Earlier this month Joe Duffey, director of the U.S. Information Agency, sent Congress a copy of his long-awaited report about TV Marti. It was Duffey’s recommendation that Radio Marti’s sister station, designed to beam news and entertainment programming into Cuba, should remain on the air. In itself the recommendation wasn’t…
About a month ago, during a wide-ranging, three-hour interview, Dade County Commissioner Larry Hawkins spoke about allegations that he had sexually harassed a woman who worked for Vietnam Veterans of America. Until recently Hawkins had been a member of that organization’s board of directors. Paula Ramsey, the San Francisco woman…
Lost amid the sordid tales of sexual harassment are the other allegations about Larry Hawkins now under investigation by the Florida Commission on Ethics. Though less sensational, they are just as revealing. Perhaps the most serious of these involve Hawkins’s former employment with Seitlin & Company, a local insurance firm…
Recent years have seen an explosion of promotional giveaway events at baseball parks across the nation. A tradition that once was geared primarily toward kids, one that was limited to a smattering of anxiously awaited dates such as Bat Day, Ball Day, and Helmet Night, has burgeoned into a veritable…
The irony of the moment appears to be lost on Fabian Seijas. But here he is, a forlorn customer in a corner booth at Denny’s A perhaps the most pedestrian diner in the United States A fondly reminiscing about one of the toniest restaurants on South Beach, a glamorous enterprise…
When Pan American World Airways slid into bankruptcy in December 1991, the Dade County Aviation Department inherited the airline’s sprawling network of underground tanks and pipes that supplies jet fuel to hundreds of passenger and cargo planes at Miami International Airport. The department also inherited a critical problem: the need…
The people have spoken. The votes have been cast. The outcome is clear. In a nearly unanimous display of love and support, South Floridians have selected “Oh My My, Where Am I A Miami” as their new unofficial, official song. “I can’t stop humming the refrain,” said one man who…
From a historic old home to a string of failed restaurants to an empty dirt lot A the saga of Grove Calloway’s came to an ignoble end three weeks ago when bulldozers razed whatever memories were left of the historic Peacock House. By the time heavy equipment moved in, though,…
This past January county commissioners voted to accept the findings of a study showing that companies owned by Hispanics and women have long suffered discrimination in their dealings with Dade County. It was the first step in what some commissioners believe will lead to a series of laws that will…
Once hailed as the “magic mineral,” asbestos was widely used in the United States throughout much of the Twentieth Century. It was placed in ceiling tiles because of its superior acoustical qualities; it was sprayed onto beams and girders to provide greater strength and support; and it was piled into…
Had Joe Gersten himself been here to orchestrate events minute by minute, it’s unlikely the Great Subpoena Caper could have unfolded more bizarrely. It seems clear, though, that Dade County’s favorite former-commissioner-in-exile hoped for some sort of incident, some type of media mayhem that would spring from his most recent…
Move over Oprah, Phil, and Geraldo, there’s a new talk-show host in town and she’s playing to rave reviews. “Hello,” she says kicking off her weekly, Monday-evening chatfest, “I’m Katherine Fernandez Rundle, state attorney for Dade County. Welcome to From the State Attorney’s Office.” In an age where just about…
“Is this Luis?” “Yes,” Luis Rangel answers. “Hi,” says Patty Rodriguez. “Do you remember who I am?” “Of course I remember you,” Rangel responds. “I don’t forget a beautiful voice.” “Thank you,” Rodriguez says demurely. “I was calling about what you told me.” “Uh huh.” “I am in desperate need…
On Monday night Phillip Mortilla, 37, of Wilton Manors, was seriously injured when a southbound car turned into the path of his motorcycle. Mortilla was thrown about 30 feet by the impact and suffered severe head injuries. He is in critical condition at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale. When…
On January 30, Sherman Winn will celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary. The veteran county commissioner and his wife, Roslyn, will be joined at their North Miami home by their four children and six grandchildren to toast the couple’s half-century together. And with his family gathered around him, Winn says he…
This week, as exiled Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide finalizes plans for a Miami conference addressing his nation’s future, a former bit player in the island drama will watch from a distance, a mere spectator. Not long ago he was center stage, an actor playing an intriguing and mysterious role. “I’m…
Five years ago Carmen Carpentieri thought the front yard of his North Miami home looked a little too drab for Christmas, so he bought several hundred lights to decorate the trees lining his sidewalk. Two doors down the street, Ken DiGenova noticed the modest light display and decided that the…
When Sally Fitz decided to relocate from Miami Beach to Chicago, the veteran WSVN-TV Channel 7 news anchor did what any other red-blooded member of the American bourgeoisie would do: she had a yard sale. And if garage-sale popularity were judged by TV newscast standards (i.e., turnout), hers was a…
“We’re in stealth mode.” William Negron cruises down a darkened street, lights off, looking for a 1985 white Mercedes. “There it is,” he says. He pulls past it, parks half a block away, jumps out of his tow truck, and walks nonchalantly back toward the car, which is parked in…
The press conference was scheduled for a small room in the Rayburn Building, one of several office complexes occupied by members of Congress. Rep. Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat, called the gathering late last month to announce his intention of introducing a new bill that would end the embargo…
If there was one place Simon Steckel didn’t want to be last Wednesday morning, it was Courtroom 3-2 of the Metropolitan Justice Building, where Dade County Circuit Court Judge Paul Siegel had convened a hearing to shed a ray of judicial light on a matter the Coral Gables attorney would…
As Metro commission meetings go, this one was running relatively smoothly. Commissioners had agreed to ask voters to consider a new property tax, with the money to be earmarked to fight juvenile crime. They passed an anti-graffiti ordinance and a measure urging the federal government to build a new commissary…
