Note from the news editors: UM News Briefs are a new segment from The Miami Hurricane. News briefs provide a weekly snapshot of life at the University of Miami, in Miami and sometimes around the state, country or world. Stay up to date with UM News Briefs.
THIS WEEK AT THE U
Join ALAS for Canesfiesta: The World’s Hottest Party
On April 6 at 6:30 p.m. UM’s Alliance of Latin American Students (ALAS) will host their annual Canesfiesta, a celebration of Latin American culture on campus.
“It’s going to be a fun final sendoff celebration before summer,” Rebecca Menendez, president of ALAS, said. “It puts together all of our favorite things.”
There will be food, giveaways, games, and live performances for all attendees to enjoy. ALAS will also be celebrating Dia de los Americas, an international holiday that celebrates Central, South and North American cultures.
A Conversation: Disability and the Health Care System
UM’s Phi Delta Epsilon and Disability Ambassadors are hosting a panel on Monday, April 3, at 7:30 p.m. to discuss disabilities and the healthcare system.
Dr. Ashley Falcon and Dr. Andrew Porter are both professors in the public health program at UM and will be two panelists among others speaking to those interested in entering the medical field.
U KNOW MIAMI
Tenants forced to evacuate after Miami building fails fire inspection
Tengants who live and work in the historic Huntington Building in downtown Miami were forced to evacuate on March 23 after the structure was deemed unsafe.
Dozens of code enforcement officers and crews with the City of Miami Fire Rescue swarmed in and forced out more than 70 businesses housed at 168 Southeast 1st Street in downtown Miami.
A few days later, a police officer posted an unsafe structures notice on the front door as tenants took out some of their belongings and furniture.
According to the City of Miami, a fire inspection found illegal remodeling near a fire exit that resulted in a safety hazard.
Some tenants began to believe that ulterior motives were at play and their quick eviction was the result of an investor’s development plans.
There are currently no public plans with a developer for this building, but tenants are now left without a space to work.
IN CASE U MISSED IT
Manatee Bay County becomes a second amendment sanctuary
The Manatee county Commission voted on Tuesday to become Florida’s latest Second Amendment Sanctuary, a jurisdiction that has taken a stance against restrictions on gun ownership by state or federal laws. More than 40 of Florida’s 67 counties have established similar policies.
According to County Attorney Bill Clague, the resolution declares the county’s support of the Second Amendment right to bear arms.
County officials discussed adopting the policy in February and the board, made up of seven conservative Republicans, expected no problems approving the resolution.
According to the resolution, “Manatee County will take no action whatsoever to jeopardize, diminish or impair our residents’ Second Amendment rights and will legally defend against laws seeking in any way to jeopardize, diminish or impair such rights.”
The board voted 6-1 to approve the resolution, with Commissioner George Kruse voting against the measure.
Kentucky legislators vote to override the governor’s veto on an anti-trans law
The Kentucky legislature voted on Wednesday to override the governor’s veto of a bill that will create a package of restrictions and regulations on transgender youth.
The bill was vetoed on Friday, March 24 by Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat, but was overridden in both the State House and Senate, where Republicans hold supermajorities.
The law bans surgeries, puberty blockers and hormone therapy for children under 18. It also compels doctors to stop treating patients who are undergoing gender-transition care, adding that if physicians deem that ceasing treatment is likely to “harm the minor,” they can set a time frame to phase out treatment.
The law is part of a wave of legislation filed by Republican state legislatures in recent years to regulate the lives of transgender youth. At least 10 states have passed bans on transition care, including Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Tennessee and Utah.