By: Jan Engoren Contributing Writer You’ve heard of Hello Kitty, and now thanks to rising seniors at Spanish River High School, Nishah Jaferi and Jonathan Beres, both 17, you may hear of their winning initiative – Hello Hygenics, which seeks to combat barriers to grooming and hygiene by providing handy, on-the-go wellness kits for those in need. Thanks to the non-profit Philanthropy Tank, founded by a group of local attorneys, CPAs, financial advisors and nonprofit leaders, the concept is based on the popular TV show, Shark Tank, albeit with a philanthropic bent. “We are incredibly proud of t ..read more

By Dale King Contributing Writer On any given day, you’re likely to find Ken Lerman standing outside a grocery store, a mall or some other locale that normally draws crowds of shoppers, folks on the go or men and women hustling to appointments. These days, the crowds are likely to be smaller than in the past, and the people shopping, attending to business and taking care of errands are undoubtedly wearing facemasks as protection against the continuing threat of coronavirus. Photos of Ken Lerman handing out roses to express love are lined up in front of a supermarket. Photo by Dale King. Most ..read more

By: Jan Engoren Contributing Writer Alongtime vision in the making came true on July 12, when Feeding South Florida, part of the Feeding America food bank network, celebrated the grand opening of its state-of-the-art, 5,000 sq.-ft. community kitchen – virtually, of course. Via Zoon and Facebook Live, celebrity chefs – Lindsay Autry of The Regional Kitchen & Public House in West Palm Beach, Allen Susser of Chef Allen’s Consulting in Hollywood, and Timon Balloo of Balloo Restaurant in downtown Miami prepared the kitchen’s very first meals using nutritious items from Feeding South Florida’s ..read more

By: Diane Emeott Korzen Contributing Writer Just over 25 percent of Palm Beach County voters cast an in-person ballot in the Aug. 18 Primary Election — where polling places were equipped with glass shields at sign-in, disposable pens given out to everyone, and sign-in screens and voter booths wiped down with sanitizer after every voter. “It’s been a good trickling in of people all day,” quipped an Election Deputy at the Center For Spiritual Living polling place on SW 12 Avenue in Boca Square. As of 3:15 p.m., 131 live voters were recorded at this location. “I think everyone will do Early Voti ..read more

By: Heather McMechan Contributing Writer With Palm Beach County public schools going virtual only this fall, many of the Palm Beach County private schools are giving their families the options of choosing distance learning, in-person learning in the classroom, or a combination. Heather Rouffe, whose children attend North Broward Preparatory School in Coconut Creek, will be sending her children back to the classroom. “I am confident that North Broward Prep has thought of every COVID protocol to keep my kids safe while at school,” she said. “I am so happy they have the opportunity to go back to ..read more

South Florida has managed to dodge hurricanes so far this season. But as we head into the peak of the season, we sat down with the co-founder of Florida Peninsula Insurance Company to find out how we should prepare.  Amid a global pandemic, is there a fear that Floridians will get complacent about not preparing for this Hurricane Season? Absolutely. One of the most dangerous parts of a storm is being unprepared. Having the residents of Florida be unmotivated to prepare for the worst, can increase the amount of claims by hundreds of thousands of dollars which could easily be prevented. &n ..read more

By: David DiPino Contributing Writer Nils Mueller-Kronast, MD, an interventional neurologist with Palm Beach Neuroscience Institute (PBNI) continues to provide care during the COVID-19 Pandemic for a wide variety of neurological ailments and neurovascular diseases including stroke and brain aneurysm treatment. At Dr. Nils Mueller-Kronast’s PBNI office, safety protocols and guidelines continue to be in place and telehealth appointments are available. Those safety procedures include patient screening for fever and cough, following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) guideline ..read more

By: Dr. Raul Perez-Vazquez Special to the Boca and Delray newspapers The first thing men need to do to close the life-expectancy gender gap and be healthier is to start going to the doctor. At the start of summer each year, men receive an influx of reminders on how small changes in their lifestyle can lead to better health. While men are generally bigger and more muscular than women, they tend to have more health issues. Due to lifestyle risks and a variety of other factors, men typically have a shorter life expectancy than women. According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Cont ..read more

By: David DiPino Contributing Writer During the first few months of the COVID-19 Pandemic, orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist Dr. Michael Kindya began to notice an increase in minor sports injuries. “I have personally seen a rise in injuries from biking, as more people have turned to riding their bicycles, either with their children or for exercise. There’s also been an increase in ankle injuries, including fractures and sprains, as more people have been running and walking for exercise and spending more time outside playing with their kids or keeping busy with other activitie ..read more

Staff report With outdoor exercise one of the few ways that South Floridians can safely venture outside their homes right now, people who never saw the inside of a gym – as well as avid exercise enthusiasts – are taking to the streets to walk and run. As former teachers and coaches, Mackenzie and Nick Stump, owners are Fleet Feet in Delray Beach, have tips for outdoor exercise: Plan Wisely: Check the map on your smartphone and plan how far – and where – you want to go. Don’t get overambitious at first and risk tiring yourself out getting to a particular destination, because you’ll still need ..read more