Victim of $2.8 Million Gold Heist in Coral Gables Dies

Cuban gangster Raonel Valdez won’t have to worry about his victim George Villegas testifying against him. Over the weekend, Villegas died of a heart attack in his Coral Gables apartment, the same one Valdez had been staking out for months in late 2012 hoping to catch Villegas slipping. On October…

WLRN Cans Anchor Phil Latzman and News Director Dan Grech

If you wake up to WLRN weekday mornings, you might have noticed a familiar voice missing from the airwaves. Last week, the Miami-Dade County School Board-owned public radio station fired anchor/reporter Phil Latzman after he allegedly stormed out of a training session. Latzman’s departure follows the canning of news director…

Six Reasons Riff Raff Is an Unfunny Moron

There’s a lot of talk about racial divides in this country. But there’s one thing that Americans of all colors, creeds, ethnicities, and walks of life can agree on: Riff Raff is a fucking embarrassment. Have you seen this confused individual? He’s supposed to be a joke (we think), but…

Reader Mail: Critical Mass Hurts Biker Rights Movements

Cubano Crime Marielito mayhem: Your story argues that a recent gold heist shows how Cuban gangs are still running Miami (“Golden Heist,” Francisco Alvarado, July 11), but that does not mean Cubans are unique in dominating crime in Dade County. Some ethnically identifiable group always predominates in a city, for…

Ten Reasons to Avoid Starbucks

As much as we all love to hate corporate America (hell, we’re an alt-weekly, it’s kind of our shtick) — it has one big asset: convenience. After all, with 60-hour work weeks, bicycle bar crawls and that pesky need for sleep, ain’t nobody got time for consumer responsibility. And there’s…

Despite Federal Probe, Carlisle Development Group Gets New County Deal

In early May, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez and the County Commission delayed the certification of 11 affordable-housing developers because one of the firms, Carlisle Development Group, is under investigation by a federal grand jury. Citing a Miami Herald report, Gimenez’s administration put on the brakes because the feds suspect…

George Zimmerman’s Acquittal Shows Nothing’s Changed Since Emmett Till

George Zimmerman’s acquittal for murdering Miami Gardens teen Trayvon Martin has everything to do with race. That’s why I’m offended by white people criticizing African-Americans for making the boy’s death about the racial divide that still exists in America. I was especially appalled when Zimmerman’s lawyer, Mark O’Mara, had the…

Five Ways to Get Drunk at Art Walk

Come the second Saturday of every month, European tourists with Nikons hanging around their necks, local hipsters, art aficionados, booze seekers scouting free drinks, and just about everyone else flocks to Wynwood for Art Walk. And while the true purpose of this monthly event is allowing galleries to enjoy a…

Five Reasons Today’s Rappers Are Fakes

Hip-hop has hit a new low. It’s nothing but a flashy circus full of liars, cheats, and corporate scum. They all want to talk big shit about coming from the streets or representing the hood, but too many have never seen an actual corner in their lives. Not only are…

Five Bad Bitches You’ll Meet at Jello Wrestling in Miami

Athletic rugby jocks, mid-aged men wearing cowboy hats, and ladies dressed in patriotic red, white, and blue costumes crowded a rectangular inflatable kiddie pool filled with bright red Jello by the back stage of Churchill’s Pub. Before the ladies of the Fort Miami Women’s Rugby League made their entrance and…