Diaz helped change Miami for the better

Come Wednesday, we won't have Manny Diaz to push around anymore.

Not that Miami's outgoing mayor ever allowed himself to be pushed anywhere he didn't want to go.

Bad policies create revolving door of addicts

At the intersection of science and politics lie the dead bodies and broken souls in America's war on drugs.

Kids' mentoring program worth expanding

First lady Michelle Obama went to Miami's Freedom Tower -- the heart and soul of exile -- to remind us about America's strength: service.

Local elections more important than ever this year

There was the son of the Hialeah police chief questioning the integrity of his opponent, the incumbent, because her mother works for the city.

Cuba's lauded healthcare system is a hoax

Teresita died on my birthday almost five years ago. I didn't grow up with my older cousin -- she stayed behind in Havana after the revolution and my father, her uncle, was wise enough to leave.

Raises for top staff will only deepen Miami-Dade sinkhole

Ihate to keep beating this dead horse, particularly when we have poor defenseless horses being slaughtered in South Florida. And, no, this is not an equine tale.

Tough cops hasn't translated into strong mayor

The contrast between the men and the governments they head is as much about style as it is political smarts.

A $444M crater calls for higher Miami-Dade county pay cuts

The lines went out the door and around the block -- residents eager to tell their elected leaders they're not doing their jobs.

So much for Mayor Alvarez, the crusader

A white lie, a damn lie or just clueless?

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez's lame explanations about granting pay raises to a cadre of his closest advisors -- as he was telling taxpayers we would all have to sacrifice in these tough times -- begs the question.

Auto bailout is undermining small businesses

Carlos Planas did all the right things since he arrived from Cuba at age 12 in 1960.

He embraced a new language and country, graduated from Miami-Edison Senior High. Then went on to study marketing and finance, graduating with an MBA from the University of Miami.

Operation Pedro Pan, Cuban parents' agonizing decisions saved thousands

Forty years after Operation Pedro Pan ended, I was at Havana's Jose Martí International Airport after spending almost a month reporting from the communist island in 2002.