Boca Beat: 3/23

• My heart aches for the tragedy that happened in Parkland on February 14. We hear about these types of things happening in other cities around the Country and never thought it would hit so close to home. To everyone at Stoneman Douglas, we are with you, we ache with you, we love you. #MSDStrong

• With that being said, plenty of students have been making their voices heard these last few days regarding this tragedy. On Monday, students from my former high school, Olympic Heights, staged a walkout in their courtyard where they stayed for 17 minutes, in honor of the 17 victims that lost their lives. The next day, students from West Boca High School made the 10.5-mile, three and a half hour walk from West Boca High School to Stoneman Douglas High School to fight for gun safety and gun laws. On Wednesday, students from Boca High marched to the Boca Raton City Hall where they, along with students from Omni Middle School, Olympic Heights, and others protested gun laws in front of City Hall.

• The City Council races are starting to heat up and with only about 3 week left, the candidates are all in full throttle mode. All five candidates have been interviewed by The Boca Raton Raton Tribune for the candidate profile that we will release in the coming week.

• Speaking of City Council Elections, we at The Boca Raton Tribune have announced our 2018 Candidate Forum set for March 8 at 6pm at Wayne Barton Study Center. The Forum will be the candidates last chance to convince the crowd as to why they are the best choice for Boca Raton. Candidates will have a chance to talk to some of Boca Raton residents that they otherwise would not have been able to talk to, and the event is always packed every year.

• The municipal elections will be held on March 13th. While there will be no early voting, you still have the opportunity to Vote by Mail by going online to the PBC Supervisor of Elections website

• A new elementary school could potentially be in the works for the City of Boca Raton. The City Council gave unanimous support to resolution 18-2018, which is a resolution from the City of Boca Raton supporting the establishment of a new public elementary school on city-owned land in the vicinity of Spanish River Boulevard, west of I-95 and east of north Military Trail.

• Boca Raton Football Club returns for its second season in the National Premier Soccer League with a full slate of game during the 2018 Sunshine Conference that will give fans even more games to watch their local soccer team. Boca Raton FC will play a total of 12 games, six home and six away, and will begin the 2018 season at home on May 5 at 6 pm versus Miami United FC. Home games will be at Atlantic High School.

• The South Florida Fair has awarded $41,000 in scholarships to 20 area high school students this year. Selected from more than 120 applicants this year, the winners’ scholarships ranged from $500 to $6,000 and can be used at any accredited institution of higher learning.

• Theatre Lab, Florida Atlantic University’s professional theater company dedicated to the development and production of new work in American theater, welcomes Wick Theatre as the second corporate donor to join the Theatre Lab Inner Circle. Created to raise private support for this exciting new university and community endeavor, the Theatre Lab Inner Circle is comprised of individuals and corporate members committed to cultural and artistic excellence. A donor wall, displayed prominently in the Theatre Lab lobby, acknowledges Inner Circle gifts beginning at $1,000 through $50,000 annually. To date there are 36 members.