ICYMI, we really want to help you #votelikeyoulivehere in the Aug. 28 election – and if your plan is to vote by mail, today’s the last day to request a mail-in ballot. Do it by 5 p.m.
Our video walks you through a few things to know if you want to vote early, are confused about what your sample ballot will look like, and if you still need that absentee ballot.
And whether you wait until Aug. 28 or vote early, be sure to check out our full voter guide for everything you need to know when you’ve got that ballot in your hands.
Because we love you and are totally dedicated to our jobs, we checked out two Instagram-worthy ice cream spots on Lincoln Road – The Frieze and Mr. Bing. Hey, It’s a tough gig.
The Frieze has been in South Beach since 1987 and offers 100+ flavors and 40+ options for vegans. They even have boozy flavors like champagne sorbet and rum raisin. Cheers!
Mr. Bing offers a highly-visual, Taiwan-inspired dessert featuring paper-thin ice cream. You may have spotted Mr. Bing’s food truck in the background of Drake’s ‘God’s Plan’ music video earlier this year.
And since balance is everything, before you visit an ice cream shop on Lincoln Road (or two) check out this Saturday’s free Yoga Scavenger Hunt. Yes, a Yoga Scavenger Hunt. Starts at 9:00 a.m., bring a friend and RSVP today.
Answers almost coming. The Miami Herald sued the Florida Department of Transportation for refusing to release records related to the FIU pedestrian bridge collapse in March, and now a judge has ruled that FDOT has to give the records up. They’re expected to show, among other things, whether authorities considered closing Tamiami Trail to cars after cracks in the bridge span were discovered. TBD if FDOT will appeal the decision. (Miami Herald)
Trending the wrong way. With several months left in the year, the number of manatee deaths in Florida has already topped deaths for all of 2017. 554 manatees have died so far this year, and at least 100 are due to the red tide that’s covered most of the southwest Florida coast. The total for 2017 was 538. (Tampa Bay Times)
False alarm. The FBI and Homeland Security say that, despite U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson’s recent comment that the Russians had “penetrated” Florida’s voting systems, they’ve seen no evidence of any past or present compromises to our voting systems, and everything is OK. But, they say, they’ll be keeping an eye on things. (Miami Herald)
Act Two. The U.S. government has plans to spread American propaganda in Cuba via “native,” “non-branded” Cuban Facebook accounts, and their goal is to encourage dissent against the Cuban government. The U.S. is planning to use Facebook because the Marti media outlets have long been banned in Cuba. Fun fact: The U.S. Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which runs Radio Marti, is now run by former Miami mayor Tomas Regalado. OCB denies that this plan is still in effect, and says that Regalado basically canned it when he joined the company, but Regalado himself wouldn’t comment. (Miami New Times)
It was only a matter of time… before “Who is America?” punked someone in Miami. Sacha Baron Cohen tricked a local food critic into meeting him at Zest, where he masqueraded as an aspiring restaurateur who learned his culinary skills in prison. Cohen prepares veal in a condom and, um, human flesh (or what he says is human flesh – it’s not totally clear) for the critic, Bill Jilla from dinnerreviews.com, and Jilla… eats it. 🤢 (Miami New Times)
Problems on problems. Not only did SunPass totally misfire for a couple months this summer, but it also allowed 38 users’ data to be compromised. The security breach allowed those users to see total strangers’ account information when they tried to log into their own accounts. SunPass says the breach only affected those users, though, and only 15 of those accounts were accessed before the issue was fixed. (Sun-Sentinel)
You’re halfway to Friday! Keep it up.
– The New Tropic