Residents, attendees at the Festival of Lights, customers of the Mayor’s Cafe and employees of The Graham Companies donated hundreds of toys for kids that the Giving Gators charity distributed this holiday season.       Shown in the first photo at The Graham Companies in Miami Lakes, from left, Giving Gators Board Member Emily Garcia and Co-Founder Daylin Garcia, The Graham Companies Accountant,...

      Rabbi Mendel Weiss and his wife Tzippy Weiss of Chabad Miami Lakes provided a dancing dreidel, fried potato pancakes, kosher donuts and cotton candy for guests who lit a menorah on Main Street on Dec. 18, the fifth night of Hanukkah.       There was also a DJ and a person in a robot costume decorated with LED lights and a sign that flashed a rainbow peace sign, a kitten photo, “Happy...

    During his State of the Town address on Dec. 8, Miami Lakes Mayor Josh Dieguez singled out the Gonzalez family as Volunteers of the Year. The family - Omar Gonzalez, a member of the town’s Civic Association prior to incorporation; his wife Cathy Quintana, an Accountant in the Corporate Division at The Graham Companies; Omar’s brother Kelvin Gonzalez and Omar and Cathy’s adult children, Christina, known as...

     Miami Lakes has a new landmark: A two-story Christmas tree, decorated with lights and red, green, silver and gold balls. It stands at the corner of Main Street and New Barn Road.      The brightly lighted yule tree beckoned families who attended the 40th Annual Festival of Lights, presented by the Main Street Merchants and The Graham Companies.       Clive Smith photographed his wife...

Nov. 19 Senior Spa Day Seniors 60+ can enjoy pampering thanks to the Elderly Affairs Committee and Celebrity School of Beauty. Experience a free service: haircuts and styling for both men and women, chair massages, mini-facials and manicures. Registration required at TOML.Eventbrite.com. Roberto Alonso Community Center, 16500 NW 87 Ave. Free. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Nov. 19 Alliance for Aging Presentation: Medicare Open Enrollment Get...

   Ask Miami Lakers what they don’t like about the town and they’ll bring up traffic: the volume of vehicles coming through, signals that seem to be out of sync and drivers who speed or take shortcuts through residential neighborhoods.      Mayor Josh Dieguez and the council receive those complaints in person and on social media.       Two events in January gave the public a...

     The Lawton Chiles Middle School robotics team, the LCMS Eagles, showed off their skills at the Jan. 11 VEX IQ Mix and Math Robotics Competition.  Howard D. McMillan Middle School in Miami hosted teams to show off their work in robotics. The Eagles placed eighth overall in the competition and took home the Judge’s Award.       “We are incredibly proud of Kaelin Mueller, Hailey...

      Miami Lakes AutoMall has given gifts to local organizations, and Partner Fred Senra is shown with two of recipients.      “We’re giving back to the community, to grass roots organizations,” Senra said. “I keep it to local groups as much as I can, and 70% of the gifts are in Miami Lakes.”      In the first photo, Senra is presenting a $500 check from the...

     Every couple of days, a Florida Gray Fox visits Yancy Bernal. The creature likes to hang out on the back patio of the family’s home in Lake Martha.      “I literally let him/her be,” Bernal said.      That’s good advice to follow and is the same guidance that Zoo Miami Goodwill Ambassador Ron Magill shared with an audience that filled Miami Lakes Town Hall on Jan....

 Krizia Polanco  Corporate Partnerships and Wellness Manager, Memorial Healthcare System Miramar     “I normally don’t watch football,” Krizia Polanco said. “I don’t recall ever watching a halftime show. [But] definitely at Super Bowl 2026, I am watching because as a Latina, I have to see Bad Bunny and represent Puerto Rico and the whole culture. So I will be tuning in this...