Carla Mendez
WLRN News InternCarla Daniela Mendez is a Summer 2025 intern at WLRN.
Born in Venezuela and fluent in English and Spanish, she is passionate about storytelling in all its forms, whether through hard political news, creative writing or multimedia production.
She has contributed to PantherNOW, Florida International University’s student-run publication, where she’s covered both sports and news. She has also worked with Caplin News, gaining live broadcasting experience and producing multimedia packages. Her creative work appears in STRIKE Magazine, a student-led platform where she writes about art, culture and fashion.
Earlier this year, Carla served as a correspondent for the Caplin News bureau in Washington, D.C., where she reported on the early months of the incoming presidential administration.
In her free time, she enjoys making music, crocheting, photography and staying up to date with the latest in film.
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The mural at Dorsey Park, anchored by depictions of pioneers Jackie Robinson and Minnie Miñoso, honors the venue's legacy as a home field for Negro League teams and is a symbol of pride for historic Overtown. Thanks to $200,000 in funding, it has now been restored after being defaced with racist graffiti earlier this year. -
In Florida’s national parks, exhibits that detail slavery, U.S. invasions and the environmental toll of industrialization have been flagged by National Park Service staff for review under a presidential directive called “Restore Truth and Sanity to American History.” -
The Broward Sierra Group Junior Team set up the county's first seed libraries at five library branches. Visitors “borrow” packets of seeds free of charge to plant in their own yards or community gardens. The seeds are native or beneficial to South Florida’s ecosystems, in order to support pollinators like bees, increase biodiversity and reintroduce native plants lost to development. -
A team at Florida International University is using digital stethoscopes and machine learning to analyze heartbeats, similar to how a musician picks up an off-key note. Their models are showing 95% accuracy in predicting health issues that doctors may miss. -
Most of South Florida remains under a heat advisory until 7 p.m. on Friday, with feels-like temperatures as high as 110 degrees. -
The two young girls were killed Monday morning when a barge collided with a sailboat carrying a group of children during a sailing summer camp on Biscayne Bay near Hibiscus Island, the U.S. Coast Guard reported Monday night. -
The state of Florida says the Miccosukee Tribe should not be allowed to join a lawsuit challenging the remote immigration detention center in the Everglades. -
The app divides the world into three-meter squares, each assigned a unique three-word combination. It's meant to help 911 dispatchers locate callers more quickly, especially in areas without clear addresses, like the beach, parks or even in the middle of the ocean. -
After months on contentious debate and three public hearings, the City of Miami is moving ahead with a plan to sell the historic Olympia Theater to the charter school SLAM– short for Sports Leadership and Management. -
A South Florida lawmaker condemns the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office after a video surfaced showing a deputy repeatedly punching an unarmed Black man during a traffic stop. -
At a public meeting on Thursday, SLAM’s co-founder Millie Sanchez, city officials and Miami City Manager Arthur Noriega, defended the plan as a viable path forward. -
Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said the mayor’s proposed budget increase for the department isn’t enough.
