The 44 Percent: Miami HOAs, A Different World, Lauryn Hill, Megan Thee Stallion
If there’s one bit of advice the late poet and author Maya Angelou has left us with it’s this: “When someone shows you who they are, believe them.”
Which is why The Fugees canceling their show isn’t a surprise. The lead singer and rapper, Ms. Lauryn Hill is flaky and has gained a reputation among fans for her lateness. Fellow rapper in the group, Pras Michel, is embattled with legal troubles.
But rather than take personal accountability for her lateness, Ms. Hill blamed media “sensationalism” for low ticket sales. Blaming the media – as so many do – is a cop out for the behavior Ms. Hill has exhibited as told by fans who have been disappointed by her tardiness.
I don’t plan on buying any tickets to see her at all. So, for those that do, I keep wondering why haven’t you heeded Maya Angelou’s wisdom?
INSIDE THE 305:
Condo HOA fees jumped 60% in South Florida in past 5 years. Why higher costs are ahead
Rising HOA fees and condo assessment have South Florida residents worried about the costs. The Miami Herald’s Rebecca San Juan wrote about why the costs are higher:
South Florida condo owners, burdened by spiraling insurance, repair bills and a new state law, saw their association fees shoot up nearly 60% over the past five years — driving some to consider difficult financial decisions to make their next HOA payment.
Miami-Dade County’s median monthly condo association fee of $900 from April through June this year is up more than 59% from the $567 fee over the same stretch in 2019, according to data from Redfin.
Broward faced a similar wave of condo costs: HOA fees jumped more than 56% to $613 this year, from $392 over the same three-month period in 2019.
Miami-Dade plans to build the biggest waste-to-energy facility in the country
If you’ve been following the conversations surrounding Miami-Dade County’s incinerator, here is the latest update from Herald reporter Ashley Miznazi:
The aging incinerator that burned down last year in Doral processed half of Miami-Dade’s trash, forcing the county to ship the garbage some 100 miles north.
If all goes to plan, it could be replaced by what is billed as the largest waste-to-energy facility ever built in the United States. The controversial question about where it will go, however, remains undecided.
AtkinsRéalis, the county’s consulting firm for the project, on Tuesday unveiled preliminary designs for a facility that would handle 50 percent more waste than the one burned beyond repair in February 2023. That older generation waste-to-energy operation burned nearly 1.5 million tons of trash a year but also drew constant complaints from neighbors about foul smells.
OUTSIDE THE 305:
According to Variety, an “A Different World” sequel is in the works at Netflix. The original series chronicled Black co-eds at Hillman College, a fictional HBCU set in Virginia (Atlanta HBCUs Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University were used for exterior shots). The spinoff will focus on the daughter of Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert-Wayne and her time at Hillman. The show is in early development, but Variety reports conversations with original cast members on “interest and availability has been positive.” Debbie Allen and Gina Prince-Bythewood are a few of the executive producers attached to the spinoff.
How U.S. citizen became a victim of Dominican official when trying to cross into Haiti
Herald reporter Jacqueline Charles chronicles the assault of a U.S. Army sergeant, who tried to cross into Haiti from the Dominican Republic. Per her reporting:
Retired U.S. Army sergeant major Guy Theus knows that trying to cross into Haiti from the neighboring Dominican Republic can be a chaotic venture as motorists, motorcyclists and pedestrians all compete at once for passage through wrought-iron gates.
But what he was unaware of is that trying to cross the border on the island of Hispaniola, which the two nations share, could also leave him with a bruised right temple after a Dominican official assumed he was because is he Black he is Haitian — and that he could do anything to him and get away with it.
HIGH CULTURE:
Megan Thee Stallion video, Latto new album drops Friday
The rap girlies are releasing tomorrow! Megan Thee Stallion drops her anticipated video for viral hit “Mamushi” off her self-titled and third album “Megan.” The video drops at 10 a.m., but you watch a live performance of the track on Megan’s YouTube channel ahead of the official video release. And one of Atlanta’s finest, rapper Latto drops her latest album “Sugar Honey Iced Tea” at midnight.
