TOP STORIES FROM LAST WEEK

Our panel of 100 influential leaders discusses the most important issues affecting you.

Mitch Ceasar, former chairman, Broward County Democratic Party. Silence is not golden. Over the last few weeks, there has been a marked increase in antisemitic events in Florida and nationally. FBI statistics indicate 55% of hate crimes related to Jews, yet that group is only 2% of the U.S. population. Swastikas have appeared in a playground in Weston. Each year has shown a significant increase in these hate crimes. We now know that Nazis marching in Charlottesville was not an isolated occurrence. Yet many Republicans fail to speak out. Silence is a major ingredient of the problem and encourages aberrant behavior. Just say no to hatred!

Bernie Fernandez Jr., M.D., CEO, Baptist Health Medical Group. Intermittent fasting has emerged as a trend among weight-loss seekers. The practice involves restricting food consumption to a short duration of each day, such as eight hours. As a result, the body switches from using stored glucose for energy to using fat supplies — a process that can take up to 12 hours. Studies have shown that intermittent fasting can improve insulin resistance, blood fat abnormalities, high blood pressure and inflammation, even if weight loss doesn’t occur, but long-term studies haven’t been conducted. And weight loss requires eating nutritious foods. People with diabetes, hypoglycemia, syncope or eating disorders should avoid fasting.

Wendy Sartory Link, supervisor of elections, Palm Beach County. Through Thursday, nearly

90,000 voters have voted early and almost

200,000 have voted by mail in Palm Beach County. For those voting by mail, our office is now encouraging voters to drop off their ballot in-person right away to one of the 21 early voting locations through Nov. 6 or at one of our four offices or a secure ballot intake station located outside our offices by Tuesday, Nov. 8. Returning your ballot right away and not waiting until Election Day will ensure we have time to contact you if there are signature issues.

Lamar Fisher, vice mayor, Broward County. Sea turtle nesting season ended this week, running from March 1-Oct. 31. Although not a record-breaking year for our sea turtles, biologists say this year has been a success. Biologists with the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program (BCSTCP) have counted more than 3,000 nests for the 2022 season report. The BCSTCP monitors the county’s beaches for sea turtle activity and long-term trends show an increase in nesting. Loggerhead turtles laid more nests this year when compared to the last six years but fell short of the previous record year of 2016, when 3,400 loggerhead nests were documented.

Jason Hughes, executive director, ArtServe. Among Florida’s ongoing post-Hurricane Ian revelations, we learned this week that some lithium-ion batteries submerged in floodwaters spontaneously combusted because of saltwater-induced chemical reaction known as “thermal runaway” that can cause a fire almost impossible to stop because it keeps reigniting. Those who own any home energy storage system, electric vehicle, golf cart, power tools or other lithium-ion-powered item that has been submerged in salt water are being urged not to use or charge them, or store them in areas adjacent to any housing or structure that could catch fire. If they begin spontaneously smoking or combusting, call 911.

Jennifer O’Flannery Anderson, president and CEO, Community Foundation of Broward. The killer who took 17 lives, injured 17 others and forever scarred the community we love when he opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018 finally received sentences for his crimes. Life in prison without parole is likely little solace for grieving loved ones and survivors haunted by that horrible day. My heart goes out to everyone touched by the mass shooting who waited years to endure a sentencing trial that — no matter the outcome — could never truly bring justice for all who were lost and all who still suffer from this hateful act.

Thomas Wenski, archbishop, Archdiocese of Miami. Our culture today is deeply wounded by individualism, by narcissism; it is wounded by a materialism that denies the transcendence of the human person. This explains a lot about why our politics are so polarizing and why many feel “homeless” in either political party. The stridency and polarization of politics in America today can be discouraging. We need a new kind of politics — one focused on moral principles, not on polls; on the needs of the vulnerable, not contributions of the powerful; and on the pursuit of the common good, not the demands of special interests.

Patricia Williams, member, Florida House of Representatives. November is Native American Heritage Month! During this month, we remember and reflect on this great nation’s FIRST people. Our Sunshine State has a special connection to the great history of our Native American brothers and sisters. Over the course of this month, I challenge you all to take some time to study significant topics such as Florida’s Seminole Wars and the Trail of Tears from Florida and other southeastern states to Oklahoma (then known as “Indian Territory”). Also, learn the importance of historical figures such as the great Seminole warriors John Horse and Osceola. Who were they fighting? What were they fighting for?