South Florida Sun Sentinel from Fort Lauderdale, Florida • Page 26

Sun-Sentinel, Thursday, March 11, 1993 3B METRO EXTRA Diner owner shot fighting robber ft Hv; mm v. man wielding a pistol. The gunman demanded money. The two men struggled. A shot was fired, and the bullet struck Solomos, police said.

The gunman then hit Solomos on the head with his pistol. The gun discharged, this time into the air. Beltran fled without taking any money. Scott Rose of Oakland Park and three friends were on Dixie Highway when they heard the shots and saw an armed man running south. Police converged, and the gunman began shooting again.

Police returned fire. No one was hit. Then the gunman jumped in the Middle River and swam across. William Main heard the shooting report on the police scanner in his car. As Main drove along Northeast 28th Street at Eighth Avenue in Wilton Manors, he saw the suspect running.

He flagged down police, who arrested Beltran in a backyard shed onNorth-east Sixth Lane. By RAY LYNCH Staff Writer OAKLAND PARK The co-owner of the Peter Pan Diner was shot Wednesday while struggling with an armed robber in the restaurant's parking lot, police said. Jerry Solomos was listed in stable condition on Wednesday night at Holy Cross Hospital, where he was treated for a leg wound and a blow to head. Carlos Beltran, 23, of the 400 block of Southwest 20th Street, Fort Lauderdale, was charged with armed robbery and attempted murder in the shooting. Police said Beltran is also wanted in New York state on a parole violation for an armed robbery there.

The shooting occurred at 5:41 p.m. when Solomos arrived for work at the popular 24-hour diner he owns with his brother, Nick, at 1216 E. Oakland Park witnesses said. Seconds after pulling into the parking lot, Solomos was approached by a "I 1 i Staff photoJUDY SLOAN REICH Police officers talk with Tom Solomos, right, son of the shooting victim. COMEDY OF OARERS Church, temple vie for space Baptists may move, sell Weston building wVJht Sto will DIGEST Staff reports Bank robber gets 7 years A former Fort Lauderdale resident nicknamed "The Bicycle Bandit" because he fled some bank robberies on a bicycle has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

James Ray Hugus was convicted of bank robberies in Fort Lauderdale, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska. He was sentenced on Tuesday in Kansas City, for robbing 10 banks of more than $36,000, FBI spokesman Max Geiman said. Hugus is a suspect in at least 20 bank robberies around the country, Geiman said, Hugus has been in federal custody in Kansas City since his arrest by FBI agents and sheriff's deputies in June near Cory-don, Iowa. Murder suspect sought Broward Sheriff's Office detectives are looking for the former boyfriend of a woman who was shot to death during an argument over the possession of a television set on Tuesday night. Darrell Bernard Johnson, 27, is suspected of shooting Lenora Gurley, 30, of the 2800 block of Northwest 14th Street, west of Fort Lauderdale.

Johnson is from the Miami-Homestead area and fled the shooting site in a silver-gray compact car, possibly a Nissan, sheriff's spokesman George Crolius said. Johnson is black, about 5 feet, 7 inches tall, 150 pounds and has brown eyes and black hair. He has several tattoos, including a heart with the initials D.J. on his chest. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the Sheriff's Office Homicide Unit at 497-3680 or Crime Stoppers at 493-TIPS.

Boundary meeting set The Broward County School Board will conduct its final public hearing next month on boundary changes for elementary and middle schools. The hearing is set for 7 p.m. April 21 at Plantation High School, 6901 NW 16th St. Among the issues to be decided are the reassignment of a group of Harbordale Elementary students and changes affecting hundreds of Coral Springs students attending Country Hills, Coral Park and Park Springs elementaries. In February, board members voted 6-1 to reject a request to move 24 Harbordale Elementary students from Rogers Middle School to Sunrise Middle School.

All three schools are in Fort Lauderdale. A month earlier, members had approved the request in a controversial 4-2 vote. School officials will also vote again on a series of changes designed to relieve crowding at Country Hills Elementary School in Coral Springs and fill a new elementary school in Parkland, a plan that had been rejected in January but approved in February. Accident traps woman FORT LAUDERDALE A woman was trapped in a car for 20 minutes and two other people were injured after two vehicles collided at Federal Highway and Cypress Creek Road about 7 p.m. Wednesday, firefighters said.

Fort Lauderdale Battalion Chief Tom Weber said firefighters had to remove the doors and top of a Ford Tempo to extricate Mary Johnson, 32, of Fort Lauderdale. She was treated at Imperial Point Medical Center late Wednesday and was expected to be released. The driver of the Tempo, Deborah Stuck, 35, and Johnson's son, Gary, 13, both of Fort Lauderdale, were also treated for minor injuries, Weber said. The driver of the other vehicle, Bruce Stewart of Jacksonville, was cited for running a red light, Weber said. Neither he nor the unidentified passenger in his car was injured.

Batting cages to open COCONUT CREEK The public is invited to an opening ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday for the new Home Run Batting Cages at Tradewinds Park South. Refreshments will be served afterward. Home Run Batting Cages is a privately run outdoor, lighted, center with four softball and three baseball stations. Automatic pitching machines pitch balls within an accurate strike zone for players to hit into a 40-foot high net.

New operating hours are 3 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunday. Tradewinds Park South is at 3600 W. Sample Road. Survey to focus on women As part of the Sun-Sentinel's coverage of Women's History Month, we are conducting an informal telephone survey to determine what well-known women, contemporary or historical, have helped shape your world. In Broward County, the phone number is 356-4445.

Callers will be asked to tell us: What woman do you think has had the greatest impact on life in America? Why? What woman do you regard as a personal role model? Why? Your choices could cover women who have made their mark as entertainers or artists, educators or political leaders, scientists or criminal masterminds. What is important is that you briefly tell us what impact you think these women have had, and why you chose them over every other woman, living or dead. It is also important that you tell us your full name, where you live and your phone number. We will use your answers in a SurSentinel article. -r -'firrff Staff photoSEAN DOUGHERTY Denise Pilon and Serge Cardin relax in front of their Sun Manor Hotel, where Canadian film was shot.

'LA FLORIDA' Canadian film shot in Hollywood traces nitfalls of nursuin dream. man movies, is also in the flick, as By DAMON ADAMS Staff Writer In fast-growing southwest Broward County, nothing is sacred not even religious ground. Two congregations own adjacent land in Weston. They are growing so fast that each covets its neighbor's land. "Our church has only been here a year and we're busting at the seams," said the Rev.

David Hughes, pastor of First Baptist Church at Weston. "Both of us are aggressive about growth, but not at each other's expense." The Baptists built Weston's first church, a Southwestern-style building at 1420 Indian Trace, and started worshiping there in February 1992. The church averages 550 people between two services each Sunday, Hughes said. The sanctuary holds 370 people; it is already cramped during some services. Next to the Baptists' 5 acres is a vacant 4 'A-acre parcel owned by Temple B'nai Aviv, planned as a future temple site.

Construction has not started because the synagogue is still raising money. Temple members meet in a rented building at 200 Bonaventure but they are outgrowing it and are trying to get into a permanent building quickly. Each group started checking out the other's property late last year. The Baptists first proposed buying B'nai Aviv's parcel. Temple leaders said no.

But church and temple leaders continued to meet every few weeks to discuss a deal. This month, the temple agreed to pay $1.5 million for the church's building. But that agreement fell through last week when the church lost the place it had planned to move to, leaders said. Negotiations are continuing, and each congregation said it will do the neighborly thing. The temple is willing to buy and share the church until the Baptists find a new home.

"We're talking about cooperative uses," said Roy Oppenheim, temple president. "If it doesn't go through, we'll start building immediately." Whatever the outcome, church and temple alike want to have enough ground to sow seeds in fertile southwest Broward. "The concern is not for this year or next year but several years from now," Hughes said. WHAT: Premiere and black-tie-optional party. WHERE: Ocean Walk 10 AMC Theatres.

333 Harrison Hollywood. WHEN: Today, 7:30 p.m. COST: $20 per person, includes after-movie party. WHAT: General premiere. WHERE: Hollywood Cinema, 1710 Harrison Hollywood.

WHEN: Friday, 5:30 p.m. COST: $7 a person. WHAT: Regular run of La Florida. WHERE: Hollywood Cinema. WHEN: Mondays through Sundays, 5:45, 8 and 10:15 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday matinees at 1:15 and 3:30 p.m. COST: matinees and 5:45 showings, $6. INFORMATION: On the Ocean Walk premiere, call the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival, 764-4900. For other showings, call Le Soleil de la Flonde at By BOB FRENCH Staff Writer HOLLYWOOD La Florida is a movie that blends the American dream and the Quebecer dream. So what better place to film it than Hollywood, a place that combines both? The American dream is financial independence.

The Quebecer dream is to move to Florida. Those two dreams find a home on Hollywood beach in the Canadian film La Florida. It's about a 45-year-old Montreal bus driver, Leo, who sinks his life savings into a Hollywood beach motel without seeing it and moves his family to sunny Florida. He didn't know what he was getting into. When he arrives, he discovers he paid for a rundown motel; the comedy follows his adventures as he tries to fix it up.

La Florida premieres today at Ocean Walk AMC Theatres on Hollywood beach. Proceeds will go to help establish a travelers' aid foundation to help French-speaking tourists in South Florida. The film will premiere simultaneously in Montreal. The film stars Canadian actor Remy Girard as Leo. Margot Kidder, who played Lois Lane in the Super well as Michael Sarrazin.

The movie was produced by Pierre Sarrazin Productions in Toronto and Claude Bonin of Vision 4 Films in Montreal. "It's about the American dream, the land of opportunity," said Jacques Bonin, executive producer. "It's about the Quebec dream, getting out of the winter." Leo's tale is a glimpse into the community of the approximately 650,000 French Canadians who visit or live in South Florida each year. "Every Quebecois has the dream to go south," Bonin said. "They don't want to suffer with winters the rest of their lives." Hollywood has a co-starring role in La Florida.

Backdrops include the Broadwalk and the Hollywood Beach Resort. The beach is the setting for a scene about a fictional Snowbird Fest. The film was shot at the Sun Manor Hotel on Oklahoma Street. The 14-room hotel is owned by a French-Canadian couple, Denise Pilon and Serge Cardin, who moved to Hollywood from Quebec in 1991. But unlike Leo, Pilon and Cardin did not end up with a wreck.

"There was some fixing up need- ed, but not like the movie," Pilon said. About 70 percent of the film's dialogue is in French; the rest is in English. After the premiere at Ocean Walk, the film will be shown at Hollywood Cinema, near Young Circle. Lauderdale kicks off St. Patrick's a few days early ST.

PATRICK IN FORT LAUDERDALE: I FRIDAY: 11 a.m., Shamrock Society Awards Ceremony, 200 S. Andrews 1 1:45 a.m., procession to corner of Andrews Avenue and Broward Boulevard for annual street painting. I SUNDAY: 9:30 a.m., St. Patrick's Day Breakfast, Pier 66 Resort and Marina, 2301 SE 17th Street Causeway; noon to 7 p.m., St. Patrick's Day Festival, Bubier Park, Las Olas Boulevard and Andrews Avenue; 2 p.m., St.

Patrick's Day Parade, downtown Fort Lauderdale. Parade; Rogucy Doyle, director of entertainment for the St. Patrick's Day Parade; and Jack Ireland, owner of Ireland's Inn and Resort. From there, the Fort Lauderdale Highlanders bagpipe band will lead local dignitaries and politicians to the corner of Broward Boulevard and Andrews Avenue for the annual painting of the street. A stripe of green will be added to the pavement in honor of St.

Patrick's Day. The Emerald Society will hold a St. Patrick's Day Breakfast at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday at Pier 66 Resort and Marina, 2301 SE 17th St. Causeway.

Call Bob McMenemy at 979-1700 for more information. That will be followed bv the seventh annual St. Patrick's Da. Parade and By CINDY ELMORE Staff Writer FORT LAUDERDALE St. Patrick's Day celebrations will get under way a few days early here, with an awards ceremony and the annual painting of the street on Friday.

A breakfast, parade, and festival will be held on Sunday. At 11 a.m. on Friday, six people will receive the Shamrock Society awards at the Blockbuster Plaza patio, 200 S. Andrews Ave. They include H.

Wayne Huizenga, chairman of the board for Blockbuster Entertainment Broward County Commissioner John Hart; Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle; Connie Davis, director of special events for the St. Day nue, heading north to Broward Boulevard, west to Andrews Avenue, south to Las Olas Boulevard and east on Las Olas to Southeast Third Avenue. Past parades have had about 100 entries. To volunteer, enter a float in the parade, or for more information, call Connie Davis at 563-3346, Karen Cook at 733-9147, or the hotline at 565-7773. Festival, featuring food, Irish crafts, Irish stepdancers, bagpipes, entertainment, face painting, clowns, and rides and games for children.

The festival runs from noon to 7 p.m. at Bubier Park, at the corner of Las Olas Boulevard and Andrews Avenue. The parade will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. starting at Southeast Third Ave.