By Diane Emeott

The four members of the Planning & Zoning Board voted unanimously to deny a site plan application to convert an existing retail building, formerly The “Reel” Cigar Store at 504 S. Federal Hwy., to a detoxification facility.

Attorney Scott Bachman, representing Deerfield Florida House, argued that it was a permitted use in a B-2 zoning district. He said his client had met the six standards outlined by Planning & Growth Management Director Jerry Ferguson.

After numerous residents spoke against having a detox facility in their neighborhood, Chairman pro tem of the Planning & Zoning Board Todd Drosky said he was not focusing on the permitted use but on the compatibility issue with RS5 residential property to the east. His fellow board members agreed.

See more from the discussion in an upcoming issue of the Observer newspaper

DNA evidence recovered at the scene of a September 14, 2010 burglary and arson in Pompano Beach has linked a Broward man to the crime.

The evidence revealed James Mathis, 56, was the suspect involved in the burglary and arson that caused thousands of dollars in damage at the Palm Aire Country Club Clubhouse. At 4:12 a.m. that Tuesday, Pompano Beach Fire Rescue and Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to 2601 N. Palm Aire Dr. after a 911 caller reported flames were shooting out of the clubhouse. Firefighters doused the flames and realized the fire was an attempt to cover up a crime. The suspect ransacked the business, stealing liquor and money before trying to cover his tracks by setting the place ablaze.

Once identified through DNA, detectives located Mathis at the BSO Main Jail where he’s been since an unrelated arrest by the Ft. Lauderdale Police Department on September 29. BSO detectives have now added charges of burglary and arson to Mathis’ growing list of offenses.

Two days later after the Palm Aire Country Club fire there was another burglary and arson at 2601 W. Atlantic Blvd. in Pompano Beach. At the time it was unclear if both incidents were perpetrated by the same suspect, but investigators say they don’t believe Mathis was involved in that incident.

By Emily Rosen

ERosen424@aol.com

www.emilyrosen424.com

Jim Kurtz flew from Boston to George Britton’s house in Boca Raton this week,  to talk to George about Jim’s long-dead father. He arrived at 6 p.m., left at 10:30 p.m. and flew back to Boston early the following morning. So what’s the story, and what’s it to me?

The search for a father is not an entirely new story, but this one is in the tradition of Sherlock Holmes, with a Freudian passion and drive that hasn’t let up for the past 10 years. Jim was 2 years old in 1952 when his father, Bob, died, from service-related heart issues, seven years after having been discharged from the Air Force. In essence, Jim never knew  his father – “knew,” that is, in the way he had yearned for, and the gaping hole in his life remained just that, despite all of his many life successes, and, too, despite the stories of his three elder brothers and his mother, who just turned 90. Every Father’s Day in his life made the hole bigger.

Father Bob had been an Air Force co-pilot, and, on his 19th mission, was shot down over Austria, captured and imprisoned by the Germans for the remainder of the war. George Britton, a writer, student and friend of mine had been part of that B-24 crew and, now, at age 86, is one of the two remaining survivors of that experience,  and is the last connecting dot on Jim’s trail of his dad.

Driven to squeeze out every ounce of that story, Jim was determined to talk to George in person. Even with today’s multi-layered alternative methods of communication, the one-on-one eyeball connection was important to Jim. I was there, by mutual consent, to help with the story that Jim is planning to write.

These are the lengths to which Jim has gone — having extricated a trove of material, letters, pictures and various mementoes from the attic of his mother’s house (many of which he brought to share with George), he was all the more determined to relive, to the extent possible, that particular period in the life of his father.

“I wanted to feel, as much as possible, what he felt,” he said.

He took two trips to Austria, after deep research, and met and spoke to some of the witnesses to the crash, and climbed an arduous 6,500 feet into the still snow-covered mountain where the plane came down. He actually discovered some of the remains of the plane, including the co-pilot’s seat which he brought home. He even located and talked to the German pilot of the plane that had shot down his father’s plane.

But still, not enough for Jim. Through the Collings Foundation, he flew in the last operational B24 in the world, just to get a sense of being in one. And then, he hauled himself into a commercial sky-dive to feel … feel … feel the free fall of the parachute descent his father had experienced.

But for Jim, it’s the letters which define his father, a prolific writer himself, the letters and words and impressions of others … from each person, another father.

Did he get to know his father? Do any of us ever really get to know our parents? How well do we even know ourselves?  For some, the search never ends.

By Dave Montalbano

www.AdventuresofCinemaDave.com

Since Roots became a ratings-winner in the winter of 1977, miniseries dominated broadcast television until the assimilation of cable television.  Opening tomorrow in local theaters, Bride Flight has the feeling of the miniseries The Thorn Birds. This multilingual epic contains gorgeous cinematography featuring the New Zealand countryside.

The film opens with the death of Frank (Rutger Hauer), whose funeral is attended by three diverse women of Dutch heritage. Bride Flight flashes back to 1953 when these three World War II survivors take a flight that wins a transcontinental race from Europe to New Zealand.

The three women are a diverse bunch. Esther (Anna Drijver) is a Holocaust survivor who masks her Jewish ethnicity. Due to an inconvenient pregnancy, Esther gives her child to the happily married, but barren, Marjorie (Elise Schaap).  Marjorie and Esther’s stories intertwine in tragic and humorous ways. The third bride is Ada (Karina Smulders), a woman who develops a crush on young Frank (Waldemar Torenstra), who is establishing a new wine business.

Slow paced with a rambling, but interesting narrative flow, Bride Flight should appeal to the audience weary of Transformers, Cars and Pirates.  This film is like reading an engrossing book while sipping red wine under the sunset.

Reading, or the lack of reading, is the fundamental concern of the documentary, Page One: Inside the New York Times. With the rise of computer usage, the New York Times has become known as “the dinosaur media”. Having relied on bloated advertising revenue streams, the major daily newspapers lost sight of it’s circulation figures.

This film documents this monster medium as it steps into the future. It concludes on an optimistic note, but it feels false, as if this is a propaganda puff piece for this once-respected newspaper institution. To director Andrew Rossi and writer Kate Novak’s credit, they do not flinch showing the tearful layoffs of employees who were devoted to their jobs and showing two reporters who misrepresented the stories they were covering.

But while the film shows the feud with the Tribune organization, it ignores the criticism from The Drudge Report and Fox News. In the midst of this, the one journalistic hero to rise from this film is Times columnist David Carr, who. the story centers around.

By Gary Curreri

Highlands Christian Academy grad Andrew Smith, above, is named to the Class 1A all-state first team. Photo by Gary Curreri

Andrew Smith leaves a legacy at Highlands Christian Academy as he heads off to Liberty University in Lynch-burg, VA.

The Orlando Sentinel and SourceHoops.com recently named the 6’ 8”, 190 lb. guard/forward, who received a full basketball scholarship to Liberty University, to the Class 1A All-State team.

Also named to the first team were Ismaila Dauda, a Grandview Prep senior; Jean Prophete and Farad Cobb (who helped lead Summit Christian to the Class 1A state basketball title) and Jordan Warner, of Florida A and M.

Smith, one of the Knights’ captains and leaders, played basketball since fourth grade at Highlands Christian Academy, where he played elementary, junior high, junior varsity and three years of varsity.

 Deerfield’s Pellitteri headed to FSU for beach volleyball

Deerfield Beach’s Steph-anie Pellitteri will make history this year after signing a national letter of intent to play beach volleyball at Florida State University, the inaugural sport beginning in 2012.

Pellitteri will be joined by former South Lake High School teammates Jeassica McGregor (Groveland) and Aurora Newgard (Groveland) to make up FSU’s first-ever sand volleyball recruiting class. All three heralded recruits possess enormous accolades stemming from their amateur careers at the high school and club levels.

“I’m very excited about this first sand volleyball signing class,” said Florida State University Director of Volleyball and Indoor volleyball head coach Chris Poole. “Aurora, Jeassica and Stephanie are all three exceptional players, but, more importantly, they are exceptional young ladies. They are among the very best in the nation as beach players, and we are fortunate that they have made a commitment to Florida State University.

“They will be the pioneers for not only a new sport at FSU, but a new sport on the college level,” Poole added. “Our U.S.A. Women’s Beach team has won the last two Olympics, and the sport was among the most watched of each of those Olympic Games.”

Pellitteri was a standout performer at Pompano Beach High School, where she was the captain of her indoor volleyball squad. She began playing sand volleyball for Club Beach Dig in the summer of 2007 and continues to excel with the same team.

While playing for Club Beach Dig, Pellitteri has boasted some key victories over the years, including the 18-under Open Division East Coast Beach Nationals in Ft. Lauderdale last August.

Pellitteri also became a Junior 18-under Regional and National Dig the Beach champion. She has been invited to several camps at the sand volleyball Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA, which are invitation only. Her two sisters, Kristina and Brittany, are also top junior players.

Well-accomplished beach volleyball player and coach Danalee Corso was recently named the head coach of the squad.

By Rachel Galvin

Alfred Baureley

Local cyclist Alfred Baurley knows the importance of hard work. This 17-year-old high schooler from North Broward Prep moved from a novice Category 5 cyclist to a Category 3 status within eight weeks, allowing him to qualify for the USA Cycling Elite, U23 and Juniors Road National Championship, which was held June 22-26 in Augusta, GA.

Although this transformation seemed incredible, the seeds of the determination something like this would take were already set, evidenced by his cycling from Key West to Deerfield in one day last fall (Observer, Sept. 9, 2010). But still, the speed with which he so drastically improved was amazing due to the fact that it usually takes cyclists 2-3 years to make that sort of jump.

Baurely, a member of the Cool Beans Racing Team of Ft. Lauderdale, said, “My team has motivated me to become a better cyclist.”

“Alfred has exceeded all expectations in terms of progressing through the categories as a Junior cyclist,” said David Guttenplan, of Boca Raton, who has been coaching the teen since March. “This is unprecedented and speaks volumes about his potential as a cyclist. It is now a matter of keeping going forward to let his potential shine through.”

Baurley, also affiliated with the professional cycling promoter Z-Motion, has competed throughout Florida. He had a win in a 36-mile race in Homestead followed by other top finishes. Alfred currently ranks at the top of the chart within the Junior category in overall standing in the Bill Bone Pro Am Series.’ With his determination and skill, he has made a name for himself in our state in cycling. So nationals seemed a worthy challenge.

His hard work paid off and at the end of June, he went to Georgia to try his hardest in the national competition.  There, he competed successfully in the 30k individual time trial and earned a strong finish in the hard-fought 50k Downtown Augusta Criterium Race. Then, it was on to the real test, a 2 ½ hour 96k road race on hilly terrain. Held at Fort Gordon, a military reservation originally activated for infantry and armor training during World War II, the competition was steep.

The terrain and climate proved perhaps the most
worthy of opponents. Many dropped out, unable to handle the searing heat. Other cyclists crashed. In the end, out of 147 riders, only 85 crossed the finish line. For Baurley, it was the bicycle itself that gave him trouble. His front wheel hub broke loose in a 45 mph downhill chase. According to his mother, Carina Baurley, an on-site mechanic said the odds of that wheel staying attached were basically non-existent.

“I almost fainted when Alfred lifted the handle bar and fork right off the wheel, after the race,” she said, adding, “We gratefully accept that miracle over the national title!”

Baurley, undeterred, is already planning for the next race.

Yoga in the forest

Thursday, July 7, 6 p.m.

Fern Forest Nature Center, 201 Lyons Rd. S., Coconut Creek, FL 33063

Every Thursday. Hatha Yoga. For 18 and up. $10. Wear loose-fitting clothing, bring mat. Registration not required. 954-357-5198.

Update your driving skills

Friday, July 8, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Century Plaza Branch Library, 1856-A West Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach, FL 33442

Presented by AARP. One-day class for auto insurance credit. Cost: AARP Members-$12, non-members-$14. Register: 954-360-1330.

Sol Children’s Theatre: “Seussical”

Friday, July 8, 2 and 7 p.m.

Olympic Heights Fine Arts Theatre, 20101 Lyons Rd., Boca Raton, FL 33434

$10. Available on www.solchildren.org. 561-447-8829.

Splash Luau at Quiet Waters Park

Friday, July 8, 6 to 10 p.m.

Quiet Waters Park, 401 S. Powerline Rd., Deerfield Beach, FL  33442

Movie, luau games and more, along with splash time in the Splash Adventure water park. $5.50-per-person admission fee does not include refreshments. Space limited. Advance ticket sales required. 954-357-5100

American Flyers cookout and open house

Saturday, July 9, noon

Pompano Beach Airpark, 801 NE 10 St., Pompano Beach, FL 33060

Free BBQ lunch followed by facility tour given by a certified flight instructor. Tour classrooms, flight line and simulators. Flight instructor will conduct free FAA WINGS seminar, covering congested airspace considerations. Guests eligible to receive certificate for two free hours of instruction in flight simulator. Arrive 10-15 mins. early. No reservations needed. 954-785-1450 or www.americanflyers.net/about/aviation_ seminars.asp.

Best-selling author book signing

Saturday, July 9, 11 a.m.

Barnes & Noble, 2790 University Drive, Coral Springs, FL 33065

Best-selling children’s author, Laura Duksta, will be autographing and selling her popular book “I Love You More” in addition to her new book, which flips to read the title “You Are a Gift to the World” on one side, “The World is a Gift to You” on the other. If you missed her book signing in Boca, it is worth the drive to see this inspiring author. www.LauraDuksta.com.

Humane Society shelter 1-year anniversary

Saturday, July 9, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

3870 N. Powerline Rd., Pompano Beach, FL 33073

Raffles, food, animal CPR, dog agility, K-9 demonstrations and fun. No pets. www.floridahumanesociety.com.

Pancake breakfast

Sunday, July 10, 9 a.m. to noon

Elks Lodge, 700 N.E. 10 St., Pompano Beach, FL 33060

Hosted by the Benevolent Patriotic Order of Does, Drove 142. Adults $5, children $2.50. 954-725-5192.

Deerfield Beach Democratic Club meets

Monday, July 11, 7 p.m.

Century Village, Activity Center, 2400 Century Blvd., Deerfield Beach, FL 33442

Speaker: Mr. Owen Walker from the Broward County Services for the elderly and Veterans Dept. RE: Veteran benefits. 954-415-5658.

Alzheimer’s Support Group

Wednesday, July 13, 10 a.m. to noon

301 NW 2 Ave., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441    

Also 20 & 27. Share experiences, become informed. Speaker: David Ruberg, MPS, Old Friends Geriatric Care Management. Topic: Medicaid and veterans benefits. 954-480-4463.

Looking for affordable quality childcare?

NE Focal Point has certified staff on hand to care for children 3 to 5 years old. Their full day program is Monday to Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It includes breakfast, lunch and snacks and a developmentally appropriate curriculum. They include art and music in their programs and have a computer lab. They have a low teacher to child ratio and a nurse on the premises. Their free VPK program is Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to noon. Family Central is welcome. NE Focal Point has an Apple accreditation, a State of Florida Gold Seal, has received the Points of Light Award and has a Broward County 5+ Star Quality Rating.

Hospice volunteers needed

VITAS Innovative Hospice Care of Broward needs volunteers to make friendly visits to terminally ill patients and their families, provide relief for weary caregivers, visit veterans, accompany dog for Pet Therapy visits, sew Memory Bears, play musical instruments, sing or read to patients. Licensed hairstylists needed to give free haircuts to patients at home. Volunteers must take two-day orientation. 954-777-5396.

RE: Black soot

Dear Editor: 

In the June 30 Observer newspaper, you wrote a story that contained a piece about the 892 units in Independence Bay and the black soot the residents say is all over their patios and the air they breathe [“City commission passes variation on moratorium, 3-1.”]

I live on SE 2 Street (just down from the Butler House) and also have that black soot. I have had it since I moved into this house in 1994. It really is terrible, it gets all over everything.

Why I am writing is — I wonder if I can be included in [any]level of protection should the city decide to do something?

Anyone is welcome here to see the black soot, should they need to.

 Donna Lavoie

Deerfield Beach

RE: TRASH

Dear Editor:

In response to J.Huffman’s letter on June 23, I, too, agree we are all lucky to live here in Deerfield Beach. I see there have been a few temporary trash cans put around the parking lot in The Cove, but with the 4th of July weekend, we need some dumpsters as well. I also would like to see the trash picked up lining both sides of the bridge. We must have some people doing community service or get some prisoners out for a day and let them help keep our city clean. Thank you.

M.Herderson

Deerfield Beach

Governor’s cost cutting measures

Dear Editor:

Gov. Rick Scott tried to disband the FL Highway Patrol. No wonder he is the “least popular governor in America.” He has slashed funding on high-speed rail, aid for homeless veterans, unemployment insurance, education and now, according to Florida’s Capitol News, he tried to disband the FL Highway Patrol.

Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight, who served on Scott’s transition team, rebuffed the idea. After supporting Republicans for governor for 20 years, Florida police unions have abandoned the GOP. The Broward County Police Benevolent Association held a “Party to Leave the Party” two weeks ago, in which their members switched their voter registration from GOP to Democratic or Independent.

Brad Burtner

Deerfield Beach

DEERFIELD BEACH

June 27 A victim on NW 4 Avenue had her home burglarized and $6,500 in jewelry stolen.

June 28 A home on Crystal Lake Drive had its sliding rear door broken and $1,500 in jewelry stolen.

June 29 An unidentified victim is the subject in a death investigation off NE 3 Avenue. No other information is available.

July 1 A Jaguar and a Lexus were taken from near SE 12 Ave. Two black male juveniles were arrested for this case and for another case where a shed was broken into.

July 2 A car parked near the beach had its lock punched out and a laptop, left in the side seat stolen.

July 2 A complainant on NE 10 Avenue said he woke up to gun shots outside his residence and one projectile entered a home on NE 10 Avenue. Five spent shell casings and one spent cartridge were found.

July 2 A building on SW 13 Drive had two A/C units stolen worth $5,000.

DEERFIELD — District 4

June 25 Arrest was made in a conveyance burglary at The Preserve in Deer Creek at 3:43 p.m. Deputies responded to a possible burglary in progress, where a man was seen breaking into cars. Attempts were made to locate subject or a victim with negative results. While detectives were working a burglary operational plan, detectives observed a subject matching the description of the subject listed above and contacted him. Consent to search was given and marijuana and a GPS were located. After Miranda rights were read, suspect (and his girlfriend) admitted to going into vehicles in the area. Investigation revealed two confirmed conveyance burglaries in Deer Creek — which suspects admitted to — and additional stolen items were recovered. Suspects were arrested and transported to Broward County Jail. Investigation ongoing.

June 25 Arrest was made in a grand theft at Deer Creek, 5257 W. Lakes Drive at 3:30 p.m. During an ongoing investigation, suspect was identified after taking victim’s jewelry and pawning it. Suspect agreed to come to the office. After Miranda rights were read, suspect admitted to taking victim’s property and pawning it for money. Suspect was arrested and taken to Broward County Jail.

June 26 Conveyance burglary was reported between 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at Latino Restaurant, 1745 W. Hillsboro Blvd. Victim reported she parked her vehicle at listed location, went to work there and when she returned, she observed her right passenger window smashed. Subject removed victim’s purse, containing $400 in cash, total loss valued at $650. Scene was not processed due to weather.

LIGHTHOUSE POINT

June 21 The copper wiring was stolen from a business on N. Federal Highway.

June 22 A total of eight wheels, worth almost $10,000, were stolen from Sheehan Pontiac.

June 23 A suspect was apprehended at Publix after shoplifting food from the store at 3700 N. Federal Highway.

By Deron Peterson, Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach 

After some discussion and searching for the perfect spot, my wife and I laid down the blanket, a beach towel really, and settled in for the evening’s fireworks.  It was a typical 4th –    cookout, parade and now fireworks – all the things that make the 4th so special. As we sat there, Beth asked me what was my favorite 4th of July. We talked about the first time we took the kids to celebrate in Schroon Lake, the small town where I grew up. We talked about the time in Dallas where the fireworks were spectacular and a local radio station had coordinated the music perfectly. Of course, we also talked about the summer we met 19 years ago. In hindsight, this should have easily been my top 4th of July but, unfortunately, it wasn’t. Seeing the error of my ways, I asked if we could talk about our Top 3 Independence Days. It might surprise you to discover that we both settled on a 4th in the most unlikely of places. During our 18 years of marriage, Beth and I have lived more than half of them in Argentina. We both agreed that July 4th, 2008 was probably our favorite.

In 2008, we moved to the city of Corrientes in Northern Argentina. If you are at all familiar with Argentines, you know they absolutely love cookouts, “asados” as they call them, and will accept any excuse to have one. We decided to have our 4th of July Asado. We invited some other American missionaries living in Corrientes and an Argentine family, who had spent many years living in the U.S., over to the house. Samuel, my son, and I went into the city and spent way too much money on fireworks.

We were U.S. citizens, celebrating our country’s Independence Day while living in Argentina; citizens living in a foreign land. Beth and I spent almost 10 years living in Argentina, even earning “permanent residence” status, but at no time did we stop being U.S. citizens. We worked very hard to learn the language, to adapt to their culture and, for the most part, were very successful. In the end, however, we were still foreigners living in a foreign land.

Reminds me of Philippians 3:20 “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”  When we put our faith in Christ alone for salvation, we become citizens of Heaven. Sometimes, we allow ourselves to become so wrapped up in the things of this world that we forget who we belong to, and where our home really is.

For however long we are left on Earth, we need to remember our citizenship is in heaven, and that is where our loyalties should lie. Our lifestyles should be based solely on Biblical principles. We need to know our culture, history, language and understand those we live with, but don’t need to worry about fitting in. When we stop trying to fit in, we can live our lives to the fullest, without worry, as God intended.