Let’s be real for a second. As the summer approaches and the travel bug hits, most of us throw our healthy diets out the window, whether that means we’re hitting up every specialty donut place our friends recommend or trying a new cuisine abroad.

That’s been the case for April Dobbins, one of our wellness challenge participants. April’s been working to switch up her diet and lose weight, and she’s gotten tips and advice from Susan Nowrouzi, a dietitian with Baptist Health South Florida.

We asked April how she’s feeling about meeting her wellness challenge goal and here’s what she said:

• “I’m really not losing visible weight so that is discouraging, and I canceled my meal service because my budget is tighter for the summer.”

But she recently got back from a trip to China and shared some news she was pleasantly surprised by:

• “It was a physically strenuous trip (we walked the Great Wall), and I was able to keep up thanks to my diet and exercise. I’m in much better shape than I was at this time last year!”

Losing lbs. isn’t everything after all– so kudos to April for conquering that wall and feeling healthy and fit 🎉

We’re sending major props to April and everyone working to achieve their fitness and wellness goals. Look out for some more updates on our wellness challengers in the next few weeks!

MADE POSSIBLE BY BAPTIST HEALTH SOUTH FLORIDA

Help wanted. Miami has struggled to keep talent in the job market for years and a recent survey shows that almost half of the membership of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce said that hiring “qualified professional employees” is a major issue. There are plenty of theories behind the concerns but some have argued that skilled workers have already taken other jobs so the talent pool isn’t as deep as it used to be. (Miami Herald)

Paving over paradise? Miami-Dade County hasn’t confirmed the exact route for the proposed western expansion of the Dolphin Expressway but tentative proposals for the $650 million have it going through wetlands that used to be part of the Everglades and are home to native animals and rare plant life. Supporters say it will provide relief to commuters in the county’s western sprawl while others have described it as a “sh-t storm of bad ideas” that will only cause more gridlock. The county’s discussing the plan again on June 20. Stay tuned. (Miami Herald)

Measure in love. During Sunday’s Tony Awards, students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas stole the show with a surprise performance of Rent’s “Seasons of Love.” The performance by the high school drama students drew a standing ovation and plenty of tears from the audience. The school’s drama teacher Melody Herzfeld also received the Excellence in Theatre Education award. Salute to the students and their awesome teacher 👏(Sun Sentinel)

Keeping it in the family. Zoraida Barreiro’s campaign for the District 5 Miami-Dade commission seat has inevitably been tied to the fact that she’s running to replace her husband Bruno. He’s a Republican candidate for U.S. Rep Ileana Ros-Lehtinen’s seat and his congressional campaign is also the biggest donor to Zoraida’s commission run. He’s donated nearly $100k to his wife’s run, a total that almost matches what her opponent– Eileen Higgins– raised for her entire campaign. (Miami Herald)

Old meets new in Overtown. The shiny new 3 MiamiCentral building is the transit hub for Brightline and is part of a wave of new development in Overtown and Downtown Miami. That’s why artist Robert McKnight paid pay tribute to Overtown and its role in Miami’s history with a colorful mosaic and murals featuring images of black musicians, historic buildings and other cultural touchstones calling back to the neighborhood’s reputation as the “Harlem of the South.” (Indulge)

More for your August ballot. In a few months there’s going to be a pretty stacked ballot for Miami-Dade voters and last week, the City of Miami added another item to the list. If you’re a Miami voter, you’ll be asked to approve or deny a plan to add a hotel to the Jungle Island property on Watson Island. The hotel could be up to 13 stories high with 300 rooms and approving the plan would extend the city’s lease with Jungle Island all the way to 2099 (it’s set to end in 2060). Check the official ballot language here (it starts on page 11). (Miami Herald)

THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY

But don’t forget that tonight at 6 at CIC Miami we’ll be talking about the potential impact of climate change on the intensity of hurricanes (along with Radical Partners, the Miami Climate Alliance, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, and the FIU Sea Level Solutions Center!)

Our featured speaker is senior NASA scientist Dr. Timothy Hall and he’ll be focusing our talk on potential policy solutions. Find more details here, and if you can’t make it to CIC, we’ll be livestreaming it from our Facebook page, so check there tonight and let us know if you have any questions or ideas to share ✌

– The New Tropic