A newly re-issued novel by a Miami Beach writer seems perfectly timed for this utterly divisive election cycle that has split the country into two camps that can't agree even on common facts -- if facts have any role in the campaigns at all.
The Big Split, by John Lantigua, is an e-book available on Amazon. It is a "Novel of the Near Future" in which the gun-toting constitution thumpers decide they can no longer live with gun-avoiding, social-conscience peace people -- and so the country splits in two, with a mass migration and house swapping as the two camps decide they must live separately. For full story, click HERE.
As the county commission starts today the process of considering Related Urban's $300 million plan to remake Liberty Square, questions remain on how much new buildings can do in an area mired in decades of poverty, unemployment and crime. For a thorough analysis of the social implications of Related's bid, read HERE.
The saga of the plans for the east-west corridor is a good example of transit history
in Miami-Dade. After decades of talk, the corridor plan has become an
odd, twisting route because of deals, hopes, frustrations, arguments and
what Maurice Ferre calls "wink, wink" -- meaning politicians advocating one
course while quietly allowing the opposite to happen. Merrett Stierheim says it all started with Metrorail being built in the wrong place. Full story HERE.
An opening for its tracks can still be seen at Government Center, built back in the 1980s, but the newest incarnation has a looping circuitous route that could cost $800 million and raises questions about whether it will be convenient for commuters. Full story HERE.
While the recent state legislature rejected all Dade efforts to boost
mass transit, veteran transportation leader Maurice Ferre says it's
"completely wrong" to assume that the state will continue to ignore the
county's transit efforts.
State support is "going to happen," he said, but it takes time --
perhaps years. Meanwhile City Commissioner Francis Suarez says he's looking for ways to move transit along faster. Full story HERE.
As the quest for funding six transit corridors gets focused, one
natural source -- the state -- is proving exceedingly balky in helping
any of the Miami-Dade initiatives. The Legislature rejected all county attempts to support mass transit, while setting a budget so that $900 million gets spent in the coming year on county roads and highway expansion. Show Me the Money, Part 102. Full story is HERE.
In what could be a portent for major changes in local transit and development, Miami-Dade Commissioner Juan Zapata is demanding a building moratorium in his West End district until the area's horrendous traffic woes are addressed. The LBA says that could be a disaster, but experts say that regulators should address transportation matters the same way they consider water and sewer requirements before a development is approved. Full story is HERE.
A newly re-issued novel by a Miami Beach writer seems perfectly timed for this utterly divisive election cycle that has split the country into two camps that can't agree even on common facts -- if facts have any role in the campaigns at all.