Partiers turned out in black tie for a Hollywood Nights glamour-themed Mayor’s Gala to support the Special Needs Advisory Board.       The Sept. 23 event at Roberto Alonso Community Center was presented by UniVida Medical Centers, which contributed $10,000. Overall, the night raised $32,302 for the board, $7,300 more than last year.      “It was an incredible...

     Julian Lunsford loves dogs. When The Miami Laker newspaper arrives at his home, he looks to see if there is a Pets of Miami Lakes column which features photos that readers share.      Julian’s goal was to get Oreo, his family’s 2-year-old poodle, into the Laker’s pages and the boy, 9, succeeds with this issue.       “Julian is dying to have Oreo in the...

Dec. 1 Teen Open Hang at The Spot. Play Nintendo Switch; foosball; table tennis, air hockey and more. 6075 Miami Lakes Drive. 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Free. Dec. 2 Holiday Bike Ride. Join the Neighborhood Improvement Committee for its annual bike ride. Wear festive attire and adorn your ride with dazzling lights, tinsel and ornaments. Leave from Miami Lakes Town Hall, 6601 Main St. Free. 5:30 p.m.  Dec. 6 Senior Bingo Lunch. Seniors...

     Chanukah, also known as the Festival of Lights, commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over the Greek Seleucid Empire and the subsequent rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.       The Chabad Lubavitch movement places significant emphasis on the holiday and its message, both historically and in a contemporary context.  The Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, highlighted...

    When Fred Senra was a 14-year-old growing up in Cuba, he and his friends considered themselves to be counterrevolutionaries and had some guns.      “We had a fantasy to take out Castro,” said Celita Cabrera, who has known Senra since high school. “Our parents knew better and took us to the U.S.”       Senra, 77, was the first friend Cabrera saw when she arrived in...