Mental health therapists are offering free counseling to people who may be affected by the stresses of the coronavirus pandemic. Miami Lakes officials announced the support program during a Facebook video on April 16. Folks may not want to talk about mental illness or feel there is a stigma around it, “but I think we’re breaking through that,” Mayor Manny Cid said before he introduced Rosa Barroso, a therapist at The Therapy Labs. ...

Juggling their professional and family responsibilities during the stress of the pandemic is tiring, but parents say they are doing the best they can. So far it’s been six weeks. That’s 30 school days. And another four or five weeks to go until the freedom of summer. Not just for the kids, but for their parents or guardians who began supervising their youngsters’ educations after the coronavirus outbreak began and schools turned...

The coronavirus may have temporarily shut down “non-essential” businesses since March, but it hasn’t stifled the creativity of Main Street retailers whose customers want to remain fashionable, even if they’re spending most of their time “safer at home.” A presence in Miami Lakes for 25 years, Drop Boutique has shifted from greeting customers at the store to selling them clothing and accessories through a website and on Instagram. “It...

U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz- Balart will return to Washington, D.C. for a 10th term in January to represent Congressional District 25. Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, was the only candidate to qualify for the race that was to be held Nov. 3. Diaz-Balart’s campaign announced on April 24 that the political veteran retained the Congressional office he has held since 2002. Diaz-Balart submitted 9,237 petitions signed by voters, an amount “almost three...

St. Thomas University’s women’s basketball team has signed two-time All-State guard Brooke Bogatz from Lake Worth, Fla. The school in Miami Gardens announced Bogatz’s signing on April 1. Bogatz, shown in photo at left, joins the Bobcats after four years of varsity basketball at Park Vista Community High School. The 5-foot-4 Bogatz was selected for the Florida All-Star Basketball Classic this past season. The game was to have been...