Latest news with #Ball&Chain
Miami Herald
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
After ending his tour in Miami, Chris Martin was seen at this Little Havana restaurant
Chris Martin has been a busy rock star lately, burning up calories jumping around the stage and calling out people on the Kiss Cam. On Monday afternoon, the Coldplay singer was seen grabbing a late lunch at Ball & Chain in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood, spies told us. We didn't get details of his order, but the former vegetarian is a meat eater these days and could have chosen from a variety of specialties including Chicken Fricassee, Masitas de Puerco and Ropa Vieja. The details we did get was that upon leaving he gave a staffer one of the 'Love' pin souvenirs from the band's Music of the Spheres World Tour. The night before, Martin and the guys had just wrapped the U.S. leg of the tour with a pair of weekend shows at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. As is tradution, the so-called Kiss Cam panned on the crowd, singling out a few Florida Panthers players as well as soccer star Leo Messi and his wife. No scandal was detected unlike earlier this month, during Coldplay's show at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Jumbotron capture a cozy looking couple up in the VIP section who were in a romantic clinch. When they saw themselves up on the big screen, they ducked out of sight. Martin joked that the mortified looking pair was either 'shy' or 'having an affair.' Yeppers. The man was Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, married with two kids. The woman, his top HR executive Kristin Cabot, is also married. After the embarrassing clip of the coworkers went beyond viral, both resigned from their positions at the AI tech company. Martin never publicly discussed the scandal, but his ex wife Gwyneth Paltrow was hired by the AI tech company to do damage control as their unofficial spokesperson. A source told People magazine the Oscar winner found the situation amusing and jumped on the opportunity (word is the actress' payday was in the millions). 'Gwyneth has a really great sense of humor and it felt funny enough for her to do,' the source dished. 'I've been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300-plus employees at Astronomer,' Paltrow says in the promo. 'We've been thrilled so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation.'
Axios
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Accusations fly as Miami officials discuss the "weaponization" of government
A Miami city commission meeting organized to discuss the "weaponization of city government" ended in finger-pointing and shouting. The big picture: Feuding and political posturing among commissioners overshadowed the pleas of restaurant owners seeking reprieve from code enforcement raids that disrupt — or even shut down — their businesses during peak hours. Driving the news: The thrust of Friday's meeting was a list of accusations against Commissioner Joe Carollo, the veteran Miami politician seen as a candidate for Miami mayor, including claims that he is using code enforcement to go after a political opponent. "One person has set our city back many years," Commissioner Damian Pardo said at the meeting. Friction point: Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela accused Carollo of sending code enforcement to his private properties after Gabela spearheaded an audit of the city's Bayfront Park Management Trust. Gabela says the probe will uncover wrongdoing by Carollo, the former chairman of the Trust. Carollo — who has denied wrongdoing — told the city manager that there were "direct, in-your-face violations" at Gabela's properties. Zoom in: During the meeting, Carollo set up a PowerPoint presentation showing publicly accessible satellite images of Gabela's properties with boats and cars parked in the lot. Carollo also accused Gabela of threatening to fire the city manager if he sent code enforcement to the properties. Gabela denied the claim. "He thinks he can do whatever he wants in this city," Carollo said. Reality check: Carollo was hit with a $63.5 million legal judgment in 2023 after a jury found him liable for violating the free speech rights of the owners of the nightclub Ball & Chain. The jury found that Carollo pushed police and code enforcement to target their properties after they supported one of Carollo's political opponents. The city also agreed to pay $12.5 million to settle a related lawsuit. What they're saying: Gabela, who said he has no open code violations against him, alluded to the legal cases against Carollo but was instructed by the city's legal team to refrain from discussing details, citing active litigation. "This is 2.0 Ball & Chain, what they're doing to me," Gabela previously told Local 10. Gabela's wife recently addressed the commission to accuse Carollo of sending staff to watch her. Meanwhile, Carollo told Axios the city needs to reform its building and code enforcement departments to address concerns made by restaurant owners. "There's a lot of things that need to be reformed. But I don't control that. If I did, I guarantee you they would be done in a much more appropriate way." What's next: Voters will go to the polls Tuesday to elect a new commissioner in District 4 after the death of Manolo Reyes in April.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo cleared in public corruption investigation
Prosecutors in the Broward State Attorney's Office have cleared Miami City Commissioner Joe Carollo of criminal wrongdoing following a yearslong investigation into accusations that he stalked a Little Havana businessman and threatened a former police chief. In a closeout memo Monday, Julio Gonzalez, who heads Broward's Public Corruption Unit, said the state 'cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Carollo's actions rose to a criminal offense as it pertains to his dealings with' Ball & Chain owner Bill Fuller and Art Acevedo, the former Miami police chief. Gonzalez wrote that the matter can be referred back to the city of Miami for a possible administrative investigation. Broward County sometimes investigates public corruption matters out of Miami-Dade County because of conflicts of interest. Fuller previously won in a federal civil lawsuit against Carollo, with a jury awarding him and businessman Martin Pinilla $63.5 million. Jurors found that Carollo weaponized police and code enforcement officers in retaliation against Fuller and Pinilla after they supported his 2017 election opponent. Acevedo, meanwhile, filed a lawsuit in 2022 against Carollo and two other commissioners who voted to fire him in 2021, accusing the defendants of violating his First Amendment rights and illegally retaliating against him for 'speaking out against corruption and abuse of power by the City of Miami Commission.' That lawsuit is ongoing. The positive news for Carollo lands the same week as a campaign fundraiser that Miami First, the political committee tied to the commissioner, is hosting to raise money for his potential mayoral campaign. Carollo said Tuesday that he has not decided if he's running for mayor, saying that other people organized the event. The commissioner faced scrutiny for the timing of the fundraiser, which was scheduled on the same day as the memorial services for Commissioner Manolo Reyes, who died last week. Reached for comment, Carollo acknowledged that the timing wasn't ideal but said it wasn't intentional. 'This is something that had been planned way before,' Carollo said. 'It's not in my control to cancel something that others have done, and this has got nothing to do with Manolo.' 'I wish it would've been on another day, but that's the day that it fell on,' he added.
Miami Herald
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo cleared in public corruption investigation
Prosecutors in the Broward State Attorney's Office have cleared Miami City Commissioner Joe Carollo of criminal wrongdoing following a yearslong investigation into accusations that he stalked a Little Havana businessman and threatened a former police chief. In a closeout memo Monday, Julio Gonzalez, who heads Broward's Public Corruption Unit, said the state 'cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Carollo's actions rose to a criminal offense as it pertains to his dealings with' Ball & Chain owner Bill Fuller and Art Acevedo, the former Miami police chief. Gonzalez wrote that the matter can be referred back to the city of Miami for a possible administrative investigation. Broward County sometimes investigates public corruption matters out of Miami-Dade County because of conflicts of interest. Fuller previously won in a federal civil lawsuit against Carollo, with a jury awarding him and businessman Martin Pinilla $63.5 million. Jurors found that Carollo weaponized police and code enforcement officers in retaliation against Fuller and Pinilla after they supported his 2017 election opponent. Acevedo, meanwhile, filed a lawsuit in 2022 against Carollo and two other commissioners who voted to fire him in 2021, accusing the defendants of violating his First Amendment rights and illegally retaliating against him for 'speaking out against corruption and abuse of power by the City of Miami Commission.' That lawsuit is ongoing. The positive news for Carollo lands the same week as a campaign fundraiser that Miami First, the political committee tied to the commissioner, is hosting to raise money for his potential mayoral campaign. Carollo said Tuesday that he has not decided if he's running for mayor, saying that other people organized the event. The commissioner faced scrutiny for the timing of the fundraiser, which was scheduled on the same day as the memorial services for Commissioner Manolo Reyes, who died last week. Reached for comment, Carollo acknowledged that the timing wasn't ideal but said it wasn't intentional. 'This is something that had been planned way before,' Carollo said. 'It's not in my control to cancel something that others have done, and this has got nothing to do with Manolo.' 'I wish it would've been on another day, but that's the day that it fell on,' he added.
Axios
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Valentine's Day: How to celebrate love — or trash your ex — in Miami
Valentine's Day is Friday, and whether you're in a relationship or celebrating your independence, there's no shortage of events in Miami to mark the occasion. Here are some events to check out Ball & Chain is celebrating Galentine's Day on Wednesday with free drinks for ladies who RSVP. The Little Havana music venue promises karaoke and — of course — dancing. RSVP here. 8pm-10pm. The Faena Theater hosts its weekly Carmen Cabaret Thursday-Saturday, featuring a reimagining of the classic opera, "Carmen." The show "blends the fierce passion of flamenco, cabaret, fire artistry, cirque nouveau, and percussive live music, all enriched with bold Spanish-inspired flavor." Tickets $100+. The Ultimate Bad Bunny Valentine's Day Party invites Reggaeton fans to "celebrate love and perreo" at Casa Tiki in Little Havana. A live DJ will spin Benito's top tracks as guests snap pics at a photo booth, enter a raffle and enjoy drink specials and a complimentary welcome shot. Friday, 9pm-1am Tickets $45+ Laser Love: A Musical Journey, a new laser-light show at the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science planetarium, combines far-out visuals with music from the likes of Fleetwood Mac and Billie Eilish. Friday, 7pm-11pm Tickets $12 for kids, $15 for adults. The Shred Your Ex Valentine's Day Party at The Bend Liquor Lounge in Hialeah is giving out free shots for those who bring a photo of their ex to rip up. The Saturday night event will also feature $7 themed cocktails. Free entry. 9-11pm with DJ until 3am. JohnMartin's has transformed into the Love Shack, a Valentine's Day pop-up, with $14 specialty cocktails, over-the-top decorations and photo-ops. Pop-up ends Feb. 16. Reservations here. The Cupid Splash Polar Plunge is making its debut in Miami Beach on Sunday at Collins Park Beach in South Beach. Contestants dressed in Valentine's costumes will plunge into the cool Atlantic, an homage to the annual event in Boston. Proceeds go to Miami-Dade County's Biscayne Bay Recovery Fund. Register here.
