West Palm Beach News

“There are priorities closer to home just at this time.”

With the U.S. economy in the doldrums, tourism leaders are pinning their hopes on a country that just a short time ago would have been unthinkable: China. via Hotel Online

“I'm going to do all I can not to let HUD down”

After four years of federal control, the city's housing authority is no longer "troubled" and the local board has regained oversight, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Friday. via KnowledgePlex

“And if you do, at least you have an agency standing behind you with a bond and insurance. You have protection. The chance of this occurring with an agency would be remote.”

The 93-year-old woman wanted to continue living in her home, so she hired a caregiver based on a friend's recommendation.

That decision nearly cost Sylvia Maizuss $447,000 with the in-home aide gaining power of attorney over her and draining her bank accounts, state authorities said this week.

The state Department of Children & Families got back nearly $415,000 for Maizuss, who lives in Hallandale Beach , the largest monetary recovery in the agency's history. Officials say the case highlights a much larger worry in the state: senior citizens who hire in-home care without going through licensed agencies. Read more

“It's been wonderful, absolutely great”

With a new owner and a newly remodeled arena, the Winter Equestrian Festival ended its 12-week run in a new way on Sunday - with a Parade of Champions that honored the riders and horses who won some of this year's events.

The riders wore their dark black helmets, their impeccably clean riding jackets and pants, and led their horses around the nearly empty International Arena for a final spin.

It almost didn't happen. A fight between festival owner Mark Bellissimo and the show's former producers threatened to move the festival and an equine herpes outbreak almost postponed the show. But Sunday, only the horses were on the minds of the riders and spectators. Read more

Lake Okeechobee's water level is rising.

The South Florida Water Management District says the lake is benefiting from consistent rainfall and rose to 10.32 feet above sea level Saturday.

Water managers say the lake is holding more water than it did last year, despite a two-year drought. Last year on the same date, the lake measured 10.27 feet.

However, South Florida is far from recovering from a rainfall deficit of more than 20 inches over the past two years. The lake hit an all-time low of 8.82 feet on July 2 of last year and remains about 4 feet below the historical average. Read more

“It's a real boost for the Russian community”

A video store offers Russian film classics for silver screen aficionados. Owners of a small food market sell jams and sausages appealing to the Russian palate. And a Chabad center welcomes Russian Jews with a space for religious study and reflection.

It's no wonder many locals refer to this seaside city as Little Moscow. Dozens of businesses here draw South Florida Russians from as far north as West Palm Beach for a taste of home.

Flashing signs in the Cyrillic alphabet, the food markets, bookstores and dry cleaners are among the signs of South Florida's growing Russian community. A 2006 U.S. Census survey estimates 125,000 people claiming Russian ancestry live in Miami -Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, a 19 percent increase since the 2000 census. Read more

“I knew that there had to be a better way to address the gross administrative inefficiencies that currently plague the traditional healthcare system. The answer is MedeFile.”

MedeFile International, Inc. , a company specializing in portable electronic medical records management solutions, today announced that Personal Choice Family Practice, a new concierge medical practice based in ... via TechWeb.com

“If you don't need pregnancy coverage, then you don't have to buy it”

At the neonatal intensive care unit in St. Mary's Medical Center on Monday, Gov. Charlie Crist hesitatingly peeked inside a clear, lighted incubator.

Inside the isolette lay a day-old, 1.9-ounce baby, with limbs the size of fingers, who was born four months premature.

The unit can treat 70 babies at a time, said Joey Bulfin, the hospital's chief nursing officer. And most days, she told the governor, a majority of the patients are born to parents who either don't have insurance or lack coverage that would cover their treatment. Read more

“I was literally receiving a call from my mother when we heard the explosion”

The rabbi's house was devoured by flames. So was the front half of the car in the driveway. But two Torahs that were in the trunk of the charred car emerged unscathed.

Ask the city's Fire Rescue spokesman about the sacred scrolls and he'll tell you a miracle happened Thursday night in West Palm Beach.

'I don't know how to explain it, but it was a miracle,' Phil Kaplan said. 'It absolutely blew my mind.'

Fire Rescue got the call a little after 6 p.m. When they arrived at the house on Sunningdale Circle, the nearly 5,000-square-foot house was engulfed in flames, Kaplan said. Read more

Help is on the way for distressed homeowners in West Palm Beach. The City of West Palm Beach opened a first of its kind foreclosure assistance center, Monday, to give homeowners immediate relief. via WPEC-TV West Palm Beach

Former Boston Mayor Kevin White has been hospitalized in Florida after breaking ribs and injuring his back in a fall inside his Jupiter vacation home on Tuesday, said George Regan, a spokesman for the family. via Boston Globe

For the last 20 years, a woman said she was sexually abused by the same man but she kept it a secret because "she was afraid to shame her family," police said. via Palm Beach Post

“With the market the way it is, I was shocked they went through with it”

Home builders are dumping land, cutting workers and otherwise retrenching, yet GL Homes is still buying. via Palm Beach Post

NOBODY PUSHED A WOMAN FROM THE TOP OF A DOWNTOWN WEST PALM BEACH CONDO. THAT'S THE WORD FROM POLICE WHO SAY 34-YEAR OLD CATRINA MISONZNICK HAS ADMITTED THAT SHE ACCIDENTALLY FELL WHILE TRYING TO GAIN ACCESS TO ... via WBZT-AM West Palm Beach

Frank Singleton turned a misdemeanor into a felony, without even leaving the jail parking lot. via Local6

“I think he really wanted to get away and was looking for a car.”

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office called him stupid Tuesday. But Frank Singleton could almost write the book on how to turn a misdemeanor into a felony without ever leaving the jail's parking lot.

'This is one of the stupid criminals,' Sheriff's Office spokesman Paul Miller said.

Singleton, 21, of West Palm Beach, got released from the county lockup Tuesday after being arrested on a misdemeanor trespassing charge.

He immediately ran out into the visitor's parking lot and, in an apparent effort to get away as quickly as possible, tried to carjack a 2006 Nissan 350Z, Miller said. Read more

Here is the text of an email sent to CBS 5 from the campaign: Earlier today, Peter Cappuccilli, Jr. via WTVH Syracuse

The Wendy's restaurant where a gunman opened fire earlier this month, killing a Palm Beach County paramedic, is set to reopen today. via WWSB

Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of Thomson CenterWatch : Heart Disease If you are male age 50 or older, or a woman 60 or older, with no history of heart disease or stroke, you may qualify for this ... via HON

“The RITMO!PALOOZA room was the hit of the event. It was fun, it was beautifully designed, it captured the spirit of Miami, and the attendees just loved it”

For decades, Florida continues to be a fabulous tourist destination for fun-in-the-sun tropical beach vacations, sizzling nightlife, children's entertainment, historic tours of 16th-century Italian ... via Business Wire