Originally from Cuba, Nilo Ventura Sr. moved to New Jersey, then Palm Springs North and eventually made his way to Miami Lakes in 1977 with his wife Honorinda and two kids, Nilo Jr. and Hector Ventura. For over 40 years, Ventura Sr. has been an active member of the community. He began coaching in Optimist Park while his two sons were part of the baseball team, and he was also on the board for five years, working alongside Jack McCall....

  Located at 5960 Miami Lakes Drive, Safari LTD. has been a family-owned toy company since 1982. Beginning with Bernard and Rosemarie Rubel, Safari was founded on the principal of providing children with “toys that teach.” Inherited by their daughter and then their grandchild, Safari has grown alongside the family that operates it. Rubel’s grandchild Alexandre Pariente and his wife Christina now run the business...

  Since the shooting massacre at Stoneman Douglas High School, which took the lives of 17 students and teachers in February, Miami Lakes’ elected voices and residents have been scrambling for solutions to prevent gun violence among students at area schools. And with the start of the new school year less than two weeks away, Miami-Dade Public Schools police and Miami Lakes police departments have developed a plan in an effort to...

  Miami Lakes residents can vote early for Miami-Dade County’s primary election on August 28 at the Miami Collins Community Center, 15151 N.W. 82 Avenue. According to Miami-Dade County’s Elections Department, registered voters can cast their ballots beginning Monday, August 13 through  Friday, August 17 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturday, August 18 and Sunday, August 19, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Monday, August 20...

  Miami Lakes Educational Center and Techincal College (MLEC) hosted a recent ribboncutting event launching the first lab in Florida that teaches building automation systems technology to both high school and adult students. MLEC partnered with The Siemens Building Technologies Division (SBTD), which is the North American market leader for safe and secure, energy-efficient and environment-friendly buildings and infrastructures. As a...