The Kwanzaa holiday is about history, values, family, community and culture, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.      During the week it will be celebrated, from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1, the seven principles of Kwanzaa will be considered through readings, food, music and gatherings.       Those principles are unity, self-determination, work and...

    Students at Spanish Lake Elementary School participated in Operation Christmas Child, a program with Samaritan’s Purse, which delivers shoe boxes filled with gifts to children around the world, the school said. It’s the third year that kids at Spanish Lake Elementary, at 7940 NW 194TH St. in Miami, have taken time during the holiday season to think of others. The program at the school is overseen by Gianinna...

    The All-State Middle School Orchestra has accepted Sabella Scavuzzo, 12, a 7th grader at Miami Lakes K-8 Center.       Sabella, a violinist from Miami Lakes, auditioned with students from around the state before she was chosen, her teacher Sara Cino said.      Sabella will perform with the orchestra at the Florida Music Educators Association Conference to be held at the convention center...

      During the Miami Lakes Chamber of Commerce’s final luncheon of the year, Mayor Manny Cid spoke on topics of interest to the business community: The town’s economy, public safety and fostering an environment to grow commercial investment.      “Main Street is back,” Cid said to 60 attendees at Shula’s Hotel & Golf Club on Dec. 8. “Things are happening. The town is...

Father Joseph Lucas, Christ the Saviour Orthodox Cathedral        The world we inhabit may at times seem a very dark place.  We are bombarded by messages vying for our attention — messages that induce feelings of fear, anger, and helplessness, all leading to anxiety.        We have become acutely aware of the suffering that surrounds us. And we too suffer:  If not physically,...