As public school students returned to their school houses the week of Oct. 5, administrators like Principal Milko Brito of Spanish Lake Elementary School in Hialeah, greeted children enrolled in grades Pre-K through fifth with a festive display.

Photo courtesy of the school.

Miami Lakes Vice Mayor Nelson Rodriguez, who's term-limited in November, said he plans to run for town mayor in four years.Rodriguez told The Miami Laker Monday about his future goals, which include retiring next year after more than three decades in the fire service, as a Coral Gables firefighter-paramedic."As of now I’m planning to run for mayor in 2024," Rodriguez said in an email.Mayor Manny Cid, who automatically won reelection this year...

A police search Wednesday for a man near the Royal Oaks Plaza in Miami Lakes prompted fearful social media posts about a gunman.“…There was never an active shooter situation, and the subject committed no crimes in the Town of Miami Lakes,” town spokeswoman Clarisell De Cardenas said in a statement released Thursday.At around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, a half-dozen police cars and additional unmarked cars sped from Northwest 77th Court at the...

Students in Miami-Dade County will resume classroom learning the week of Oct. 5, with children in different grades returning on different days.“It’s not Monday everybody, it’s starting Monday, a staggered approach,” said Dr. Steve Gallon III, vice chair of the school board.Parents who chose the schoolhouse model in July for where they want their children to be educated during the fall as the coronavirus pandemic continues will be able to send...

Twice each week, Joan Hutcherson awaits a lunch delivered by Freebee to her home. It’s a project begun in July by the Town of Miami Lakes and its Elderly Affairs Committee after the coronavirus pandemic meant seniors couldn’t meet in person.“Those Freebee drivers are angels,” said Hutcherson, 78, who lives in town and doesn’t drive.Hutcherson is like many people who have sheltered safely at home to outwait the threat of COVID-19, which in...