Browsing: Local News

     “When you say that the sky’s going to fall if you have open carry, well, I can look at 40-plus other states that have it, and I haven’t seen the sky fall. We already have under statute permitless concealed carry, constitutional carry,” DeSantis said in Miami at Florida International University’s Tamiami Hall.

       In one of the most candid sit-downs with Broward County Public Schools leadership, Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn opened his doors to the Westside Gazette for an in-depth interview. Joining me were two of our high school interns, Jahziah Defoe of Fort Lauderdale High School and Renada Toyer of Western High School, representing the student voices at the heart of the county’s challenges.

        Fort Lauderdale is grieving the loss of one of its most treasured leaders and faithful servants. Dr. Irma Hunter Wesley, a devoted servant of God, loving matriarch, and tireless community leader, passed away this week at the age of 86, leaving behind a legacy that will continue to shape lives for generations to come.

       Life is the same way. Each of us has a “season” where we set a vision for ourselves, our families, and our communities. We dream of stronger households, thriving businesses, safe neighborhoods, and opportunities for our children. But like a tough football season, life throws us interceptions, job losses, setbacks, sickness, disappointments. Sometimes it feels like victory is too far away.

       The 6th Annual Carlton B. Moore Friends & Family Day will take place from 3 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, at Osswald Park, 2220 NW 21st Ave. in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Moore, who passed away on April 2, 2014, at the age of 60, served on the City Commission for more than 20 years and was a past president of the local branch of the NAACP.

        Over the weekend a community of young and old came together to celebrate 50 years of The Marshall L. Davis, Sr. African Heritage Cultural Arts Center (DAHCAC). A place where Liberty City youth can experience all genres of performing and visual arts including theater, art and band; falling in love with something they didn’t even know existed. The evening featured extraordinary performances from the Nu Deco Ensemble, alumni whose lives were forever changed by the center, and a one-hour screening of the documentary feature film An Instrumental Start: A Model for the Nation. 

        Being a senior in Broward County Public Schools, I’ve seen the problems and potential that shape the classrooms we sit in five days a week. Sitting in testing rooms that have outdated technology that freezes in the middle of State tests and exams. AP courses that my school has and that many students take advantage of that other schools across the county don’t offer. Even though I am a student at a predominantly white high school, I’m still a Black female in today’s school system. I can’t disregard that schools in communities with kids that look just like me are underfunded, under-supported, and last to be acknowledged during tough decisions.

David Jolly brought his gubernatorial campaign to the Florida panhandle for the fourth time, hitting Pensacola, Milton, Panama City, and Tallahassee. Outside the Capitol City, Democrats brand the region “No Man’s Land” for its conservative leaning, but Jolly says affordability is just as important there as it is anywhere.  So is diversity.  Equity is also on his agenda, where everyone is welcomed and uplifted.” Why has equity become an extreme idea?” he asked.