Hurrah for Pope Francis! I have to tell you, I am excited about the new Pope, Pope Francis, the first Jesuit Pope. He is such a breath of fresh air, so seemingly grounded and aware of what the Roman Catholic Church he now heads ought to be about. I was reflecting on this a few weeks back in the presence of some of my church members and one of them remarked, Yes, I hear you! He's so Christian! And of course, that's exactly it. We have a Pope...

Texting and Driving is Now Illegal in Florida. Distracted driving has happened to all of us. It can range from reading a text message while stopped at a red light, to trying to eat lunch on the go between meetings. Today, more than ever, there are many ways one can get distracted while on the road. We live in a world where we are expected to always be available and get back to people immediately. Many people cannot disconnect while behind...

  Roberto Alonso, an original Miami Lakes councilmember and first vice mayor who championed the development of Royal Oaks Park and the Community Center, and discovered the much-needed land owned by FDOT to build a permanent fire station to help save lives on the west side of town has died. He was 64. Alonso died last week after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Before his death, Alonso was sales and marketing director for 90 Miles,...

  The audience at the Main Street Playhouse will have the opportunity to relive their prom at the final production of the year, The Marvelous Wonderettes. The Springfield High prom queen nominees, Missy, Cindy Lou, Betty Jean, and Suzy, eagerly await the votes of the crowd for the “Dream Queen” of 1958 in a play that evokes the femininity of the ’50s and the empowerment of the late ’60s. “On behalf of the...

  Lawmakers for the Town of Miami Lakes gave their final approval for keeping the same rate for property taxes for 2013-2014 and adopted a $15.3 million budget to upgrade public works projects and beautification, and focus more on education after councilmembers learned two perennial A schools could be in jeopardy of losing their mark and state funding.  At last week’s final budget hearing, councilmembers unanimously approved...