Tom Hudson

The race for Miami-Dade County’s next mayor is among the contests that voters will decide as Election Day approaches on Aug. 18.

On Friday, WLRN and the Miami Herald hosted a mayoral forum organized by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce – called Driving Dade County’s Future. We heard from four of the candidates: Miami-Dade Commissioners Esteban Bovo, Jr., Daniella Levine Cava and Xavier Suarez, along with Alex Penelas, a former Miami-Dade County mayor.

Working from home during the pandemic has been so common it has earned its own well-known shorthand — WFH.

But the novelty of not having to battle traffic jams and working from home has worn off for many first-time remote workers. Productivity may come with a dose of isolation when your kitchen table turns into your office. And shifting priorities may come with the anxiety of eventually going into a workplace sometime in the near future. 

South Florida is bracing for the impacts of Hurricane Isaias this weekend.

In its latest advisory, the National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning for Boca Raton up to the Volusia-Brevard County line. A hurricane warning is in effect south of Boca Raton up to Hallandale Beach, as of 5 p.m. Friday.

When teachers and students go back to school, most of them will login from home.

In March, school quickly moved online as buildings closed to slow the spread of COVID-19. Now, with the next school year a few weeks away, classes for most students and teachers will start the same way they ended in the spring — online.

It’s been a tough week for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Cases of coronavirus are soaring in the state. DeSantis maintains his administration is following the correct path in fighting the coronavirus.

An electrician who wears protective suits. An extermination service coordinator who leaves her iPad with a customer and walks away.  A resturant manager who has turned away diners not wearing masks. And a nurse treating COVID patients who, off the clock, gets cursed out reminding people in public to wear masks.

These are some of the practices folks shared with WLRN Connects as they work with and talk about the protective measures used to slow the spread of COVID-19. 

Florida has reached a critical period as it faces the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic.

Health officials have recorded several days of record deaths. Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach counties make up about half the cases of the coronavirus in the state.

We are told to stay away from each other to stay safe. But staying away can be tough. From church services to pick-up soccer games, going boating or attending a protest; a lot of how we would connect with our communities has moved online. 

South Florida is seeing an alarming increase in coronavirus cases. Hospitalizations and deaths are also on the rise.

Hotels and other hospitality businesses are facing a different Fourth of July this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 cases keep spiking in South Florida and throughout the state. Local governments are instituting restrictions that will likely affect the worry-free vacations that folks would normally be expecting.

First, parents had to deal with at-home learning, or college kids heading home coming from campuses early. Now it's summer. Should the kids be together with their friends? How about taking care of grandparents, or other family members?

Have you been able to spend more time together as a family? If you have to go to work, how do you cope with the risk of bringing the virus home?

More South Floridians are testing positive for COVID-19. The state reports higher percentages of positive tests over the past few days — hovering around 10 percent and sometimes even higher.

Some local officials are concerned about the trends, but reopening continues.

There’s a lot of talk about the new normal, but what does that mean in a place where the old normal had changed so much already?

Drive-by birthday parties. Passover Seder on Zoom. Even weddings livestreamed on YouTube.

It’s been a little more than three months now, since we really could be together with friends and family the way we are used to. These are just some of the ways people are coming together in a socially-distant way to mark some of life’s major moments. 

Protesters and advocates are calling for major criminal justice reforms in response to the deaths of many black Americans by police — including the recent deaths of George Floyd in Minnesota and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky.