Readers of The Miami Laker were invited to share special cookie recipes that they prepare for the holiday season.      Mirtha Jones of Miami Lakes is contributing a recipe she received many years ago from a friend in Decatur, Ala.      “Everybody loves them,” Jones said of the vintage  recipe that she has made since the 1970s and brings out only at this time of year.   ...

 Kwanzaa is celebrated this year from Dec. 26 – Jan. 1.      The National  Museum of African American History & Culture says the holiday is an African American and Pan-African celebration of culture.      The word Kwanzaa is from Swahili, meaning first fruits or harvest festival, the museum website says.      Created in 1966 by Maulana Ron Karenga, Kwanzaa is a time...

Students at the  Rilion Gracie Miami Lakes jiu-jitsu academy led the competition at the South Florida JitzKing Open in Miami on Oct. 29.      The academy said it placed first overall.     Seventeen students ages 6 - 13 demonstrated their skills in grappling, wrestling and the martial art, with some taking home more than one gold medal.      “I’m really proud of our team,...

ay hello to Coco! He’s a 1-year-old Shiba Inu, owned by Alejandro Simon of Miami Lakes.       Simon found Coco on Craig’s List.       “I wanted a companion,” Simon said. “I wasn’t looking for a fancy breed. He turned out to be a great dog.”       They became fast friends.          Simon lives downtown  and walks...

Ana H. Knapp, district outreach liaison for the North Region of Miami-Dade County Project UP-START, receives Publix gift cards from Denis Brenes, vice president of the Giving Gators charity.      The Giving Gators Thanksgiving drive raised $2,500 to feed students in Miami-Dade County public and charter schools who are in unstable housing.       Project UP-START distributed the gift cards to...