On this Wednesday, Nov. 3, edition of Sundial:
Election results
Tuesday’s election results are mostly finalized. There was a low voter turnout, but that’s typically the case in local elections that take place during a year without gubernatorial or presidential races.
A panel of WLRN and Miami Herald reporters joined the program to discuss some of the most notable results. Among those results included the reelection of Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber, banning alcohol sales from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. in Miami Beach, and the runoff election for Sunny Isles mayoral race.
The Democratic primary for the District 20 congressional seat has not been finalized yet. The margin of victory between Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness and healthcare executive Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is too slim, so there will be a recount.
You can catch up on Tuesday’s election results by checking out our live blog.
Miami-Dade referees
Miami-Dade County high school boy’s and girl’s basketball seasons will start within the next two weeks. However, there is a massive shortage of referees.
Miami’s basketball officials association wants to become independent from the Greater Miami Athletic Conference (GMAC), which is run by the school district. Some of the referees from the association have officiated at the collegiate and professional levels.
In order to become an independent group, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) must give the final approval. Out of the 26 official associations within the FHSAA, 23 of them are self-governed.
Craig Clay is the vice president of Miami’s basketball officials association. He said that breaking away from the GMAC will ensure that current and future referees will not have to pay various fees to GMAC.
“You’re looking at potentially [paying] $500 or $600 before you even hit the floor,” Clay said. “There’s a fee for fingerprinting, there are fees to receive training … and then of course their uniforms.”
Clay also mentioned it’s unclear what the GMAC does with the fees it collects, but Clay claims they do not go toward the referees.
If the group is approved to self-govern, Clay hopes they can offer officials free training camps and scholarships to those who want to pursue higher levels of officiating.
“Home at the End of the World” exhibit
Key West hasn’t always been the polished tourist destination visitors love today. An era of cheap rent, drug smuggling, and phone booths lasted from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Rita Troxel collected first-person stories and photos from the people who lived through that time. She decided to curate a book out of them titled, “Home at the End of the World.” A new exhibit at The Studios of Key West is showcasing those memories.
The first time Troxel visited Key West was in 1972, and she was tripping on LSD.
“It was magical. I remember thinking there were black cats everywhere,” Troxel said. “I had never been anywhere tropical in my life, so this was an amazing, amazing thing for me.”
She added that she returned to the city because of its judgment-free openness to creativity. Troxel later became a founding member of the Greene Street Theater.
You can visit the “Home at the End of the World” exhibit from Nov. 4 to Nov. 24 at The Studios of Key West.
