Jamisha Shamari Sylvain, 26, represented herself as a caregiver or nurse to numerous elderly people ranging in age from 72 to 91, allowing her to gain access to their apartments and personal information, according to multiple probable cause affidavits.

One woman, a 78-year-old who suffers from dementia, met Sylvain through a neighbor at her apartment complex in Deerfield Beach, according to a probable cause affidavit in one of the five cases filed against Sylvain in December. Sylvain had taken the woman to a Chase Bank branch on three separate occasions in November 2025 and withdrew a total of $1,718 while pretending to be the woman’s granddaughter, the affidavit said.

The woman’s son reported the fraud to deputies a few days later. When detectives interviewed the woman, she said she remembered going to the bank with Sylvain but couldn’t remember why she went there or if she lost any money, the affidavit said.

Sylvain similarly made ATM withdrawals from another person’s bank account in October after gaining access to their apartment in a senior living complex, according to an arrest warrant. She accessed the apartment of the alleged victim, a 72-year-old with dementia, by pretending to be a nurse and took his or her Bank of America debit card. Sylvain then made four withdrawals totaling $1,620, the warrant says.

In September, Sylvain approached a blind woman who she saw holding mail outside of her apartment in the B’nai B’rith senior living complex in Deerfield Beach and asked if she needed help reading it, the affidavit said. The woman hesitated at first but then let Sylvain into her apartment.

While reading the woman’s mail, Sylvain asked for her Social Security number, “as if the mail
was requiring it,” and said the woman’s debit card needed to be canceled, the affidavit said. Sylvain went back to the woman’s apartment another day and went with her to TD Bank, where they disposed of the card and ordered a new one, records show.

Shortly afterward, the woman received a letter from Capitol One that said a credit card had been issued to her; she said she had never applied for one. Someone also tried to open a cellphone account with her information. Sylvain was the only person the woman had recently given her personal information to, the affidavit said.

Another alleged victim was a 91-year-old woman who told deputies Sylvain had approached her on a bus in October and purported to be a caregiver assigned to her through her insurance, a separate probable cause affidavit said. Sylvain went to the woman’s apartment the next day and spent several hours there pretending to be an insurance-assigned aide, despite the woman never having heard from her insurance, the affidavit said.

The woman noticed after Sylvain left her apartment that her Capitol One debit card was missing. She called Sylvain and told her to return the card, and she denied taking it. She returned to the woman’s apartment later that day and said she found the missing card, according to the affidavit.

In two other separate incidents, Sylvain entered the apartments of an 85-year-old man and an 84-year-old woman and asked them for their driver’s licenses and debit card information, according to probable cause affidavits. The man thought she was a social worker or a family member, the affidavit said, and Sylvain tried to use his information to take $1,000 from his account.

Among the charges she faces are burglary of an occupied dwelling, criminal use of personal identifying information, elderly financial exploitation and grand theft from a person 65 years or older. She remained in the Paul Rein Detention Facility as of Friday.

And they were armed with paintbrushes, not hockey sticks.

The Panthers — a few hours before their Winter Classic outdoor game at the Miami Marlins’ ballpark against the New York Rangers — unveiled a couple dozen panther sculptures, all painted in a unique way and now being auctioned off with hopes of raising $1 million for cancer research.

Gretzky commissioned a sculpture that displays some of his stats, Johnson arranged one depicting a scene from Augusta National, Bublé’s is adorned in rhinestone braille, the NBA’s Heat commissioned a pair of sculptures with some of the team’s themes, artist Romero Britto painted one as well and Navratilova didn’t technically paint hers — she dipped tennis balls into paint and then served them into the panther, creating a polka-dotted splash of various colors.

“To be able to have the privilege to reach out and make those contacts and have those folks say, ‘Of course,’ what a gift that was,” Panthers general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito said. “It’s just so neat.”

About $700,000 has been raised already, Zito said. The idea for the fundraiser — “Panthers on the Prowl,” they call it — is loosely built around Chicago’s “Cows on Parade” art project. Zito and his wife Julie co-chair the Panthers’ project; she is a breast cancer survivor, and Zito has lost a number of relatives to the disease.

“It was my wife Julie’s idea,” Zito said. “And we lived in Chicago during ‘Cows on Parade,’ and then Romero Britto said we should auction them. I can’t take credit for any of it.”

Many of the panthers were on display at LoanDepot Park on Friday, where about 35,000 fans attending the Winter Classic would see them.

“There’s a tear and a smile,” Zito said. “And then you think, you know what, there’s a reason that everybody is engaged. There’s a reason that everybody gave their time and their talent. And it’s because it works and it’s right.”

The park, currently fenced off in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale at 32 E. Las Olas Blvd., is expected to draw crowds when it officially reopens on Jan. 24 after a two-year redesign.

Those who stroll through the popular gathering spot along the New River will find a modern new 3.6-acre space with 88 new shade trees, lush landscaping and a series of distinctive outdoor “rooms” that have something for everyone.

The long-awaited transformation includes a fenced dog run, a play area with rolling, climbable hills and Sweetwaters, a stylish two-story restaurant.

The restaurant, built by the same group that owns the Rusty Pelican in Key Biscayne, is currently under construction and expected to open in fall 2026.

A special grand opening for the park is planned with a weekend of activities on Jan. 24 and Jan. 25. Alongside the grand reopening, the park plans to host a year of free events.

Fort Lauderdale’s Downtown Development Authority, owner of the park, spearheaded the transformation, leveraging its ownership of the land and securing public, private and philanthropic support for the $15 million makeover.

Fort Lauderdale chipped in $5 million. The state contributed $1 million. Private donors and the DDA provided the rest.

Huizenga Park, first built by the Downtown Development Authority in the late 1990s, has been a key downtown destination for decades. In 2003, the park was named after the legendary entrepreneur and philanthropist Wayne Huizenga, former owner of the Miami Dolphins. A self-made billionaire, Huizenga built his fortune by turning Waste Management, Blockbuster Video and AutoNation into corporate giants.

Developer Charlie Ladd, DDA board member and owner of Barron Real Estate, says the new Huizenga Park is just what downtown needs.

“As someone who has lived and worked downtown for years, I’ve seen how vital public spaces are to the life of our community,” Ladd said. “The renewed Huizenga Park brings fresh energy to the heart of the city, with lush green spaces that invite people to linger, connect and enjoy the riverfront. That vibrancy supports nearby restaurants, shops, and offices, strengthening our local economy and reflecting the bright future of our city.”

The DDA will manage the park, Ladd told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

“There will be on-site security and an attendant in the restrooms,” he said. “There will be a groundskeeper there daily to keep the park clean, similar to Bryant Park in New York City.”

The park is filled with intimate spots where you can sit and relax in the shade, Ladd said. But he thinks the waterfront restaurant Sweetwaters will be the crowd favorite.

The DDA plans to lease land to the restaurant. The 20-year lease — with two five-year extension options — will help finance the makeover of the park as well as ongoing operations and maintenance.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said he also thinks the restaurant will be a major draw.

“When the park is opened and the new design revealed, we’ll find an open space with new amenities and a world-class restaurant there for everyone to appreciate,” he said. “Its reopening is a clear example of how strategic investment in public spaces enhances community life and preserves the energy, spirit, and character that make Fort Lauderdale unique.”

Grand opening activities

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24. The ceremony will be followed by guided park tours and a programming showcase until 2 p.m.

The showcase will spotlight the park’s three programming pillars: Arts & Culture, Health & Wellness, and Dogs & Pets, developed in partnership with local organizations and sponsors. Visitors are invited to return in the evening for a movie on the lawn at 6 p.m.

The festivities will continue on Sunday, Jan. 25, with the Sunny Side Up Market from noon to 4 p.m. along with an 11 a.m. yoga session and a guided meditation at sunset to officially welcome the community back to the park.

What you’ll find at the redesigned park:

Sweetwaters: A modern, two-story waterfront restaurant is expected to open in late 2026.

Poppy’s Play Patch: A landscape of rolling, climbable hills that invites children to explore, jump and let their imaginations run wild. Please note: Adults are permitted in the play mounds only when accompanied by a child. The following items are not allowed: Bikes, rollerblades, skates, food and chairs. Pets are also not permitted in the children’s play area.

The Dog Spot: A haven for dogs, perfect for playtime and outdoor fun. There will be some rules to follow, however. Pet owners will be expected to remain in control of their dog to prevent biting, fighting and excessive barking. Dogs that are sick, unvaccinated, in heat or have a history of dangerous behavior should be kept home.

Civic Lawn: Huizenga Park’s central greenspace.

Head with Butterflies Sculpture: A whimsical sculpture by artist Manolo Valdes that showcases the natural beauty of the park.

LOVE Mural: Painted by renowned graphic artist Cey Adams, the mural encourages park visitors to lead with love.

Spirit of Fort Lauderdale Fountain: Iconic cascading jets surrounded by benches make this corner of the park a great spot for respite and relaxation.

The Nook: Currently under construction, The Nook will open in 2026 as a hub for outdoor dining and impromptu meetups.

The park will open at 7 a.m. and close at 10 p.m.

Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com . Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan

Fort Lauderdale Police confirmed Friday that the teen’s name was Josh Gipson Jr.

Gipson Jr. was a football player with aspirations of playing in the NFL, according to an online fundraiser, which described him as “a compassionate, kind-hearted, and family-oriented young man.”

“The shock and pain of losing Joshua in such a sudden and senseless way has left his family and friends heartbroken,” the fundraiser said.

Officers were called to 17 S. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd. about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, where they found Gipson Jr. with a gunshot wound, Sgt. Patrick O’Brien, a spokesperson for Fort Lauderdale Police, had said in a statement on Thursday.

The teen was taken as a trauma alert to Broward Health Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Additional information about the shooting and what led up to it have not been released as of noon Friday.

O’Brien said detectives believe the shooting was isolated and there is no threat to the public.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Homicide Unit Detective J. Sanchez at 954-828-4900 or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.

Fort Lauderdale Police were called to the 100 block of Southwest Third Avenue about 2 a.m. Sunday and found the five victims, all adults, who had been shot, according to a news release.

The shooter or shooters fled the scene before officers arrived. Investigators as of Thursday did not have any information about the suspected shooter or shooters.

All five people who were hospitalized have since been released from the hospital, the police department said.

The police department and the FBI are investigating. The FBI has created a website for people to upload photos and cellphone videos or tips.

In a statement Wednesday, the city said officials are “actively working on a multifaceted revitalization plan to address issues related to late night activity in the Himmarshee Village Historic District.”

Deputies and Tamarac Fire Rescue were called to a home in the 7900 block of of Northwest 71st Avenue shortly after 10 p.m. and found the injured teen, Orlando Wedderburn. A woman who was also at the scene had been grazed by a bullet, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Orlando was taken by helicopter to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, where he died.

The shooter stayed at the scene, claimed self-defense during questioning and was then released, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Thursday afternoon. The Sheriff’s Office has not identified the shooter.

The case will be presented to the State Attorney’s Office to determine whether charges will be filed once detectives finish the investigation.

In multiple 911 calls released Wednesday by the Broward Sheriff’s Office, witnesses described numerous people trying to remove the teens from a mangled 2014 white BMW M5 after the car hit a median in the 1600 block of North Federal Highway and lost control. The BMW smashed into a 2024 Acura Integra with two women and a 5-year-old child inside, then slid across the road and crashed into a bus stop, a light pole and a tree.

Richard Manuel Alcocer, 18, who was the driver of the BMW, and his two passengers Miguel Montez, 16, and Ruben Baltazar, 15, were extricated by first responders and pronounced dead at Broward Health North on Monday evening, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The boys were students at Blanche Ely High School. Relatives told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the three were more like family than friends because they were so close.

One man who called 911 pleaded for first responders to rush to the scene. Within a minute of the crash, he could be heard shouting to someone at the scene, asking if they were OK, then immediately yelled, “Oh my god! Oh my god!”

“Ma’am, it is bad,” he told the dispatcher.

He and at least one other witness could be heard on the line when they approached the car and saw the three teens inside.

“Don’t touch him. Don’t touch him,” the man told another witness.

3 teens killed in Pompano Beach crash were inseparable, family members say

Two women who were inside the Acura and another witness in a separate car described the white BMW speeding through a red light and then flipping. One of the women inside the Acura told a dispatcher her 5-year-old child was also with them. They were not injured.

“They were coming super fast … There’s a bunch of people trying to help them out of the car,” one of the women said. “It’s a really bad car accident. Extremely bad.”

The Acura was making a right turn out of a shopping plaza at Northeast 18th Street to travel south on North Federal Highway just before impact, the Sheriff’s Office said. The resulting damage appeared to indicate a “sideswipe-type impact” on the front driver’s side of the Acura.

“Detectives said the preliminary investigation reveals that excessive speed by the driver of the BMW is a possible contributing factor in the crash,” the Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.

Now La Torretta Italian Grill, a comforting staple of the Indian Trace neighborhood, is scheduled to permanently close Jan. 11, management confirmed with the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Tuesday. Manager Martha Vasalo said new landlords in the Weston Lakes Plaza planned to “dramatically” increase rents beyond what longtime owners Fabrizio and Vita Russo could handle.

“Silent investors from California have decided to raise us,” said Vasalo, adding that La Torretta marked its 34th anniversary in business in early December.

La Torretta’s imminent closing marks Weston’s second closing of a longtime comfort-food icon in recent months, after Lucille’s American Cafe shuttered in late August after 26 years. It also bookends another particularly brutal year for local dining, adding to the tally of longtime eateries that met their demise after grappling with doubled rents, increased food and labor.

Regular diners who heard about La Torretta’s choice to close took to social media in waves of shock and anger, listing their favorite dishes while bemoaning the hardship that legacy restaurants face to stay alive.

“We have been ordering from La Torretta for 27 years!!!” commenter Lisa Cole wrote. “What a loss to Weston!”

“We had a large group for dinner after my mom’s funeral and they treated us very well. Hate to see this when they were one of the first restaurants in Town Center,” commenter Linda Palmer said, adding, “We really miss Lucille’s as well.”

“I guess we’ll be ordering there a few more times before they close,” Traci Caruso-Borkowski wrote. “I’ve never had a bad meal there.”

At its peak, La Torretta operated two locations — one in Weston Lakes and a second 3 miles east, with a slightly altered menu, at 1352 Weston Road in the Country Isles Plaza. Here, La Torretto turned out a carousel of Italian-American classics in its spacious dining room and pink column-wrapped patio, including manicotti, ravioli and lasagna, chicken fortified with Marsala wine, mussels marinara and calamari.

La Torretta faced recent setbacks, among them being temporarily ordered shut July 30 by state inspectors for a handful of dirty dining issues.

La Torretta Italian Grill, at 308 Indian Trace, in Weston, expects to close Jan. 11. Call 954-389-0551 or go to LaTorrettaWeston.com.

It’s the same ice where the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers will meet on Friday in the 2026 NHL Winter Classic, the league’s famed annual outdoor games.

The game is more associated with snowy locations in historic hockey strongholds like Toronto and Chicago than our beach-friendly winter, but with Broward’s Florida Panthers as the current two-time champions, South Florida became impossible to ignore.

The league is turning to two men, Derek King and Andrew Higgins of the league’s facility and hockey operations team, to defeat the oxymoron that is outdoor hockey in South Florida.

“ I think it’s a pretty bold move by the league. Why not Florida? Florida is an amazing hockey market. So for us to bring the game here, I think it’s pretty exciting,” said King.

“ For us and our crew, it’s just a new challenge. We’ve been in warmer markets before, but really nothing as south or as warm as this.” said Higgins.

The ice is just part of the massive production planned for Friday night’s game. LoanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins, has been completely transformed. The field has been split into two halves, one sunny and the other snowy to highlight the clash between South Florida’s warm weather and the sport’s cold weather origins.

“ Half the field is gonna be Miami Beach, lifeguard stands, umbrellas, cabanas and swimming pools, and the other side is as if a huge snowstorm has hit Miami … We’re gonna have cast members on the field. Half of them will be in parkas, the other will be in bikinis and speedos,” said Steve Mayer, president of NHL events and content.

Mayer hinted at a few other surprises for the fans on game day, especially those on the icy side.

“You may get snowed on…  we like to make it an interactive experience from the time you walk in the building to the time you leave,” he said.

Getting the ice ready

But none of the fanfare can happen without the ice in peak condition.

Two weeks before the puck drops, the rink build begins. King and Higgins’s team marks out the space, stretching end to end across the infield, and lays down a laser-leveled stage deck. Then the crew brings in 253 aluminum pans to cover the surface. Those pans are connected to two truck trailers in centerfield that pump glycol, which removes heat from water, through the pans. About a week before the game, water is misted on top of the pans, allowing it to freeze in layers.

The process is helped by LoanDepot Park’s retractable roof, which allows the team building the rink more control over the conditions before the game. But the plan is to play with the roof and the sliding floor-to-ceiling windows in left field open, which puts the ice at the mercy of the elements.

“ Once you open the roof, all bets are off. I’m looking at the weather just like everybody else,” said Mayer.

There is a difference between ice and professional grade ice — any bumps, bobbles, or soft spots on Friday could ruin the whole affair — but the team can monitor the ice and adjust the coolant coming from the truck trailers on the fly. They’ve also created a sheet that’s between two and two and a half inches — an inch thicker than the ice at Amerant Bank Arena, where the Panthers play, to give themselves more of a buffer.

And to make things even better, there’s a cold front due this week. Temperatures at puck drop could be in the mid to low 60s.

Up next for the NHL events team might be an even greater challenge. Next month, they’ll head to Tampa for the NHL Stadium Series where the Tampa Bay Lighting will play the Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium, where there is no roof.

This article was originally published by WLRN Public Media.

Antibiotic resistance has become an increasingly fatal problem that South Florida college students are trying to solve.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that in 2019, antimicrobial resistance killed 1.27 million people worldwide and nearly 5 million deaths were associated with infections caused by drug-resistant organisms. Research has shown that this number is projected to increase to 10 million per year by 2050, greatly exceeding deaths from cancer.

In this landscape, a Nova Southeastern University professor and her class of 40 students are conducting research and searching for the next new antibiotic. For students, being part of the Tiny Earth network of student researchers is more than just a course: They become scientists working to address a global challenge while cultivating a sense of belonging in the field of science and within their local communities.

Students test soil from around the NSU campus or their backyards.

“Some students have found bacteria that are producing antibiotic-like compounds,” said Dr. Aarti Raja, the NSU professor teaching the course. “We are working to identify what these bacteria are and the composition of the compounds they are producing.”

The concept of crowdsourcing antibiotic discovery has opened the possibility of finding a solution to this global challenge. Leveraging this model allows entire classes of students — not just one or two students — to engage in research.

“Students often speak about how research plays an important role in their career path and express genuine interest in engaging in the work,” Raja said. “For many students, there is a great thrill in owning a project, being involved in a global effort, and the possibility of discovering something novel.”

NSU in Davie is among 540 institutions, 800 faculty, and 16,000 students worldwide working to find a solution to the antibiotic resistance crisis that affects care in hospitals and the narrowing of medical treatment options. Students work through a semester or beyond on their research.

“I was able to create pamphlets and talk about antibiotic resistance with my family, and help people understand the importance of it and why it should be taken seriously,” said Jennifer Vargas, a junior at NSU in Davie. “I hope the pamphlets I created in English and Spanish will help patients.”

The students will disseminate their research findings to their peers, the university community, and the network of researchers worldwide. Some students will go on to present their work at an international conference of scientists.

In the U.S., the CDC estimates that 2.8 million infections annually are caused by antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms, and 35,000 people die from such infections. Compounding this, the World Health Organization notes that the development and approval of antibiotics have dwindled over the years down to 1.2 agents per year globally.

Along with health concerns, combating antimicrobial resistance, called AMR, has economic impacts, creating high costs for both health systems and national economies overall. For example, it makes a need for more expensive and intensive care for patients, involves prolonged hospital stays, and harms agricultural productivity.

Raja says students often speak about how research plays a vital role in their career path and express a genuine interest in engaging in the work. Many of the students will continue to medical school and face the real-life concerns with antibiotic resistance as physicians treating patients.

“This was my first experience with hands-on research,” said Jaelyn Freeston, an NSU junior. “I am grateful for the opportunity to have contributed to something meaningful and important in the real world.”

This article was contributed as a collaboration between the South Florida Sun Sentinel and the Mako Media Institute at Nova Southeastern University.