A prisoner’s offhand request for some holiday liquor led to a sting operation that yesterday brought down a guard at Miami’s downtown Federal Detention Center on charges of selling alcohol and cocaine to inmates. The FBI arrested Octavius Allen, a 37-year-old guard, charging he made thousands of dollars by unloading plastic…
Would somebody please explain to me those signs in restaurants that say, “No animals allowed except for Seeing Eye Dogs?” Who is that sign for? Is it for the dog or the blind person? ~Jerry Seinfeld We got so much food in America we’re allergic to food. Allergic to food!…
You may believe you’re only just be getting acquainted with his name, but that’s something he promises to change very soon. And in truth, Yeyo’s been a lot closer than you may think for some time now, well within earshot, but just on the verge of something bigger. The Puerto…
A narcotics bust in West Miami took a wild turn last night, with a high-speed chase leading to a foot race leading to undercover cops slaying a neighborhood dog to save a suspect in an Ecstasy ring. It all began around 7 p.m., says Officer Kenia Reyes, a spokeswoman for…
Blast From the Past is a new occasional series on Crossfade, revisiting classic local albums from days of yore.Psycho Daisies, Sonicly SpeakingWe’re gonna kick these blasts from Florida’s past with a record that best exemplifies how easily the stuff gets lost in the swamp. I’m talking about one of the…
We Southern girls take to the scent of barbecue like pigs to mud on a sunny day, so when I spotted the neon Uncle Tom’s sign flickering in the distance last week, I steered in. A barbecue place on Calle Ocho? Near the Gables? What a delightful surprise!It looked like…
My wife and I were hungry for a quick snack while driving on US 1 the other day. Dumplings will do, we agreed when seeing Moon Thai & Japanese Cuisine. She ordered steamed pork dumplings from the Thai menu; I ordered pan-fried beef/vegetable gyoza from the Japanese menu. Oddly, my…
All We Need Is Love And, of course, murder: Occasionally, I read mystery books, and when I started reading the story about Dalia Dippolito, “She Loves Me Not” (Lisa Rab, January 21), I was pleased. It was well written, with a lot of information and research. It is such a…
As reported here earlier, Cobb frantically tried and failed to ditch a caravan of Miami Police officers last Friday. Along the way, he smashed up other vehicles and a couple of squad cars. Turns out investigators wanted to question Cobb about the murder of Arsenio Harden. The 20-year-old victim was shot…
E! hasn’t officially announced a second season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians spinoff Kourtney & Khloé Take Miami, but we’ve had it on good word for a while that a second season is in the works, and a little ad on Craigslist all but confirms it.Titled “Looking for On-Camera Employees for…
The much-hyped STK took forever to open its doors; about a year longer than expected, actually. Despite the numerous delays, everyone has been buzzing about the upscale steakhouse-cum-lounge. With sister locations in New York and Vegas, STK developed quite a reputation in Miami. Adding to the excitement is the fact…
Last Friday, I told you about a wild police chase on NE Second Avenue. Well, here’s a mug of the culprit who thought he was reprising Wesley Snipes’s role in U.S. Marshals. His name is Jonathan Henry Cobb, a 25-year-old Brownsville resident who booked it when a blue-and-white attempted to…
Apparently, tidings of booze and gourmet appetizers were not enough to sway young Miamians to support the Miami Art Museum, the local arts institution that desperately needs to raise private funds for its new home.Taxpayers approved the use of $175 million in county funds to build the $275 million project…
The burger blitz continues, but now with a new, ugly twist: A 24-hour Whopper Bar is slated to open on Washington Avenue in South Beach next month. Differences between this and the run-of-the-mill BK: a darker, sleeker décor; delivery by scooter; and longer hours. Bigger difference: “gourmet” burgers such as…
So Dan Paul was a little crazy. And the stories of his personal escapades — sexual and otherwise — were legendary in this town.But Paul made modern Miami by writing the county charter in 1957. He was an eccentric genius who, despite earning scads of money, had a wisecrack for…
Bet on This Being a WinnerSteve Martorano, of the famous Café Martorano on Oakland Park Boulevard, brings his brash Italian fare to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino this February with the opening of Martorano’s — a 7,400-square-foot restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating for approximately 300. Look for…
Roxana Morales leaps to return a spiked volleyball on the dirty sand court near the ancient band shell on Collins Avenue at 73rd Street. A generator that sputters in the background powers dim lights, so she can barely see. She misses.Even this jury-rigged system won’t last long. The generator is…
Pity the hapless hipster who wanders into Sweat Records this Saturday night looking for a copy of Vampire Weekend’s Contra. In an unusual but welcome change, the evening’s in-store takes a turn away from the mellow indie and towards the grimy, in a four-band show organized by local trio Green…
The Alabama foursome Thomas Function makes its label home on Fat Possum, that originally Epitaph-spawned label that began as a blues imprint. That family tree indeed tells you a bit about the band’s sound — propelled largely by a punky euphoria, but informed by a bit of a Muscle Shoals…
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. You can always expect a little urban drama near and around 29th Street between NE Second Avenue and Biscayne Boulevard to liven up your work day. Earlier this afternoon a black male suspect in a stolen four-door Hyundai with Arkansas plates led…
A federal appeals court Thursday shot down a case that greatly endangered both Miami-Dade’s drinking water and Everglades National Park. The three-judge panel confirmed last year’s decision to side with the Sierra Club and several other groups against the Army Corps of Engineers. In 2002, the Corps issued a ten-year permit…
Normally, I prefer to spend my time and money in clubs that look, feel, and smell like actual garages. But this past Wednesday, I chose instead to spend my time and money in the sex dens of that 21st century disco Sodom, otherwise known as LIV. The night was long,…
