The manual for the Turret Tower arcade game reads a like an Army recruitment ad: “Who knew saving the world could be this fun?!” it proclaims. “Three different weapons to choose from!” Next to the slogans, a happy geek is firing pretend bullets at the screen.But what if the game…
It wasn’t a very happy story. Last week, New Times brought you a tale about the psychiatric unit at Jackson Memorial. There were in-hospital hangings, sexual assault, patient escapes, and a lot more. Thing is, when you’re a reporter, you can’t get into a place like that. (Although we certainly…
Death and Tacos at Homestead’s El Toro Taco
Michael Rodriguez, a tall and wiry 18-year-old with a waterfall of brown curls, answered the phone at Cash-a-Check at Biscayne Boulevard and 137th Street around 4 p.m. this past June 6. A co-worker was on the other line, according to a North Miami Beach Police report. The boss’s wife, Martha…
On a Sunday night last January, a bubbly brunette waitress named Courtney Rhon stopped for takeout at El Toro Taco in Homestead. The 32-year-old mother of two ordered a beef chimichanga and a taco dish for her 14-year-old son. There was food at home for her two-year-old. They ate together…
It’s safe to say: When there’s a big black bag of cash, a decent story almost always follows. Just ask airport novelists. Or Robert De Niro, back when he was in good movies. But as 18-year-old teller Michael Rodriguez learned a couple of rainy Saturdays ago, that stuff’s best saved…
The Westchester Parishioner busted for a tax fraud scheme struggled with drug abuse, his lawyer Luis Fernandez tells Riptide. Pablo Gehr, 32, of St. Brendan’s Catholic Church, conned over $200,000 from low-income and elderly individuals and members of his church. A judge sentenced him to three years in federal prison…
Postcards from South Florida’s Condo Bust
Piece of Mind: Jackson hospital’s mental health unit fails Miami
The Miami-based church parishioner caught swindling thousands from low-income and elderly people — including one blind widow — was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison yesterday. Pablo Gehr, 32, of St. Brendan’s Catholic Church, plead guilty to tax return fraud this past February. He conned over $200,000. His scheme:…
If flocks of chickens suddenly grow the size of buildings and take over the world, Miami Beach residents better run for cover. The angry fowl would stomp with a vengeance to homes of city commissioners, peck off their roofs, and set fire to an ordinance on their doorsteps. Why? Well,…
It’s funny. Lately we’ve been enjoying street art more than what’s inside the galleries. There’s a team of impromptu break dancers. A band of merry typewriter poets. Unwavering bongo drummers. This past Saturday was extra-impressive. There was a kick-ass female violinist, a fire dancer, and a spoken-word artist. The three…
My, how sexual harassment claims have evolved. In the nineties, the headlines always went like this: Pretty Young Female Subordinate Sues Insensitive Boss. You didn’t hear much about the unfortunate boys who were groped, gawked at or objectified on the job. But check this out: A group of Miami-based litigators…
Renters have revived the Miami condo bust, the Herald reported today. But we’re not really buying it. According to our favorite daily, 62 percent of new condos built since 2003 “are inhabited by humans.” When did that number become a good thing? And what about all the near-finished empty towers…
The young Hialeah boat captain caught transporting eight immigrants to Boynton Beach this past January will serve up to three years in prison. U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth A. Marra sentenced 28-year-old Jovel Dominguez-Hernandez to 36 months yesterday for human smuggling. The indictment notes his goal was “commercial advantage or…
Thursday is an important day for domestic partners — gay and straight — in the city of Miami. Commissioners will vote on an ordinance that gives employment benefits to long-term couples. The big issue: right to health insurance for city employees. Advocates at Save Dade ask that folks who support…
Frosted Flakes has Tony the Tiger, University of Florida has Albert the Alligator, and the City of Miami Beach has Mr. Clucky — the bicycle-riding rooster. On any given Saturday, you can catch the bright white celebrity bird canoodling with tourists on Lincoln Road, perched on silver handlebars, or just…
Time Magazine has a burning question: What’s up with all the horny female teachers in Florida? The publication ran a story a couple days ago, inspired by Maria Guzman Hernandez. You know, the 32-year-old Hialeah teacher who was arrested for allegedly seducing a 15-year-old boy last week. We’re guessing writers…
Maybe Riptide has been living off of spaghetti and buying beer with couch change for too long. Maybe seeing the parade of Hummers and yachts in South Beach rubs salt in the wound. Maybe. Because it’s not very nice. It’s kind of mean, actually, that a recent study gives us…
A few weeks ago, New Times published a story about racial tension at Barry University, a private Catholic school that ranked most diverse in the south. Part of the story focused on Oswald Jones, a Jamaican-Born Barry technician who says he was harassed repeatedly because of his race. It came…
Memorial Day weekend in Miami Beach is wild. In the last eight years, cops have made thousands of arrests. The craziness included: A double homicide outside David’s Café II, a mini riot on Washington Avenue, and smatterings of pro sports players who enjoy drinking too much and manhandling officers. (Not…
Miami’s an unlikely place for a pair of winter Olympians to end up. Back in 2008, a glimpse of bronze medalist speed skater Jennifer Rodriguez with husband KC Boutiette was a lot like spotting a polar bear in South Beach. The couple, who recently divorced, was one of the city’s…
