2014 Tax Rates and Accountability

Dear Editor:

You’ll notice that the real estate tax rate for Deerfield Beach rose slightly for 2014 after the major increase in 2013, which followed the implementation of a 10 percent utility tax.

We should all be aware that we live in a city with one of the highest real estate tax rates in all of Broward County. For that, we can thank the current city commission.

It’s also interesting to note that most municipalities held or slightly reduced their rates as values in the county went up.

We should all remember this at the next municipal election that, unfortunately, is not scheduled with all other elections in November when we receive our tax bills, but in March at added cost.

March elections historically produce low voter turnout which generally favors the incumbent.

Is it possible that this is why we have municipal elections in March?

We should be thankful that our politicians realize that we might all become overwhelmed at the polls if we had to collectively vote for them at the same time that we are picking our state and national leaders.

Here’s an idea: Why don’t we have all referendums and constitutional amendments voted on in March, leaving the November ballot free to only vote for elected officials?

That way, we could charge the sponsors of referendums and constitutional amendments for the additional cost of the election.

Can’t wait to hear the reasons why this can’t be done.

David Nace

Deerfield Beach

Pompano Beach CERT Classes

Begins Thursday, Sept. 18, 6 to 9 p.m.

Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Training Center 180 SW 3 St. Pompano Beach, FL 33060

Classes held every Thursday for eight consecutive weeks. Training is free. Residency is not a requirement. www.pompanobeachfl.gov/getready or call 954-786-4510.

AARP Driver Safety Program

Thursday, Sept. 18, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

NE Focal Point Senior Center 227 NW 2 St. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Save money, earn discount on insurance and update driving skills. $20 ($15 for AARP members). For ages 50+. Limited space, reservations required. Call 954-480-4447 or email tsutton@deerfield-beach.com.

Free Safety Day/ Car Seat checks

Saturday, Sept. 20, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Lou Bachrodt Chevrolet 1801 W. Atlantic Blvd. Pompano Beach, FL 33069

Free. Certified car seat installation technicians will install and/or inspect your car seat, making sure it’s properly installed and in good condition. Fun activities for children and equipment displays by BSO and Pompano Beach Fire Rescue.

Part of Child Passenger Safety Week, Sept. 14-20. Created by Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue, Broward Sheriff’s Office Pompano Beach District, Pompano Beach Fire Rescue, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital at Memorial and Safe Kids Broward County.

Additionally, car seat safety checks are offered at many BSO law enforcement district offices. If you can’t make the safety day event and want to schedule an appointment for a free car seat safety check, call the BSFR life safety educators at 954-831-8210 or visit www.sheriff.org for more safety tips and information.

Deerfield Beach Taste of the Islands

Saturday, Sept. 20, noon to 7 p.m.

Westside Park 445 SW 4 St. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Experience the culture of the Caribbean Islands and Brazil. Variety of foods and cold beverages from this region (available for purchase), arts and crafts booths, kid’s zone with waterslides, free live entertainment. Complimentary shuttle service available: Main Beach Parking Lot (149 SE 21 Ave.) to Westside Park. Shuttle service will continuously run: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Visit www.deerfield-beach.com/toti or call 954-480-4429.

I Am Complete Woman’s Club Wellness Workshop

Saturday, Sept. 20, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Lakeside Terrace 7880 Glades Rd. Boca Raton, FL 33434

Fun, informative event focused in improving your health naturally. Limited space. http://on.fb.me/1qNgA4S

Beach Tennis G-4 Tournament

Sunday, Sept. 21, 9:30 a.m. (check-in)

222 N. Pompano Beach Blvd. Pompano Beach, FL 33062

To participate, you must email your name and partner’s name/categories to mybeachtennis@aol.com. Indicate if you need a partner; emails to register must be received by Friday, Sept 19. Categories: Men’s and Women’s Doubles, Junior Doubles (12 and under). Cost per player: $20-1 category; additional category, add $5. Cash only at check-in. Winner receive medals and IFBT World Ranking Points.

Murder mystery/ dinner

Tuesday, Sept. 23, 6 p.m.

Café Med Wyndham Resort 2096 NE 2 St. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

By Actors with a clue $60 per person. Info: 561-207-8947 or email events@actorswithaclue.com.

Free High Holiday Services

Chabad of Lighthouse Point 4081 N. Federal Hwy. #100A Lighthouse Point, FL 33064

No tickets required, no affiliation and no membership. For info., call 347-410-1106 or visit www.JewishLHP.com

• Rosh Hashanah: Wednesday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, 9:30 a.m.-Prayers begin/ 11:30 a.m.-Shofar blowing Friday, Sept. 26, 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m.- Shofar blowing

• Yom Kippur: Friday Oct. 3, 7 p.m.-Kol Nidrei Saturday, Oct. 4, 9:30 a.m.-Prayers/noon- Yizkor Memorial Service

Zumba Fitness Class

Beginning Sept. 30 (Tuesdays & Thursdays), 9 to 9:50 a.m.

Westside Park 445 SW 2 St. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Classes begin Tuesday, Sept. 30. Low impact class for beginners. Registration, $7 per class for walk-ins or purchase package of 10 classes for $60. 954-480-4481.

Fun 2 Be Fit, Teen Exercise Program

The City of Deerfield Beach Parks & Recreation Dept., in conjunction with Natural Body Sculpting by Wilson, is hosting a FREE basic training exercise program for teens at the Teen Center, 1345 SW 11 Way — starting Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m.

This program focuses on having fun, making new friends, getting into shape, building muscle and living a healthier lifestyle.

The program will run Mondays and Wednesdays for five weeks. Please bring a towel or mat, water and wear athletic clothing.

For more information, call 954-571-4568.

Someone who comes to services voiced her upset because during my sermon I said that we are SUPPOSED to live our lives a certain way and I went on to say that we OUGHT to do as many mitzvot as possible.

She told me she couldn’t stand when somebody tells her that she is “supposed to do something.” You see her idea of freedom is the ability to do whatever she wants, whenever she wants, no matter how much it may hurt another.

Rabbi Bradley Artson, wrote about a conference organized by Elie Weisel. Weisel had seen so much hate in his life, and having survived the Holocaust he knew what hate could lead to. The main questions that arose during this conference had to do with why people hate and why people band together to express hatred. But there was another question that arose that I wanted to pose to you today.

Many people have historically criticized Judaism as being a religion of law instead of faith and love.

And yet, when Nobel Lauriet Elie Weisel held a conference on hate, the question was posed — what is the opposite of hate? You might think that the great minds at the conference immediately thought that the opposite of hate is love. But I have a surprise for you. These amazing minds felt that only a belief in an execution of the law can defeat hatred.

Rabbi Artson notes that this confirms the Jewish conviction that law is the indispensable expression of love and decency. And, when people abandon law, it is at the peril of their own character, justice and survival.

The mitzvot that are given in the Torah are a list of laws, a list of the things we are supposed to strive to do. They are a list of oughts. So, today, I am dubbing The Commandments and The Golden Rule as “OUGHTISMS.” If you look up the word “ought” in the dictionary, you will find that it refers to obligations; it refers to things we owe to G-d, to others and to ourselves.

It is also defined not only as a duty or moral obligation, but as a natural expectation. And we certainly have natural expectations of others and of ourselves. For instance, we ought to honor our parents, we ought to avoid stealing, we ought not murder and we ought to find ways to help others.

Someone came up with a very clever idea for helping others. They came up with this idea of raising money through a bucket challenge, not a bucket list; but a bucket challenge, where one would use a bucket full of ice and have it dumped on them to raise money for the Amyotrophic Lateral Schlerosis (ALS) foundation.

This ought to have been a wonderful way of raising money for this cause. And indeed a great deal of money has been raised. Even a young teen with Autism wanted to help. And when classmates approached him, he was delighted to get the chance. But these rotten kids did something that I simply can’t comprehend; instead of using ice, they dumped a bucket full of feces and urine onto that boy. They ought to have known better; they should have behaved differently, but they didn’t. It would seem that the laws of human kindness have no meaning to them.

I have been asking myself all week — if one of them was a child of mine, what on earth would I say? What would I do? How would I feel?

Dear readers, I hope you take some time this week to think about what you would do!

Shalom my friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is the Spiritual Leader of Temple Beth Shalom of Deerfield Beach just South of Hillsboro Blvd. on Military Trail. You can come and hear his message of the week during regular Shabbat Morning Services (9 – 11:30 a.m.).

DBHS stepped out onto the field last Friday night for their first regular-season loss since the 2012 St. Thomas finale.

Photos by Jacob Shendell

After an impressive victory against Northeast of 43-6 the week before, “We still have a lot of work to do; we are young and we are going to struggle. I expect some of our veteran role players such as Montel Jordan, Roodney Leon and Jason Strowbridge to step up as leaders.” said Coach Jackson.

And struggle they did; during the first quarter Deerfield Beach High School (DBHS) Bucks went down 7-0 after Tajue Williams, a Dillard RB, ran the ball up the middle of the field for a 24-yard touchdown. Following this score, Deerfield put up its own points with a 34-yard fieldgoal scored by Jefferson Souza.

It all went down-hill from there; Dillard went on to make the score 13-3. Before the half, the Bucks defense stopped the extra point. In the 2nd half, Dillard’s quarterback Jason Collins connected for two more touch-downs, Jordan Merrell an 8-yard reception, and Basil Spencer a 15-yard reception, to put the score up to 25-3. In the middle of the 4th quarter, Kobe Farrish put a 12-yard run in the end zone for Deerfield, decreasing the margin to 25-9.

This Friday, DBHS plays their cross-town rival Blanche Ely High School from Pompano at home in what is sure to be a sold-out game. Ely is coming off of a 12-42 loss to Clewiston High School. Both teams are sure to be looking for redemption and would have it no other way than to defeat one another.

“We need to finish the game, cut down on our mistakes. Ely is our hometown rival and that’s about all it is. We don’t really need to make any changes for them. We have Jefftey coming back out of a two-week injury to fill the quarterback role so we plan on incorporating him back into our offense slowly with Cortez. We need to save him for our district games,” said Jackson.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.Com

One of my favorite memories from last year’s Ft. International Film (FLIFF) Festival was the screening of One Chance, which made The Observer’s Top 10 List for one of the best films of 2013.

As the lovable lunk who aspires to sing like Luciano Pavarotti, James Corden proved his chops and revealed potential.

Starting in January 2015, Corden will now replace Craig Ferguson on The Late Late Show on CBS. Also FLIFF’s 2013 honoree, Lea Thompson, will be on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. Perhaps, this is a reminder that now is the time to gear up for this annual fall event.

FLIFF has been known as the world’s longest film festival, lasting from mid October until Veteran’s Day, but, this year, FLIFF will open its red carpet on November 7 and wrap up the weekend before Thanksgiving. With an opening night, centerpiece and festival finalé, FLIFF promises three weekends of unique cultural activities.

Before November, Cinema Paradiso, (FLIFF Headquarters) will be showcasing some major theme parties. Next week, Sept. 19, Cinema Paradiso-Hollywood will be hosting the 20-Year Anniversary screening of Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. Often imitated, but never duplicated, Pulp Fiction created iconic roles for John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis, who breaks his deal with the devil.

Cinema Paradiso encourages ticket buyers to come dressed in mobster attire or as a favorite Pulp Fiction character for a costume contest. There will also be door prizes and a display of paintings inspired by the movie. Perhaps even a Chuck Berry dance contest?

Last but not least, Cinema Paradiso will be converted into “Cinema Inferno” when Fright Asylum (www. frightasylum.com) moves in this Halloween night. Chief inmates Woody Meckes & Manny Cologne will be hosting the 40th Anniversary screening of The Last Man on Earth, starring FLIFF Lifetime Award honoree, the late Vincent Price.

This evening will also include a costume contest, with one of the prizes being a copy of my latest book, The Querulous Nights of Athena Minerva. Expect a night of thrills, chills and multiple belly laughs.

DEERFIELD BEACH

August 22 A business at 1800 W. Hillsboro Blvd. was broken into. A window was smashed. Damage to the business was estimated at $50.

August 24 A man entered a 7/11 at 1156 E. Hillsboro Blvd. and stole bags of chips. The man was later found at a nearby Walgreens, where it was reported that he had stolen items. The store managers did not prosecute.

August 24 A car parked at 1631 Riverview Rd. was entered. A key to another car was taken. That key was then used to steal the other car.

August 26 A man entered a tow yard at Emerald Towing at 4000 N. Powerline Rd. and stole a dirt bike.

DEERFIELD – District 4

August 12 Theft of a bicycle was reported in the Gates of Hillsboro, 236 NW 41 Ct. Unknown suspect(s) removed a blue mountain bike from the front yard of the victim’s home. Loss was valued at $50.

August 13 Retail theft/ shoplifting occurred at Target, 3599 W. Hillsboro Blvd. The subject walked out of Target with a Graco Stroller without paying for it.

August 18 Burglary to a dwelling or structure caused damage of over $1,000 in Riverglen at 550 NE 44 St.

LIGHTHOUSE POINT

August 3 A handcart that the victim uses to bring garbage out was stolen from a garage at 2730 NE 53 St. Loss was $80.

August 3 A store employee saw a subject walk down the aisle, select cat food and put it in a cart .He then left the store at 2450 N. Federal Hwy. without paying for it. He was apprehended outside the store with the food, valued at $46.97.

August 4 Someone used a victim’s identity to open a cell phone account at 3690 NE 22 Ave. The victim found out when she went to open her own account and was told she already had an account. The victim’s Social Security number was used.

RE: Marine Advisory Board

Dear Editor:

Honorable Commissioners and our Mayor,

I understand that an agenda item is on for the next meeting [Sept. 3 Deerfield Beach city commission meeting] to revisit in some way, my removal from the MAB [Marine Advisory Board].

Please be aware that prior to my appointment to the board, I advised [the District 1 commissioner] that if at any time he did not like my actions or actions on the MAB, all he had to do is ask and I would resign. He chose a grandstanding and public attack of my name rather than accept my offer to resign.

I do not desire to serve on the MAB or any other city board and I will not reconsider this position at any time in the future.

I gave many hours of high value consulting time to the city and did not like the way things were handled.

To revisit this matter again only serves to slander or further attack my good name.

I enjoyed the time I gave to the city, but no longer have the will to serve in any capacity on any panels, boards or in any advisory nature with this city.

I have my hands full with the time I spend on two highly respected Fishery advisory boards and committees for the National Marine Fisheries Service, and as an advisor to the U.S. State Department as a member of the ICCAT advisory committee, which I have been serving on for 12 and 8 years, respectively.

Please do not revisit the past action of the commission. You spoke clearly and loudly and with a unanimous vote. This matter has been completed and should not be revisited. Please respect my wishes on this matter and please respect the time I already gave the MAB.

I respectfully request you remove this item from the meeting agenda.

Sincerely,

Ronald J. Coddington, P.E.

Deerfield Beach

9/11 Memorial Concert

Thursday, Sept. 11, 7: 30 p.m.

Pompano Beach Amphitheater 1801 NE 6 St., Pompano Beach, FL 33060

FREE. Hosted by The City of Pompano Beach Parks and Recreation Dept. and the American Legion 9th District. Memorial Concert honors our armed forces, police, fire, EMT’s and those lost on 9/11. Features the American Legion Band with lead vocalist James Perkowski. For more information, call 954-786-4111 or visit www.pompanobeachfl.Gov.

Friends of the DB Arboretum mtg.

Thursday, Sept. 11, 7 p.m.

Constitution Park 2841 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach, FL 33442

Speaker: Vladimir Foursa, curator of the Bonsai collection, Morikami Japanese Gardens. Plant giveaway. Light refreshments served. Free meeting, open to the public. 954-480-4494.

Sisterhood of Temple Beth Israel meets

Thursday, Sept. 11, 11:30 a.m.

Temple Beth Israel 201 S. Military Tr. Deerfield Beach, FL 33442

Mini lunch will be served with program to follow. $2.50 donation requested. 954-421-7060.

CarFit

Friday, Sept. 12, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

NE Focal Point Senior Center 227 NW 2 St. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Free, appointment required, limited space. Call 954-831- 8210 to schedule your 20-minute appointment.

Party Brazil

Friday, Sept. 12, 7 p.m.

Seminole Casino Coconut Creek Nectar Lounge 5550 NW 40 St. Coconut Creek, FL 33073

Celebrate Brazil’s Independence Day. High-energy, popular Brazilian band Batuke Samba Funk will provide entertainment, along with DJ Marcelo and his Brazilianstyle dance music. Samba dancers, drummers and more. Brazil native, Adriana De Moura, of Real Housewives of Miami, will be the evening’s special guest. Drink specials available. To book a VIP table, call Guest Services at 954- 935-2626.

BBI Workshop: The Study of an Election

Saturday, Sept. 13, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

BB International Preschool 1735 E. Atlantic Blvd. Pompano Beach, FL 33308

Brunch with Ellyn Bogdanoff, candidate for State Senate. Learn how to incorporate the academic disciplines in a real life event such as a national election. www.bbinternationalpreschool.Org.

About Boating Safely

Saturday, Sept. 13, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Spanish River Park HQ Bldg. 3939 N. Ocean Blvd Boca Raton, FL 33431

$35. Bring lunch. For pre-registration or information; call 561-391-3600 and leave a brief message for a call back.

Yard sale

Saturday, Sept. 13, 7 a.m.

The Palms of Deerfield 425 NW 1 Terr. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

For more information, call 954-420-9321.

Healing Hands for Arthritis

Wednesday, Sept. 17

Massage Envy 200 S. Federal Hwy, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

$10 from every one-hour massage or facial session during this one-day national event will be donated directly to the Arthritis Foundation to help fight, raise awareness and eventually cure arthritis and related diseases. 954-570-8883.

GFWC Deerfield Beach Woman’s Club Evening Chapter meeting

Wednesday, Sept. 17, 7 to 8 p.m.

Clubhouse 910 E. Hillsboro Blvd. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Guest speaker: Author Ms. Mateja Petje. 954-421-4700. www.DBWC.org.

Leadership in Greener Summit

Wednesday, Sept. 17, 1 p.m. general registration

Office Depot HQ 6600 N. Military Tr. Boca Raton, FL 33496

Speakers on sustainability and more. Keynote speaker: David Gottfried, founder of US Green Building Council, about rapid growth of green marketplace. Register: http://gray.cvent.com/greenersummit.

Do you still remember how you felt? Do you remember the feelings you had that day 13 years ago?
Maybe you had feelings of fear because you did not know when or where the next attack was going to come from. Maybe you felt anger because you lost family or friends in the attacks. Maybe you felt confused because you did not understand why all this bad stuff was happening to our country. I remember seeing all three of those emotions from people all over our country. I pray that we not only remember one day every year what happened on Sept. 11, 2001; but, I pray that we always remember!
2 Peter 3:2
2 I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles.
-NLT
It has been 13 years now and we need to make sure we remember that we, as a united country, turned to God in our time of need and He brought us comfort.
I remember all the members of Congress standing on the Capitol steps and praying to God for help. I remember seeing men and women risk their own lives to try and save those who were in the middle of those disasters with no fear. I remember our enemy trying to scare us and intimidate us on our own soil, in our very own country. I remember a great country and a great people rising up together and turning to God for help. With God’s help (because we asked for it), we rose above what our enemy tried to do to us. I even remember feeling anger when we went to New York City the following year to visit family and being able to see the two holes in the ground that were left.
Please do not ever forget the tragedy that happened that day. Do not forget the lives that were taken in those horrible events. Do not forget the lives that were given by our civil servants. Do not forget that God helped us through that horrible time and allowed us to begin to heal. Remember and pray for those that lost their lives and also for those who gave their lives to help others.
2 Kings 17:38-39
38 Do not forget the covenant I made with you, and do not worship other gods.
39 You must worship only the Lord your God. He is the one who will rescue you from all your enemies.”
-NLT
I want you to remember not only how we all felt as a nation but also remember how we responded by turning to God and by protecting our freedom. God wants us to remember the teachings we got from the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. Do not forget God’s teachings or the way you felt that day 13 years ago. Please do not forget that still today our military has men and women fighting for our freedoms overseas and let us all pray they come home safely.
Tony Guadagnino is the pastor at Christian Love Fellowship Church.

By Rachel Galvin

Timothy D. Cook, chief executive of Apple, announced the release of the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch Tuesday at the Flint Center in Cupertino, CA, where Apple co-founder Steve Jobs unveiled the Macintosh 30 years ago. People will line up around the country at Apple stores anxious to buy the newest technology; but if they line up now, they may be waiting awhile (release begins Sept. 19, pre-order starts Sept. 12).

The benefit of the iPhone 6 is two larger size options (a 4.7-inch version and a 5.5-inch version (iPhone 6 Plus), instead of the current 4 inch). Plus there is increased resolution, faster speed and a better camera.

In addition, they launched Apple Watch, a wearable computer that includes fitness and health tracking. It will be available early next year.

Apple Pay, available in October, hopes to eliminate the need for a wallet by offering an easy digital way to make payments.

At the end of the Keynote speech, the band U2 performed and announced the free immediate release of their new album “Songs of Innocence” to iTunes and Beats Music customers, available through Oct. 13.

For more information, visit www.apple.com.

(Pics of iPhone, iPhone Plus & Apple Watch not available as of press time)