Key Biscayne Independent

Captain at helm of boat towing Ella Adler takes plea deal in fatal boating case

As many families celebrate the end of the school year, Ella Adler’s family instead has marked two years without the 15-year-old and on Tuesday afternoon, the closure of the last criminal case related to her tragic death. The Ransom Everglades High School freshman was celebrating her birthday on May 11, 2024 with friends on a yacht that Edmund Richard Hartley was hired to captain....

Captain at helm of boat towing Ella Adler takes plea deal in fatal boating case As many families celebrate the end of the school year, Ella Adler’s family instead has marked two years without the 15-year-old and on Tuesday afternoon, the closure of the last criminal case rela…

Remembrance, sacrifice marked at KB Memorial Day service

A color guard set a somber tone Monday as about 100 people gathered on the Village Green to mark Memorial Day, with thoughts of service heightened amid the 12 week war with Iran. The lead speaker, attorney and author H. Frances Reaves, connected her family’s military service to a broader remembrance of the sacrifices made in the line of duty. ...

Remembrance, sacrifice marked at KB Memorial Day service A color guard set a somber tone Monday as about 100 people gathered on the Village Green to mark Memorial Day, with thoughts of service heightened amid the 12 week war with Iran. The lead speaker,…

US announces charges against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro in 1996 aircraft shootdown

MIAMI — Federal prosecutors on Wednesday announced charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro in the 1996 downing of civilian planes operated by Miami-based exiles as the Trump administration escalated pressure on the socialist government. The indictment was related to Castro’s alleged role in the shootdown of two small planes operated by the exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Castro, now 94, was Cuba's defense minister at the time....

US announces charges against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro in 1996 aircraft shootdown MIAMI — Federal prosecutors on Wednesday announced charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro in the 1996 downing of civilian planes operated by Miami-based exiles as the Trump administrat…

Miami Mayor’s proposed $450 million bond will not go to voters this August

For as much as Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins has pushed for a new bond program for the city's public safety infrastructure, residents and city commissioners just don't have the appetite for it yet. The Miami Commission voted 4-1 on Thursday to defer a vote on the mayor's proposed $450 million bond, effectively killing the chance to have a bond referendum on this August's primary ballot....

Miami Mayor’s proposed $450 million bond will not go to voters this August For as much as Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins has pushed for a new bond program for the city’s public safety infrastructure, residents and city commissioners just don’t have the appetite f…

Hurricane season arrives with new forecast tools, ongoing worries about research cuts

With the Atlantic hurricane center just weeks away, hurricane forecasters are preparing to launch a new suite of tools with a looming budget cut threatening to slash research efforts. For the upcoming season, the National Hurricane Center will be testing a forecast cone that ups the certainty of track predictions from just under 70% to 90%. A new mobile-friendly forecast page will make it easier to read information on phones....

Hurricane season arrives with new forecast tools, ongoing worries about research cuts With the Atlantic hurricane center just weeks away, hurricane forecasters are preparing to launch a new suite of tools with a looming budget cut threatening to slash research efforts. For the upco…

Survivors of plane crash off Florida were on a life raft for hours with no idea if help was coming

For five hours, the 11 survivors of a plane crash off the coast of Florida floated on a life raft, with no means of calling for help and no idea if anyone was coming to save them. As a thunderstorm approached, they gathered under a tarp for whatever protection it might offer. Then, search and rescue crews from the U.S. military appeared overhead, members of those crews recounted during a news conference Wednesday....

Survivors of plane crash off Florida were on a life raft for hours with no idea if help was coming For five hours, the 11 survivors of a plane crash off the coast of Florida floated on a life raft, with no means of calling for help and no idea if anyone was coming to save them. As a thunderstor…

Mass protests in Argentina after college funding cut

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Tens of thousands of Argentines flooded the streets of major cities nationwide on Tuesday to protest funding cuts by libertarian President Javier Milei to the public university system that represents a near-universal point of pride in this crisis-prone country. Vast crowds in downtown Buenos Aires marched toward the government headquarters to denounce budget shortfalls eroding the financial foundation of the country's higher education....

Mass protests in Argentina after college funding cut BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Tens of thousands of Argentines flooded the streets of major cities nationwide on Tuesday to protest funding cuts by libertarian President Javier Milei to the public univ…

World Cup travel sluggish for some U.S. hotels

NEW YORK — The promised economic boon from the World Cup hasn’t matched expectations, at least not yet, for U.S. hotels. Room bookings have been lighter than expected in most of the 11 U.S. cities hosting the world’s most watched sporting event, according to an April survey by the American Hotel & Lodging Association. In several cities, including Kansas City, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle, a majority of hotel operators said bookings were actually running behind typical seasonal demand....

World Cup travel sluggish for some U.S. hotels NEW YORK — The promised economic boon from the World Cup hasn’t matched expectations, at least not yet, for U.S. hotels. Room bookings have been lighter than expected in most of the 11 U.S. cities…

Four people convicted of conspiracy in US trial tied to 2021 assassination of Haiti’s president

MIAMI — A Florida jury on Friday convicted four men of conspiracy in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. South Florida served as a central location for planning and financing the plot to oust Moïse and replace him with someone of the conspirators’ choosing, U.S. prosecutors alleged. Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla and James Solages were found guilty of conspiring to kill or kidnap Haiti’s elected leader and providing material support for the plot....

Four people convicted of conspiracy in US trial tied to 2021 assassination of Haiti’s president MIAMI — A Florida jury on Friday convicted four men of conspiracy in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. South Florida served as a central location for planning and financin…

Journalism excellence: WLRN/Miami Herald Brightline series wins IRE award, Pulitzer Prize finalist

Investigative Reporters & Editors, the nation’s most prominent investigative journalism organization, announced Wednesday that a joint investigation by WLRN and the Miami Herald into the systemic failures that made Florida’s Brightline the deadliest major passenger train in the nation won its top award for statewide coverage. The IRE award announcement comes only days after the Brightline stories were named as finalists for the 2026 Pulitzer Prize....

Journalism excellence: WLRN/Miami Herald Brightline series wins IRE award, Pulitzer Prize finalist Investigative Reporters & Editors, the nation’s most prominent investigative journalism organization, announced Wednesday that a joint investigation by WLRN and the Miami Herald into the syste…