Surveillance cameras in a Deerfield Beach Dunkin’ Donuts at 3390 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach, captured clear images of a man with a T-shirt or cloth wrapped around his hand who demanded money from the cashier. Broward Sheriff’s Office robbery detectives are asking for the public’s help identifying this criminal, who calmly took the money from the employee’s hand and left the restaurant around 9:40 p.m. Feb. 27. He was wearing dark pants and sneakers, a black, long-sleeved athletic shirt with white piping and a tan cap with writing on the front.

To see video of the robbery live click ObserverTV-Crime Watch videos

Every day, in Broward County alone, hundreds of dogs are euthanized. In November of 2010 Dogs Rule Rescue was born, started by, Lisa Congemi and a small committed group of  animal lovers. DRRG a non-profit 501(c)3, all volunteer organization, based here in Deerfield Beach.

Their mission is to save the lives of homeless and abandoned dogs from high-kill shelters that would otherwise be euthanized and find them loving and forever homes, along with educating the public on the importance of spay and neuter.

To date they have rescued and found homes for over 125 dogs, and they are just getting started. That is an incredible number of lives saved considering DRRG relies solely on donations and foster homes. All DRRG dogs are spayed and neutered, micro chipped, fully vaccinated and given any medical care needed before being adopted.

Any pet landing in a rescue means it has been through some type of traumatizing situation, each prospective person looking to adopt is screened to find the best possible match for both the dog and adopter to ensure the pet finds it’s forever home.

Lisa credits her core supporters and rescue partners, John Prichard, Phyllis Pastore, Stephanie Mink, Donna Wiles and Frank Congemi for getting this organization off to such a successful start. Stray Aid Spay and Neutering Clinic has also been key by providing low cost services for the dogs.

Exclusive Story about this dog coming next week in The observer

     ~~ Saving One Life At A Time~~

Visit us @ www.dogsrulerescue.org

Golf trick shot artist Dennis Walters, 62, of Jupiter, hits a shot as students from Deerfield Park Elementary look on during a recent show. Photo by Gary Curreri

By Gary Curreri

Dennis Walters said he is living a dream, just not the one he originally had 50 years ago after his father took him to a professional golf tournament.

His message today is a simple one.

“If you have a dream and it doesn’t work out, never stop dreaming, get a new one,” said Walters, who was left paralyzed from the waist down when his golf cart flipped over in 1974.

“That’s what I did and I use my own personal experience as an example.”

Since then, the 62-year-old Jupiter man has put on more than 3,000 shows featuring golf trick shots in a 38-year career. He averages between 90 and 100 shows a year.

“Almost every person I met 38 years ago said it would be impossible to play golf because I couldn’t stand up and they were 100 percent correct,” Walters said after performing a recent show for the South Florida PGA Foundation at Deerfield Park Elementary School. “That’s when I started hitting them sitting down.”

Walters’ show featured amazing golf tricks, a message of inspiration, along with a special performance by Bucky, who is best known for his uncanny ability to correctly answer questions by barking out the answers.

“I didn’t think he could play when I first saw him,” said fourth grader Caroline Maya. “He’s very good. I was really amazed because I don’t think I would do that if I was in a wheelchair.”

Deerfield Park P.E. teacher Shelton Smith said this is the annual field trip that the school generally attends in Boca Raton.

“They weren’t able to hold it there this year,” Smith said. “They asked if they could bring it here to the school. My principal thought it would be nice to make it an incentive for third, fourth and fifth grade so they could improve on their academics. The students who scored three or higher on the mock, standardized FCAT tests were allowed to come out.”

“I am trying to grow the game of golf,” Walters said. “Golf is a game for everyone. I am living proof of it. I think if we can [get] more of these young people exposed to the game of golf, some of them will take it up.

BSO deputies conducting an investigation discovered a chop shop at 116 S.E. 3rd Street, Deerfield Beach.  So far, at least 6 stolen vehicles have been found inside multiple bays at this warehouse. One man is in custody: Delano Carlo Henry, B/M 07/01/1987, 8040 N.W. 54th Court, Lauderhill. The scene is still active. Vehicles and car parts are being inventoried.

Video on ObserverTV 

A Deerfield Beach warehouse employee spotted a body floating in a canal near I-95 on Tuesday afternoon.

At 12:45 p.m., a Publix warehouse employee made the gruesome discovery of a body floating in the canal underneath the elevated SW 10 Street exit from southbound I-95. A BSO deputy was in the area and arrived on scene one minute later. Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue units were also dispatched.

BSO homicide detectives, divers and crime scene investigators were called out, as well. BSO divers recovered the body of an adult male and turned it over to the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office, which will conduct an autopsy. At this time, foul play is not suspected.

Bai roll – tuna, avacado & more / Asian pear martini

By Becki Coffy

There is something very special about sharing an evening out alone with one of your grown children. It’s a time to relax, catch up and enjoy each other again. I had the pleasure of dining out with my son, Tim, last week.

Since he is an ardent devotee of sushi and I am a novice eager to learn how to fully appreciate this delicate style of food, he chose the Heart Rock Sushi restaurant in Lighthouse Point to further my education.

Although this eatery has only been open for nine months, the owner, Ann Yamusenor, and her son, Moose, are no strangers to the business. Their Heart Rock Sushi restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale has been open for 20 years.

Moose was responsible for designing the menu style and the interior space of the Lighthouse Point establishment while Ann, head chef for the restaurant, was responsible for creating the extensive menu choices.

The ambience is one of total tranquility. Soft lighting, earth tones in shades of cream leather, brown flat rock and green plants instantly transform you to a relaxed state of being. The beauty of the space only added to the wonderful experience of the evening.

Since the menu is so wide-ranging, we decided to rely on the advice of the Chef, Ann, and allow her to make some selections for us. Our waiter, Faizal, was a wonderful guide for the evening and explained the dishes completely.

We began our journey with an incredible icy cold Asian pear martini made with fresh fruit and lemon peel. The clean subtle flavor of this unusual cocktail was delightful. You really must try this when you visit.

The shrimp dumpling appetizer, filled with a rich center and deep fried to a golden crispness, was an explosion of flavor … crisp, yet light. I found myself going back for more and more, and it will definitely be a staple on my next visit.

Next, Faizal served us the Bai roll that was filled with tuna, kani, roe, avocado and scallions all rolled in a thin slice of crunchy cucumber, topped with sesame seeds and served with a miso sauce, a wonderful start to my newly-found appreciation of sushi.

For our main entrée, we chose the grouper lightly-breaded and finished in rich, velvet smooth lemon butter sauce with the slightest hint of heat. The fish literally melted in your mouth.

We also shared a dish of Pad Thai shrimp served with stir-fry noodles, egg, bean sprouts, scallions and topped with crushed peanuts. The large shrimp were cooked to perfection and the crushed peanuts added the flavor punch that made the dish irresistible.

Finally, Faizal brought us something called the ‘first love lover’ roll. This dish was an enigma. It consisted of hot shrimp tempura, cool eel and cucumber wrapped in white rice, topped with fresh tuna and sprinkled with roe and crunchy tempura flakes. It was served with fresh ginger, wasabi, a spicy mayo and eel sauce. I finally realized what I had been missing all this time.

Just when we thought we couldn’t devour another bite, Chef Ann brought over their fried banana dessert. The creamy banana concoction was deep fried in a delicate spring roll and served warm with green tea and coconut ice cream, whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. It was a little glimpse of nirvana.

The Heart Rock Sushi Japanese Restaurant is located at 4460 N. Federal Hwy. in Lighthouse Point. Reservations can be made at 954-532-1763.

Not only is the atmosphere delightful and the food delicious, but The Heart Rock Sushi offers a happy hour daily from 3 to 7 p.m. that is not to be missed. Drinks and sushi rolls for $5 and entrees for $7 are all included in the happy hour.

What a great place to unwind and relax after a day at work or to treat friends and family to something really special! Put this one on your bucket list, you will be so glad you did. Until we eat again…

Since our family, the Eller family, has lived in Deerfield Beach since 1923, I’ve often been asked to put in writing some of the history of the area, either experienced personally, or that I heard from my parents or grandparents. For some of you old timers who might be worried about certain old “scandals,” don’t worry. I won’t be writing about those (smile).

– David Eller, Publisher

How we went from two employees to several hundred

-The new beginning-

For five years, from September of 1959 through April of 1964 when I graduated from the University of Florida College of Engineering in Gainesville, I was a full time student. It required 164 credit hours in order to graduate back then, which by taking 16 course hours per semester could be done normally in five years, which I did.

PRIZE PUMP, 1964 — David Eller is awarded first prize in the Engineer’s Fair at the University of Florida, Gainesville, for this irrigation pump, which he built himself. It handles 200 gallons per minute. David, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Marlin Eller and a graduate of Pompano Beach Senior High, where he served as president of the Student Council, has a major in Ag-Engineering at Gainsville and made the dean’s list for the fall term. This is his senior year.

Unlike many of today’s students I graduated with no debt and paid for my college by receiving $40 per week from my parents; and I earned a few dollars a month playing my guitar at fraternity parties and doing machine work in the University Research Departments.

During my five years at college, I had made a lot of good friends from foreign countries like Sweden, Germany and France, who invited me to visit them after graduation. My parents weren’t too enthusiastic about the idea, but my mother had a dear friend from Pennsylvania, Elsie Dimmick, who wintered in our neighborhood in Deerfield every year.

I always enjoyed talking to her because she and her late husband had lived all over the world; he had been an engineer building steel mills. We affectionately called her Aunt Elsie. A few weeks before I graduated from college, she invited me over and gave me a check for $500 as a graduation present, which she suggested I should use to visit those friends I had made in college. I accepted, of course, and used the last few weeks of my college days planning visits to my foreign friends.

Back in the ‘60s, a new book had come out about traveling in Europe on $5 per day by using special train passes and staying in hostels easy to locate at every train station. So I set out to prove the book true.

I departed the day after graduating from the U of F and headed for Sweden, where I spent the next several weeks visiting my college girlfriend and her family and learning a little Swedish. Then, I was on to Germany and France for a few weeks before heading home, just before running out of money.

My parents, especially my dad, were extremely happy to receive me the July 1964 weekend I arrived back home.

On Monday morning, I got up early and dressed myself in dress slacks, a white shirt and tie to look the way I thought graduate engineers are supposed to look. When I walked into our “shop” next door to our house on Dixie Highway a block north of the Hillsboro River bridge that morning, I was surprised that no one was there, only my dad sitting in his office alone up front.

I looked around, then stepped into his office and said “Where’s Joe (our longtime welding foreman)? Where’s Horace (our longtime machine shop foreman)? Dad sitting at his desk reviewing bills looked up (looking sad) and said “I had to lay them off a few weeks ago. We have no jobs. No pump orders. I couldn’t afford to keep them.”

I remember a queasy feeling in my stomach. Then Dad said, “Go get out of those church clothes you’re wearing and get your machine shop clothes on. We’ve got a couple of lathe jobs to do for the Deerfield Rock Company and a drive shaft repair for Vrachota trucking. You change clothes and do those jobs while I go out to the Range Line (State Road 7) and visit some farmers and see if I can sell a pump or something.”

As dad was getting up to leave, I stupidly said, “Dad, how much am I going to get paid?” (Knowing my engineering buddies were getting on average of about $200 per week.) Dad stopped in his tracks and motioned me into his office. He pointed to a stack of bills on his desk that he had been looking over. There was a tape on top that read about $10,000. Dad said, “See that tape?” I said, ‘’Yes.’’ He said, “That’s how much we owe. Now, look in the checkbook.” I did. The balance in our bank read a little over $200. “So Son,” he continued, “we’ll try to pay you the $40 per week I’ve been sending you. And, as you can see, I’m only paying myself $75/week.”

Then he looked at me with a strong stare and said, “I’ve been holding on, waiting for you to get home. Now let’s get to work!” We did, and the rest is history.

David Eller

Deerfield Beach coach Kenny Brown shouts instructions to his team during the regional quarterfinal victory over Miramar. Photo By Gary Curreri

By Gary Curreri

Melvin Randall is hoping to add another milestone to an already successful season following Blanche Ely’s 75-58 victory over host Atlantic in the Class 7A regional final on Saturday.

Reserves Kahlil Thomas and Dallas Cameron filled in for three starters in foul trouble and helped the state’s top-ranked Tigers (28-2) advance to Lakeland for the first time since winning it all with (now Florida guard) Kenny Boynton Jr. in the 2006-07 season.

“Our bench was a big help [Saturday night],” said Randall, who has won three state championships (two with Deerfield Beach and one with Ely) and earlier this season won his 400th career game. “They stepped up to the plate. My starters were in foul trouble. Kahlil made some key steals and dunks and turned the momentum around. After that, we never looked back.”

With Tigers’ 6-6 forward Clide Geffrard and two other starters mired in foul trouble, Thomas provided a spark off the bench with 10 points, eight rebounds and three steals, and Cameron added 10 points and six assists for the Tigers, who are ranked 19th in the country by ESPN FAB 50.

Ely advanced to the Class 7A state semifinals in Lakeland on Friday against St. Petersburg, which upset No. 4 Martin County 77-76.

Anterio Smith led Ely with 18 points. Benji Bell had 12 points and Geffrard finished with seven points and 10 rebounds in limited minutes.

Randall, a 1981 South Plantation High School grad, who went to Mercer University, said he knew his team was going to be a force this season.

“We have a pretty good group of young men,” Randall said. “I have had them for a couple of years. Over the summer, we played the AAU circuit. A lot of the coaches were surprised when I told them this was my high school team and not from different high schools. They were very impressed that we were extremely competitive. We went out to Dallas and finished eighth out of 64 teams in July.”

Randall believes his team has a chance to win state. Losing in the first round of Districts last year has galvanized the team.

“It is going to take some hard work,” Randall said.

“It is not easy when they get between those black lines on the court. I think losing last year helped us. It wasn’t a great feeling. I didn’t like it. I personally didn’t know how to react to it because it had never happened to me, but I know what it did to me — motivate me to work that much harder in preparing them to get a great experience.”

Bucks fall in regional final

Deerfield Beach High School came up short in its bid for a Class 8A state final four berth when it dropped a 67-61 decision to visiting Spanish River on Saturday.

“It was a lack of execution,” said Deerfield Beach coach Kenny Brown. “We just missed a lot of easy shots in the first and second half, but you had two really good teams playing a well-played game. We just came up short.”

Zion Lutheran’s Vince Stubbs (left) goes up for two points in a game against Wellington Christian’s Charlie Brown.Photo by Gary Curreri

By Gary Curreri

While Blanche Ely and Deerfield Beach boys’ basketball teams are within one game of the state final four in their respective classes, another local team, Zion Lutheran Christian School, had a stellar season.

Zion Lutheran boys basketball coach John Guion said he couldn’t have been happier with his first year at the school. The Lions finished the season at 16-6, but suffered a first round loss in the district tournament.

“We set the bar high for the future of Zion basketball,” said Guion, who moved to South Florida from North Carolina to take over the program.

“We look to improve upon our success next season. Losing in the first round of districts was a disappointment that will fuel our hunger to get better in the off-season. I want to especially thank our administration, parents and student body for the support they gave us through the season.”

Guion moved from Charlotte, North Carolina. He has family and friends in South Florida.

“I really liked the feel of the place,” Guion said. “I knew they were coming off some rough years and that they had an Athletic Director here, Cody Loomis, who wanted to do things the right way, and turn the program in a right way.”

“I know their middle school team had also gone to nationals and had success there,” added Guion, who had four players from the middle school team playing varsity this season: Vince Stubbs, Manny Rojas, Keith Stone and Hunter Redeker. He said the team also got a stellar season from senior Bruno Mendoca who averaged 23 points a game.

“They had a good feeder program and I knew that I could develop a program here, not just a basketball team.”

Guion said the intensity of playing high school basketball and the structure of playing a varsity school was an adjustment for his young team. He said he gave them “small bites” of what to expect.

“They had never heard of a scouting report before,” said Guion, whose team ran off eight consecutive wins at one point.

“I wanted to give them time and not overwhelm them. I thought we’d come in here and, if we got them to have a .500 season, that would have been a great job. This was the most resilient group of kids I have ever been around. We still have a lot of maturing to do.

“It wasn’t important for us to win this year,” Guion added. “We just wanted to compete every night, get better at what we are doing and see the growth there. Winning wasn’t the obstacle. We just want to build the program the right way.”

Ely rallies; holds off Raiders

Benji Bell scored a game-high 24 points as host Blanche Ely (27-2) rallied for a dramatic, 56-52 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas in a Class 7A regional semifinal on Tuesday night.

The Tigers, ranked No. 19 in the most recent ESPNHS Powerade Fab 50, will now travel to Atlantic for a regional final on Saturday.

“St. Thomas really outplayed us for the first three quarters,” said Blanche Ely coach Melvin Randall. “We just started to pick it up and dug in during the fourth quarter and played Ely basketball … I think I aged about 10 years.”

Bucks top Cypress Bay

Marcus Owens led Deerfield Beach with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Terence Johnson added 18 points as the host Bucks held off a late charge by Cypress Bay, 64-57, to advance to its first regional final since 1999, when it won the Class 6A state championship.

The Bucks (24-4), who also received eight points and a game-high 14 rebounds from Janoris Jenkins, will host Spanish River on Saturday night.

Fifth-year coach Kenny Brown said his team, composed mostly of sophomores and juniors, has the ability to win state if they cut down on the turnovers and missed free throws that plagued them Tuesday night.

“They just have to settle down,” said Brown, whose starting unit has been intact for three years. “It is so hard for some reason for them to relax and we are winning. I am like, why are we rushing? Take your time, spread the floor and play basketball.”

Deerfield’s Jason Pierre-Paul celebrates winning Super Bowl. Submitted photo

By Gary Curreri

Two years ago, Deerfield Beach’s Jason Pierre-Paul was a relative unknown.

The 23-year-old Deerfield Beach High School graduate was a first round draft pick in 2010 for the New York Giants (15th overall). Now he has quite a resume starting with Super Bowl XLVI champion after the Giants held on to defeat the New England Patriots, 21-17, recently.

“It didn’t really hit me until the parade,” said Pierre-Paul, a 6’5”, 278-lb. defensive end, named to the Pro Bowl this season despite not being on the ballot. “It is a great feeling. I’m having a great time. I am soaking it all in until it is ready to go again for next season.”

Pierre-Paul had a breakout season this year as he was named to the Pro Bowl after he recorded 65 tackles, 16.5 sacks, a safety and two forced fumbles during the 2011 season. Pierre-Paul became the first player in NFL history to record a sack, forced fumble and blocked field goal in the same game in a 37-34 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 11. With injuries plaguing the Giants’ starting defensive ends, Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck, Pierre-Paul received a significant amount of playing time, including 12 starts.

Pierre-Paul’s father, Jean, who is blind, took in his son’s Super Bowl performance in Indianapolis in person.

“I talked to him about it,” Pierre-Paul said. “He said it is a blessing to see me play. He said this is the happiest he has been in his lifetime. Even though he couldn’t see me, he knew I was doing good. He listens to the game and my whole family tells him what is going on and he understands it.”

The Giants were 7-7 and facing elimination before winning its last two regular season games and finishing the year winning six straight. Pierre-Paul said the team never gave up and he is looking forward to defending the title and contributing again.

“I knew I could be good,” Pierre-Paul said. “Two years ago, I was going into the draft and now I am a playmaker in the NFL. I am still learning the parts of the game and I am taking it all in.”

Another local, Blanche Ely High School grad, Patrick Peterson, also had a stellar rookie season for the Arizona Cardinals as he set several NFL marks and was also named to the Pro Bowl.

Peterson had the most punt return yards by a rookie in a season with 699, tied for most punt returns in a season for touchdown with four, longest game-winning punt return touchdown in overtime with 99 yards.

Peterson was selected fifth overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2011 NFL Draft and immediately made his mark on his first NFL play when he intercepted a Philip Rivers pass and returned it for a touchdown.

Pompano’s Patrick Peterson. Submitted photo

Peterson, 21, a 6’-0”, 219-lb. cornerback, was selected to the 2012 Pro Bowl and was the only rookie to be selected to the 2011 All-Pro First Team, as a kick return specialist. He finished the season with 64 tackles, a sack, 2 INTs and four punt returns for TDs.

Peterson said his teammates, Adrian Wilson and Kerry Rhodes, have kept him grounded.

“Those guys have definitely given me the keys to success and taught me how to be a professional,” Peter-son said. “They taught me how to grow up fast – faster than I probably needed to.”