Palm Beach Daily News du lieu suivant : Palm Beach, Florida • 1

iJin HnA Dao Mbm Unleash 'Your Inner Hero' Ballot issues reviewed at forum County director of legislative affairs explains Nov. 2 ballot questions, constitutional amendments to civic association. Daily News Photos by Greer Gattuso Judge Joseph Marx, left, and Tonya Dicus, the judge's judicial assistant talk with police Capt Kirk Blouin, center, Maj. Mike Mason and Chief Mike Reiter Tuesday during Crime Watch's Fall Membership Kickoff. Judge rallies Crime Watch fall kickoff By WILLIAM KELLY Daily New Staff Writer They could carry huge ramifications and cost millions or even billions of dollars statewide.

But the ballot questions and proposed constitutional amendments before voters in the Nov. 2 election are not publicized nearly as much as the presidential race and other high-profile contests. The questions and amendments are often grounded in complex issues, and the thick ballot language can be difficult to penetrate. Even so, many voters wait until they are in the booth to make up their 'v. Bonlarron He shares story of family tragedy and need for volunteers, while Chief Reiter thanks Volunteers in Police Service for help during hurricanes.

By MARGIE KACOHA Daily News Staff Writer Palm Beach County Civil Court Judge Joseph Marx knows crime, professionally and personally. The former Palm Beach County assistant state attorney-turned-divorce lawyer-turned-judge used his own experience Tuesday to encourage members of Palm Beach Crime Watch Inc. in their volunteer service. "Serving your community is your way of unleashing your inner hero," Marx told the more than 100 members who attended the organization's fall membership kickoff at St. Edward Catholic Church.

He took to the podium after Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter thanked volunteers who helped during the double dose of hurricanes that disrupted the island in September. The Volunteers in Police Service, or VTPS, normally assist with clerical and receptionist duties at the police station. During the recent local emergencies, they were called upon for even more, shuttling food and other supplies around the island and helping staff the town's newly initiated hurricane hotline to answer residents' questions about the storms and town services. Anyone, Marx said, can simply write a check, but giving money is no substitute for "face time. That's when you get the return." He recounted his journey into private practice as a divorce attorney.

It was lucrative, but Eileen Burns of Palm Beach photographs Siri Mortimer of Palm Beach with Police Chief Michael Reiter during the Crime Watch kickoff at St Edward Catholic Church. minds. With that thought in mind, the Palm Beach Civic Association hosted a luncheon Tuesday to inform registered voters about the issues they will help decide in the Nov. 2 election. Guest speaker Todd Bonlarron, director of legislative affairs for Palm Beach County, explained the ballot issues and amendments to about 30 people at the association offices at 139 N.

County Road. Amendment 1 Constitutional amendment 1 would authorize the legislature to pass a law requiring that a minor's parent or guardian be notified before termination of the minor's pregnancy. The courts have overturned two laws the Florida Legislature passed to require parental notification, Bonlarron said. This amendment, placed on the ballot by the legislature, would underpin any future law with constitutional authority, he said. The question pits pro-life interests against pro-choice.

Proponents say it Please see ELECTION, Page 3 it left him wanting something more. "I'm so proud of myself. I just broke up another family," Marx said of his feelings at the time. His own family was ripped apart on May 27, 1994, when his first wife, Karen, was gunned down in Fort Lauderdale. She was an attorney, expecting their first child, when a disgruntled employee opened fire during a deposition in a lawsuit against his former boss.

Marx was a prosecutor at the time and said he was able to empathize with crime victims after that experience. But his dream was fulfilled 14 months ago when he received a phone call from Gov. Jeb Bush. 'I heard you wanted to be a Marx recalled Bush saying. "'Guess what? You The satisfaction of serving, he reiterated, goes beyond money.

"If we're not fulfilled inside, we're not really happy," he said. He encouraged all to continue participating in groups such as Crime Watch and to consider at other opportunities, including Big BrothersBig Sisters, the court system's Guardian Ad Litem program or simply volunteer at the courthouse. mhacohapbdailynews.com Clarinetist mends her heart through performing Bess de Farber's childhood memories to come to life through storytelling and music in Sunday's benefit performance of 'Composing a 'The past does have relevance to our current thoughts, experiences, choices and feelings. It's what brings meaning into our BESS DE FARBER 'Composing a Heart' '--SiU-v By JAN SJOSTROM Daily News Arts Editor Every family has its stories and its secrets. Bess de Farber uncovered a CIA dossier's worth of secrets when she created a performance piece based on her memories of her childhood.

De Farber, a clarinetist and nonprofit management consultant who lives in Boynton Beach, was inspired to create Composing a Heart eight years ago after seeing former Palm Beach resident Doug Cooney perform Dancing Like My Father, his one-man show about his relationship with his father. "It was so powerful," she said. "It did something to me internally and helped me put together parts of my own life." De Farber and pianist Carol Comune will perform Composing a Heart, which combines storytelling with music for clarinet and piano, at 3 p.m. Sunday at Klein Dance Studio, 811 Lake Lake Worth. The concert benefits Inspirit, a nonprofit organization that brings performers to settings serving people who can't easily attend shows, such as nursing homes, hospital wards, Alzheimer's day care centers, children's shelters, rehabilitation centers and prisons.

De Farber collaborated with composer Craig Ames on the project She told her stories, and Ames responded with music. De Farber, 47, was raised in Miami by immigrant parents. Her father was 16 when he fled Poland, where Jews were being persecuted, for the United States in 1917. Her mother's family left Russia for Argentina in 7 1 l4 the 1890s for similar reasons. Her parents met in Argentina and moved to the United States in 1955.

Her mother, who held three degrees, was the first Spanish-speaking social worker at Jackson Memorial Hospital. She supported the family while de Farber's father, whose ill health prevented him from working, raised the children. As de Farber and Ames got deeper into the piece, they realized there were too many unanswered questions in de Farber's recollections. Questions such as why didn't her mother tell her she was a musician? Why was her father in Argentina? Did her father have a family before he married her mother when he was 54? Why did her mother wait until Bess de Farber shown at age 2 on the former Miami Beach Pier. Her Sunday performance of 'Composing a Heart' will benefit Inspirit, a nonprofit organization that brings performers to settings serving people who can't easily attend shows.

Please see HEART, Page 3 Classified ...4 Movie Times Classified I Bl Copyright 2004 Palm Beacn Daily News Vol. 109, No. 32 .5 .2 .6 Today will be partly cloudy with highs in (he mid-80s and lows in the mid-70s. Details, Pae 2. I WfplU Crossword .5 Today 4 Horoscope ......4 Travel 2804130000'.