Latest news with #SilverKnightAwards
Miami Herald
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Under Trump's distrust of foreigners, we're forgetting immigrants' contributions
Who's an immigrant? A headline in the Miami Herald's May 18 front page states, 'Florida's mass deportation and immigration-enforcement blueprint explained.' The article details that Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration is aligned with President Trump's administration in cracking down on immigrants. On the same front page was a story celebrating the achievements of the 2025 Silver Knight Awards recipients. Most of the recipients are children or grandchildren of immigrants. The dichotomy makes one's head spin. One has to be ignorant — and racist — not to see the obvious contribution immigrants bring to our country. Unless one belongs to a Native American tribe, we are all immigrants, including the governor and the president. Monica Harvey, Miami Shores What's the benefit? If President Trump and his inner cadre of xenophobes want to score political points, deporting Venezuelans who fled political and economic turmoil is unnecessary, as Trump won the election more than six months ago. If he is trying to produce more goods and services domestically and maintain the economic boom South Florida has enjoyed over the last decade, how does removing thousands of potential and current workers, almost all who work for low wages, help the cause? This pathological dislike and distrust of foreigners championed by the MAGA movement contradicts everything patriotism and American values stand for. If you love your country, why turn away the many masses who risked life and limb to get here? Many Venezuelan conservative converts paraded around Doral with pro-Trump banners. Why turn on those who helped vote you in to office? Suspending Temporary Protective Status obstructs fairness and growth. This can't be good policy nor even good politics. Mark Elman, Miami Bus audit Re: the May 18 Miami Herald story, 'Miami-Dade schools to audit bus camera program after investigation reveals issues.' I was happy to read that the school board voted in favor of a comprehensive audit and I look forward to the results. I wonder, however, if it will raise the ethical question of whether the political influence of State Rep. Vicky Lopez benefited her son and the company he works for, BusPatrol. In Oct. 2024, after Lopez supported school bus camera laws, BusPatrol, the leading vendor, hired her son. Barbara Sangetti, Miami Downtown living I've long supported the Downtown Neighbors Alliance (DNA) and was proud to serve as its Development and Flagler Business Improvement District (BID) Liaison. However, DNA's campaign to dismantle the Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA) relies on misleading 'facts' and risks harming the residents it claims to defend. The DDA's $12.97 million annual assessment is reinvested into our community — clean streets, safety ambassadors, cultural events and public-realm projects like Flagler Street and the Baywalk. Fully 53% of the budget funds quality-of-life, arts, culture and urbanism initiatives; another 17% supports small-business grants and retail activities that keep our sidewalks vibrant and local economy healthy. Even the $750,000 sports sponsorship yields measurable boosts in visitor spending and property values — hardly 'taking money from residents' pockets.' If one believes the DDA needs more resident voices, then join public meetings, attend town halls and demand clearer performance metrics. However, dissolving the DDA won't improve Downtown — it will abandon vital services and force the City of Miami to fill the gap, inevitably raising taxes. Miami deserves constructive debate, not reductive social-media slogans. I urge my fellow residents to engage in the upcoming budget discussions, present our challenges fairly and work together for a stronger Downtown Miami. Terrell N. Fritz, director, Flagler BID, Miami School e-buses Miami-Dade County Public Schools have made groundbreaking progress by securing hundreds of electric school buses through the EPA's Clean School Bus Program, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. These buses are already improving lives — reducing harmful air pollution, creating quieter and safer rides and cutting maintenance costs so more resources go back into classrooms. This success story, however, is now under threat. The Trump administration has already terminated hundreds of grants and contracts supporting teacher preparation and education research. It has frozen funding awarded under the Clean School Bus Program and other clean-energy improvements and canceled approvals for states and school districts to spend millions in already-promised funds. This funding isn't just about climate — it's a triple win for 'pupils, planet and prosperity.' Electric buses reduce asthma-triggering emissions, boost student learning by improving air quality and save school districts money in the long run. Our drivers love them. Our kids breathe easier because of them. We cannot let shortsighted politics undo this progress. Miami-Dade families, educators and taxpayers all benefit from these clean-energy investments. We must fight to protect this program and ensure our children ride into a healthier, safer and more prosperous future. Michele Drucker, Miami Medical advice If Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., feels that people shouldn't take medical advice from him, then he should step aside in favor of someone who is qualified to give medical advice and head the national health agency. Ted Burg, Pembroke Pines No property tax The history of property taxation in the United States is long and complex, particularly in Florida, where politicians have consistently lacked the will to eliminate it. This ongoing inaction has created a catastrophic crisis for homeowners, especially retirees and senior citizens, many of whom are close to losing their primary residences. Respected Wall Street Journal columnist John Steele Gordon, through a well-researched historical analysis of property taxes, argued that the current model should be suspended. He maintains that property taxes, which remain the primary source of revenue for local governments in the U.S., are a harmful relic of the 18th century. He advocates for their abolition, noting that such a tax no longer exists in any developed industrialized nation, but only in a few developing countries. Notable voices have echoed this call. América TV host Juan Manuel Cao and Florida State Sen. Ileana García have both courageously spoken out in favor of abolishing property taxes. Their advocacy underscores the urgency of enacting a constitutional amendment to at least relieve retirees and elderly citizens of this onerous burden. Fortunately, Gov. Ron DeSantis has the will to act. In March, he held a conference in Orlando with the Florida Association of Realtors, in which he reiterated his commitment to eliminating property taxes and expressed his intent to include a constitutional amendment on the 2026 Florida ballot. A difficult path still lies ahead, with many local leaders opposing such change. It can be done. Germany, Japan and other nations have achieved this level of social well-being. We can too, by restructuring revenue sources, such as taxes on alcohol, cigarettes, gasoline, sales, tourism, home repair permits and other indirect taxes. Bureaucratic excess must be reduced, exorbitant public salaries re-evaluated and a portion of revenue from tariffs could be allocated toward replacing property tax income. With strong leadership finally emerging, let us unite in support of a constitutional amendment on the 2026 Florida ballot to eliminate property taxes once and for all. Domingo J. Delgado, Sunny Isles Beach Changing landscape Seems like Sears in Coral Gables will be joining those magnificent places of my childhood, like Richard's Department Store, Jefferson's, Famous Restaurant in Miami Beach and Pirate's World in Dania Beach. Today's youngsters won't have the joys of eyeing the candy displays nor waiting in line to talk to Santa. Instead, the Amazon truck pulls up, drops off your order without any conversation nor caring if the product satisfied your needs. Oh, if only we could return to those simpler times. Sol Yanowitz, Miami
Miami Herald
15-05-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
Meet the 2025 Silver Knight winners
One student raised nearly $8,000 to help build clean water wells in rural Eswatini, an African country where families walk miles to get clean drinking water, often over rough terrain. Another created a program to support hospice workers by delivering more than 300 gifts to hospice nurses across South Florida. Another worked with Special Olympics to create sports programs that include kids with and without special needs, helping to create a culture of inclusion. Such were among the extraordinary accomplishments of the 30 Miami-Dade and Broward high school seniors who were honored Wednesday evening at the James L. Knight Center as Miami Herald/el Nuevo Silver Knight winners. Now in its 67th year, the Silver Knight Awards recognize the academic excellence and community service projects of South Florida high seniors in public and private schools. Previous winners have included Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who won the Silver Knight in Science in 1982 representing Palmetto High, and Ted Hendricks, a former UM standout and NFL Hall of Famer who won a Silver Knight in Athletics for Hialeah High in 1965. The newest U.S. Supreme Court justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson, won an Honorable Mention in Drama as a Palmetto High senior in 1988. All told, 1,525 students have won Silver Knight Awards since the first class was nominated in 1959. This year, 935 students in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties were nominated, representing 90 schools in Miami-Dade, 33 schools in Broward and 3 schools in Monroe. The students are judged by professionals in 15 disciplines: art, athletics, business, digital and interactive media, drama, English & literature, general scholarship, journalism, mathematics, music & dance, science, social science, speech, vocational technical and world languages. In addition to the 30 winners — 15 each in Miami-Dade and Broward — 90 other students were named Honorable Mentions. So, click on the stories below of the 30 Silver Knights in Miami-Dade and Broward. Their stories will inspire you and instill in you hope for the new generation of young people who are making a difference in the world — and in their communities.
Miami Herald
14-05-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
How to watch the Herald Silver Knight Awards that honor top high school students
The 67th annual Miami Herald/el Nuevo Herald Silver Knight Awards will be held live at 7 p.m. Wednesday to recognize the 'best of the best' among high school seniors in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. This year's ceremony, at the James L. Knight Center in downtown Miami, includes 935 students who were nominated from 93 Miami-Dade and 33 Broward public, charter and private schools. The students are judged by professionals in 15 disciplines: art, athletics, business, digital and interactive media, drama, English & literature, general scholarship, journalism, mathematics, music & dance, science, social science, speech, vocational technical and world languages. How to watch the live broadcast The event will be broadcast on the Miami Herald's YouTube page and Facebook page and on To watch a livestream of the ceremony, refresh those pages at 7 p.m. Wednesday when the event begins. What do Silver Knight winners receive? Silver Knight winners receive a $2,000 scholarship from the Herald Charities Foundation, in addition to 25,000 AmericanAdvantage miles, good for one round-trip ticket in the continental U.S., courtesy of American Airlines. They will also receive a medallion and the Silver Knight statue. Honorable Mentions receive a $500 scholarship and an engraved plaque.
