The 44 Percent: Miami-Dade’s tree-planting program, the Heat’s historic win, botched lethal injections, and film festivals

Last summer was the hottest summer of record and Miamians are bracing for another season of staggering heat. Miami-Dade County has appointed the world’s first chief heat officer and tasked her with executing solutions, like growing more trees.

A Herald investigation found that lower-income areas and communities of color bear the brunt of the complications accompanying the blistering heat. With fewer trees, residents complain of elevated electricity bills and an increased risk of heat-related complications.

The county says that its tree planting and giveaway programs prioritize “high heat areas” and “underserved communities” but a Herald analysis didn’t show a clear method for how trees are being distributed. However, according to the analysis, the planting programs weren’t more prevalent in areas with the fewest trees or limited economic means.

Last fall, the U.S. Department of Agriculture granted the program $10 million. With this additional money, time will tell if the reforestation and canopy preservation efforts will address the inequities with the county’s tree canopy.

Inside the 305

Heat shocks Celtics in Game 2 to even series at 1-1 behind historic three-point shooting display

On Wednesday, the Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics 111-101 and tied the first-round playoff series to 1-1.

The short-handed eighth-seeded Heat bounced back from a 20-point loss in Game 1, shocking the top-seeded Celtics 111-101 in Game 2 on Wednesday night at TD Garden to steal home-court advantage and even the first-round playoff series 1-1.

The Heat did it by setting a new franchise record for threes made in a playoff game, shooting 23 of 43 (53.5 percent) from three-point range. It’s also tied for the second-most threes the Heat has made in any game in franchise history.

Miami-area medical marijuana producer creates strain for Heat legend Udonis Haslem

Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem collaborated with the Flowery to produce a new marijuana strand, named 40 OG. It was released on April 20 —a date recognized as a national holiday for cannabis culture.

As for why Haslem got into the medical marijuana business to begin with, he pointed to the healing effects.

“For me, being a person who lives a very stressful life, in a very stressful environment, managing multiple things, it’s good for me get home at the end of the night, sit down, relax and medicate,” Haslem said, adding that medical marijuana could be useful for athletes who often endure “the traveling, the stress, the pains and the aches.”

And forever the advocate, Haslem wants to raise awareness about the medical marijuana industry as a whole.

Outside the 305

Black death row inmates suffer more botched lethal injections than white inmates: Report

Black inmates sentenced to death by lethal injection suffered a botched procedure at a higher rate than their white counterparts, according to anti-death penalty group Reprieve.

The report found that Black people had a 220 percent greater chance of suffering a botched lethal injection than white prisoners, regardless of whether the executioner used a one-drug or a three-drug protocol.

“It is well-established that the death penalty is infected with racial bias at every stage of the process,” the report states. “This report reveals that the racial disparities in capital punishment extend all the way into the execution chamber.”

Lethal injection was first introduced as a legal execution method in Oklahoma in 1977. Proponents argued it was a painless process that would take about five minutes, and the person would die less than two minutes after the final injection.

But Reprieve’s study found that more than a third of botched lethal injection executions lasted more than 45 minutes, and more than a quarter lasted for more than an hour. In 2022, a Black man in Alabama suffered the longest botched execution, more than three hours.

Live where the mayor works? Fort Lauderdale may add workforce housing to new city hall

With a median rent of $3,000, according to Zillow, Fort Lauderdale lacks affordable housing. To address this concern, residents have asked for affordable and workforce housing to be added to construction plans for Fort Lauderdale’s new city hall.

For the past five months, the city’s Infrastructure Task Force Advisory Committee has solicited feedback from city employees and residents on what they envision for the new city hall, which has a proposed budget of $200 million. The sessions yielded various recommendations, including wanting city hall to stay downtown and to include an affordable housing component.

While it would be a new concept in South Florida, other municipalities in the state and elsewhere have discussed or moved forward with plans to build housing for government workers on site. Last week, Sarasota approved a $7 million land purchase across from City Hall to build two 12-story towers with 192 workforce units, WFLA reported.

Culture

Khem Fest and Khem Animation Film Festival

A celebration of Black excellence in animation, gaming, innovation and entertainment technology is taking place this Saturday, April 27 at Miami Dade College’s Carrie P. Meek Entrepreneurial Education Center. Presented as part of Bite-Con Week, the event combines Khem Fest and Khem Animation Film Festival.

Khem Fest, founded by comic book creator and educator Naseed Gifted in 2015, is an annual festival and celebration of Black animation, gaming and comic book creators. The event aims to promote youth literacy and expression through S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) by showcasing and supporting creators of comics, animation, books, films and other media with a focus on people of color, their culture, concepts and interests.

This year marks the 10th Year Anniversary of Khem Fest in Miami, making it a milestone event you won’t want to miss.

Bite-Con is a conference designed to educate and raise awareness about Web 3.0, NFTs, the metaverse, blockchain, cryptocurrency, investing, entrepreneurship and eSports within the Black community.

Where does “The 44 Percent” name come from? Click here to find out how Miami history influenced the newsletter’s title.