Giancarlo Diago Cevallos

1 month ago | caplinnews.fiu.edu | Giancarlo Diago Cevallos

The regular Palmetto Bay village council meeting this past April 7 seemed typical. The mayor, vice-mayor and council members reviewed items like park fence replacement and consultancy analysis, with pauses for citizens to speak. But then, as citizens argued over an old and passionate issue, one small speaker approached the podium. An elementary school student, Katherine Baez Wallis presented a petition she started with her parents. It was signed by hundreds of the South Dade village’s residents.

2 months ago | caplinnews.fiu.edu | Giancarlo Diago Cevallos |Carla Carvallo

In the Miami Cancer Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida, is a victory bell. A rope hangs from it, waiting for its moment. The only people allowed to ring it in celebration are cancer patients who have completed their treatments, defeating the disease. Separately, by the pediatrics oncology wing is a victory gong, rather than a bell. It is enshrined in glass and flanked by two mallets. These quirky, victory percussion instruments represent the spirit of MCI. But MCI is at over-capacity.