The College Coed Frisbee team Pompeii's Children is now meeting at Pembroke Pines Optimist Club at Pines Recreation Park, 7400 Pines Blvd.

The disc-throwing collegians, part of the Ultimate Player's Association, perform year-round in three tournaments across Florida. New members train every week and should bring bottled water, white and colored shirts and cleats.

Pompeii's team members also socialize off the field, said Deffler, and participate in activities like ice skating, canoeing, boating, surfing and karaoke.

The Frisbee team members hit the pitch from 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays at Pines Recreation Park and 3 to 6 p.m. Sundays at Broward College Central Campus, 3501 SW Davie Road in Davie.

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Add this to your list of New Year's resolutions: enroll in a belly dancing class.

The Lotus Dance Studio is offering a variety of belly dance courses, including tribal fusion, world fusion belly, Hip-Hop, Pop and Lock Yoga and Women's Empowering Circles starting Jan. 3.

On Jan. 17 at 2 p.m., the studio celebrates its second anniversary with raffle drawings, tarot readings, games for children, a Tribal Jam session with the Lotus Dance Dancers and half-price class registration specials.

One-hour classes run $17, and course packages are available. To join Lotus Dance Studio, 9117 Taft St., call 954-433-3552 or visit www.lotusdancestudio.com.

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Christmas might be kaput for 2008, but that doesn't mean you can't experience one final holiday send-off.

C.B. Smith Park at 900 N. Flamingo Road will play host to the 3 Kings Day Puerto Rican Festival on Jan. 4 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

During the Rumbon & Parrandon cultural Christmas celebration visitors can sample traditional Puerto Rican holiday goods, desserts and beverages while grooving to the folklore tunes of cuatro guitarist Prodigio Claudio, Felix Nieves, and composer Ramiro Malagón.

After the musicians leave the stage, guests will hit the dance floor for the Fiesta All-Star Band's salsa tunes, popular Christmas songs and an exhibition of "Parranda" - a Puerto Rican dance style.

Admission for 3 Kings Day is $3, and profits benefit My Horizon, a nonprofit organization. Call 954-550-5355 or visit www.prfiestas.com.

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City officials have a new message for parents who drop off and pick up children at school: don't park on the grass or block the roads or we'll ticket you.

Pembroke Pines commissioners voted 5-0 to allow police to erect "No Parking" signs on grass swales near schools and impose fines on any parents who park on them.

This decision came after months of meeting with Broward County School officials and reviewing the city's code of ordinances, which prohibited "No Parking" signs adjacent to schools. The ordinance lifts the ban on signs and gives officers, the police chief and City Manager Charles Dodge authority to install them near schools with heavy drop-off and pick-up traffic.

"I've heard of some concern by homeowners associations where parents have parked across the street from the school on their swale and it tore up their grass," Dodge said. "There was also concern with children having to cross the street from the school where parents are parked in stacks. We would do that kind of analysis when placing signs."

Safety for children crossing the street to parents in parked cars was the biggest concern, said Commissioner Angelo Castillo, but parking on swales and right-of-ways wasn't a citywide problem.

"We should look at specific schools where parents have no choice but to park cars on the swales. Some parts of the city are necessary, some are not. This relies on the discretion of police to decide where to enforce the law," Castillo said. "I can see that parents will question how police legislate and fight it."

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Melissa Santiago, Mary Riveron and Colette Sponer were handed bouquets of red roses during last week's commission meeting for becoming national board-certified teachers.

To receive board certification, the teachers are evaluated for three years by a committee of accomplished educators and child development experts. They measure each teacher's knowledge, skills, attitudes, professional judgment and how their teaching methods function in the classroom, according to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Web site.

"I know many teachers who have been applying for this certification who haven't been fortunate enough to receive this honor," said East Charter Elementary principal Devarn Flowers. "Board-certified teachers only make up one to two percent of the nation's teaching population, so we're extremely proud of them."

Santiago teaches English at Pines Charter High, Riveron teaches kindergarten at West Charter Elementary and Sponer teaches kindergarten at Charter FSU Elementary.

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Pembroke Pines senior citizens without families weren't so lonely on Christmas evening. About 50 of them celebrated the holiday with a free, hot dinner and gifts from Santa at Southwest Focal Point Senior Center, 301 NW 103rd Ave.

Division director of Senior Housing, Jay Schecter, fired up the kitchens on Christmas Eve with his family and a battery of volunteers. His father, vice-mayor Carl Schecter, mother Anita, uncles Saul and Ben, plus brothers, sisters and spouses were on hand to serve dinner to 50 seniors, Christmas presents from Santa and a block of entertainment onstage.

"We are Jewish, but we embrace the Christmas spirit," Schecter saiid. "Our family feels it is important to keep on giving and who better to give to than to those in need?"

This was the 13th year the Schecter family has thrown the Christmas dinner for seniors.

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Now you can ring in the new year by studying Bible passages and breaking bread, too, during a four-week winter Bible study class at Trinity Lutheran Church, 7150 Pines Blvd.

After Pines residents focus on and learn bread stories from the Bible during class, Rev. Keith Spencer will teach techniques on baking four different types of the leavened stuff inside Trinity's Fellowship Hall. No experience is needed.

The class kicks off at 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 11, 18, 25 and Feb. 1. For more information or to join the church congregation, call Spencer at 954-989-1903, or visit www.tlcministry.org.

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Pembroke Pines' Parks and Recreation Department is having a slew of winter special population programs tailored for wheelchair-bound and mentally-disabled residents.

Current and upcoming programs include wheelchair sports, Special Olympics training, field trips and special camps, said Mary Palacios, city special population coordinator.

On Mondays from 6 to 8:30 p.m., Pines features a Special Olympics basketball program at Pines Charter Central's Airnasium, 12350 Sheridan St. On Tuesdays from 4:30 to 6 p.m., Pines features a special needs bowling league at AMF Davie Lanes, 8200 W. State Rd. 84, Davie. Cost is $5 for two games and shoe rental. On Thursdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Pines hosts non-motorized wheelchair basketball at various parks within the city.

Beginning Jan. 25, special needs athletes aged 8 and older can also join the Special Olympics Soccer Program for practice sessions at West Pines Soccer Park and Nature Preserve, 350 SW 196th Ave.

To register, call 954-450-3663.

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Looking for a job? The US Census Bureau is looking for part-time workers for the 2010 Census.

The local office has started giving application tests at local senior centers to fill the hundreds of positions that will be available in Broward County.

Those hired will work for up to two years for a $15/ hour minimum salary.

To be considered, applicants must first pass a 30-minute test consisting of multiple-choice questions that test number and organizational skills, clerical skills and reading skills.

Available positions include census takers, crew leaders, crew leader assistants, recruiting assistants and census clerks. They will help examine the nation’s population and demographics.

Visit the 2010 US Census site to find testing locations and for additional information, such as test examples.

You can also call the local US Census Bureau office at 954-302-3960.

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For those interested in interactive fun and games, Pembroke Pines is offering a billiards night and a cards and board games night.

In January, Billiards will be offered from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursdays. Cards and board games will be offered from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays. The events are free and open to any person, 18 or older. Picture ID is required.

The events will take place at Southwest Focal Point Senior Center, 301 NW 103rd Ave. For more information, call 954-450-6888.

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In January, the city of Pembroke Pines will launch computer classes for those at every level.

The Beginner's Computer class will run Tuesdays from Jan. 13 to Feb. 17 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. This course is for real beginners that are afraid to ask basic questions about computers.

The Intermediate Computer class will be on Wednesdays from Jan. 14 to Feb. 18. The class expands word processing skills.

Intro to Advanced Computer skills is for those that are comfortable with their word processing skills and are looking to broaden their knowledge of computer software. th class has three weeks of Intro to Excel, two weeks of Intro to Advanced Word Processing and one week of Intro to PowerPoint. The class meets Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Each of the classes costs $42 and includes a book. They take place at Southwest Focal Point Senior Center, 301 NW 103rd Ave. For more information, call 954-450-6888.

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The city of Pembroke Pines will launch several adult dance classes in January.

All of the classes meet Mondays from Jan. 5 to Feb. 23 and cost $34.

Beginner's Smooth Ballroom Dance will run from 6 to 7 p.m. and teach the Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Quickstep and Viennese Waltz. Beginner's Latin Ballroom Dance will meet from 7 to 8 p.m. It will teach the basics of the Cha-Cha, Rumba, Samba, Jive/Swing and Paso Doble. Swing Dance will meet from 8 to 9 p.m.

All of the classes will meet at Southwest Focal Point Senior Center, 301 NW 103rd Ave. The classes are open to both couples and singles. For more information, call 954-450-6888.

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Don't leave the tap open this Christmas.

The South Florida Water Management District has issued a list of five tips to save water during the holidays.

A typical holiday turkey dinner for eight needs more than 42,000 gallons of water in food growth and preparation, the report states. That is enough to fill a 30-foot by 50-foot swimming pool.

These are the five tips to conserve water:

1-Defrost frozen foods in the refrigerator the night before and not under running water.

2-Rinse vegetables and fruits in a pan filled with water instead of under running water.

3-Select the proper size pans for cooking.

4-Scrape food scraps into the garbage can instead of rinsing them into the sink's garbage disposal.

5-Run the dishwasher only when it's fully loaded.

Visit the South Florida Water Management District for more information.

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PHOTO: Children perform a holiday song and dance number during Snow Fest at Pembroke Shores Park. The annual event also had more than 75 tons of snow for children.
Staff photo/Jason Arnold
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Broward County School District officials named Pembroke Pines Charter Middle a nominee for a No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award.

It's the highest national award a school can receive, and schools that are eligible must show academic dominance in their state or make dramatic leaps in student achievement. Pines Charter Middle was one of 13 schools nominated by the Florida Department of Education, among two others in Broward.

A U.S. Department of Education national review panel will study each nomination, make two-day visits to the schools and ask specific questions from the principal. Then, the panel will tally the information and declare the winners.

If Pines Charter Middle wins, they'll be invited to Washington, D.C. in fall 2009 to be honored by national officials.

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The city of Pembroke Pines wants to save the ocean. A $162 million wastewater treatment plant might do the trick.

Commissioners voted 5-0 in favor of purchasing a plant that recycles 100 percent of its wastewater, or reuse, so the liquids won't be pumped through ocean outfalls that lie off the east coast of Florida, said Commissioner Jack McCluskey.

"A new plant is the way to go," McCluskey said. "It allows us to be independent and control our own destiny, and it could allow us to include Cooper City and service them in the future."

Roughly 50 percent of the city's wastewater is treated by a nearby Hollywood plant for $8 million per year, said City Manager Charles Dodge. The new Pines plant would allow the city to break the Hollywood partnership, save on expenses, and supply treated water to Pines residents though a single, self-sustaining plant.

New state mandates will make it illegal to pump wastewater into the ocean by 2025. Pines expects to find a site - tentatively at Pembroke Road and 145th Avenue - and build the property by 2013.

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Sometimes, athletic coaches need training, too.

That's why more than 125 Pembroke Pines Youth Soccer Program volunteers, coaches and staff recently participated in a 90-minute health seminar geared toward fitness and training.

The free seminar taught coaches how to place their roughly 1,300 boys and girls registered in Youth Soccer into good nutrition and balanced diet regimens.

Other points stressed to youth soccer staff included the importance of a dynamic warm-up, proper hydration and strategies for training athletes under coach supervision.

Pines business Fitwize 4 Kids - a fitness center - donated the hour-and-a-half seminar to aid coaches in caring for and preventing player injuries, structuring their workouts and adding a balanced diet, said Parks employee Robert Walker.

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Joey Vallee, a 20-year-old Pines resident, was recently forced to quit his job with stage 4 melanoma.

Vallee's friends had a fundraiser on his behalf last week at Lefty's Tavern and Grille in Davie to benefit his experiemental surgery, a treatment his insurance doesn't cover. Clad in Irish green T-shirts, volunteers packed the restaurant and sold raffle tickets in exchange for free massages, a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon wine, autographed record albums, a Hard Rock electric guitar and a $400 Harley Davidson leather jacket.

Vallee was hospitalized five weeks ago at Mount Sinai after collapsing in pain at home.

"Joey's so scared, he never wants to be left alone," said Gina Parker, a volunteer for Vallee's charity called Be Joey's Miracle. "This hit him like a ton of bricks. This yanked him out of this world. We're just doing whatever we can."

Vallee's next fundraiser runs from 1 to 5 p.m. Dec. 14 at Cafe 27, 4690 US Highway 27 in Southwest Ranches.
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PHOTO: From left, Jeanne Cook, Lori Milmo, Sandi Medeiros and Jennifer Barker, volunteers for Be Joey's Miracle, sell raffle tickets for the charity at Lefty's Tavern and Grille, 11300 State Road 84 in Davie. Photo/Phillip Valys
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A 7,500-ton mountain of hard-packed imported snow will be the star attraction at this Saturday's Snow Fest in Pembroke Pines.

Truckloads of the slush will be poured into a heaping mound so Pines residents can climb it, carve snow angels, dig snow graves for unwitting friends, or build impenetrable snow fortresses.

Snow Fest also features parlor games like tossing balls into Santa's boots, plus holiday arts and crafts, tattoos and prize wheels. Mini-Ferris wheels, obstacle courses, bounce houses and train rides round out the event's festivities.

"They should bring mittens or sweaters if children are going to be diving into snow," said Francie Novo, special events coordinator. "You can say this much: the vendor selling hot chocolate is going to make a killing."

Snow Fest is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pembroke Shores Park, 501 SW 172nd Ave. Tickets are $4 for residents and $6 for others. Call 954-435-6525.

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Rollin' 20s. Chapel Trail Goons. Playboy Killers. Pembroke Place Goons.

These are the most pervasive gangs in the city, said five members of the Pembroke Pines Police Gang Task Force during last week's town hall meeting at Susan B. Katz Theater, 17195 Sheridan St.

The meeting sought to educate Pines families about the telltale signs of neighborhood gang activity, how to recognize hand signals and gang colors and the dominance of gang recruiting on the Internet.

The five task force members - Sergeant John Birkenhaur, Assistant Police Chief Ken Hall, Captain Tom Maher, crime suppression supervisor Darryl Curtis and Detective Irwin Lopez - also fielded questions from the audience of 150 residents.

The task force has arrested roughly 400 total gang members in Pines in the last seven weeks, 160 of whom are under 18, said Birkenhaur. The average age of the arrested members was between 12 and 17.

"We want to make Pines so uncomfortable to be a gang member in that they want to go somewhere else," said Commissioner Iris Siple. "We're not a city that buries its head in the sand. We're not a city that has this problem. But we need to be aware."
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PHOTO: More than 150 parents, Charter school students, commissioners and concerned residents turned out for last week's gang violence town hall meeting inside Susan B. Katz Theater, 17195 Sheridan St. Photo/Phillip Valys
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Pembroke Pines residents can now ship Christmas care packages to troops stationed overseas.

Soldiers typically want the essentials: phone cards to call their loved ones, Visa gift cards and personal hygiene items like wet wipes and dental floss the most, but they also enjoy batteries, beef jerky, candy, posters, books and magazines.

Along with each shipped package, affix $10 in priority stamps to the local Support Our Troops chapter, P.O. Box 70, Daytona Beach, FL 32115-0090.

Pines residents can also donate money via PayPal to Support Our Troops by visiting this Web site.

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The Pembroke Pines Fire Department is making the neighborhood rounds again this year for Santa's Express.

Dashing around communities in red engines, the fire department plans to visit various houses and foster homes like Children's Harbor throughout the city and hand-deliver more than 250 gift-wrapped presents to low-income families for Christmas, said Shawn Hallick, assistant division chief.

To collect the toys, Pines residents line up at Fire and Rescue Station 69, 9500 Pines Blvd., wrapped presents in hand, and the first 250 received reach families during the neighborhood tour on Dec. 15 to 17 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Typically, the fire station collects roughly 750 presents just before the Santa's Express distribution, 500 of which are unwrapped and shipped to foster homes around Broward County. Those foster homes include Legal Aid's adopt-a-family, Home Safe, Alternate and Family Care and Little School House.

Drop-off for Santa's Express begins 9 a.m. Dec. 6 at Fire Station 69. Call 954-435-6700 for more information.

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Don't mistake the hordes of gingerbread men perched in the lobby of Southwest Focal Point Senior Center for free mouthwatering holiday cookies.

These flavorful figurines are actually Christmas stoneware ornaments, and they're $5 to benefit the center's operation and next year's slate of programming activities.

The ornaments were handcrafted inside the center's pottery studio. Each gingerbread man comes decked out in squiggly decorations, beads on their shoes, plus a heart-shaped, carved-out chest.

The second annual Holiday Ornament Sale kicks off today at the senior center, 301 NW 103rd Ave. Last year's 2007 Holiday Bell ornaments are still available. Call 954-450-6888.

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After a bidding war that lasted 15 months, commissioners are one step closer to selling City Hall.

Keenan Development Group offered $14.5 million to purchase the building and roughly 20.6 acres of surrounding land to construct a new Keiser University campus.

The campus replaces the old one at the intersection of Pines Boulevard and Flamingo Road.

Commissioners struck the possible agreement Wednesday night to sell the old City Hall and purchase a new one on adjacent city-owned land.

"We will take those funds and build a new city hall," said Commissioner Angelo Castillo.
"That's win-win. If we can't pull this off, then our next step is to do some major renovation next to the existing City Hall."

The agreement requires the old City Hall be occupied for 18 months while a new one is built, said Charles Dodge, city manager. Dodge and Keenan will iron out zoning and platting permit issues over the next six months before construction cranes break ground.

Commissioner Iris Siple demurred the 20-acre site of a new Keiser University campus, saying it builds on existing traffic congestion.

"If this isn't profitable, in light of all our budget cuts this year and job layoffs, I don't think any of us could've gotten behind this," Siple said.

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Volunteers with the Salvation Army of Broward County will be passing around red tea kettles to collect donations for Broward County children until Christmas at Pembroke Lakes Mall, 11401 Pines Blvd.

The Angel Tree program aims to collect enough money to provide toys and clothing for 3,100 needy kids.

Most children want dolls, skates and video games, and Salvation Army will give a child's "Angel Tag," to encourage shoppers to donate the gift's amount.

Volunteers can be found in front of department stores and the center court.

Pines residents can also kick off the Christmas season by donating $5 to Habitat for Humanity, the American Lung Association of the Southeast, the Boys and Girls Club, the Daily Bread Food Blank or Humane Society.

Shoppers can log onto The Giving Spree, donate a $5 minimum, then receive a print-out coupon sheet listing several discounts at certain retail stores at Pembroke Lakes Mall, 11401 Pines Blvd.

Then, every Monday through Dec. 15, pet lovers can take their furry companion's photo with Santa Claus during St. Nick's Pet Pics near the mall's center court.

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A four-story tall Christmas tree, glutted with fist-sized multicolored lightbulbs, shimmering garland and all the trimmings, will be switched on again this year at Pembroke Pines City Hall, 10100 Pines Blvd.

Strings of Christmas bulbs will stretch from the fifth floor ceiling to the roof of City Commission chambers, said Francie Novo, special events coordinator.

Besides flipping the "on" switch, the lighting ceremony also features parlor games like tossing balls into Santa's boots, holiday arts and crafts, prize wheels and Reindeer Food-making, where children hand-mix a glop of oatmeal, glitter and a magical poem.

"We have musical entertainment, mechanical rides and visits with Santa where you can share a glass milk with him," said Novo.

The Christmas Lighting Ceremony runs 4 to 7 p.m. Dec. 6.

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An inkjet printing company, RISO, Inc., is donating five 14-foot oak trees to the city of Pembroke Pines tomorrow at Rose G. Price Park, 901 NW 208th Ave.

A tree planting dedication ceremony for the donated arbors, which were purchased from a local nursery and have already been planted near the park's playground, will feature appearances from Mayor Frank Ortis, Vice-Mayor Carl Schecter and Parks director Dean Combs. RISO's South Florida branch sales manager, Jose Hoyo, will also be present.

RISO's donated trees are part of the Arbor Day Foundation's effort to fight global warming and improve energy efficiency, said Ortis.

The ceremony is tomorrow, Dec. 3, at 11:30 a.m.

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City commissioners are looking for ways to provide relief for money-strapped, disabled combat veterans living in Pembroke Pines.

Waiving or reducing the $209 annual fire assessment fee was a possible answer, Commissioner Angelo Castillo said.

"I met a 120 percent disabled war vet who lost the ability to see. He said he couldn't afford the fire fee, which is now over $200," Castillo said. "Could we do some homework to honor these veterans with less fees?"

Vice Mayor Carl Schecter agreed but wants to set income criteria so only the neediest veterans would receive the relief.

"I have a close friend whom I play golf with, and he makes more money per year than any of us on the dais. He probably wouldn't be eligible," Schecter said.

Commissioners expect to render a decision next month.

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