Missions, Restaurant Fire, Lewd and Lascivious, Etc.
A female visitor from Caracas was accosted by a bicyclist who pulled down his pants, masturbated and ejaculated in front of her
By Phyllis D. Huguenin
Contributing Writer
Our Mission in Aventura
We Want You (as our readers)! Publisher Andrew Stark of the Sun Post, along with Editor Erik Bojnansky, addressed a January 8th breakfast meeting of the Aventura Chamber of
Commerce. Mr. Stark had a resolute message for “City of Excellence” residents: “We want to be known as ‘the weekly independent paper of Aventura.’” “The key to this paper is dispersal of
information to the community,” said Stark. In his view, there are many people living behind gates who are very affluent, very busy and don’t really know what is going on. He stressed the
importance for people to understand what is happening in city government. According to chamber President Emil Hubschman, the city budget has swelled to $43 million – but there have been no
elections in 5 years. It is his opinion that no one will challenge the incumbents. Concerning current media coverage, Vice President Jo-Ann Fine asserted, “the publications that we have
here are just the news they want you to know.” Mr. Stark assured those present that the Sun Post is not out to make judgments or play political favorites, even though his paper is “not
afraid to take editorial positions.” He further asserted that while of the many issues covered, perhaps some wouldn’t affect some particular readers, there is sure to be coverage of issues
having a major impact on their families and lives that they will want to know about. The Sun Post will be there providing access to information. According to the publisher, the paper will
print the facts and the citizenry will decide what they will do about those facts. Distribution of the Sun Post in Aventura now includes 200 retail outlets and condominium mailrooms. Fifty
additional newspaper boxes are being installed around the city.
Herb’s Mission
Timely access to information spurs the civic involvement of 75 year-old Herb Friedlander who has lived in South Florida for the past 50 years. He’s lived in Aventura since 1992 when it
was still unincorporated Dade. Herb, along with a few other citizens, was opposed to the granting of the Land Development Regulation variance (granted at a recent Aventura City Commission
meeting) which allows Clear Channel to increase the visibility of its sign south of Ives Dairy Road by elevating it to 55 feet. Mr. Friedlander did his own research and obtained a work or
“back up” file from the Planning and Zoning department. Herb and his fellow constituents requested that the City Commission postpone Clear Channel’s request pending further study. The
grounds for the delay was that in their view it was questionable whether Clear Channel actually possessed the ownership rights to bargain with the city. For a variance request of this
magnitude, Herb and company “wanted additional information before a decision on this was made.”
Super Bowl Party
Aventura-based Drama Sports Marketing, whose President Floyd C. Raglin played for the Miami Dolphins from 1986 to 1988, is throwing its annual Super Bowl event this year on January 24
at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Floyd, along with Vice President Marco Marciano, do marketing for Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams as well as being good friends of
his. The party is actually being held at The Joint inside The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino where the legendary Rolling Stones played. It’s being sponsored by Coors Lite. NFL Hall of Famer Jim
Brown will be in attendance along with St. Louis Rams star running back Marshall Faulk and Terrell Owens the San Francisco 49ers’ talented (and controversial!) wide receiver. Ricky’s going
to be there to show his support. According to Marco, “Ricky’s disappointed that they didn’t make the playoffs. He gave it 120%.” Vivica A. Fox and Jennifer Love Hewitt round out the guest
list and are sure to give the men something else to think about besides football.
Hot Plate
Popular restaurant Chef Allen’s at 19088 N.E. 29th Avenue was the scene of a small kitchen fire on Tuesday, January 7 at 1 a.m. that caused approx. $40,000 worth of damage.
An Aventura police officer conducting a routine area check observed smoke coming out of two rooftop vents at the location. It was initially believed that a cleaning crew was working inside
– until it was discovered that the restaurant was unoccupied. While searching for an emergency contact number, the officer smelled a strong odor suggesting an electrical fire. Dispatch was
immediately contacted, which in turn alerted the Miami-Dade Fire Department. Owner/ Chef Allen Susser was also notified and arrived on the scene shortly thereafter to unlock the front
doors. Subsequent investigation by Lt. Vandesande of Fire Rescue revealed that a piece of wood in the mesquite burner had fallen out onto a rubber mat. Their was some structural damage as
well as to appliances.
Another Strike
Ladies, as I mentioned in a previous column, watch your purses when shopping in Victoria’s Secret. There was another wallet theft there. On January 4 at 5:45 p.m. Rosette Ourfali
noticed that her purse was open and her wallet missing. According to the police report she didn’t notice any unusual activity around her or any suspicious persons. Ms. Ourfali’s Brazilian
driver’s license, credit cards and money was a in the wallet when it was taken.
Lewd and Lascivious
A female visitor from Caracas was accosted by a bicyclist who pulled down his pants, masturbated and ejaculated in front of her on January 4 at 6 p.m. Faride Stevens was walking along
the William Lehman access road when a Black male on a small bicycle rode up to and began following her. He called for her attention and she turned to see him masturbating. She threatened
to call the police and kept walking. He reportedly rode after her laughing and taunting her, blocking her path and continuing his lewd actions. The perpetrator finally rode off in the
direction of the mall when he noticed a person on roller blades approaching. Police units subsequently checked the area but did not find the suspect.
Phyllis Huguenin can be reached at huguenotusa@msn.com
