South Florida Sun Sentinel from Fort Lauderdale, Florida • B1

pn Saturday, July 28, 2012 SunSentinel.com Sun Sentinel IB Local More 'superior' than your average owl: Owlsley honored at cheerleading camp Owlsley may not be as popular as E. Gator or Sebastian the Ibis, but the Online today 6 a.m.: Before you make reservations for a party of five, check out our latest reviews. SunSentinel. comrestaurant reviews Help abused children and get 25 off at Macy's on Aug. 25 Want to save on designer clothes while helping a good cause? In exchange for a tax-deductible donation of $5 or more, Speak Up! For Kids of Palm Beach County is handing out Macy's 25 percent off coupons good in stores and online on Aug.

25. Donations can be made on the Speak Up! website until Aug. 15, and the nonprofit will mail the coupons to donors. Proceeds benefit Palm Beach County's Guardian ad Litem Program. Karla Bowsher Florida Atlantic University mascot is still "superior." He earned that distinction at a recent University of Alabama cheerlead ing spirit camp, where he learned UP FOR new crowd-pleasing techniques.

Auburn University's Aubie tiger mascot placed first overall. Scott Travis Mm Residents strike out in citrus cash fight Principal, volunteer honored Eagles Landing Middle's rookies win top state awards By Anne Geggis Staff writer WEST BOCA Put two rookies in charge and what do you get? At Eagles Landing Middle School, you get award winners. First-year Principal Cindy Chiapetta was named by the Florida Parent Teacher Association as the best at what she does. Kendra Palumbo, first-year president of the school's Parent Teacher Student Association, received the state Education Department's nod as the state's best adult school volunteer. The way Chiapetta tells it, her principal-of-the-year honor has eveiything to do with Palumbo.

The first day into her new Please turn to AWARDS, 2B i MARK RANDALLSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Kendra Palumbo, top, and Principal Cindy Chiapetta. By David Flesher Staff writer Thousands of South Florida homeowners struck out again in their fight to collect more than $27 million in compensation for the destruction of their fruit trees in the state's fight against citrus canker. The Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled this week that they have to ask the state Legislature to appropriate the money to pay them, despite their victories in separate class-action lawsuits against the Florida Department of Agriculture in Broward and Palm Beach counties. The court reversed an order by Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Robin Rosenberg that the state pay $19.2 million to about 40,000 homeowners. The court also declined to order the state to pay $8 million to 70,000 Broward homeowners, saying the homeowners must first attempt to collect payment by means of a bill through the state Legislature, the standard practice in claims awarded against the state.

"The Department of Agriculture is very pleased with the decision," said the agency's attorney, Wes Parsons. "We think it appropriately allows for the orderly administration of claims against the state of Florida" Robert C. Gilbert, lead counsel for the homeowners, said he and his team are studying the decision and deciding what steps to take. He called the ruling a "temporary setback." "If the Legislature does not appropriate the funds, I am confident the courts will ultimately see this issue our way and justice will prevail," he said. More than 865,000 residential trees were cut down in the fight against the disease, which blemishes fruit, causes premature fruit-drop and prevents exports to canker-free states.

After 11 years of work, with tree-cutting crews roaming South Florida neighborhoods, the department admitted defeat in 2006, saying the winds and rains of the previous year's hurricanes had spread the disease too widely for it to be eradicated. The trees at issue in these cases had been cut down not because they had the disease but because they stood within L900 feet of an infected tree. dfleshlertribune.com, 954-356-4535 Jerry Hablitzel and Gavin Anderson joined other members of Delray Beach's Avenue Church for fitness boot camp at Veterans Park. Churches mix fitness, faith Group focuses on Arab rights "We are speaking the language of the culture, by beingfit and doing things in the community" The Rev. Casey Cleveland, lead pastor of Avenue Church in Delray Beach "We want to do things that benefit our community and our society and lead to a stronger America." Sofian Abdelaziz Zakkout, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee By Lois K.

Solomon Staff writer South Florida churchgoers are jogging, spinning, lunging and lifting weights, all for the glory of God and to lure new members by capitalizing on the national exercise craze. Seeing the tendency towards excess poundage in their memberships, many churches are starting their own fitness classes, often in gyms or parks where the public can easily hear their message. Research has discovered a tendency towards excess weight among churchgoers. A Northwestern University report released last year found young men and women who attended church regularly were 50 percent more likely to become obese by middle age than young adults who had no religious affiliation. The reasons are not clear, but some say Please turn to FITNESS, 2B By Lois K.

Solomon Staff writer South Florida's Arab community has a new advocate in the political sphere: the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee A group of eight Arab Americans from Broward and Miami-Dade counties founded the ADC's newest chapter recently in Sunrise Based in South Florida, the chapter will address Arab issues statewide and wants to improve the image of Arabs, protect their civil rights and encourage them to get involved in public life. "We want to do things that benefit our community and our society and lead to a stronger America," said Sofian Abdelaziz Zakkout, the chapter's president Zakkout, director of AMANA, the American Muslim Association of North America, is a Please turn to ARABS, 2B Boca asks state to help with presidential debate security costs goes off ready for prime time. After all, a predictable debate is good for business, she writes. "Much of the long term positive benefit from having the Presidential Debate in Florida would be erased if there were to be a security incident at or doing the event," Whelchel wrote in the letter dated July 17. "Such an incident would create a significant negative impact to potential visitors and to companies looking to relocate to the area and the State." end up being a week-long affair.

The Republican presidential debate in 2008 at Florida Atlantic University resulted in $24,500 in city services to back up university police. Boca Raton billed FAU for the expense. But Woika said that was nothing like the scale of the Oct. 22 event "The city said Tfes' back when it was a gleam in Lynn's eye when they were putting in the application," he said, adding Please turn to DEBATE, 2B There has been no reply from the governor's office to the city. A call and an e-mail from the Sun Sentinel seeking comment were not returned.

She's asking for what the state Legislature originally put into its budget for the event, money the governor later removed. Mike Woika, Boca Raton's assistant city manager, said that the city agreed to be partners in Lynn University's bid to be a debate venue, not knowing that they would be hosting the final debate or that it could By Anne Geggis Staff writer The ultimate presidential debate on Lynn University's stage is going to bring in a worldwide audience and an estimated $20 million in business and Boca Raton wants help from the state so it can stage the event without any problems. Last week, Mayor Susan Whelchel asked Gov. Rick Scott to send $250,000 to help pay for Boca Raton's cost of making sure it all Anterior Hip Replacement with no muscles cut and fast recovery! Get back to being you again. Our experienced surgeons have performed more than 1 600 anterior hip replacements using the hana table, that's more than any other area surgeons.

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