WINDOWS ALERT
Microsoft has confirmed it will end all support for the Windows XP computer operating systems, which means anyone still using XP will be vulnerable to hackers and new viruses. Windows XP is a good operating platform but it was followed by the horrific, but more stable, Vista. Today Microsoft has Windows 7 and 8 but many computer terminals such as ATMs, medical equipment and cash registers still run on XP. The rush is now on to update those systems and you may want to consider doing the same if you are using XP.
Palm Beach County
TRAFFICKING CHARGES
Freddy Borges Cabezon, 31, of Lake Worth lives in the exclusive and gated horse community Hawk Hollow. Neighbors were astounded when police surrounded the home and ordered its occupants out. A drug raid was underway and Cabezon was arrested on drug-trafficking charges. Authorities said they seized drugs and equipment and that the home was actually being used as a marijuana grow-house.
CITRUS GREENING
State Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Jupiter, announced a plan in which the federal government will allocate $125 million over the next three years to stop the spread of citrus greening which has now infested groves throughout Florida since first being discovered in Homestead in 2004. Greening is caused by microscopic insects from Asia that disfigure citrus and make fruit taste bitter.
MOLESTATION CHARGE
Ruben Uraga, 43, of Boca Raton is facing child molestation charges after two girls told their aunt that he had been abusing them for years. Both of the girls are under 12. Uraga is a family friend, according to the police report. The aunt immediately called police after hearing their allegations.
FAMILIES IN PERIL
Dozens of families who live in the Wright’s private trailer park in West Palm Beach are facing forced eviction if they don’t relocate by June 30. The owner of the park gave them notice in November that he was closing down the park. Some have already moved out but about 40 trailers remain. The state will pay them $3,000 to help with relocating their trailers and $1,375 to those who do not want their trailers to relocate.
WHACKO ALERT
Remain vigilant and be on the lookout for whackos this week. The Palm Beach County Republicans will hold their annual Lincoln Day fundraiser event and it is expected to attract a number of extremists such as U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, Dr. Ben Carson and Donald Trump. It will be held at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach and ticket prices start at $250.
Broward County
PIONEER HONORED
Broward County Commissioners have honored late civic leader Wilbur Porter Jr. with a street named in his honor. A section of Northwest Eighth Road in the Washington Park neighborhood of unincorporated Fort Lauderdale, where Porter’s family still lives, has been renamed Porter Road. The official dedication will take place at 11 a.m. March 1 at Lafayette-Hart Park, 2851 NW Eighth Road in Fort Lauderdale. For more, information call 954-609-5882.
PIONEER BLACKS
Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Frank Adderley is the first black to head the Broward County Chiefs of Police Association. Adderley has now solidified his place in local history. He was first black to become assistant chief and later chief of the FLPD. On a related note, Broward School Board member Dr. Rosalind Osgood is the first black female chaplain of the department. Congratulations!
WRIGHT ON TIME
Pastor Eddy Moise Jr. and the members of Bethel AME Church in Pompano Beach will hold their annual Men’s Day Celebration service on Sunday. This year’s guest and keynote speaker will be none other than the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., pastor-emeritus of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Wright is President Barack Obama’s former mentor and pastor. The service will focus on “Ending Domestic Violence in Our Community.” Bethel AME Church is located at 405 NW Third Avenue, Pompano Beach. For more information, call 945-943-6220.
Miami-Dade County
MISSING STUDENT
Authorities are asking for the public’s help in locating 12-year-old Erin Pena. Police believe his mother, Carrie Weingarth, who has warrants for her arrest, may have taken the boy and is planning to leave the state with him. He was last seen at his school. Police are asking anyone with information on Erin or his mother to call Miami-Dade Crime stoppers at 305-471-8477.
JACKSON OVERSIGHT
Miami-Dade County Commissioner Audrey Edmonson has proposed forming a citizens committee to provide oversight for the $830 million in public money to upgrade Jackson Health Systems facilities. Voters approved a referendum to spend the taxpayer dollars for the improvements. First reading of the ordinance to approve an oversight board took place Wednesday.
Monroe County
PRISONER DEATH
Charles Eimers, a 61-year-old Michigan tourist, fought with police on Thanksgiving Day and while in Key West police custody, according to authorities. Witnesses say he was repeatedly beaten and Tasered before collapsing. He died a week later at a hospital. Monroe County Medical Examiner E. Hunt Scheuerman has released his preliminary report which reveals Eimers had 10 broken ribs but those may have been caused by efforts to revive him. An internal investigation is underway and the full autopsy report will not be available until it is completed.
DIRECTOR ARRESTED
City of Marathon Finance Director Peter Rosasco has been arrested on domestic battery charges. According a police report, Rosasco, 57, hit his wife Mary, 41, twice in the face. The two had been arguing before dining at a country club and it escalated once they returned home, police said.
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