Second time the charm? Brett Moss running for Key Biscayne mayor  Brett Moss, an architect and two-term council member known for his fervent opposition to the Big Dig is running to become Key Biscayne’s next mayor.  Moss filed papers with the Village Clerk’s office last week. He is the only…

PortMiami fuel fracas creates major shakeups in Miami-Dade County  As Miami-Dade County remains caught between feuding parties in a battle for an essential PortMiami fuel farm, multiple high-level county leaders have stepped down in the midst of the crisis. The county is in negotiations to…

Garbage crisis engulfs Havana as fuel shortages stall trash pickup  HAVANA — On a recent afternoon in Cuba, the temperature climbed and anxiety grew among the residents of a Havana street. Their focus was an improvised dump site on the sidewalk with rotting food scraps, torn bags, cardboard and…

Stormwater petition gets enough signatures for November ballot A citizen petition drive that aimed at limiting big stormwater projects in Key Biscayne appears to have collected enough signatures to go on the November ballot, the Elections Department said Wednesday. "Wow, great news!" said Ceci…

Captain at helm of boat towing Ella Adler takes plea deal in fatal boating case As many families celebrate the end of the school year, Ella Adler’s family instead has marked two years without the 15-year-old and on Tuesday afternoon, the closure of the last criminal case related to her tragic…

Remembrance, sacrifice marked at KB Memorial Day service A color guard set a somber tone Monday as about 100 people gathered on the Village Green to mark Memorial Day, with thoughts of service heightened amid the 12 week war with Iran. The lead speaker, attorney and author H. Frances Reaves,…

US announces charges against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro in 1996 aircraft shootdown  MIAMI — Federal prosecutors on Wednesday announced charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro in the 1996 downing of civilian planes operated by Miami-based exiles as the Trump administration escalated…

Miami Mayor’s proposed $450 million bond will not go to voters this August For as much as Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins has pushed for a new bond program for the city's public safety infrastructure, residents and city commissioners just don't have the appetite for it yet. The Miami Commission voted…

Hurricane season arrives with new forecast tools, ongoing worries about research cuts With the Atlantic hurricane center just weeks away, hurricane forecasters are preparing to launch a new suite of tools with a looming budget cut threatening to slash research efforts. For the upcoming season, the…

Survivors of plane crash off Florida were on a life raft for hours with no idea if help was coming  For five hours, the 11 survivors of a plane crash off the coast of Florida floated on a life raft, with no means of calling for help and no idea if anyone was coming to save them. As a thunderstorm…

Mass protests in Argentina after college funding cut BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Tens of thousands of Argentines flooded the streets of major cities nationwide on Tuesday to protest funding cuts by libertarian President Javier Milei to the public university system that represents a near-universal…

World Cup travel sluggish for some U.S. hotels NEW YORK — The promised economic boon from the World Cup hasn’t matched expectations, at least not yet, for U.S. hotels. Room bookings have been lighter than expected in most of the 11 U.S. cities hosting the world’s most watched sporting event,…

Four people convicted of conspiracy in US trial tied to 2021 assassination of Haiti’s president  MIAMI — A Florida jury on Friday convicted four men of conspiracy in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. South Florida served as a central location for planning and financing the…

Journalism excellence: WLRN/Miami Herald Brightline series wins IRE award, Pulitzer Prize finalist Investigative Reporters & Editors, the nation’s most prominent investigative journalism organization, announced Wednesday that a joint investigation by WLRN and the Miami Herald into the systemic…

New York Times: Florida officials are in talks to shut down Alligator Alcatraz  The fate of the Everglades immigrant detention center, Alligator Alcatraz, is up in the air. According to the New York Times, Florida officials are in preliminary conversations with the Trump administration to shut…

Inside the cruise ship at the center of a rare hantavirus outbreak  PRAIA, Cape Verde — Footage obtained by The Associated Press of a cruise ship at the center of a rare-virus outbreak shows deserted decks and gathering areas, medical teams in protective gear, and a still landscape ahead as the…

Trump to host Brazilian president for talks on economy and security, White House official says  WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will host Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Thursday for talks about shared economic and security issues, a White House official said, speaking on…

Guyana and Venezuela return to UN court to settle historic dispute over valuable border region  THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Guyana told the United Nations’ highest court on Monday that 70% of its territory is at stake in a historic border dispute with Venezuela over a swath of jungle that is rich in…

Spirit Airlines says it’s going out of business after 34 years and is ending operations immediately  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Spirit Airlines, an impish upstart that shook the industry with its irreverent ads and deep discount fares, announced Saturday that it has gone out of business after 34…

US to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany in next 6-12 months, fulfilling Trump’s threat  WASHINGTON — The United States will withdraw about 5,000 troops from Germany in the next six to 12 months, the Pentagon said Friday, fulfilling President Donald Trump's threat as he clashes with the German…

Former Miami Congressman David Rivera convicted in secret Venezuela lobbying case  MIAMI — A former Miami congressman and longtime friend of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was convicted Friday in connection with a secret $50 million lobbying campaign on behalf of Venezuela during the first…

Florida legislature approves new congressional map intended to boost Republicans in midterms  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Legislature approved a new congressional map intended to maximize Republicans’ advantage in the state as part of the national redistricting battle that President Donald…

Democrats denounce new Florida district map WASHINGTON  — If you closed your eyes at the U.S. Capitol, you might think you had suddenly been transported to the state Capitol in Tallahassee.  Democrats on Capitol Hill erupted in anger on Monday as details of a new Congressional district map for…

Elderly Cubans left to fend for themselves as crisis deepens HAVANA — On a recent afternoon, a group of elderly residents slipped through the wooden doors of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Old Havana and gathered for a modest meal of ground meat, rice, red beans and crackers topped with…

Light pollution threatens unique astronomy site in Peru THE ATACAMA DESERT, Chile — It takes a moment for the eyes to adjust. A faint spark appears in the darkness; then another, brighter one. Soon, stars, planets and entire constellations emerge. Before long, a whole galaxy stretches across the…

Sickness, cold killed nearly 30 sloths at a Florida import warehouse Disease and cold temperatures killed nearly 30 sloths at a Florida animal import warehouse in 2024 and 2025, according to a report from state wildlife authorities. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation inspection report from…

Backed by a billionaire, charter school expansion is OK’d inside public school buildings The Miami-Dade school board members like to thoroughly review materials before voting on a matter that will have widespread consequences for the district. They said as much at Wednesday's school board meeting,…

$8 million later, Key Biscayne faces Big Dig aftermath The Big Dig died Wednesday night, but the end of a mammoth effort to replumb the island in a fight against climate change has left a daunting and costly set of challenges ahead with no clear roadmap as seas continue to rise. The decision means…

Trump likes a naval blockade. But Iran presents big differences from Venezuela and Cuba  WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has turned to naval blockades to pressure the governments of Venezuela, Cuba and now Iran to meet his demands, but his preferred tactic is confronting a very different…

Despite strong GOP opposition, Salazar keeps pressing for ‘Dignity’ She's not giving up.  In the face of sharp attacks by fellow Republicans, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Miami, rallied with supporters of immigration reform Wednesday on Capitol Hill, refusing to back down on her bipartisan drive…

Cuban exiles have renewed hope and fears over claims on property seized long ago Deeply ingrained in Raul Valdes-Fauli's family lore is the November 1960 day when an agent of Fidel Castro's revolution showed up at his family's Pedroso Bank in Havana, with a machine gun, and demanded they…

Iran fires on 3 ships in Strait of Hormuz, complicating efforts to resume talks  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, underscoring the ongoing threat to global energy supplies and complicating efforts to bring the United States and Iran…

Gecko goof? Some drivers may get license suspended because of GEICO error Some GEICO car insurance policies have mistakenly been reported to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles as canceled — even though they are in fact active. Now these drivers may be receiving suspension…

Tim Cook to step down as Apple CEO hands over reins to iPhone maker’s hardware leader  Apple CEO Tim Cook is stepping down from the job that he inherited from the late Steve Jobs, ending a 15-year reign that saw the company’s market value soar by more than $3.6 trillion during an iPhone-fueled era…

Key Biscayne woman loses $20,000 in bank scam A 71-year-old Key Biscayne woman thought it was an ordinary call from her bank on a Wednesday morning in February. But the man on the other end of the phone, didn’t work for Chase Bank as he claimed. Instead that — identified later by a Chase Bank…

Man kills 8 children and shoots his wife and another woman in Shreveport, Louisiana  SHREVEPORT, La. — A Louisiana man who fatally shot seven of his children and another child in an attack against his family was in the middle of separating from his wife, who also was shot and wounded, a relative…

Iran reopens Strait of Hormuz, but Trump says blockade on Iranian ships and ports will stay in force  BEIRUT — Iran said Friday it fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels, but President Donald Trump said the American blockade on Iranian ships and ports “will remain in full force”…

Big Dig rejected by Village committee. Undergrounding next?  The Big Dig arguably began with a vote cast after advice from  environmental engineer Fernando Vazquez. Four years and millions of dollars later, it could very well end with a very different recommendation from now Council Member…

House passes a bill to protect Haitian immigrants, in slap back to the Trump administration  WASHINGTON — In a rare bipartisan moment, the House passed legislation Thursday that would extend temporary protections for Haitian immigrants, a long-shot effort fighting back against President Donald…

Messi sued for skipping match Lionel Messi is being sued by a Miami-based event promoter who says the soccer icon violated terms of a $7 million contract by missing an exhibition match last year. Vid Music Group filed the lawsuit for fraud and breach of contract against Messi and the Argentine…

Faith leaders tell pols to focus on low-income residents A cross section of Miami-Dade County and City of Miami leaders gathered together at Corpus Christi Catholic Church this week with a charge from the local faith community: Ccommit to supporting Miami-Dade’s underprivileged and low-income…

Jury finds Ticketmaster and Live Nation had anticompetitive monopoly over concert venues  NEW YORK — A jury found Wednesday that entertainment giant Live Nation, which hosts tens of thousands of concerts a year, and its Ticketmaster subsidiary had a harmful monopoly over big venues. The ruling, in…

Javier Mascherano is out as Inter Miami’s coach, only 4 months after leading team to MLS Cup title  MIAMI — Javier Mascherano and Lionel Messi led Inter Miami to the MLS Cup title in December, the latest victory in their long line of successes together. Barely four months later, Mascherano is done…

Woman charged with assaulting cops at Yacht club Paula Natalia Peri-Cohen is not a member of the Key Biscayne Yacht Club, but on a Saturday in March, police were called by staff to remove her from the premises for being intoxicated and causing a disturbance, she attempted to jump in the pool.…

RIP Big Dig? Vazquez says he supports less expensive, less intrusive alternative for stormwater The Big Dig appears to be on the ropes. Key Biscayne Council Member Fernando Vazquez on Monday morning told The Independent that he supports the alternative stormwater proposal to the expensive…

16-year-old from Florida charged with sexually assaulting and killing stepsister on cruise ship  MIAMI — A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder and aggravated sexual abuse in Florida in the death of his 18-year-old stepsister on a Carnival Cruise ship, the U.S. Justice Department said…

World Cup: Who’s in, where to watch. And will Messi play? The biggest FIFA World Cup ever, with a record 48 teams set to play a record 104 matches spread out across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, is fast approaching. But for many in Miami, on question hangs: will Messi play? The three host nations…

Cuba’s president warns US against attacking island or trying to depose him  SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said the U.S. has no valid reason to carry out a military attack against the island or to attempt to depose him. Speaking in an interview on NBC News’ Meet the…

Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán is ejected after 16 years in a European electoral earthquake  BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungarian voters on Sunday ousted long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power, rejecting the authoritarian policies and global far-right movement that he embodied…

Miami’s former Mandarin Oriental hotel implodes in controlled demolition MIAMI — A hotel at one of Miami's most exclusive locations was demolished Sunday to make way for something bigger. Demolition experts completed the controlled implosion of the former Mandarin Oriental, Miami on Brickell Key,…