Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

We're fast approaching the holiday weekend so, as usual, SFDB's Weekend Widget has risen to the top of the right sidebar for your reference. Here's a few of the posts that were composed as you slept last night.

A- Plans for Virginia Key were revealed last night and the Spokes 'n' Folks were there.

The latest plans for development of Virginia Key were presented to an attentive roomful tonight at the Museum of Science in Miami. The City of Miami's consultants rolled out an impressive array of ideas for Miami Marine Stadium and just about every other square foot of the barrier island that hasn't been built on or declared a nature preserve. I was relieved to hear that three miles of mountain bike trails are in the plans, along with a course for BMX competition and many multi-use paths for getting around without a car.

B- Sex and the Beach discovers that getting your car washed on Biscayne Boulevard can be quite the experience these days.

Europa Car Wash is part of this rising trend to remodel gas stations into something better than a place to buy crack and turn tricks on Biscayne Boulevard. Inside, the place looks like a Starbucks-turned-club-VIP-lounge, complete with funky glass chandeliers, cow-fur upholstered chairs and beaded curtains. Coffee, sandwiches and desserts tempt motorists while a cold beverage cooler filled with sodas and imported beers takes care of thirst.

C- South Florida Theatre Scene continues his critique of the Miami Herald's coverage of the South Florida theater scene.

D- If you've never heard of the Miami Rivers Cops case you might want to stop by Miami Beach 411 where who else but Carlos Miller details Miami's most notorious example of police corruption.

The Miami River Cops case marked the end of the most violent and vicious era in the history of Miami

It was an era that began with Colombian cocaine cowboys shooting it out on the streets of Miami in 1979. And then intensified the following year with an inner-city riot and the Mariel boatlift. And saw its peak in 1982 when Miami became the Murder Capital of the World for the second year in a row.

This was the era of Scarface. Miami Vice. An era when everybody was making money off the cocaine trade, whether you were directly involved or not.

E- Bark Bark Woof Woof has the details on the latest terrorist threat in New York that was broken up without anyone being tortured. Amazing stuff.


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