Sherrilyn Cabrera

On the Aug. 27, 2019 episode of Sundial:

Head Start on Gun Laws

The next legislative session begins in January and, until then, lawmakers meet in committee weeks, the first of which begins in mid-September. South Miami Democratic Rep. Javier Fernández called for a special session to address gun reform in response to the tragedies in El Paso and Dayton.

The ocean is a significant part of life in South Florida. But for many disabled veterans, accessing the water is not always easy. 

The Florida Keys depend on the coral reef tract and marine life for much more than just recreation. They're vital to the economy, contributing billions of dollars in tourism and travel to the region. But pollution, development and a warming ocean have had catastrophic effects on the environment. 

The corrections-related service provider JPay operates in prisons across the country, and is based in Miramar, Florida. Though the company initially offered wire-transfers for inmates to receive money from loved ones, it has since transitioned to offering video conferencing, emailing and greeting cards. And there are concerns the company is overcharging.

Four U.S. presidential candidates came to South Florida on Tuesday to address the National Association of Black Journalists. Senators Cory Booker and Bernie Sanders, Southbend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and former Massachusetts Governor and Republican challenger Bill Weld each spoke separately, in an evening that highlighted differences over how best to address institutional racism. 

An exhibit at the Art Deco Museum on Miami Beach’s Ocean Drive features chairs as works of art—but not regular household chairs.

In an effort to restore and revive interest in the Miami Marine Stadium, which has sat deserted on the edge of the historic Virginia Key Beach since 1992, the advocacy organization Restore Marine Stadium distributed its seats to local artists.

Protests continue in Puerto Rico. People have been calling for the resignation of the island’s governor Ricardo Roselló after messages leaked between Roselló and 11 of his aides. The messages had profane and homophobic language and referenced other members of the government and even victims of Hurricane Maria. Sundial spoke with Miami Herald reporter Bianca Padró Ocasio who is on the island covering the ongoing protests. 

Odebrecht, the largest construction company in Latin America, is in the center of a multi-million dollar bribery scandal. The company filed for bankruptcy protection last month. The scandal was brought to light by an investigative team of journalists from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and the Miami Herald. Reporter Sasha Chavkin joined Sundial to talk about the investigation.

Billie Grace Lynn remembers her childhood in Alexandria, Louisiana at a time when segregation still plagued a significant part of the deep south. Now an artist, those memories have deeply affected the way she sees and portrays the subject of race in her work.

Lynn is a professor of sculpture at the University of Miami, and her latest exhibit, "A House Divided," is on display until Sept. 15 at the Lowe Art Museum. It focuses on racial discrimination, identity politics and civic engagement throughout U.S. history.

A new proposal to build a monorail across Biscayne Bay, connecting the City of Miami and the City of Miami Beach, was presented to the Miami Beach commission on Monday. Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez is supportive of the proposal and believes it can help relieve traffic in the future. Gimenez joined Sundial to discuss the monorail project and the new law that would make Miami-Dade County officers cooperate with ICE agents.

In a passionate sea of red and blue flags and shirts, hundreds of Puerto Ricans gathered Tuesday evening in front of the Freedom Tower in downtown Miami to demand the resignation or impeachment of Puerto Rican governor Ricardo Rosselló and the appointment of a new gubernatorial cabinet in the island.

The Puerto Rican diaspora rallied fervently against Roselló and other politicians in the island, chanting “Ricky, renuncia! [Ricky, resign!]”  at the rhythm of lively Plena music being played.

U.S. Representative Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, visited the Homestead Detention Facility on Monday. Her visit came before government officials announced the facility will no longer be taking in new children, in the efforts to downsize the population of unaccompanied minors. Rep. Frankel has visited a number of detention facilities, one in her county and others in Texas. Sundial spoke with Rep. Frankel about her recent visit to Homestead and the migrant shelter for women called, “Rinconcito del Sol” in Palm Beach County.

Fifty years ago, an estimated 530 million people gathered around their TVs to watch astronauts take off from Cape Canaveral's Kennedy Space Center on the Apollo 11 Space Shuttle for the first mission to the moon. 

Thirteen-year-old Taylor Moxey is quite extrodinary.

The Miami teen launched her own cupcake company at the age of seven. She also founded the "Taylor Moxey Foundation," which educates youth through the power of reading, and published her own book, "The Adventures of Taylor the Chef." About two years ago she created a mini-library from a former shipping container at Omni Park, near the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County. She is now working on opening more in Broward County, and internationally in Haiti and El Salvador. 

Former Spanish River High School principal William Latson has been reassigned to a different district position after he refused to state in an email to a parent that the Holocaust was a “factual, historical event.” The school is located in Boca Raton, which has one of the largest Jewish communities in Palm Beach County. Lawmakers, including Florida Senator Rick Scott and U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida's 22nd congressional district, are demanding Latson be fired. An online petition in favor of the firing has also been signed by more than 6,000 people.