UPDATE 12:01PM The jury returned a guilty verdict on all counts.

Sentencing to be in 10 days

The swift trial moved quickly and included Poitier taking the stand for nearly an hour. The closing arguments will begin at 8am today and go to the jury shortly after.

If she is acquitted, Poitier would be allowed to be reinstated as

District 2 Commissioner and serve the remainder of her 4 year term. The complete story including an exclusive only

interview with Poitier will be in the Observer.

DEERFIELD BEACH – Broward County residents are invited to view new preliminary flood insurance rate maps for the County at three public open houses, November 14-16, 2011. Flood maps show the areas at risk for flooding, and help determine flood insurance rates and building requirements.

Open house dates and locations are:

Monday, November 14, 4-7:45 p.m.
South Regional Library
7300 Pines Blvd.
Pembroke Pines, FL 33024

Tuesday, November 15, 4-8 p.m.
Volunteer Park Community Center
12050 W. Sunrise Blvd.
Plantation, FL 33322

Wednesday, November 16, 4-8 p.m.
Herb Skolnick Center
800 S.W. 36 Ave.
Pompano Beach, FL 33069

Property owners — both homeowners and business owners — renters, realtors, mortgage lenders and insurance agents are encouraged to attend the open houses and take advantage of this opportunity to meet one-on-one with specialists, including Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other local representatives, to ask questions and learn more about flood risk within their communities.

Broward’s preliminary maps have not yet been officially adopted. Maps will become effective after a public comment period, during which property owners can submit appeals and protests if they can show that any parts of the maps are in error.

For more information on the flood map timeline and new building elevation standards for Broward County, visit broward.org and click NEW BROWARD FLOOD MAPS under Hot Picks. There is also an interactive map viewing tool that allows residents to enter their address and determine their flood zone designation and flood risk.

During fall 2011, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will perform bridge renovations underneath and inside the Hillsboro Boulevard Bridge.

This work requires the bridge to be closed at nighttime, Sunday through Thursday, for a three week span, beginning Dec. 4. and ending Dec. 23 (Please note, the bridge will not be closed Friday or Saturday nights).

During bridge renovations, all traffic crossing the Hillsboro Boulevard Bridge will be detoured to the Palmetto Park Road Bridge via U.S.1 or A.1.A.

Bridge renovations include:

High pressure water cleaning

Sand blasting

Painting steel beams underneath bridge

Work will occur from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Bridge renovations are never easy for residents and business owners living in or around the construction zone. The project team appreciates your patience and understanding during this difficult time.

Project Office Location:
275 Commercial Blvd. Suite 260
Lauderdale by the Sea, FL 33308
954.218.2955
miglesias@corradino.com

On Tuesday, Nov. 15, the City of Deerfield Beach Recycling Division and Starbucks are partnering again to celebrate the 8th annual America Recycles Day. The event will be held from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Starbucks, at 130 S. Federal Hwy. in Deerfield Beach.

Join millions of Americans across the nation to pledge  to recycle more, buy recycled, and to find something new to recycle. It’s simple – just stop by Starbucks to sign the pledge card and receive free coffee and a free reusable mug, while supplies last.

You can also pledge online at www.americarecyclesday.org. Signed pledges are eligible for drawings to win $100 gift cards from Publix.

Recycling reduces the pollution-generating extraction of natural resources from our planet that is required to create new products. Recycling is also the simplest act an individual can do to positively impact the planet.

Since its inception in 1997, the nationally celebrated America Recycles Day has been held each year on Nov. 15, to focus on encouraging people to reduce and prevent waste, promote recycling, and become better stewards of the environment. For more information about recycling in Deerfield Beach, contact the Recycling Division at 954-480-4454 or visit www.Deerfield-Beach/recycling.

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). To read previous historical essays, go to www.observernewspaperonline.com and click on “The History of Deerfield.”

David Eller, Publisher

While I’m Away at College, Observer  newspaper is born – In Deerfield –

Some of you may have noticed that there has been a pause in my Historical articles for a few months and may have wondered why? It is quite simple. I’ve only written about things I personally knew to be true. How our family came to South Florida in 1923, after having first immigrated to North Carolina from Switzerland and Germany some 150 years earlier.

How my grandfather, Hoyt Eller, a skilled carpenter and farmer in his early 30s brought his wife and five children here to live in a tent next to the Hillsboro River/Canal and Dixe Highway. How he worked directly for the famous architect Addison Mizner to do the finish carpentry work for the Boca Raton Hotel. How he saved his money and went to farming land he bought for $1 per acre at what is now Quiet Waters Park, and later on $15 per acre in what is now the City of Parkland.

I wrote about some of the farm families like the Butlers, Wiles and Jones, who were already in Deerfield at the time.

How my father, Marlin Eller, quit farming with his father at age 21 to start his own business manufacturing large water pumps to sell to local farmers and government agencies for irrigation or drainage.

I wrote about the fact that when I started first grade at Deerfield Elementary School in 1947, there were only six students, and I was the only boy. Now I’m informed that first graders in Deerfield are measured in the hundreds. Stories about other local families were included along the way, as I wrote many stories trying to share what it was like growing up here in north Broward County in the 1940s and ‘50s. The ‘60s began with me at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, and then onto the University of Florida in Gainesville, which I graduated from with an engineering degree in 1964.

However, when I wrote the story about college, I suddenly realized that I was getting away from my original objective of writing about the history of this area, the north Broward County/South Palm Beach area. Therefore, in order to stay true to my initial objective, I will attempt now to combine the two, by telling some of what was going on in my life at college and, at the same time, to tell what was simultaneously going on back home in Deerfield (using the Observer archives). Eventually, the two storylines will merge when I graduate from college and come home.

For instance, while I was away at college, in 1962 the Observer newspaper first began publishing under the direction of Margaret Moore (the mother of my good friend from high school, Adrian Moore) and the first Publisher, Bill Beck of Delray Beach.

Meanwhile, in the morning of my first day at college in DeLand, we freshmen engineering students found seats in the auditorium before the head of engineering, Dr. Lowry entered. Very distinguished-looking with a white beard and wavy white hair he told us to “Look at the student sitting in front of you. Now look at the one to your left. Now look to the right. Only one of you will ever become an engineer. The others will flunk out … or become a lawyer… or something else.” That was my first day and introduction to college. And he was right.

David Eller, Publisher

Blanche Ely coach Rodney Gray said he may move on from coaching the Tigers at the end of the season. Photo by Gary Curreri

By Gary Curreri

Blanche Ely football coach Rodney Gray said he is likely leaving the school at the end of the season.

He recently handed in his letter of resignation at the school where he has gone 20-6 during the past two seasons and winning two district titles. In 2009, when he took over on an interim basis, Gray was named the Broward NIKE Coach of the Year after going 11-2 and reaching the regional finals, before falling to St. Thomas Aquinas 28-16.

“After working with other administrations around the county, I am losing the bug to coach,” said Gray, whose team dropped a 14-6 decision to host Boyd Anderson in a District 14-7A contest on Tuesday night. He has coached 18 years in the county. “My biggest quest is to find an administration that is going to support the athletic program and not try to run it like you are Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys.

“I am saying that if the situation stays the way it is, I am not looking to return there,” Gray continued. “I do not want to leave Ely. If something changed there, I would be glad to go back there. I am looking for something that is conducive to winning from the athletic administration, school administration to community involvement as well.”

Deerfield Beach stays in hunt

Deerfield Beach kicker Oscar Rosales connected Tuesday night on a 26-yard field goal in the second overtime to give Deerfield Beach a 10-7 victory over Coral Springs in a game that was postponed twice on Oct. 28 and Oct. 31 because of weather.

The game was originally scheduled for Deerfield Beach; however, it was moved to Coral Springs because of scheduling conflicts.

Deerfield Beach (3-4, 3-1) took a 7-0 lead with five seconds remaining in the first half on a 13-yard scoring pass from Kevin Bush to Tyrell McCall.

Coral Springs (6-2, 2-2) forced overtime with 9:46 remaining in the fourth quarter when Brandon Rodgers hauled in a 41-yard scoring pass from Evan Lassiter that tied the contest at 7-7. Both teams had field goals blocked in the first overtime.

Highlands wins two HGH scoring affairs

Highlands Christian Academy may be out of the playoffs. However, it is still making a statement on the field after blanking Berean Christian, 71-0, and Zion Lutheran, 35-0.

“We have evened up our record at 4-4 now, with our two final games being against Summit Christian and Somerset,” said Highlands coach Jordan Adair. “We’re disappointed to be out of the playoffs, but we’re working extremely hard to finish strong and close with a 6-4 record.”

Against Berean Christian, seven different players scored TDs, and nine different players carried the ball for a total of 284 yards rushing. Leading the way was Arelious Burns with 10 carries for 110 yards, 3 TDs. Quarterback Jay Mentecky was 4-4 for 79 yards and one TD. The 71 points was ninth all-time for points scored in Broward County and was a school record.

The game against Zion Lutheran was called at halftime due to lightning. Senior wideout Gabe Hantsbarger caught a scoring toss, despite breaking his hand earlier in the week and wearing a cast up to his elbow. Junior linebacker Rylee Hage had seven solo tackles, six assists, one tackle for loss, one forced Fumble and a pass breakup.

Ranse Classic II slated

The second annual $6,500 Ranse Classic Beach Volleyball/Footvolley Fundraiser Tournament will be held in Deerfield Beach on N. Ocean Boulevard from Nov. 11-13. Registration closes on Nov. 9 and spots are limited.

The Ranse Classic is an annual charity tournament to celebrate the life of local volleyball player and firefighter Ranse Jones, who passed away on Nov. 8, 2010. He suffered a brain aneurysm during the semifinal of the Panama City AVP Young Guns tournament in April 2010 and passed away six months later, the day after last year’s charity tournament concluded.

For more information and sponsorship opportunities you can e-mail RanseClassicCommittee@gmail.com. You can also call Andre Melo, 954-649-4667; John Esposito, 954-415-4678 or Marcelo Ramos, 954-608-7908.

At 8:29 am this morning a bus driver after dropping off his load at Deerfield Elementary was leaving the school turning onto N.E. 7 ave and with the bus pointed toward a business that has a iron gate the driver accidentally depressed the accelerator  and broke through the gate and somehow made a 90° turn from that parking lot into a house.

The bus came to a stop when it wedged into the overhang of the house. The driver was not injured and the transportation department is investigating. The tow driver at the scene said it will require 2 tow trucks to pull the bus out. The driver Vincent Adolph Robinson, 64, of Tamarac told BSO he had no brakes and panicked.

–By Rachel Galvin —

On Oct. 22, 2012, all eyes will be on Boca Raton. As the presidential campaigns wrap up, the final debate between red and blue will take place at Lynn University. The determination for the location to be Boca Raton over other contenders came down to several considerations, including the importance of the state of Florida as a swing state, the close proximity of the university to major transportation routes and the success of last year’s Congressional debate between Ron Klein and Allen West. The decision to have the debate in Florida was agreed upon across party lines and is seen as a benefit not only for the university, but the surrounding area as well.

According the Lynn University’s website (www.lynn.edu): “A debate would attract an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 people (including several thousand members of the domestic and international media) to the Boca Raton area. These people could stay in the area up to a week, generating a sizable economic impact.”

Dry Ice and Co2 Available for your Halloween Needs!  Deerfield Beach Fire Equipment is the “real deal” for Dry Ice and CO2.  They have been supplying all of the big parties for years.

Saturday, Oct. 22, 9 a.m.

Photos by Diane Emeott

See more in 10-27 Observer newspaper.

Video soon on ObserverTV

More than 10,000 came out to Mizner Park in Boca Raton early Saturday morning, Oct. 22, to walk the 2.5-mile course along the newly completed Palmetto Park Promenade in an effort to combat cancer.