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anneaslIPIPliCr" EFTA01682136 * The Palm Beach Post SATURDAY, AUGUST 5.2006 PalmBeachPost.com LOCAL BUSINESS State response team ready to help animals. farmers after disasters. Inside this section, 8B w c Six DCF workers may have lied for aid Weeding out errors State reviews caught $428,945 worth of fraud before disaster food stamp payments went out in Wilma's wake - less than one-fifth of 1 percent of benefits paid. The reviews help catch: ■ Math errors • ■ lies about living in the disaster area • People who applied for benefits more than once ■ People who fail to report income from verifiable sources like Social Security retirement or child support Silence leads to dismissal of jury A juror failed to disclose her daughter was murdered. By LARRY KELLER Ebb.; Ptah ha SW mum The anticipated start of the high-stakes murder trial of Jeffrey Lamb ended abruptly Friday when it was learned that one of the jurors did not disclose during jury selection 'hat her daughter was murdered five years ago. The juror's reticence re-sulted in all 12 jurors and one alternate being dismissed. The panel was chosen from a pool of 120 prospective jurors after three days of painstaking questioning. Among the questions was whether any-body in the jury pool or their family members had been crime victims. "She flat-out should be charged with perjury," said prosecutor Craig Williams. "She should be made an ex-ample of." The Lamb trial unraveled less than two hours before attorneys were to deliver opening arguments, when a woman in the jury pool who was not selected for the panel phoned the jury administra-tion office and the office of the trial judge, Circuit Judge Lucy Chernow &own. She said that one juror. Dorothea Moore, had mentioned to several people that her daughter had been killed by the daughter's husband. but had not disclosed this during questioning by attorneys (lur-ing jury selection. lamb, 33, was charged two years ago with brutally smashing Cathy Lamb in the head with a heavy tire iron in their Lake Park duplex. The motive: to collect a S29,000 insurance policy from the Walgreens corporate office where she worked. Prosecu- See 11.1808. 4B ► Accused of cheating to obtain hurricane food stamps By KATHLEEN CHAPMAN Pa/* Ikack ltot Sal Write. Six Department of Chil-dren and Families employees who applied for disaster food stamps after Hurricane Wil-ma may have lied to get the payments. according to a state report released this week. Of 449 aid workers who applied. a total of 20 were paid the wrong amounts, review-ers found. A wider survey of applications from the public found fewer mistakes — 15 out of 1.203 payments in a random sample. The review, however, cannot catch people who lied about hurricane damage or expenses. And it cannot catch Getting better with age Mike Henley. 74. of lake Worth practices water-skiing Friday at Okeeheelee Park near Greenacres. Henley. who began water-skiing those who lied about the in-come they earned, except in i the case of ts own employees, whose paychecks are on record with the agency. Florida distributed $269.7 million in emergency aid to more than 2.1 million people after Hurricane Wilma. The one-lime payments, ranging from $152 for a single person to $1.938 for one household of 17, were meant for families who could not afford to buy groceries after the storm. A Palm Beach Past investi-gation earlier this year found few safeguards to prevent people from lying about their income, number of house-hold members or even iden- See FOOD STAMPS: 4B ► in 1954. will travel to Bakersfield, Calif. in a few weeks to compete in the National Water Ski Championships for his age group. West Palm budget sparks debate on cutting tax rate The city has $14 million in new money to spend because of increases in property values. By THOMAS R. GOWNS Palm Rerul Post St4f IVrifer WEST PALM BEACH — Three new police officers, money for kids' programs and some improved parks are the highlights of the city's proposed budget for the year that will start Oct. 1. But in a city where the value of the property jumped by 25 percent over last year — helping to bring in about $14 million of new money to be spent — city commis- sioners are gearing up for a debate on whether to de- crease the tax rate. The result of that debate could reshape the early bud-get draft, which was released this week. A budget workshop is scheduled for Aug. 24. to be followed by public hearings Sept. 6 and 18. But by the time the public hearings are held, cities traditionally don't make many significant changes. As it stands now, here are the key new items and capital projects in the $358 million budget. • 8355.000 for seven new police positions, including three new officers and four civilian staffers who will free up officers to do more actual policing. • $1 million on youth programs. Mayor Lois Frankel said this is all new revenue. But she is only sure how $400,000 of that will be spent. It's been set aside for two "youth empowerment centers" that will provide job training, help with school-work and offer recreation for teenagers. IN $2.2 million on curb, street. and sidewalk repair around the city. • $I million for city mad entryways and landscaping. • $500.000 on park im-provements. including re-vamping the ball fields at Phipps Park. • $120.000 to create a strategy for redeveloping the See BUDGET. 48 l• RUMORS ABOUND AMONG LOCAL COMMUNITY Cuba natives here revel in notion of life after Castro By AK M. VALDES Palm Ittcri Rut &d Writer -alai lia? ad r On left her native Cienfuegos, Cu'-'". :35 years ago. hut news that communist leader lidel dead Castro could be l or possibly smile to her face. • "1 was watching television, and I said to myself, 'Fidel has died. How wonderful. I almost danced d a conga," Padron. 73. saidsaidFriday we at in- ner with relatives at the Cuban Atneri- VI/l re4; Pik.- Road in suburban .• MM.). "I don't wish death upon anybody, hAll, he IS not a good person and has killed so many people." added • radian, who fled Cuba during the CAR COROMOO: we Nabgriptat ,I tope they wry hIrn tips*, down': Hide Araujo joins other at the Cuban American Club, where she danced Friday oh her husband. Tony, in wishing tte worst torCuba's Fidel Castro. Freedom Flights of the 1960s and since has find in Palm Beach Coun- y. At a nearby table in the large din- ing room where televisions broadcast Spanish-language programming Hit d a Araujo.fti. expressed similar senti- ments. Whie eating codfish fricassee with white rice and black beam she said she thinks Castro is either dead or on life support. See CUBAN CLUB. 4B IP Expert: Ignorance of age isn't defense in sex cases By LARRY KELLER Palm Beath Hal skeWnkr Even if Palm Beach mom ey manager Jeffrey Epstein didn't know that girls who police say gave him sexual massages at his Intracoastal home were under the legal age, that alone wouldn't have exempted him from criminal charges of sexual activity with minors. Ignorance is not a valid defense," said Bob Dekle, a legal skills professor who was a Lake City prosecutor for nearly 30 years. half of that time specializing in sex crimes against children. 'ere is no knowledge element as far as the age is concerned." Dekle said. After an 11-month investi- gation, Palm Beach police said there was probable cause to charge Epstein. 53. with unlawful sex acts with a minor Epstein: Two politicians have returned dona- tions since he was charged with soliciting minors. and lewd and lascivious mo-lestation. They contend that Epstein — friend of the rich and famous and financial pa- tron of Democratic Party or- ganizations and candidates —committed those acts with five underage girls. In the pas! week. New York Attorney General and bernatorial candidate Eliot itzer has returned about S. .000 in campaign contri- butions he received from Ep- stein. and Mark Green, a candidate to replace Spitzer in See EPSTEIN. 58 IP Emily 1. Minor's column will return soon. • State raises Vali, for three schools after appeils, 3B • Gunfire scatters crowd at National Bikers ioundup, 3B EFTA01682137 2B THE PALM BEACH POST • SATURDAY, AUGUST 5. 2006 METRO REPORT S C Weather, traffic, breaking news and special reports PalmBeachPosLcom/local Armstrong Howard POLICE BLOTTER JUPITER — An Ill-year-obi was arrested and charged with fatally stabbing a 21-year-old man during a house party melee early Fri- day. Jupiter police arrested Nick Arm- strong. 18. and charged him with second- degree murder. He was booked into Palm Beach County Jail on Friday afternoon. Armstrong got into a fight with John Collins, 21, at a party on Hampton Circle and stabbed him in the chest around 12:15 a.m., police said. Collins then stumbled to the porch of a neighbor, who called for help. Collins was taken to Si- Mary's Medical Center. where he died a few hours later. Officers were already in the area because someone called police about the initial fight. RIVIERA BEACH — A 20-year-old man Is wanted for allegedly shooting his father and another man during a fight. Junes Howard Jr. is be- ing sought on charges ot at- tempted murder and aggra- vated battery with a fire- arm. At about 5 p.m. on July 28, Howard got into a fight with Donte Richardson, 23, in the 800 block of West 13th Court, police said. James Howard Sr., 45 tried to break up the fight and — along with Richardson — was shot. Neither man's in- juries appeared to be life-threatening. Po- lice say Howard Jr. may be carrying a semi- automatic firearm. He is known to drive a Soccer in solo WEST PAIN EF.ACII — Luis Corte of West Palm Beach practices by himself in the noon heat on the Dyer Park soccer fields Friday. Coria says he likes the park's seclu- sion. PICKUM GRAMM, StelPoolcomatre 2000 blue Chevrolet Monte Carlo with Florida tag E31X or a beige Lexus with Florida tag G1911(1. Anyone with informa- tion about Howard Jr. is asked to call Rivi- era Beach detectives at (561) 882-3514, ex- tensions 15 or 24. or Crime Stoppers at (800) 458-8477. ELECTIONS Monday Is the deadline to register to vote In the Sept. 5 printery elections. The registration deadline for the Nov. 7 general election is Oct. 10. To register, applicants must be 18. U.S. citizens and legal residents of Florida. Seventeen -year-olds may pre-register and receive their cards in the mail after their 18th birthday. Registration can be handled online, at winv.pbcelections.org, or in per- son. Applications can be obtained in per- son or by phone, from the Supervisor of Elections main office. 240 S. Military Trail, West Palm Beach, FL 33415. (561) 656- 6200. BRIEFLY PALM BEACH — Yltschak Ben Gad, the consul general of Israel to Florida, will be a guest speaker at the Bairn Beach Synagogue on 7 p.m. Tuesday. The free lecture is open to the public and will be a "behind-the-scenes update on Israel's just war,- according to a • news release. An author and expert on the Palestinian Arab National Movement and the Middle East, Ben Gad became consul general in 2005. He holds a doctorate in political science from Dropsie University in Philadelphia. The synagogue is at 120 N. County Road. For more information, call (561) 838-9002. CAPITOL CARPET & TILE AND WOOD With the lowest prices and best service... why would you buy from anyone else?" LOU MORANO. handset CARPET TILE Mohawk' Wood Alloy Blinds CARPET Mohawk Texture $12.77 sq. yd. Weardattd Soh Touch $18.88 sq. yd. AtMawk Elie Collection $26.54 sq yd. 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OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK Mon Fri 9:30 a.m. - 8 p.m. vas Par teach 119) N stamar ttarrdvii100 PAR leach Gardens 9/3•0Ak MA Issoroworta ran 623470, Saturday 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sunda) I I a.m. - 3 pm. Royal Palm teach vo rano. M low 401 A inel.en 1541,7•2,1441 0110.5 www. aklisktEnsttife.com Raritan Inch Lantau kinthav So,. 4114..s Comets An. ill f lAboitwitiit lid &mast talesPU/4 NW '%Mt leftelni ffroy oe t fu• Iron die or tort 5 are. See Os', he trap You'll find many delicious Ideas for your table every Thursday in Tho Palm Beach Post's Pond & Di sect n. Boca council sets goal on units needed for workforce housing By LAURA AMMERMAN Palm Beach FR& Sr4RS'itnr ROCA RATON - City council members on Friday set a goal for the city to pro- vide about 500 workforce housing units for people who otherwise couldn't afford to live in the city. Council members held the workshop to clear up details on the is- sue and work toward their goal of finalizing an ordi- nance by November. The number. which council members agreed will include new construction and existing homes, is in line with the Palm Beach County Workforce Housing Needs Assessment Package. The package says the city should add that many units by 2025. but Deputy Mayor Susan Whelchel said she hopes the city can reach the goal well before then. "I hope we get it in the next five years." The council also agreed to continue a study that must be completed before the city can impose impact fees on The city will need 500 more affordable homes by 2025. developers to help pay for workforce housing. Started in July. the study was put on hold until the council could get more clear direction on the workforce housing issue. Council members dis- agreed about "linkage fees,- which could be charged to businesses that bring more jobs into the community. Mayor Steven Abrams was in favor of the fees, but Coun- cilman Mike Arts said they don't make sense. "Office Depot is moving their corporate headquarters to Boca Raton and the county is giving them incentive dol- lars to create jobs in our community." Arts said after the meeting. "A linkage fee means that we would turn around and tax them for the jobs they're going to create in this community. That doesn't make a lot of sense." Several other details of the workforce housing plan are still up for debate, in- cluding how to use money in a trust fund set up to provide workforce housing. The fund now holds $3 million, depos- ited in June by Stiles Corp., a developer. City Manager Leif Ahnell said the city could use the money to assist buyers or renters, for financing pro grams or in partnership pro- grams with developers. Lisa Bright, executive di- rector of Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency and Michael Weiner, a Delray Beach attorney who often represents developers, said they hope local commu- nities will approach work- force housing with a regional perspective. Councilman Pe- ter Baronoff agreed. hope to live long enough to see that on the re- gional basis, a solution was given: he said. Staff writer Tanta Valdernoro contributed to this story. O Laura ammermanWobposlcom 15 from county in statewide drug bust 8) STEPHANIE WIER Poisi lima Past Slairgilks Al least 15 Palm Beach County residents are among the 1,219 arrested recently in a statewide attack on drugs and drug-related crime, the Florida Department of Law En- forcement announced Friday. More than $7.5 million, 100 kilos of co caine, 1,000 pounds of marijuana, 180,000 Ecstasy pills. and 3000 doses of hydrocodone and oxycodone were seized during the monthlong sweep, am:writ:les said. Teams and task forces from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies also busted 14 methamphetamine labs, served 72 search warrants. and seized 53 guns and 28 Cara "I hope this will send the message that Florida has zero-tolerance for drug activity," FULE Commissioner Gerald Bailey said. South Florida agencies played a signify cant role in the sweep, with the South Brow- ard Drug Enforcement Unit seizing 130,035 Ecstasy pills. the Fort Lauderdale Police De- partment arresting 359 people and the South Florida Money Laundering Strike Force tak- ing nearly $4 million, authorities said. The sweep was part of a nationwide effort led by the National Alliance of State Drug Enforcement Agencies. otephamestatoteptopost.com Jaguar Select Edition Certified Pre-Owned 2002-2005 X-Type Starting from amAlles%.,‘„ JAGUAR SELECT EDITION CERTIFIED • IN- ..••••••••••,•, $16,999 ;;re tra tif,..rc Best Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle Program — Luxury Class* From $26,900 I0)S ZOOS lit TOP JAGUAR PALM BEACH 4.9% APR Financing Available up tp 6o ROL Wes. allMbeaC a 401e at hMOROFCRTS coin 915 South biro ti tr.. ea Pate•i t.. si sdeci w3LNroo NI to'Aie, Alai Slt Sieki /or tat. 'asore an: bed 'MSS 4 9% APR Must 'ounce um angle DOI addn 3p,;(74d credit :ie., not rmorsa* tor throogb Alu Va amend !ran. AeVilhernOt ISPOI1100 /01400/1/P lati Watt PhotoalteratOn mend wild Otter Rd x t From $39, 900 2„„ x„. nry a an HOURS IdondaytTbuolday 13:30- fpm • Frklay luo_sptio Saturday 94pr Sonde Hove Open Saturday 5.4. Local Her4es EFTA01682138 w c THE PALM BEACH POST • SATURDAY, AUGUST 5. 2006 3B State raises grades for three schools after appeals Four other schools, however, saw requests rejected By DON JORDAN /tam Broca hie Slat {Enter State education officials accept- ed grade appeals from three Palm Beach County schools Friday. while rejecting four others. Orchard View Elementary, Western Academy Charter and Seminole Ridge High all moved from a D to a C with the appeals. "It's fantastic because that D was The grades are based on scores not an indication of what we had from the Florida Comprehensive done at our school this year." she Assessment Test. said. "I'm thrilled. I can't wait to let The Department of Education rejected appeals from John I. Leon- ard High (U), Melaleuca Elementa- ry (8). Glades Central High (D) and the C-STAR School of the Arts charter school (C). the teachers and my parents know: Terranova attributed the initial grade to a mistake made by the state's data handlers. While West- ern Academy scored high enough for a C. the school was dropped to a . Western Academy Principal I) because of poor reading ins Iznda Terranova was ecstatic about provements — only because the the results. state had lost the previous year's scores, Terranova said. While the school had one reason to celebrate, it had another reason to be disappointed. Superintendent Art Johnson said he was not surprised by some of the rejected appeals. -We do understand that this is part of the state's accountability The school lost its appeal to meet system: he said. the "adequate yearly progress" fed. The state granted appeals from eral standard. South Fork High in Martin County. The state awarded the designer moving the school to a B and a tion to Royal Palm School, which "provisional" status under the adt- was the only other school in the quate yearly progress standard. district to appeal. . Schools that earn an A or B but The grades and the adequate fail to make adequate yearly yearly progress designations are progress under federal standards required under the federal No Child are labeled with the "provisional" Left Behind Act. status. Across the state, 33 schools submitted appeals and 19 were granted. Staff writer Christina DeNardo CON- tnbuted to this story dri_yomarammestcom Senior services takeover will stand A court decides Ruth Rales gets the grant the Mae Volen center had. By SUSAN R. MUER Palm Mack lbst She Wain An appellate court has refused to stop Ruth Rales Jewish Family Services of South Palm Beach County from taking over from Mae Volen Senior Center in Boca Raton the provision of in-home services to about 400 of southern Palm Beach County's frail elderly. The 4th District Court of Appeal on Friday denied Mae Volen's re- quest to stop the takeover while it contested the award of a $1.7 million-a-year, three-year state grant to Ruth Rales by the Area Agency on Aging Palm Beach/ 'Treasure Coast Inc. last week. attorneys for Mae Volen, which had the grant for 26 years, filed a motion with the ap- pellate court arguing that the bid- ding process had been tainted be- cause numerous errors had been made, rules were changed in mid- process that altered scoring and MA gave independent bid review panel membersmisinfonnation that led to its lower score. Ruth Rates earned 371 points: Mae Volen, 365. • Mae Volen President Elizabeth Lugo said she simply wanted her case to be heard before services were transferred. On Friday, she said no decision had been made on whether to take further legal action. The two agencies have worked together to provide the services paid for through the grant when Mae Volen held it, and they can work together now that Ruth Rales is lead agency, said Robert McFalls. AAA's chief executive. • AAA, for its part, said Ruth Rales won the grant fair and square based on a ratings scale used in previous years. "We had a very good indepen- dent review committee that read <Very proposal and scored it and had the opportunity to discuss it," said Robert McFalls. AAA's chief executive, dismissing Lugo 's claim that the committee simply rubber- Stamped the agency's recommen- dation. • In the meantime, all parties have begun to work together toward what they say will be a smooth fransition of services. "We are giving 100 percent and cooperating hilly? Lugo said. • Still, the change has some of Mae Volen's clients worried. Alice Kraulos. 80. of Delray Beach fears that the day-care services .her ec .hus- band. Andrew, reives will disapi pear. He suffers from Parkinson s and she from emphysema It took her eight months from the tune she applied to the time her husbandrngragnott. into Mae Volen's daycare 'ng care of w 24/1.1 got to a Win! V, 1. .• "Before this. I wastaki h I twee said-do it a% back a little said. -11 has given in fife: Although Ruth Hales does not five a seniornlidanyr cthenetesre,r*.the SeacY ontrading with daycare es ,possiblys even citai n es Volen,ExecutiveRuth meedoe *bath Fatter sala.guaraw "While can't give any the least tees, vie wan. t to. have amount of disruption In client ser- vices: giKarsylle:186. of tetra.' Beach. Jean home health service who receives through Mae Volen, was not happy to hear about the change either, but added. -I have no choice- 'just hope tharenc)daaavia't oak amuyse homehave afigethoetkdi One AM• a audMaeoVnce°1etno AceSteadY "aye met spr6des. exect-- the wails -gMn other or( to e dorm agcer hoes althaughtbeY ,gtdcb xtiopnth. . ppes. hedbY months to make tt e Su um n° visaw&beaco A backpack worthy of praise DELKAY BEACH — Kailyn Graham, 4, is proud of the new pink backpack she received at the Staples store through Variety In- ternational Processing, Inc., a drug-testing company that wanted to give back to the community. About 300 backpacks were dis- tributed to several organizations in the city, including Christ Missionary Baptist Church, which Kailyn attends. Gunfire mars bikers event; deputy shoots man By ALINSON BIRD IL's* Ittual /Ur Staff 'Ent., First came hail, then came gunfire. As National Bikers Roundup vendors tried to repair their booths after bad weather Thursday at the St. Lucie County Fairgrounds, a biker from the Wheels of Soul motorcycle club allegedly began fuing a revolver into the crowd. The situ- ation ended when a sheriffs deputy shot a 37- year-old Chicago man in the stomach. The man was flown to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach. where he remained in critical condition Friday, the St. Lucie County Sheriffs Office said. The agency did not release his name because his family had not been noti- fied. The sheriffs office also refused to release the deputy's name, but Sheriff Ken Mascara said he is 52 years old and a 24-year veteran of the force. Mascara said deputies did not know why the man allegedly began shooting or how many shots were fired. The sheriff said the suspect has pnevious weapons and burglary charges. Florida Highway Patrol troopers escorted the rest of the man's motorcycle club — about 50 members of the Wheels of Soul — north on Interstate 95 and out of the county. Even with the Wheels of Soul gone, several vendors packed up their trucks Friday afternoon, though the event lasts through Sunday. David King. a local Subway restaurant owner, said the shooter duckedbooth behind his car and the Thursday crowd trampled night King and other vendors hid inside a refrig- erated truck until the shooting ended. Several of them insisted Friday that there was more than one shooter. -They didn't catch the other guy, so they're going to say there's not one more," vendor Andy Schmidgall said. Warnings about the Wheels of Soul, which Mascara said camped in an isolated corner of the fairgrounds, were given before the roundup. A sheriffs office report on the shooting said officials knew the club had come to St. Lucie County to recruit local members for a new chapter. 'They were to be in possession of automatic firearms and possibly drugs: the report said. But officials did not use metal detectors or search people for weapons before they entered the event. 'The logistics of searching everybody com- ing into the fairgrounds would have been impossible," Mascara said, though large outdoor concerts frequently use metal detectors. He added that information about bikers intending to shoot people did not come until after the roundup had begun. But the same report stated: "On July 31st. the sheriffs office received a phone tip that several outlaw biker gangs were going to show up to the event and start shooting members of the hosting club." The problems at the fairgrounds Thursday night were not limited to the Wheels of Soul. An hour before the shooting, a man was stabbed in an unrelated scuffle. Mark Alexander, 36, emerged from the melee with a bleeding stomach but told a friend that he had not been stabbed, a sheriffs report said. The report stated that Alexander, who was "very uncooperative" with investigators, was taken to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and Heart Institute in Fort Pierce. Both the shooting and the stabbing hap- pened in the food booth area. Vendors banded together. looking for an apology. Event organizer Kevin Perry said he would work with them Sunday to discuss partial reimbursement. Meanwhile, representatives from the roundup and St. Lucie County tried to emphasize the positive avects of the event at a news con- ference. After three days without even traffic complaints. officials pointed to the money the estimated 30,000 customers brought to the county per day. Organizer Carly Lamy said that previous National Bikers Roundups have left s3.5 million to $12 million in host counties. Sheriffs officials said they did not plan to increase the number of deputies. But Friday afternoon, the sheriffs new armored personnel carrier— a tanklike vehicle like those used in the Iraq war — rolled through the fairgrounds, dropping the jaws of snow cone-clutching kids and leather-laden bikers alike. 0 altmonbtrdepepostcom Delray mayor distances self from commissioner By DIANNA 5W111 HIM BAN* Haab/Wow DELRAY BEACH — Mayor Jeff Perhnan wants to make two things perfectly clear to the more than 800 employees of Delray Beach. He and Commissioner pn Levinson share many of the sane goals and concerns. But what tiey don't share is the same style in which to handle city staff In an effort to defuse assuip; lions that Perlman always ace 'th Levinsoris scolffing Perlman has started to clear tb air with seven months to go in hisixa; year legit For the fiutith doart mayor, he is meetingr tnent heads and city staff.sinegs;ips to stress how proud he 'dotal a. and to let them know h. e _ dam 'I want to clarify- uwilitehriegtlaant latingu, even to tollbarfidaent's decslike al °them,' he said. laboratory technicians to the pri-Ways see eno t of his to lose planners. engineers and Perlman said this weeh.chlovorkda: and Levinson ac- ed a customer-service program Ind. Perlman said, 'This year, commissioners start- vale sector. While the commission should be looked at as I'm a lot more diplomatic Han h‘else. hurtful an forLe avinasonf called SPIRIT, a motivational pro- spends the next few weeks analyz- ing Ihe upcoming budget, figuring The statements the rumors counts linking him newspaper brings an is in the right )face. i'o, have 'been ve sion. The one thing we whet Commissioners have met twice emplo l to • ik hard and treat ewialltrnstspttivree °°' how t° fill these empty spots. make hisrounds. continue to an awful lot to thee h about Jo .. '5 . ___ple._ ry Ito wgralorkil ernreviratoednntioenUtrotfinadt Perlman said he will stands and w people." his year with a strategic planner to customerserg work We re able to share things with know where he . Sits are peaks his mind. I cuanno.na leview goals and objectives, and includes respect.The pro- " • employee reeogni- "That's with the Rita F1 so ash into meet with the planner tion. barbecues with games and each other: Perlman said. hornecectwe sscgal.n in October. Normally, the Hula Hoops and badges employees how things get better." attended several where veopinals are reviewed only Vice Vasa nt _ Cal d once a year. can wear on a voluntary basis that • demi srvinednicstews . • - meetings came Perlman comment on Levinson's de- meanor. "I'm not sure why he feels like he has to deal with people on that lev. el." Ellis said, add- ing, "When they bring this up. I refuse to talk about it. He's a fellow commissioner. We all want the same things." Levinson. who was travelling and could not be reached for com- ment Friday. hasn't been shy about his feelings toward city staff. Ile's pointed out their flaws during pub- lic meetings, telling those who don't agree with the city's customer ser- vice policy to "get off the bus." Ru- mors that he wants to push 16-year veteran City Manager David Hard-It was during the meetings this year that commissioners began to voice concerns about city staff. Residents, they've said, have complained that some employees haven't returned calls promptly or haven't taken the time to help. Perlman wants staff to know he cares about them and he wants them to do the best job possible. 'We're trying to create a culture where people will be honest with the commission,' he said. "I want to know what's going on ... how I can help. I feel I have a very good rela- tionship with staff. I've really grown close to them over the years" 'Though Harden, who oversees city staff, nonnally would speak to the employees about customer ser- vice and morale, Perlman said he thought it was his responsibility. 'I have worked even harder now say, 'Ask Me About SPIRIT." Commissioners formed a SPIRIT committee and though many em- ployees publicly have said they en- joy the program and feel it helps both staff and residents, other em- ployees have complained about the program, saying they feel forced into it. Though Perlman supports SPIRIT, he stressed that it was not his idea. The city already offered good customer service, he said. "It's taken on a life of its own. It's something I'm being labeled with; he said of SPIRIT. "I really see that as a management function. I didn't want to be in the business of moni- toring it, implementing it." Perlman has said that some de- partments are overworked. There are 16 vacancies within the fire de- partment. and the city is continuing EFTA01682139 46 THE PALM BEACH POST • SATURDAY, AUGUST 5, 2006 W C Application reviews reveal remaining cases la. FOOD STAMPS from 18 ti ty in order to qualify. Federal Riles allow applicants to qual- ify without a Social Security Mimber, and the state allowed those without photo identifi- cation to have a friend vouch for them. Several workers told the tout that it was easy for people to fudge their income and ex- penses, and believed that some were padding. their ap- plications with fictitious rela- tives and roommates in order to qualify for larger payments. The state caught $428.945 worth of fraud before the payments went out in No- vember 2005, less than one- fdth of 1 percent of benefits paid. An additional 168 people who got the payments, but may have lied on their appli- cations, were referred to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for investiga- tion, according to the report. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the disaster food stamp pro- gram. requires the report to ensure states weed out those trying to cheat the system. 1Tte review catches prevent- able errors like payments to people who lied about living in the disaster area, who ap- plied for benefits more than once or failed to report in- come from verifiable sources like Social Security retire- ment or child support. It also catches mathematical errors. The review showed an accuracy rate of 98 percent for those types of mistakes. "Overall, we're pleased with how we operated the Disaster Food Stamp Pro- gram last year." DCF spokesman Tun Bottcher said in a statement. DCF turned over all six to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for criminal Investigation. Three of the six DCF em- ployees who may have lied on their application were turned in by an anonymous tip last fall. Two employees of the South Florida Evaluation and Treatment Center in Miami underreported household in- comes to get the benefits, the inspector general found, and an administrative assistant for DCF in Miami-Dade County failed to report her husband's wages and military pension. Three more cases of sus- pected fraud were found when DCF reviewed employ- ee applications for the federal review. DCF turned over all six to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for crimi- nal investigation. So far. DCF has found 449 disaster food stamp applica- tions from its employees — 282 from temporary workers and 167 from MI-time em- ployees. But the agency has not been able to double-check every application submitted by an employee because it still isn't sure who sonic of those employees were. The state relied on workforce agencies and temp compa- nies, which did not keep records like date of birth or address for 2,500 disaster food stamp workers hired in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. The tbsr's investigation on those who could be identified found that dozens of workers. with access to applicants personal information had records of financial crimes, including organized fraud. public-assistance fraud and identity theft. DCF officials say they plan to require background screens on em- ployees before the next di- saster aid program. A separate report by the DCF inspector general also suggested better training for the temporary workers hired to take and screen applica- tions. After Hurricane Wilma. many of the workers gathered in large groups for trainimi. Sonic of the instructors t have microphones, and not all workers could hear instruc- tions, the report said. Other problems included 36.700 payment cards that arrived several weeks late because of a mistake at JP- Morgan EFS., which pro- grammed the cards for the state. Huge numbers of appli- cants crowding the sites also put pressure on employees to approve the money quickly. and DCF did not have away to prove the identity of each person who submitted each paper application. Next time. DCF plans to have people register for di- saster aid in advance online or by phone. DCF can then ver- ify the information is com- plete and accurate and flag suspicious cases before peo- ple arrive to apply in person. The state also hopes to install card readers that can scan driver licenses fi an . to con- firm applicants' identities. • saimeta_csaamaiwteboostcom Frankel, Mitchell at odds over rate W. BUDGET farm 18 Coleman Park neighborhood in the city's north end. ft• city will then pursue grant money to help with the actual redeveloping. Frankel said the budget's themes are "hometown se- curity" and "neighborhood investment: "It stresses the two big- gest issues that I hear all the time out in the community. which is that everyone wants the community to be safer. and number two, there isn'tm anybody around who doesn't want their environment to be beautiful? Frankel said. The proposal includes only the spending plan for the general departments, such as police, fire and parks. It doesn't include spending plans for the downtown and north-end districts that get to keep most of their property tax money for redevelop- ment projects. The budgets for those districts will be released later and discussed at a workshop on Aug. 14. Last month, city commis- sioners set the maximum tax rate at $8.22 per S1.000 of taxable property. The owner of a 8200.000 house with a $25.000 homestead exemp- tion would pay $1,438.50. Commissioners can't raise that rate• but can re- duce it. And that's just what 'Commissioner Kimberly Mitchell. a longtime Frankel adversary, has proposed. "You have to be mindful of people's earning capacity. not just how much you can take from then, but how much they can afford." said Mitchell, who in recent years has made a habit of pushing for a lower rate. "you cannot continue to tax people just because you can." She says a reduction of the city's tax, plus pushing for the elimination of the Downtown Development Authority tax on downtown residents — $2 on every S 1.000 of taxable property — could have a big effect on tax bills. But commissioners have limited pull on the DIM. While its board members are City commissioners set the maximum tax rate at $8.22 per S1,000 of taxable property. They can't raise that rate, but can reduce it. appointed by the mayor, the DIM itself was created under state law. After a gradual reduction from 1997 to 2003, the city's tax rate has stayed level for past three years even as property values have soared. Reducing the rate by 10 cents per $1,000 of value. for example, would save the owner of a $200.000 house, with a homestead exemption, 817.50, or about the price of two movie tickets. But it would cut hundreds of sands of dollars from the city budget. Frankel has made it clear she believes that because the city is providing better ser- vices, it makes sense to keep the rate the same. "Do the residents want to use their money collectively for the city or do they want a few dollars back?" Frankel said. Commissioner Bill Moss said that the city's current rate makes the city competi- tive with the county in at- tracting businesses. And the improvements made to neighborhoods with the extra tax dollars will add value to residents homes in the long-term, he said. "It's probably more im- portant right now to go ahead and fix the sidewalks, curbs. the neighborhood issues rather than giving the neigh- borhoods an arbitrary re- duction: Moss said. But Jeri Muoio, a com- missioner just appointed in May, said the commission needs to have a full discus- sion on reducing the rate. think we need to weigh sonic of the requests that come to us from the neigh- borhoods against a reduction in the millage rate and make a decision about it," she said. "Ifs not an easy decision to make." O thartas_coa ,130)bacg urn Jury dismissed after member tells of killing lbJURORAwn tit tors are seeking the death penalty if Lamb is convicted. Attorneys would have wanted to know if Moore could be impartial in lamb's case given the fact that he is charged with murdering his wife. Moore. 47, of Riviera Beach admitted in court Fri- day that she didn't mention that her daughter. Tanga, Moore. was murdered by her husband. who then killed himself. "I felt it was none of their business? she told Brown. She denied, however. telling others in the jury pool about her daughter's death. 1 haven't spoken a word to anybody about that. she said. She repeated that as- sertion to reporters later. Moore was dismissed front the jury. Other jurors were then called into Brown's courtroom one by one and asked if they had heard VA 5.1.4.‘E sLir wrwrire °MIMS Moore was a juror in the Jeffrey limb murder trial until it was discovered she neglected to disclose her daughter's murder. Moore say anything about her life that had relevance to the Lamb trial. A woman said she over- heard Moore tell a group of five to seven prospective ju- rors about her daughters murder. And a man dropped another bombshell: Moore told him there was no way she would impose the death penalty if Lamb was found guilty. Prospective jurors were asked by attorneys if they could impose the ultimate penalty. Those who said no were dismissed. Defense attorney Richard Lubin asked Brown to dis- miss the entire jury panel. -There was deception here ... that affected the entire process" he said. believe this jury has been tainted.. Brown granted the motion to "preserve the integrity of the process." Moore. who said she's an operations manager for a motor coach company in Lake Worth, told reporters that she could have been an impartial juror. 1 would have listened to the evidence, lis- tened to the facts and then made my judgment: she said. Brown could fmd Moore in contempt of court for her actions, which carries a max- intum penalty of six months in jail and a fine. She said she wants to review testimony before deciding what she will Some fear Raul Castro's leadership ► CUBAN CLUB from 1B "And if he is dead, I hope they bury him upside down, so that he falls deep- er," added Araujo, who left Cuba in 1961 and has not re- turned to the island. At this weekly gather- ing, where locals enjoy homemade food and dance to salsa and merengue. many Cubans chatted about Castro's recent surgery for gastrointestinal bleeding. They also shared opinions on how his brother Raul has become the island's tempo- rary leader. Some believe he has died and the Cuban govern- ment is hiding it, while oth- ers agree it could be a ru- mor or simply a farce. "Who knows? It's a ryes tery. Castro started working in Cuba with lies, and the lies continue," said Roberto Padr6n. 81, of Lake Worth. "But that needs to end soon." Maria E. lzquierdo said although she was relieved to hear Castro could be dead or very ill, she fears Raul Castro's leadership. "It makes me doubt about what is going to hap pen over there. Many pep-, ple are going to die. But it so important that freedom comes for the people of Cu- ba," said Izquierdo, 67, of West Palm Beach. Although the crowd was made up mostly of older Cu- bans who fled the island de- cades ago, some of the younger people who recent- ly left the island say they were surprised to hear Cas- tro could be sick because they never imagined the leader could be weakened. 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If it found prob- able cause that Moore corn. mined aerjury, Williams' of- fice could then prosecute her. In the meantime, a new round of 150 prospective ju- rors will be convened on Wednesday in an effort to get a new jury for the Lamb case. Those who were chosen this week looked crestfallen when told they were being dismissed. "I was really looking for- ward to doing my best in the trial," said Kurt Tenaglia of Delray Beach. This was my chance to really feel good about our justice system. It was very upsetting for all of Staff inearcher rimy lianaway contributed to this story. FREE TEST - CONSULT - INSPECTION wM / LOWEST PRICES I OEWINDAILE NATIONAL MOLD TESTING 4 (561)624-2052 x twos,/ •ksured • Wonted On A Budget? 1 Stretch it with bargains advertised in today's Post. . • stop in Todp, in • OMPOnewlEarariibl • ; 1220 li‘w. I, Sulk /F N.p.s. • COY! Kw Skin 1772) 224$36 1561f 5t46F6} Protecting What Matters tiost! GUARDIAN STORM PROTEC vi TION String to be the Pout in the Iflowery. EreopnonasSenVce sf a Roasonetwo Wilco! ODPUetl:renvievilia:tsttliiipedeped.) vendin 4 to 6 Weeks' etta EFTA01682140 S C Lawyer: Jurors often believe adults over kids THt PARR BEACH POST SATURDAY. AUGUSTS 2 POO 58 SMOKERS WANTED 0. EPSTEIN from la his current job. has returned S10.000 to him because of the Palm Beach scandal, the New Yee* Daily Neus has reported. Rather than file charges. the state attorney's office presented the case to a county grand jury. The panel indicted Epstein last week on a single. less serious charge of felony solicitation of pros- titution. The case raised eyebrows because the state attorney's office rarely. if ever, kicks such charges to a grand jury. And it increases the difficulty of prosecuting child sex abuse cases, especially when the defendant is enormously wealthy and can hire high- priced, top-tier lawyers. At least one of Epstein's alleged victims told police he knew she was underage when the two of them got naked for massages and sex- ual activity. She was 16 years old at the time and said Ep- stein asked her questions about her high school, ac- cording to police reports. A girl who said she rues Epstein when she was 15 said he told her if she told any- body what happened at his house, bad things could hap- pen, the police reports state. Epstein's youngest al- leged victim was 14 when she says she gave him a massage that included some sexual activity. She is now 16. The girl's father says he doesn't know whether she told Ep- stein her age. "My daughter has kept a lot of what happened from me because of sheer embarrass- ment," he said. "But she very much looked 14. Any prudent man would have had second thoughts about that." Defense attorney Jack Goldberger maintains that not only did Epstein pass a polygraph test showing he did not know the girls were minors, but their stories weren't credible. The state attorney's office also implied that their credibility was an issue when it decided not to charge Epstein directly, but instead give the case to the grand jury. 'A prosecutor has to look at it in a much broader fash- ion." a state attorney's spokesman said last week. Epstein hived Harvard law Professor Alan Der- showitz when he became aware he was under investi- gation, and Dershowitz gave prosecutors information that some of the alleged victims : had spoke of using alcohol and marijuana on a popular Web site, according to a Palm Reach police report. Prosecutors typically consider two things in decid- ing whether to charge some- body with sex-related offens- es against minors— whether there is sufficient evidence i and whether there is a public interest in doing so. Ikkle said. America's Last Soapbox f.^ fon:7300 \bra rand bowl xxpres• your oolong oo • Meal or national Yea to • War to Ito Post, Sate lancets 2 the Wet The Ptato Beech roe P.O. boa 14700 West Palma Bock FL. 53416 rat MI420-4728 teuen/p19 10-0101Child sex abuse cases often are difficult to prosecute, an attorney says. If two teens are in a sexual relationship and the boy tu