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Investigating President Moise’s assassination, ‘Stiltsville: A Novel’, Sunset Four’s Beatles tribute

A home in Stiltsville at Biscayne National Park.
Leslie Ovalle
/
WLRN
A home in Stiltsville at Biscayne National Park.

Why was Haitian President Jovenel Moise assassinated? Miamian and author Susanna Daniel joins us for the Sundial Book Club to talk about her first book set in Stiltsville and her life growing up on the water. Plus, we meet the Sunset Four, a Beatles tribute band made up of 13-year-olds.

On this Tuesday, February 15, edition of Sundial:

Investigating President Moise’s assassination

New information has come out related to the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.

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He was killed last summer in his home in Haiti during a nighttime raid. Months before that — he had taken steps to fight corruption. That included a list of names.

Officials now suspect he was killed over those efforts.

"It's not just about the justice for one man ... it sends a clear message that, no, it's not business as usual. Haiti's going to reform," said Maria Abi-Habib, the New York Times' Bureau chief for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

"If the former president of Haiti cannot get any justice, then how is the average Haitian going to get any justice?"

Find more about her investigation into why President Moïse was killed.

Investigating President Moise’s assassination

‘Stiltsville: A Novel’

If you sit on the beach in Biscayne you can still see a few structures that are literally standing in the middle of the water, known as Stiltsville.

Susanna Daniel, a Miamian now living in Wisconsin, used this as the setting for her first book, called ‘Stiltsville, A Novel.’

It follows the story of a woman named Frances Ellerby who comes to Miami on a last-minute trip and falls in love with the place, and with a young man.

We spoke with Daniel recently about taking more than 10 years to write the book and her experiences as a child growing up in Stiltsville.

The book is the February pick for the Sundial Book Club. Join the book club here.

‘Stiltsville: A Novel’

Sunset Four’s Beatles tribute

Miami Beach has its very own Fab Four! The Sunset Four, as they're called, are billed as the youngest Beatles tribute band in the world. Each of the four members is only 13 years old.

Oliver Lieberman is on guitars and vocals. And there are twin sisters Zoe and Evangeline Lyons; Zoe is on lead vocals and Evangeline plays the drums. Those band members spoke on Sundial. Their fourth member, Warren Bromley, plays bass guitar and was in class at the time of the interview.

The next gig that they'll be playing on Wednesday will be right near a South Florida location that looms large in Beatles legend: the Sand Bar Kitchen is across the street from The Deauville Beach Resort, where the Beatles played when they visited Miami Beach in 1964.

In fact, the Sunset Four almost called themselves the Deauvilles but decided it would be too hard to say. Instead, Oliver said they hope this concert performance might help the Deauville, which is in danger of being demolished after a report found structural damage.

"We're trying to save the Deauville … so we're petitioning to not have them [tear it down]. 'Cause It's a historic place that shouldn't be messed with," Oliver said.

"It was a very important landmark also, for the Beatles. It is special that we're playing there." Zoe said.

Sunset Four’s Beatles tribute

Leslie Ovalle Atkinson is the former lead producer behind Sundial. As a multimedia producer, she also worked on visual and digital storytelling.
Caitie Muñoz, formerly Switalski, leads the WLRN Newsroom as Director of Daily News & Original Live Programming. Previously she reported on news and stories concerning quality of life in Broward County and its municipalities for WLRN News.