Latest news with #TheChildren'sMovementofFlorida
Miami Herald
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
South Florida Muslim community mourns with children's advocate after unspeakable loss
Terrible loss It is with a heavy heart that we write to express our deepest sympathy to Dave Lawrence Jr., a man whose lifelong dedication to the well-being of children and families has inspired generations across Florida and beyond. His lifelong dedication to children's causes through The Children's Movement of Florida is well known. The tragic loss of his beloved grandchildren in the recent Texas flash flood is a sorrow no words can truly capture. As a community, we mourn alongside him and his family. Lawrence has spent decades championing the needs of our youngest and most vulnerable. Today, we stand with him in his own moment of vulnerability and grief. May the outpouring of love and support from the countless lives he has touched bring a measure of comfort to him and his loved ones. In this time of great loss, let us reflect on the importance of community, compassion and the preciousness of every life. The Coalition of South Florida Muslim Organizations (COSMOS) extend our condolences to him and his family and pray that the souls of Hanna and Rebecca are at peace in Heaven. May Almighty give strength to Dave Lawrence Jr. and his family to withstand this tragic loss of loved ones. Shabbir Motorwala Founding member Coalition of South Florida Muslim Organizations 'Magic' theater The Olympia Theater is a jewel that should have been safely secured as a city treasure by those who were given the privilege to protect it. Decisions were made on this valuable piece of property that never fully supported its continuation, though it is on the Historic Register. I began my career at this amazing 'Atmospheric Theater' as a Florida International University intern, was hired after graduation by the semi-autonomous Off-Street Parking (now known as the Miami Parking Authority) and dedicated 18 years of my life to guarding the needs of Gusman's Olympia Theater and its presenters. Therefore, I can speak for the thousands of people who cannot tell their story about how precious this theater is to them. Many of them entered the theater with excitement in their eyes. Perhaps they were simply proud parents seeing their child's first performance on the Olympia stage. That memory would last a lifetime. The annual Miami International Film Festival became a red carpet, star-studded, glittering 10-day cinematic event of elegance and fashion, with outstanding films and the rich, billowing sounds of the only originally installed Wurlitzer organ, thrilling the 16,000 to 20,000 people in attendance. Emerging visual artists also had opportunities to display their works during many theater events. Performance artists like flautist Nestor Torres got his start during a holiday performance. He would later record with jazz great Herbie Hancock, who performed on our stage. Theater staff gave every emerging artist of the community or star of the performance world the best that could be given and our audiences and performers loved our little jewel in the corner. The Gusman Olympia Theater is a valuable historic tourist attraction. Use it for that. Good programming — good theater — will draw in the people. Look ahead to the future. Give people the chance to return and feel the magic of the Olympia. Jeannie Piazza-Zuniga, retired director of theater operations, Gusman-Olympia Theater, Pompano Beach Speaking out To paraphrase Martin Niemoller, a German theologian and Lutheran pastor, I am speaking out because there might come a time when no one is left to speak for me. Much time and energy has been put into arresting and detaining illegal immigrants who, for various and sundry reasons, have chosen the United States as a place to reside. Reading of instances in which children are being detained for deportation is heartbreaking. Truth be told, this entire country consists of illegals because this land originally belonged to Native Americans. As to the July 2 Herald story, 'A Cuban dad did time for a marijuana bust 40 years ago. He died in ICE custody on Thursday,' what harm could 75-year-old Isidro Perez have caused? He paid his debt to society and was living out his life caring for his dogs. While the Trump administration rushes to rid the country of all illegal immigrants, there are some who apparently have been making a positive contribution to society and could be granted a chance to remain to carve out a path to citizenship. I'm a Black male octogenarian and native Floridian. Given the administration's penchant for tampering with the Constitution and the U.S. Supreme Court's apparent hands-off stance, the 13th Amendment could be next. Ollie Daniels, Pembroke Pines Cruel country How cruel the Trump administration continues to be to the many non-billionaires and millionaires here and around the world. USAID stopped on July 1. No more sacks of our (surplus) food, stamped with the famous and appreciated, 'From the People of America.' And with Trump's big ugly bill, millions here will lose health care and food assistance. Meanwhile, Gov. DeSantis boasts of 'Alligator Alcatraz.' Does he think that's 'cute?' No, it is not 'cute;' it is 'cruel.' I keep wondering how low they can go. I also wonder when the masses will finally scream: 'Stop it!' Marcia Braun, Miami Spring Voter lucidity Re: the June 30 Miami Herald online op-ed by Mary Anna Mancuso, 'Florida GOP gubernatorial candidate refocuses on conservative ideals. It's about time.' I appreciate Mancuso's take on Byron Donalds, who does indeed seem like a decent conservative prospective governor for Florida. However, the hook of his speech is off-putting. 'The Democrats have lost their minds,' he told CPAC Latino on June 28 in South Florida, after the recent Democratic primary election for New York City mayor, in which Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, won. His evidence? When given the opportunity to nominate Andrew Cuomo — a disgraced New York millionaire and former elected chief executive with a history of alleged sexual predation, who used his connections in the media to retaliate against his accusers, destroyed the careers of people around him, collected nearly $1 million from his appointees and dodged impeachment to avoid criminal prosecution — Democrats chose the other guy, whose super power appears to be listening to people and possessing social media savvy. To Donalds and the Republican Party and indeed to many old guard Democrats, sending an accused sex offender to New York City's mayoral general election is — writ large — voters losing their minds. I wonder what it looks like to not lose one's mind to these folks. Philip Cardella, Miami Dems falter As an Independent, I'm disappointed that Democrats failed to engage the GOP in offering compromises on the proposed 'Big Beautiful Bill.' Rather than attempting to insert and modify some of their cherished items, such as Dreamer change, Medicare improvements and such, then opposing it after those were rejected, they started and ended with the typical 'No. No. No,' thus, failing their constituents. If they continue this constant resistance to everything President Trump proposes, without new ideas to fix things, they will not win another election. Tony Bello, Coral Gables Changing tunes On Sept. 14, 2022, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan spoke at Northwestern University School of Law, where she discussed what she called 'forum shopping' and the power of individual district judges' ability to issue nationwide injunctions. She said that it 'just can't be right that one district judge can stop a nationwide policy in its tracks and leave it stopped for the years that it takes to go through the normal process.' This is exactly what the Court ruled on June 27. That Kagan altered her opinion years later and voted against stopping rogue judges from thwarting President Trump's agenda is distressing and unfortunate. Clearly, Trump's presidency is what prompted the shift. Jacqueline Stone, Miami
Miami Herald
06-07-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
Granddaughters of Miami childhood education advocate David Lawrence die in Texas flood
The twin granddaughters of Miami childhood education advocate David Lawrence, Jr. are among the dozens killed in this weekends massive flooding in Central Texas, he confirmed Sunday. The girls, both eight years old, and their 14-year-old sister attended Camp Mystic in Kerr County, an area where dozens people died after the Guadalupe River swelled with rainwater and flooded the Texas Hill Country early Friday morning. 'It has been an unimaginable time for all of us. Hanna and Rebecca gave their parents John and Lacy and sister Harper, and all in our family, so much joy,' Lawrence said in a statement to the Herald. 'They and that joy can never be forgotten.' Eleven campers and a counselor from Camp Mystic remained unaccounted for as of Sunday night, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said in a statement. The death toll from the flooding reached 79 people, Texas officials said Sunday. In Kerr County, 59 people have been confirmed dead, including 38 children and 21 children Leitha said. Many of the victims were among the 750 people staying at the all-girls Christian Camp Mystic, located along the banks of the Guadalupe when the flood waters rushed in. The camp's director, Richard Eastland, also died, according to Texas Public Radio. Camp Mystic was one of several campsites struck by the floodwater. John Lawrence, is one of David and Roberta Lawrence's five children. He and his wife Lacy Lawrence are attorneys in Dallas, Texas, the elder Lawrence told the Herald. David Lawrence is the board chair and founder of The Children's Movement of Florida and the former publisher of the Miami Herald, which he led from 1989 to 1999. Lawrence left the Herald to focus on early childhood intervention in education. This includes being founding chair of The Children's Trust, described on The Children's Movement website as 'a dedicated source of early intervention and prevention funding for children in Miami-Dade County.' He was instrumental in passing the statewide constitutional amendment to provide free pre-kindergarten education to all four-year-old children in Florida. He had a 35-year career in the newspaper industry, including as publisher and executive editor of the Detroit Free Press and editor of the Charlotte Observer, according to his Children's Movement biography. While leading the Herald, the newspaper won five Pulitzer Prizes. While Kerr County was the hardest hit from the flooding, and accounted for most of the deaths, people also died in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties. President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he signed a Major Disaster Declaration for Kerr County. Florida Gov. Don DeSantis said that he has directed the Florida Division of Emergency Management to send three swiftwater rescue teams to assist Texas officials with rescue and recovery operations 'We're standing by to lend more help as requested,' DeSantis said Sunday on X. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava also released a statement on X that she is prepared to send assistance if requested. 'As Florida sends crews to support the rescue efforts, Miami-Dade County stands at the ready to send support if needed,' Levine Cava said. This is a developing story.
