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NEWS
Cutler Bay
MAY 29 - JUNE 11, 2012
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305-669-7355
Town Hall Meeting attracts large turnout of residents
BY GARY ALAN RUSE
A
regularly scheduled Cutler Bay Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, May 16, brought such a large turnout of hundreds of residents that even the spacious council chambers, perhaps the largest of any local city, could not hold the crowd. “I got there a few minutes after 7 p.m. and the place was packed,” resident Bill Meiklejohn said. “I couldn’t get in or even hear what was going on, so I left. Some other people did, too.” The record attendance was due to two different and unrelated issues — the recent firing of the town clerk and concerns over regulatory changes, according to Mayor Ed MacDougall. “Virtually everyone called for the resignation of the manager,” MacDougall said. “It was pretty much that and the issue of the Land Development Regulations. It was a very well attended, vocal, citizen outcry meeting that was, I think, considering the heated issues, pretty smooth. “We had J. C. Bermudez, the ex-mayor of Doral who was there with Richard Cooper, who is the executive director of the Miami-Dade County League of Cities. They’re doing a tour of cities so they were there. They walked in and J.C. and Richard came up to me and said, ‘What is going on in this place? We’ve never seen anything like this.’ I told them that we have some pretty involved citizens.” MacDougall said that the issue of the clerk came up and the 12 questions, and everyone there wanted to know who made that list. “I know the manager made it,” MacDougall said. “I’ve already spoken to the attorneys about it.” The mayor said that regarding the other issue, a member of the public “who shall remain nameless” put out a notice that inflamed the situation. “They told people that we’re not going to allow parking in the driveways of commercial trucks and all these different things that really were not the case,” MacDougall said. “It was the second reading on the Land Development Regulations and the public is right, it’s been
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TOWN HALL, page 6
Christina Redwine receives annual Diego Family Spartan Scholarship
Family Summer Kick-Off to promote childhood health, education, safety BY MATTHEW BEATTY
T
he Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade (HSCMD) has partnered with Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe (ELCMDM) to host the Family Summer Kick-Off, a funfilled day promoting childhood health, education and safety for pregnant women and families with children up to age 8. The event will take place on Saturday, June 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Miami-Dade County Fair and Expo Center: 10901 SW 24 St. Encouraging whole families to enjoy quality time together in an all-ages environment, the event is completely free and features early pregnancy, childbirth, home safety, early literacy, bike safety, car seat inspection and first aid classes,
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FAMILY, page 6
ALL TYPES OF COVERAGE FROM OVER 100 TRUSTED, COMPETITIVE, INSURERS Christina Redwine of Miami Southridge Senior High School is presented the Diego Family Spartan Scholarship Award by Keith Diego during the school’s annual Awards Ceremony on May 11. The criteria for the one year, $2,500 award includes excellence in academics, dedication to community service and well-rounded participation in extracurricular activities. The recipient also must be attending a four-year college outside of the tri-county area. The scholarship was created by the Diego Family (Miami Southridge alumni) to recognize annually one Miami Southridge student who exhibits the Spartan Spirit and to help encourage and assist them in their efforts when leaving home for a well-rounded college.
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