As New Times reported last week, shady Latin American politicians have a habit of ending up in our neck of the woods.This time, however, it seems Miami dodged a bullet. Álvaro Uribe, ex-president of Colombia accused of links to paramilitary death squads, has landed a sweet job at Georgetown University…
It’s not just disgraced Latin American dictators who come to South Florida to bury their dirty pasts. Apparently, men of the cloth do as well.Walter Philip Coleman, a retired priest now living in Pompano Beach, has been hit with a lawsuit for allegedly molesting an altar boy in Connecticut in…
The Starlite Hotel — better known as that place next to Wet Willie’s where you keep waking-up naked on Sunday mornings — is under investigation for allegedly underpaying its staff.Ex-employees claim the Starlite Café, a restaurant attached to the hotel on Ocean Drive, stiffed them out of tens of thousands…
The sunshine state is set to gain two spots in Congress, according to a study of new census data released this weekend. While undoubtedly good news for Florida, Riptide is left to wonder: Who will fill the pair of seats?Our vote goes to the two men most responsible for Florida’s…
All summer, everybody’s been hating on LeBron and the Heat. First, some bitter buckeye called the team evil. Just last week, James was named the sixth most hated athlete in America. So what’s a superstar to do?We say roll with it. That goody-two-shoes shit won’t work in Miami anyway. Here are…
In ancient Rome, Cato was a farmer whose skill on the battlefield caught the eye of the emperor. He was called to the capital and became a powerful politician.Local quarterback Rakeem Cato played three seasons at Miami Springs, where his record-breaking passing skills attracted attention from college scouts.Last night, Cato…
This morning, two days after Florida City charter school Rise Academy won its appeal in front of the state Board of Education, the Herald ran an article on it.But instead of calling Rise “controversial” and “troubled,” the paper would have been better off simply writing mea culpa…
Wendy Mae Chambers: Drunken hit-and-run lands Miami composer in rehab, not jail
You might not have noticed, but the Magic City has a wee bit of a poverty crisis going on these days. Half the county is behind on its mortgage and Miami’s homeless can’t even get their hands on unwanted LeBron jerseys.So imagine our surprise when we caught wind of last…
Three months after Rise Academy was shut down without warning, the Florida City charter school has won its appeal against the Miami-Dade School District. But that doesn’t mean classes are about to start again.As New Times reported in August, Rise Academy was the only charter closed this year despite showing…
Local composer Wendy Mae Chambers is known for her avant-garde musical scores and quirky instruments, not her singing voice. But she must have sung one helluva tune in court earlier this month to avoid going to jail.On September 1, a year and a half after drunkenly plowing her SUV into…
Oh, you simple-minded soul. You gullible bastard. You thought that smiley face on the check meant something? That they give those mints just to you? You actually thought your waiter likes you?Think again, my friend. Underneath that quick smile and crisp attention, your waiter really hates you. We’re just the…
DeVito South Beach tip scandal
Bumped out of the spotlight, local icon King Mango and hip hop superstar Will.I.Am have resorted to shamelessly donning blackface in order to resurrect their flagging careers.Critics say the move has set African-Americans and mangos back “1,000 years.” “Will.i.am. wearing blackface!? What a racist!” tweeted fakeart123 during the MTV Video…
When we head to most South Beach restaurants, we customers expect to get fleeced: $200 steaks, $50 sushi rolls, $15 mineral water. But the employees? According to two lawsuits filed earlier this summer, fancy South Beach restaurants China Grill and Prime One Twelve are stiffing their own servers out of…
From the depths of despair to the pinnacle of victory, this season’s roller coaster ride keeps on going for the Miami Central Rockets.After last weekend’s soul crushing defeat to Georgia state champs Camden County, the Rockets responded with a 48-6 annihilation of 3A Dallas Madison on Saturday. The rout meant…
The last time Riptide had the footballs to run a preview of a Miami Central game, the Rockets lost on the last play of the game to a burly Camden County team that — by the looks of it that night — snorted Smokey and the Bandit’s ashes just before…
First Cubans broke Miami, then they fixed it up better than it was before, says globalization expert Saskia Sassen. Now, she says, Miami is a model for cities around the globe.”Before the 1990s, Miami was sort of a dreadful little spot, frankly,” Sassen tells Foreign Policy magazine. “There was lots…
A new statewide waiting list for antiretroviral drugs is putting thousands of Florida’s poorest AIDS patients in serious danger, according to a top doctor at the University of Miami.The list is particularly devastating for Miami-Dade minorities, who are at much higher risk of contracting HIV, says Dr. Michael Kolber, director…
The ancient Greeks dubbed it hubristic downfall. In Kingsland, Georgia, its simply called humble pie.Whatever the name, the Miami Central Rockets were served a full plate on Friday night in a last-gasp, 45-42 loss to Georgia state champs Camden County. The Wildcats won on a 28-yard field goal as time…
They grow their boys a little bigger here in Georgia. But as our mother always told us, size doesn’t matter. Right? The speedy Miami Central Rockets start their season tonight against the heavy (hitting) Camden County Wildcats in Kingsland, Georgia. A loss would cost either team valuable momentum as well…
Miami-Dade high school quarterback rivalry begins early
