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Donations NFL Players Visit Palm Beach County for Youth Camp

As part of the Super Celebration held before the Superbowl, activities were offered throughout Palm Beach County for area youth from ages 6 to 17.  Children learned some basic football skills with NFL players at sessions held at parks, schools and recreations centers in Riviera Beach, Belle Glade, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and Boca Raton. 

 

At the skills camps, youth were provided opportunities to run drills and learn skills such as punting, passing and kicking with professionals.  Athletes also offered inspirational/motivational talks about sports, the importance of education and life skills.

 

The youth camps, held from Jan. 30 through Feb. 6, 2010 were sponsored by the Palm Beach County Super Bowl Committee.

 

Pictured above (l to r): back - Thomas Johnson (Atlanta Falcons),  Wayne Govan, Devin Hester (Chicago Bears), Abram Elam (Cleveland Browns), Dujuan Morgan (Kansas City Chiefs); middle - Von Hutchins (Falcons), Councilwoman Billie Brooks, Deputy County Administrator Verdenia C. Baker, Councilwoman Tonya Davis Johnson, Santino Hall (Abilene Ruff Riders, Indoor Football League); front - Riviera Beach Parks & Recreation Director John L. Williams.

 

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Consumer Trap & Tip:  HOA/Condo Tow Rules

 

Trap

 

Joe visited his sister’s home in a Wellington gated community.  She was out of town but provided him with a gate house visitor’s pass.  He arrived late in the evening and parked on the street near her home.  The next morning, Joe discovered his vehicle was missing!  Thinking it had been stolen, he called the Sheriff’s Office and found out that his vehicle had been towed.  Unfortunately, Joe’s sister didn’t tell him about the association’s rules that ban overnight street parking.     

 

Tips

 

Be aware that homeowner or condominium associations can develop and enforce their own parking rules that must follow state and county towing laws. Here are some practical tips:

• Association residents should obtain and understand their parking regulations.  It is important for residents to inform their guests about the association parking rules including details about when vehicles can be towed. 
• County law requires associations to contract with a licensed towing company to remove vehicles in violation of their parking rules.
• Be cautious when entering a community.  Look for “Tow Away” signs.  They must provide the name of the towing company and a 24/7 phone number.
• Towing companies are not permitted to remove vehicles from property without the written approval of the association. 
• Associations are liable to the vehicle owner for costs and damages if the parking rules were followed, but the vehicle was removed from the property anyway.
• When a vehicle is towed from private property, towing charges must follow the fee structure established by Palm Beach County. 

For a list of all licensed towing companies in Palm Beach County, or to learn more about the county towing laws, contact Palm Beach County Consumer Affairs at 712-6600 (Boca/Delray 888-852-7362 toll free) or visit http://www.pbcgov.com/consumer. 

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Consumer Trap & Tip: Income Tax Preparation the Right Way

Trap

The 2009 tax year was busy for Martina. She attended college full time and had two part-time jobs. She made less than $30,000, and much of that went toward school.  Are college expenses deductible? Did she qualify for Earned Income Credit?  A friend did her taxes last year, but she was no longer available. Should she do her own taxes? She saw advertisements for tax preparers and even heard she could get her refund right away, for a fee.  One tax preparer promised her a big refund. What should Martina do?

Tips

The tax preparation industry is not regulated in Florida, and preparers are not required to be licensed or pass a background check.  Here are some ways to avoid tax preparation nightmares:

 

·      First, decide if you really need a tax preparer.  Many tax returns are not complex and require only a simple filing.  Call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 and ask about free or minimum cost assistance programs.

·         Look into the United Way’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. If you make $49,000 or less, it’s free.  Go to: http://www.unitedwaypbc.com or call 561-375-6600.

·         If you need to use a tax preparer, shop around first.  Get an estimate of costs up front. Ask about your preparer’s qualifications.

·         Be wary of preparers who promise a big refund or base their fee on the amount of your refund.  You, not the preparer, are ultimately responsible for your tax return.

·         Be cautious about “refund anticipation loans.”  These loans are secured by your anticipated tax refund and may carry hefty fees and interest rates.  By using the IRS’s e-file program, tax refunds can be processed in as little as 10 days.

 

For more information, call Palm Beach County Consumer Affairs at 561-712-6600 (Boca/Delray 888-852-7362 toll free) or visit http://www.pbcgov.com/consumer to see if other consumers have complaints against the tax preparer you are considering. 

 

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Landscaping Tip: Cleaning Up Your Cold-Damaged Plants

South Florida has avoided freezing temperatures for many years, and during that time most gardeners have incorporated many gorgeous tropical plants into their home landscapes. Many of those beautiful tropical plants were severely damaged by the cold weather we had this winter.  Annual flowers such as impatiens, coleus, begonias and tomatoes might have collapsed in the freeze and need to be replaced.  Tropicals like heliconias, bananas, gingers, dieffenbachia and chenille shrubs in your garden all might have suffered some stem dieback, right down to the ground.  If there appears to be some stems that have died back, remove them with a sharp, clean hand pruner. 

 

Tender shrubs that lost their leaves initially should grow back.  When only leaves sprout back on the top portions of the shrubs, you may need to prune to rejuvenate.  This type of pruning should be done over a period of three years, removing one-third of the old stems right down to the ground each year until the entire shrub looks new and bushy again.

 

On established exotic trees and shrubs, cold injury may appear as a lack of spring bud break on a portion or all of the plant, or as an overall weak appearance. Branch tips may be damaged while older wood is free of injury.  Cold-injured wood can be identified by examining the cambium layer (food conducting tissue) under the bark for black or brown coloration.  Prune these branches behind the point of discoloration.  If the cambium layer just under the bark is still green, then the stem is alive, and there is no need to remove any parts of these branches.  To support new spring growth, fertilize your entire landscape this month with a slow-release 8-2-12 fertilizer with micronutrients.

 

The cold weather may have caused the older fronds on your coconut palms to turn totally brown.  Those dead leaves will need to be removed.

 

Florida homeowners enjoy a vast array of plant materials and often desire a tropical or semitropical appearance to their landscapes.  Plants are often planted past their northern limit in Florida, although microclimates differ dramatically.  Tropical and subtropical plants can be used effectively in the landscape, but they must be protected or replaced when necessary.  A combination of tender and hardy plants should be planted in order to prevent total devastation of the landscape by extremely cold weather.

 

Visithttp://www.pbcgov.com/coextension or call the master gardener hotline at 233-1750 with your spring pruning questions or stop by the Cooperative Extension Service (531 North Military Trail, West Palm Beach) to pick up a proper pruning publication.

 

 

 

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Friends of the County Library System Presents Writers Live!

The Palm Beach County Library System’s Writers Live! series brings the community together with authors and their books. The second annual event features an exciting line-up of authors who will discuss their latest works, chat with the audience and do book signings.  These 60-minute talks will be held across the county at different library locations. A book signing will follow each author talk.  

Writers Live! debuted last April during National Library Week. During the one-day “Murder They Wrote” event at the Hagen Ranch Road Branch in Delray Beach, over 400 people got to meet some of the hottest Florida thriller writers such as Brad Meltzer, Lisa Unger, James O. Born and Ted Bell.  This series is made possible through the generous support of the Friends of the Palm Beach County Library System, Inc.

Preregistration is required. The following talks will be held in March: 

Adriana Trigiani

This best-selling author of the delightful “Big Stone Gap” series talks about her latest book “Brava Valentine,” the sequel to “Very Valentine.”
Tue., Mar. 2, 2 p.m. - Hagen Ranch Road Branch, Delray Beach (894-7500)

Joy Fielding

This best-selling author of “See Jane Run” talks about her latest book “The Wild Zone.”
Wed., Mar. 10, 2 p.m. - Hagen Ranch Road Branch, Delray Beach (894-7500)

Randy Wayne White

This best-selling author of the Doc Ford novels talks about his latest book “Deep Shadow.”
Mon., Mar. 15, 2 p.m. - West Boynton Branch, Boynton Beach (734-5556)

Lisa Scottoline

This best-selling author of 16 thrillers and the popular “Philadelphia Inquirer” weekly column “Chick Wit,” talks about her latest novel, “Think Twice.”
Sun.,

Linda Fairstein

This best-selling author of the mysteries featuring Manhattan prosecutor Alexandra Cooper talks about her latest book “Hell Gate.”
Mon., Mar. 22, 6:30 p.m. - Wellington Branch (790-6070)

For more information, visit http://www.pbclibrary.org

 

 

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