One Broward County restaurant was forced to temporarily close last week after state inspectors found violations such as live insects in a bag of dry macaroni, dead roaches inside an oven, and employees working in the kitchen without hair restraints. The South Florida Sun Sentinel typically highlights restaurant inspections conducted by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation in Broward and Palm Beach counties. We cull through inspections that happen weekly and... Read More
Book review: James Grippando’s ‘Right To Remain’ is 20th Jack Swyteck novel — and it’s a nail-biter
‘The Right To Remain’ by James Grippando; Harper; 352 pages; $30 James Grippando’s novels about Miami criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck offer a compelling meld of Florida’s legal system and contemporary issues, with domestic drama and the value of friendship added. Grippando’s 20th Swyteck novel, “The Right To Remain” upholds his high standards, with a look at an issue many people may not be aware of — companies hired by police agencies to dispose of firearms. It is a... Read More
Jazz Season in South Florida: 20 concerts to see, from Terence Blanchard to Montreux and Pink Martini
We are coming up on jazz season in South Florida, when the typically fertile programming this time of year (thank you, snowbirds) will include the third Miami edition of the famed Montreux Jazz Festival, the 10th annual GroundUP Music Festival and a powerful visit from seven-time Grammy-winning trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard. Here is a chronological look at those three gatherings, followed by a quick list of other places to hear jazz and jazz-adjacent music in the next couple of... Read More
At least one dead after burglary suspects flee, crash into lake in Deerfield
One man is dead, another is in custody and a third is missing after their car landed in a lake in Deerfield Beach while they fled from Broward Sheriff’s deputies early Tuesday morning, according to the Sheriff’s Office. A little before 4 a.m., a 911 caller reported multiple people burglarizing unoccupied cars in a community near the 700 block of Deer Creek Lakeside Way, Carey Codd, a spokesperson for the Broward Sheriff’s Office, said in a news release. After deputies responded, the... Read More
Trump administration’s trust and credibility tested in wake of Pretti’s death in Minneapolis
By STEVEN SLOAN WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Bill Cassidy didn’t simply criticize the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. Following the killing of Alex Jeffrey Pretti by a U.S. Border Patrol officer, the Louisiana Republican warned of broader implications for the federal government. “The credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake,” Cassidy wrote in a social media post, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security. “There must be a full joint... Read More
All-you-can-eat extravaganza: New Pizza Fest at the Park bringing unlimited tastings to Fort Lauderdale
This is “Small Bites,” a South Florida Sun Sentinel feature with tiny tidbits on the food and beverage scene — because we know that sometimes you just don’t have room for a long article. You want a little news brief instead, an amuse bouche of information, if you will. Enjoy! WHAT: You can eat as much pizza as you want. There, isn’t that what you REALLY wanted to know? That’s right, the first annual Pizza Fest at the Park will offer bottomless tastings from every participating... Read More
A new hotel planned in downtown Boca Raton moves closer to reality. Here’s the latest.
A 12-story, 219-room hotel proposed for Boca Raton’s “pink plaza” recently received a city panel’s support, further advancing in the process. The city’s Community Appearance Board, which reviews building exterior alteration plans, reviewed the hotel’s landscaping plans and has recommended approval. Other city boards still have to review the project. This hotel is proposed for the current retail strip, or pink plaza and post office, along Northeast Second Street directly south of... Read More
Alexander Vindman, key figure in first Trump impeachment, runs for Senate in Florida
Alexander Vindman — the retired Army lieutenant colonel whose testimony provided critical evidence in the first impeachment of President Donald Trump — announced Tuesday he is seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate from Florida. Vindman, who now lives in Broward, described Trump in his announcement as a “wannabe tyrant” and painted appointed U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, the Republican he hopes to replace, as a tool of billionaire special interests. His announcement video... Read More
Dolphins hiring defensive backs coach who was under Hafley in Green Bay
The Miami Dolphins don’t yet have their defensive coordinator in place, but a position coach who was under new coach Jeff Hafley in Green Bay will now be joining the staff. The Dolphins are hiring Ryan Downard as defensive backs coach, according to a league source Monday night. He held the same position with the Packers while Hafley was defensive coordinator with them. Downard had been with Green Bay since 2018, so new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan was there his whole tenure with the... Read More
Confessed Hollywood cop killer seeks to vacate guilty plea, saying attorneys ‘coerced’ him
Weeks after a jury rejected the death penalty for Jason Banegas in the murder of Hollywood Police Officer Yandy Chirino, the 23-year-old is asking a judge to vacate his guilty plea on the grounds that he was “coerced” into doing so by his trial attorneys. Banegas, 23, pleaded guilty to shooting Chirino, 28, in the city’s Emerald Hills neighborhood on Oct. 18, 2021, as the two struggled over a gun. Banegas told investigators he was trying to shoot himself when he shot Chirino... Read More