Yogi? Pooh? Baloo? Brer ? Po? Smokey?

Despite the bear's capture in Weston yesterday, the Sun Sentinel still wants you to help them name their former neighbor. Post a name at http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/sfl-weston-bear-053009,0,4615336.story, along with a reason why you like it.

They'll pick the best one on Wednesday and use that name in future stories, as well as give the winner credit.

The Florida black bear -- the first spotted in Broward County in three decades -- had made Weston its new home since mid-April.

The famous former Weston resident's new home will be in Picayune Strand State Forest in southwest Florida.

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The American Association of Teachers of French announced Susana Barreiro, a senior at Sagemont School in Weston, has received the 2008-09 AATF Outstanding Senior in French Award.

The award is given each year to a graduating senior who has shown excellence in the study of French as well as exceptional commitment to the language and the many cultures where it is spoken. Recipients must have completed at least three years of French study at the time of graduation and be non-native speakers of French.

Barreiro is member of the National French Honor Society and has participated in the National French Contest and National French Week activities. She has studied French for four years and is a student of Catherine Armand.

The Sagemont School valedictorian, Barreiro is a Weston resident and has a weighted GPA of 4.79. Susana will attend the University of Miami in the fall. She was the recipient of a $16,000 Dean's Scholarship.

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Weston has installed Wi-Fi in Weston Regional Park that will be activated on Friday, May 22, providing all park visitors with access to free Internet connectivity.

Visitors and spectators will be able to use laptops and other portable devices with Wi-Fi capability anywhere within the park's boundaries. Wireless access will assist the park's numerous sports leagues by facilitating computer input of registrations at the park.

The park, 20200 Saddle Club Road, also serves as the primary staging area for city staff and contractors during storm/emergency events. The connectivity will further support essential city services with the ability to set up remote computers for staging operations. To provide service, the city has installed 20 antennas.

Coming in September will be connectivity within Weston’s newest park, Library Park, adjacent to the Weston Branch Library. Wireless capabilities are expected to be an added benefit for library patrons who enjoy the park for outdoor space to read, do research and relax.

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Photos submitted by Elliot and Myra Kleiman.

American Cancer Society’s Weston Relay For Life raised $112,000 at its May 1 event at Cypress Bay High School.

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti were among the more than 800 who attended. Event chairman Hal Hammel and Linda Tenenbaum received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award.

The event's theme was countries of the world.

Relay For Life is an overnight event designed to bring together those who have been touched by cancer in our community. Attendees celebrate being a survivor and raise money to help the American Cancer Society in its mission to save lives, help those who have been touched by cancer and empower individuals to fight back.

Anyone interested in helping to plan the 2010 event can contact Elliot Kleiman at ekleiman@bellsouth.net

For more information, visit www.relayforlife.org/westonfl

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The Palace Management Group, which specializes in senior housing and care, was named a “Gold” winner in the 2009 Best of 50+ Housing Awards for its newest community, The Palace at Weston Senior Living.

Currently in pre-development, the $110 million luxury senior living community received the honor in the competition’s Congregate/Independent Living Community “On the Boards” category.

The annual award program is presented by National Association of Home Builders’ 50+ Housing Council.

When completed, The Palace at Weston Senior Living will offer 410 apartments with three levels of care: independent, assisted living and memory support.

“The award is truly a testament to the team’s efforts to design a community that reflected the beauty and elegance of The Palace at Weston, the neighboring active adult community, while establishing its own distinct identity and look,” said Helen Shaham, president of The Palace Group.

The facility will feature an elegant dining room, multi-function rooms, concierge services, a lobby lounge/bar, theater, beauty salon, activity and game rooms, a bank, card room, library, computer room and physical fitness room.

A Welcome Center will open in 2010 and will offer visitors the opportunity to see progress of the new community as construction builds from "ground up" until the projected opening and first occupancies in late 2012.

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U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Weston) will be the keynote speaker at Nova Southeastern University’s Health Professions Division’s commencement on Sunday, May 24.

The ceremony, where 791 students will receive their degrees, will be held at 1 p.m. at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise. Graduating students come from the colleges of dental medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, medical sciences and allied health and nursing.

Wasserman Schultz was the youngest woman ever elected to the Florida House of Representatives at age 26. She was elected to the Florida Senate in 2000 and sworn in into the U.S. House of Representatives in 2005.

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The Michael Sclawy-Adelman Debate Scholarship, named after the Nova High School student and Boy Scout who died during a 20-mile hike last weekend, will send teens interested in debating to special summer camps.

A funeral service was held for Sclawy-Adelman's friends and relatives earlier today at B'nai Aviv of Weston.

Anyone interested in donating to the fund should call the Florida Forensic Institute at 954-450-5400.

For more information on the passing of Michael Sclawy-Adelman, visit http://http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/sfl-boy-scout-funeral-bn051209,0,1407463.story

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Weston officials announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has advised them that the city has been accepted as a participant in the National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating System and has achieved a Class 8 rating.

This rating enables Weston property owners to receive a 10 percent discount on the cost of flood insurance for NFIP flood insurance policies issued or renewed in Special Flood Hazard Areas on or after May 1.

Residents do not need to do anything special to receive the discount. The city’s rating in the CRS has been entered into a nationwide database utilized by insurance agents to write and rate flood insurance coverage.

It is estimated that the financial savings to residential flood insurance policyholders is about $44 per year. Property owners and renters in the Weston may purchase flood insurance from any state-licensed property and casualty insurance agent.

Participation in the CRS provides a discount for property owners through implementation of a floodplain management program that exceeds minimum NFIP standards, and other activities that encourage community awareness and education of hazard mitigation opportunities which ultimately reduce the impacts of flooding disasters.

For more information about flooding and flood insurance in Weston, visit http://www.westonfl.org/Content.aspx?f=/Content/PubWorksUtilities/floodInsurance.aspx. Additional information about the CRS is available on FEMA’s Web site at http://www.fema.gov/business/nfip/crs.shtm.

For information about flood insurance, visit www.floodsmart.gov.

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Eagle Point Elementary School recently unveiled its new pizza garden. Garden plants and herbs, including beefsteak tomatoes, garlic, oregano, two kinds of basil and pineapple top the pizza.

One of the four slices remains only white gravel to show an already eaten piece. Plastic pizzas representing fractions for strengthening math skills are strategically placed.

-- Scott Fishman

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Nouveaux Fashion Show ’09, presented by American InterContinental University South Florida, takes place 7 p.m. Friday, May 8 at the Hyatt Regency Bonaventure, 250 Racquet Club Road in Weston.

The event will showcase the latest spring fashions, as designed by AIU South Florida students. The Nouveaux theme will permeate throughout the show, which will focus on modern and fresh spring looks.

All event proceeds will benefit the Woman2Woman Breast Cancer Foundation, founded by Jacquelyn Gray, an AIU alum and breast cancer survivor.

Woman2Woman offers low-cost or free mammograms and helps educate women on the importance of having mammograms and anything else pertaining to breast health issues. To learn more about the organization, visit http://www.w2wbcf.org/.

Cost is $10.

For more information about the Nouveaux Fashion Show, call 954-446-6100. To RSVP, e-mail rsvp@aiufl.edu.

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Students of the city’s Weston University program recently completed their Commission Simulation exercise, which is required to graduate.

The simulation is complete with role assignments, agenda and an audience -- just like the real thing. In their roles as commissioners, staff or developers, students evaluated and voted on a number of very real city issues.

Students had assistance from members of Weston’s real City Commission and staff, but only if it was needed.

The city initiated the Weston University program in October 2002 to give select high school students an in-depth education on the functions of local government. In its seventh year, the city is pleased to announce the graduation of 21 program students, from Cypress Bay, Sagemont and Western high schools, at the May 18 City Commission meeting at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

The seven-month program is designed to provide a unique civic education. Students met once a month for a full-day class that highlighted a different civic discipline.

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