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…
Lead Stories *The University of Minnesota is seeking more “specialists” to work on its three-year, $390,000 program to establish an “odor emissions rating system” for regulating the state’s 35,000 animal feedlots, according to an August Minneapolis Star Tribune story. Sniffers will develop objective standards for types of odors and their…
Lead Stories *In July a group of lawyers and state legislators petitioned the Illinois Supreme Court to halt all executions immediately and appoint a commission to study why, in the twenty years since the state reinstated the death penalty, more death row convicts have subsequently been found innocent and freed…
What the World Needs Now Is More Gonzalitos Bravo New Times and Judy Cantor! Now I have something to read without worrying about its content being pro-Castro or anti-Castro. And bravo to Gonzalo Rubalcaba (“The Quiet Cuban,” October 9) for his courage, for his lesson in democracy and cubanismo. This…
Lead Stories *In September a judge in Santa Monica, California, ruled that test-tube baby Jaycee Louise Buzzanca, age two, has no legal parents. She is the result of donor sperm fertilizing a donor egg in the womb of a surrogate mother. The judge said John and Luanne Buzzanca are “parents”…
After seventeen years of duty as director of the Port of Miami, Carmen Lunetta deserves a testimonial that will stand as a reminder of his managerial skills and his dedication to protecting taxpayers’ money. What would be appropriate? A plaque? Too meager. A bust? We’ll let the FBI take care…
IRP: Bark, No Bite We of Dignity for the Disabled are recommending the termination of Dade’s Independent Review Panel because it is ineffective and a waste of taxpayer dollars. Reading Jacob Bernstein’s article “Why Can’t We All Just Go for the Jugular” (October 2), I was amazed that the IRP…
Over the past twelve months, Dade County Commissioner Bruce Kaplan has asked officials at Jackson Memorial Hospital to treat at least six indigent patients from Bolivia. One of those patients, a fifteen-year-old girl suffering from cancer, cost Dade taxpayers more than $99,000. A thirteen-year-old boy with leukemia accounted for nearly…
High-Flying Hogwash I was quite disturbed by reading Jim DeFede’s “The Baba Chronicles” (September 25). I am very upset with Mr. DeFede, especially after he conducted a telephone interview with me and still published several erroneous details about the Air Dabia Boeing 747 aircraft. It is now apparent that Mr…
