Palm Beach County News / South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Co-sleeping triggers infant deaths in Palm Beach County, authorities say

By Alexia Campbell , Sun Sentinel — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 01:51:42 GMT

A parent's choice to sleep next to a baby in bed could turn deadly — a fatal mistake authorities say is killing more infants in Palm Beach County than before.

Boynton construction coming back; remodeling on the rise

By Ben Wolford, Sun Sentinel — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 01:38:33 GMT

Rising permit applications mean more people are fixing up their homes

Vicki Wiltse and her husband had some spare money, an old house and a cramped, ugly kitchen. It was time to remodel.

Need persists at Boca Helping Hands charitable food center

By Anne Geggis, Sun Sentinel — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 01:34:10 GMT

Economic recovery elusive for this sector

The economic recovery's first hints haven't yet thinned the numbers showing up for life's basic necessities at Boca Helping Hands.

Palm Beach County teachers want raises; district says no money

By Marc Freeman , Sun Sentinel — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 01:29:26 GMT

It would cost about $14.4 million for the Palm Beach County School Board to grant a demand for teacher raises in the upcoming school year.

Suspect arrested when he returns to scene of burglary

By Wayne K. Roustan, Sun Sentinel — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 01:05:16 GMT

Thomas Whittaker, 33, admitted to break-in, police said

A burglary suspect was arrested on Wednesday after returning to the scene of the crime, according to Boca Raton police.

Public's help sought identifying Wellington purse snatchers

The Palm Beach Post — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:03:00 GMT

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is seeking the public's help in identifying three men suspected in a May 6 purse snatching at a Publix in Wellington .

Police: Boynton juvenile, 11, made bomb threat against N.C. middle school

By Ed Komenda, Sun Sentinel — Thu, 31 May 2012 22:38:53 GMT

An 11-year-old Boynton Beach boy accused of phoning in a bomb threat to a North Carolina middle school on May 25 surrendered to police on Thursday and was referred to the Palm Beach County Juvenile Assessment Center for processing.

Boynton speller doesn't make it to final round, but leaves with trip of a lifetime

Laura Green — Thu, 31 May 2012 04:21:00 GMT

Cara Busheme took a deep breath, closed her eyes and pictured the letters appearing in her own handwriting, one-by-one above her. "C- H- A- E," she started, correctly spelling chaetophorous a word of Greek origin, meaning bearing bristles.

Citrix employees 'work anywhere'

By Marcia Heroux Pounds, Sun Sentinel — Thu, 31 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Grab your laptop and choose a couch. Or desk. Or cubicle.

Young Boca entrepreneur nets college scholarship

By Marc Freeman , Sun Sentinel — Thu, 31 May 2012 02:36:15 GMT

Rebecca Zerbo wins for her Positive Pocket company

West Boca Raton 's Rebecca Zerbo still has a year of middle school left, but she's already the winner of a $30,000 college scholarship awarded for her emerging business skills.

Delray history group seeks to attract young members

By Maria Herrera , Sun Sentinel — Thu, 31 May 2012 02:34:50 GMT

Delray Beach is proud of its 100-year history. Now a new group is trying to pass on the stories that have given the city its small-town charm to younger generations.

Firefight ahead: New group targets Boca firefighters' perks, pay and pension

By Anne Geggis, Sun Sentinel — Thu, 31 May 2012 02:29:14 GMT

Boca Raton group fears future public safety will consume city budget

Pay and pension for Boca Raton 's firefighters is drawing emails to Mayor Susan Whelchel's inbox at just about four times the rate she says it used to — driving the issue to the top of the city agenda.

Boca Raton purse thief surrenders after threat of K-9 attack

By Ed Komenda, Sun Sentinel — Thu, 31 May 2012 02:20:03 GMT

A Pompano Beach man surrendered to police Tuesday when he was tracked down after snatching a woman's purse and running away, according to Mark Economou, a spokesman with the Boca Raton Police Department.

Two juveniles arrested in Boca on prowling, loitering charges

Ed Komenda, Sun Sentinel — Thu, 31 May 2012 02:14:00 GMT

Two juveniles, 17, were arrested Tuesday after police found them prowling through a Boca Raton neighborhood, according to Mark Economou, a spokesman with the Boca Raton Police Department.

Spate of South Florida canal crashes claims lives, prompts call for safety

By Juan Ortega, Erika Pesantes and Michael Turnbell — Thu, 31 May 2012 01:26:10 GMT

The placid and omnipresent bodies of water in South Florida can turn lethal for motorists and their passengers. Since 2004, at least 129 people have drowned in 108 water-related crashes — most of them into canals — in the tricounty area, records show.

Goodman's lawyers want polo mogul's DUI-manslaughter case sent back to trial judge

By Peter Franceschina , Sun Sentinel — Wed, 30 May 2012 23:48:21 GMT

John Goodman's attorneys asked an appeals court Wednesday to relinquish its control over the Wellington polo mogul's criminal case, in an effort to learn more about a juror's drinking experiment the defense contends tainted the guilty verdict.

Water storage instead of new homes suggested for closed Mizner golf course

By Andy Reid, Sun Sentinel — Wed, 30 May 2012 23:39:00 GMT

Residents looking for alternative to development

A closed golf course targeted for development west of Boca Raton could instead become pollution-filtering lakes, according to a new proposal offering an alternative to building new homes.

National chains surf onto the scene of Boca's barrier island

By Anne Geggis, Sun Sentinel — Wed, 30 May 2012 18:12:00 GMT

Mom-and-pop character threatened, some say

Next to the Meridian condo's spires, columns and arches that have become the city's signature, signs in familiar shades of yellow and green for some mean the most eastern slice of Boca Raton is becoming too much like everywhere else.

Delray planning improvements for 'Artists Alley' to lure arts lovers

By Maria Herrera , Sun Sentinel — Wed, 30 May 2012 13:52:00 GMT

With the recent influx of artists into a tiny enclave of the Pineapple Grove Arts District, city officials are renewing their interest in redeveloping the area with new street lighting, paver sidewalks and landscaping.

Palm Beach County set to extend State Road 7 another mile north

Angel Streeter , Staff Writer — Wed, 30 May 2012 02:02:21 GMT

Construction expected to begin later this year

Palm Beach County will begin work this year on further extending State Road 7.

Boynton police need $10 million radio system upgrade

By Ben Wolford, Sun Sentinel — Wed, 30 May 2012 02:00:25 GMT

Part of the cost of not merging with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office

Boynton Beach taxpayers will pay $10 million for a new police radio system over the next five years if the cash-strapped city decides to keep its force, a Police Department spokeswoman said Tuesday.

New water hookups on the rise in Palm Beach County

By Andy Reid, Sun Sentinel — Wed, 30 May 2012 01:59:35 GMT

Slight improvement after years of stymied development

Palm Beach County 's uptick in new water-customer hookups this year offers a hopeful blip in long-stagnant new home construction.

Got tires? Leave them on the curb

By Ben Wolford, Sun Sentinel — Wed, 30 May 2012 00:30:52 GMT

Boynton pickup tires all next week

Boynton Beach residents who have tires to get rid of can lay them on the curb next week for the city to pick them up.

Mosquito season arrives in South Florida

By David Fleshler , Sun Sentinel — Tue, 29 May 2012 23:21:00 GMT

Experts say danger of disease could rise this year

Liberated from their eggs by heavy rains, mosquitoes have begun their annual assault on South Florida.

Labor Department investigates Florida's tougher unemployment benefit system

By Marcia Heroux Pounds, Sun Sentinel — Tue, 29 May 2012 22:26:41 GMT

The U.S. Department of Labor said it is investigating Florida's new state processes to claim unemployment benefits.