Stoner had been arrested in 2023, accused of trying to coerce a city building official to fraudulently sign off on development projects and falsifying documents to help a developer get a loan.

Stoner served on the Plantation City Council from 2011 to 2017 before being elected mayor in 2018. She lost her reelection campaign in November 2022. She was charged the following year.

By pleading no contest, Stoner accepted accountability and sentencing for the crimes without formally admitting guilt. Broward Circuit Court Judge Tom Coleman withheld adjudication, meaning she will not be considered a convicted felon as long as she serves her probation without a violation.

The Broward State Attorney’s Office noted that no deal had been reached in exchange for the plea. Given her lack of criminal history, Stoner, 72, would likely not have been sentenced to jail time even if she had been convicted after trial.

“Lynn Stoner loved serving the city of Plantation as council member and mayor,” said her lawyer, Larry Davis. “Recently she suffered a serious medical issue and decided to put this behind her to focus on her family and her health.”

Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.

This story has been updated to reflect that the Broward State Attorney’s Office and the defendant did not make a deal to secure the defendant’s no-contest plea. The office agreed to the same sentence Lynn Stoner would have received had she gone to trial and lost.

Judy Levis Krug Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival

The 10th anniversary of this film festival will feature more than 40 Israeli and Jewish-themed films.

WHEN: Feb. 7-22

WHERE: Movies of Delray, 7421 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach

COST: $14 for single ticket; $59 for five-film pass; $105 for 10-film pass; $360 for all-access pass

INFORMATION: levisjcc.org/filmfestival

Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival

The 40th year of the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) will screen a lineup of over 50 films and documentaries. In addition to red carpets with the likes of Chevy Chase, Terrence Howard, Sydelle Noel, Guy Harvey, Jeremy Piven, Paul Reiser and Jamie Kennedy, there will also be parties and Q&A sessions. FLIFF events take place at various venue throughout Broward County.

WHEN: Feb. 20-28

WHERE:

Savor Cinema, 503 SE Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale

Cinema Paradiso, 2008 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood

Paragon Ridge + Axis15 Extreme, 9200 W. State Road 84, Davie

Paragon Theaters, 3984 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach

African American Research Library and Cultural Center, 2650 Sistrunk Blvd., Fort Lauderdale

Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Information Technology Center (at Nova Southeastern University), 3100 Ray Ferrero Jr. Blvd., Davie

Flamingo Gardens, 3750 S. Flamingo Road, Davie

Baptist Health IcePlex, 800 NE Eighth St., Fort Lauderdale

AutoNation IMAX Theater at Museum of Discovery & Science, 401 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale

COST: Some screenings are free, while others range from $8 to $50.

INFORMATION: 954-525-3456; fliff.com

Best of the Belgians Beer Fest

It’s the duo you never saw coming: Belgian beer and the Boca Ballet Theatre. Featuring Belgian brewskis (with unlimited sampling), food trucks and live music, the event benefits the civic dance company/school that has been a major force in the South Florida performing arts scene for over three decades. How did this happen? Well, ballet and Belgian suds are both passions of Dan Guin, the dance company’s executive/co-artistic director.

WHEN: 2-5 p.m. Feb. 21

WHERE: Dr. André Fladell Civic Center (formerly South County Civic Center), 16700 Jog Road, Delray Beach

COST: $50 for general admission; $95 for VIP (early admission, VIP-only beers, Belgian-themed food); free for designated driver tickets

INFORMATION: bestofthebelgians.com

FuelFest

The wheels wonderland that is FuelFest will once again have appearances by two “Fast & Furious” film franchise stars, Tyrese Gibson and Cody Walker (cofounder of the event). The vroom-vroom event features more than 800 custom, exotic, rare and exclusive cars and trucks, as well as live-action drifting, fan ride-alongs, custom exhibits, interactive fan racing activities and attractions, auctions and live concerts. You can also, of course, see cars that appeared in “Fast & Furious” movies. New this time around will be Taste of Tokyo, a Japanese car showcase with the vibe of an underground car meet. A portion of the event’s proceeds will benefit Reach Out WorldWide, the nonprofit founded by the late Paul Walker and continued by his brother, Cody Walker.

WHEN: 1-8 p.m. Feb. 28

WHERE: South Florida Fairgrounds, 9067 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach

COST: 

General admission is $46.33.

Children’s admission is free (age 12 and younger)

VIP Platinum admission is $338.46

Other tickets, including for a Meet & Greet with Cody Walker, are available at the website.

INFORMATION: fuelfest.com

Christopher George Santanelli, 42, a chorus teacher at South Plantation High School, is facing one count of an authority figure engaged in a romantic relationship with a student.

Plantation Police learned of the relationship with the 18-year-old student last month. She had been in Santanelli’s chorus program throughout her four years at the school, and their relationship changed once she turned 18. He started to “flirt” with her, which she reciprocated, the student told police, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Santanelli gave her birthday and graduation gifts, including a pin from Disney’s Epcot in 2024 that was given to teachers who perform in the chorus at the theme park, the affidavit said. He also gave her a rose on Valentine’s Day.

The student would confide in Santanelli about problems at home, and he would “comfort” her by “rubbing (her) back,” the affidavit said. The teacher also confided in her about problems with his family.

On one occasion, the student sat in Santanelli’s lap in the library, and he rubbed her back. They kissed twice, and the student told him after the second time that she did not want to do that.

“Sorry I thought that’s what you wanted,” the teacher allegedly replied, according to the student’s statement included in the affidavit.

Santanelli wrote the student a note, which she gave to police.

“The note started off, ‘As I watch you sleep for the last tme (time),” according to the affidavit. The student explained she often took naps in his classroom.

Santanelli wrote that he loved the student and that he would miss her, the affidavit said. She told police the relationship was never sexual but the two had discussed sex “either to each other or about each other’s partners.”

The student told police Santanelli said “he wished that things were different and that he was younger,” the affidavit said.

Santanelli in an interview with police said he gave the student gifts and wrote the note. He declined to continue the interview once asked about kissing the student, according to the affidavit. He was arrested at the school.

Principal Alexandra Ries sent a message to parents the afternoon of the arrest without identifying Santanelli. Ries said the teacher was arrested before classes started and has been reassigned away from campus and students while the case is pending.

Plantation Police on Dec. 22 learned that Christopher George Santanelli, a teacher at South Plantation High School, had given gifts to the student, and the two had exchanged text messages, the police department said in a statement Thursday night.

Santanelli also at some point in the inappropriate relationship had hugged and kissed the student, according to the police department. The student did not report any other incidents with the teacher.

Santanelli was booked into the Broward Main Jail and remained there Thursday night. He is facing one count of an authority figure engaged in a romantic relationship with a student.

Court records and attorney information were not available. The police department did not specify what subject he teaches.

Principal Alexandra Ries sent a message to parents the afternoon of the arrest without identifying Santanelli. Ries said the teacher was arrested before classes started and has been reassigned away from campus and students while the case is pending.

This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.

What’s different this year, though, is the new weight loss pill and where in Florida you can get it.

U.S. regulators in December gave the green light to a pill version of Wegovy, making it the first daily oral medication to treat obesity. Costco will sell the pill to members at a discounted price, just as it does injectable weight-loss drugs like Ozempic (semaglutide for diabetes) and Wegovy (semaglutide for weight loss).  Pharmacies like CVS and Publix will sell it too.

Weight-loss medications can be expensive, especially for people without insurance. The new pill will cost $25 or less in copay per month if covered by insurance and between $149 and $299 per month for self-pay, according to the manufacturer, Novo Nordisk.

Rob Stransky, president at NiceRx, a company that helps patients access compounded medications, urges price shoppers to exercise caution. There is a worrying rise in fake versions of popular weight-loss medications on the market, he said.

“It’s really important for people to understand not only that you need a prescription for this type of medication, but knowing the websites you’re shopping and making sure that they’re reputable before you try to make an order is so important, especially when it comes to something like a medication that you’re putting into your body,” he said.

Clinical trials show that the new oral form requires a higher dose but can help people lose a similar amount of weight as the injectable version.

“With any medication, it should be taken under the purview of a licensed professional experienced in prescribing medications and following up on side effects,” said Dr. Michael Shockley of Wellington. “You want patients on the lowest dose that gets the result you are looking for.”

If you’re considering starting a weight loss drug this year, you should know that once you are on these medications, known as semiglutide, it’s not easy to come off. Stopping semaglutide (Ozempic or Wegovy) too quickly can lead to rebound weight gain. Studies show that without the medication’s support and sustained lifestyle changes, most of the lost weight comes back within a year of stopping the drug.

Shockley says that bariatric surgery is an option as well, and for people focused on long-term weight loss, surgery has outperformed medications. “You need to look at what the end point is and what you are targeting,” he said. “There is no good data yet on what it looks like when you are on these medications the rest of your life.”

Surgery can be pricier, ranging from $6,000 to $10,000, depending on insurance coverage.

“Everything has a role,” said Shockley with Advanced Surgical Physicians. “It’s nice to have options.”

Is the super flu a real thing, and has it invaded Florida?

With travelers streaming into cruise ports and visiting beaches, Florida is a particular hot spot for this year’s “super flu.”   According to the CDC’s FluView Interactive Map, which monitors hospital visits for respiratory illness with fever plus a cough or sore throat, the rate of flu spread in Florida as of Dec. 27 is “very high.”

While there is no official “super flu,” experts are using the term to refer to the subclade K strain. The issue is that the population has little immunity to subclade K, and this year’s flu vaccine doesn’t include that strain. So it’s rapidly spreading, and nationwide, nearly ​90% of the flu samples tested belonged to subclade K.

Health officials say that while the current vaccine may not be a perfect match, it still protects against serious illness from subclade K.

Dr. Jorge Cervantes, an infectious diseases specialist at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, notes that it remains uncertain whether subclade K causes more severe illness than other strains. However, so far, the antivirals are effective against it. Doctors say the effectiveness of the four types of antivirals can vary from person to person based on their immune system, age, and overall health status.

Here’s how you know you have flu rather than a cold: Symptoms arise below the neck and include cough, muscle aches and chills. You will want to rest as much as possible and load up on fluids, giving your body what it needs to support your immune system in fighting the infection.

But if you’d like some pharmaceutical help, get a prescription fast: The four antiviral drugs are most effective when started within the first 48 hours of symptom onset. “The sooner you start them, the better to shorten the process and make it less severe,” Cervantes said. “This strain can be aggressive in just a short amount of time.”

Warning: The side effects of antivirals could include some vomiting and diarrhea.

Most often, the flu lasts seven to 10 days, Cervantes said. It’s time to get medical help if it spreads deep into your lungs and you have shortness of breath.

To avert the flu, he recommends washing your hands often and staying hydrated to keep your nasal passages and throat moist. Doing so helps them act as a barrier, trapping germs before they can reach deeper parts of your body.

Broward Therapists has hired multilingual counselors.

Broward Therapists of Plantation and Palm Beach has brought on eight mental health counselors who speak mulitple languages.

Those languages include Spanish, Portuguese, Creole and Russian.

“We know clients express their emotions more comfortably in their own language,” said Justin Johansen, owner of Broward Therapists. “This is why having counselors who can communicate fluently in these languages helps create deeper trust, safety and understanding while also leading to stronger outcomes.”

The practice has a total of 21 counselors for children and adults and offers family counseling, individual counseling, couples counseling, trauma counseling, play therapy, and group workshops.

Free wellness series at Fort Lauderdale’s Huizenga Park

A year of free wellness events will kick off at 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 24 at Huizenga Park in Fort Lauderdale. The Downtown Development Authority and the Huizenga Park Foundation are launching the series with the Cleveland Clinic as the presenting sponsor. As presenting sponsor, Cleveland Clinic will help power more than 100 free, high-quality wellness programs throughout the year.

The series features a lineup of recurring programs at the park that include:

• Weekly Yoga Series hosted by Las Olas Yoga Studio, offering free all-levels outdoor yoga.
• Weekly Flow, Grow & Connect hosted by Coastal Yoga and Nutrition, featuring yoga, sound healing, and dog-friendly Pooches & Poses classes.
• Monthly Wellness Recovery Pop-Ups hosted by Pause Studio, introducing cold plunges, breathwork, and other recovery-focused experiences.
• Zumba by Domingo brings high-energy dance sessions for all ages.

For more information, project updates, and the full schedule for Huizenga Park’s Health and Wellness Series presented by Cleveland Clinic, visit huizengapark.org.

UF researchers discover way to boost lung cancer treatment response

UF Health Cancer Institute researchers have found a likely way to boost a patient’s response to lung cancer treatment.

The researchers believe that a small compound produced naturally by gut bacteria can double the response to lung cancer immunotherapy.

The compound, turned into a drug, could be used in combination with commonly used immunotherapy treatments like immune checkpoint inhibitors, which release the brakes on a patient’s own immune system to target their cancer.

“Across all cancers, only about 20% of patients who receive immune checkpoint inhibitors respond to them — 80% do not — so anything that could boost responsiveness is a blockbuster drug,” said Rachel Newsome, a postdoctoral associate and the study’s first author. “We envision this small molecule drug could be given at the same time or before immune checkpoint therapy and boost patient responsiveness by 50% without adding any invasive treatment.”

Newsome said the goal is to naturally boost immunotherapy activity, so more people experience a positive effect from treatment.

“We want to empty those cancer center parking lots that are so full right now,” she said.

The study builds on years of work in the lab of researcher Dr. Christian Jobin. Although it focused on lung cancer, one of the least responsive to immune checkpoint inhibitors, the UF researchers believe the molecule could work in other cancers as well.

Jobin’s lab is also researching how diet, and specifically carbohydrate intake, might affect the molecule’s function. That could lead to precise diet interventions to boost cancer treatment responses.

South Florida Sun Sentinel health reporter Cindy Goodman can be reached at cgoodman@sunsentinel.com.

Joseph “Joe” Alu Jr. served as a law enforcement officer for Plantation Police for more than two decades, despite his near-death experience on July 25, 1995, when he was severely burned in a home explosion during the hostage call. He later became a Miccosukee Police Department road patrol lieutenant before joining the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in 2017.

Alu died on Dec. 24, 2025, at age 69. His wife of more than 20 years, Jody Alu, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel he became ill and was forced to retire in 2024 as a result.

Alu became a well-known figure, not only in South Florida but nationally, after he and former Plantation Detective Jim O’Hara tried to rescue two teenage girls who were being held against their will by their mother’s former boyfriend inside a home in July 1995. The suspect held sisters Anne Marie Smith, 14, and Hideko Smith, 16, in a gasoline-doused bedroom.

O’Hara and Alu rushed inside to confront the ex-boyfriend and save the girls. The suspect poured gasoline on the girls as well as both officers, flicked a lighter and set the room ablaze. More than 20 percent of Alu’s body was burned; more than 77 percent of O’Hara’s body was burned. Both girls were killed, as well as their mother’s former boyfriend.

Alu turned the tragedy into advocacy.

In August 1995, just days after Alu publicly discussed that his and O’Hara’s families would lose health benefits if they were forced to retire due to their injuries, the city of Plantation changed its policy. His then-wife, Sheila Alu, first entered the local political scene as a result of his injuries, advocating alongside him, and later became a Sunrise commissioner.

Alu didn’t stop with the changes in Plantation, Jody Alu told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Wednesday. He lobbied in Tallahassee and to Congress for law changes that would ensure first responders continue to receive health insurance benefits after being injured in the line of duty.

The Alu-O’Hara Public Safety Act was signed in 1996 by Gov. Lawton Chiles. In 1997, the U.S. House Commerce Committee passed broad legislation that included a provision inspired by Alu and O’Hara, which incentivized local and state police agencies to provide health benefits to injured first responders or they’d otherwise lose a certain percent of federal grants intended to fight crime, the Sun Sentinel reported.

“That’s what really makes him a hero. Because he could have just been happy with Plantation but he wasn’t … He wanted to make sure the entire brother and sisterhood was covered,” Jody Alu said of her husband. “And that was his biggest achievement, his biggest achievement that he was the most proud of.”

On Christmas Eve 1995, Alu, then 39, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel in an interview while still recovering from his injuries that he didn’t yet know if he would be physically capable of returning to a career in law enforcement.

“They’ll decide, can I hold a gun again, can I arrest people, can I hang on to people in an arrest,” Alu told the Sun Sentinel at the time. “I don’t know. I’m worried.”

Alu returned to work in October 1996. And his law enforcement career wouldn’t end for nearly three decades more.

“He was just determined to do that and that’s what he wanted to do and that’s what he did,” his wife told the Sun Sentinel.

When Alu returned, he worked as a background investigator for the department, recruiting and researching new hires.

Former Plantation Police Officer Steven Bowser, now a Fort Lauderdale Police officer, said it was thanks to Alu that many Plantation officers got their start in the force, some of whom ended up rising in the ranks of the department.

“He gave people a chance and, you know what, it paid off,” Bowser said. “A lot of those people who wouldn’t have got hired turned out to be phenomenal hires.”

Outside of work, Alu enjoyed working out and riding his Harley-Davidson, which Bowser said they did together while off-duty. He was a man who cared deeply for his family and was always a “go-getter” for Plantation Police who any officer would want as back-up, Bowser said.

Alu, O’Hara and a third officer who rescued them from the burning home, Robin Massey, were lauded in 1996 by the National Association of Police Organizations as Top Cops for their bravery on the infamous call.

O’Hara was told numerous times by doctors that he likely wouldn’t survive. Unable to return to law enforcement, he became a lawyer in 2003.

The only job Alu ever wanted was in law enforcement, Jody Alu told the Sun Sentinel. He first worked in his native New Jersey for the state police before coming to South Florida in the mid-to-late 1980s. While with Plantation Police, he was a hostage negotiator and member of the Crisis Response Team. He retired from the department as an investigator in 2008.

Alu again made headlines in the early- and mid-2000s, after he was severely injured and comatose from being hit by a car while riding his motorcycle in the Keys and several years later while he worked as bodyguard for Kim Rothstein, wife of notorious Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein.

His most recent assignment with PBSO was working in Lake Worth Beach’s downtown as a liaison between businesses and the department, Jody Alu said. Getting to know the business owners and patrons, forming “a strong bond with everybody,” was what he loved about his last job, she said.

During his time as a PBSO deputy, Alu would carry a bag of stuffed animals in his patrol car to comfort children who experienced a traumatic event, his wife said. And as an animal-lover who put on a Halloween party fundraiser each year for 15 years with his wife for Abandoned Pet Rescue in Fort Lauderdale, he always carried dog biscuits in his patrol car, too.

“He was extremely friendly and extremely helpful,” Jody Alu said. “I don’t know anybody that didn’t like him. He was just a very helpful person, very nice person.”

One of Alu’s daughters, Samantha Alu, said in a statement to the Sun Sentinel: “My dad was an amazing officer who cared deeply for the community. He risked his life to protect this community and we will never forget his heroism and dedication to his badge. His children, Dominic Alu, Sam Alu, and Tina Alu will forever miss him!”

Information from the South Florida Sun Sentinel archives was used in this report.

The human circus — eschewing animal acts for dazzling derring-do from acrobats and athletes — is making its South Florida debut Jan. 9-19 in a big-top tent to be set up in Miramar Regional Park. And unlike other circuses that crisscross Broward and Palm Beach counties, Paranormal Cirque is not for the whole family.

“We’re bringing our R-rated horror circus with a haunted attraction pre-show,” says Steve Copeland, a comedian and spokesman with Cirque Italia, the show’s Bradenton-based producer. “It’s rated R cuz there’s lots of bad language, there’s adult humor, there’s skimpy and revealing costuming. No nudity, unless you maybe buy the performers a couple drinks, but no nudity in the show itself. Miramar better get ready for a heck of a good time.”

According to Copeland, some of the acts include:

• A juggling Beetlejuice.
• A motorcycle on a thin wire “… high above your head with a lovely lady performing on a trapeze hanging underneath.”
• “A woman who can shoot a bow and arrow with her feet.”
• “A woman hanging by her hair.”
• “A duo performing amazing acrobatics on roller skates.”
• There will also be comedy, magic illusions and more.

“We’re a strictly non-animal circus, although some of our performers do eat like animals,” he adds. “You’re going to see awesome acrobatics, beautiful aerial acts, you’re going to see feats of strength and daring and death-defying death stunts — all with a horror theme. So all of the acts are performed by zombies, by ghosts, by werewolves, by vampires. There’s also a lot of comedy, which people don’t expect. In fact, a lot of the R rating comes from the comedy.”

Children under the age of 13 are not allowed to see Paranormal Cirque, but teenagers (ages 13 through 17) can attend as long as they have an adult guardian.

Copeland continues, “And in addition to two hours of Vegas quality R-rated power circus entertainment, you get a haunted attraction free show that begins an hour before show time and it’s free with the admission ticket. So, you don’t have to pay anything extra, it’s included in the price of the ticket. And it’s a walk-through haunted house starring the same performers that you’re going to see in the show. They’re going to scare the heck out of you. So, maybe bring a change of underwear.”

The show’s parent company, Cirque Italia, was started by Manuel Rebecchi in 2012 and now has seven touring companies. Rebecchi is the nephew of the late Moira Orfei, a famous Italian circus performer and actor.

Paranormal Cirque runs Jan. 9-19 at Miramar Regional,16801 Miramar Parkway. Tickets range from $20-$65. To purchase, go to paranormalcirque.com.

AND HERE ARE MORE CIRCUSES COMING SOON TO BROWARD AND PALM BEACH COUNTIES

• Water Circus Atlantis (also a Cirque Italia production): Jan. 2-12 at Broward Mall, 8000 W. Broward Blvd., Plantation. Tickets are $15-$65. cirqueitalia.com/Water-Circus.
• Riverfront Circus at The Wharf Fort Lauderdale, Jan. 15-18 at The Wharf FTL, 20 W Las Olas Blvd, Fort Lauderdale. Admission is free (if you RSVP). Tables range from $269.12-$536.54. wharfftl.com.
• Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey, Jan. 23-25 at Amerant Bank Arena, 1 Panther Parkway, Sunrise. Tickets are $38-$83. amerantbankarena.com.
• Luzia by Cirque du Soleil, Feb. 19-April 25 at Gulfstream Park, 901 S. Federal Highway, Hallandale Beach. Tickets are $38-$310. cirquedusoleil.com/LUZIA.
• Shen Yun Performing Arts
  — Feb. 2-3 at Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach. Tickets are $103.50-$230. kravis.org.
  — Feb. 17-18 at Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are $106.20-$236. browardcenter.org.
• The Great Mr. Swindle’s Traveling Peculiarium and Drink-Ory Garden (adults only)
  — Feb. 12-22 under the big top tent at Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. Tickets are $55-$95. mrswindles.com.
  — Feb. 26-March 22 under the big top tent near Seabreeze Amphitheater at Carlin Park, Carlin Park, 750 South A1A Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway, Jupiter. Tickets are $55-$90

On Monday afternoon, officers were called about a group of minors fighting near the intersection of Northwest 70th Avenue and Northwest 16th Street, which is across the street from Plantation High School. When they arrived, officers saw multiple minors running away and one who had been shot in the shoulder, Plantation Police said in a news release.

The victim was taken to a hospital and is expected to recover. The police department did not provide the person’s age or gender.

Investigators said during the fight, one minor “approached the group, produced a handgun, and pistol-whipped the victim,” causing the gun to go off and a bullet to hit the victim’s shoulder, according to the news release. The crowd dispersed after hearing the gunshot.

The minor who initially had the gun gave it to another minor, and both ran away, the police department said. Investigators later found and recovered the gun from a canal in Lauderhill.

Both minors were taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center. Plantation Police did not provide their ages or genders or specify what charges they are facing.

Police do not believe that the gun was ever on the nearby school campus, the news release said. The fight and shooting happened after school hours and off campus.

There may be additional arrests, the police department said.

Two minors were fighting near the intersection of Northwest 70th Avenue and Northwest 16th Street, “during which one of the juveniles was shot,” Plantation Police spokesperson Officer Ari Dorfman said.

The minor was taken to a hospital and expected to recover, he said. Officers were at the scene “working to identify a suspect.”

“This did not occur on school grounds and happened after school hours,” Dorfman said.

He did not provide the ages or genders of the minors involved. Additional information had not been released as of late Monday afternoon.

Officers were seen placing a colorful children’s backpack into a large brown evidence bag at the scene.

Nearby Plantation Middle School was briefly placed on lockdown, which had been lifted by about 3:30 p.m., the police department said in a post on X.

Northwest 70th Avenue was shut down from Northwest 11th Place to Northwest 16th Street as officers investigated.

This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.

Toman passed away at an assisted-living facility in Plantation on Tuesday, according to his son, Philip Toman. A celebration of life is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 13, from noon to 4 p.m., at Plantation Preserve Golf Course & Club.

In a career that went from 1956 to 2009, Toman took pictures of everything from garden parties to car wrecks, spring breakers to Super Bowls, pop-culture royalty to presidents.

Toman was there in 1964 when Cassius Clay took the world heavyweight boxing title from Sonny Liston on Miami Beach, changing his name to Muhammad Ali after the fight. He took pictures of the Miami Dolphins’ first game at the Orange Bowl in 1966.

He photographed Elvis Presley, on his final tour, at the Hollywood Sportatorium less than six months before he died. He charmed a reluctant Sophia Loren out of hiding behind oversized sunglasses, stalked Winston Churchill for an iconic photo on Aristotle Onassis’ yacht, and drew the attention of the Secret Service while aiming a long lens at JFK at the Orange Bowl.

“I did it for 53 years because when I woke up, it was something different every day,” he said in a Sun Sentinel interview marking his retirement in 2009. “There was no such thing as a normal day of taking pictures.”

Toman started his career while in high school in Coral Gables, where a next-door neighbor was a retired Life magazine photographer who mentored him. Toman took a picture of a car crash near his home and submitted it to the Miami News, which published it inside the local section. He got $10 for it. But seeing his name in the paper was intoxicating.

He was home on spring break in Fort Lauderdale, where his parents had moved while he was at the University of Florida, and got a summer photography job at the Fort Lauderdale News, which later merged with the Sun Sentinel. Before returning to school that summer, he was offered a full-time job as a staff photographer. It was 1956, and he worked at the newspaper ever since.

For most of his tenure, Toman worked the 7 a.m. shift, when overnight crime news and random oddball incidents would require quick attention.

“Lou was the consummate news photographer. He did courts, cops, everything. Anything that blinked,” said Jerry Lower, who spent 18 years in management roles in the Sun Sentinel photography department. “He got more accomplished before I even got into the office than some members of the staff did all day.”

Lower recalls having lunch with Toman at the old Creolina’s restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, which was filled with police and firefighters. One by one, radios at each table began to signal some emergency, prompting the rescue crews to throw down cash and bolt for the door.

“I think Lou was the third person at the door, on the way to his car. Because he needed to be anywhere the cops were going,” Lower said.

One of his favorite Lou Toman pictures happened in 2000, when a Pembroke Pines woman named Tillie Tooter was discovered alive after spending three days trapped in her car, which had flipped over a guardrail into thick mangroves along Interstate 595. Toman was there when rescue workers raised Tooter from the wreckage, which made news nationwide.

“When I think of that whole situation, it reminded me of Lou and Broward County. When I think of Lou Toman, I think of the bold, brash Broward County,” Lower said.

Many of his best pictures can be found on the walls of The Floridian, the iconic diner and community hub in downtown Fort Lauderdale where Toman was a longtime member of a semi-famous, early-morning breakfast club of local powerbrokers, cops and businessmen. At some point, he acquired the nickname “Lauderdale Lou.”

The owner of The Floridian, the late Butch Samp, was a longtime friend who created the voluminous gallery of pictures. It is both an homage to Toman’s work and a history lesson for visitors in what a distinctive place South Florida has been through the years.

Fort Lauderdale attorney Fred Haddad, part of the morning crew at The Floridian, estimates he had breakfast with Toman almost every day for more than 20 years.

“He was certainly a great guy. I’m sorry to hear it,” Haddad said.

Toman had an anecdote for each of the pictures hanging around the room at the diner, Haddad said. “He told stories about all of them. He knew a lot of people and had really interesting insights.”

Toman was a certified police officer and served as a reserve officer with the Plantation Police Department in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Son Philip Toman, who became a longtime detective with Plantation PD, says his father’s influence was everywhere.

“He was a hard worker, somebody who loved life, and he loved talking to people. He loved telling stories, because he met so many people and he had so many different experiences,” Philip Toman said. “My dad’s a people person. He knows how to talk.”

And he could talk to anyone. While he was shooting the 1968 Republican National Convention in Miami Beach, he trained his camera on a section of California delegates, including a man wearing a button that said, “NIXON’S THE ONE.”

After taking the picture, he went into journalist mode to get details for the caption, asking the man: “Sir, can you spell your last name?”

The man replied, “Gov. Ronald Reagan. R-E-A-G-A-N.”

Toman responded: “I know who you are. I just want to make sure I get your name right.”

Philip Toman said his father had been in declining health, especially since the COVID-19 shutdown, but that he should be remembered for the wonderful life he lived.

“He was the best dad I could have ever asked for,” Philip Toman said. “He just loved life. … Loved his job, loved his family, loved where he lived. He was just very happy.” 

In addition to Philip, of Davie, Toman is survived by his wife, Donna, and son Craig, of Margate.

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com.