Former Hialeah First Lady Raiza Robaina took the stand Wednesday in the federal tax evasion trial against her and her husband, former Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina, and said, basically, that it was the accountant’s fault. She said the failure to disclose somewhere between $1 million and $2 million were errors or typos maybe. “Mistakes,” she […]
Robert Gewanter’s public poetry in neon hit the nail on the head. Again. The owner of M&M Liquors is already famous for the rhymes he writes on the sign outside his store on Southeast 8th Street in Hialeah. Gewanter, who has swiped at presidents and senators and world leaders from beyond, struck closer to home […]
State Rep. Eddy Gonzalez (R-Hialeah), who is termed out this year and was shopping for a new seat to fill, is said to be switching gears — yet again — and jumping into the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser’s race. Any day now. And he will instantly become the guy to beat in what essentially becomes a […]
Among the three companies Coral Gables Commissioners considered Monday to find a new replacement for former City Manager Pat Salerno — a controversial figure who resigned abruptly two weeks ago rather than answer for the lies he had been telling the commission — was the company that put Salerno there in the first place. Colin […]
One can’t help but think that Coral Gables City Manager Pat Salerno knew he was on his way out and that that is why he made the change in his retirement benefits that not only increased the city’s contribution almost threefold, but gave it to him in one lump sum. Salerno, who abruptly resigned his […]
Doral Councilwoman Bettina Rodriguez-Aguilera, hospitalized earlier this month for an intestinal obstruction, was released from the hospital last week — and immediately went back to her whirlwind schedule. Bettina was released on Monday. On Tuesday, she held a shovel for the ground breaking of the Downtown Doral Charter School with her colleagues from the city. […]
Among the last things he did — probably before he wrote that long congratulatory letter to himself that was distributed on the city’s enewsletter (more on that later) — Coral Gables City Manager Pat Salerno doled out raises to his favored employees (read: cronies). According to a series of emails obtained by Ladra, Commissioner Pat […]
Coral Gables Commissioners on Wednesday named Assistant City Manager Carmen Olazabal the interim chief of the city until they can find a permanent replacement for Pat Salerno, who resigned abruptly last week rather than face questions about lies he told the elected body. And they also talked about choosing a recruiting firm to make a […]
Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez — who has been denying allegations for years that he committed felony usury — took to the stand in his predecessor’s trial and admitted that he loaned money at 36% interest to a convicted Ponzi schemer who is now the feds’ star witness in the tax evasion and fraud trial against […]
I gotta admit, it sounds kinda strange to hear Republican Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera — who is doing radio rounds this week to push the guv’s campaign — defend former Democrat Sen. Nan Rich, who is running for the top state post in the primary. But then I realized he was really giving front runner […]