Mary Kate Leming's Blog – August 2012 Archive (70)

By Tim Pallesen

    

Citizens Insurance is notifying owners of homes valued over $1 million that their insurance coverage will be cancelled.

    Coastal communities are hardest hit, according to data released by the state insurer.

    Cancellation notices mailed as the hurricane season began leave south county coastal residents scrambling to find alternative insurance at higher costs.

    The mayors of two of the south county’s most affluent towns, Gulf…

Ryan Butts, the turtle rehabilitation coordinator at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, works with volunteers Sue Comoglio (from left),  Lloyd Wiener and and Connie Thomas-Mazur on Cindy, who was injured and lost her left flipper in a shark attack. Photos by Jerry…

Buildings named for the Count & Countess de Hoernle

Boca Raton Children’s Museum 

Rickards House upper floor

Acts Retirement Life Community

Hurricane shelter

American Red Cross

Service center

ARC of PBC

Lobby

Boca Ballet Theatre Company

Center of dance

Boca Raton Community…

Countess birthday events

Through Sept. 7: Community birthday card initiative. In preparation for the gala event, the community is invited and encouraged to sign birthday card panels that will be on display at locations throughout the city.  The panels will be assembled as one card for its debut at the gala event celebration on Sept. 24. 

Sept. 22: VIP Reception (by invitation only). Gala benefactors are invited to a VIP reception…

The Mark Gerretson Memorial Fishing Tournament, held Aug. 10-11, drew 40 registered boats. Total payout was $8,100. ABOVE: The largest overall fish, a 58-pound wahoo, was caught by the crew of Snowcones Revenge; it  paid $3,000. Pictured: Ryan Grotto, T.J.…

Top-ranked volleyball pro Steve Grotowski, returning from competing in the London Summer Olympics, was on hand for demonstrations and clinics to support the Beach, Barbeque & Books fundraiser held Aug. 18 at the Delray Beach Club.

Pictured: Jan Kucera, Tandy…

Unity School second-grader Gemma Ward of Ocean Ridge poses with Director of Educational Technology Dana Fritzinger. On the screen is a page from Gemma’s Scratch project that won the attention of the media lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the developers of the Scratch program. The…

Paw-ty Time, a Boca Festival Days event, raised money and awareness for the Tri-County Humane Society on Aug. 12 at The Shoppes at Village Pointe in Boca Raton. Attendees checked out animals for adoption, showed off…

On July 16, the Florence Fuller Child Development Center’s Thrift Shop received a special makeover by Neiman Marcus’ Boca Raton employees and a host of dedicated volunteers. Pictured:  Neiman Marcus volunteers Jarrod Gac and Marissa Vinograd. Photo…

Photo slideshow

By Thom Smith

Glen Calder was in on the act, but he just wasn’t sure how. Wife Kristin was competing in the annual Boca Ballroom Battle, so in support of the cause — the George Snow Scholarship…

By Tim Pallesen

A new $3 million mosque that opened last month is evidence of the rapidly growing Muslim population in southern Palm Beach County.

    The 30,000-square-foot Islamic Center of Boca Raton will serve as a house of prayer, education center and community gathering…

As a benefit for the Achievement Centers for Children and Families, an event catering to “the woman within” will be held at 6 pm, Oct. 4 at Hyatt Place, 104 NE 2nd Ave., Delray Beach.  For $50, women enjoy hors d’oeuvres and wine, live music, complimentary personal services and shopping. For…

Painters at Artful Dreamers Studio during the tour.

Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star…

Vincent Cacace shows off artwork to Anne Walsh.

 Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star…

By Tim O’Meilia

   

Four things learned from last month’s visit of President Obama and Vice President Biden:

    1. Waiting onlookers and reporters like pizza, ice cream and cinnamon-nut French toast.

    2. Roped-off parking lots mean no parking meter…

By Tim Pallesen

    

Every registered voter in Palm Beach is eligible to vote in nine races on the Aug. 14 primary ballot. That’s a change from the days when primary elections were strictly closed elections for Republicans and Democrats to select their candidates for a November general election.

    Democrats and Republicans still have closed primary elections on the Aug. 14 ballot. But August elections in Palm Beach County have evolved to also include important…

Gulf Stream resident Pamela Goodman has dropped out of the State House race for coastal South County because of her husband’s health.

“It’s a pretty serious illness. I can’t stay on the campaign trail,” Goodman said after notifying Democratic Party officials. “Family comes first.”

Goodman was set to oppose Rep. Bill Hager, the Republican incumbent for District 89 in the Nov. 4 general election.

Goodman became a candidate after pushing for legislative redistricting as vice…

By Steve Plunkett

    

Deputy Boca Raton Manager George Brown is a “Home Rule Hero” to cities across the county and across the state for helping derail a proposed Florida law on sober houses.

Richard Radcliffe, executive director of the county League of Cities, gave Brown a plaque on…

To preprare for the competition, Bob Gittlin practices his dance moves with partner Mariya-Khristina Shurupova at Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Boca Raton. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Paula…