Attention City Of Boca Raton, Florida Drivers: Here are a number of Traffic Updates for All Aboard Florida / Brightline Train. Crews working for All Aboard Florida will temporarily close all roadway lanes at the Florida East Coast Railway at the intersections listed below to perform construction improvements necessary for the introduction of the Brightline passenger rail service. 1. FULL ROAD CLOSURE: Monday, August 22, 2016 through Friday, August 26, 2016. Palmetto Park Rd & FEC Railway. 2. FULL ROAD CLOSURE: Wednesday, August 24, 2016 through Friday, August 26, 2016. Spanish River Blvd & FEC Railway. 3. FULL ROAD CLOSURE: Saturday, August 27, 2016 through Tuesday, August 30, 2016. SW 18th St & FEC Railway. 4. FULL ROAD CLOSURE: Saturday, August 27, 2016 through Thursday, September 1, 2016. Glades Rd & FEC Railway. 5. FULL ROAD CLOSURE: Tuesday, September 13, 2016 through Saturday, September 17, 2016. NW 20th St & FEC Railway. See: www.myboca.us/pages/traffic/all-aboard-florida-updates.
Wednesday is the deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot for the Aug. 30 primary and nonpartisan elections in Broward and Palm Beach counties. In Palm Beach County, requests have already gone up 50 percent from the 2012 August primary. More than 115,000 ballots have been mailed out, and a little more than 33,000 have been returned. In 2012, more than 49,000 were sent, and about 29,500 were returned.
Office Depot CEO Roland Smith is retiring, but will remain Chairman while pursuing his goal of climbing to the summit of Mt. Everest.
Quarterback Jason Driskel has started before for Florida Atlantic. Now, it’s different: he is the starter. FAU named Driskel its starting quarterback, after a long competition with Daniel Parr that dated back to the beginning of spring practice.
Labor Day weekend will be the last time for a while that visitors to Boca Raton’s Sugar Sand Park will be allowed to ride the iconic carousel. Park officials plan to close the ride for three weeks starting Sept. 6 and reopen it the week of Sept. 26, though they have not committed to a date. The opening will depend on the work and weather. Crews will be taking apart the carousel, at 300 S. Military Trail, to fix its inner workings. The $24,800 repairs are necessary to make sure the carousel is safe. The district says it has chosen to wait until after Labor Day to close the carousel because of its popularity over holiday weekends. Riders are not in danger, but the district is taking a proactive measure to prevent accidents, injuries and long-term closure of the ride.
McDonald’s is recalling 29 million fitness wristbands distributed in Happy Meals after dozens of children reportedly developed skin irritations. The Oak Brook fast-food giant stopped including the “Step-iT” activity wristbands in meals last week after receiving “limited reports” of skin irritations associated with the wearable step counters. McDonald’s stepped up the count and issued the recall after finding more than 70 incidents, including seven reports of blisters from the wristbands. The wristbands, which were made in China, came in translucent plastic orange, blue or green, featured a digital screen that tracked a child’s movement and included motion-activated lights.
The Boca Raton Public Library is joining the American Library Association and public libraries nationwide to encourage members of the community to register for a card during September, which has been designated as library card sign-up month. To renew or apply for a library card, Boca residents must provide proof that they live or own property in the city. Non-city residents can purchase an individual card for $150 a year, or a family card for $250 year.
If you were in New York City’s Times Square on July 23, you would have seen a familiar face on the Jumbotron. West Boca executive chef Dominick Laudia’s likeness was on display a dozen times that day for winning the national Dr. L.J. Minor Chef Professionalism Award at the American Culinary Federation’s national convention. Laudia is well-known in southern Palm Beach County. Now the executive chef at Boca Grove Golf and Tennis Club, he worked at Boca Woods Country Club, Boca Rio Golf Club and The Polo Club of Boca Raton.
Hands of Stone, Mechanic, Don’t Breathe and Remember the Goal opens at the Boca and Boynton Cinemarks. Miss Sharon Jones opens at the FAU Living Room Theatres. Equity, Southside by you and Tale of Love and Darkness opens at the Classic Gateway in Ft. Lauderdale. Florence Foster Jenkins and Bad Moms opens at the Last Picture show in Tamarac. See http://www.publicrelations.nu/movie-capsules-barry-epstein-aug-19-2016/.
CareerSource Palm Beach has a hospitality job fair 1 to 4 pm Aug. 31 at Palm Beach State College Humanities and Technology Building HT103, 801 Palm Beach State College Drive, Boca Raton.
West Boca Leaders is the best networking group in the area. One of a kind networking group. First and Third Thursdays. Next meeting is Sept. 8, 2016, 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Tulipe Café, Boca Grove Shopping Center on Powerline Road between Glades and Palmetto Park Roads. $60 per quarter. Fill out form on site if you qualify and bring $60 for fourth quarter. For more information or questions, call 561.702.0000.
Shark Tank’s Daymond John, Celebrity Motivational Speaker is at FAU Carol & Barry Kaye performing Arts Auditorium at FAU Student Union, 7 pm Sept. 8. Tickets at 561.297.2471 or visit www.fauevemts.com.
Gold Coast Tiger Bay Club will feature Jeff Dawson, AIPAC’s Florida Deputy Director on BDS: The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement Against Israel, 11:30 a.m. Sept. 13 at City Fish Market, Glades Road and the Turnpike. RSVP at http://www.goldcoasttigerbayclub.com/event/jeff-dawson-from-aipac-speaks-about-the-bds-movement-against-israel/. Former CNN reporter Susan Candiotti will speak on Thursday, Oct. 13.As an extra added attraction, TV’s Nancy Grace will speak and have her new book signing too on October 14. Former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski will speak for the first time since his incarceration on November 9 and California political comedian Eric Golub will speak on Dec.14.
FAU School of the Arts Department of Theatre and Dance present Ominium Gatherum Sept 30-Oct. 9, Studio One Theatre, FAU Boca Campus, 777 Glades Rd. Tickets: $12-$20. Call1.800.563.9539 or visit https://www.fauevents.com/. Tickets also on sale at the Box Office in FAU’s Student Union.
Lucie Arnaz brings her father’s Desi Arnaz’s Cuban pedigree, and the Capitol Steps their election satire to Libby Dodson’s Live at Lynn Theatre Series starting Oct. 1. The series has seven shows performed twice through March 26, 2017 at the Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center on the Lynn University campus, 3601 N. Military Trail. The Steps do 30 songs and skits with five people and a pianist. The Live at Lynn series will also include shows about Michael Jackson and French chanteuse Edith Piaf; Tenors Unlimited – The Rack Pack of Opera, The New Shanghai Circus and top 40 and Broadway hits by The Company of Men. Also on sale are tickets for Mabel Mercer Foundation’s Cabaret at Lincoln Center comes to Live at Lynn series starting in January with five shows in the university’s Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall through May 17. Season subscriptions, available now at 25 percent discount, and individual show tickets for Libby Dodson Live at Lynn Theatre Series are at events/lynn.edu or the box office at 561-237-9000.
The second annual Boca Raton Mayor Ball is Oct. 8 at Broken Sound Country Club, honoring Christine E. Lynn, Boca Raton Resort & Club and Boca Helping Hands with coveted George E. Long Awards. The event is co-chaired by Rotary Club of Downtown Boca Raton members Jon A. Kaye, immediate Club past president who served as the founding chair of the inaugural 2015 Mayors Ball and Club member Constance J. Scott. The 2016 Mayors Ball Honorary Chair is Former Mayor Bill T. Smith. Honorary Advisors include Mayor Susan Haynie, Former Mayors Susan Whelchel and Steven Abrams who currently serves as a Palm Beach County Commissioner; Boca Raton Deputy Mayor Michael Mullaugh and Council Members Robert Weinroth, Jeremy Rodgers and Scott Singer. Co-chairman Jon Kaye only had 48 seats left out at the start of the kickoff for the second annual Boca Raton Mayors Ball, But by the end of the evening, sponsors had gobbled up most of the 400 tickets. The inaugural event was a sellout, too. For sponsorship and underwriting opportunities, visit www.rotarydowntownbocaraton.org or contact Jon A. Kaye at 561-392-5166 or Deborah Freudenberg at 561-299-1429, email info@rotarydowntownbocaraton.org.
Good Morning America news anchor Amy Robach and her husband Andrew Shue will be the keynote speakers at the 13th Annual Go Pink luncheon to benefit Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation in the fight against breast cancer. Save the date: October 21, 2016.
The Fourth Annual Hope Bash Boca is 6:30 p.m. Oct. 28 at Boca West Country Club. For sponsorship opportunities and additional event information, visit placeofhoperinker.org. Tickets at $250 each will be available for purchase online late summer.
Woman of the Year Luncheon is Nov. 18 at the Boca Resort & Club with fashion show by Saks Fifth Ave. Tickets and info at wvoy@jlbr.org or 620.2553.
The 2016/2017 Broadway series at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts include Cinderella, Cabaret, The Little Mermaid, Something Rotten!, Matilda and Finding Neverland. More info at browardcenter.org.
The Marmot Boca Raton Bowl game will take place at 7 p.m. on Dec. 20 at the Florida Atlantic University Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. It will be the third annual bowl game for FAU.
Sun-Sentinel, South Florida Business Journal, Palm Beach Post contributed to this column.
Barry Epstein, APR, is a noted public relations, marketing and political consultant based in Boca Raton, president of the goldcoasttigerbayclub.com, the luxurychamber.com, the westbocaleaders.com and the founder and former president of the West Boca Chamber of Commerce; His motto is: Public Relations is the enemy of anonymity. Email: pr@publicrelations.nu, or fax column items to 561.451.0000.