Burke, Gersten, and the Power of Political Connections In Jim DeFede’s article “The Waiting Game” (December 4), Commissioner James Burke wonders, “I know that Joe Gersten was investigated, but I never heard of any attempt at a sting operation involving him. I don’t think the level of scrutiny is the…
Packed into the conference room of Sen. Bob Graham’s downtown Miami office, Miami-Dade County officials gathered two weeks ago for a meeting with attorneys from half a dozen federal agencies overseeing the transfer of Homestead Air Force Base. Among those present: Mayor Alex Penelas and several members of his staff,…
Lead Stories *Kenneth Curtis, age 32, was arrested in November in Hartford, Connecticut; state prosecutors will again attempt to bring him to trial for the 1987 murder of a former girlfriend. Curtis had avoided trial earlier because of mental incompetence — he sustained a brain injury after shooting himself in…
How About “Humanitarian Criminal? Over the past few weeks, I have been carefully reading Jim DeFede’s continuing saga of Foutanga Dit Babani Sissoko (“The Baba Chronicles,” September 25; “The Baba Chronicles, Part 2,” November 6; and “Bye-Bye, Baba,” November 27). Even with all of Mr. DeFede’s in-depth scrutiny of the…
Tell It to the Cops, Tell It to the Judge I think Tangela Hollerman, [who claimed her daughter had been abducted at gunpoint], should be brought up on criminal charges (“With Kidnappers Like These, Who Needs Social Workers?” November 27). The last time I checked, lying to officers of the…
Lead Stories *In September Michael F. Schmitz, age 45, serving two years in the Kentucky State Reformatory for drunk driving, filed a $1.9 million lawsuit against the Lexington Police Department, complaining that officers had been too nice when they arrested him in 1996. According to the lawsuit, when police found…
Foutanga Dit Babani Sissoko’s $1.2 million contribution to Camillus House last week was secretly orchestrated by U.S. District Court Judge K. Michael Moore and has raised questions about whether the West African millionaire made the supposedly voluntary donation in order to buy his way out of federal custody. Earlier this…
The Write Stuff In his article “First Draft” (November 13), Mike Clary did an incredible job portraying a woman who will be a literary force to be reckoned with. Miami is finally able to recognize what a group of us has known for years: Ivonne Lamazares is a talented and…
Lead Stories *In December 1996 Phillip Johnson, then age 32, of Johnson Bottom, Kentucky, shot himself in the left shoulder with his .22-caliber rifle “to see how it felt,” he told ambulance personnel. On October 2, 1997, an ambulance crew was again called to Johnson’s home, where he was bleeding…
Lead Stories *According to an October Reuters news report, a man who mooned German Chancellor Helmut Kohl in a political protest two years ago near Vienna has decided to appeal his fine of about $357. The man has asked a court to require Kohl to come back to Vienna, take…
Separating the Indicted Wheat from the Indicted Chaff In Kirk Nielsen’s article about Humberto Hernandez (“A Merciful Court of Public Opinion,” November 13), a retiree said voting for Hernandez was like voting for Raul Martinez. But there is a difference. Mayor Martinez was charged with nine counts by the government…
Three months ago Rev. H.C. Wilkes, presiding elder of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, decided there was just one man who could represent the black community on the Miami City Commission — Art Teele, the erstwhile chairman of the Dade County Commission. There were a few small problems, however. First,…
After months of criticism and allegations of misconduct surrounding its handling of a water and sewer department paving contract, Church & Tower is facing a new controversy regarding their proposal to supervise construction of Dade County’s performing arts center. Alberto Ribas, president of the engineering consulting firm A2 Group, Inc.,…
Saving the Beach, One High-rise at a Time Are you all a bunch of idiots? The individuals quoted in Ted B. Kissell’s article “Elector Set” (October 30) all attempt to parrot the same “save the Beach” philosophy. Save it from whom? The reason these morons are all recent residents of…
Lead Story *In September in Columbus, Ohio, Peter “Commander Pedro” Langan was convicted of federal assault and gun charges for a 1996 shootout with police. Langan has also been convicted of two bank robberies and faces trial in four others as leader of a neo-Nazi white supremacist gang that used…
Over the Edge and Approaching Toadyism I read with interest Jim DeFede’s article “Over the Edge and Under Investigation” (October 30), and I can only shake my head in disgust at the childish antics of all parties involved. There may well be serious concerns about the background of Lynne Sachs,…
Lead Stories *New York City special-effects artist Matt McMullen, age 28, has been offering on the Internet his life-size, authentically detailed, steel-skeleton silicone dolls for around $4000 each, plus options. So far, “Real Dolls” Stacy, Natasha, Nina, and Leah are available with a choice of hair and skin color and…
After 43 days in federal prison, West African millionaire Foutanga Dit Babani Sissoko this past Friday returned to his Brickell Key condominium to begin serving four months of house arrest. Sissoko will be confined to his posh, bayview pad through February — unless his attorneys are successful this week in…
Lead Stories *According to an October communique from the North Korean Communist Party, “Dear Leader” Kim Jong Il, age 55, has been promoted to “Great Leader,” which, according to the official government news agency, is cause for “jubilation,” even in the midst of widespread famine. The news agency added that…
Looking for the Truth Can Be Hazardous to Your Health Jacob Bernstein’s “Dateline Havana” (October 16) offered a point of view that one rarely has the honor of experiencing: men risking everything to get at the truth. Sadly, in Cuba today such things as honor and integrity get you thrown…
On November 16, 1994, newly elected County Court Judge Ellen Venzer strolled into a $250-per-person AIDS fundraiser in Miami Beach without paying, scanned the crowd at the private home to see who was in attendance, and quickly recognized a recent acquaintance, William Ofgant, a retired IBM executive who maintains homes…
Gonzalo: What About the Cubans Who Can’t Play Piano? Judy Cantor’s piece on pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba (“The Quiet Cuban,” October 9) was very well-done. I have not heard him play but I am sure he is a gem. As I read the article I thought of the night he played…
