Around South Florida with Elgin Jones 4-25-13

His past convictions, beginning at age 12, include armed kidnapping and home invasion. This latest incident relates to a fight at a movie theater in Boynton Beach.

FORMULA THEFT

Sonya M. Barbour, 32, and her fiancée, Glenn K.C. Martin, 31, were arrested after allegedly being caught at a Palm Springs Walmart trying to steal $2,388 worth of baby formula. At the time of their arrests, they had their 9-month-old son with them. The scheme involved a stroller filled with the formula and covered in a blanket, police said. Authorities said the couple is addicted to drugs and allege they have shoplifted about $90,000 worth of baby formula in recent months.

Broward County

NEW HOMES

Kiana Anderson, Katina Taylor and Duval and Crystal Myers will receive keys to new homes in Oakland Park during a ceremony on Saturday. The families helped to build their homes through Habitat for Humanity of Broward’s Women Building a Legacy Program. The ceremony, which will include tours of the homes, is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Missionary Baptist Church, 3480 N.E. Third Ave., Oakland Park.

MIND STUDY

John D. Aquino, director of Administration for Henderson Behavioral Health, a healthcare organization that provides services to the mentally ill, announced that the Lauderdale Lakes-based agency has been selected to participate in a national schizophrenia research project being conducted by the prestigious Feinstein Institute’s Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience based in New York.

JOBS INITIATIVE

Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness advocated for an ordinance that requires vendors who have contracts with the county to rely on the state unemployment agency, Workforce Innovation, to fill job openings. Such a requirement is becoming increasingly common among governmental entities around the state.

MAJOR RELOCATION

The prestigious Becker & Poliakoff law firm, whose practice includes providing services to governmental entities, as well as homeowner and condo associations, is saying goodbye to its office space on Stirling Road in Hollywood. The firm has sealed a deal on a lease for more than 46,000 square feet for the top three floors of the 19-story 1 East Broward Building in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The luxury high-rise is located at the northeast corner of Broward Boulevard and Andrews Avenue and is right across the street from City Hall.

Miami-Dade County

DRUG ARREST

Miami Hurricanes linebacker Gabe Terry was arrested by Coral Gables police on charges of possession of marijuana and resisting arrest without violence. A day later, he was suspended indefinitely by the Hurricanes and his name was removed from the team’s roster.

SENIORS LUNCHEON

Miami-Dade Commissioner Lynda Bell will host a luncheon for seniors only from 10:30 to 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 1, at Perrine Peters United Methodist Church, located at 18301 S. Dixie Hwy. in South Miami-Dade. Attendees must be at least 55 years of age and live in Bell’s County Commission District 8. For more information, call 305-378-6677.

WORKER DEMANDS

State Sen. Arthenia Joyner, a Democrat legislator from Tampa, is standing behind the mostly black workers at the University of Miami who are pressing for better pay and improved working conditions. The workers have started the “We Cane Do Better” campaign to further their efforts against the university and Chartwell Management, a contractor that provides services at U.M. They complain of harassment, reduced hours, low pay and other alleged abuses. We will keep an eye on this.

BOULE HONORS

Yael Levy of the School for Advanced Studies is the recipient of a $4,000 National Achievement Boule Foundation Scholarship from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. She will receive the funds over a four year period. She was selected based on her grades and high test scores on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test.

Monroe County

WAR ON FISH

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is seeking ways to eliminate lionfish that have invaded the Florida Keys and are devouring native fish and crustaceans. Lionfish are native to waters in the Indian Ocean, are poisonous and have no natural predators. Even sharks won’t eat them because of the highly venomous fins and prongs that cover their bodies. Authorities are relaxing limits on harvesting the fish which can now be caught using spears, nets and rods. Lionfish are good eating and authorities had hoped their population would have been controlled by demand from restaurants but that has yet to take hold.

DANGEROUS SURF

Crocodile sightings in the Florida Keys were once rare occurrences but no more. There have also been more sightings of great white sharks, as well. South Florida waters appear to be attracting a number of non-native species. This, coupled with a mysterious drop in the amounts of shrimp and crabs being harvested, has biologists scratching their heads.

MURDER TRIAL

Jury selection in the murder trial of Jonathon Leo Lebaron, 36, is underway. He is accused of beating 57-year-old Richard Gardner to death in 2009. According to authorities, Lebaron’s girlfriend Kirsten Whitmore was staying on Gardiner’s boat at a Key West marina. The couple hatched a plan to rob Gardiner and ended up killing him in the process, police said. They fled in Gardiner’s car but were caught in Utah several weeks later, according to police. Whitmore pleaded guilty and is cooperating with the prosecution. She is serving an 18-year prison sentence. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.