Nearly 150 golfers are hitting the links this Friday, and the cause is far more noble than smacking around a few pockmarked balls.

The seventh annual Pembroke Pines Charter School Golf Tournament is taking swing against a problem that’s plagued city officials since 2007: the closing of the city’s charter school system.

The charter schools currently suffer from fewer public education capital outlay and per-student money, said city controller Aner Gonzalez.

Gonzalez learned last February that Florida Department of Education is cutting nearly $600,000 to Pines charter schools through June 30, the end of the fiscal year. The Broward County School had also slashed “2 mill” dollars, or county cash used to fund charter and public schools, by $304,000. Meanwhile, the county plans to reduce its per-student allocation by $1,052,000 for the charters.

Compounding city officials scramble to keep the charters financially afloat are less donations anticipated for the golf tournament. Last year, the city banked $141,000 in event revenues. This year, it’s closer to $60,000.

“It’s getting harder and harder to get sponsors because of the economy,” said Gonzalez. “We’re not really losing sponsorships per se. We’re just getting fewer of them.”

Golfers will tee off in groups of four on April 3 beginning at 10:30 a.m. on the 18-hole Pembroke Lakes Country Club, 10500 Taft St.

To register, call Gonzalez at 954-437-1111, ext. 420, or visit www.ppines.com.

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Pembroke Pines city officials are combating global poverty one proclamation at a time.

Mayor Frank Ortis last month declared during a commission meeting that Pines was a “ONE City,” united against global poverty and preventable disease.

The announcement, in honor of anti-poverty advocate Florida ONE, came coupled with a framed glass proclamation presented to Pines Charter High School teacher and ONE Club adviser Danielle DePas and Charter High students Rafael Batista and Andre Riley.

Pines joins more than 130 “ONE”-declared cities across the United States dedicated to fighting global poverty and treatable ailments like HIV and malaria.

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Low-income parents of children under age 5 seeking early education for their youngsters have a second chance.

Broward County Public Schools is running a second application period for the Head Start and Early Head Start programs through April 1 at six Broward locations.

Head Start serves 3- and 4-year-old children, while Early Head Start provides services for pregnant women, infants and toddlers. The program supplies a full-school day of educational activities, and provides free dental, nutritional, health and family support for eligible families.

To qualify for Head Start, parents must satisfy 2008 income poverty guidelines determined by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

Pines residents can drop by Trinity Lutheran Church, 7150 Pines Blvd. in Pembroke Pines to sign up.

Parents must bring proof of child’s age, child’s Medicaid card if eligible, proof of guardianship, parent photo ID and proof of household income for the past 12 months.

For more information, visit www.browardschools.com.

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You’d be hard pressed to find a variety show that dishes up back-to-back performances from a singing comedian, banjo player and sultry crooner all in the same night.

That’s what Lou Marsh is promising every month at Jim Davidson Theater of the Performing Arts, 901 NW 129th Ave. during his Cabaret Night variety show.

First up is singing comedian Damian, followed by “singing sensation” Jody Ebling and “banjo master" Richard Pearl.

The laughs and entertainment run from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. March 28 at the theater. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for seniors. Those attending must be at least 18 years old. It’s also B.Y.O.B., which means visitors can drop by armed with pocketfuls of their own snacks, drinks, pizza and beer.

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Pembroke Pines residents can don their favorite pair of pastel bunny ears and hop over to the Southwest Focal Point Senior Center this Saturday for Bunny Brunch.

The brunch is festooned with dozens of activities, giveaways and door prizes for children, plus visits from Peter Rabbit and a private Easter egg hunt.

Children can also interact with costumed characters, nosh on an all-egg breakfast and enjoy a holiday show featuring live performances and music.

The holiday shindig runs 9 a.m. to noon March 28 at the senior center, 301 NW 103rd Ave. Tickets are $15 for residents. For more information or to register, call 954-435-6525, or visit www.ppines.com.

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Something’s happening to Walter C. Young Middle School’s Knights.

During Knight Happenings, students from the school will showcase their patriotic spirit for the medieval mascot with live dancing, demonstrations and music, in addition to free snacks and drinks.

The Knights celebration runs 5:45 to 7:45 p.m. March 25 at Walter C. Young Resource Center/Pembroke Pines Branch Library, 955 NW 129th Ave. The event is free. Call 954-437-2635, or visit www.broward.org/library.

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Pembroke Pines Glass Gallery will once again play host to a flurry of sculptures, paintings and mixed media marvels.

The venue inside Pembroke Pines City Hall, 10100 Pines Blvd. will feature a reception for 40 Weston Art Guild artists from 7 to 9 p.m.

The reception dishes up more than 100 artworks from watercolors to metal pieces, plus hors d’oeuvres and entertainment from Pembroke Pines Theatre of the Performing Arts, who will play selections from “Hello, Dolly!”

A jury selection process narrowed down the best 40 artists to exhibit at the Glass Gallery, said gallery curator Benoit Menasche.

“The Weston Art Guild is only a few years old, but they have very good artists,” said Menasche. “I wanted to give a nice venue for the most talented local artists.”

For more information, call 954-986-5027, or visit www.ppines.com.

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The number of Broward’s homeless living on the streets jumped 14 percent over a census count taken in 2007, a new county study said.

A recent survey tallied 800 homeless people on the streets and 3,230 living in shelters throughout Broward County, a harrowing number Homeless Initiative Partnership Division director Steve Werthman blames on the current economic recession.

“The count two years ago reflected all the people homeless as a result of the 2005 hurricanes, and the one now reflects the effects of the one-year recession,” Werthman said. “We’re definitely seeing more and more homeless people as result of the economy than those homeless as a result of mental health or substance abuse.”

Hundreds of volunteers packed the streets from 4 a.m. until 8 p.m. that day, seeking the homeless camped out in passive parks, sheltered behind convenience stores and panhandling for change at busy intersections.

The effort to survey the homeless population throughout the county will help state legislators and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development provide funding for local homeless shelters, added Werthman.

Read more about the homelessness increase in the March 22 edition of the Pembroke Pines Gazette.

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Free jazz concerts are here again.

William B. Armstrong Dream Park, 1700 Dykes Road., is dishing up another concert March 22 from 5 to 7 p.m.

Bring a beach towel, lawn chair and picnic basket and groove to the musical styling of classical jazzist group the Larry Lebin Duo. Vendors hocking hot dogs and potato chips will pack the sidewalks during the monthly concert series.

For more information, call 954-435-6525, or visit www.ppines.com.

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Broward’s local food banks’ reserves are depleting, and county officials are blaming ballooning unemployment and the economic downturn.

That’s why the county is sponsoring a March on Hunger Food Drive through March 31 to combat the demand for increase food bank services and dwindling donations.

The drive benefits the Fort Lauderdale-based nonprofits Daily Bread Food Bank and Cooperative Feeding Program.

Donors are recommended to drop off items such as rice, pasta, dry beans, baby formula, cereal, diapers and wipes, canned vegetables and soups, peanut butter and jelly containers and canned meats, including tuna.

On April 1, participating drop-offs will inform Broward Mayor Stacy Ritter’s office about the number of pounds of food collected, and begin distributing packages to both food banks.

The two Pines drop-offs are South Regional/Broward College Library, 7300 Pines Blvd., and Southwest Regional Library, 16835 Sheridan St.

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Break out the tuxes and prom dresses: The Walter C. Young gymnasium is having a funktastic Pembroke Pines Teen Dance tonight.

Middle-schoolers attending classes as Walter C. Young or those that frequent the Teen Center at Pines Recreation Park are welcome to attend.

The cost is $2 and runs 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Walter C. Young gym, 901 NW 129th Ave.

Call 954-437-1140, or visit www.ppines.com.

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_____________________________________

PHOTO: Dancers from the Academy of Art in Pembroke Pines perform the jazz dance "Little Red Riding Hood" during the 11th annual Art Festival in the Pines.
Staff photo/Lindsay Moore
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Spring Break is rapidly approaching for some Pines students attending local public schools, but one park has the remedy for parents willing to unload their kids for a few days.

Rose G. Price Park, 901 NW 208th Ave., is having Spring Camp April 6 through April 10 around the park grounds for children aged 6 to 11. The camp runs each day from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Activities will range from board games, book coloring, outdoor athletics, swimming and water sports.

To enroll a child, call 954-437-1140. The deadline to register is March 20. The cost is $125 and pizza will be provided for lunch on Friday.

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Broward County’s New River, which runs parallel to State Road 84, is teeming with 1,000-year-old archaeological sites.

At least, that’s what the Broward County Historical Commission will claim this Thursday at the Historical Commission Museum, 151 SW Second St. in Fort Lauderdale.

In celebration of National Archeology Month, the society is having a Brown Bag Historical Lunch Program to address sites along the banks of the New River that date back thousands of years before the Tequesta.

The eye-opening seminar called An Archaeological Perspective: Prehistory and Early History of the New River, presented by Florida Public Archeology Network Southeast Region director Michelle Williams, runs from noon to 2 p.m. March 19.

The event’s free, and coffee and cold drinks will be provided. Call 954-765-4670, or visit www.broward.org.

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The first of an exhaustive series of Pembroke Pines budget workshops starts March 18 at 4 p.m. inside the City Commission chambers.

The workshop will examine what City Manager Charles Dodge predicts is a near-$11.8 million budget shortfall tied to fewer permitting fees, royalties and property and taxes paid to the city during the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

A major culprit in the budget deficit lies with plummeting permitting fee revenues in the Building Department, the result of stagnant construction in Pines. Last month, finance analysts predicted to commissioners that fewer permitting meant a $2.9 million budget shortfall for the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

To plug the debt, Pines officials could sack 15 Building Department workers and reduce the labor force down to a skeleton crew, said Dodge.

Pines officials will deliberate about the deficit at Pembroke Pines City Hall, 10100 Pines Blvd.

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Pines’ small business owners can rejoice: a wine-tasting, food-sampling gala just for them is right around the corner.

The Pembroke Pines/Miramar Regional Chamber of Commerce is having A Sip of Wine, A Taste of Heaven March 21 at Miramar Town Center, 2300 Civic Center Place in Miramar.

Pines businesspeople can sup bottomless glasses of martinis and wine and dine on a delicious assortment of hors d’oeuvres and finger foods while hobnobbing with local companies and organizations. There will also be a business card exchange and a silent auction.

The shindig runs 7 to 10 p.m. The cost to attend is $40. Call 954-432-9808, or visit http://www.miramarpembrokepines.org.

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For those grappling with a relative’s chronic illness, one Pembroke Pines guidance and resource center can help.

Caregivers can drop by Leeza’s Place at Memorial Hospital Pembroke, 2261 N. University Drive March 20 for an education seminar.

The seminar, Transformations: Five Wishes – Being Empowered, will address removing fear from a caregiver’s upcoming healthcare journey by allowing one to declare five empowering wishes from their family while they’re still alert. Registered nurses Mary Watson and Beth Walston teach the free class at 11 a.m.

The following Friday, psychologist Jamie Huysman will teach Spring Cleaning, a self-empowerment class designed to show caregivers how to give oneself positive reinforcement and self-love. The class will be at 11 a.m.

Finger foods and refreshments will be served at both free seminars. Call 954-883-7243.

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The Pines Ice Arena’s Thunder ice hockey team, bantam division, won the Statewide Amateur Hockey of Florida state championship March 1 in Orlando.

The Thunder triumphed 5-4 in the third quarter against bantam division opponent Tampa Bay Lightning after barreling ahead from a 0-3 deficit in the first.

The Thunder pulled neck-and-neck at 4-4 with the Lightning and, with 38 seconds remaining in the third, scored their fifth goal and the championship.

“Kids from as far as West Palm, Coral Springs and Miami played their hearts out,” said Patricia Cash, a Pembroke Pines resident and parent of bantam goaltender Robert Cash. “They were the underdog for so long, getting pushed around last season. Now, they proved so many teams wrong. It is a great feeling for those kids, and they deserved to win.”

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If shooting and editing live action movies was ever a guilty pleasure, you’re in luck: The Southwest Focal Point Senior Center, 301 NW 103rd Ave., is hosting a movie-making workshop plus a slew of other adult evening classes this April.

Other new workshops include “Caricatures and Cartooning!” where students can learn to sketch, illustrate and cartoon like a professional comic book or comic strip artist. George Bettinger will teach the class from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays April 22 through May 27.

Bettinger also instructs “Lights, Camera, Action!” an informative, six-week primer on the radio and television industry. Topics for discussion include finding Hollywood agents, auditioning for casting directors and booking radio and TV commercials, plus a tutorial on public speaking. The class runs Tuesdays April 21 through May 26.

Both classes are $45. “Movie Maker” is $42 and runs 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays April 20 through June 1.

The old standby classes are also available in April, including stained glass, belly dancing, pottery, Tai-Chi, swing and ballroom dancing.

Download a complete brochure here (Adobe Acrobat required).

Call Helen Daniels at 954-450-6888.

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Pembroke Pines police dealt a two-day suspension to Sergeant Charles Laughlin for falsifying police reports, department officials said Tuesday.

During a disciplinary review hearing, Laughlin was punished for rewording a fellow arresting officer’s police report stemming from an October 2007 domestic violence arrest of a Hispanic married couple.

The arresting officer, Nick Taber, claimed shift supervisor Laughlin deleted language that said Taber couldn’t verify the main aggressor in the domestic spat. Taber argued that he arrested both husband and wife because they sported cuts and bruising and both sides had credible stories.

“I spoke to my captain and he told me I shouldn’t delete the line because it was my probable cause for arrest,” Taber said during the hearing. “[Laughlin] told me that if I didn’t delete the lines, I could face criminal charges for falsifying a report. I was just getting more and more upset about it. I broke down and complained.”

Laughlin’s defense alleged that Taber admitted after filing his police report that the arrested wife was “most likely the primary aggressor” and should have removed his statement. Laughlin also denied deleting the language from Taber’s report himself, he added.

“Officer Taber said, flat-out, that the wife was the primary aggressor,” said Laughlin, a 19-year Pines police officer. “When I asked him why he arrested both parties, he froze and stood completely silent.”

Laughlin added that Taber, who was then on probation, had fouled up previous police reports regarding domestic violence arrests.

The disciplinary review panel, a city-appointed public advisory board presiding over the hearing, questioned why Taber would willingly delete language from his police report only to contest it five days later in complaint against Laughlin.

“It looks to me like a pissing contest,” said panel chair Timothy Cochran. “I think Laughlin deleted the line and made Taber’s decision for him.”

Cochran and the six-member panel voted in favor of a 20-hour suspension. Laughlin’s defense cannot appeal the decision.

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Broward County Library's Each-One-Teach-One program needs volunteers throughout the county to teach illiterate adults to read and write at local libraries.

A volunteer basic tutor training workshop is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 14 at the Tyrone Bryant Library, 2230 NW 21st Ave. in Fort Lauderdale.

There are currently 42 students waiting for tutors at libraries throughout the county.

To register or find out more information, call 954-625-2820 or e-mail the learning services organization at learningservices@browardlibrary.org.

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The days of life-threatening cancer are numbered.

At least, that’s what the Pembroke Pines chapter of American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life team is hoping as it prepares to host its 11th annual ceremony this weekend.

Relay for Life at Walter C. Young Resource Center’s track and field, 901 NW 129th Ave., runs for 18 consecutive hours beginning 5:30 p.m. March 13 to 11:30 a.m. March 14. The center is closed to the public between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.

The long, uninterrupted stretch of time, said Pines event coordinator and Relay for Life logistics chair Francie Novo, is so more than 45 teams can walk around the track throughout the night to fight cancer.

“We don’t stop walking because there is no end, there is no cure for cancer,” Novo said. “We will keep passing the torch and keep walking until a cure is found.”

Members from roughly 40 teams representing different countries – the relay’s theme is crossing the world in 18 hours - will take to the track and walk continuously, spend the night and enjoy special dinners and breakfasts commemorating survivors and caregivers.

Once the park closes at 11 p.m., Novo added, the real fun begins: team members will square off in rounds of “Rock Band,” pie-eating contests, a cross-dressing Miss Relay Contest, yoga and round the track solely in pajamas.

Donations, which were culled from team entry fees and independent fundraisers, benefit the American Cancer Society. Call 954-435-6525, or visit www.relayforlife.org/pembrokepinesfl.

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The big red bloodmobiles are making the rounds again.

Community Blood Centers of South Florida are having a blood drive March 12 in front of Pembroke Pines City Hall, 10100 Pines Blvd.

The drive, sponsored by the nonprofit blood collection agency, lasts from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information on registering, call 1-800-879-5020, or visit www.cbcsf.org.

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Fresh off a heated public workshop hosted by the Broward County Aviation Department, Pembroke Pines Vice Mayor Carl Shechter is having a town hall meeting to discuss its aftermath.

The get-together March 11 at Village Community Center, 6700 SW 13th St., will tackle the decisions make by County Aviation to amend North Perry Airport’s Master Plan. Changes call for adding landscaping along Pines Boulevard – North Perry’s west barrier – and extending an east-west runway more than 600 feet, among other things.

Shechter opted to host the town hall because some concerned residents missed last month’s public workshop, he said.

“I invited North Perry Airport’s manager, Nina Dimeo, to the meeting so she can explain what Broward Aviation wants,” Shechter said. “Our position is that we’re opposed to having very light jets flying in and out of North Perry, which is exactly what the runway extension will encourage.”

The town hall begins at 7 p.m. Call 954-435-6501, or visit www.ppines.com.

Read the March 22 Pembroke Pines Gazette for more information about North Perry.

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Jerry Herman’s musical yarn about the eponymous New York City matchmaker is back.

The play that spawned Broadway musicals, a feature-length film and various off-Broadway permutations, “Hello, Dolly!” opens March 13 at Susan B. Katz Theater of the Performing Arts at Pembroke Pines Academic Village, 17195 Sheridan St.

Performances run Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through April 5. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and $13 for children. Call 954-437-4884, or visit www.pptopa.com.

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Nearly six months after Pines axed 38 city employees to launch the new fiscal year, another 15 now could experience the chopping block.

Slammed with plunging building permitting fee revenues, workers in Pines’ planning and building department face termination as the city races to plug a $2.9 million budget shortfall.

Last September, Pines officials projected roughly $5.7 million in permitting income tied to new construction for 2009. New projections dip that revenue to $2.7 million, leaving officials scrambling to recoup a near $3 million gap in the wake of fewer air conditioning, electric and plumbing inspection jobs.

“We knew there was going to be some attrition,” said Commissioner Angelo Castillo. “The question is where we can contain the pain. If there’s no new construction going on, there’s no work. No work, no jobs. This is a $3 million bullet to bite.”

To combat the shortfall, commissioners considered 15 full- and part-time building employee layoffs and knocking the department down to a skeleton crew, outsourcing its permitting, shifting workers to other departments and further bargaining with unions like the Pines chapter of the Federation of Public Employees, which represents about 400 employees.

Cutting 15 jobs would save the city $819,464 and trim the shortfall down to $2.1 million, added Dodge.

Several union members like Otto Vinas pleaded with commissioners during a recent commission meeting to spare their jobs.

“I’m willing to take the sacrifice and would certainly take a pay cut to stay employed with the city that I love,” said Vinas, a plumbing inspector and 36-year resident of Pines.

Dodge will present other options for containing the budget shortfall during the March 18 City Commission meeting.

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The Broward County Property Appraiser's Office will host a community outreach event to help Pines residents with questions about filing their property tax exemption.

The event will take place March 10 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Pembroke Pines City Hall, 10100 Pines Blvd. Deputy appraisers will be available during the event to assist with Homestead, Senior, Portability and other property tax exemption applications.

Interested residents should bring a current Florida driver's license ID, a voter registration card or declaration of domicile and proof of permanent residency.

Eligible senior citizen residents should bring either a copy of their 2008 income tax return or 2008 Social Security 1099 Form.

For Century Village residents, property appraisers will assist with filings inside the Main Clubhouse from noon to 2 p.m. March 27 at Pembroke Pines Century Village, 13550 SW 10th St.

For more information, call Kelly Brown at 954-357-5579, or visit www.bcpa.net.

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It’s not exactly the hit television program starring Howie Mandel and his clutch of money-filled suitcases, but this Friday’s “Can We Make A Deal” fundraiser aims to be close.

Pembroke Pines Mayor Frank Ortis and South Florida radio host Footy are hosting the second annual fundraiser March 6 at 6:30 p.m. inside Susan B. Katz Theater of the Performing Arts at Pembroke Pines Academic Village, 17195 Sheridan St.

Proceeds from the game show benefit Here’s Help, Inc., a Miami-Dade county-based substance abuse facility for adolescents and young adults 13 years of age or older.

The outpatient treatment center also provides educational and preventative services and the Department of Children and Families awarded them as a first place Exemplary Treatment Facility in 2002. Funding will directly benefit the operation of the facility's live recording studio, dentistry and culinary programs.

The game show hopes to raise $50,000, Ortis said.

"This is one of the charities our city has kind of adopted," Ortis said. "The center gets kids on the right track who have been addicted to substance and drub abuse. I’ve been down there several times and I’m amazed by how thorough they are."

During the shindig, attendees will sup hors d’oeuvres and enjoy live music before the game show, then use the raffle tickets they purchased to enter into a drawing to become a contestant onstage.

The event’s free, but raffle tickets are $20. Call Toni Goehmann at 954-817-2737, or visit www.hereshelpinc.com.

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Paradise Cove is reopening its water park March 7 at C.B. Smith Park, 900 N. Flamingo Road in Pembroke Pines.

The aquatic funhouse features meandering rushing water tubes, two H2Whoa! 450-foot water slides and dueling water playgrounds. When visitors aren’t lounging underneath the blue funbrellas, they can grab pizza, hot dogs and candy from Paradise Grill and Sand Dollar, concessions anchoring opposite ends of the park.

Parrot’s Point, for toddlers ages 5 and younger, has 12-inch-deep pools and two waterslides, while Crazy Creek caters to the older crowd with 410-foot-long tube rides.

The park runs 9:30 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through April 26 and 9:30 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. daily beginning May 2. Admission is $8.50 between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., and $6.50 after 3 p.m.

Call 954-437-3650, or visit www.broward.org/parks.

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Two specialists with Broward County Public Schools Office of Prevention earned awards recently for protecting the health of students.

Connect to Protect, a nonprofit devoted to promoting the wellness and safety of students, presented certificates of appreciation to public schools district prevention specialist Suzanne
Edgar and positive school culture specialist Tresha Fletcher.

Edgar received the award in recognition of her efforts toward community mobilization, while Fletcher netted one for creating a healthier environment for youth by reducing HIV in Broward County.

For more about Office of Prevention programs, call 754-321-2568, or visit www.browardprevention.org.

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This year, organizers for the 11th annual Art Festival in the Pines are delivering lots of green.

Pines’ Art and Culture, Green City and Landscaping Advisory boards are peppering the show’s activities with an environmentally-friendly theme by handing out brochures on energy saving, minimal water landscaping and green household appliances.

Participating artists in the festival’s juried art show had to enter environmentally-conscious artworks or those crafted using low-impact or natural materials. Best of Show winners earn $500, while category winners net $350, in addition to a free awards dinner for each artist.

The festival also features lavish food, live musical entertainment, a hands-on art area for children plus art demonstrations from local artists.

The Art Festival in the Pines runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 7 and 8 at River of Grass ArtsPark in Pembroke Pines Academic Village, 17189 Sheridan St. For more information, call 954-986-5027.

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