Ecuadorean Military Base in Miami

News Item: (Reuters, October 23) Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa announced this morning in Naples, Italy that he will allow the United States to continue to operate its military base in in that South American country — for which the lease expires in 2009 — if he can open an Ecuadorean…

Umoja: One Year Later, Still Controversial

Take Back the Land is hosting a rally today to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the start of six months of successful squatting on public land in Liberty City. The group christened it Umoja Village Shantytown, and claims as many as 150 camped on the corner of 62nd Street and…

Davis Discharged from Surfside Force

John Davis’s days as a Surfside police officer are over. The five year veteran has been under investigation for more than a year on charges he lied on his job application, sexually harrassed female coworkers, and was discourteous to his fellow cops and superiors On Friday, October 12, Town Manager…

Dolphins on Path to Winless Season

Dolphins fans couldn’t do much but hide their faces Sunday as the team fell to 0-7 AP Photo Everybody knows the 0-7 Dolphins are bad. But after Sunday’s nausea-inducing loss to the New England Patriots, Miami looks like it has a legitimate shot at being the first 0-16 team in…

Socialist Workers, Unite! (In Anonymity, Of Course)

In her bid against District 2 incumbant Marc Sarnoff, Socialist Workers Party candidate Ellen Brickley has some catching up to do financially. According to a report filed by her campaign treasurer, the insurgent has so far raised a total of $135, plus $65 in loans. After paying the $100 filing…

We’re No. 327! We’re No. 327!

Last week Travel and Leisure magazine released the results of a nationwide survey ranking America’s major cities in categories from diversity to style and worldliness. Miami was in the middle of the pack for most categories, but was number one for attractive people and clubbing. While our residents were seen…

New Times Owners Arrested

In case you missed it in this morning’s New York Times, the two guys who own this newspaper — Jim Larkin and Mike Lacey — were arrested in Phoenix Thursday. The reason: a story they published in the Phoenix New Times divulged a Grand Jury investigation. That’s a misdemeanor. But…

The Town’s Best Kept BBQ Secret is in South Miami, Tonight

Fire it up Every Friday and Saturday, things get ridiculously tasty at the intersection of SW 62nd Avenue and SW 64th Street. The vacant lot behind St. John’s African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Miami fills with the town’s unsung gourmands. In the distance, a yard full of dudes plays…

Club Deuce for the Win? Focus, People!

You know what to Deuce Last week, we told you about Mac’s Club Deuce’s shot at national recognition via Esquire magazine’s rating of the top bars in America. Thursday Riptide received a message from Deuce bartender extraordinaire Melissa Burley bemoaning some Deuce patrons’ less-than-agile way with the online voting. It…

Crew Does the Hard Sell, with Help from the Herald

In today’s Herald, reporter Kathleen McGrory interviews Miami-Dade Schools superintdent Rudolph “Rudy” Crew about a student proposal to institute restorative justice in public schools. The story was accompanied by a picture of Crew sitting at a table with a copy of his tome Only Connect: The Way to Save Our…

Miami: Not so Naughty

In a recent survey taken by Axe Vice Men’s Grooming Products, Miami was ranked the number two naughtiest city in America. We were beaten by Los Angeles. Number Two? People, come on. We can do better. Here’s some more stats on our fair (and not-so-naughty) city, according to the PR…

Because B.O. is the Pits

Somebody’s gotta do it It’s no secret that Miami is home to some pretty sweaty Bettys and Teddys. With the sky-high humidity and blazing sun, it’s no surprise that though we leave our homes smelling like spring flowers, baby powder, or some fancy eau de toilette, and that by the…

Sugar Daddies and Sugar Babes

“I was out with this one girl — she was really pretty, ” says Easy Rider, bending forward confidentially across the table as he relates the details of his date. He and the woman, 35 years his junior, went out to dinner, then for a walk, and then back to…

Law Library Checks Out

The towering civil courthouse in downtown Miami buzzes daily with human drama. People lose custody of their children, change names, get rich, and get hosed, married, and divorced. Inside the hive of litigation, a tiny sanctuary affords the powerful and desperate alike a quiet place to build their case. Amid…

Another No-Confidence Vote for Timoney

Another No-Confidence Vote for Timoney Filed under: News Cops and little old ladies go together like peanut butter and chocolate. Take the recent letter e-mailed to the City of Miami’s police union by two elderly women from Lyme, Connecticut. “We have read with dismay that the Miami PD is ‘outgunned’…

Drawing a Bead on Criminals, and Victims

Featured prominently in the news of the capture of an alleged serial rapist 19-year-old named Wayne A. Proctor was the below suspect sketch, by Miami-Dade forensic artist Jorge Molina, which was instrumental in breaking the case. The resemblance clearly is uncanny, and reminded us of “Killer Creativity.” The 2006 story,…

Stop the Ikea Madness

16: Number of stories in the Miami Herald in the past three months that include information on the new Ikea furniture store in Sunrise. – Tamara Lush…

The Pérez – Crew Memoranda

This week’s Riptide column contains an item about the war of words between Miami-Dade School Board Member Marta Pérez and Superintendent Rudolph “Rudy” Crew. Download Download this pdf file to read their exchange about what Pérez calls Crew’s conflict of interest in recommending the board approve a no-bid contract with…

Party Crasher – Jeter does New York in Miami

Derek Jeter is certainly celebrating his off season with a bang. The Yankees’ shortstop has been making appearances around town on the club scene at Mansion, Set and the Red Room, spending some of his hard-earned $21 million salary from this year. Jeter made sure to pay homage to his…

Miami Northwestern Drama Comes to ESPN Tonight

Miami Northwestern Senior High School’s varsity team is an unstoppable force. For the fifth consecutive week, the Bulls are ranked number one in the National Prep Poll of high school teams. In the past three games, the maize-and-blue attack has blown out opponents by a combined score of 168 to…

Keep Banning Those Bags

The tide may be turning: Wal-Mart has recently announced that it will offer customers reusable bags made from recyclable materials. And, want more evidence that plastic is bad for marine mammals? Just ask Pamela Sweeney of the Marine Animal Rescue Society here in Miami. She missed the deadline for this…

Sound Familiar?

The Miami Herald’s story this morning on the Wynwood Free Trade Zone read a helluva lot like a story I penned for the newspaper on May 18, 1994, 13 friggin years ago. Old version: IN WYNWOOD, A GRAND ECONOMIC DREAM TURNS BITTER BY CHARLES STROUSE Herald Staff Writer Shards of…