Prominent Miamians who take bribes, get divorced, or don women’s underwear in public need no longer fret that Joan Fleischman will find out. The Miami Herald’s gossip columnist is one of several newsroom staffers who have accepted buyouts. Her final “Talk of Our Town” column ran last weekend. “I am…
Talk about conflict of interest. Early next month, Miami Herald county hall reporter Matthew Pinzur leaves the newspaper for a $115,000-per-year job as special assistant to Miami-Dade County Manager George Burgess. The move has caused outrage in the Herald newsroom, prompted head-scratching in the halls of power, and raised questions…
The titilating scandal swirling around the man selected to lead Miami-Dade County Public Schools continues to make headlines. Yesterday, the School Board delayed its vote on ratifying Alberto Carvalho’s contract to be the new superintendent amid public outrage over his speedy selection and allegations he had an inappropriate romantic relationship…
So now Alberto Carvalho is admitting that he had a “playful” relationship with the the Miami Herald’s former education reporter, Tania deLuzuriaga. At least that’s what CBS4’s Jim Defede is reporting. Carvalho has been on damage control since the Herald reported on a possible improper romantic relationship between Carvalho and…
Today the Miami Herald broke the news that Alberto Carvalho, the 44-year-old married man who’s been selected to helm Miami-Dade County Public Schools, may have had an improper romantic relationship with former education reporter Tania deLuzuriaga. The 27-year-old journalist, now with the Boston Globe, covered the nation’s fourth largest school…
Lilly Aramburo disappeared after an argument with her boyfriend in June 2007. Her friend has turned to the internet to dig up leads and put pressure on local detectives to track her down.
CBS4’s Jim Defede reports that attorneys representing the Miami-Dade School Board and Superintendent Rudy Crew have struck a deal that ends the nationally lauded, but locally villified, educator’s tenure in our fabled Banana Republic. The School Board is to vote on the buy-out at today’s meeting. — Francisco Alvarado…
Today the Miami-Dade County School Board voted to negotiate a buy-out of Rudy Crew’s contract, but the embattled superintendent had already been planning his exit from our sunny shores for quite some time. It was only last year that Crew had put his name in for other top schools jobs,…
Gripping a 12-gauge shotgun by the stock, Steven Robbins stormed out of a single-story home on Martinque Drive in Cutler Bay late in the evening of March 4. The tall, burly ex-Miami Beach cop, whose long, silvery mane and scruffy salt-and-pepper beard augment his imposing demeanor, marched toward the circular…
Last October, Miami-Dade School Board chairman Agustin Barrera hired Howard Diston to work on his house. The job: add a storage room and renovate the terrace, a closet, and the master bathroom of the chairman’s $415,000 three-bedroom residence in South Miami. There might have been more to this than meets…
On a recent balmy July afternoon, Valria “Val” Screen stands in the living room of George Williams’s Allapattah house, chatting up the 83-year-old homeowner and voter about her desire to replace Audrey Edmonson as his county commissioner. The 43-year-old attorney, sporting pearl earrings and a matching necklace, wears white sneakers,…
Back on April 2, I wrote about Gregory “Silk” Thomas, a colorful character living on Miami Beach who’s had more than his fair share of run-ins with the city’s PO-lice. Thomas, a tall man with graying dreadlocks and gold teeth, reached out to me after he was fired from his…
As our great Banana Republic of Miami-Dade County prepares for this fall’s elections, Riptide scoured campaign financial reports. After all, nothing is more patriotic than greasing the wheels of politics. Take, for instance, Magnum Construction Management Corp., a construction firm owned by a family of builders that has given thousands…
When election time rolls into gear, the union representing Miami-Dade County fire fighters doesn’t waste time getting into action. According to campaign financial disclosure reports, Dade County Firefighters Local 1403 contributed $500 each to the reelection campaigns of Bruno Barreiro, Audrey Edmonson, Carlos Gimenez, Barbara Jordan, Joe Martinez, and Natacha…
News Orange Crush A Chinese pathogen has the citrus industry talking apocalypse. By Alexander Zaitchik On July 11, the U.S. Department of Agriculture delivered some much-needed good news to Florida’s recently battered citrus growers. In its final estimate for statewide citrus output in 2008, the agency expected the industry to…
The Banana Republic of Miami-Dade County is a place where scandal doesn’t keep a man down for long. Consider the good fortune of North Miami Beach-based über lobbyist Ron Book. Twelve years ago, former New Times staff writer Jim Defede wrote perhaps the most definitive, and darkly insightful, profile on…
And why not? Miami-Dade government is about as stable as a Sagdiyev family reunion. I have to thank an anonymous commenter over at eyeonmiami for the headline. It was in response to a post about Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez endorsing Natacha Seijas for reelection, nearly two years after Carlito and…
Around 2 p.m. December 12, 2002, Mercedes Hernandez dialed her son George Collazo’s cell phone. It went straight to voicemail. That was odd. He always answered. Then the 60-year-old, blond, brown-eyed mortgage broker tried to reach her nephew, Michel Aleman, who was with George. Again, no answer. So she drove…
The Witch’s Way Natacha Seijas is at it again. By Francisco Alvarado The Wicked Witch of West Miami-Dade appears to be casting evil spells again. Lourdes Aguirre, a Miami Lakes businesswoman who is challenging county Commissioner Natacha Seijas in the August 26 election, claims Seijas — through an emissary —…
Sports Against the Tide A veteran Olympic swimmer aims to beat the skeptics. By Brantley Hargrove Dara Torres is an imposing sight, with the striated deltoids common to champion swimmers and a back whose muscles stretch like bas relief on a sculpture. It’s the kind of physique a woman needs…
As our great Banana Republic of Miami-Dade County gets ready to celebrate Independence Day, I decided to scour the campaign financial reports of Mayor Carlos Alvarez and the seven county commissioners running for reelection. After all, nothing is more patriotic than greasing the wheels of politics. I matched up names…
Miami’s blogosphere has sprouted a new ass-kicking government watchdog. Investigation Miami started off slow with only four postings this past April, but the blog’s unknown author has consistently been on point recently, digging deep into the self-serving escapades of Miami city commissioners, particularly mayoral candidate Tomas Regalado and wannabe populist…
