That’s where Life Time West Boca steps in. The upscale fitness space, which recently opened at the popular Uptown Boca shopping center along Glades Road, caters to a wealthier demographic, said Susan Setna Mistri, the senior general manager for Life Time in West Boca, Palm Beach Gardens and Boca Raton.

“They are looking for that little clout in the neighborhood,” she said. “It’s like, ‘Oh I drive a BMW, I go to Life Time.'”

Life Time is the latest offering to open at the popular West Boca shopping destination — giving a sense that a significant puzzle piece for the center is now in place. Earlier in 2025, the center welcomed two other large tenants, Whole Foods Market and Homesense, a homeware store.

Life Time is occupying part of a space that once was originally meant for a movie theater, which was set to be a cornerstone project until the COVID-19 pandemic halted construction and reduced the popularity of movie theaters in general.

That led Uptown Boca years ago to look elsewhere to fill it. Eventually, the perfect fit came with Life Time.

On a recent weekday morning, a light stream of people filtered in and out Life Time, some to work out and others for a tour. Life Time describes itself as an “athletic country club” rather than a gym.

For $339 a month, Life Time West Boca members can attend workout classes, sink into a cold plunge, use the sauna or buy a post-workout meal from Life Time’s cafe. And for an extra fee, members can book a massage.

It will join many other Life Time locations in Florida, including in Boca Raton, Palm Beach Gardens, Coral Gables and Miami. Nearly 200 Life Time sites exist across the United States and Canada, and some even feature co-working spaces and child care.

The other businesses and brands situated in Uptown Boca are “like-minded,” Setna Mistri said, making Like Time’s placement very fitting.

“It’s a very vibrant lifestyle hub in West Boca,” Setna Mistri said. “We thought we definitely had an opportunity to capture the West Boca market.”

Other Uptown Boca tenants include Just Salad, Yoga Six, Carmela Coffee Bar, 3Natives, Lynora’s, Tipsy Nail Bar, Sephora, Zoom Tan, Zen Sushi, BurgerFi, Paradise Grills, REI, Sloan’s Ice Cream and more.

Uptown Boca’s success is emblematic of the growth West Boca has seen in recent years.

As new tenants were added to Uptown Boca’s roster, new people continued moving into the area and have wanted places to eat, shop and work out.

Just north of Uptown Boca is Lotus Edge, a GL Homes community, part of which currently is under construction and will offer hundreds of new homes when completed. And earlier this year, homebuilder Lennar proposed more than 700 homes for the nearby 27-hole Boca Lago golf course.

“This has been a very successful plaza,” said Michelle Soudry, a publicist whose firm represents Life Time West Boca.

Florida Blue and Broward County’s two public health systems, both under the same CEO, still lack a new contract. The months-long impasse between Florida Blue and Broward Health and Memorial Healthcare System has affected as many as 40,000 policyholders who must deal with higher out-of-pocket costs, a disruption in their doctor relationships, and finding ongoing treatment for non-emergency care. Earlier communication from the parties indicated new contracts might be completed by year’s end, but that hasn’t happened.

“We are having ongoing and productive discussions with the leadership teams from Broward Health and Memorial Healthcare System,” Florida Blue spokesperson Jorge Martinez said Tuesday.

In addition, unless Florida Blue reaches an agreement with Cleveland Clinic Weston by March, notices will go out to policyholders informing them that the hospital will be out of network as well, meaning they will not be covered for non-emergency services. For now, Florida Blue members can continue scheduling appointments and receiving care as usual at the Weston hospital.

The inability to negotiate a contract, however, would put Florida Blue policyholders at a significant disadvantage when choosing care. Open enrollment for employer-sponsored health plans has now closed for most companies, forcing them to decide whether to continue with Florida Blue and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Martinez said it’s too soon to know if and how contract disputes affected enrollment choices. Broward’s public health systems have suffered, too, with patients delaying care or finding new providers.

In Palm Beach County, Cigna policyholders received good news Wednesday when an eleventh-hour deal allowed them to stay in network at their major hospitals.

Tenet’s Palm Beach Health Network, which operates six major hospitals, was about to go out-of-network with Cigna on Wednesday. However, a Tenet spokesperson said the parties reached an agreement that will allow 1.3 million Florida Cigna policyholders and 13,000 Palm Beach County residents to be covered at its hospitals. Those hospitals are Delray Medical Center,  Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, and Palm Beach Children’s Hospital in West Palm Beach. Tenet also operates Florida Coast Medical Center in Port St. Lucie.

Non-renewal of Cigna’s contract would have put the county’s only children’s hospital out of network, just as Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital has gone out of network for Florida Blue policyholders in Broward County.

Cigna’s standoff with Tenet’s Palm Beach Health Network was part of a national contract dispute with Tenet Healthcare facilities and services nationwide, which the two health giants resolved on Wednesday.

Patients are increasingly caught in disputes as health insurers and providers disagree on contract terms and the two parties urge each other to stop disrupting medical treatment.

On Wednesday,  Cigna spokesperson Madeline Ziomek said, “An agreement has been reached with Tenet-owned Palm Beach Health Network, their physicians, and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) to continue providing in-network health care with no interruption in coverage for our customers. Together we will continue improving the health and vitality of the people we both serve in this community through access to affordable care.”

The heated negotiations between the insurer and healthcare company may represent the trend ahead and the role AI will play.

Tenet had set up a website for patients to demand that Cigna relent and said that Cigna would not guarantee that a physician, not a computer algorithm, makes decisions about patient care.

“Tenet Healthcare has been negotiating in good faith to keep in-network access to hospitals and providers at the Palm Beach Health Network for our patients,” Andrew Lofholm, Communications and Community Relations Manager with Palm Beach Health Network, had said.  “If Cigna ends its contract by December 31, 1.33 million Floridians could lose affordable access to both of the county’s Level I trauma centers and the only children’s hospital in the region. Because Cigna refuses to agree to reasonable terms to guarantee that a doctor, not a computer algorithm or AI, will make meaningful decisions about our patients’ care, families will be faced with paying thousands more or leaving the doctors and hospitals they’ve relied on for years.”

The standoffs over financial terms and reimbursement rates are also infuriating Broward patients, who at one point were told by Memorial and Broward Health they couldn’t make appointments as Florida Blue policyholders, even if they wanted to self-pay. On Tuesday, Broward Health and Memorial said they would accept Florida Blue patients who want to self-pay to continue seeing their doctors.

“We welcome any Florida Blue policyholders to continue their care with Broward Health providers,” said Broward Health Vice President of Communications Jennifer Smith. “Patients would need to self-pay or get a single-case agreement from Florida Blue. ”

The law requires hospitals to provide emergency care to patients regardless of whether they are in network.

“Anyone who arrives at our emergency departments will be treated regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay,” Smith said. “If admission is required, we notify the payor, and they decide whether to authorize admission or start transfer to an in-network hospital. But ultimately, it is the patient’s choice where they are treated.”

South Florida patients are upset that they are caught in the conflict between provider and insurer.

“My husband and I have complex medical histories,” Rev. Corrie Montoya of Davie wrote in a letter to the Sun Sentinel. “We have Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance through my employer. Most of our physicians are with Broward Health. We now must find a new primary care doctor and at least eight new specialists. It’s frustrating to have to start over. I can push through, but what I can’t abide is Florida Blue putting my child and all Broward children at risk.”

The breakdown in contract negotiations between health providers and health insurers put South Florida residents like Bob and Gayle Pifer in the position of losing access to doctors they have come to rely on over many decades.

Bob Pifer has been calling and writing Memorial Healthcare and Florida Blue, seeking answers to whether they can continue to see their doctors, and when the contract dispute will be resolved. The couple live in Pembroke Pines and all hospitals nearby, south of Interstate 595, are operated by Memorial. Both see various specialists at Memorial and Gayle Pifer is undergoing cancer treatment. The Pifers said they have been Blue Cross Blue Shield policyholders for more than 40 years, but can’t afford to keep seeing the same doctors.

“We live eight minutes from Memorial West. If we keep going, we could be stuck for the whole bill,” Bob Pifer told the Sun Sentinel. “In my wife’s case, the last infusion was very expensive.”

Plantation resident Andy Greenfield said he has been getting primary care at Memorial for over 30 years. “Because of this impasse, I will be forced to look elsewhere, even for ongoing conditions that Memorial physicians had treated. I don’t understand how so many hospitals can be out of network simultaneously for residents of Broward County.”

South Florida Sun Sentinel health reporter Cindy Goodman can be reached at cgoodman@sunsentinel.com.

The human circus — eschewing animal acts for dazzling derring-do from acrobats and athletes — is making its South Florida debut Jan. 9-19 in a big-top tent to be set up in Miramar Regional Park. And unlike other circuses that crisscross Broward and Palm Beach counties, Paranormal Cirque is not for the whole family.

“We’re bringing our R-rated horror circus with a haunted attraction pre-show,” says Steve Copeland, a comedian and spokesman with Cirque Italia, the show’s Bradenton-based producer. “It’s rated R cuz there’s lots of bad language, there’s adult humor, there’s skimpy and revealing costuming. No nudity, unless you maybe buy the performers a couple drinks, but no nudity in the show itself. Miramar better get ready for a heck of a good time.”

According to Copeland, some of the acts include:

• A juggling Beetlejuice.
• A motorcycle on a thin wire “… high above your head with a lovely lady performing on a trapeze hanging underneath.”
• “A woman who can shoot a bow and arrow with her feet.”
• “A woman hanging by her hair.”
• “A duo performing amazing acrobatics on roller skates.”
• There will also be comedy, magic illusions and more.

“We’re a strictly non-animal circus, although some of our performers do eat like animals,” he adds. “You’re going to see awesome acrobatics, beautiful aerial acts, you’re going to see feats of strength and daring and death-defying death stunts — all with a horror theme. So all of the acts are performed by zombies, by ghosts, by werewolves, by vampires. There’s also a lot of comedy, which people don’t expect. In fact, a lot of the R rating comes from the comedy.”

Children under the age of 13 are not allowed to see Paranormal Cirque, but teenagers (ages 13 through 17) can attend as long as they have an adult guardian.

Copeland continues, “And in addition to two hours of Vegas quality R-rated power circus entertainment, you get a haunted attraction free show that begins an hour before show time and it’s free with the admission ticket. So, you don’t have to pay anything extra, it’s included in the price of the ticket. And it’s a walk-through haunted house starring the same performers that you’re going to see in the show. They’re going to scare the heck out of you. So, maybe bring a change of underwear.”

The show’s parent company, Cirque Italia, was started by Manuel Rebecchi in 2012 and now has seven touring companies. Rebecchi is the nephew of the late Moira Orfei, a famous Italian circus performer and actor.

Paranormal Cirque runs Jan. 9-19 at Miramar Regional,16801 Miramar Parkway. Tickets range from $20-$65. To purchase, go to paranormalcirque.com.

AND HERE ARE MORE CIRCUSES COMING SOON TO BROWARD AND PALM BEACH COUNTIES

• Water Circus Atlantis (also a Cirque Italia production): Jan. 2-12 at Broward Mall, 8000 W. Broward Blvd., Plantation. Tickets are $15-$65. cirqueitalia.com/Water-Circus.
• Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey, Jan. 23-25 at Amerant Bank Arena, 1 Panther Parkway, Sunrise. Tickets are $38-$83. amerantbankarena.com.
• Luzia by Cirque du Soleil, Feb. 19-April 25 at Gulfstream Park, 901 S. Federal Highway, Hallandale Beach. Tickets are $38-$310. cirquedusoleil.com/LUZIA.
• Shen Yun Performing Arts
  — Feb. 2-3 at Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach. Tickets are $103.50-$230. kravis.org.
  — Feb. 17-18 at Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are $106.20-$236. browardcenter.org.
• The Great Mr. Swindle’s Traveling Peculiarium and Drink-Ory Garden (adults only)
  — Feb. 12-22 under the big top tent at Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. Tickets are $55-$95. mrswindles.com.
  — Feb. 26-March 22 under the big top tent near Seabreeze Amphitheater at Carlin Park, Carlin Park, 750 South A1A Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway, Jupiter. Tickets are $55-$90

Her husband’s cousin, Katya Bratslavsky, told Petlakh she had just bought a home in Boynton Beach.

“Which community?” asked Petlakh.

“Lakeridge Greens,” answered Bratslavsky.

What a coincidence, that was where Petlakh’s grandparents used to live.

“Which street?” It was the same street.

“Which house?” No. Impossible. Could it really be her grandparents’ longtime, beloved home?

It sure was.

“I was shaking, out of pure joy, because this house carries so much of my childhood inside its doors,” said Petlakh, 33, who lives in Bellmore, N.Y. “It feels like life has come full circle, so serendipitously.”

The home was formerly owned by Petlakh’s grandparents, Shirley and Milton Kushner, snowbirds from New Jersey who had bought it brand-new in 1996. It was filled with tender memories for Petlakh, who loved swimming in the neighborhood pool, eating with her grandparents at the kitchen table and sleeping on a cot in the second bedroom.

“I spent countless summers there growing up, making memories that would stay with me forever,” she said. “They had no idea how deeply it would root itself in our family’s history.”

Petlakh’s grandfather died in 2005. His wife stayed in the home for 20 more years until shortly before she died, at 99, in February 2025. Petlakh said her final goodbye to her grandmother in the house, as Shirley Kushner sat on her favorite chair in her bedroom, overlooking her beloved patio.

“I knew that this was the end of one of my childhood core memories,” Petlakh said.

Petlakh said her mother and her mother’s sister had trouble selling the house because it had fallen into disrepair.

Shirley Kushner suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and neither Kushner nor her aide was able to maintain it. Water damage and black mold were among several problems that hadn’t been addressed.

Petlakh’s mother and aunt sold the house to a contractor who fixed the problems and renovated it, taking down walls to create an open floor plan and adding a bedroom and a large granite counter in the kitchen.

The house sold quickly, and Petlakh hoped the future owners would love it as she did. A teacher and mother of a 3-year-old son, she decided it was time to move on.

When Bratslavsky delivered the stunning news, memories began to flood back for Petlakh.

Bratslavsky said she was equally emotional.

“It’s like when you’re a little kid and you find a treasure,” said Bratslavsky, an artist and mother of three who lives in Syracuse, N.Y.

Bratslavsky said she and her husband had been looking for a home in Boynton Beach to be closer to his parents. Her husband found the Lakeridge Greens house online and she said she loved it for its contemporary look, new appliances and big patio.

“You could tell someone put a lot of work into this house,” she said.

Bratslavsky discovered one remnant of the Kushner home had survived the renovation: a mezuzah, a little case containing biblical verses affixed to the doorposts of Jewish homes, at the front door.

She removed it and mailed it to Petlakh. She told her cousin to keep it as a family memento and to buy Bratslavsky a new one, which Petlakh has already done.

Petlakh placed her grandparents’ mezuzah in a box of family heirlooms she keeps in her attic. She traveled to the Bratslavskys’ Boynton Beach home in December, the first time she had been back since her grandmother died.

Bratslavsky said she has told the Petlakhs to visit any time and to treat the home like it’s theirs.

“I’m so deeply touched to be able to keep enjoying this beautiful home, not just as a visitor, but with family once again,” Petlakh said.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, officers responded to the incident about 7:15 p.m. Sunday after reports of a vessel striking the Woolbright Bridge and nearby private dock pilings. By the time officers arrived, the boat had sunk south of the bridge, and both the operator and a passenger had been airlifted to Delray Medical Center with injuries.

Investigators later identified the operator as Michael Dority Gee. Witness statements, video evidence, and a hospital interview revealed that Gee was operating the vessel when it collided with the bridge, then crashed into dock pilings on the Intracoastal Waterway, authorities said. The impact ejected the passenger from the vessel, causing injuries to the woman’s back, arms, foot and head, authorities said.

FWC officers determined that after the crash, the suspect left the scene without stopping to render aid, notify emergency services, or contact the property owner, despite witnesses attempting to help and even chasing the vessel to offer assistance. Florida law requires boat operators involved in accidents with injuries or property damage to remain at the scene and report the incident as soon as possible.

As a result of the investigation, Gee is charged with leaving the scene of a boating accident involving injury and leaving the scene of a boating accident involving property damage, violations of Florida Statute 327.30, according to the arrest affidavit. The case remains under review.

Gee remained in the Palm Beach County Jail late Tuesday in lieu of $15,000 bond on each count.

WPEC-CBS12 is a news partner of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

In a statement Tuesday, the airport authority announced the Federal  Aviation Administration has issued temporary flight restrictions for the Palm Beach area until Sunday.

As a result, the airport “is experiencing a significant and temporary increase in aircraft activity” because of its location within an “outer 30-nautical mile ring” and near an “inner 10-nautical mile restricted area.”

“We appreciate the community’s understanding as we experience these increases in traffic due to the TFRs,” Clara Bennett, the airport authority’s executive director, said in a statement.

She said the authority “understands that these changes in flight paths can be disruptive, and we appreciate the community’s patience.”

Bennett did not immediately respond to a voicemail request for comment Tuesday.

During the latter part of this month, Mar-a-Lago has been the stage for Trump’s high-level meetings with world leaders including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The airspace above Palm Beach International Airport, which is where Air Force One lands when the president comes to town, is also under tight restrictions with overwatch duty conducted by military aircraft. Last month, the FAA established a year-round restriction zone over the estate itself. As recently as Nov. 30, fighter jets intercepted a civilian aircraft that flew through temporarily restricted airspace over Palm Beach, according to CBS News.

The Boca Raton Airport, which lies about 25 miles south of the town of Palm Beach and is adjacent to Interstate 95 and the main campus of Florida Atlantic University, offers a main asphalt runway 6,276 feet in length for general aviation interests such as business jets, small recreational aircraft and flight training.

Rerouted traffic, no training

The airport authority’s statement said traffic “is being rerouted around the restricted airspace and diverted to alternate airports,” including Boca Raton.

All flight training including “pattern work and practice approaches, are prohibited while the TFRs are in effect,” the statement added.

The FAA also has adjusted departure routes for aircraft leaving the airport “to safely navigate around the restricted 10 [nautical mile] airspace.”

“These adjustments may result in flight activity over communities that do not typically experience higher levels of aircraft traffic,” the statement added.

The West Palm Beach mega-mercato, which opened on Dec. 6, becomes the Torino, Italy-founded brand’s second South Florida location, following the summer opening of Eataly in Aventura. The market has a mighty U.S. presence, with 16 stores from New York and Chicago to Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

“Eataly West Palm Beach is not only a continuation of our presence in South Florida, but an emblem of our brand’s mission to showcase the Italian Art of Living,” Tommaso Brusò, CEO of Eataly North America, said in a statement.

Across 23,000 square feet of shopping space inside the former Harriet Himmel Theater, there’s imported cut-to-order salumi, bright boxes of panettone, Roman-style pizza (more on that later), fresh truffles and caviar, olive oils and wine varietals of every hue. There’s also a cooking school and a performance stage for demonstrations.

And the fresh pasta! A kaleidoscope of carbohydrates in every shape awaits, but perusers may want to stymie the urge to possess them all on their first visit. For one, they’re fragile (or fra-gee-lay, which is Italian), and two — oh, look, one counter over, there’s mortadella studded with pistachios. And fresh burrata! Better save some trunk space for those.

You get the point: It’s a mesmerizing circus of endless choices, and it can overwhelm, especially with hundreds of similarly awestruck shoppers milling around. So here’s a breakdown of the restaurants, the market and the grab-and-go-counters, just in time for New Year’s Day parties.

The restaurants

La Pizza & La Pasta: It’s 15 styles of Napoli-style pizza at this sit-down, including the Related Pizza (so named after Eataly developer Related Ross), with San Marzano tomato sauce, Napoli mozzarella, 18-month prosciutto, fresh burrata, basil and olive oil. There are also rustic breads, antipasti, aperitivos and an abbreviated menu of artisanal pastas also served at Il Pastaio.

Il Pastaio: This full-service restaurant serves housemade pasta by the bowlful, prepared daily by Eataly’s own pastai, who knead, roll, cut and form each shape from scratch, yielding dishes from tagliatelle alla bolognese to tonnarelli cacio e pepe. There are also salads, cured meats and cheeses.

The Counters

La Salumeria: The stuff from which decadent charcuterie boards are made, customers can order cured meats and cheeses by the pound, such as prosciutto di parma and Parmigiano-Reggiano and even jars of fig jam.

La Pizza alla Pala: A grab-and-go devoted to pizza alla pala, so named because the dough is stretched over an oval paddle. These Roman-style pies with airy, focaccia-like crust, are sold by the slice.

La Pasta Fresca: Fresh, hand-formed pastas of every color and shape can be ordered here, from orecchiette to linguine.

La Pasticceria: Indulge in chocolate-filled cakes, chantilly-filled bignès (cream puffs), fruit tarts, baba al rum. Or have a tray of tiramisu portioned for four or more, so you can tell your family you made it or accidentally-on-purpose forget to tell anyone you bought it, then feast on it yourself. We won’t judge.

Il Gelato: Picture rich chocolate, hazelnut, pistachio and other fruit flavors in sorbetto and gelato form, sold by the scoop.

Caffè Lavazza: As the name implies, find espressos, after-dinner drinks, traditional colazione Italiana (Italian breakfast), including custard-filled cornetti and biscotti.

The Markets

Lining the market aisles are must-haves for any New Year’s Day celebration, including candies, chocolates, House-branded panettones in colorful boxes and bottles of Franciacorta, a sparkling wine from Lombardi. There’s also a curated produce section stocked with endive, radicchio, fennel, limes and beefsteak tomatoes

If you go

What: Eataly West Palm Beach
When: Now open
Where: 580 Hibiscus St., West Palm Beach, inside CityPlace
Info: Call 728-728-8440 or go to Eataly.com

LAS OLAS ART FAIR

This is Part 1 of the well-known fair that features more than 200 artists in “pop-up” galleries, with a wide range of sculptures, paintings, mixed media, glasswork, pottery and more available for purchase. The pet-friendly event has a fully vetted, juried selection of fine art. By the way, Part 2 will be Feb. 28-March 1.

WHEN: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 3-4
WHERE: Along East Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, stretching from Southeast Sixth Avenue (near Tunnel Top Plaza) to 11th Avenue (near Himmarshee Canal)
COST: Free
INFORMATION: 561-746-6615; artfestival.com

PERLBERG FESTIVAL OF NEW PLAYS

New, never-produced-anywhere plays will get readings at this festival put on by Palm Beach Dramaworks in downtown West Palm Beach. Each reading is followed by a post-performance discussion.

WHEN: Jan. 9-11
WHERE: Palm Beach Dramaworks, 201 Clematis St., West Palm Beach
COST: $35 per performance (Playwright Roundtable Discussion on Jan. 11 is free, but you must register online)
INFORMATION: palmbeachdramaworks.org

TASTE OF DANIA BEACH

There will be food trucks, a Little Chefs Cooking Station, games, contests, face painters, live performances by Adam Uhlan Band and Life in Technicolor and more. There will also be exclusive access to local food and beverage vendors with the purchase of a Tasting Experience wristband. Free shuttles will run to and from the Casino at Dania Beach from 5:30 to 10 p.m.

WHEN: 6-9 p.m. Jan. 10
WHERE: City Hall Plaza, 100 W. Dania Beach Blvd., Dania Beach
COST:

• Free general admission and parking
• $40 for Tasting Experience wristband
• $60 for VIP admission

INFORMATION: tasteofdaniabeach.com

MACH 1 — SALUTE TO SERVICE AIR SHOW

Originally, the idea was to have this high-flying high-five on Veterans Day back in November, but then the government shutdown grounded those plans. Now the inaugural Mach 1 — Salute to Service Air Show is jetting into January with aerial performances from two L-39 Albatros jet fighters and other aircraft, set against the backdrop of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse.

Waterfront venue Charlie & Joe’s at Love Street is hosting the official watch party with lawn games and live music. NFL icon Joe Namath and business partner/lifelong bestie Charles Modica have three venues in one with Charlie & Joe’s: There’s The Beacon, Lucky Shuck Oyster Bar & Taphouse and a rooftop tapas bar called Topside at the Beacon. All will offer dining specials.

• Lucky Shuck will have a Southern-style barbecue plate ($25).
• The Beacon will have front-row seating during the air show, with children age 12 and younger dining for free with the purchase of an adult entree.
• Topside at the Beacon will have a VIP rooftop experience that includes two drinks, an all-you-can-eat buffet, a raffle entry, and an acoustic guitar/country music performance by Cole Cash (noon-2 p.m.; $80 a person).
• First responders, active military and veterans can pick up a 15% discount card for Charlie & Joe’s, valid for one year.
• A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Warriors Choice Foundation and Saddle & Sea Foundation.

WHEN: noon-5 p.m. Jan. 11
WHERE:

• See the air show all along the banks of the Loxahatchee River near the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse
• Charlie & Joe’s at Love Street, 1116 Love St., Jupiter

COST: Free admission for watch party
INFORMATION: saddleandseafoundation.org or lovestreetjupiter.com

ARTISANS OF WINE & FOOD

This will be the sophomore staging of this SoFlo sip-and-sup experience staged at The Boca Raton, the resplendent resort celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2026 that is partnering with oenophile omniscient Napa Valley Vintners of California. Chef-tastics such as Jet Tila, Mario Carbone, Taek Lee, Alex Espinoza, Guy Savoy and Massimo Falsini are scheduled to lend their gastronomic greatness along with a who’s who from the wine world. “We’re bringing Napa Valley’s finest vintners and world-class chefs together for a weekend that celebrates craft and community,” said Daniel A. Hostettler, president & CEO of The Boca Raton. “After last year’s incredible response, we’re raising the bar in every way, offering guests an even more immersive experience. Unlike other food and wine weekends, here it’s the vintners, winemakers and owners that our members and guests have the opportunity to engage with.”

WHEN: Jan. 15-18
WHERE: The Boca Raton club & resort, 501 E. Camino Real
COST:

• A la carte tickets are $150-$778.24
• Weekend passes are $2,848.24
• Wine auction proceeds from A Vintners Gala: Carbone at Artisans of Wine & Food on Jan. 17 will benefit Place of Hope in Palm Beach County and the Napa Valley Vintners Youth Wellness Initiative.

INFORMATION: artisansofwineandfood.com

SOUTH FLORIDA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL

For the fourth time, this annual jam (get it?) will return with strawberry treats — or what they call Strawberry Yummies or “Strummies”. Expect vendors as well as the Berry Big Bite Contest, Berry Bonanza Adventure Maze, Strawberry Shortcake Bounce House, Strawberry Playland, Strawberry Soft Play Area (for toddlers), Pop-Up Shopping Village, golf simulator, derby and water race games, petting zoo, an America’s Got Talent Stunt Dog Show and more.

WHEN:

• 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Jan. 17-18
• 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 19 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

WHERE:

• Burt Aaronson South County Regional Park, 11500 Yamato Road, Boca Raton
• For GPS, use 12551 Glades Road, Boca Raton

COST:

• $22.32 for general admission
• $41.52 for admission and Unlimited Rides & Inflatables wristband

INFORMATION: soflostrawberryfestival.com

DONALD M. EPHRAIM SUN & STARS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

This will be the fourth year for this film festival that brings a wide mix of movies to Palm Beach County. Highlights for this edition include an opening night gala featuring the set-in-Miami, coming-of-age comedy “Ethan Bloom,” and a closing night frock-doc on fashion/footwear designer Kenneth Cole titled, “A Man with Sole: The Impact of Kenneth Cole.”

WHEN: Jan. 25-Feb. 6
WHERE:

• Rinker Playhouse at Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach
• Hooky Entertainment at Delray Marketplace, 14775 Lyons Road, Delray Beach
• Glazer Hall at Royal Poinciana Plaza, 70 Royal Poinciana Way, Suite P70, Palm Beach

COST: Tickets are $16.79, $17.25, $40.25 (“Steve Schapiro: Being Everywhere”), $103.50 (“Ethan Bloom”) and $125 (Kenneth Cole documentary)
INFORMATION: sasiff.org

WELLINGTON’S TASTE & TOAST

This al fresco cocktail and culinary event is returning for a second year to The Mall at Wellington Green. Guests, 21-and-over, can sample gourmet bites from local restaurants and chefs as well as sip cocktails, wines and premium spirits. DJ Roberto will be spinning. A portion of the event proceeds will benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County.

WHEN: 7-10 p.m. Jan. 30
WHERE: The Mall at Wellington Green, 10300 Forest Hill Blvd., Wellington
COST:

• General admission is $90 by Jan. 1 and $100 afterward
• VIP is $150 by Jan. 1 and $175 afterward

INFORMATION: wellingtonfl.gov/2291/Taste-Toast

Trenton Robinson, 24, of Georgia, is facing one count of second-degree murder with a firearm in the death of Josiah Jones. The teen was shot when he tried to intervene in an argument between Robinson and the mother of his baby, who is Josiah’s sister, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Robinson came to Josiah’s family home near the 500 block of Northwest Ninth Avenue on Sunday morning to pick up his child in common with Josiah’s sister, the affidavit said. Josiah was upstairs when Robinson and his sister began arguing and came down to separate them.

Josiah grabbed Robinson and toppled onto a bed while holding him but the two were not physically fighting or hurting one another, his sister told detectives. Robinson while struggling to get out of Josiah’s hold took out a gun and shot him in the stomach. She heard Robinson say that Josiah “should have got off me,” the affidavit said.

Josiah’s mother who was home at the time told detective she heard a popping noise as she was coming downstairs and saw her son fall to the floor. She heard her daughter yell: “You just shot my brother,” and saw Robinson holding a gun, the affidavit said.

Officers found Josiah inside the home and tried to treat him before he was taken to Delray Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Robinson repeatedly said to relatives in the home and police who detained him that the shooting was an accident, according to the affidavit. He told detectives he tried to remove the gun from his sweatshirt pocket during the struggle “because he did not want to shoot himself,” and it fired unintentionally as he removed it.

Martha Jo Blake, 66, is facing one count of first-degree murder in the death of her mother, Patricia Blake, whom she served as the caregiver for over the past five years, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Deputies were called to the apartment the mother and daughter shared near the 2800 block of Ashley Drive West shortly before 8 a.m. Dec. 26 to investigate the death, the affidavit said. Patricia Blake was found lying in her bed on her back with sheets over her body and pronounced dead.

Martha Jo Blake told investigators of her mother’s medical history of Parkinson’s disease and a thyroid disorder and said she last saw her mother about 10 p.m. the night before, the affidavit said. One deputy later said that he found it “off” that Martha Jo Blake insisted on staying with her mother’s body while they investigated and noticed Patricia Blake’s face was discolored.

Small, circular marks could be seen on the left side of Martha Jo Blake’s neck when body-worn camera footage was later reviewed.

An autopsy found that something had been placed over Patricia Blake’s nose, a new fracture in one of the bones in her neck and small spots of bleeding that indicate strangulation and lack of oxygen, according to the affidavit.

Detectives received a search warrant for the apartment after the autopsy determined Patricia Blake’s death was not from natural causes.

As the apartment was searched, Martha Jo Blake told a detective in a voluntary interview that she and her mother had talked about the possibility of medically assisted suicide with her primary care doctor in Maine about 18 months earlier, but Patricia Blake did not qualify under that state’s “Death With Dignity” law because she did not have a terminal illness, according to the affidavit.

The woman told her daughter numerous times that “she did not want to live,” Martha Jo Blake told the detective, according to the affidavit. The daughter told the detective they had also considered another method of suicide at one point. Other parts of Martha Jo Blake’s statement are redacted in the affidavit.

Detectives took from the apartment during the search a pair of socks in a shopping bag that were placed inside of a garbage bag on the front porch, bedding from Patricia Blake’s room and “the clothing that Martha stated she was wearing when she strangled Patricia,” according to the affidavit.

Martha Jo Blake was booked into the Main Detention Center early Saturday morning and remained there Monday afternoon.