With all that’s happening in the world and in the news these days it’s tough to keep up without feeling a little exhausted.

Volunteering to help a political campaign or candidate you believe in may sound like an even more exhausting idea. But Marika Lynch, the chair of Ruth’s List Miami, suggests in today’s Your View that it might not be as tough as you think. She has a few tips on how easy it can be to support a candidate, even if you didn’t major in political science.

GETTING INVOLVED: Doing things like canvassing, knocking on doors for a candidate, or calling strangers are pretty standard ways to volunteer but Marika suggests it can be easier than you think. Calling strangers can involve just reading from a set of talking points in the comfort of your own home (pants optional!). You can also help a campaign by driving candidates and volunteers around in the hot Miami sun or by simply using your personal skill set to help out.

WHY IT MATTERS: Beyond feeling like you’re contributing to democracy, you can see results. Marika volunteered for Eileen Higgins’ campaign for the Miami-Dade county commission, and Higgins eventually pulled off the upset win in a runoff election. Plus, volunteering can be a great way to really understand the issues your fellow residents are facing every day.

WHERE YOU CAN LEARN MORE: Read Marika’s Your View and come to Gramps on Aug. 15 to meet candidates and learn more about Ruth’s List and their #CampaignSquad. The event is free with an RSVP and there are happy hour drinks all night.

Just don’t talk to me in the Uber Pool. DUI arrests by Miami-Dade cops are way down and studies suggest a lot of that may have to do with ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft. Miami-Dade police made 594 DUI arrests last year compared to more than 1,500 just four years ago (before ride-sharing services were fully legal in the county). City of Miami police have also made fewer DUI arrests in the past few years. Here’s hoping those numbers continue to drop. (Miami Herald)

Supermarket showdown? While Kroger has a solid foothold in the grocery store game across the south, they don’t have any stores in Florida … yet. The supermarket chain’s real estate arm just bought a property up in Delray Beach. For now, the company hasn’t officially announced if they’re launching a store at that location but we’ll keep eating our Pub sub while we wait for the official word. (The Real Deal)

Code red. It’s already been a rough summer for Florida’s environment as toxic green algae in Lake Okeechobee has threatened the state’s coasts. Now, a powerful red tide — the growth of a type of algae that produces toxins — is poisoning sea life and has caused dead fish, manatees, and sea turtles to wash up on Florida’s southwest coast. Local leaders blame pollution along the coast and increasing temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, and are hopeful that this tide, the worst in more than a decade, will lead to a quick response from state environmental officials. (Miami Herald)

Just do your job. Police officers have to be sharp and ready to react to any kind of situation at a moment’s notice. But if you called on City of Miami cop Rony Rodriguez to react to an emergency, he might’ve been in the middle of filming a YouTube vlog. The city’s independent Civilian Investigative Panel backed up an internal affairs investigation and confirmed that Rodriguez was filming updates for his show while on duty, in uniform, in his squad car. He was found guilty of misconduct, negligence, and improper procedure. (Miami New Times)

And another one. Hey City of Miami residents, in addition to deciding whether David Beckham’s team can build a soccer stadium at Melreese golf course, you’ll have another decision to make on a land deal. The city commission is asking voters to decide whether the city should enter a 99-year lease with a developer planning to build on a 3.15-acre site by the Miami River. The developers are looking to build three towers with a mix of rental units and condos, a new $140 million office building for city workers, and to upgrade part of the riverwalk. (Miami Herald)

Is nothing sacred? A new book is pushing the claim that the Key lime pie, our state’s official pie, didn’t actually originate in the Florida Keys. Pastry chef Stella Parks claims in her book “BraveTart” that our beloved dessert is nothing more than a copy of the Magic Lemon Creme Pie recipe created by Borden Dairy back in 1931. Some Keys chefs have cried foul and say the pie’s history goes back to the 1860s. Well, no matter where it came from, we’ll still accept a slice. (Miami Herald)

THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY.

See ya tomorrow morning (and over at our Facebook page at 3 😉).

– The New Tropic