The 32nd International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA) takes place on Saturday, May 4 at Coral Springs Center for the Arts. One of the leading awards show for Caribbean music, the awards is traditionally one of music's biggest and brightest nights.

The organizers of the event says this year the night will be one of "glitz, glamour and grandeur," starting with the red carpet arrival of celebrities at 6 p.m., a VIP reception and the electrifying awards ceremony which begins at 8 p.m.

The awards produced by Martin's International Culture of Chicago was first established in 1982 with the mission of acknowledging and honoring the accomplishments and contributions of reggae and world music artists, including songwriters, performers, promoters and musicians. The awards show has been staged in various American cities annually including Atlanta, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, New Orleans, New York as well as Montego Bay and Ocho Rios in Jamaica. The impetus behind IRAWMA is its commitment to promoting greater participation and acceptance of reggae, Caribbean and world music, internationally.

According to the CEO of Martin's International Culture, Ephraim Martin, nominees for awards are selected by "experts in the music industry," after which the general public votes for winners in respective categories by Internet and via newspapers.

After years of going without any significant increase in salaries, Florida public sector workers are likely to receive one, based on joint action taken during the current sitting of the Florida Legislature.
Last week Florida's House and Senate agreed to a $1,400 across-the- board increase for state employees earning below $40,000 per annum, and a $1,000 increase for workers earning above $40,000. In addition, workers who are evaluated to have performed with merit would qualify for a merit increase of up to $600. The increases are scheduled to take effect October this year.
For several years, and more so since the impact of the Great Recession in 2008, the salaries and benefits of state employees have been manipulated, frozen or cut, in an effort to balance the state's budget. However, in an economic environment with jobs difficult to find, most workers, the majority who earn less than $40,000 annually, had little alternative but to stick it out without an increase. At least, those who had not enjoyed the privilege of a salary increase were at an advantage over workers who were laid off for budgetary reasons.
For this reason some state-workers say they are "really appreciative" to get this increase. An employee of the state's health services in Miami admits it was "rough" not getting a salary increase for the past seven years, but she also admitted to be "much more fortunate" than some of her peers who were terminated because their positions were made redundant, or asked to take early retirement. She said, "I definitely look forward to the increase, it's not a whole lot, but it will help."
With the starting range of the salaries of some state employees in the $18,000's some employees earning below $40,000 will receive increases ranging from 3.5 to 8 percent, and higher if they qualify for the merit increase.

Early voting began on Monday in important regional elections to be held on May 14. These include the special referendum to approve the Miami-Dade County Commission's decision to provide funding to assist in the renovation of the Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, and the keenly contested mayoral elections in North Miami.
The special referendum is eagerly sought by the management of the Miami Dolphins, as the planned renovation is among the strategies being deployed by the Dolphins to be approved later this month by the National Football League (NFL) to host Super Bowl 50 in 2016.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giminez and county commissioners agreed on a proposal to increase the county hotel tax by one percent to provide the Dolphins $289 million over 26 years in monthly payments. The county argues that if the Dolphins host either Super-Bowl 50 or 51, and top international sporting and other events at the renovated stadium, the county stands to gain significant financial benefits.
The Dolphins are also seeking an additional $90 million from the Florida Legislature and unless the legislators approve this funding by the end of this week, the referendum could be cancelled. If cancelled, the ballots cast since Monday would not be disclosed.
There is strong opposition to either the state or Miami-Dade County approving funding for the stadium's renovation. However, this hasn't deterred the Dolphins' organization from launching an aggressive campaign to woo legislatures and county voters.
North Miami elections

The experience of 62 year-old Beulah Rush, a Miami resident for the past 25 years, encapsulates many of the problems faced by undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
Rush came to the U.S. on a visitor's visa from the Caribbean in 1988. Although she planned on returning to her homecountry after a six-month visit, she married an American with whom she said she had fallen in love, and together they were expecting a child. However, soon after the wedding, she was abandoned and divorced by her husband who never filed for her to get permanent residency, as he had promised.
Her daughter was born in Fort Lauderdale in 1989, and Rush survived by alternating in jobs as a nursing aid, domestic helper and restaurant cook. However, after the terrorist attack on the U.S. in September 2001, things changed. She was unable to renew her driver's license, which was crucial for her to get to and from work and the job market, even as a domestic helper required proof of permanent residency.
In 2002, Rush again tried the route of marriage to obtain her green card, but after paying $2,200 to "a man who a friend recommended" to marry her, the West Palm Beach man did not show up on the planned wedding day, and she has never heard of, or seen him since.