For Peng Lu, Miami functions for Latin America the way Singapore or Hong Kong does for Southeast Asia. The city acts as a de facto hub for Latin American countries doing business in the US and also gives it the opportunity to engage with other countries, most prominently of which in recent years has been China.…
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in the world. You can write for us.
Cover Photo Credit: Eduardo Merille/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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Small Plane Crashes In Broward County, Florida
A small plane- identified as a Piper Navajo crashed landed just after noon EST in west Broward County, Florida.
WSVN TV is reporting that there were two to three people aboard the aircraft at the time of the crash and that the pilot was being airlifted to an area hospital.
According to the Miami Herald the plane crashed in a swampy area near U.S. 27.
The crash site is roughly 30 minutes north of Miami.
Rescue working to remove the pilot from wreckage. He will be airlifted to a hospital as soon as he is stabilized. https://t.co/9Tp8RypVj3
— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) October 26, 2015
Stay with Rise News as we follow this developing story.
Cover Photo Credit: Screenshot/ WSVN 7
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Meal Planner: “Oysters and Champagne”, O Cinema Food Docs And More This Week In Miami
This piece was originally published by our partner MIAbites.com and is produced by them.
Each week, MIAbites presents the Weekly Nibble, featuring curated foodie events in and around Miami. All listings are subject to change, so always call ahead to confirm details, prices and times.
March 21st-April 3rd– In honor of “Nowruz”, also known as the Persian New Year, Byblos Miami has created a celebratory four-course prix fixe menu to welcome in the New Year. Celebrated by Iranian people worldwide as the start of the year and the first day of spring. Byblos has created a menu with traditional Persian New Year dishes. The special menu will be available from March 21st – April 3rd and guests will enjoy an array of Eastern Mediterranean delicacies. The menu is $70 per person. Byblos Miami 1545 Collins Ave Miami Beach, FL 33139
Friday April 1st– CITY OF GOLD, documentary about quirky LA food critic, Jonathan Gold, opens at O Cinema Wynwood for a weeklong screening beginning at 7 pm on Friday April 1st. Full schedule on O Cinema website http://www.o-cinema.org/event/city-of-gold/ O Cinema 90 NW 29th St. Miami FL 305 571 9970
Friday April 1st- Stop by the new cocktail bar at Alter for a very special private event. Bar Alter is thrilled to welcome Casamigos Tequila and to celebrate it they will be showcasing a selection of Casamigos Tequila Cocktails. Casamigos is small batch, ultra premium tequila made from the finest, hand-selected 100% Blue Weber agaves, grown in the rich red clay and cool climate of the Highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. Bar Alter is open 5pm-Midnight, but complimentary cocktails will be served during Happy Hour 5-7 pm subject to availability. Alter 223 NW 23rd St. Miami FL.
Saturday April 2nd- from 7-9 pm, The Traymore Gin Bar at Metropolitan by COMO presents its newly created evening for the ladies and their guests. “Oysters and Champagne” presented by Pommery offers all oysters for $2 each, while ladies drink Pommery Brut Royal Champagne for FREE for the entire two-hour duration. This special evening is anticipated to be massively popular with local residents who are known to crave the local selection of oysters while taking advantage of unlimited champagne – compliments of the house. The Traymore Restaurant and Bar at Metropolitan by COMO, Miami Beach 2445 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140. For more information, visit www.comohotels.com/metropolitanmiamibeach.
Do you like this? Read more awesome restaurant reviews, tips and event listings at MIAbites.com.
Sunday April 3rd– Cochon 555 returns to Miami featuring 5 Chefs, 5 Pigs and 5 Winemakers competing for the Miami title in the 8th Annual Cochon 555 Tour. Held this year at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach the event features nose-to-tail creations from Chefs Xavier Torres/ Drunken Dragon, Alex Chang/ Vagabond, Anthony LePape/Ritz-Carlton, Michael Fiorello/Beachcraft and Diego Oka/La Mar by Gaston Acurio. Tickets are $125 or $200 VIP and available on website http://cochon555.com/2016-tour/miami/ Ritz Carlton 1 Lincoln Rd. Miami Beach FL.
Sunday April 3rd- Miami kicks off BBQ season for the whole family with Grillin N Chillin, the Miami BBQ Festival held in Wynwood.Everyone will enjoy the best BBQ in every style from Memphis, Texas or Kansas City barbecue to the well-known Brazilian Churrasco and Argentine Parrillada. Kids will have a blast in the family fun zone, while adults enjoy drinks and sports in The Pit, a pop-up sports bar. Get smoked in the Kitchen Lab by the best in the biz, who will share tips and tricks for the BBQ master in all of us. Advance tickets http://www.wynwoodbbqfest.com/tickets/. RC Cola Plantin Wynwood. 550 NW 24 ST Miami, FL 33127.
Monday April 4th – It’s #MolluskMadness as Mignonette hosts the FINAL Oyster slurping contest that pits MIAbites contributor and Check, Please Associate Producer, Paula Echevarria against Steven Scharf, aka The Chowfather. Stop by for oysters, lobster rolls,seafood and watch as Paula tries to beat her record of 36 oysters in 2 minutes and take home the winning trophy. Mignonette 210 NE 18th St, Miami, FL 33132 (305) 374-4635
Wednesday, April 6, at 7PM- James Beard winning chef, Michelle Bernstein will welcome a cavalcade of local food & beverage luminaries for a dinner celebrating all-things-Michy at her newest spot CENA by Michy. To help celebrate her delicious decade, guest chefs Lindsay Autry, Timon Balloo, Jason Schaan, Berenice de Araujo and Sarah Sipe – all alums – will join Bernstein and CENA by Michy chef de cuisine Mikey Mayta for a not-to-be-missed five- course dinner paired with wines by former Michy’s sommelier Allegra Angelo. Master mixologist Julio Cabrera, who helped make Bernstein’s Sra. Martinez one of the hottest cocktail spots in the country, will return and serve two special cocktails so attendees can toast in style. The paired wine dinner is priced at $150 per person (plus tax and gratuity). Tickets for the alumni dinner must be purchased in advance through Resy. https://resy.com/?venue_id=201&date=2016-04-06 CENA by Michy 6927 Biscayne Boulevard in Miami. (305) 759-2001.
Thursday March 31st- Saturday April 9th– To continue the celebration of Chef Michelle Bernstein’s ten years, CENA by Michy will feature a different menu special pulled from the restaurant’s history books. Infamous dishes – one a night for ten nights – will vary and will not be repeated, though social media followers might get advance word of what to expect. It’s a rare chance to enjoy a Bernstein classic that has long been benched, from conch escargot style and Michy’s bouillabaisse to her killer carbonara. “Some of these dishes have been enjoying retirement,” Bernstein quips, “though people ask for them regularly. It’ll be nice to bring them out for the night.” CENA by Michy 6927 Biscayne Boulevard in Miami. (305) 759-2001.
( Information provided by various sources and subject to change. Please check ahead to confirm all details )
The above was produced by MIAbites, one of the leading sources for food news in South Florida. Be sure to visit their website for more great information.
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How A Phone Call Changed The Life Of A Miami Dog Groomer (And Thousands Of Animals) Forever
By Ana Cedeno
We live in a time where altruism can be seen as somewhat subjective. You can’t be nice to strangers, because they could rob you, some would negatively say.
Trusting people, or rather being naive about it can make you seem stupid in the eyes of many, if not an easy target, and no good deed goes unrewarded has turned into no good deed goes unpunished.
But Regina Nicole Vlasek has decided to live her life in a more hopeful manner.
Vlasek is the president and founding partner of the Saving Sage Rescue organization.
A no kill animal shelter located in the northern Miami suburb of Miami Shores, Saving Sage’s story began from a single act of kindness.
The story began with a phone call in 2012.
At the time, Vlazek was working as an animal groomer and while she and her friends often rescued animals who were abandoned at her salon, they were far from a legit non-profit.
But then, the call came.
“A client Judy Sanchez reached out to me about the dog sighting situation” Vlasek said in an interview with RISE NEWS. “A bunch of dogs were picked up by animal rescue and a little dog was left behind.”
Vlasek and Sanchez raced to where the dog had been sighted intending to make sure he was safe and to find a place for him.
“We made a big scene. We stopped traffic to get the dog,” Vlasek recalled.
Regina Nicole Vlasek, the founder of Saving Sage. Photo Credit: Facebook.
Despite their best efforts they couldn’t plan or prevent what would happen next.
The dog was startled by some nearby children.
Skittish and still not used to people, the dog ran from under the house she was hiding in and into a car.
“The dog had very bad injuries,” Vlasek said. “There were pictures of this dog being picked up on the stretcher. Channel 7 [WSVN] picked up the story and it was on the news.”
It was while they had the dog-who they later named Sage on the stretcher that they noticed she was lactating.
They sent Sanchez’s child to check under the house and they found seven puppies.
In her efforts to help Sage and her puppies Vlasek and Sanchez contacted Karina Goldenberg who was at the time affiliated with another animal rescue organization named A Way For Strays.
Vlasek also contacted Dr. Michael Zender, a veterinarian she knew from her days as a groomer.
Both Goldenberg and Zender donated money and medical supplies respectively to ensure that Sage and her puppies made it through.
It was that tight-knit group that started Saving Sage.
“It grew from there,” Vlasek said as she explained how Saving Sage went on to become much more than just saving Sage and her puppies. “We went from being girls who just kind of liked helping to meeting this girl who was part of the organization and it grew from there.”
Saving Sage took off as a full-fledged animal rescue and in their first year alone rescued 198 animals.
In their second year they went over double that number.
Sage and her puppies also found a good home.
The organization doesn’t limit itself to just dogs.
As Vlasek explained, on any given day dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and snakes all could drop by the office.
They’ve also started a program called The All About Animals Class, in which they teach children the importance of spaying and neutering their pets, as well as the often forgotten lesson that a pet is not a toy.
“We can’t just condemn people for not knowing any better,” Vlasek said. “We have to teach them and make a difference. People can go on and on to say that this is wrong but does anyone try to understand? It’s having patience and teaching children from an early age.”
Although they are branching out into educating the public, Vlasek says the purpose of Saving Sage remains as always, to save animals that are out in the streets.
“Even with animal control and the humane organization, the number of stray animals is so overwhelming, any one organization would have a hard time,” Vlasek said.
It isn’t a placid life to be sure and not one, Vlasek ever saw herself having when she answered that fateful phone call in 2012.
“I never dreamed that it would turn into something like this,” Vlasek said. “Sometimes I want my old life back when the phone doesn’t ring all the time, but it’s something I can some day look back and be proud of.”
While it isn’t always easy, Vlasek said that it is rewarding.
“We’ve saved dogs that were days away from being put to sleep and we get pictures,” Vlasek said. “[We] develop friendships from the people who adopt them. It will inspire people to get involved and it spreads and I think it feels awesome to be able to express this. Everyone has their own battle, this is the one that I choose.”
Saving Sage is located at 212 NE 98th St in Miami Shores, FL, 33138.for information on volunteering, fostering, or adopting, visit their webpage at http://www.savingsagerescue.org
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in the world. You can write for us.
Photo Credits: Saving Sage Animal Rescue
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