Hialeah Gardens High School student Neeley Camejo, 16, of Hialeah, won the 2025 Congressional Art Competition for the 26th Congressional District of Florida, a seat held by U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Doral.      Neeley’s painting, called Reverence in the Currents: An Esoteric Wonder, was chosen from among 175 entries submitted by students in 16 schools, the congressman’s office said.  ...

  Miami Lakes AutoMall Partner Fred Senra, shown at center in a navy shirt and cap and holding a check, awarded $1,500 to the Miami Lakes Optimist Club Baseball Program for its 2025 season.       The donation is one he has made for the past 15 years, on behalf of Miami Lakes Chevrolet’s Test Drive Program.       Shown at left is Roman Garcia, a committee member for Optimist Club Flag...

     MLK-8 Center Teacher Virnalis Arvelo treated 22 students from her eighth grade Language Arts class to dinner at ML Steaks + Sports in Miami Lakes.      The meal was a reward after 26 students in total earned high scores on the English Language Arts, Florida Assessment of Student Thinking exam.       Arvelo has hosted the end-of-year dinner since 2010 for her students to celebrate...

    Miami-Dade County Commissioner Sen. René García was a candidate for mayor of Hialeah, a city where he began his political career in elective office as a councilman in 1997.      He withdrew from that race on June 26 and said he will instead focus on his county job. His second term ends in November 2028.      “As Miami-Dade County faces a difficult budget year, now is not the time to...

    On a recent weekday after summer vacations began, six boys on bicycles, electric bikes and scooters seemed to be playing a game of tag on wheels.       They sped along sidewalks, around the movie theater parking lot and in the middle of New Barn Road, headed toward Main Street.       While the kids seemed to be having a fun, carefree time, the races could have turned...