VIRGINIA KEY

Tickets for the Country Bay Music Festival went on sale Tuesday. The event is scheduled for Nov. 11-12 at the historic Miami Marine Stadium, just southeast of downtown on Virginia Key in Biscayne Bay.

Already considered a hub for Latin, hip hop and electronic music, now Miami is going country.

Miami denies appeal, Marine Stadium boat ramp on fast track by at MiamiTodayNews.com.

Concerns mount over boat ramp at Miami Marine Stadium by at MiamiTodayNews.com.

A group of migrants landed Thursday afternoon on Virginia Key near Key Biscayne.

Authorities were responding after a large group of migrants were found on an overloaded vessel near Virginia Key Beach Thursday.

With questions rising about the future of historic Virginia Key after Miami Mayor Francis Suarez refused to veto the city’s takeover of the board of trustees, many Black local leaders are now angered by the decision.

University of Miami to fight to save Virginia Key fisheries center by at MiamiTodayNews.com.

The health and future of the beloved captive orca at the Miami Seaquarium was the focus of discussion during a meeting Tuesday at the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Miami.

The Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department reported heavy rain caused the sewer overflow at the Central District Wastewater Treatment Plant on Wednesday in Virginia Key.

After the U.S. Department of Agriculture made public a report that the Miami Seaquarium’s dolphins were more aggressive due to drastic food cuts, Miami-Dade County officials issued the park a formal notice of noncompliance.

The General Manager of Miami Seaquarium who watches over Lolita, a 56-year-old orca had encouraging news on Wednesday about her health on Wednesday.

There are questions about the future of historic Virginia Key after the mayor of Miami refused to veto the city's takeover of the board of trustees.

A July 6 report that the U.S. Department of Agriculture made public on Friday details how inspectors said the Miami Seaquarium drastically cut the diets of nine dolphins to get them to perform better — but instead this resulted in angry dolphins fighting back.

A July 6 report that the U.S. Department of Agriculture made public on Friday details how inspectors said the Miami Seaquarium drastically cut the diets of nine dolphins to get them to perform better — but instead this resulted in angry dolphins fighting back.

The environmentalist and philanthropist who watches over Tokitae, also known as the Miami Seaquarium’s Lolita, had encouraging news Thursday.

From Broward to Miami-Dade counties, Kurt Kaminer said although drivers need to learn how to share the road, there is also a need for infrastructure improvements.

The “transition zone” plan, which would see 50 to 100 tiny homes built on Virginia Key, has generated controversy from the moment Commissioner Joe Carollo proposed it in late July.

Several days have passed since a Virginia Key business was suddenly shut down indefinitely.

Another business owner accuses Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo of misusing his power.

Last week Miami Dade County leaders blasted a proposal to house as many as 100 homeless people in a cluster of tiny homes on Virginia Key.

The mayor of Miami-Dade County's memo to her Board of Commissioners cites a number of concerns at a proposed homeless camp on Virginia Key.

Virginia Key has been a proposed site to build a homeless community in Miami, but one county commissioner says that's not the case.

Concerns are growing after Miami city commissioners approved a plan to move forward with a pilot program that will create a homeless encampment on Virginia Key, next to land that has been deemed as critically endangered.

A controversial proposal to create pop-up communities for the homeless across Miami, including on Virginia Key, was approved by commissioners last week.

Miami city commissioners vote 3-2 to move forward with a pilot program that would build a community on Virginia Key for the city's homeless population.

In a 3 to 2 vote, the Miami City Commission rejected a plan that would have built 50 to 100 mini homes on Virginia Key as a homeless shelter community.

A man who was spotted sacrificing animals on the beach in Virginia Key this week received a hefty fine from the Miami-Dade Police Department.

Rapper Nehemiah “SpotemGottem” Harden was trying to get away from police officers while riding an orange jetski on Sunday in Miami, according to the Miami Police Department.

Rapper Nehemiah “SpotemGottem” Harden was trying to get away from police officers while riding an orange jetski on Sunday in Miami, according to the Miami Police Department.

Miami mayor seeks city support of rejected Rickenbacker Causeway plan by at MiamiTodayNews.com.

Developer says he still can finance Rickenbacker Causeway upgrade by at MiamiTodayNews.com.

Bear Cut Bridge replacement would cost $90 million by at MiamiTodayNews.com.

The attack happened during the Flipper show in front of an audience of families and young children.

Businessman and environmentalist Pritam Singh is committing $1 million toward the care of the Miami Seaquarium’s beloved orca Lolita, sources tell Local 10 News.

USDA inspectors were back at the Miami Seaquarium Tuesday following last June's scathing 17-page report citing numerous serious animal welfare violations.

There are conflicting reports about the health of Lolita, the 56-year-old orca that lives at the Miami Seaquarium.

Authorities are searching for a person in the ocean on Monday near Fisher Island.

Miami Seaquarium says the 56-year-old orca that has been at the visitor attraction for 52 years is doing fine but many believe there is reason for concern.

The Seaquarium confirmed to Local 10 News that the famed whale is receiving around-the-clock care.

Earnie Enriquez, a treatment plant operator, stood next to where Miami-Dade County’s sewage first enters the Central District Treatment Plant in Miami’s Virginia Key and collected a sample.

More than 50% of the voters stood against Miami’s Virginia Key referendum to hand a contract to Biscayne Marine Partners LLC.

Monday was the second day in a row authorities detained people coming from Haiti.

A pilot and flight instructor are thankful to be alive after a scary situation earlier this week that saw their plane plunge into the waters off Virginia Key.

The pilot of a small Cessna plane crashed the plane into the water Thursday night about 20 feet offshore in the Virginia Key area, authorities said.

The Miami Seaquarium will change ownership later this year.

Customers to fund $10 million FPL Virginia Key expansion by at MiamiTodayNews.com.

Voters to rule on Virginia Key marina lease without bids by at MiamiTodayNews.com.

A beloved father was killed after being struck by a boat while riding a personal watercraft, and the man who police arrested for the hit-and-run has been released from jail.

A 27-year-old man is reported missing from a charter boat. Two days later, his body is found in the water near Miami Marine Stadium.

The driver of a Mercedes-Benz nearly hit a Miami-Dade Police Department motorman on Wednesday on the Rickenbacker Causeway in Miami and sped away to a parking building in Dania Beach.

VIRGINIA KEY, Fla. – Nine-year-old Jay Weiskopf has about 120 stitches after surviving a shark attack on Sunday in South Beach. The dental battery of the shark also left trails of cuts on his right arm and side. Right after arriving from Minnesota, Jay and his parents walked to the beach, east of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Ocean Beach Park’s playground, and north of the South Pointe Park Pier. “All I was focused on was getting him help.”A 9-year-old boy from Minnesota was treated at Jackson Memorial Hospital after a shark attack on Sunday in South Beach. Ad“A shark tried to eat me at the ocean,” Jay said after his release.

The new boat ramp project was discussed at the latest meeting of the Virginia Key Advisory Board. The concept has changed; now it’s a full-fledged boat ramp. It’s something that should be looked at in anticipation of (budgeting) for the boat ramp (project),” she said. We need it … I’m all for the boat ramp and I encourage the city to follow through with it,” he said. The Virginia Key Alliance, a coalition of citizens dedicated to preserving Virginia Key and its environment for active outdoor recreation, has voiced concerns about the proposed boat launch and trailer parking.

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – A typical day playing on the beach took a turn for the worst for a South Florida pet owner and her rescue dog. Miami Veterinary Services told Local 10 News the dog’s owner was playing with her at Darwin Beach on Virginia Key, a recurring activity at a regular spot for the two. The dog’s owner ran to the beach and was able to pull Boobie out of the sharks mouth. Boobie the rescue dog is recovering after being attacked by a shark off Key Biscayne. (WPLG)Boobie was rushed to a veterinarians office on Key Biscayne, where doctors were able to stitch up the dogs wound.

Miami International Boat Show sails off with chunk of city budgetWritten by John Charles Robbins on February 2, 2021AdvertisementThe Miami International Boat Show is leaving Virginia Key, along with the $1.2 million annual payment to the city, calculated and counted on as future revenue to help support a restored Miami Marine Stadium. The City of Miami owns most of the barrier island, along with the iconic and historic marine stadium, closed since Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992. The boat show leaving the island was discussed at the January meeting of the city’s Virginia Key Advisory Board. Board member Peter Ehrlich said the boat show’s departure will have a financial impact on the city, with the loss of more than $1 million a year for the license fee. Several years ago, the city hired Civitas Inc. to provide professional urban design, landscape architecture and engineering services, on a phased basis, for the flex park space.

The newspaper reported that McKoy called families who had students in the school telling them that MAST was the No. 1 Miami-Dade County School in the central region for the most COVID-19 positive cases, and blamed the cases on students having parties, get-togethers and sleepovers without masks. According to the school’s dashboard, MAST Academy has a total of 46 cases, which is the tenth most of schools in Miami-Dade County. Email from MAST Academy Principal Derick McKoy:This is Dr. McKoy, principal of MAST Academy calling with a very important message. MAST Academy is the number one school in Central Region with the most number of COVID positive cases.

The U.S. Coast Guard announced Thursday evening that the search for a 33-year-old man who vanished after a Jan. 4 boat crash off Key Biscayne has ended. Florida Fish and Wildlife reported divers found human remains belonging to the man identified as Spencer Sheridan, according to the Coast Guard. It was near the Bear Cut Bridge, which connects Virginia Key with Key Biscayne. Man, 33, vanishes at sea after boats crash off Key BiscayneFour were injured and Sheridan vanished at sea prompting a massive search involving three police departments, a state agency, and a federal agency. FWC investigators found Sheridan and the other six people were in an unlicensed charter boat.

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – The search for a 33-year-old man continued on Tuesday in Biscayne Bay. He vanished after two Open Fisherman, a 19-foot boat and a 21-foot boat, collided on Monday evening off Key Biscayne. The man who vanished was in the Open Fisherman that was carrying seven people when it capsized after the collision near the Bear Cut Bridge, which connects Virginia Key with Key Biscayne. Two Open Fisherman boats collided on Monday evening off Key Biscayne. This is a photo of the man who was involved in a Monday night boat collision off Key Biscayne.

VIRGINIA KEY, Fla. – A protest is underway at Miami Seaquarium in the latest call to free Lolita, the 20-foot-long, 7,000-pound orca who has lived at the Miami tourist attraction for 50 years. Activists say the tank in which the whale lives is not fit for her size. “She needs us to speak for her,” said Patty Leon, a protester with the group the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest said that under their inherent rights, the whale belongs to them. In October 2018, a federal appeals court rejected a petition to reopen a lawsuit over the Seaquarium’s treatment of the killer whale.

Throughout history, cultures in Japan, England, Turkey and around the world have written their wishes down on small pieces of paper and hung them...

Aaron is head of the digital department at Miami's Community Newspapers. To have your stories considered for publication, feel free to email Aaron directly: aaron@cnews.net

As 2020 draws to an end, there is good reason to smile. Dustin Pfundheller is in town. Don’t know the name? You will soon....

Aaron is head of the digital department at Miami's Community Newspapers. To have your stories considered for publication, feel free to email Aaron directly: aaron@cnews.net

The late Daniel Boorstin, an eminent historian and onetime Librarian of the U.S. Congress, wrote of “booster cities” in The Americans: The Democratic Experience.

The students who receive the laptops will be taking rapid credentialing program classes to help them get the skills they need to explore new career pathways Florida Power &...

The students who receive the laptops will be taking rapid credentialing program classes to help them get the skills they need to explore new career pathways Florida Power &...

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – As Broward County continues to move forward with beginning in-person learning for district students, Local 10 has confirmed several positive COVID-19 cases in both public and charter schools. “They must wear a face covering including the weight room and physical education classes,” said Broward School Board General Counsel Barbara J. Myrick. The school district made the decision to temporarily shut down the campus after two students tested positive for COVID-19. MAST is one of several Miami-Dade County public schools to have new COVID-19 cases after reopening in early October. The superintendent said as of Monday afternoon, 10 students and one employee in the school district tested positive for the virus since physical schooling resumed.

MIAMI – Authorities are asking boaters and people with personal watercraft to take safety precautions such as wearing life jackets and staying sober while having fun in the water during this Labor Day weekend. Officer Ronald Washington, a spokesman for the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation, said doing so is a matter of life or death. “Do the right thing to ensure you can get home safely,” Washington said. Miami Fire Rescue personnel took Ndiokwelu to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center where a doctor pronounced him dead. For more information about boating safety, call the FWC’s Boating Safety Section at 850-488-5600.

Throw a couple of bikes on top or behind the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek Sport and you are ready for any terrain on any given...

Throw a couple of bikes on top or behind the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek Sport and you are ready for any terrain on any given...

Southeast Fisheries Science Center to be on the moveWritten by Marilyn Bowden on January 21, 2020AdvertisementAfter considering various options, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, popularly known as NOAA, has determined that its existing Southeast Fisheries Science Center on Virginia Key will eventually be replaced by a new facility. NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center, located in Miami, Florida, is an aging facility, he said. However, Mr. Ewald said that NOAA Fisheries is not yet thinking about location. Last month, NOAA Southeast launched a new effort called Mission: Iconic Reefs to restore seven ecologically and culturally significant sites in the Florida Keys. Regardless of where the facility is ultimately located, Mr. Ewald said, NOAA Fisheries will continue working to provide the best science possible for our Southeast US and international natural resources that fall under its purview, including maintaining our strong partnerships with the University of Miami.

But for these DJs, the December 7 destination is the same: Virginia Key, where Rakastella has once again assembled one of the most tasteful dance music lineups found anywhere around the globe. They broke artists such as Joy Orbison and Blawan, and released the first EP by James Blake (he wasn't always a singer). The international electro master, Omnidisc label head, and certified 305-till-he-dies lifer will be back in town for Rakastella, and his sets are always a must-attend. This mentality carries over to his DJ sets, which include sporadic Italo, acid, and classics cuts alongside newer dance floorready bangers. Rakastella.

Half-dozen Virginia Key city projects in flood zoneWritten by John Charles Robbins on November 12, 2019AdvertisementVirginia Key is almost entirely in the flood zone, and the City of Miami ought to consider these low elevations as it undertakes more than a half-dozen projects on the island. So we know that this is not just an issue associated within Miami nor just Virginia Key or Florida, she said. Creaton of a Climate Resilience Committee (formerly the Sea Level Rise Committee). Passage of Miami Forever Bond with nearly $200 million set aside for flood and sea level rise projects. The centers work is to advance knowledge, decision making and actions toward mitigating the causes and adapting to the effects of sea level rise.

Thanks to Rakastella, Virginia Key remains the best place to be during Miami Art Week. Miami mainstay Danny Daze also joins up, along with LuckyMe affiliate Eclair Fifi. These artists and more will assemble in historic Virginia Key Beach Park on Saturday, December 7. Check out the full Rakastella 2019 lineup below:me (Live)Aurora HalalBen UFODanny DazeDixonDJ MinxEclair FifiJayda GJohn TalabotKink (Live)Marie DavidsonMor ElianMotor City Drum Ensembleona DahlPalms TraxSoul ClapTara BrooksWill RenuartRakastella. 3 p.m. to 7 a.m. Saturday, December 7, at Virginia Key Beach Park, 4020 Virginia Beach Dr., Miami; 305-960-4600; rakastella.net.

Ultra harmed UMs Rosenstiel School, dean saysWritten by John Charles Robbins on July 31, 2019AdvertisementThe University of Miami has long had a presence on Virginia Key, and school officials say they were adversely impacted when the Ultra music festival was staged nearby in March. Ultra is not coming back to the barrier island, and thats just fine with Roni Avissar, dean of the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. The Rosenstiel school has grown into one of the leading academic oceanographic and atmospheric research institutions in the world. A study from researchers at the Rosenstiel school found that the Ultra Music Festival was stressful to toadfish. The school just celebrated its 75th anniversary, and he noted the school began establishing the island campus in the early 1960s.

Now, as potential suitors court festival organizers (and some Miami commissioners try to woo them back), Ultra is touting the successes of the sustainability initiatives it implemented last year. The festival says it will continue its sustainability efforts during its next iteration. Ultra Music FestivalBut environmentalists continued to voice concerns after Ultra announced its sustainability campaign. Despite its impact on wildlife, Ultra's sustainability efforts earned an "A" rating on an environmental report card compiled by VolunteerCleanup.org, Surfrider Miami, and Debris Free Oceans. The festival partnered with the local organizations to develop its sustainability and environmental protection initiatives, which were then measured for effectiveness after the festival ended.

This past Saturday, Vegandale Food & Drink Festival rolled into Virginia Key. See more photos from Vegandale at the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park here. See more photos from Vegandale at the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park here. Laine DossTwo South Florida eateries served vegan Cuban food, and it was a hit. Vegan Cuban Cuisine was cleaned out of its plant-based croquetas, and a vegan cubano proved to be a flavorful alternative to its ham-based cousin.