Deborah Hartz-Seeley's Blog – August 2011 Archive (40)

By tasting samples of Delray Beach’s water gathered from Gulf Stream Town Hall [Whose water tastes best?, August 2011] we may have implied that all of Delray Beach’s water would taste the same regardless of where the sample was gathered. A more comprehensive sampling may have been to gather water from the city halls in Delray Beach and Boynton Beach as well from the coastal towns.  

The Coastal Star article described a purely subjective taste test and in no way suggested…

 By Mary Thurwachter (below)

Let us be the first to extend birthday wishes to Boca Raton philanthropist Countess Henrietta de Hoernle, who turns 99 later this month. 

The countess has been doing good in Boca Raton since she and her husband moved here in the 1980s and will be…

The existing boardwalk areas of the parks would be

expanded to provide more access to picnic areas and

the mangrove stands. Photo by Jerry Lower

By Steve…

The proposed expansion of  building on East Palmetto Road also calls for a facelift for the building.

By Mary Thurwachter

A plan to expand and redevelop a building on East Palmetto Park Road narrowly won approval from…

September is a transitional month for Americans.  We celebrate Labor Day, enjoy the start of autumn, and football season begins.  In Florida, September is also viewed with caution as it’s the peak month of hurricane season.  

For all of us, the events that occurred on 9/11 10 years ago gave September an entirely different meaning.  

Most people remember exactly where they were the moment we learned that American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade…

Highland Beach Police Chief Craig Hartmann was presented a framed Lifesaving Award at the Town Commission’s regular meeting in August for helping to save a resident from jumping from a 10-story building in June.

Hartmann “personally took charge” of a difficult situation, “one that if not handled correctly could have disastrous consequences,” Assistant Delray Beach Fire Chief Russ Accardi said. The Delray Beach department provides Highland Beach with fire-rescue…

By Margie Plunkett

Boca Raton leaders looking for creative ways to drive revenue up in another tight budget year have raised the possibility of selling a city golf course.

The idea came up at a recent council meeting, during which members struggled with covering ever increasing revenues without raising taxes — or dipping further into the city’s reserves. 

 “I feel strongly about looking at alternate ways of raising money,” said council member…

Artist Yaacov Heller created a painting of Jackie Evancho

singing with the Boca Raton Symphonia at Festival of the Arts Boca.

The Symphonia will use the painting as a fundraiser, selling

it to a donor it hopes will license back giclée…

Jay DiPietro struts his stuff on the dance floor with

Pam Casanave, co-owner of the Fred Astaire Dance

Studio of Boca Raton. 

Here are more photos from the…

By Angie Francalancia

Average taxpayers in Boca Raton would pay about $52 more to the city in the budget year that begins Oct. 1 under a plan presented by City Manager Leif Ahnell that combines increased property taxes and higher fire-service fees.

In a budget workshop in late August, Ahnell outlined how a property tax rate of $3.51 per $1,000 of taxable value plus an additional $20 for fire service would fill the hole in Boca Raton’s $120 million…

By Steve Plunkett

Taxpayers will not pick up the $6,000 legal bill Town Clerk Beverly Brown incurred fighting a one-month suspension for sending offensive emails at work on her official computer.

“I decided it wouldn’t be appropriate,” Town Attorney Tom Sliney said following the Town Commission’s Aug. 30 workshop. The issue was not discussed at the meeting.

Sliney reasoned Highland Beach should not pay Brown’s legal fees, Brown said, because…

The planning committee for the Addison’s 85th birthday 

poses in front of the historic structure at 2 East Camino Real,

Boca Raton. From left:  Patrick Duffy, Addison executive chef;

Chasity Navarro, Greater…

Workers from Brang Construction build new tanks at Gumbo

Limbo Nature Center. Photo by Mary Thurwachter

Work continues on the sea tank project at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, which will mean four new…

Lori Wyllie (center), owner of Sew Much Fun & More,

a sewing store in Boca Raton, is pictured with some of her more

youthful sewing students (back row, from left): Kaitlyn Blade, 13,

Deerfield Beach; Minami Guido, 12, Boca Raton; Megan McGuire,…

You Go Girl, by Missionary Mary Proctor, is one of the works that

will be in the Boca Raton Museum of Art’s Outsider Visions: Self-Taught

Southern Artists of the 20th Century.…

Reinaldo Padrino (left), Christina Padrino, Gale Padrino, Marlene Roberts and Linda Albertson attended the opening of a show by author and photographer Alan Friedman at the Highland Beach Library.

Photo…

Alyce Erickson, with her poodle Miss Puccini,

lives in a home at Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club,

from which she can organize fundraisers for such organizations

as Lynn University and the National Society of Arts,…

John Fowler, Sally Mohler, Genie Serrano, Kendall Rumsey,

Cheryl Crowley, Deb Praeg, Jennifer Finnell and Christine DiRocco,

along with some of their ‘pooch advisers’ are working to unleash

the inaugural Pooch Prom on Sept. 24 at…

Parishioners unite in prayer at St. Joseph Episcopal Church. Photo by Lauren Loricchio

By C.B. Hanif

The story of St. Joseph Episcopal Church’s pastor of nearly 11 years, the Rev. Martin Zlatic, and the…

By Mary Thurwachter, Managing Editor

These are the dog days of summer, and they are sultry. 

But if you consider August a month marked by lethargy, inactivity or laziness, think again. Take a look at the Coastal Star community calendar (Pages 15-16) or the Boca Festival Days listings (Page…