Look out for letters coming from the National Department of Renewable Resources.

The Broward County Permitting, Licensing and Consumer Protection Division recently issued a warning to residents about misleading letters from this department, which claims it is authorized to seek compensatory damages for recycling shortfalls.

According to the county’s consumer protection division, the letter is a hoax, and the sender may try to illegally obtain either money or personal information.

The letter claims the State of Florida has passed a law that allows fines to be levied against homeowners who fail to follow the mandatory recycling policies enacted by Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties. None of these claims is true. The return address on the letter, 2111 W. Lexington Ave. in Chicago, is actually a municipal office building, and no such agency exists at that address.

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Sunrise's Leisure Department will present a free Relaxation with Reiki lecture at 1 p.m. March 4 at the Sunrise Senior Center, 10650 W. Oakland Park Blvd.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn about the hands-on Japanese stress reduction technique, which also promotes relaxation and healing, from a Reiki Master.

The lecture is free, but registration is required. Call 954-746-3670.

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The Sunrise-based Jewish Adoption and Foster Care Options has named Gail Marlow as its new director of development.

Marlow’s responsibilities will include public relations, fundraising, organizing special events and overseeing present and future capital campaigns for the organization.

Marlow joins JAFCO Development Team after working for three years at the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County in Boca Raton, where she held various titles including assistant director of women’s philanthropy and director of special events. She was instrumental in developing new and innovative programs for the Women’s Philanthropy Department.

Prior to moving to South Florida, Marlow lived in Morristown, New Jersey where she dedicated 10 years to the United Jewish Communities of MetroWest as the membership director for the JCC MetroWest and as a federation professional in the women’s division.

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Daniel Cantor Senior Center, 5000 Nob Hill Road, has these two dances scheduled for March.

Spring Fling Dance Party, 1 to 4:30 p.m., March 1.
Listen and dance to your favorite ballroom, Latin and line dancing music. You could also take home one of the event's door prizes. Cost: $8 per person. Includes bagels, cream cheese, dessert bars and beverages.

Saturday Night Ballroom Dance, 7 to 10 p.m., March 21.
DJ hosts Mayer and Lee will play ballroom, Latin and line dancing music. Cost: $6 per person.

Couples and singles welcome to both events. Call 954-721-5786 for more information.

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Make sure your child is not left out. Registration for Sunrise's summer camp begins March 2.

The city's Leisure Services Department operates camp sites throughout Sunrise, offering children the chance to play sports and swim, do arts and crafts, and a weekly field trip.

Full-day summer camp will be every weekday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., June 15 through Aug. 7. The cost is $450 for Sunrise residents. Ask about discounts for multiple children in the same household, and about an afternoon-only option for children attending summer school.

Registration will be conducted only by mail. Call the Leisure Services Department at 954-747-4600 for more information.

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Perfumania, a Sunrise-based discount fragrance retailer, announced it will lay off 95 employees between March 27 and June 26.

The retailer will also close its Sunrise warehouse and relocate most administrative operations to Bellport, N.Y.

Perfumania will maintain no more than 50 employees in a small office in Sunrise that will be responsible for information services and some corporate and sales operations.

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A Sunrise resident and Piper High School student is among the winners of this year’s DAR Good Citizens Essay Contest.

Cynthia Lynn Rogers was selected as one of the winners by the Broward County Regents Council of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.

Among the winners are also Plantation resident and Nova Southeastern University student Christen Brown and Hallandale High School student Jasmine Brown.

The DAR Good Citizens program and scholarship contest is intended to encourage and reward the qualities of good citizenship.

It consists of two parts. The first part is a personal essay that can be completed at home and where the student describes how he or she has tried to manifest the qualities of a good citizen. The second part is an essay that is administered under supervision.

The DAR is a patriotic organization that promotes education, historic preservation and patriotism in communities across America. Members are women at least 18 years old who have a lineal ancestor who served the patriotic cause during the Revolutionary War.

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After a six-week vacancy, the Sunrise City Commission appointed Larry Sofield to fill the commission seat left vacant after former Mayor Steven Feren’s resignation in early January.

The unanimous vote took place during a special meeting, after the 15 applicants for the open position delivered a five-minute presentation and answered questions from the mayor and commissioners.

Sofield has long been an active voice of east Sunrise residents, who some believe lack enough representation on the commission. With Sofield already sitting on the commission, attorney Ghenete Wright Muir will be the only candidate running against Commissioner Joey Scuotto in the March 10 election.

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Broward County Public Schools is thinking of changing its elementary, middle and high school boundaries and wants to hear some opinions.

The board is inviting school board members, district administrators and staffs, parents and students to review proposed boundary scenarios currently being considered in two public hearings.

The first hearing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at the Plantation High School Auditorium, 6901 NW 16th St. The second hearing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. March 25 at the same location.

Call the School Boundaries Department at 754-321-2480 for more information.

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Sunrise Civic Center Art Gallery will have an opening reception for its new exhibit "Cities of Art," which features works by Gessy Aubry.

Aubry's work highlights commonalities of people rather than differences and helps build bridges in an age of diversity. "Cities of Art" will show Aubry's approach to creating art that transcends culture and heritage.

The opening reception is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Feb. 21 at the Sunrise Civic Center Art Gallery, 10610 W. Oakland Park Blvd. The free show will run through April 4.

For more information, call 954-747-4641.

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The five candidates vying for spots on the Sunrise City Commission will have a forum from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. March 4 at the Holiday Inn Hotel, 3003 N. University Drive.

Admission is $10 for Sunrise Chamber of Commerce members and $20 for others.

Call 954-835-2428 for more information.

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State Rep. Martin David Kiar, District 97, will participate in a town hall meeting for Sunrise and Plantation residents.

State Sen. Eleanor Sobel and Rep. Frankin Sands will join him in a discussion on property taxes, the budget and windstorm insurance. The meeting will take place 7 p.m. Feb. 26 at Sunrise City Hall, 10770 Oakland Park Blvd.

The event is free and open to the public. Call 954-346-2813 for more information.

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Bank Atlantic Center, 1 Panther Parkway in Sunrise, will have a day of fitness for the whole family on Feb. 15.

Participate in hula hoop and jump rope contests, along with children's theater, dancing and cooking demonstrations from 1 to 5 p.m. The event and parking are free.

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After years of residents’ concerns, and the commission's discussions and traffic studies, the city of Sunrise finally approved traffic-calming projects for three residential areas considered to have high cut-through traffic.

Two of the projects, Northwest 120th Way and Northwest 115th Terrace, are inside the Windward Isles community just east of the Sawgrass Expressway. The third project is for the whole community of Shannon Lake Estates, south of Sunrise Boulevard and just east of the Sawgrass Expressway.

The city’s plan to calm traffic dates back to January 2006, when a group of residents raised concerns about speeding issues on their streets. The city created a Traffic Calming Program, which encouraged neighborhoods to identify areas with traffic issues and apply for funding to implement a measure specific to that area.

To qualify, it had to be determined that 15 percent of motorists traveled through the area at more than 10 miles per hour above the posted speed limit. Also, the traffic in the area had to consist of both local and cut-through traffic, and there had to have more than 1,000 and less than 3,000 vehicle trips per day through the street.

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Mayor Roger Wishner scheduled a special meeting for 6 p.m. Feb. 17 to hear presentations from the applicants for the Sunrise City Commission seat left vacant after Wishner took over the seat of former Mayor Steven Feren.

The 16 applicants will have five minutes for their presentations, and commissioners will follow with questions.

The commissioners will determine during the meeting whether they are ready to make an appointment or whether they’ll select a shortlist for a second presentation.

Residents will not have the opportunity to ask applicants questions, Wishner said, but he invites residents to e-mail and call the commission with concerns.

Commissioners will also determine whether the deputy mayor title will go to Commissioner Sheila Alu or Commissioner Joey Scuotto.

The special meeting will take place at City Hall, 10770 W. Oakland Park Blvd. For more information, call 954-741-2580.

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In a recent open letter to Sunrise residents, Mayor Roger Wishner encouraged senior citizens, people with disabilities and veterans who depend on monthly federal benefits to sign up for electronic payments.

The paper check form makes them susceptible to mail delays and check fraud. Electronic payments deliver money safely and on time, and present significant cost savings to the government, Wishner wrote. A total conversion to direct deposits would cut annual costs by more than $4.8 million in Florida alone, he wrote.

He suggests two direct payment programs: Go Direct and Direct Express.

Go Direct is a free direct deposit program for benefit recipients who have checking or savings accounts.

Direct Express delivers payments through a debit MasterCard with no sign-up fees, monthly fees or overdraft charges.

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The Sunrise Kickboxing Academy American Top Team has teamed up with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for a day of kickboxing lessons and fundraising for the hospital.

The academy will offer adult and children kickboxing classes Feb. 13 at 4:30 p.m. at its Sunrise location, 5357 Nob Hill Road.

The $15 suggested donation per class will go to the hospital. In addition, the academy will donate a dollar for every round a participant completes.

The event is a great way to learn new skills while helping some of the sick children. For more information or to participate, call Roger at 954-742-5753. For information on how to host your own Martial Arts for St. Jude event, call 1-800-567-0636 or visit www.stjude.org/martialarts.

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Michele Weiver’s life is all about her greyhounds. At any time, she has about 46 of them.

With her husband Jerry Deitch, Weiver runs Friends of Greyhounds, a nonprofit organization helping find adoptive homes for the dogs that are no longer used for racing at Flagler Dog Track in Miami or Mardi Gras Racetrack in Hollywood.

The couple started the nonprofit out of their garage in 2001 after a similar organization they’d been volunteering for dissolved. The first year, the couple helped adopt seven retired dogs. Last year, they helped adopt 174.

Friends of Greyhounds alternates open houses Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at two locations: Pet Supplies Plus in Sunrise, 1368 SW 160th Ave., or Petco in Plantation, 8111 W. Broward Blvd. Visit its Web site for more information.

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They come from different backgrounds: business owners, attorneys, community organizers, and former commissioners. Sixteen Sunrise residents applied for the seat on the Sunrise City Commission left vacant after former Deputy Mayor Roger Wishner took over former Mayor Steven Feren’s seat.

While residents are the ones usually electing someone for office, the city’s charter states that the commission is in charge of reappointing a commissioner following a resignation.

The 16 applicants will deliver a three-minute presentation during a commission meeting this month, but the date is yet to be determined. The commission is likely to invite a shortlist for a second presentation. An applicant must receive three votes to win the appointment.

Check back here for updates.

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The city of Sunrise had a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the construction of its new public safety complex. The new facility will be at 10440 W. Oakland Park Blvd., just east of the Dan Pearl Branch Library.

The new complex is being designed by architects ADG and will be developed by Stiles Corp.

It will feature a five-story public safety building, as well as a two-story fire-rescue station to replace Station #72, currently in front of Sunrise's City Hall.

The new complex will also house the administrative staff of the police and fire-rescue departments, as well as training facilities.

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Sunrise is looking for ecofriendly vendors for its Earth Day celebration April 18 at Sawgrass Sanctuary, a 20-acre park.

The event will showcase a wide range of ecofriendly retailers and service providers. It will also feature ethnic foods, children's activities, a fashion show, a demonstration area, and a concert.

Booth space is $75 for retailers/service providers, and $150 for vendors of prepackaged or prepared foods.

Applications are now available, and the first 50 vendors to be accepted will receive free tenting.

For more information regarding Earth Day sponsorships and vendor opportunities, visit www.sunrisefl.gov or call 954-747-4662.

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Parents who didn’t qualify for free and reduced price meals for their child now have another chance. Broward County schools are letting families who’ve recently had a change in financial status to reapply this semester.

To receive free and reduced price breakfasts and lunches, Broward residents must satisfy household size and certain income criteria determined by the United States Department of Agriculture.

More than 123,000 students received benefits for the 2008-2009 school year, an increase of 10,000 over the last year, according to a district report.

To reapply and read menu prices, visit the Broward School’s Food & Nutrition Services Web site to download an application form, or call 754-321-0250.

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