Before the Festival of Lights and during the annual event presented by The Graham Companies and Main Street Merchants, the businesses partnered with the Giving Gators charity and the Neighbors 4 Neighbors organizations to collect toys for kids who may not have something to enjoy this Christmas.   Many festivalgoers donated toys, as did employees of The Graham Companies. Organizers picked up the gifts from the lobby of The...

Thanksgiving is a special time of year for one Miami Lakes family, and not just because it’s a national holiday. It’s also the time, 15 years ago, that Juan Chaparro found an injured stray kitten in the Graham Dairy Lake neighborhood. Though she was skittish, Chaparro said he was able to catch the mewing black kitty.  He and his wife Carol Ann Steele got the feline’s ailments fixed at the vet and brought her home...

Installing holiday-themed inflatable characters have been a thing for a while now. The folks who live around Lake Martha have upped their game each Christmas season and dedicate each block to a specific character, such as polar bears, Santas and gingerbread figures.       This year, nearly 90 residents in the Loch Ness neighborhood got into the act by putting up giant dinosaurs that resemble Nessie, the mythological...

Here is a roundup of some of the most talked about events that happened this year.   Florida and Miami Lakes remember native son, former U.S. Sen., Fla. Gov. Bob Graham Bob Graham died in Gainesville of natural causes on April 16. He was 87. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered flags around the state to be flown at half-staff. He paid his respects to Graham on April 26 during a lying in state ceremony at the...

U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Doral, honored three Miami Lakes veterans with Congressional Veterans Commendations. The veterans may also participate in the Veterans History Project that is sponsored by the Library of Congress. The project collects firsthand recollections from former service members to better understand what they witnessed. Shown from left: American Legion Post 144 Vice Commander William Perez, a U.S. Marine Corps...