Algae blooms that have been making people sick have spread to Martin and St. Lucie Counties in Florida, according to WPTV.
TCPalm reports that officials in both Martin and St. Lucie County have appealed to Florida Department of Environmental Regulation to test the water, determine what type of algae is in it, and see if it’s related to blue green algae linked to Lake Okeechobee’s freshwater discharges.
Tourism could be affected by the algae blooms.
Nerissa Okiye, who is the Marketing and Tourism Director for Martin County, told WPTV that she has been fielding questions from people who had placed trips to Martin County before the algae blooms began.
She told WPTV that “When they’re seeing this, it puts a hesitancy. Do I want to go there?”
The algae has been known to cause rashes and hay fever like symptoms in people that it has come in contact with, and nausea and vomiting in people who ingest it.
In the meantime, signs have been put up advising people not to approach the algae, and affected beaches have put up red flags as to advise swimmers.
Martin County Health Department spokesperson Renay Rouse told WPTV that “It is unusual…As a precaution we wanted to get the signage out there. The big message is if you see algae avoid contact with it.”
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Cover Photo Credit: Brian Goodwin/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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Personal Drama Splits North Miami Night Market Into Two Different Organizations
What’s New With This Story:
-The NoMi Night Market has split into two separate market operations after the co-founders split after a personal squabble.
-The newly named Urban Habitat Night Market [led by Howard Tonkin] will continue to take place Friday nights at a property located near the intersection of NE 123rd St and NE 13th Ave
-The NoMi Night Market [led by Laura Hill] vows to relaunch in the future, but is currently looking to secure a permanent space.
-Hill and Tonkin had worked together to bring North Miami’s first night market into being and it opened to a nice amount of support from the community on Nov. 3.
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Personal differences have split a promising North Miami happening into two, only a few days after it officially started.
The NoMi Night Market is now the Urban Habitat Night Market or just a night market that happens at Urban Habitat, depending on who you ask.
And the NoMi Night Market is not dead, just looking to continue on at a different venue, depending on who you ask.
So yeah.
RISE NEWS attended the first weekly NoMi Night Market when it debuted on Nov. 3.
There were around 10 vendors and a smattering of local residents who popped in to sample various organic and sustainable products.
We even did a video on the opening:
But in the days following that opening, the co-founders split into two competing organizations.
As a result, North Miami may end up with two separate night markets.
What caused the split is based on who you believe.
Laura Hill and Howard Tonkin were the co-founders.
Hill is a North Miami activist and organizer, and Tonkin runs Urban Habitat, a sustainable landscaping business.
They both agree that they worked together to launch a night market at Tonkin’s new Urban Habitat property in North Miami.
But that’s about all they seem to agree on.
The biggest sticking point?
Just who came up with the idea in the first place.
Tonkin told RISE NEWS that the night market has been a dream of his for years, dating back to his time in Australia when he would visit the Mindil Beach night market.
He said that he’s wanted to bring the concept to Miami for years and that it is part of his overall long-term strategy for Urban Habitat.
“It’s my dream to bring people into my market,” Tonkin said. “It’s exciting to bring people into the market at night. That’s when the plants come alive.”
But Hill said that she came up with the idea.
“I’ve been around [Tonkin] for four years and I haven’t really heard him talk about the night market,” Hill said. “NoMi Night Market was the market we were bringing to that space. I brought the market together. Everything.”
What actually tore them apart is unclear as they each have wildly different versions.
“His vision and his methods made it clear to me that we had to rethink the market,” Hill said of Tonkin. “I’ve spent hundreds and hundreds of hours putting the thing together. He’s very upset with me because I decided to part ways. Our philosophies of running a business are just different.”
Tonkin said that he felt that Hill was trying to “sabotage my business and take the idea and run with it on [her] own.”
No matter what caused the split, it could actually end up benefiting North Miami in the long run.
Now, the city and surrounding communities will have two night markets to choose from.
The Urban Habitat Night Market will take place every Friday near the intersection of NE 123rd St and NE 13th Ave.
The NoMi Night Market is looking to secure a space but plans to open in the near future.
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Hikes of Tuscaloosa: An Evening on the Riverwalk
By Caroline Vincent
People may think that Tuscaloosa is simply a college town where the only activity for Saturdays is going to football games.
As someone who is in town for the summer, I am here to prove that assumption wrong as I find adventures to go on throughout Tuscaloosa and surrounding areas.
I started off easy and decided to go on more of a stroll than a hike.
On a sunny evening, I could not think of a better place to go stretch my legs than Manderson Landing on the Black Warrior River.
The Black Warrior is a waterway that feeds the Tombigbee River and stretches 178 miles.
In Tuscaloosa, Manderson Landing Park can be found just steps from the University of Alabama campus, and is therefore a popular place for students to spend their free time.
It is also home to the University’s rowing team, where they can be seen practicing in the mornings and competing on the weekends.
Manderson Landing is home to the Alabama Rowing team. Photo Credit: Caroline Vincent
With views that stretch down the river, ferries, tugboats and personal vessels can be seen on the water throughout the day.
In my short time there on this particular evening, I saw all three and also several people on paddleboards, an ideal activity for the fairly calm river.
A tugboat on the Black Warrior River. Photo Credit: Caroline Vincent
There are several activities that take place on land as well.
As the sun was setting, there were families playing together, couples taking walks, and groups doing yoga.
The riverwalk is a runner’s haven in Tuscaloosa. Photo Credit: Caroline Vincent
There were also many runners along the path, not an uncommon sight for the area. Most importantly, I saw a lot of dogs.
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The water is not the only beauty seen at the park.
Much of the path at Manderson Landing is shaded by full oak and pine trees that offer not only greenery, but also a significant temperature drop from the sunnier parts of the path.
Picnic spot. Photo Credit: Caroline Vincent
The trees are also very popular among students for hammocking.
With plenty of trunks to spare and beautiful views of the river, young people can be found enjoying their days off relaxing along the path in their various colored ENOs.
A view of campus from Manderson Landing. Photo Credit: Caroline Vincent
Visitors also take advantage of the banks of the river for multiple activities, such as fishing and picnics.
Fishing happening down by the river. Photo Credit: Caroline Vincent
By the water and under trees, I don’t know if there is a better place to picnic in all of Tuscaloosa.
As just a portion of the Riverwalk, Manderson Landing really goes above and beyond with all it has to offer.
Some fishing happening on a small boat on the Black Warrior River. Photo Credit: Caroline Vincent
From beautiful views to countless opportunities for activities, students and locals alike can find many ways to spend Saturdays along the Black Warrior River.
Tell us your favorite places to visit during summer in Alabama in the comments below.
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.
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Wynwood Radio And The Hype Of A Gentrified Community
Wynwood, Wynwood, Wynwood, oh hipster community, growing in fame, apparent fortune, and broadcasting presence, online.
Meet Wynwood Radio.
This is a story of resilience, openness and community.
Started in 2009, with very little money and a group of immigrant friends, Wynwood Radio was founded in a small studio nearby Midtown.
Some people might think: “not the best time to open anything or the best area to go into.”
With the Great Recession hitting the Miami area hard and the broadcasting world being in a world of flux, four friends let both aspects aside and were determined to provide music and entertainment to a new community that they believed in.
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“We got so in love with the growth of Wynwood as a community based in many types of arts that we decided to hone our own art to contribute to this community,” Vicente Solis, one of the developers of Wynwood Radio said in an interview with RISE NEWS. “Our idea was to bring people together through music, art, history, food and other things that make Wynwood so special.”
Creating this type of station was not a first for the group of content creators.
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Before submerging in the Wynwood community, Solis had worked with one of the founders of Wynwood Radio, Adrian Olivares at another online radio station in Mexico City.
Olivares believes in the power of community involvement to create a successful product.
The homepage of WynwoodRadio.com.
“We witnessed all the community meetings every month and we say how security and infrastructure in the area improved as a result of the constant requests of residents and business owners,” Olivares said. “All of it brought Wynwood to its hyped stage.”
That hype is frequently associated with the gentrification of the area.
It is that gentrification process in Wynwood where some have felt discomfort.
“Maybe the process has happened a little too quick in the area,” Solis said.
While others have felt they have been given a second chance.
“All the locals that I know have gotten more job opportunities because of all the businesses that have opened there,” Olivares said.
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It is that duality what makes Wynwood Radio a prime participant in the development of community.
“We have a pathway for community members to have a voice, to promote their own events as well as choose their own music to be broadcasted in the station,” Olivares said. “We all have different ways to look at Wynwood, different ways to express our talents, and that is what we want to show in our programming: diversity.”
Besides showcasing music from the 1940’s to the latest releases, Wynwood Radio also promotes community events and issues that happen in Wynwood and neighborhoods nearby.
Both Solis and Olivares emphasized the importance of community members to maintain close connection with the station, they are open to receiving music selections and program ideas from any community member to continue the development of Wynwood Radio.
For more information on Wynwood Radio, you can visit www.wynwoodradio.com
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: Maju Rezende/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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