Bruce Kaplan was not widely known when he first ran for county commissioner. He had never run for office in South Florida, his law practice had garnered him little attention, and he had no big-name backers supporting him. Surprisingly, though, he did have money. On July 31, 1992, eight months…
Lead Stories *Among the exhibits at the “Impulse to Collect” show at San Jose State University in February were Chris Daubert’s Chromatic Extrusions Rodenta (the droppings of rats that had ingested oil paints), Maryly Snow’s collection of 696 toothbrushes (each catalogued for thirteen attributes), and Bob Rasmussen’s assembly of items…
It’s difficult to say which is the more troubling revelation of the past week — that Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas’s office may have been corrupted by money-grubbing influence peddlers, or that the mayor was so naive as to think that firing Armando “I Know Where the Bodies Are Buried”…
Hoop Schemes: A Legacy of Corruption Thank you, Robert Andrew Powell. Your story “Dream Team” (March 5) may turn into the Emancipation Proclamation of high school basketball in Dade County. Yesterday there was not an ember of hope, not a local coach or player who dared even dream of defeating…
Daryl Jones, the Man Who Never Met a Conflict of Interest He Couldn’t Embrace Thank you for Jim DeFede’s article “Flying High” (February 26), reporting on State Sen. Daryl Jones and his links to the passage of legislation that erodes public disclosure of environmental costs in the reuse of former…
Lead Story *In West Monroe, Louisiana, in February, a 35-year-old mother allegedly bit a teacher, a teacher’s aide, and the principal during a parent-teacher conference. And in January a couple filed assault charges on behalf of their son against his Kentucky high school basketball coach, Bobby Keith, for allegedly biting…
A few years ago a political consultant told me, “Jim, write down the following letters: N-T-B-K. Stick that right next to your computer and keep it there.” “Okay,” I said, “but what’s it stand for? Something new on the menu at Burger King?” “N-T-B-K: Never trust Bruce Kaplan,” he replied…
For Your Information, Mr. Big Apple, We Recently Celebrated Our Tenth Anniversary Regarding Jim Kelly’s “Creature Feature” (February 19), this is excellent journalism! This is the stuff of Pulitzers! Where did you find this writer, Jim Kelly? Great stuff! And from (I think) a relatively new publication. Oliver Gilbert New…
Lead Stories *Social Security Administration investigators revealed in January that they had uncovered widespread fraud involving members of a single extended Georgia family. Three hundred relatives from four generations were on the rolls, including 181 collecting from the Supplemental Security Income program for people unable to work because of disability…
Lead Stories *Things you thought didn’t happen any more: An agency of the International Chamber of Commerce in London reported in January that a total of 51 people on ships were killed by pirates in 1997. The prime areas for raids were near Indonesia, India, the Philippines, and Brazil. *The…
Always a Pleasure to Hear from Satisfied Readers — in Boston? I found Kirk Nielsen’s article on the wall separating the black Grove from the white neighborhood to be respectfully and clearly written (“The Wall,” February 5). He tackled a sensitive issue with clarity and enthusiasm. I’d like to see…
Gentle Words of Wisdom from the Safe and Racially Harmonious Big Apple I’ve lived in Coconut Grove off and on for about twelve years, and after reading Kirk Nielsen’s story (“The Wall,” February 5), I have only one thing to say: Ask David White and his friends if they’ve ever…
Lead Stories *In January The New Yorker wrote about the latest body ornamentation in the city: small jewelry charms inserted under the skin, producing boil-like bulges. The “subcutaneous jewelry” can be inserted in the forehead, the back of the hand, or any other place near bone that the skin can…
Lead Story *Tough guys: In Paris in December, just before being convicted of the murders of two counterespionage agents, international terrorist Carlos the Jackal was sentenced to ten days’ solitary confinement for calling a prison guard a “gnu.” Two weeks later, Montreal Canadiens’ defense man Dave Manson underwent surgery to…
Quit Pickin’ on My Friend Fraind The recent article by Paula Park smearing [school district deputy superintendent] Henry Fraind was anything but amusing (“Not Just Another Pretty Bureaucrat,” January 29). I suggest that Ms. Park or anyone else writing about alternative education (a.k.a. “distance learning”) might want to educate themselves…
An opera in four acts. Music by Giuseppe Verdi with libretto in Italian by Giacomo DeFede, based on depositions taken by Miami-Dade County officials. OVERVIEW While operas based on contract disputes are relatively rare, Il Signatore, or The Signature, seeks to bring the excitement of bureaucratic governmental wrangling to a…
Havana Spared Most of the Worst I read with interest Paula Park’s article “The Quintana Plan” (January 22), about architect Nicolas Quintana and his ruminations on the development of Havana. I feel a sense of consternation over the many vicissitudes he had to endure thanks to Fidel Castro. I am…
Lead Stories *Vincent Morrissey’s police brutality lawsuit went to trial in New Haven, Connecticut, in December. Ofcr. Ralph Angelo took the witness stand and claimed that Morrissey had provoked the encounter by swinging at him. Morrissey’s attorney, skeptical of the testimony, asked Angelo to demonstrate to the jury how hard…
Although the corruption charges against James Burke, Calvin Grigsby, and Billy Hardemon had been expected for nearly a year, the days and weeks leading up to the federal indictment played out behind the scenes like a high-stakes poker game. The principal source of tension: Howard Gary. The former Miami city…
Lead Stories *In December nationally known Emory University business school professor Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld, age 43, abruptly resigned, according to several news reports, because the university had recorded him on a surveillance tape vandalizing a wall. He was also suspected to have previously gouged doors, woodwork, and furniture in the…
Munching on Manny I barely crack the pages of the January 15 issue and I see pictures of a guy with an alligator and a shark. The second paragraph of Kirk Nielsen’s story (“Do Not Try This at Home!”) describes Manny Puig “finding a nice big gator, looking the beast…
For the past month Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez has been inviting members of the media to meet with him in an effort to improve his rather strained relations with the press. So far he has met with reporters and editors from the Miami Herald and executives from local television and…
