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

• 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 >>

• 

  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 >>

• 

  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 >>

• 

  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 >>

• 

  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 >>

• 

  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 >>

• Judge in Michelle Spence-Jones Case Steps Aside for Not Revealing Conflict

  published Apr 17, 2013

  Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Jorge E. Cueto should have known better. On Tuesday, he angrily removed himself from a civil case challenging Miami Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones' third run for office. A... More >>

• David Rivera's Missing Pal Ana Alliegro Found Hiding in Nicaragua

  published April 18, 2013

  David Rivera's Missing Pal Ana Alliegro Found Hiding in Nicaragua More >>

• Miami, Now's Your Chance To Yell At Banana Republican In Person About Gun Control

  published Apr 12, 2013

  Back in February, Banana Republican tackled the thorniest, hot-button political issue of the moment: banning assault rifles. Even though I took an objective approach to the subject, a majority of comm... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  Exclusive: Miami New Times Finds David Rivera's Missing Pal Ana Alliegro

  published Apr 12, 2013

  In the lakeside tourist city of Granada, Nicaragua, visitors strolling along La Calle Libertad come upon a blue Colonial-style building with a small sign reading, "Salon La Libertad." On a recent afte... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  Bruno Barreiro, Who Took Thouands From Stephen Ross, Removes Super Bowl L Clause From Sun Life Bill

  published Apr 10, 2013

  For weeks, the Miami Dolphins have been promising that the team won't move forward with the $390 million renovation of Sun Life Stadium if the NFL doesn't award the city a Super Bowl in 2015 or 2016. ... More >>

• Miami Beach Parking Lot Might Be Tremont Towing's Scummiest Scam

  published April 11, 2013

  Miami Beach Parking Lot Might Be Tremont Towing's Scummiest Scam More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  Pay the Meter and You'll Still Get Towed at This Private Miami Beach Lot

  published Apr 08, 2013

  There's a new twist to the ol' South Beach towing racket. At 17th Street and Lennox Avenue, just north of Lincoln Road, there's a parking lot that looks identical to scores of other nearby city-run lo... More >>

• FIU Students Organizing Anti-Drone Protest

  published Apr 05, 2013

  When it comes to war-mongering, President Barack Obama has at times put his predecessor, George W. Bush, to shame. Consider the commander-in-chief's cold-hearted use of unmanned drones to fight Americ... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  David Rivera Hung Out With Communists During His Last Campaign

  published Apr 04, 2013

  Throughout his embattled political career, David Rivera used his power to undermine Cuba's communist government at every turn. The Cuban-American Republican was one of the staunchest hard-line crusade... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  Pain & Gain: A Pictorial Dummy's Guide to the Real-Life Tale

  published Apr 03, 2013

  So there is this movie coming out later this month, rightr It's directed by Michael Bay and stars Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and Anthony Mackie as a trio of bodybuilding extortionists w... More >>