POMPANO BEACH, Fla., Nov. 4, 2013 – A newly relocated Walmart will open Wednesday, Nov. 13, after a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7:30 a.m. The new store at 5001 N. Federal Highway is conveniently located near the Lighthouse Point subdivision and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It will provide Pompano Beach residents with one-stop shopping convenience for their grocery and general merchandise needs. The store is relocating from its previous location at 300 W. Copans Road. The store also offers pharmacy services.

“Our city is extremely proud that Walmart selected to build yet another store that will now serve our northeast residents as well as our neighboring sister cities,” said Pompano Beach Mayor Lamar Fisher.  “With our current economic conditions, Walmart offers great value and products to its customers and more importantly will be creating job opportunities for our own residents. We look forward to continuing our excellent partnership with Walmart.”

One-Stop Shopping Convenience

The store features quality, value-priced general merchandise, including apparel, electronics, toys, sporting goods, and lawn and garden items. It also offers a full line of groceries, including organic and natural selections in addition to local favorites.

The pharmacy offers a full range of products and services. Pharmacy team members can answer product and prescription questions and customers can ask about health and wellness solutions.

 UPDATE: BSO arrested a 60-year-old Lake Worth man. Rosario Melici, DOB 5/3/53, will face two charges of murder. BSO arrested him Thursday with the help of the U.S. Marshals and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office at a Lake Worth Walgreens near his home on E Street. Detectives said victims Barbara and Philip Russo knew their killer.

Sheriff Scott Israel made a special appearance at the beginning of Deerfield Beach Vice Mayor Joe Miller’s District 1 meeting, Thursday night, to announce that an arrest has been made in the double homicide that took place in Deer Creek on Monday.

“This was not a random act of violence. These two unfortunate people were targeted and murdered. It was somebody they knew,” said Sheriff Israel on Nov. 7.

The subject was picked up in Lake Worth a few hours ago, Thursday afternoon, Nov 7.

At this time, only one arrest has been made.

On Nov. 5, the couple’s daughter discovered the bodies of Phil, 88, and Barbara, 78, Russo murdered.

The arrested subject has been charged with first degree murder of the couple and is currently being interviewed by Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) at the Public Safety Building at 260 W. Broward Blvd. before being booked into the Main Jail in Ft. Lauderdale.

See story in full in Nov. 14 Observer newspaper

Photo by Rachel Galvin

Oct. 26 marked the opening of J&J Farms for the season.

In the business of bringing fresh fruits and vegetables to consumers straight from the farm for 27 years, this locale always is bustling with customers.

Looking to maintain a country family feel while constantly upgrading the ambience, J&J Farms is known for their ripe tomatoes, potted herbs, hanging flowers, fresh bread and local honey. They are cutting down on costs and going green by asking customers to bring their own bags. Some employees here have been with the company for almost 20 years.

**J&J Farms is located at 2777 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach, FL 33442. For more information, call 954-421-8650.**

Photos by Diane Emeott

About 500 area residents grooved to tunes like “Let’s Go Surfin’ Now,” “Help Me, Rhonda,” 409,” “Be True To Your School,” Saturday night, Nov. 2 in Lighthouse Point’s Frank McDonough Park – played LIVE by a Beach Boys Tribute Band.

Marlies, who came with neighbors Axel and Pauline, grabbed a tasty plate of food from one of the many food trucks.

Jeff Brand and Faith, 5, enjoyed a father/daughter night out at the event sponsored by LHP Cultural Committee.

Volunteers will be decorating the Butler House for the holidays this Saturday, Nov. 9 around 10 a.m. The Woman’s Club is helping and the effort is being lead by Sally Potter and Amie Kay Tanner.

Deerfield Beach Historical Society is also about to trim the Butler Tree in the backyard, which is believe to be one of the oldest trees in Broward County.

Breakfast With Santa is coming up on Dec. 7 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. with food, pictures with Santa, entertainment by the Banyan and face painting.

A Holiday Party at the Butler is also being planned with wine and cheese on Thursday, Dec 5 for a $10 donation to Breakfast With Santa.

We are decking the halls!

For more information, call 954-461-1152.

Waste tires present a problem if not properly managed.  If left out in the weather, they can breed mosquitoes and seem to attract other unwanted tires.  Local affordable options to properly manage waste tires now exist in the City of Deerfield Beach thanks to a new program undertaken by the Dept. of Recycling and Solid Waste Management.

Thanks to a city-funded contract with the county, every person in the city can recycle up to four tires for no cost at the Broward County Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Site at 2780 N. Powerline Rd., open every Saturday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Proof of City of Deerfield Beach residence is required. More information can be found on www.Broward.org.

If a resident needs to recycle more tires, the city will provide a regular opportunity to recycle them for a small fee as well.  Each month, on the second Saturday, between 8a.m. and noon, we will accept waste tires at the Central City Campus, 401 SW 4 St.  No more than 25 tires per load will be accepted.  In order to help recover expenses, fees will be charged of $2 per passenger and light truck tires, and $5 for semi tires or any tire on the rim. So, join in efforts every second Saturday of the month to keep Deerfield Beach green!

“We certainly hope residents will make good use of this new option and not allow tires to become a problem on their property,” said Debra Shaw, the city’s Recycling Specialist.

**For more information, call 954-480-4391.**

a Special City Commission Meeting will be held on Wednesday, Nov.13 at 6 p.m. at the City Hall Complex, 150 NE 2 Ave., Deerfield Beach, at which time the City Purchasing Department will present the evaluation committee’s recommendation for the Comprehensive City-wide Parking Revenue Collection and Enforcement System. 

Please note that Cale America, the company that is being recommended, will also be on site and available to the city commissioners and the public who might be interested in a LIVE demonstration of the new technology and equipment.

They will be in Commission Chambers lobby beginning at 1p.m. and they will available to answer any questions or concerns until 6 p.m. 

**For more information, contact the City Clerk’s Office at 954-480-4200.**

By Gary Curreri

After starting the season 0-4 and being outscored in those games by a combined 147-58, Blanche Ely football coach Charles Hafley tried to keep his team focused on the final goal.

The Tigers captured its first district championship in four years as it manhandled host Northeast, 45-12, to win the District 14-7A championship on Friday night.

“Our senior captains –Tyquan Fields, Terrance Blands, Broderic James, Aris Knight, were phenomenal,” Hafley said. “They come to practice every day. They come ready to work and they believe in what we talk about. Holding the rope … and that’s what the kids did, during that wave we had the first four games and through the grunt of the season. We just came out in district play and did Blanche Ely football.”

Blanche Ely opened the season with a 45-15 loss to M.L. King (Georgia); a 46-6 loss to Deerfield Beach; a 31-21 setback to Glades Central and a 29- 15 loss to Miami Northwestern. The Tigers have won four of its past five games – the only loss coming at the hands of Plantation, 32-26. They’ve won three consecutive games, including the district-clinching win over Northeast.

Senior quarterback Nelson Ervin threw for 148 yards and four TDs Friday night, as the Tigers finished 3-0 in the district.

“I think the biggest difference is all about believing in themselves,” Hafley said. “Nelson Ervin got himself together, mentally, physically and emotionally. He just led this team. He hasn’t had a turnover in any of our district games. He just focused and played Tiger Pride football.”

Northeast (2-7, 1-2) took the opening kickoff and marched 80 yards in 14 plays capped by a 9- yard scoring run by Hurricanes’ quarterback Brion Sanchious to take a 7-0 lead.

From there, Ervin took over as he threw three touchdown passes and Anson Benton returned an interception 28 yards for a score as the Tigers scored 28 unanswered points to take a 28-6 halftime lead.

Ervin threw touchdown passes to Laderrick Smith (37 yards); Edward Walker (13 yards) and Chazton McKenzie (13 yards) in the first half. He added a 12- yard TD pass to Kenneth Rawls in the second half. The Tigers also got a 17-yard field goal from Charite Carmeley and a fumble recovery for a touchdown by Steven Carter. Northeast added a late score on a 4-yard TD pass from Deangelo Fulford to Binjimen Victor.

Hafley said the team would need to play mistake-free football to go deep in the playoffs.

“You have to control your turnover battle and make sure you keep your penalties to a minimum,” Hafley added. “If we can do that, we can be successful and make a run at this thing.

“There are many monsters out there in 7A and we respect them, but, in the playoffs, everybody starts 0-0,” he continued. “You could be 10-0 or 5-5, but, at the end of the day, when the first round of the playoffs come, everybody is 0-0 and each week counts, and we take it one game at a time.”

The slow start “hardened” his team and prepared them for a deep run in the playoffs. Hafley said the team would go as deep as his seniors will allow and credits the team chemistry from the administration and the community to the players and coaches.

“The kids believe that,” Hafley said. “The teams we played were traditional powers, all the way from Miami Northwestern, Glades Central, Deerfield Beach and MLK. Hats off to them and their coaching staffs, but it just gave us an opportunity to watch that film and get better. One thing about this team is we are the scariest team in 7A right now.”

Bucks pound South Plantation

Quarterback Danarious Graham ran for two touchdowns and passed for a third as Deerfield Beach rolled to the District 11- 8A championship and remained undefeated at 9-0.

Senior running back Aeron McNeal rushed for 172 yards and scored on a 72-yard TD as Deerfield Beach ran its record in the district to 7-0 with a 42-16 victory over host South Plantation.

Brandon Powell was limited by an injury in the first half; however, he finished with 40 yards and a TD.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Tomorrow, three motion pictures open with diverse stories that tackle the subject of survival. All is Lost is a tale of primal survival, Sunlight Jr. features a story about economic survival under the recession, and in Thor: The Dark World, the survival of the universe is at stake.

Robert Redford is “Our Man,” the only actor seen in All is Lost, a thriller about a man lost in the Indian Ocean. With the exception of one utterance of desperation, the only words spoken are in opening narration. For the next 106 minutes, we witness the Sisyphean efforts of “Our Man” trying to keep his boat afloat. The ending will inspire discussion for both sailors and landlubbers.

Redford is fantastic; he underplays brilliantly and spends most of All is Lost thinking of his next solution. In its simple storyline, All is Lost contains as much depth as Ernest Hemingway’s Pulitzer Award-winning novel The Old Man and the Sea. Expect Oscar buzz for this film.

Sunlight Jr. is Florida Film Noir, featuring dark performances from Naomi Watts, Matt Dillon, Tess Harper and The Walking Dead’s leading man, Norman Reedus. Filmed in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area, the poverty of Sunlight Jr. is interchangeable with the poverty of Downtown Ft. Lauderdale. Sunlight Jr. is a dark movie that goes from bad to worse.

Richie (Dillion) is a paraplegic who is married to Melissa (Watts), a clerk who works at a mini-mart called Sunlight Jr. Living in an efficiency apartment, the two obviously love each other, despite living from paycheck to paycheck. The couple is better off than her bloated Mom (Tess Harper) who raises white trash grandchildren. Richie and Melissa have one night of grace that leads to their most disastrous decision.

For pure Saturday Matinee popcorn-eating fun, go see Thor: The Dark World. The formula for fan favorite moments are there: three riproaring cameos, two post credit sequences that tease the next movie and provide a chuckle for those who wait. This film also features some fantastic visual sequences and cliff-hanging moments.

While it would help to review Thor and The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World is a stand-alone movie. Thor’s human love interest Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) stumbles from the dark ages with the potential to destroy the entire universe. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) attempts to rescue, but first must enter in an alliance with his villainous brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston). For all of the fantastic set pieces, it is the character dynamic that makes this film this weekend’s predictable box office blockbuster. However, for quieter tastes, check out All is Lost.

Remember, if you see anything suspicious, call 911 immediately.

DEERFIELD BEACH

Oct. 25 A man was observed smashing the window to a residence at 960 NW 45 St. and then fleeing.

Oct. 25 A man reported that the passenger window on his truck parked in the parking lot of Home Depot at 60 SW 12 Ave. was smashed. Nothing was stolen, but the cost of the damage was estimated at $175.

Oct. 25 It was reported that two exhaust fans were stolen from Deerfield Country Club at 50 Fairway Dr. Value of the fans was estimated at $1,000.

Oct. 25 A man entered Home Depot at 60 SW 12 Ave. and attempted to steal two lithium 18V batteries valued at $99 each.

Oct. 25 A woman reported that another woman attacked her and threatened her at 3735 NE 4 St.

Oct. 25 A man reported that his cousin and neighbor attacked him at 519 NE 1 Ave. The man suffered a laceration under his right eye.

DEERFIELD – District 4

Oct. 27 Conveyance burglary took place at the Sports Mall, 1101 S. Powerline Rd. Between 8 and 10 a.m., unknown persons broke into the victim’s 2000 Chevy van by breaking the driver’s window and took a purse, which contained ID, credit cards and two checks. The scene was processed with negative results.

Oct. 28 Auto theft attempt was reported at Starlight Cove, 3815 NW 7 Pl.Victim was walking his dog and stumbled upon a suspect attempting to steal a Ford explorer. The suspect fled the area.

LIGHTHOUSE POINT

Oct. 20 A man was observed stealing items from Publix at 2450 N. Federal Hwy. He was issued a trespass warning.

Oct. 23 A man reported his safe and jewelry missing from his home at 2880 NE 35 St. The safe contained $1,000 in cash and documents.