Email Author Francisco Alvarado

Awards

• 2011 - The Green Eyeshade Excellence in Journalism Awards/Atlanta SPJ, published July 8, 2010

  "Death Row"

• 2010 - Better Weekly Newspaper Awards/Florida Press Association, published September 3, 2009

  "On the Level"

• 2010 - Better Weekly Newspaper Awards/Florida Press Association, published October 15, 2009

  "Work It, Jerry!"

• 2010 - Better Weekly Newspaper Awards/Florida Press Association, published September 17, 2009

  "Baby Got Fatback!"

• 2010 - Sunshine State Awards/South Florida Society of Professional Journalists, published September 3, 2009

  "On the Level"

• 2009 - Education Reporting Awards/National Education Writers Association, published May 1, 2008

  "F-School Bomb"

• 2009 - AAN AltWeekly Awards, published October 30, 2008

  "Voter Fraud Ahead"

• 2009 - AAN AltWeekly Awards, published May 22, 2008

  "Burn, Baby, Burn"

• 2009 - AAN AltWeekly Awards, published May 8, 2008

  "Killers in the Can"

• 2009 - The Green Eyeshade Excellence in Journalism Awards/Atlanta SPJ, published January 10, 2008

  "Wet Foot, Dusty Foot"

• 2009 - The Green Eyeshade Excellence in Journalism Awards/Atlanta SPJ, published October 23, 2008

  "Dead Weight"

• 2009 - The Green Eyeshade Excellence in Journalism Awards/Atlanta SPJ, published May 1, 2008

  "The F-School Bomb"

• 2009 - Better Weekly Newspaper Awards/Florida Press Association, published May 1, 2008

  "The F-School Bomb"

• 2009 - Sunshine State Awards/South Florida Society of Professional Journalists, published September 11, 2008

  "Missing Peace"

• 2009 - Sunshine State Awards/South Florida Society of Professional Journalists, published December 11, 2008

  "No Fear"

• 2008 - Better Weekly Newspaper Awards/Florida Press Association, published August 2, 2007

  "Bad Apple"

• 2006 - The Green Eyeshade Excellence in Journalism Awards/Atlanta SPJ, published January 27, 2005

  "Crack Kills"

More

2013 Stories by Francisco Alvarado

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  Coconut Grove Playhouse Going For That Crack Den Aesthetic

  published May 24, 2013

  Ever since Florida's Department of Environmental Protection retook control of the shuttered Coconut Grove Playhouse last year, the storied structure has been left to rot. And until the state closes a ... More >>

• Miami Therapist Gets Nine Years For His Role In $63 Million Medicare Scam

  published May 23, 2013

  In the capital of medicare fraud, Miami therapist Paul Thomas Layman and his cohorts pulled off a doozy of a heist, stealing $63 million from the federal government through bogus mental health service... More >>

• Zoraida Abreu Pleads Guilty in $2.4 Million Real Estate Scam

  published May 22, 2013

  Two years ago, Miami New Times was the first media outlet to report on a crew of scammers who swindled $2.4 million out of 15 real estate investors who believed they were getting sweetheart deals on f... More >>

• Homestead Mayor Steve Bateman Gets Put in His Place

  published May 21, 2013

  At last week's May 15 Homestead City Council meeting, Mayor Steve Bateman got testy with local business owner Michelle Pederson, prompting her husband Kevin to call hizzoner out. The back and forth oc... More >>

• Santiestebans Plead Guilty to Marijuana Trafficking

  published May 20, 2013

  The family that grew ganja together is now the family that pleaded guilty together. In the spring of last year, federal agents and Miami-Dade narcotics detectives dismantled a clan of marijuana grower... More >>

• WLRN Hires Veteran TIME Magazine Reporter Tim Padgett

  published May 16, 2013

  National magazine journalism may be coughing and gagging its last breaths, but public radio is giving print reporters hope. In an email to supporters late last night, WLRN-Miami Herald News Director D... More >>

• Judge Allows Environmental Group To Join Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Lawsuit

  published May 15, 2013

  As Miami-Dade County moves forward with its $12.6 billion plan to fix the aging water and sewer collection system, Federal Chief Judge Frederico Moreno yesterday awarded a significant victory to the B... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Burials at Sea: The Real Story Behind Miami's Craziest Van Advertisement

  published May 14, 2013

  A white '80s Dodge Ram work van idles near the public boat ramp at Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove. The ride has no windows, giving it a Silence of the Lambs vibe. Strapped to the roof is a crude h... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  Sun Gym Gang Accomplice Speaks About "Pain & Gain" For First Time

  published May 14, 2013

  John Raimondo is a bit player in the 1999 epic three-part Miami New Times series "Pain & Gain," which blockbuster Hollywood director Michael Bay turned into a passion project that hit theaters over tw... More >>

• Miami Man Offers Burials at Sea for $500

  published May 16, 2013

  A white '80s Dodge Ram work van idles near the public boat ramp at Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove. The ride has no windows, giving it a... More >>

• Miami-Dade County Wants $4.2 Billion in Bonds For Aging Water and Sewer System

  published May 09, 2013

  Now that the debate about using public funds to fix up Sun-Life Stadium is over, there is an even much bigger public works project that should have Miami-Dade taxpayers especially concerned. For more ... More >>

• Which Loser Will Replace North Miami Mayor Andre Pierrer

  published May 08, 2013

  It's not gonna be easy to follow the dictatorial footsteps of North Miami Mayor Andre Pierre. Throughout his tenure as the city's head cheese, Pierre had done just about everything to attract the kind... More >>

• Jeep Catches Fire at Miami-Dade Criminal Courthouse Lot

  published May 06, 2013

  An otherwise mundane Monday afternoon at the Richard Gerstein Justice Building was interrupted by a fiery calamity. A maroon colored Jeep parked in the public lot underneath the State Road 836 overpas... More >>

• FEATURED STORY

  Andrew Mirmelli Defends His Parking Lot on 17th Street and Lenox Avenue

  published May 06, 2013

  For the past month, Riptide had been pounding the drum about Tremont Towing snatching cars from a private parking lot on 17th Street at Lenox Avenue in South Beach. Multiple residents have lobbed a la... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Miami Beach Motorists: Beware the Parking Lot on 17th Street at Lenox Avenue

  published May 01, 2013

  Folks looking for a parking spot near Lincoln Road's Regal South Beach movie theater need to stop using the private lot on 17th Street at Lenox Avenue. Because it's becoming increasingly clear that's ... More >>

• Miami Activist Arrested for Selling Taxpayer-Donated Prius for Cash

  published May 2, 2013

  How much can you get for a donated 2005 Toyota Prius previously owned by Miami-Dade County? A cool 8,200 bucks. Talk about a steal of a deal!... More >>

• Cuban-American Activist Sold Taxpayer-Donated Prius for $8,200

  published Apr 29, 2013

  How much can you get for a donated 2005 Toyota Prius previously owned by Miami-Dade Countyr A cool 8,200 bucks. Talk about a steal of a deal! Too much of a steal, according to the Miami-Dade Office of... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Why Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Was Afraid of His Pain & Gain Role

  published Apr 26, 2013

  Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson scaredr Pffft! The Rock isn't supposed to fear anything. He's climbed to the mountain top of Hollywood and he's been king of the World Wide Entertainment professional wrestli... More >>

• Video Shows Hialeah Cops Intimidating "Harlem Shakers"

  published Apr 25, 2013

  Two months ago, six Hialeah Police officers stamped out a gathering of young folks attempting to shoot an impromptu street video of "Harlem Shake," the popular Internet meme that went so viral even th... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Mark Wahlberg on Leading the Sun Gym Gang, Michael Bay, and Cocaine Cowboys

  published Apr 25, 2013

  A New York native with a smooth tongue and a disarming smile, Daniel Lugo was fresh from serving a 15-month federal prison stint for fraud when he landed at Sun Gym in 1992. He'd earned his prison tim... More >>

• Uncle Luke Gives Away Free Condoms in the Hood

  published Apr 24, 2013

  What time is itr Booty Time! What time is itr Booty, booty time! But you better wrap it up before you have some fun, according to Miami hip-hop icon, community activist, and alternative weekly colum... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Michael Bay on the Real Sun Gym Gang: "I Hope They Never See Pain & Gain"

  published Apr 23, 2013

  Michael Bay reclines on a white lounge chair on a 14th-floor balcony at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Brickell Key. To the east, a sheet of piercing rain swallows Key Biscayne, thunder cracks overhea... More >>

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  Michael Bay, Mark Wahlberg, and the Rock Talk Pain & Gain

  published April 25, 2013

  Michael Bay, Mark Wahlberg, and the Rock Talk Pain & Gain More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  Johnnie Walker Teaches New Times How to Make Bitters

  published Apr 22, 2013

  Growing up in a Nicaraguan household, I was introduced to hard liquor by my dad's bottle of Johnnie Walker Red. Nicas love hanging out with Johnnie. He's a smooth cat who's been the master of concocti... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  Tremont Towing Snags Another Car That Paid To Park in Private SoBe Lot

  published Apr 18, 2013

  Last week, Banana Republican warned readers about a private parking lot on 17th Street and Lennox Avenue on Miami Beach masquerading as a public lot. It's even equipped with a meter that is identical ... More >>