Fast action by BSO

Dear Editor:

I want to thank BSO Chief Sudler and his deputies for their fast action in stopping a rash of burglaries in Deer Run and the Gates of Hillsboro on July 7, including an invasion into my neighbor’s house while his kids were home. Thankfully, they were not harmed. BSO caught up with these vermin and have one in custody. I am sure the others will be caught soon. Thank you to all who protect us.

Ira Goodstadt 

Deerfield Beach

Deciding layoffs

Dear Editor:

I hope it is the city of Deerfield’s position to give resident employees preference when it comes time to lay off individual city employees. Residents should get bonus points over non-residents when hiring new employees. I don’t think the city will get substandard people by using this practice, as was the old union argument.

Stanley D. Flower 

Deerfield Beach

Legion of Honor

Dear Editor:

Back in October 2010, I received a letter from the French Ambassador advising me that the President of France had signed a decree naming me a “Chevalier” of the Legion of Honor. The Legion of Honor was created by Napoleon in 1802 “to acknowledge service rendered to France by people of great merit.”

On August 18, a ceremony will be held at the Boynton Beach Civic Center, at which time an official of the French government will place the Legion of Honor medal around my neck.

Percy Paget 

Lighthouse Point

RE: Code of Conduct

Dear Editor:

Please tell me why the Broward County Public Schools Code of Conduct handbook, e-mailed out July 1, was for the first time distributed electronically in English, Spanish, Haitian, Creole and Portuguese? Please tell me that this is a joke, as we are in America where ENGLISH is the ONLY language that should be spoken and written.

If people from other countries want to live here, then they need to learn our language or leave if they choose not to do that. Why should we cater to them? EVERYTHING should be in ONLY ENGLISH:  Driver’s License Test, School Board Papers, anything to do with schools, period.

No other country would cater to us, why should we cater to them? Whoever decided that the school board needs to send out Code of Conduct in other languages needs to be fired. The same goes for whoever agreed to do that.

Everyone has the right to live here, but not if they do not want to learn our ways. STOP making it easy on those people to not learn. If we did everything in only English, they would have to learn or leave – their choice.

Jennifer Marie Read

Pompano Beach

DEERFIELD BEACH

July 9 A man reported his vehicle stolen from the 300 block of NE 38 Street.

July 9 A man was arrested and charged with possession of narcotics at the 100 block of NE 1 Terrace.

July 9 A woman reported her purse stolen with credit card, cash and cell phone on the 200 block of SE 21 Avenue.

July 10 A woman reported that her rear left car window was smashed and her purse stolen on the 400 block of S. Powerline Road.

July 10 A man was arrested and charged with domestic violence after punching a woman at the 800 block of Spring Circle.

July 10 A man was arrested and charged with aggravated assault after making threats, pointing a gun at people and firing shots into the air on the 300 block of SW 3 Avenue.

July 10 A woman reported that a man threatened to kill her and two other women on the 5000 block of NE 5 Terrace.

July 10 A man reported his vehicle broken into and a Coach purse and man’s wallet stolen at 400 N. Powerline Rd.

DEERFIELD – District 4

July 5 Grand theft occurred between 2 p.m., June 28 and 12:30 p.m., July 5 in Deer Run, 3230 SW 1 St. Unknown person stole the internal parts and a piece of the outside air conditioner unit from this location.

July 6 Residential burglary was reported at 3497 Palladian Circle at 10:15 a.m. Deputies responded to a residential alarm at this address, where a check of the exterior revealed the rear screen patio door ajar and the sliding glass window shattered. A perimeter was quickly established. BSO helicopter was on scene. A check of the interior by deputies revealed it was vacant with numerous valuables in plain view (laptop, camera, cell phone, etc). Resident stated everything inside the home looked normal and undisturbed.

July 6 Residential burglary took place during evening hours at 2706 SW 15 St., Waterford. BSO deputies responded to the scene to find a shattered sliding glass door. Detectives worked the case through the night. A suspect has been arrested in connection with the case, and the investigation is ongoing. If you see suspicious activity, call 911 immediately.

LIGHTHOUSE POINT

June 29 Two transformers were reported stolen from Beacon Light Partners Unlimited on the 2400 block of N. Federal Highway.

June 30 A man reported his truck stolen from the 2200 block of NE 44 Street. The truck contained five scuba tanks.

July 1 A man was issued a trespass warning after becoming unruly at SunTrust Bank on the 3800 block of N. Federal Highway.

July 1 A man reported his American flag and flag pole stolen from his home on the 1900 block of NE 30 Court.

July 2 A woman was arrested and charged with driving without a valid driver’s license on the 2700 block of N. Federal Highway.

I was escorted to the woman’s bedroom where she and her private duty aide spent much of the day. The TV was on and it was on loud. It also happened to be tuned to the Christian Broadcasting Network. The patient being cared for was Jewish. She could not get up from bed nor from a chair without the help of her aide. I talked with the aide about how inappropriate it was for her to have an evangelical program on in the woman’s house, but she saw nothing wrong with her actions and, in fact, felt she was doing a holy thing.­ She also let me know that the woman she was caring for never voiced any complaint about her choice of TV, and that if such things bothered her, she could say something. I tried to explain that many people fear voicing such things, as they are afraid of how they will be treated afterwards – much like a patient in a health center is afraid to voice complaints about how this or that nurse or aide treats them. The aide told me that she was not forcing the woman to participate in any other religion but her own. Yet, the elderly woman was, indeed, being forced to listen to a minister preach ad nauseum about a faith that was not her own, and she was stuck doing so in her own home.­I talked with a rep from the company the aide came from and voiced my complaint, and, again, I was told if the patient was uncomfortable, all she had to do was voice her complaint. I again attempted to explain that the woman may well be afraid of repercussions, but was told that there is no rule against what the aide was doing. I then tried to explain that just because you are permitted to do something does not necessarily make it the right thing to do. And I had to wonder to myself how things would have been if the shoe was on the other foot.­ I then asked what they tell clients about the aides they send out and was told that they send out trained staff who do everything they can to comfort and care for their clients. And that is when I said, “If that is the case, then your staff should be trained to avoid doing things that would make it necessary for a complaint to be raised in the first place.”­

You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself … not my words, but words with a great message. So let me ask you … if you were the one stuck in the bed, dependent on someone else to tend to your needs, how would you feel?­

Don’t get me wrong, the aide is more than welcome to read her Bible silently or listen to a program with a set of headphones on, but a healthcare provider should not be subjecting the patient to something so foreign to the client’s own belief system.­

I know there are those of you reading this who feel that political correctness has gone way  overboard, but when your job is to comfort someone who is in a position of weakness via an illness or an injury… Well, may you always have enough control of your body and your mind to decide for yourself what to read and listen to in the comfort of your home and may those of us blessed to visit you be wise enough to avoid causing any added discomfort.­ As I remember, the rule of thumb is, if you can’t heal somebody, at least avoid causing any harm.­

Shalom My Friends,­ Rabbi Ezring­

(And please know that most of the health care workers I come across truly are angels. At least, they are in my eyes. G-d Bless them one and all.)­ ­

Rabbi Ezring is a Hospice Chaplain and Member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains. He also provides Professional Pastoral Care Services to a number of health centers in Broward County.

Congressman Allen West (FL-22) announces today he will be holding two tele-town hall meetings in July via telephone conference call. Congressman West intends to have two town hall meetings a month-one in Broward County and another in Palm Beach County. However, this month, a decision by House Leadership to stay in session during the District Work Week to focus on debt ceiling negotiations, means the in- person town halls will not be possible.

The tele-town hall format has become increasingly common among Members of Congress and will allow Congressman West to reach out to thousands of constituents at once. During the tele-town hall, constituents will dial in, and be given the choice to ask a question directly to Congressman West; or”simply listen in to the town hall meeting.

“While I would prefer to be in my district as I have done for the last six months and conduct my town halls in person, the constituents of District 22 sent me to the House of Representatives to address the important issues facing our nation, which requires me to be in Washington, D.C.,” West said. “I am glad there have been advances in technology, allowing me to reach my constituents from a distance. As always, during these calls, all subjects will be open for discussion, from Medicare to the debt ceiling.”

July Tele-Town halls are scheduled as follows:

Thursday, July 14th, 7 p.m. est

Wednesday, July 27, 7 p.m. est

(877) 229-8493  –  Passcode: 17808#

State Representative Gwyndolen Clarke-Reed invites you to attend The Legislative Update Town Hall Meeting. Topics include: Florida Election Laws/Voter Registration, Medicaid Reform, Workforce One, Unemployment Compensation, Redistricting Process.Clarke-Reed represents residents in these cities: Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Tamarac, North Lauderdale and Wilton Manors.

Join her  Wednesday, July 20, 2011 from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm, at the E. Pat Larkins Community Center, 520 Martin Luther King Blvd. (Hammondville Road)
Pompano Beach, Florida 33060. For information please call her office, 954-786-4848 or the community center at 954-786-4585.

Save the Date:

2^nd Annual Bowling Fundraiser

Friday, July 29, 7 to 10 p.m.

Diamond Strikes Lanes

2200 North Federal Hwy.
Pompano Beach, FL 33062

“Spare Lives and Strike Out Cancer” by participating in a friendly competition of spares and strikes with this Relay for Life fundraiser. Team packages of $150 include 6 bowlers ($25 per person), 3 hours of bowling, shoes, pizza and wings, raffles, prizes, free bowling coupons, and more.  N. Federal Highway, Pompano Beach.  Contact Nona at 954-304-4248 to sign up by July 15.

City of Deerfield Beach Community Appearance Board Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, July 13, has been canceled.  954-480-4206.

A child was injured this 4th of July in Hollywood after a cinder block used to stabilize the firework exploded and sent shrapnel into the child’s head. The Broward Sheriff’s Office Fire- Rescue responded and transported her with non-life-threatening injuries. While the incident is being investigated, there are more than 10,000 fireworks-related injuries reported each year, with over half of those occurring to children, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

“If you want to see fireworks, leave it to the professionals,” Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti said. “The last thing we want to see is a child burned by a sparkler or lose fingers from fireworks.”

According to BSO, there are no legal consumer fireworks in Florida. Only sparklers are legal for consumer use and can reach temperatures of 2,000 degrees – hot enough to melt gold and cause serious burns or permanent disfigurement.

A 7-year-old boy visiting Florida drowned in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. Carrington Clarke, 7, had flown into Ft. Lauderdale from the Bahamas to visit family. He went with three adults and eight children to the beach Monday afternoon. Around 3:27 p.m., four of the children — ages 7, 11, 13 and 14 – attempted to swim to a sand bar about 50 yards from shore. An 11-year-old girl made it, but when she turned around, she noticed the other three struggling in the water about halfway between the shoreline and the sand bar. Adults jumped in to rescue the children, but 7-year-old Carrington slipped underwater and the adults lost sight of him. About 10-15 minutes later, the BSO helicopter located him about 100 yards south of where he was last seen. A Lauderdale-by-the-Sea volunteer firefighter on a wave runner and lifeguards pulled him from the water.

American Medical Response (AMR) workers performed CPR and transported Carrington to Holy Cross Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:28 p.m. Coincidentally, around the time of the incident, the city had planned a rescue demonstration that was to include a simulated drowning, so residents could witness how an ocean rescue might happen. Because of the demonstration, lifeguards, volunteer firefighters and AMR workers were already on scene. The Broward County Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.

A Transportation Security Administration employee was caught stealing an I-Pad computer from a suitcase, and Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives say he’s responsible for a string of similar thefts over the past six months.

Nelson Santiago, who worked in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport’s Terminal 1, which houses Southwest and Continental airlines, was arrested Monday and charged with two counts of grand theft. Santiago, 30, told detectives that he stole electronics such as computers, GPS devices and video cameras from luggage he was screening. He would immediately take a photo of the stolen item with his cell phone, post it for sale online and often sell it by the time his shift ended. Detectives estimate he stole about $50,000 worth of electronics over the past six months, and the vast majority of the items were sold very quickly.

A Continental employee who saw Santiago slip an I-Pad computer out of a suitcase Monday and into his pants confronted Santiago and reported the theft to a Continental supervisor. The supervisor then contacted BSO and the TSA. TSA is cooperating with the investigation.

Santiago was arrested Monday and was released on bond the following day. He has been a TSA officer since January 2009 but no longer works with the agency. BSO’s investigation is ongoing, and additional charges are pending. Detectives are trying to locate possible victims, though most will never recover their property.

Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of theft at the airport can report information to BSO Det. Michael Sweeney at (954) 359-6417 or report information about the investigation anonymously to Crime Stoppers of Broward County at (954) 493-TIPS (8477) or online at www.browardcrimestoppers.org.