South Florida Sun Sentinel from Fort Lauderdale, Florida • Page 18

Loco Bulletin Board 4 Obituaries 7 Weather 8 Florida PALM BEACH PACE 6 -SECTION MONDAY NOVEMBER 6,2000 PB SOUTH FLORIDA PALM BEACH COUNTY force tacHes school violence asic grams that are not working and expand those that work well. David Kerr, Palm Beach County's chief probation officer, is on the subcommittee that will research what should be done to help students who already are in trouble. SCHOOLS continues on 21 Parents, educators, police and community leaders will make their recommendations in March. and a committee member. Members also will look at programs designed to help students resolve conflicts peacefully, help those heading down the wrong path or reform those who have bullied or fought at school Ultimately, Killets said the district and the community could combine resources, eliminate pro the first time last month, will try to determine the best ways to prevent school violence and how to deal with it when it happens.

They will examine potential physical changes to school campuses, such as locked gates, metal detectors and different architectural styles, said Ann Killets, executive assistant to the superintendent als, social workers, parents and business and community leaders will make its recommendations to Interim Superintendent Ben Martin in March, The shooting death of Lake Worth Middle School teacher Barry Grunow in May spurred Martin to assemble the group. The task force, which met for By KELLIE PATRICK STAFF WRITER A committee whose members teach, raise and discipline children hopes to determine how to make Palm Beach County schools safer. Called the Safe Schools Task Force, the group of about 40 educators, law enforcement profession Recipe for fun -jr r- -i I Ml ill ill mi limn -n'n i RHYTHM: Travis Sheehan, 1 4, right, dances with glowsticks under Music Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach on Sunday. stff photoM.ii$M V. CAMPAIGNED Workers hoping to avert crunch Officials predict long lines, chaos on Election Day ByMELMELfNDEZ Staff writer Like traffic cops, poll workers have heard every excuse in the book.

"Oh, did I have to register?" (The answer: Yes.) "I registered last week." (The cutoff to register for Tuesday's General Election was Oct JO.) "My party affiliation was changed. Who changed this?" (The votercheckedthewrongbox.) "My husband died, so take him off the rolls." (The wife, in the midst of di vorcing her WRITE-IN husband, at- PROTESTS tempted to 2-PARTY make his life SYSTEM, 3B miserable.) On Tuesday, election workers will be braced for an onslaught of frazzled candidates and confused voters. With a close presidential race and a handful of tight local contests, the polls are expected to be standing room only. Nearly 4,500 people a record high have been hired at $90 to $120 for the day to serve as poll workers. Each precinct will have at least five workers, though larger polling places will be busy enough to have as many as 20.

Poll workers, who must be Palm Beach County registered voters, serve three functions: Precinct clerks oversee a precinct's entire operation. ELECTION continues on 21 FIELD Strikers in 1978-79. And the movie, in addition to using Strikers footage, makes reference to Best comingto SoFla to find anonymity, which Europe denied him. Best is not just a soccer flick. It's about a man's descent into alcoholism hell.

Lynch tells me he tried to drag the54-year-oldBestwithhimto Fort Lauderdale. But Georgie who played and partied with current Fusion coach Ray Hudson is suffering from the aftermath of a near-fatal liver failure caused by years of alcohol abuse, and wasn't able to travel back. "I know he would have come," said Lynch, who plays Best. loved his American experience. He is clean and sober, now, and doing pretty well He's recovering and was just worried about traveling." CalUose at 954-356-4529, or e-mai! Property managers to pay fee The Lake Worth Drainage District discovered churches and other groups should not have been exempt.

By STELLA M.CHAVEZ 1 staff Writer fs The Lake Worth Drainage i District has found a pot of mon-: ey it didn't know it had about $750,000. Saying state law is on its side, the district is now slapping fees on property it once thought was exempt. The sessments mostly affect property associations, which are re-; sponsible for "common areas" such as streets, lakes and golf courses. But based on the dis-trict's research, it wasn't charging some groups, such as churches, because of an oversight. The only property that should not be assessed is land owned by the federal government, public school districts, fairs and condo-i minium associations' common property, said Mary Perry, the drainage district's attorney.

The Lake Worth Drainage District maintains more than 500 miles of canals in southern Palm Beach County from Okeechobee Boulevard to Broward County and from Interstate 95 west to State Road 7. i Perry said common areas, such as golf courses or lakes, affect the district's drainage system. It only makes sense for the landowners to pay, she said. "It's really not fair to other 'taxpayers that we're not charging them for their share," Perry said. "We must assess everyone the same." The additional money will in- crease the agency's 10.5 mil-: lion budget by about 7 percent, DRAINAGE continues on 2B SOBE Brace yourself forastarwars in the Miami-area restaurant biz.

Tough guy RobtrtDaNiro and cutie Maris Tomti are just weeks away from opening their own eateries in Miami Beach. They join a crowded celeb- owned moderate-to-expensive food-joint market that already includes Charlie's Angels hottie Camaron Diaz, Gloria EsUfan and Ricky Martin. Oscar winner (My Cousin Vmny) Tomei, in SoFla last week for a Boca store opening, found time to slip down to SoBe and ink a pact with former NOA restaurant chef Robert Olivar. So happens Oliver and Tomei, a real food addict, are longtime buds. partnering for a restaurant that will be named Suva, after the capital of Fiji It is set to open at the same time as the release of Tomei's film with Mai Gibson, What Want, in mid-December.

Suva, in the old NOA space on Lincoln Road, will present South Mix 12 hours with three stages; fold in 16 bands. This Buzz Bake Sale formula serves 18,000. By SCOTT TRAVIS STAFF WRITER The crowd slammed, danced and screamed Sunday as some of today's top alternative bands belted out their hard-rocking hits. The fifth annual Buzz Bake Sale, held at the Mars Music Amphitheatre in suburban West Palm Beach, offered 18,000 South Florida and Treasure Coast rock fans a 12-hour, three-stage smorgasbord of their favorite musicians. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Everclear, the Foo Fighters and Fuel were among the better known bands at the event.

Jessica Nathan, 17, of Boynton Beach, sat on a blanket on the lawn and bopped her head FANS: Mikhal Moberg, 1 6, above, enjoys the music while the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, right, take to the stage. The concert, featuring 1 6 alternative bands, was sponsored by WPBZ-FM, a radio station better known as Buzz 1 03.1 the Spec's Techno Tent at the fifth Lytti 16, of Lake Worth, wished it was a little cooler. Temperatures reached the mid-80s without much of a breeze. "They should have put umbrellas out here," she said. Alternative rock radio station WPBZ, better known as Buzz TOMEI JOIN defensive end Jason Taylor.

If my Dolphins spies are right, and they usually are, the prettiest NFLer in town is off the market. When Taylor is kicking butt on the field, his galpal of nearly two years, Katina Thomas, 22, is flashing a diamond ring on her left hand, and telling friends that the two are engaged. No date yet. Thomas, a contestant in the '97 Miss Texas pageant, is the sister of Taylor teammate Zach Thomas. She and Jason, 26, have been spotted shopping for chi-chi furniture for his new Davie home at Emerald Springs Estate, fueling speculation that she had moved in.

Through a team spokesman, Taylor said he doesn't comment on his private life. a very preggers Calina Dion, shopping for handbags at Saks Fifth Avenue in Boca. I'm told the girl knows exactly what she wants, and she wants it now. And she annual Buzz Bake Sale at Mars 71 103.1, sponsored the event. The festival got the name Bake Sale because during its first year, it featured a baker's dozen of bands 13 for $13.

This year, it grewto 16 bands at about double CONCERT continues on 2B CROWDED doesn't mind spending a little money. She dropped 15Gs on bags there last week. "We love Celine," said a handbags department sales rep. "She's nice to us." Led Zeppelin axe-man Jimmy Paga, letting fans take his picture on Las Olas. Word is Page is recovering in Fort Lauderdale from a back injury that forced him to cancel his U.S.

tour with the Black Crowes trash director John Watara, telling folks at the film festival that he feels bad for celebs who reveal their innermost feelings to reporters. "They must not have many friends," he said. The Best is not yet to come It's fitting that Irish writer-actor John Lynch (In the Name of the Father) picked the current Fort Lauderdale film festival to show his latest, Best, a depressing biopic of Irish soccer star Gaorgio Bast Considered one of the sport's greatest talents ever, Best starred on the famed Fort Lauderdale FOOD FIGHT: DENlRO, as Eve 6 belted out the song Showerhead. "This has been great. The dancing, the music, the weather is sunny but not too hot.

Everything's just perfect," she said. Others, including Wanda Lee, Meet The Parents is no restaurant novice. His original trendier-than-thou Nobu in Lower Manhattan in the mid-'90s made sushi cool when raw fish still scared Americans. While shooting There's Something About Mary in the area in '97, Diaz often complained about the quality of Chinese places on SoBe. In Febuary, she did something about it, opening her dainty place, Bambu, just off Lincoln Road.

Weeks later, it was Estefan's turn, with her Bongos Cuban Cafe at the Heat's new digs in downtown Miami. And last year, Ricky Martin took a break from livin' la vida loca to open Casa Salsa on Ocean Drive. The question now: Is there enough room for all these A-listers? Maybe, maybe not. Already, Casa Salsa has lost steam and is rumored to be closing soon. Going to the chapel? Sorry ladies! Wedding bells may sound soon for star Dolphins Seas island cuisine.

Look forfishwith pineapple, mango and passion fruit sauces. Tomei and Oliver are cooperating on the menu and Tomei came up with cocktail creations. She'Uhost parties there JOSE LAMBIET South Florida insider as well. "Celebrities and restaurants are a natural association," Oliver said. "Restaurants are also about theatrics and showmanship." Just east, on Collins Avenue, the nearly finished Shore Club hotel, also set to open in mid-December, will include Nobu, a sushi joint partly owned by DeNiro.

The star of Taxi Driver and I.