton Beach Online Chamber of Commerce.

“The BBOC’s mission is to drive business and promote a ‘Downtown Destination’ while preserving the historic fishing village vibe. To stimulate economic development, work with our city to promote, educate and engage our businesses and residents, we will connect our business network to the Boynton Beach community,” Maharajh said. “By fueling our chamber members with a powerful internet platform, social media and online exposure, our reach will develop a more interconnected environment, as far as the internet goes.”

For more information, visit www.bbocflorida.com.

***

Airline passengers have returned following the pandemic, and Aerospace Technologies Group, an aviation industry supplier headquartered at Florida Atlantic University Research Park, can attest to that.

The company recently secured Emirates international airline as the launch customer for its aerBlade window shades, which are to be installed in the airline’s Airbus A350 and Boeing 777X fleet.

The aerBlade is an electronically operated window shade system that passengers can control from clear to sun-blocking to full blackout with the touch of a button. Crew members can automatically lower and raise all window shades on the aircraft from their own panels. 

Emirates had already introduced electric window shades when it launched its A380 fleet. With its A350 and B777X fleet, it will expand the shades to new cabins. 

“Commercial air travel is through the roof and many carriers are taking old airplanes they would have retired and refurbishing them to bring them back into service,” said

Aerospace Technologies Group CEO Mario Ceste. “One of the things they need is new window shades.”

Over the past year, the 25-year-old company has nearly doubled its employee count to 190 to fill orders from new and existing customers in the charter and commercial airline industries.

***

John Elder, a longtime volunteer and board member of Adopt-A-Family of the Palm Beaches, has assumed the position of board chair, with Elizabeth Morales serving as first vice chair, Heather Ferguson as secretary, and Jonathan Bain as treasurer. Joining the board of directors are Stephanie Gitlin and Takelia Hay. 

Also, Chris Oberlink was unanimously elected as the board’s first lifetime emeritus director, honoring her nearly 30 years of service to Adopt-A-Family.

***

Erin L. Deady P.A., a Delray Beach legal and consulting firm that focuses on solving environmental and land-use challenges, is celebrating its 12th anniversary. President Erin Deady, a licensed Florida attorney and certified land planner, primarily focuses her practice on public-sector government representation, but she also has private sector clients. The practice includes resiliency, adaptation, environmental restoration initiatives, water management, energy, climate, local government, administrative law and land-use issues.

***

The YMCA of South Palm Beach County recently announced that it had raised a record-breaking $1,076,571 at its annual Giving Campaign victory celebration, held at FAU Stadium’s Acura Club. The donations will support the YMCA’s programs and resources for youth and families.

***

The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County will host a Hot Topic Luncheon on Jan. 17 at Mounts Botanical Garden, 559 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach. Three co-founders of Stet Media Group, an online newsletter, will discuss the crisis in local journalism and the ongoing erosion of fact-based civic engagement.

They are Carolyn DiPaolo, a Palm Beach Post editor and manager of the news operation for 20 years; Joel Engelhardt, investigative reporter, editorial page writer and columnist at The Palm Beach Post for 28 years; and award-winning journalist Pat Beall.

Cost to attend is $25. The deadline to register is Jan. 10, and registrations, lunch choice and payment must be made online at https://lwvpbc.org/event/january-hot-topic-2024/.

Anne Geggis contributed to this column.

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

The community-based nonprofit that provides food and financial and medical assistance to people in need welcomed more than 60 guests to the Heart & Spirit Society Open House. The Heart & Spirit Society is a group of Boca Helping Hands ambassadors dedicated to spreading the word about the organization’s work and recruiting new supporters.
ABOVE: (l-r) Bonnie and Gary Hildebrand, Suzan Javizian and David Dweck hold donation checks for Boca Helping Hands. Photos provided

Mary Donnell (l-r), Kathy Adkins, Tandy Robinson, Victoria Matthews and Robin Deyo.

Susan Brockway (l-r), Leslie Klion and Patricia Damron.

Zoe Lanham and Rochelle LeCavalier.

Artists group finds inspiration, enjoyment in ever-changing hues of South Florida outdoors

TOP: Resting on the grass at Mizner Park, the palette of plein air painter June Knopf awaits another brushstroke.
MIDDLE: Susan McKenna List, another member of the Palm Beach Plein Air group, paints a table umbrella from Max’s Grille.
BELOW: Delray Beach Public Library visitors walk through the Plein Air Palm Beach show in the second-floor gallery.

Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

True nature shines through in exhibit at Delray Beach library

By Tao Woolfe

It seems counterintuitive to go indoors to see an exhibit of light-filled outdoor art, but given the soggy start to winter, it may be a blessing.

Another blessing: The plein air exhibit is on the second floor of Delray Beach’s cool public library at 100 W. Atlantic Ave., which boasts a forest in its children’s department and is a treat in itself.

The formal name of the exhibit is Plein Air Palm Beach Fine Art Show and Sale. It runs until Jan. 31.

This year the exhibit has more than 65 pieces of plein air — or impressionistic studies of outdoor scenes — painted by members of the Palm Beach Plein Air group, which formed about 13 years ago.

This is the second year the group has exhibited in the Delray Beach library’s gallery.

“Everything is done on location around South Florida,” said Donna Walsh, one of the group’s founders. “It’s a lot of fun. Our members get to paint outdoors with their friends.”

The en plein air movement originated in France’s famed Barbizon School in the 1830s, when students — including Theodore Rousseau — strove to capture the rapidly changing outdoor light in their work, according to published histories.

At the time, artists often mixed their own paints from natural substances. It wasn’t until 1841 that the collapsible paint tube was invented by American painter

John G. Rand, who freed himself and his colleagues from studio confinement.

By the 1860s renowned artists such Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir had joined the movement. They enjoyed painting in the countryside with colleagues.

The movement expanded to Italy, England and eventually to the United States, where the Hudson River school of artists used the technique to paint scenes depicting the Hudson River Valley, and the Catskill, Adirondack and White mountains.

Marcia Riopel and Harolyn Larsen enjoy the camaraderie of the Palm Beach Plein Air group.

In South Florida, plein air artists have the ocean and flat land as endless outdoor backdrops, said artist June Knopf, of Delray Beach.

“Painting outside is a huge challenge because everything changes. … Cars, boats and, of course, people come and go. Lighting conditions and shadows change continually. You learn how to paint very quickly when you’re painting outside,” Knopf said.

“Plein air paintings have a vibrancy and spontaneity that makes you feel that you are there.”

Members of Palm Beach Plein Air say they prefer to make quick, impressionistic sketches of an outdoor scene and then bring their paintings back to their respective studios to add finishing touches.

Several members of the group were in Mizner Park on a recent Sunday, sketching people and cafés in the rapidly changing afternoon light.

The palette of Susan McKenna List, from Boca Raton, who says plein air painting ’gives you a heightened sensitivity, like meditation.’

Among them was Susan McKenna List, of Boca Raton, who was dabbing a red table umbrella onto a small canvas.

“Plein air painting is fast and intuitive,” List said. She described herself as an English major who discovered plein air art while in California and never looked back.

Painting in nature, she said, has given her a new way of looking at the world.

“It gives you a heightened sensitivity, like meditation,” List said. “It’s a great gift.”

Walsh and co-founder Ralph Papa had been organizing outings for separate entities — the Palm Beach Watercolor Society and a Delray Beach plein air group. They decided to merge and call the group Palm Beach Plein Air, according to the group’s website.

Its members say the group is very friendly and welcomes all artists, no matter what stage of expertise they have reached.

“We welcome resident artists and visiting artists at all levels to come out with us to paint and document today’s landscapes that contribute to tomorrow’s history,” the Palm Beach Plein Air website says.

If You Go
What: Plein Air Palm Beach Fine Art Show and Sale
Where: Delray Beach Public Library second-floor gallery, 100 W. Atlantic Ave.
When: The show runs until Jan. 31. Library hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday‑Wednesday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.
Cost: Free

Co-chairwoman Natalie Beck (in pink) with (l-r) her husband, Connor Beck; mother, Loretta Parker; and Arlene Herson at the 2023 gala. Photo provided

By Amy Woods

Boca Ballet Theatre will open the curtain on its 33rd season during the signature “A Starry Night” Gala Dinner on Jan. 7.

In the company’s three-plus decades of dance, it has grown from a grassroots group started by local parents for a corps of fewer than 20 to a powerhouse of more than 500 enrollees.

One of the early students was Natalie Beck, who trained with the troupe while attending Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach. After studying dance at Butler University in Indianapolis, Beck returned to South Florida and became an instructor at the theater. This year, she is co-chairing the Jan. 7 fundraiser.

“The most important thing about this event is that it is a unique opportunity to see stars of dance come together from around the country while supporting your local dance school,” she said.

The event will begin at 3 p.m. at University Theatre at FAU with a show featuring former New York City Ballet principal dancer Daniel Ulbricht’s touring Stars of American Ballet. The stage will come alive with professionals from New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ballet Hispánico and Broadway.

Following the dance spectacular is a dinner at The Boca Raton, where the recipient of the Steven Caras Achievement Award will be announced. The award recognizes exceptional service in promoting, preserving and perpetuating the art of dance in the 21st century.

“Boca Ballet Theatre does a world of good in educating young dancers in classical ballet as well as provides excellent outreach programs for youths in need,” Beck said. “Come out and support the stars of tomorrow.”

If You Go
What: Stars of American Ballet and ‘A Starry Night’ Gala Dinner
When: Jan. 7 (3 p.m. show; 5:30 p.m. dinner)
Where: Show at FAU's University Theatre, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton; dinner at The Boca Raton, 501 E. Camino Real
Cost: $75 for the performance, $400 for the performance and dinner
Information: 561-995-0709, ext. 225 or bocaballet.org

Among those attending the American Humane fundraiser televised on Thanksgiving Day were (l-r) Gail Worth, Frank Orenstein and Christine Lynn. Photo provided by Capehart

Philanthropist Marc Leder’s $2 million pledge to “Keeping the Promise — The Campaign for Boca Raton Regional Hospital” has pushed the near-concluded effort further past its $250 million goal. The gift will be recognized with a naming opportunity within the Toby and Leon Cooperman Medical Arts Pavilion.

“It is a measure of the power of our vision for the future when one of our family of donors returns to make a subsequent substantive gift,” said Boca Raton Regional Hospital CEO Lincoln Mendez, referring to a prior $1 million gift Leder and Rodger Krouse pledged to the campaign. “Marc’s belief in our campus initiative is matched only by our gratitude for this overwhelming demonstration of generosity.”

For more information, call 561-955-4142 or visit donate.brrh.com.

American Humane gives Hero Dog Awards
Christie Brinkley headlined American Humane’s 13th annual fundraiser that later was nationally televised on Thanksgiving Day.

The Hero Dog Awards Gala, known as the “Oscars for Canines,” also starred TV personality Carson Kressley and was presented by Lois Pope.

“Christie has spent her entire life advocating for animal welfare, and that’s exactly what we do here at American Humane,” President and CEO Robin Ganzert said. “It was an honor to have her join us as we celebrated these heroes on both ends of the leash.”

For more information, call 800-227-4645 or visit www.americanhumane.org.

Gift establishes legacy for Pops, Maestro Lappin
Florida Atlantic University has received a gift worth more than $5 million to enhance its music programs and establish a legacy for the Palm Beach Pops and Bob Lappin, its founder and director.

The funds were donated by the Legacy Foundation of Palm Beach County, an extension of the Palm Beach Pops, and include an extensive library consisting of more than 1,600 titles and scores.

“For the past three decades, the Palm Beach Pops was an integral part of the performing cultural-arts and music education in South Florida,” said Jon Lappin, president and executive director of the Legacy Foundation of Palm Beach County. “This donation preserves the legacy and extraordinary accomplishments of the maestro — my father, the late Bob Lappin — and the Palm Beach Pops.”

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

Men Giving Back of South Palm Beach County distributed $530,000 to two dozen local nonprofits during its third annual event. Nearly 250 members, nominees and guests enjoyed cocktails, music, a raffle and dinner as they honored representatives of the charities selected for the grants. ‘It’s hard to describe the joy we all feel as a group to have an opportunity to help so many impactful charities,’ founding member Dr. Nathan Nachlas said. ABOVE: (l-r) Alan Ferber, Robert Snyder, Jon Sahn, Evan Farrell, William Marino, Nachlas, Marc Malaga, Eddie Ventrice, Derek Witte and Bill Donnell. Photo provided by Carla Azzata

More than 275 attendees celebrated Impact 100 Palm Beach County’s annual event, highlighted by an engaging interview with the co-chairwomen of the Grant Review Committee. Ingrid Kennemer, Noreen Payne and Shannon Moriarity delved into a discussion about the review process undertaken by members who carefully assess each grant-making decision. ABOVE: (l-r) Linda Gunn Paton, Anita Colombo, Nicole Grimes, Tonya Notaro and Mimi Meister. Photo provided by Warner-Prokos Photography

Child advocate Melissa Haley organized a gathering for the Center for Child Counseling where new and existing members learned more about how to advance and improve children’s mental health, safety and well-being. They also learned more about Haley’s vision of making lasting changes in the lives of families affected by childhood trauma and advocating for brighter futures. ABOVE: (l-r) Renée Layman, Haley and Roberta Mann. Photo provided by Tracey Benson Photography

The Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem Knights Hospitaller’s Palm Beaches Commandery offered a solemn ceremony to recognize inductees for their achievements and contributions to their community as well as their desire to contribute to the goals of the organization. Following a bagpipe processional, hymn and the singing of the national anthem, the installation of the new members began. A celebration followed with food, drinks and fellowship. ABOVE: (l-r) Janet Lee Miller, Walter Jones Jr., Adam Wimmer and Dave Barninger. Photo provided by Capehart

A pup-tacular time was had by all at the annual benefit for Tri-County Animal Rescue that featured cute boutiques, photos with (and without) pooches, an extravagant brunch, a doggie buffet, live music and lots of raffle prizes. Funds help rescued pets and strays that need medical care in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. ABOVE: (l-r) Diana Maune with dog Lucy, and Arthur and Mara Benjamin with dogs Charlie and Lexi. BELOW: (l-r) Rita Rizzuto with Stephen Verses, 3-year-old Lee Verses, Nicola Verses and their dog Cowboy. Photos provided by Capehart

Indoor and outdoor dining at Polpo in Manalapan provides panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean. Photo provided

By Jan Norris

At last! Cooler weather is upon us. Finally, it’s comfortable enough for outside dining.

Plenty of options exist, thanks to changes during the pandemic. Here are some that may be below your radar.

Palm Trail Grill, 800 Palm Trail, Delray Beach. Phone 561-865-5235. A large outdoor patio with tropical plants and decor accommodates diners here. A steak and seafood grill menu features the popular entree snapper oreganata. It’s a nice, quiet spot to take visitors.

Jimmy’s Bistro, 9 S. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. 561-865-5774; online jimmysbistrodelray.com. This small, chef-owned restaurant has a menu that changes often and draws mostly locals to the tables. Fresh catch is just that: seafood from local purveyors daily. Limited sidewalk seating.

Papa’s Tapas, 259 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach. 561-266-0599; papastapasdb.com. Authentic Spanish tapas plates, perfect for sharing, are found here. Paella is the signature dish, however — and it is made to order. If you go, order it first and enjoy sangria and small bites while you wait. Happy hour is a best bet, too.

Bamboo Fire Cafe, 149 NE Fourth Ave., Delray Beach. 561-749-0973. Go island style and find unique menu items at this family-owned spot. Food is served family style — share large portions of curried goat, oxtail pepper pot and jerk chicken, among other Caribbean mainstays. Take care in ordering the level of spice, which is offered as American or Caribbean (where Scotch bonnet peppers live).

Phyllis G’s Enigma Bistro, 2717 N. Federal Highway, Delray Beach. 561-243-6377. The enigma refers to the fusion on the menu — a little Cuban, Italian, Caribbean and American grill. Seafood is a star; the hazelnut grouper and Havana snapper win raves. A don’t-miss is a slightly spicy conch chowder. A white sangria is the drink to order.

Ravish Off Ocean, 210 E. Ocean Ave., Lantana. 561-588-2444; ravishkitchen.com. There’s plenty of outdoor seating at this popular gathering spot for fun-lovers. Cocktails are made with fresh ingredients. Vegetarians and dessert fanatics have options, as do carnivores and pescetarians. Large groups are accommodated here, and Ravish regularly hosts events and entertainment.

Latitudes, 2809 S. Ocean Blvd., Highland Beach. 561-278-2008; opalcollection.com/delray-sands/restaurants/latitudes/. An upscale seafood and American grill is beachside in the Delray Sands Resorts. The Ocean Terrace seating is what you want when you take visitors for that “I live in paradise” brag. Also open for breakfast and lunch. For early risers, the sunrise setting can’t be beat. Vegetarians and vegans accommodated.

SeaSpray Inlet Grill, 999 E. Camino Real, Boca Raton. 561-226-3022; seasprayboca.com. Overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway with a tropical-patio vibe, the restaurant within the Waterstone Resort serves up American favorites. Plenty of main-dish salads, including gluten-free options, are served along with churrasco chimichurri, salmon with an Asian-tropical flair and casuals such as fish tacos and wagyu burgers. Come by boat, if you wish.

Polpo Palm Beach, 100 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan. 561-540-4923; polpopalmbeach.com. An import from Connecticut, Polpo brings upscale seafood and Italian offerings to the oceanfront restaurant within Eau Palm Beach Resort. Lunch and brunch are good options (ocean views aren’t as nice at dinner). Go for the traditional panzanella — chilled bread soup — and an authentic northeast Italian pizza. Vegans have choices off the main menu.

The Butcher and the Bar, 510 E. Ocean Ave., Boynton Beach. 561-903-7630; butcherandbar.com. A small, “clean food” butcher shop — emphasis on small, so seating is limited — also serves small plates off a limited daily menu. Lunch features sandwiches made right from the meat cases. The shop offers house-made everything, including ketchup and sauerkraut. A Sunday brunch and prime rib night are popular; good idea to call ahead, and you can even order in advance. Hot dog lovers, take note: The owners are going national with their wieners, a big favorite. Be aware of the “no substitutions” policy. Have it their way, or …

Al Fresco, 2345 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach. 561-273-4130; golfontheocean.com/palm-beach-restaurant/. Overlooking the ocean, the terrace on the restaurant at the Palm Beach Par 3 golf course is another of those places you want to take visitors on a winter’s day. Watch the duffers play through below. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it offers an Italian and American grill menu. Thin-crust pizzas are notable, and a gluten-free version is available. Salads and gazpacho also are favorites.

Rapoport refreshes Delray’s Deck 84
Deck 84 in Delray Beach has a refreshed menu and has undergone a staff shake-up after owner Burt Rapoport noted complaints about the food.

First, however, he had to deal with a foul odor in the restaurant that put off diners in November.

The smell was coming from under the restaurant, but king tides prevented plumbers from rooting out the cause.

Once waters receded, workers determined that a broken pipe from the kitchen was the culprit. They sealed the leak and spread enviro-safe enzymes to soak up the spill.

After that, Rapoport fired the top tier in the kitchen and hired chef Fernando Marulanda and a new chef de cuisine, Katt Dreyfuss.

Marulanda brings a New York pedigree that includes Per Se, the Thomas Keller group’s Michelin-star restaurant, and a chef de cuisine post at Tavern on the Green. Dreyfuss comes with her own fame as a February winner on Guy’s Grocery Games, Guy Fieri’s Food Network competition.

Rapoport wanted to assure diners things were better all around and invited those who left poor reviews to come in and dine — on his dime.

New menu items include a roasted beet and arugula salad (gluten free, and if you ask for no goat cheese, it can be vegetarian); a Hawaiian chicken-fried rice with a pan-Asian medley of flavors; a miso-glazed corvina, and Southern-fried schnitzel.

The restaurant offered a stellar seat for the boat parade last month, and with tourists and returning snowbirds, it’s back to seasonally crowded once more.

In brief
The newest grocery sensation is Euroland in Deerfield Beach. It’s a 25,000-square-foot store stocked with international foods, emphasis on Europe, including a bakery, a hot food buffet, and café. Two aisles have chocolate, candy and cookie offerings. The store has canned/jarred foods; gourmet items including caviar and foie gras; a deli with dozens of sausages, smoked fish and cheeses; plus fresh produce and breads. European football plays on TVs at the café. It’s at 1835 W. Hillsboro Blvd. Open daily at 8 a.m.

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

Kids race during a family day for the Islamic Center of Boca Raton, which calls itself an open religious organization for all and does not keep any membership. Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

The terrible violence in the Middle East has forced many of us to rethink what little we know about Islam. It’s easy to be mind-boggled by all the players in the conflict: Hamas, the Palestinian territories, Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the Muslims, Jews and Christians who are affected.

This is complicated by the U.S. government and the media, which at times change their attitudes about which side of conflicts to take.

“The U.S. government labeled Hamas as a terrorist organization,” said Florida Atlantic University Professor Bassem Alhalabi, a Muslim and U.S. citizen. “Still, we need to wait and see, as the American government has the tendency to make friends out of enemies after a while. As for the Palestinians, they are perceived as the only group who is resisting the occupation.”

To a Muslim or a Jew living in Palm Beach County, these issues don’t feel half a world away, and most local Muslims want to share their knowledge and their faith.

At the Islamic Center of Boca Raton, they welcome visitors to discuss the intricacies of Islam. “No force,” said Omar Uddin, “just an invitation to learn.”

On a recent Thursday night following prayers, about 30 people gathered to talk about Islam at the monthly open house hosted by the center.

“Brother” Omar welcomed the group with a smile and a friendly demeanor. He handed out copies of the Quran to anyone who wanted them.

“The thing people don’t realize,” he said, “is that we believe in Jesus too.”

Islam recognizes that the Virgin Mary was chosen by God to bear the Messiah. Just as Christians trace their religious lifeline back to the Old Testament, Muslims trace theirs back, too, through the teaching of Jesus Christ to the Old Testament. The God the Muslims call Allah is the same God of the Christians and Jews.

Muslims believe deeply in the Gospels, and they honor Jesus with the words “Peace Be Upon Him” whenever they speak his holy name. He is so important he is mentioned 25 times in the Quran’s 6,236 verses. As Muslims see it, theirs is just the continuation of Jesus’ story. In a Muslim’s view, there’s the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Quran, the "Last" Testament.

The words in the Quran were given to Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel, the same angel who told Mary she would be a mother to God’s son.

These messages from Allah were dictated to Muhammad, who was admired for his honesty and trustworthiness but who was illiterate. Poets were plentiful but God wanted a common man. Scribes were called in to write down the stanzas of holy poetry that he recited with the eloquence and beauty of a gifted writer.

Some scholars say you can only truly understand the Quran in its original Arabic, and in Arabic, the Quran is like a long rhyming poem with stanzas of different lengths. Rhymes were a common tool used to make difficult information easier to remember. The writings are gathered together by theme rather than chronology.

“As an American Muslim, I want people to know how familiar Islam is to what they already know,” Uddin said. “A lot of people think we worship a foreign God, not the same God they worship.”

Professor Alhalabi says the biggest misconception about Islam is that it preaches violence. It doesn’t. It encompasses all of Jesus’ teachings about compassion and loving your neighbor as yourself, and it goes further.

“Islam emphasizes compassion, justice and moral conduct in personal and societal aspects. Islam encourages seeking knowledge and fostering a balanced and harmonious lifestyle. And Islam condemns terrorism and promotes peace, coexistence and respect for all human beings,” Alhalabi said.

But Hamas found a way to corrupt Islam, to bend it to say something different, which only perpetuates the myth. Its 1988 charter said, “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.”

When the charter was re-written in 2017, they changed the enemy to the Zionist movement and blamed Europe and the United States for the antisemitism in the world.

That charter says, “The Zionist movement...is the most dangerous form of settlement occupation...and must disappear from Palestine.”

The word Hamas is an acronym for an Islamic resistance movement founded in 1987 during the first Palestinian uprising protesting the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. Despite being officially designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. State Department in 1997, Hamas won the parliamentary elections in 2006 (the last election ever held) and seized control of the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority.

Jeanine Santucci wrote in USA Today in October, “The group calls for establishment of an Islamic Palestinian state that would replace the current state of Israel and believes in the use of violence to carry out the destruction of Israel.” She reported Hamas army has only an estimated 30,000 fighters whose main source of support is Iran.

But Hamas isn’t the only radical, violent Islamic group. ISIS is another, but is fundamentally different from Hamas, according to Brian Glyn Williams, professor of Islamic history at UMass Dartmouth. ISIS is considered the world’s deadliest terrorist group, but it disagrees with Hamas mostly because the two are on opposite sides of Islam's Sunni versus Shia branches.

Being prejudged according to the myth that Islam-equals-violent-extremists is something Muslims deal with every day. Alhalabi says it feels “normal” for people to be suspicious of him. That’s a feeling most other non-white Americans say they have felt themselves.

But just as Christians don’t want to be judged by the behaviors of radical self-professed Christian groups like the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, which is classified as a hate group, Muslims don’t want to be judged for Hamas’ acts.

Westboro’s members spread vitriol during public protests against homosexuals, including showing up at military funerals with signs that say, “Thank God for dead soldiers.”

Violence gets media attention, which is one of the things extremists want.

Alhalabi said, “It is crucial to recognize that such actions go against the fundamental teachings of Islam...and the majority of Muslims worldwide reject and condemn terrorism.”

At the very least, with accusations of genocide being leveled against Hamas and Israel alike, and the ongoing attempts at genocide in China, Darfur and Myanmar, we must agree that any group of humans whose goal is to annihilate the existence of another group of humans cannot be tolerated.

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

Islamic worship and information centers
Islamic Center of Boca Raton: 480 NW Fifth Ave. 561-395-7221 or icbr.org
Al Amin Center: 8101 S. Military Trail, Boynton Beach. 561-880-7806 or facebook.com/alamincenterflorida
Muslim Community of Palm Beach County: 4893 Purdy Lane, West Palm Beach. 561-969-1584 or mcpbc.org or email info@mcpbc.org
Islamic Institute of Palm Beach County: 1876 Donnell Road, West Palm Beach. 561-248-7356 or iiopbc.org
Islamic Center of Palm Beach: 101 Castlewood Drive, North Palm Beach. 561-623-7647 or www.PalmBeachMuslims.com

Religious facts from around the world
Palm Beach County:
• In a county with a population of 1.5 million and rising, about 600,000 people are ’affiliated’ with a religion.
• An estimated 15% of the population practices Judaism, or about 225,000. (Estimates range from 167,000 to 238,000, but most of that data is a few years old.)
• According to the Muslim Community of Palm Beach County, about 30 Muslim families lived in the county in the mid-1980s.
• By the late 1990s, fewer than 1,000 Muslims total lived in the county, according to the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, an organization that collects data from American faith groups.
• The best guess is about 1% of Palm Beach County currently practices Islam. That’s about 15,000 people.
• A few groups practice other religions, like Hindu or Shinto, but the balance (350,000 or so) are Christians.

Florida:
• Floridians tend to be less religious overall than the general U.S. population, with less than 40% calling themselves ’affiliated.’
• Florida has the 12th-largest Muslim population in the U.S., with about 127,000. New York has the largest Muslim population with about 724,000.
• Florida’s Muslim community is primarily Arab, South Asian and African American.

United States:
• According to WorldPopulationReview.com, the U.S. Muslim population in 2023 was about 4,444,000.
• The United States is largely Christian. About 64% of affiliated Americans identify as Christian, but 50 years ago, 90% were Christian, according to a Pew Research Center study from 2020.
• People are no more or less religious today than they were 50 years ago. The percentage who were ’affiliated’ with a religion in 1971 was 48.7%. In 2020, it was 48.6%.

World:
• Worldwide, Islam is the second-largest religion with about 1.8 billion people, compared with Christianity’s 2.42 billion. Judaism has about 16.2 million followers.
• Based on population estimates prepared by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, there were about 14.3 million Palestinians in the world in 2022.
• About 5.35 million of them lived in the Palestinian territories (Gaza and the West Bank), split almost 50-50 between males and females.
• According to the Institute for Middle East Understanding, about 93% of Palestinians are Sunni Muslims and about 6% are Christian.
• Less than 20% of Muslims are Arabs, but 85% of Arabs are Muslims.

Latin Divos (l-r) Ernesto Cabrera, Will Corujo, Fernando Gonzalez.

First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach opens its concert season at 4 p.m. Jan. 14 with a performance by the Latin Divos. The energetic pop/opera trio performs a mix of romantic serenades, Latin classics, and opera standards.

The divos are Fernando Gonzalez (a featured vocalist at First Presbyterian), Ernesto Cabrera and Will Corujo.

Tickets are $20. Sponsors are needed. First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach is at 33 Gleason St. 561-276-6338 or https://firstdelray.com/2024-concert-series. 

Women’s study group meets at Grace church  
The “God of Creation Women’s Group” begins meeting 9:15-11 a.m. Jan. 10 in the El Rio Room at Grace Community Church, 600 W. Camino Real, Boca Raton.

This study group runs Wednesdays through March 13 and is for women aged 18 and older who seek the deeper meanings in Scripture. The group follows the teachings in the book God of Creation by Jen Wilkins, who said, “As God reveals Himself, we will begin to understand ourselves when we first glimpse the character, attributes, and promises of our Creator.”

For more information or to register: 561-395-2811 or www.graceboca.org. 
 
Temple Beth El offers virtual talks on coping
Temple Beth El’s ongoing response to the terrorist acts in Israel includes partnering with Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services and Boca Raton community clergy to offer virtual coping programs facilitated by Danielle Greenblatt and a clergy member. “In creating a space for us to share what we are going through, we also create community, hope and healing,” she said.

Programs start at 7:30 p.m. and include:  

• “Coping with the crisis in Israel: How do we cope with watching antisemitism rise around us?” with Rabbi Josh Broide on Jan. 10.  
• “How do we combat feeling powerless to help?” with Rabbi David Baum on Jan. 25. 
• “How do we cope with the anxiety of feeling unsafe?” with Rabbi Elana Rabishaw on Feb. 8. 
• “How do we talk to kids about Israel and current events? with Rabbi Amy Grossblatt Pessah on Feb. 21.  

The temple's website is at https://tbeboca.org

Boca pastor opens series of business luncheons  
CityLead Boca, a monthly business lunch that explores how Biblical principles apply in the workplace, will be noon-1 p.m. Jan. 11 at Boca Raton Community Church, 470 NW Fourth Ave.

The speaker is Bill Mitchell, a successful businessman with a 25-year career who is now senior pastor at the church.

This event is designed for professionals who want to grow in their leadership, team building, clarity, focus and trust in line with Biblical principles. “The goal is to raise the bar of ethics and character to make South Florida the best place to work, live and play,” he said.

The luncheons are sold out through the season, according to the CityLead website.
 
Rabbi to give concert at Schaefer Family Campus 
Spiritual leader and songwriter Rabbi Josh Warshawsky will perform at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 26 at Temple Beth El’s Schaefer Family Campus. Warshawsky uses music to breathe under-standing into the familiar words of Judaism, clarifying the mysteries inherent in religious texts.

The singer, guitar player, composer and educator brings acclaimed violinist Coleen Dieker with him and joins the clergy team in chanting the Song of the Sea.

The Schaefer campus is at 333 SW Fourth Ave., Boca Raton. Available to livestream. 561-391-8900 or https://tbeboca.org  
 
Bishop Barbarito to offer rosary for the unborn 
The Most Rev. Gerald M. Barbarito, the fifth Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach, leads a prayer for the sanctity of life and ending of abortion, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Jan. 19 at the Historic Courthouse, 300 N. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach. The event includes praying the rosary for the unborn.

Sponsored by Respect Life Ministry, the event is not affiliated with Palm Beach County government.

For more information, call 561-360-3330 or email dherbst@ccdpb.org

Parish Festival returns to St. Vincent Ferrer  
St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church brings back its beloved Parish Festival, Feb. 9-11 at the church at 840 George Bush Blvd., Delray Beach. Music by groups including the JD Danner and Joey Calderaio bands takes place on the main stage. Rides, games, prizes, food and drink will be offered.

Hours are 5-11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Get tickets in advance at https://stvincentferrer.com/parish-festival/purchase-tickets/  

St. Paul Lutheran to host ‘Night to Shine‘ prom
The annual Tim Tebow project, Night to Shine, a free celebration for people with special needs hosted by churches worldwide, is 6-9 p.m. Feb. 9 at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 701 W. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton.

The event is open to anyone living with disabilities, aged 14 and older, and features a catered dinner, dancing, karaoke, gifts, and a crowning ceremony where every honored guest will receive a crown or tiara.

This prom-like event celebrates people who never got to go to prom. Register at https://nighttoshineboca.com.
 
Catholic Church clarifies ‘same-sex blessings’  
In a letter sent to two conservative cardinals published in October, Pope Francis suggested that blessing the union of a same-sex couple is acceptable as long as the blessings weren’t “confused with the ritual of marriage,” according to an Associated Press report. 

The new document reaffirms that marriage is a lifelong union between a man and a woman, but that offering a blessing to a same-sex couple is okay. Blessings are restricted — they can’t be part of a religious service or incorporate any marriage language, rituals, clothing, gestures or symbols of a holy union. And blessings cannot take place at the same time as a civil ceremony.  

But requests for blessings should not be denied, the document said, and that “people seeking a transcendent relationship with God and looking for his love and mercy shouldn’t be held up to an impossible moral standard to receive it.” 

Find the report at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/pope-approves-blessings-for-same-sex-couples-if-they-don-t-resemble-marriage/ar-AA1lGh6t

— Janis Fontaine

Nurse practitioner Carissa Raver suggests taking a holistic approach during January, by abstaining from alcohol and indulging in healthier behaviors. Photo provided

By Jan Engoren

Dry January is an import from the United Kingdom. It began in 2012 as a public health initiative from Alcohol Change UK, a British charity. Over the past decade, the idea has caught on and now millions take part in this yearly health challenge on both sides of the Atlantic, including here in southeastern Palm Beach County.

Overconsumption of alcohol can lead to heart and liver damage, a higher cancer risk, a weakened immune system and memory and mood issues, not to mention its impact on the brain. The World Health Organization estimates that worldwide, 3 million deaths every year result from harmful use of alcohol.

According to Harvard Health, regular drinkers who abstained from alcohol for 30 days slept better, had more energy and lost weight. Additionally, they lowered their blood pressure and cholesterol levels and reduced cancer-related proteins in their blood. 

“We know alcohol is a neurotoxin which can affect every organ in your body,” says Adam Scioli, an addiction psychiatrist and head of psychiatry at Caron Treatment Centers. Caron treats families and individuals with substance abuse disorders and has a center in Delray Beach. 

“Cessation of alcohol, reduction or stopping completely will all have health benefits,” he says. “If nothing else, it provides an opportunity to examine your relationship with alcohol and to see how small or large a role it plays in your life. If you can leave it, leave it. If you can’t, that’s worth further exploration.” 

Ryan, 39, a divorced father of two, manages a halfway house in Delray Beach. At 17 he was pulled over by law enforcement for drinking and driving, an experience that started him on a road to becoming substance-free and self-aware, and to helping others overcome their substance abuse. 

He spent almost five months in 2020 at the Caron Center in Pennsylvania and learned to navigate and attenuate his feelings better. 

“Alcohol was a coping mechanism,” he says. “It helped me suppress strong negative emotions.”

Ryan, who asked that his last name not be used, says he displayed destructive behavior as a teen, compounded by substance abuse, but is now 16 years sober.  He encourages his clients to try a dry January. 

“Life can be lived without a drink,” he says. 

Time freed up by not drinking can open a window to other possibilities, he says. “It’s scary to change, but so rewarding.” 

He says it’s important to realize that you don’t have go it alone: “There is a community out there to support you.”

Tips to accomplishing a dry January include finding a substitute non-alcoholic drink, avoiding temptations and situations where people are drinking, creating a support group, using the Try Dry app, and being persistent. 

It’s also time to reflect on your relationship with alcohol and to consider what happens on Feb. 1. Don’t let the pendulum swing the other way, experts say. Make sustainable changes and reduce consumption all around. 

Scioli cautions about replacing alcohol with other substances such as cannabis. 

Carissa Raver, 28, a family nurse practitioner in functional medicine at Pur-Form Health, a regenerative and anti-aging wellness facility in Boca Raton, takes a holistic approach to a dry January.  

“We look at what creates imbalance in the body and try to remedy it,” she says. 

“Dry January can help an individual improve their sleep, increase energy levels, help emotional well-being and increase immune function,” Raver says. 

“In January, give your body a reprieve,” she says. “In February, come to the table with a fresh perspective on your relationship to alcohol.”  

For both Ryan and Raver, January resolutions include more self-care, spending more time exercising, meditating and being outdoors in nature. 

Scioli, who does not drink alcohol, resolves to be more kind, empathic and loving in 2024, spending more time with family. He planned to be home and fast asleep on New Year’s Eve long before the ball dropped in Times Square. 

Visit caron.org and purformhealth.com for more information.

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

Sarilia Therildor, holding flowers, is celebrated as a Tenet Hero at Delray Medical Center. Photo provided

Hanley Foundation has acquired Origins Behavioral HealthCare, an agreement that reunites the foundation with Hanley Center, an Origins facility in West Palm Beach, and returns the center to nonprofit status.

Origins also has centers in Texas and the deal means Hanley Foundation can provide substance addiction and mental health treatment to more than 1,000 patients annually with a staff that tripled in size to more than 300.

The West Palm Beach site offers age- and gender-specific treatment, with more than 100 beds and an eight-bed residential program for mental health treatment.

Substance use disorders treated include addiction to alcohol, cocaine, opioids and heroin, benzodiazepine, methamphetamine and marijuana. Mental health issues treated include disorders of mood and anxiety, post-traumatic stress, obsessive compulsion and personality.

Nurse honored for service to Delray Beach, country
Delray Medical Center, part of Tenet Healthcare, announced that nurse Sarilia Therildor was honored as a Tenet Hero. She is also a major in the Air Force Reserve.

“Sarilia has a huge role at Delray Medical Center and has elevated our emergency department,” said CEO Daniel Listi. “With an even bigger role serving her country ... she exemplifies the qualities that define our health care heroes.”

Therildor started at Delray Medical Center as a new graduate on the neuro telemetry unit in 2008 and transferred to the emergency department in 2011. In 2022, she was promoted to clinical manager in ER.

After completing her nurse-practitioner license in family practice, Therildor was promoted to major in the Air Force Reserve. In April 2020, she went to New Jersey to join more than 100 medical professionals sent from Air Force Reserve Command to work with state and local authorities in the region to combat COVID-19. 

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

Students Niko Zlatkovic and Mas McDaniel work on math problems in the outdoor setting at Cocoplum Nature School in Delray Beach. Photo provided

By Faran Fagen

Cocoplum Nature School students love to play pretend restaurant, make up theater productions and imagine themselves as magical creatures in enchanted forests.

“It really is remarkable how much progress the children make, academically and as a whole person, in a play-inspired and nature-based environment,” said Melanie Stefanovic, executive director of the Delray Beach school.

Cocoplum’s philosophy, according to the school website: Everything taught in traditional schools with textbooks and rote practice can be learned by children outdoors with natural materials through play, exploration and inquiry.

The three pillars of the curriculum are nature, place and play. The school, which serves kindergarten through the third grade, strives to make learning individualized, largely self-directed, experiential and social.

Founded in 2020, Cocoplum fosters critical thinking and creativity, not conformity, and cultivates collaboration and communication, not competition.

“The most incredible testimonies come from our students’ caregivers and parents,” said Stefanovic, whose own daughter is in her third year at Cocoplum. “They tell us that their children can’t wait to come to school each day. Many parents report that their child’s peacefulness and joy has rippled through their family.”

Stefanovic, who lives in Delray Beach with her husband, two young children and an old dog, co-founded the school with Fernanda Wolfson.

They met at the Delray Beach Children’s Garden when their oldest children were barely walking. Together, they dreamed up a nature school where their students could learn to read and write under the shade of a tree and learn math and science while playing in the garden.

“I was working on my PhD at the time — focused on a totally different topic — but all of my leisure reading and research for the next few years was about nature-based learning, forest schools, unschooling and play-based learning,” Stefanovic said.

The biggest challenge in starting Cocoplum was finding a space. The school was fortunate to be welcomed at Cason United Methodist Church on Swinton Avenue, where the shady space and charming classrooms were idyllic and right in the heart of the “Village by the Sea.”

The students come from as far south as Pompano Beach and Coral Springs, up to Lake Worth Beach.

During direct instruction in reading, writing and math, children learn in groups of three with their teacher. Overall student-to-teacher ratio is 9-to-1. Future plans are to expand up to the fifth grade.

The bigger dream beyond directly serving the school’s families, however, is to normalize this type of education.

“Right now, the norm is for children to sit indoors rather than play outside, hunch over screens rather than create and collaborate with peers, compete to be the best at everything rather than hone individual strengths and interests,” Stefanovic said.

One of the students’ favorite outdoor activities is a version of “playing house” in the tree and mud kitchens. They designate different branches of the tree as “rooms” where a few of them will climb and read or pretend to be resting. Below in the mud kitchen, others play at being the parents or the visiting doctor coming to check on the resting children in the branches.

The parents “cook” a healing “soup” made from herbs grown in the garden at school, and the doctor concocts a “potion” from various berries, sand, leaves and sometimes drops of paint or bits of sidewalk chalk.

Other children will join in the play as neighbors, building a new house from the loose blocks and boards in the playscape. They’ll engage in a discussion about keeping the construction noise down while the sick children rest.

“We witness the children leading their own learning,” Stefanovic said.

“There’s a natural drive to learn to read and write because they want to be able to create menus for their play restaurants. They ask to learn how to count money so that they can play bank or buy tickets to their friends’ puppet show or sell the watercolor paintings they created.”

Cocoplum facts
What: Grades K-3 at 342 N. Swinton Ave. in Cason UMC space, Delray Beach
Tuition: Listed at $15,900; accepts Florida’s Step Up for Students scholarships
Contact: 561-563-4679; info@cocoplumnatureschool.org

Local shelters are taking COVID-like precautions over a rise in respiratory illnesses in dogs. Photo provided

By Arden Moore

When the coronavirus first surfaced, medical experts admitted that they had more questions than answers. It took time to diagnose and to develop vaccines.

Now, a rise in respiratory illnesses is occurring in dogs in Palm Beach County and in some other parts of the country. Is it simply due to the most common canine respiratory condition, known as kennel cough, or is it due to the emergence of a new mysterious illness or a lethal canine pneumonia strain?

Experts scramble for answers.

Veterinarians at small-animal practices are reporting more dogs are sicker than normal with respiratory illnesses and some have developed pneumonia. Media reports across the country refer to cases as a canine respiratory mystery illness.

Is it time to worry about and isolate your dog? Should you cancel visits to your favorite dog park or a doggy day care center or boarding facility? Should you hold off on scheduling an appointment for your dog to be groomed?

For answers, I reached out to Dr. Cynda Crawford, DVM, clinical associate professor who chairs the Shelter Medicine Department at the University of Florida in Gainesville. She is the go-to expert on diseases impacting animal shelters throughout the state.

“We are trying to get a handle on it,” says Crawford. “A positive outcome of the veterinarians reporting and the media picking up on these reports is that many veterinary diagnostic labs have reached out to veterinarians to help with sample collection and testing.”

Her message: Be cautious but do not panic. Make sure your dog receives needed vaccinations and boosters. Continue letting your dog mingle with regular members of a dog-walking pack. Do your best to avoid your dog’s coming nose to nose with an unfamiliar dog, especially one who may have a cough or runny nose.

“At this time of year, we expect cases of kennel cough, the most common respiratory disease in dogs,” she says. “It is the dog equivalent of the common cold in people. Most dogs recover, like people do with colds. Please discuss your concerns with your veterinarian because ‘Dr. Google’ may lead dog owners astray with misinformation and cause undue panic.”

Crawford is working directly with officials at shelters and rescue groups in Palm Beach County, including Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control in West Palm Beach, Tri-County Animal Rescue in west Boca Raton and the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League in West Palm Beach.

Last month, three healthy-appearing dogs housed at the ACC facility died within hours of catching a fast-acting respiratory illness dubbed “strep zoo” (short for Streptococcus equi zooepidemicus). These dogs, named Marcus, Africa and Mimi, were aged 2, 3 and 8.

“Strep zoo is a rapid-onset pneumonia,” says Crawford. “Dogs with this die within a matter of hours. They die from bleeding in the lungs, from suffocation.”

As a precaution, ACC and Tri-County announced that they would temporarily not accept any new dogs to their facilities for about a week in mid-December.

“We are following the protocols that the veterinarians at the University of Florida set up,” says Suzi Goldsmith, executive director at Tri-County. “We never experienced this serious bacterial infection that strikes quickly, and we are taking this very seriously to protect the dogs now housed at our facility.”

She adds that staff are wearing protective facial masks and shoe booties. In addition, the public is not permitted inside the center.

“We don’t want to take the chance of this reaching the dogs here,” she says. “I have moms pregnant and older dogs. Our protective protocol is now as strong as it was when we were all dealing with COVID.”

Peggy Adams did not accept any dogs from ACC as a precaution (for a week ending Dec. 18), confirmed Alyssa Comroe, DVM, director of veterinary medicine.

“We have not had any suspected cases of strep zoo in our population,” says Comroe. “All dogs that begin showing any signs of respiratory illness are immediately moved to isolation, examined by a veterinarian, tested to determine what respiratory pathogen they are infected with, and started on treatment when necessary.”

She adds, “We are not overly concerned about pets coming from the community that have not been in these environments (overcrowded shelters). Part of our intake process is to triage and examine each pet that arrives at our shelter. If we see dogs with any respiratory symptoms, they receive a full veterinary exam and are immediately moved to isolation.”

Crawford urges pet parents to contact their veterinarians if their dogs stop eating, begin coughing, have trouble breathing and act lethargic. The sooner, the better.

“The intense media reporting has stirred up fear and panic in dog owners and some may feel paralyzed as to what to do with their dogs,” says Crawford. “Don’t panic. Please realize that the vast majority of dogs with a respiratory infection recover fairly quickly without any complications. The proportion that develop pneumonia is very small. And those that contract pneumonia and die is even smaller.”

For updates on this issue, visit https://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/news; or the American Veterinary Medical Association’s link on canine respiratory illnesses at www.avma.org/news/making-sense-mystery-illness-found-across-us.

Details on kennel cough are available at www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/canine-infectious-respiratory-disease-complex-kennel-cough.

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.

A king eider takes flight in the ocean off Boynton Beach Oceanfront Park; it’s the first king eider recorded in Palm Beach County and only the sixth in Florida. Photo provided by Kenny Miller

By Rich Pollack

Marcus Kelly should have been Christmas tree shopping with his wife and family.

Instead, the avid birder put that task on hold, dropped what he was doing so he could rush to the ocean in search of an elusive white wing scoter — a type of duck hardly ever found off the coast of Florida — that another birder thought he might have seen.

If there was a white wing scoter off Oceanfront Park, Kelly never got to see it.

What he did see, however, was even more difficult to find in Florida’s coastal waters. The duck he spotted in early December, hanging out in a raft of black scoters bobbing in the waves, was a female king eider.

“It’s a ‘wow’ bird,” says Kelly, an attorney whose commitment to birding has taken him to far-off places across the globe. “I’ll probably never see one here again.”

How rare was Kelly’s discovery of this mostly cold-water duck, whose breeding range is along the edge of the Arctic ice cap and which would be a more common sight in New England and northward this time of year?

Consider this: There were only five previously recorded sightings of a king eider in Florida and none in Palm Beach County. This is the farthest-south reported sighting, local birders say.

“This bird should not be here,” says birder Kenny Miller.

Of the previous Florida sightings of the king eider, the most recent was more than a decade ago, Kelly says, and some were as long ago as the 1970s.

“Three of the five reports were from before I was born and I’m 37,” he says.

To get to South Florida, the young female king eider had to have traveled quite a ways from where it should be.

“This bird is about 2,000 miles out of its typical winter range,” says veteran birder Carl Edwards, a common sight himself along the shoreline with his scope in hand.

While no one knows for certain how the bird got here, Edwards surmises that she had been feeding with other ducks, probably black and surf scoters, and took off with them when they launched their migration.

“In many species, when they’re out of range, it’s often an immature bird,” Edwards says.

That may also explain why two long-tailed ducks that usually spend their winters in the northeast, from Virginia to parts of Canada, are here. Those ducks, both juveniles, are a rare sighting as well, but a long-tailed duck was seen in the area last year.

What brings the eider, the long-tailed ducks and scores of black scoters as well as surf scoters to the area off Ocean Ridge is likely a good food supply. These ducks all eat mollusks and crustaceans while in our area.

King eiders can dive as deep as 180 feet in search of food, while black scoters usually dive about 30 feet.

At one point, Edwards estimates, there were more than 500 scoters forming several rafts off the park. It is unusual for scoters in such numbers to stay as long as these birds have.

The king eider also attracted birders from as far away as Georgia, and perhaps farther, who had never seen the bird. Edwards estimates more than 100 birders came to catch a glimpse. “It’s a very rare bird, most people don’t usually get to see,” he says.

Capt. Mark Lamb runs his fishing boat while a guest fights a sailfish. Photos by Steve Waters/The Coastal Star and provided

By Steve Waters

The cold fronts that sweep through South Florida in January have offshore anglers looking forward to celebrating the New Year by catching sailfish.

Cooler temperatures and blustery winds send the acrobatic billfish swimming south along the Atlantic Coast this time of year. On a good day, it’s not unusual for boats to catch and release 10 or more of the state of Florida’s official saltwater fish. Tournament teams have released dozens of sailfish on a January day.

There have been some incredible catches in the West Palm Beach Fishing Club’s Silver Sailfish Derby, which is Thursday and Friday, Jan. 11-12. In the record-setting 2012 tournament, which was a three-day event, the 46-boat fleet caught and released a total of 1,174 sailfish, an average of more than 25 fish per boat. The top boat finished with 58 releases, including a record 36 sailfish on the first day, when the derby set a one-day record of 659 releases.

The boat Priceless won last year’s derby with a two-day total of 16 sailfish releases, and the fleet caught a total of 223 sailfish.

Although sailfish can be caught by drifting with live sardines or trolling dead ballyhoo, serious sailfish anglers usually fly two fishing kites, each with a variety of baits.

A sailfish bait is hooked.

As they head offshore, local captains consider a number of factors to determine where to start fishing — everything from water color and clarity to the presence of baitfish and birds.

Capt. Mark Lamb of West Palm Beach likes to kite-fish along a color change, which is where the water goes from green to deep blue.

“I’m going to run out to 100, 120 feet of water and start looking for an edge,” Lamb said. “I’m going to look for a temperature change and bait, like flying fish. I’m going to set up on that edge where the bait is. Put the boat out in the blue water and put your baits out on that edge.”

Top sailfish live baits include goggle-eyes, threadfin herring, pilchards and sardines. The fishing kites are flown behind the boat, and two or three fishing lines are clipped to each kite line to get the baits away from the boat.

On those January days when sailfish are plentiful and biting, it’s not unusual to be fighting three or four fish at a time.

Lamb’s crew constantly adjusts the fishing lines as the kites move up and down with the wind, to keep the baits splashing on the surface. That splashing attracts sailfish as well as kingfish, dolphin, wahoo and tuna.

If the sailfish don’t bite at first, Lamb said, stay put and keep fishing, because they eventually will show up to eat.

A sailfish puts up a fight as it is reeled in.

“When you have a nice edge and there’s some bait around, don’t move,” Lamb said. “Sometimes you’ve got to be patient and keep fishing rather than run around. In a sailfish tournament, two or three or four fish can change everything in minutes. You’re never out of it in a sailfish tournament.”

The standard tackle for sailfish is a 20-pound conventional outfit with a 15-foot, 30-pound fluorocarbon leader tied to a size 5/0 to 7/0 circle hook.

Successful tournament captains such as Casey Hunt and John Dudas prepare their sailfish leaders and hooks well before they leave the dock to go fishing, and they make sure all of their tackle is in tip-top condition.

“Every single time a line goes in the water, it’s perfect,” said Hunt, who has won billfish tournaments from Florida to the Bahamas to North Carolina. “The hooks, the knots. You’ve got to spend that extra time because that extra time is going to catch you more fish.”

Dudas, who has won countless sailfish tournaments from Palm Beach to the Florida Keys, and whose favorite sailfish bait is a herring, bridles all his kite baits with a rubber band to a 5/0 or 6/0 circle hook. Like Hunt and Lamb, when one of his anglers gets a bite, he has his crew keep the other baits in the water in case more sailfish are around.

“Sit tight, back off the drag and let him swim off,” Hunt said of the first sailfish you hook. “The longer you sit, the better chance you have of getting another bite.”

Lamb has the angler with the first fish move to the bow while he positions the boat so the baits remain in the strike zone.

“If you can get one on and leave the rest of the baits working, the odds of catching a double or triple are probably 80%,” Lamb said.

The Silver Sailfish Derby is sold out. Call 561-832-6780 or visit westpalmbeachfishingclub.org/tournaments/silver-sailfish-derby for more info.

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