fbpx
🌿 Why dispensaries are delighted
x

🌿 Why dispensaries are delighted

NWS Fellow tickling the ivories
PC: Alexa Caravia

A SHOWCASE OF TALENTED MUSICIANS

To call the accomplishments of the New World Symphony Fellows “amazing” would be selling them short. This is a group of 84 recent college grads from all over the world chosen to perform and learn at NWS.

One of the highlights of being a Fellow is being selected to perform in the annual Concerto Showcase. The Fellows compete head-to-head, armed with determination and their favorite solo piece. The winning musicians will perform center stage with the orchestra on Jan. 26 and 27 (Here’s how to snag your tickets).

We wanted to get to know the four Fellows who will be performing — Thomas Steigerwald, piano; Roy Femenella, horn; Steven Franklin, trumpet; and Nicholas Mariscal, cello — so we sent them questions about Miami and their musical selections.  Hear how they #livelikeyoulivehere.

YOU ARE ESSENTIAL

We’re on a mission to help you #LiveLikeYouLiveHere. And we couldn’t do it without your support. That’s why we’re sending extra love to some of our new members today. You're the best: Marte S., Joseph N., Arthur F., Lissette O., Tasha C., Vivien D., and Quinn S.! Join this thoughtful community  for our launch price of just $8 a month and you could see your name in lights soon, too. (OK, maybe not lights, but a shout out in The New Tropic is cool, right?)

AND THE WINNER IS...

We’re digging into the issue of affordable housing in Miami and you all submitted a bunch of great questions.

After asking you to vote on the question we’d dig into, our winner is:

“Why do our city leaders keep allowing more and more luxury developments when there’s no demand for them but there’s demand for affordable?”

We got that question from reader Jemar Souza and it won with about 71 percent of the votes.

Thanks again to everyone who voted and submitted questions! We’ll report back with an answer next week.

And stay tuned to Monday’s newsletter where we’ll be breaking down what some of the terms around affordable housing really mean, and talking to some folks who are working on solutions in the new year.

WHAT’S NEW IN THE 305

The mother of all migrant detention facilities.  A large tent city for migrant children on the Texas border closed this week, but federal officials announced that migrant teenagers, mostly coming from Central America, will be placed at an unregulated detention center in Homestead, doubling the number of children housed there from 1350 to 2350 and making it the biggest detention center for unaccompanied minors in the country. Advocates have raised concerns about unregulated temporary shelters like the ones in Homestead, saying the children there don’t receive adequate health care and education services – and they often end up staying there for many months. Permanent shelters on the other hand are subject to state regulations and inspections meant to guarantee the children’s welfare. (New York Times)

Dispensaries delight.  Medical marijuana companies are probably loving Gov. Ron DeSantis right about now. He announced yesterday that he wants the state Legislature to focus on allowing Floridians to legally smoke medical marijuana,  after voters approved a 2016 constitutional amendment legalizing medical weed. And dispensaries are also making plans to aggressively expand in Miami-Dade County and across the state. Knox Medical, a Wynwood-based medical marijuana company, opened a store in North Miami Beach and plan to open more this year. There are currently nine dispensaries in the county. And dozens of others are scattered around the state. (Tampa Bay Times, Miami Herald)

Don’t call it the Black Grove. DK Travel Guides needs to do a better job of revising their previous editions. A Books & Books employee discovered racist wording in DK Travel’s Miami guide calling the West Grove, “the Black Grove,” an area they describe as blighted and “plagued by high crime rates, drugs and deprivation.”  Definitely a big faux pas. The historic neighborhood, which was settled by Bahamians in the 1880s, fell into disrepair because of forced legal segregation in the 60s and 70s. But in recent years the neighborhood has become more racially and ethnically diverse and is attracting a lot of development. Books and Books decided to pull the travel guide from its shelves. Meanwhile, DK Travel apologized and said they plan to update the language in their next edition. (Miami Herald)

The economy is riding high. Looks like the South Florida economy might be safe…for now. That was the news at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s annual summit.  Lots of people are moving to the Sunshine State, adding a boon to the economy. The state has also recovered from the impacts of recent hurricanes and continues to attract retirees and immigrants. Hiring is expected to remain solid, despite a tight labor market. And demand for Miami real estate never seems to end. Though there’s always that  concern that robots might take our jobs. 🤖 (Miami Herald)

THAT’S ALL FOR THIS WEEK

See you back here on Monday.

 

– The New Tropic

Archived Newsletters