Overtown set to vote for new COB members

Towners, this is your week to select the new members for the 2008 Overtown Community Oversight Board! As you may (or may not) know, the elections were postponed because of cancellations during Tropical Storm Fay. The members of this board will be advising City of Miami officials of issues that are affecting the Overtown community, so it is important to have members that actually care about this community more than building their resume!
Here's the breakdown:

WHAT: Elections for members to the Overtown Community Oversight Board
WHEN: THIS THURSDAY! August 28th
WHERE: Overtown N.E.T. office, 1490 NW 3rd Ave, Suite 111
TIME: Voting will be from 2pm-6pm only, so make sure you are there during these hours!

To vote, you must:
1. Be at least 18 years old or,
2. Be a resident of Overtown (that means Swamp, Bucktown, Town Park, and everywhere in between) or,
3. Own property or a business/be an employee of a business in Overtown or,
4. Be an employee or board member of a community-based organization that operates in Overtown

Click HERE for the complete list of candidates (there are only 5 seats open) and more information.

(Source: City of Miami Clerk's Office) Read more!

Third public meeting for Virginia Key this week

The 3rd public meeting for Virginia Key's master plan will be this Tuesday. If you are interested in getting the latest info plans for the direction of this historic park and beach, please plan on attending. Check out the breakdown:

WHAT: Virginia Key master plan meeting
WHEN: Tuesday, August 26th
WHERE: Miami City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami, FL 33133
TIME: 6:30pm Read more!

Big Money Balla$!

Check out this post from the blog Eye On Miami detailing the most current net worth of incumbent County Commissioners running for office HERE. These amounts will astonish you, seeing that commissioners STILL want a salary increase (to the tune of about $90,000). Here's a snippet of Eye On Miami's breakdown of the cash flow:

County Commission Chair Bruno Barreiro's net worth 12/31/07 was $1,365,496.70
about $300,000 more than last year. Same date, Jose "Pepe" Diaz was worth
$267,373. He shows $82,666 income from the Asti Group in Coral Gables.
12/31/2004 Pepe was worth $225,833. Audrey Edmonson was worth $249,000, in 2006
she claimed her worth was $212,700. She gets $50,150 from the School Board.
Doing what?

That's a questions everyone should want answered...anyway, there are the figure$! Don't forget to click the link for the full report, and do what you will with the info in mind at the polls.

Read more!

In case you missed it...

Affectionately known as "Uncle Luke" and widely regarded as the King of Miami Hip-Hop, Luke has officially stepped on the reality show scene . "Luke's Parental Advisory" is one of the newest additions to VH1's reality line-up, and I must say Luke is a trip! Check out part of episode 1:

• VH1 TV Shows
• Music Videos
• Celebrity Photos
• News & Gossip

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Palast puts Florida on BLAST?

If this report is accurate, Florida is starting that under the table, corrupt voter registration foolishness again. According to Greg Palast, progressive author, journalist and former corruption investigator, Florida is refusing some 85,000 new voter registration from overwhelmingly Black voter drives. Check out his report HERE.

Admitedly, there is no surprise here if this is true. However, we the voters and citizens of Florida cannot stand for this again. This is not about parties, candidates, or with which "wing" you tend to fly. This is about literal disregard for the democratic process that we are supposed to follow. If a person meets all of the requirements to vote in this state, there is NO excuse for Florida to deny registration forms. This is inadvertently denying a citizen's right to vote in essence.

If you have registered here in Miami-Dade, it is supposed to take about 3 weeks to receive your new card. Stay on them if you still don't have it! as the deadline for registration is approaching (October 6th). Go HERE for the Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections info.

Those of you around the state who are experiencing issues with obtaining your card and you have already registered, go HERE for the contact info of the Florida Division of Elections. Whether Mr. Palast's allegations are true or not, make sure that you meet the requirements, go through the process, and ensure that your rights are respected.

(Photo Source: Mother Jones)

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Oh Drama!

Miami-Dade County Public School Board has been the hot topic all last week since 3 members of the board sought to terminate current Superintendent Rudy Crew. So of course the board meeting tonight was full of suspense, with voices heard from those for and against Dr. Crew's termination. The big names attended, such as Bishop Victor Curry of Miami-Dade NAACP, and Congressman Kendrick Meeks in defense of Dr. Crew. Most surprising though were several student speakers, include one from Miami Senior High School, asking Dr. Crew to resign and requesting a change of guard in that position. How interesting that the students, whose best interest is supposed to be at heart, were apart of the "handful" of those wanting Crew out according to the REPORT in The Miami Herald. Understandably, it is the job of adults and those in public service to make decisions on issues such as those for the school districts. But it wouldn't hurt to survey the schools and ask the people you are supposed to be there for, THE STUDENTS. They have opinions on both sides of the issue, and they know more we think.

Check out this video featuring views from Miami-Dade educators as well as comments by Dr. Crew in an interview, interesting perspectives:



(Photo Source: Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce)

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Parental Alert: Miami-Dade curfew ordinance, what do you know?

Miami-Dade County kids only have a few more weeks left before the new school year begins (all the parents can let out a big YAY! now). But many of you may not know about the curfew ordinance that is in effect throughout the County. Check out the full report from a member of the Citizens' Crime Watch of Miami-Dade HERE in today's Miami Herald.

As funding decreases for programs, and many kids are too young to work (nevermind the job market right now!), the youth find themselves with less and less to occupy their time each year. Parents need to be aware of the curfew ordinance, regardless of whether your particular neighborhood or City has been enforcing the consequences to the full degree. Here are the basics:

• Curfew hours are from 11pm to 6am from Sunday nights to Friday mornings. Hours are between 12am and 6am from Friday nights to Sunday mornings.
• Curfew applies to any child under the age of 17 in Miami-Dade County.
• Kids cannot be on foot or in a vehicle between these hours unless in the company of their parent or adult over age 21 (there are other exceptions outlined in the report above).
• Kids found not in compliance with the ordinance will be escorted home or to the nearest police station or holding facility and their parents will be contacted.

This is just a message to all parents to stay aware of the rules in case of any incident arising with your children, especially those of you with pre-teens. It is easier to adhere to the rules, or deal with a situation, when we know them.

Read more!