UPDATED: LeBron James Jersey Donation Derailed by “Politics”

The Summer of LeBron just got weirder.In July, a group of guys in Northeast Ohio launched a campaign to collect LeBron James’ old Cleveland Cavaliers jerseys and send them to homeless people in Miami. It seemed like a wholesome idea. Clevelanders were so pissed off at the King’s betrayal of…

An Insider’s Take on Soma Center’s Restaurant Shuffle

The Soma Center Cafe in Lake Worth has long been a favorite spot for healthy eating in Palm Beach County. New Times named it Best Vegan Restaurant this year, praising the deliciously fresh, innovative dishes and warm, free-loving atmosphere.But behind the counter at the crunchy, laid-back café, insiders say, chaos…

Five Reasons Your Lifeguard Hates You

He sweats in record-breaking heat. He puts up with wrinkly old men in thongs. He drags your ass out of the ocean when you swallow too much saltwater. And you never share your Hebrew National hot dogs with him.In honor of Labor Day weekend, we asked a Palm Beach County…

Pharmacy Student at Christian School Charged With Selling Oxycodone

Palm Beach Atlantic University is a no-nonsense place. The private, Christian school in West Palm Beach strictly prohibits drinking and premarital sex on campus. But what happens when a God-fearing student is accused of a different kind of sin — selling drugs?Magdala Chery, 31, a student in the Gregory School…

Calvin Williams Murder: Why Is AIDS Rate So High for Black Men?

This spring’s murder of L.C. Swain Middle School teacher Calvin Williams brought to light a harsh truth about AIDS among African-American men. For many in South Florida, sex on the down-low is a deadly gamble.According to Riviera Beach police reports, Williams’ lover, Lawrence Hunt, 20, allegedly shot the teacher because…

At Chef Charity Event, Chocolate Fountain Steals Spotlight

Walking into the Boys of Summer celebrity chef charity event at Florida Builder Appliances in Pompano Beach, we could smell the chocolate before we saw it. We wound our way through islands of glimmering stainless-steel refrigerators, gas stove tops, and high-tech wine coolers to find the source.Each model kitchen brought…

Jeff Greene’s Last Campaign Party (for Now)

By 8:30 last night, the subdued gathering in the West Palm Beach Marriott conference room had the feel of an awkward bar mitzvah. Heavy chandeliers cast a dim glow on the gaudy pink-and-green carpet. In a far corner, the DJ was spinning Sade-style mood music. Hardly anyone touched the small table…

Debra Villegas Gets Two More Months of Freedom; Tony Villegas Back in Jail

Debra Villegas, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with Scott Rothstein’s Ponzi scheme, will not be sentenced on Friday as planned.Rothstein’s former right-hand woman has two more months of freedom, thanks to summer vacation scheduling conflicts and her lawyer’s insistence that she’s working “diligently” to…

Teacher Calvin Williams Had Two Domestic Disputes Before Murder

Two years before he was allegedly murdered by a lover, middle school teacher Calvin Williams twice called Riviera Beach police to his apartment to respond to violent domestic disputes.The first call came on the night of September 25, 2008. Williams, then 39, told the dispatcher that his 19-year-old roommate, Tirrelle…

Slain Middle School Teacher Calvin Williams Led Dual Lives

By day, he was Mr. Williams, the handsome, six-foot-four-inch teacher at L.C. Swain Middle School, always ready with a smile and a word of encouragement for the kids who struggled most.Calvin Williams, 41, was certified to teach special education and had a bachelor’s degree in social work. He began his…

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Crimes and HIV

L.C. Swain Middle School teacher Calvin Williams, 41, was allegedly shot and killed this May by a lover who believed Williams had HIV.The lover, Lawrence Hunt, 20, told police he fired his gun because Williams was attempting to rape him. Hunt now sits in the Palm Beach County jail awaiting…

Slain Teacher Not Required to Tell School His HIV Status

If slain L.C. Swain Middle School teacher Calvin Williams had HIV, as police reports suggest, his bosses at the Palm Beach County school district did not have to know. Teachers’ personal health information is protected by federal law. “They are not required to disclose their status,” says district public affairs specialist…

LeBron Consults Celeb Rabbi Pinto, Becomes True SoFla Mogul

If TMZ is correct and LeBron James paid Rabbi Yishayahu Yosef Pinto to sit in on a business meeting yesterday, then the Heat star is officially courting South Florida mogul status.What better way to ingratiate himself to his new hometown than meet with a celeb rabbi known for providing business…

UPDATED: Want More David Eller Stimulus? Elect Allen West

One might assume the $7 million stimulus contract that Deerfield Beach businessman J. David Eller recently won for his family’s manufacturing company, MWI Corp., was the result of some successful schmoozing or campaign donations to his congressman, U.S. Rep. Ron Klein.But Eller’s no Klein fan. When contacted last week, Klein…

UPDATED: Post Sells Shiny Sheet Building on Palm Beach

The Palm Beach Daily News, better-known as the “Shiny Sheet,” the glossy newspaper that has covered news and socialite gossip on the wealthy island of Palm Beach for more than a century, will soon get new digs.Employees at the paper learned yesterday that their $2 million building on Royal Poinciana…

Suspect in Teacher’s Murder Was Also Accused of Robbery

The man accused of fatally shooting his alleged lover, L.C. Swain Middle School teacher Calvin Williams, is no hardened criminal, but he has been accused of violence before.Three years ago, when he was in 11th grade at Palm Beach Gardens High School, Lawrence Hunt was arrested for strong-arm robbery.On February…

Why Must My Dim Sum Go on Summer Vacation?

It was 12:30 p.m. last Saturday, and I was starving. I’d just finished an extremely sweaty yoga class and was eagerly speeding off to Sunrise to meet some friends for dim sum. Toa Toa, the highly acclaimed Chinese-food institution in a strip mall, would surely be worth the half-hour schlep…

Newsweek Resurrects Charlie Crist’s Campaign, Insults Florida Voters

Last week, just as his pissing match with the state Legislature over oil drilling in the Gulf reached ludicrous proportions, Charlie Crist got a big, wet boost to his Senate campaign from the national press.In a Newsweek article, “The Resurrection of Crist” (who knew Jesus was so tanned?), writer Arian…