Rise News has learned that there is an ongoing investigation into allegations that members of the supervisory board of a Miami area charter school may have criminally violated Florida Sunshine Laws.
One of the members of the board at the time of the alleged law violations was the current Mayor of Miami Shores, Alice Burch.
At least two members of the Doctors Charter School (DCS) Board of Directors and a high-ranking school official have been subpoenaed and interviewed by an Assistant State Attorney and an investigator with the Miami-Dade Ethics Commission.
Sources close to the investigation indicate that the inquiry is focused around the events of the controversial non-renewal of contract of DCS Executive Director Nick Dorn.
DCS is a highly rated charter school with 600 students nestled in the sleepy neighborhood of Miami Shores.
Rise Miami News, the predecessor website to Rise News first broke the story of the scandal in June of 2015 and showed that Burch had improperly coordinated with a few other members of the unpaid DCS board to remove Dorn in a secret meeting.
From our original report on the matter:
“Rise Miami News has learned that Burch supplied DCS board members meeting in the ‘shade’ a dossier of information that she had been collecting for over eight months, meant to act as justification for the non-renewal of the school director’s contract.
Burch has also admitted to violating state Sunshine Laws by continuing to volunteer as the de-facto secretary of the DCS board of directors while serving as the acting mayor of the Village.
Burch apologized to the Miami Shores community at a Village Council meeting on June 2 but did not discuss her level of involvement in the dismissal of Nick Dorn, the director of DCS.”
Due to the public outrage, Dorn was eventually offered a contract and a raise. Dorn accepted the contract extension but did not agree to a raise. He is currently leading the school.
DCS board meeting in June. Photo Credit: Rise News
Read More: Miami Shores Mayor Actively Advocated For Removal Of Charter School Head In Closed Door Letter
While Burch did not vote in the secret meeting, she openly discussed the idea of not renewing Dorn’s contract with members of the board both before and immediately after the “shade” meeting.
Additional public records including text messages show the extent of communications between Burch and other board members. It also showed how important Burch was to the lifeblood of the board and therefore potentially to the Sunshine Law violations she later admitted to.
Read More: Text Messages, Emails Bring Into Focus Influential Role Miami Shores Mayor Played In DCS Scandal
According to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the matter, the inquiry is being headed up by Assistant State Attorney Luis Perez-Medina and Miami-Dade Ethics Commission investigator Larry Lebowitz.
Perez-Medina works out of the Public Corruption Unit under Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle while Lebowitz, a former Miami Herald reporter works under Joseph Centorino, the longtime former head of the Public Corruption Unit and current director of the county Ethics Commission.
Neither the State Attorney’s office or Ethics Commission would confirm or deny that there is an ongoing investigation.
Paul Calli, an attorney and current member of the DCS board first blew the whistle on the “shade” meeting in a series of Facebook posts last spring.
In June, Calli filed a complaint with the Ethics Commission alleging that there had been violations of Section 286.011 of Florida Statutes, also known as the Sunshine Laws.
The Commission referred the complaint to the State Attorney as it said that it does not have jurisdiction over Sunshine Laws.
Miami Shores Mayor Alice Burch. Photo Credit: Alice Burch/Facebook
“The rules should not and cannot be different for elected officials and Village administrators in Miami Shores,” Calli said in an interview with Rise News. “The residents of Miami Shores do not deserve to be excluded from the political process and government administration by elected or appointed officials who hold the trust of residents and voters. The Shores is not a fiefdom, with its residents vassals.”
Mayor Burch did not respond to a request for comment.
Vice Mayor Steven Zelkowitz said that he was not aware of any investigation ongoing in Miami Shores but said that public officials should be careful of Sunshine Law violations.
“I live and breathe the Sunshine Law,” Zelkowitz, a lawyer who deals with many local municipalities in his practice said in a phone interview. “I’m very cognizant and I’m very careful with it. Maybe elected officials should read the laws and understand them before acting.”
Another member of the Village council had a similar view.
“What is important is what[ever] the investigation reveals, it will help bring closure and restore confidence in our leaders,” Councilwoman Ivonne Ledesma said in an email statement.
READ: The 14 page dossier of information Miami Shores Mayor Alice Burch presented to DCS board members before secret, “shade” meeting
Miami Shores Mayor Alice Burch’s “Shade” Letter by Rich
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Cover Photo Credit: Rise News/ Rich Robinson
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Pokemon Creative Director Dies In Freak Windstorm In Seattle
Eric Medalle, the Pokemon Company Interational creative design director died last Sunday in a windstorm after a tree fell on his car according to multiple sources.
Medalle was 42 years old and a father of two.
According to the Seattle Times:
“The 42-year-old was in a black BMW X3 in Seward Park, less than 4 miles from his reported home, when a massive evergreen tree snapped in fierce winds, according to public records and authorities. He was pronounced dead at the scene.”
Medalle’s family was heartbroken by the tragic accident.
“It’s very sad and tragic to lose someone so young so suddenly,” Estrella Ferrer, Medalle’s aunt told the Seattle Times. “Everybody was shocked. I was completely shocked. I can’t believe it happened.”
According to a local tv report, Medalle was driving in the car with one of his daughters when the tree fell on the car. The girl only experienced minor injuries.
A crowdfunding campaign to raise money for the family has been set up and has already raised over $20,000.
According to gaming industry website Nintendo Everything, Medalle had a long track record of work on a number of Pokemon games.
They included:
Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
Pokemon X and Y
Pokemon Black and White Versions 2
Pokemon Conquest
Pokemon Black and White Versions
Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs
Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions
Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of AlmiaCover Photo Credit
H/T: Nintendo Everything
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I Almost Ran For Office Last Week
Anyone that actually knows me understands that I don’t buy the hype about much.
I’m the guy who wore sneakers to the 8th grade dinner dance and I’m rarely quick to buy a new app or gadget.
I just don’t believe in the drama of life. I try to abstain from it as much as possible.
That is especially true when it comes to politics and public life.
We, the people control our politics whether we want to believe it or not, and we have the power to make change whether we want the burden or not.
I don’t care about the pomp and ceremony of politics. I’m not interested in the game of it. I care about getting things done and making real progress for real people.
That is why it bothers me when I see the current crop of politicians on the local and national level.
Some are forward thinking and interested in making change, but most are wastes of space, seeking only their own career advancement.
From climate change to the widening income gap to the atrocious way in which we treat adults with developmental disabilities, we face real challenges in South Florida and across the country.
I almost ran for the state legislature last week after being encouraged to by family and friends.
I almost did it. Almost drove to Tallahassee to register as a candidate. Almost bought voter data. Almost designed a logo. Almost built a campaign team.
We could have put up quite the fight. And one day, we might.
But I didn’t run because I believe that RISE NEWS can become something really special and I want to focus all my energy on making this collective dream a reality.
Over the course of the last year, we have published pieces from scores of talented and idealistic young people from all over the United States and some other parts of the world.
We have broke news and made people think about the future while giving voice to the disparate parts of our generation.
But we still have much more to do and so many more stories to tell.
I don’t believe in the status quo way of doing things in either politics or journalism. Neither do large swaths of the public.
I don’t believe that politics should be a dirty game that few want to play.
And I don’t believe that journalism should be an elite endeavor that few feel connected to.
I do believe in speaking truth to power however and in shaking things up in order to bring about change.
So that is what we will strive to do.
We cannot allow our generation to grow cynical in politics. We are the only hope this country has to fix the biggest problems facing our future.
And we will do more in this publication to fight for the things we believe in moving forward.
Journalism can only work when you believe in it. And we hope to earn your trust as we work to find the truth, and labor for what is right and just in our society.
Finally, I’d like to encourage young people to get involved in public life in whatever way they feel that they best can, whether that is on the side of running for office or keeping those running for office accountable.
Accountability doesn’t have to be a big dramatic production after all.
It can be something as small as paying attention to how your representatives vote on important issues and remembering their votes come election time.
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in public affairs. You can write for us.
Cover Photo Credit: Jim Bowen/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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New Production of Phantom of the Opera Comes to the Adrienne Arsht Center
By Michelle de Carion
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera is the longest running musical on Broadway, and it is continuing its legacy by gracing the stage at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami from February 24-March 6.
Cameron Mackintosh produced this new version in celebration of Phantom’s 25th anniversary, and it has received positive reviews since it started the North American tour in 2014.
Mackintosh said in a statement to Playbill, “After a glorious celebration of 25 phenomenal years on Broadway with no end in sight, I’m delighted to be able to bring this dazzling new production of Phantom — which has been phenomenally well-received by both audiences and critics in the U.K. this past year — to America.
With an exciting new design and staging, retaining amazing costumes, I am confident American audiences will fall in love with the Phantom in his new guise — for the first time or all over again.”
The Phantom of the Opera is based on the classic French novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra by Gaston Leroux, and tells the tale of a beautiful soprano, Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, disfigured musical genius who lurks beneath the catacombs of the Paris Opera House.
In an interview with the Boston Globe, Mackintosh said that he’s given Phantom a makeover because there are opportunities to do things in different ways that they couldn’t do in 1986. Technology has changed, and now they can use it to create a more realistic version of the Phantom’s world.
This Phantom features a brilliant new scenic design by Paul Brown, Tony Award®-winning original costume design by Maria Björnson, lighting design by Tony Award®-winner Paule Constable, new choreography by Scott Ambler, and a new staging by director Laurence Connor.
The production, overseen by Matthew Bourne and Cameron Mackintosh, boasts many exciting special effects including the show’s legendary chandelier. The beloved story and thrilling score – with songs like “Music of the Night,” “All I Ask Of You,” and “Masquerade” – will be performed by a cast and orchestra of 52, making this Phantom one of the largest productions now on tour.
IF YOU GO:
Tickets start at $34*
Ziff Ballet Opera House
Adrienne Arsht Center
1300 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, FL 33132
For tickets visit www.arshtcenter.org, or call the Box Office at (305) 949-6722
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in public affairs. Anyone can write for us as long as you are fiercely interested in making the world a better place.
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