A busy morning at the Farmers Market. The market is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Picnic Park West, 15151 NW 82nd Ave., Miami Lakes. Photo: Megan Jacobo.

With gold-painted shovels, school leaders, supporters and alumni broke ground on the Monsignor Edward Pace High School football field on Dec. 5.The $1.5 million project to replace the gridiron turf and running track with man-made materials at the MiamiGardens school is expected to be completed in spring 2020.Mascot Eddie the Spartan was there, along with 900 students who cheered and did the wave while watching from the football stadium’s...

A “senior village” project proposed for the lower west side of Miami Lakes was approved by the town council, though the developer doesn’t yet have a healthcare company to operate an assisted living facility planned for the site.The Graham Companies owns nearly 15 lakefront acres along Commerce Way at Northwest 146th Street.Their project that the council approved on June 6, 2017 included 220 age-restricted apartments, the assisted living...

Seeing hungry and homeless people roaming the streets of downtown Miami on Christmas four years ago haunted Erika Castroman.The teenager was driving through the area with her family, on their way to visit relatives for the holiday.That no one seemed to care for the people Castroman saw broke her heart.Instead of giving 15 backpacks that Castroman had filled with goodies to her relatives, she handed them out to people without homes.Castroman’s...

The express lanes and tolls on the Palmetto Expressway have been controversial ever since the Florida Department of Transportation installed them in September.While some drivers complained about paying to drive on the expressway or slowed traffic along the Miami Lakes and Hialeah sections, others embraced the change and found using the express lanes significantly shortened their commuting times.On Dec. 2, state Sen.Manny Diaz, Jr., R-Palm...