Public Safety · Miami-Dade County
The National Weather Service issued Coastal Flood Advisories for Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties through Thursday at 11 p.m., warning of moderate coastal flooding during high tide cycles. Heavy rainfall and strong winds are expected to begin Saturday, Oct. 24, with potential totals of 5 to 7 inches in some areas. A new king tide cycle spanning Oct. 24 to Oct. 30 will peak on Tuesday, Oct. 27, increasing the risk of combined coastal and urban flooding.
Education · Miami, FL
Carnegie Mellon University announced Tuesday that computer science department head Jignesh Patel will serve as founding dean and vice president of its planned $2 billion campus in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood. The campus, funded by a $3 billion gift from hedge fund owner Ken Griffin, is expected to span 35 acres and support more than 3,500 students, 300 faculty, and 600 staff. Construction is set to begin next year, with graduate students arriving in 2028 and undergraduates in 2032. Patel, who joined CMU's faculty in 2023 after serving at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, helped shape the campus' academic mission centered on "grand societal challenges" including health, national security, climate, and manufacturing.
Crime · Miami, FL
A Miami-Dade jury voted Tuesday to recommend the death penalty for Alberto Sierra, 42, who admitted to suffocating his estranged wife Gladys Machado, 29, and her daughters Julia, 6, and Daniela, 3, with a plastic bag at their Flagami home on Nov. 10, 2012. Jurors voted 11-1 for death in Machado's murder, unanimously for Julia's killing, and 8-4 for Daniela's. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez set a hearing for Nov. 2 to schedule formal sentencing proceedings, where she retains final authority over whether to impose a death sentence.
Education · Miami, FL
Carnegie Mellon University announced Tuesday that computer science department head Jignesh Patel will serve as founding dean and vice president of its planned $2 billion campus in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood. The 35-acre campus, funded by a $3 billion gift from hedge fund owner Ken Griffin, is expected to support more than 3,500 undergraduate and graduate students, 300 faculty and 600 staff. Construction is set to begin next year, with graduate students arriving in 2028 and undergraduates in 2032. Academic programming will center on "grand societal challenges" including health, national security, climate and manufacturing.
Local Politics · Miami-Dade County
The Miami-Dade County Transportation Committee approved legislation allowing the Village of Pinecrest to install entrance features at two roundabouts in Southwest 136th Street intersections. The committee also recommended increasing the South Dade Transitway construction contract by $2.45 million to upgrade safety standards at the Southwest 168th Street Station garage. Additionally, a proposal was approved to make West Miami's Freebee on-demand service eligible for countywide transportation surtax funding. Separately, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reported that driver license data was accessed by a malicious actor in September.
Community News · Miami, FL
City of Miami officials unveiled plans for Plaza Azúcar, a new park honoring the late singer Celia Cruz, on what would have been her 101st birthday. The proposed public space at 650 Beacom Boulevard in the Calle Ocho section will feature a large-scale sculpture of Cruz. Commissioner Ralph Rosado presented the first rendering during a Wednesday event that included music and commemorative coins. Once completed, it will be the first park honoring the Queen of Salsa in Miami and the third in the United States.
