Ahh Welcome Back to Miami

North Miami man killed in home invasion
By TIM HENDERSON
thenderson@MiamiHerald.com

A 63-year-old North Miami man was shot to death Easter morning, and three family members injured in the city's second fatal home-invasion robbery this month.

Wilser Delne was shot in his bedroom at the Kings Apartments, 13285 Northeast Sixth Avenue, after two men broke down the apartment door about 1 a.m.

His wife, Marie Delne, 49, was also shot in the bedroom and his children Markinson Delne, 20, and a 17-year-old daughter were stabbed in another area of the apartment. The daughter got away and ran to a neighbor's apartment for help.

Police found Markinson Delne on the living room floor, bleeding profusely from a stab wound to the neck, and shut down traffic so a rescue helicopter could land on the street outside.

Wilser Delne was pronounced dead at Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital. The three other family members were released after treatment at the hospital, police said.

The last fatal home invasion in North Miami was on April 7, when a gunfight broke out between burglars and a homeowner on Northwest Miami Court, about 14 blocks away, killing the owner and two robbers. There's no apparent connection between the two cases, Major Ron Simpson said.

1. Because it is especially awful to die on Easter. 2. Shutting down traffic in an effort to save someone is unforgivable. 3. Why the hell are they talking about the unconnected break in? GOD!

Nice

Suspected burglar/rapist got away in detectives' car
BY NOAH BIERMAN
nbierman@Miami.Herald.com

Detectives handcuffed and charged a man with rape and burglary Thursday morning. But he got away from the detectives -- in their car, with their gun.

''Somehow, he managed to get himself in the front seat and drove off,'' said Miami-Dade Police Det. Nelda Fonticiella.

Carlos Garay, 34, is now a wanted man. Police recovered their unmarked 2003 Green Dodge Intrepid, with the gun still in it at about noon near the intersection of 97th avenue and Coral Way. They set up a perimeter and were still looking for Garay as of 12:20.

They have yet to figure out how two detectives let him slip.

''We need to talk to investigators and find out exactly how this whole thing went down,'' Fonticiella said.

Garay was wearing handcuffs. But he was apparently able to climb a car seat and drive while wearing them, not an easy feat, according to Fonticiella.

''He's a big guy,'' she said, pointing out that he carries 220 pounds on his 5'8'' frame.

Fonticiella said it's standard for police to leave keys in their car while holding prisoners in the back because leaving them in the heat of the day without cool air tends to aggravate the situation. She's not sure where the detectives were as Garay made his break.

Garay is accused of two rapes between September and December 2005. Police matched his DNA and, after surveilance, arrested him at about 8:30 a.m. Thursday at S.W. 140th Avenue and S.W. 48th Street, in West Miami-Dade County.

''We are assuming that he's still in handcuffs,'' Fonticiella said. ``unless he somehow managed to get out of them.''

Fat Kid Is Truly Fat

So Fat Kid and Grouper decided to go get Greek for dinner. It is sad when Greek is exotic but hey if it doesn't contain yucca, Miami doesn't like it. FK has discovered herself dreaming of her dinner...planning out exactly what she will order and in which sequence. So, today, Fat Kid has truly earned her name. Opa!

Ms. Kripalani, Thank You!

Suspicious fire burns boat in Hialeah
By JASMINE KRIPALANI
jkripalani@miamiherald.com

A boat next to a warehouse in Hialeah burned early this morning and Hialeah fire officials labeled it ''suspicious'', Hialeah Fire Rescue dispatcher Carlos Estrada said.

The fire began at about 2:52 a.m. at East 10th Avenue and 30th Street. No one was injured in the fire.

FK feels enriched. Such hard hitting, relevant journalism.

Fk's Favorite is A Visit to the Gulag

EDUCATION
Dade district plans to yank book about Cuban children
School officials said they would pull a book with pictures of a Cuban communist youth group from grade school library shelves.
BY PETER BAILEY
pbailey@MiamiHerald.com

A children's book may be removed from dozens of elementary school libraries throughout the district because it contains themes from Cuba's communist regime.

The book, Vamos a Cuba (A Visit to Cuba), is available at 33 schools, district officials say.

A portrait of kids outfitted as Pioneers -- Cuba's communist youth group -- is emblazoned across the book's cover. Inside pages show scenes of a joyous carnival held on July 26, the anniversary of the Cuban revolution.

After seeing the book, the parent of a Marjory Stoneman Douglas Elementary student promptly contacted officials at the West Miami-Dade school.

''The parent was offended with the book's content,'' district spokesman Joseph Garcia said Wednesday. ``We're following School Board procedure to have the book removed from library shelves.''

First, a committee at the school will review the book's material, followed by district officials. If it's determined that censoring the book will not infringe on a student's right to a well-rounded education, a ruling will then be made on removing it.

In a memo sent Tuesday to board members, Superintendent Rudy Crew outlined his concerns: ``The book has content and pictures that are reflective of the current Communist regime. Staff is following approved School Board rules to remove the book from all libraries.''

Garcia said this is the first time he is aware of school officials removing a book for those reasons.

The book was reviewed by a number of journals, including Publisher's Weekly. It is available through the Miami-Dade public library system, Garcia said.

The book is part of a travel series by Heinemann/Raintree, a Chicago-based publishing house that specializes in nonfiction books for classrooms and school libraries.

Officials at the publishing house say they were unaware of the controversy, but will investigate the district's concerns.

'We care greatly about our customers' concerns and we will look into this matter,'' said executive editor Tracey Crawford.

The publisher's website says the series is intended to help readers understand what it's like to be a child in another land. The books are geared toward children ages 5-7 in grades K-2. Other titles include A Visit to Colombia, A Visit to Costa Rica and A Visit to Puerto Rico.


Only in Goddamn Miami. Did the book say, "Hey Kids! Communism is great! Capitalism is bad and you will burn in the funeral pyre of your dollars once the proletariat rises?" Or even "Viva Che?" No? That didn't happen? Rather the book simply showed children in an outfit of a common youth club aka a book in America with kids in scout uniforms? It showed kids celebrating some sort of national holiday? Oh, if only we had that here...oh wait, we do. Way to foster immense cultural intolerance and hatred, great parents of Miami. Yet, you are insanely proud of your roots...do you just stop your history at 1959? There seems to be some other school of thought, outside that of democracy, that insists on only one side of the political argument be heard...

A Bday Gift to the Grouper

Man struck and killed in parking lot identified
By SHANNON PEASE
spease@MiamiHerald.com

The Florida Highway Patrol has identified a man who was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver early Monday morning in the parking lot of a Walgreens.

The victim, Ronald E. Upperdite, 42, of Coral Springs, was either standing or ''possibly lying in the roadway'' in the parking lot at 2711 W. Sunrise Boulevard near Fort Lauderdale when he was struck, FHP said.

A witness saw a white van with a blue stripe leave the parking lot at the time of the 5:45 a.m. accident.

Upperdite was taken to Broward General Medical Center where he was pronounced dead shortly before 7 a.m.

Anyone who saw the incident is asked to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.

The "possibly lying in the roadway" made this article a keeper. It surprisingly has more details than previous articles. Could the Herald be recruiting better writers?