PALMETTO BAY

Palmetto Bay to hold ground-breaking for `green' Village Hall

A ground-breaking ceremony will be held Thursday for Palmetto Bay's `green' Village Hall.

Residents were heard at polls

After two years of not being heard at City Council meetings, the residents of Homestead have been heard at the polls.

Not to take anything away from the newly elected City Council members -- signs, mailers, phone calls, forums and knocking on doors -- Tuesday's election was a rocking referendum on the recalcitrant members of our council who would ``block vote'' every major issue and rebuff any opinion from the public to the contrary. All four were expelled!

What a squirrel can teach adults about kids

Sitting on the patio in the early hours of the morning is one of life's pleasures. The sun's rays are warming the canal at the yard's end and all kinds of birds -- egrets, ibises, gallinules, ducks, bitterns, mockingbirds -- offer cheerful songs and chatter.

PINECREST

A sibling team of dog trainers wins awards and attention

Brother-sister teenage dog whisperers have won more than 100 awards for their dog training in challenges across the country. It all started with an apprenticeship at the Miami Seaquarium.

Police reports from local municipalities

PINECREST | A man and a woman shoplifted teeth whitening products valued at $653 from CVS pharmacy, 11299 S. Dixie Hwy., at 2 a.m. Oct. 16. Store security said the theft was caught on surveillance video.

FAIRWAY ESTATES

Lecture will focus on Fla.'s rich military history

A lecture will talk about South Dade's involvement in World War II, including a blimp station, troop training and going overseas.

HOMESTEAD

Air show to help Homestead Air Reserve Base recapture glory days

Wings Over Homestead, a weekend air show, aims to restore Homestead Air Reserve Base to glory days image.

• If you go to Wings Over Homestead

PALMETTO BAY

Palmetto Bay names amphitheater after council member

Palmetto Bay renamed the community room and amphitheater after council member Edward Feller and his wife, Arlene, but Mayor Eugene Flinn declined a similar honor for himself.

HOMESTEAD

Air Force Reserve pilot from Palmetto Bay to fly with Thunderbirds

Maj. Sean Gustafson traded the tropics of Miami-Dade for the desert air of Las Vegas.

But some high-flying action whisks him and family back home this weekend for the Homestead Air Reserve Base's Wings Over Homestead Air Show.

Police reports from local municipalities

PINECREST | A thief smashed a window on a 2007 Infiniti in the 12600 block of Southwest 80th Avenue and stole a bag, an iPod, a computer charger and a BlackBerry together valued at $660 at 1:15 a.m. Oct. 14.

SOUTH MIAMI-DADE

Farm Bureau honors family of the year

A family -- with sons in Pinecrest and Coral Gables and the patriarch in Homestead -- keeps on farming and earns top honors from the Dade County Farm Bureau.

PALMETTO BAY

At 90, artist continues to paint, find beauty in the Everglades

Ever since Sam Vinikoff laid his eyes on the Everglades, he hasn't stopped painting the national park.

``You can't get bored of painting it,'' says Vinikoff, a London transplant, whose work hangs in galleries today and has amassed quite a following throughout the years. ``There's always something new to see when you go there.''

PALMETTO BAY

Park renaming proposal sparks backlash

A resolution to rename Palmetto Bay Park after the mayor and two rooms in the new library after a council member riles some residents.

Letter: Let's put a stop to `Edifice Complex'

The Palmetto Bay Council is considering two resolutions to rename public property in honor of two current council members.

Naming public assets after living politicians still in public service is self-serving -- and wrong.

`Dream Big' honoree on Hispanic Chamber

Dreaming to make a difference is what Liliam M. Lopez has always tried to do.

Police reports from local municipalities

PINECREST | A man wearing a brown polo shirt and a black baseball cap robbed Mercantil Commerce Bank, 8181 SW 117th St., at 10 a.m. Oct. 8. He handed a teller a note that said, ``put 15,000 in the bag or I'll shoot you,'' took $6,080 and then drove away in a four-door Ford Taurus .

PALMETTO BAY

Palmetto Bay's In The Park With Art takes place this weekend at the Village Center

More than 100 artists will display their creations at the 19th annual In the Park With Art. This year, the two-day event is being held at The Palmetto Bay Village Center.

PERRINE

The Aero Modelers of Perrine celebrates 50 years with aerofest this weekend

Fans passionate about radio-controlled planes will gather this weekend to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Aero Modelers of Perrine.

The aerofest will take place at Silver Field, 2.4 miles west of Krome Avenue on Southwest 168th Street.

PINECREST

Pawareness Pet Fair in Pinecrest brings dogs and their owners together

About 600 people and their dogs attended the first Pawareness Pet Fair in Pinecrest on Sunday, presented by Girl Scout Troop 317.

Because dogs are prohibited from parks in the village -- which has proposed turning Wayside Veterans Park into a dog park -- the fair was held on the grounds of Bet Shira Congregation, 7500 SW 120th St.

Police reports from local municipalities

PINECREST | A thief smashed a window on a 2008 Ford in the parking lot of IHOP, 11927 S. Dixie Hwy., and stole a MacBook Pro valued at $1,500 and other computer equipment valued at $170 between 5 and 5:45 p.m. Oct. 9. The owner had just made the purchase at the Apple Store inside the Falls Shopping Center.