Halloween is an annual holiday, celebrated each year on October 31, that has roots in age-old European traditions. It originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints; soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating and carving jack-o-lanterns. Around the world, as days grow shorter and nights get colder, people continue to usher in the season with gatherings, costumes and sweet treats. For more information, please visit http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween

Did you know… Autumn 2017 started on Friday, September 22, 2017 and ends on Thursday, December 21st 2017. In the astronomical calendar the start and end dates of autumn are based on the changing position of Earth in relation to the sun and the resulting solar events of equinoxes and solstices. In the Northern Hemisphere summer ends and autumn starts at the moment of the September equinox, which occurs every year on September 21 to 23. For more information, please visit http://www.calendarpedia.com/when-is/autumn.html

Greg Mendez, Peter Moore, Cris Betancourt, Patrick Kaimrajh, Jose Acosta, Ben Chen and Pamela Mu�oz of CMA attended the The Cuban-American Association of Civil Engineers (C-AACE) Seminar ~ Future of Cuban Infrastructure In Light of Political Realities ~ at the Miami Biltmore Hotel. Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart was the keynote speaker. The non-profilt organization has dedicated itself to issues affecting the engineering community, providing professional training, supporting members, and performing community outreach via academic scholarships and other initiatives. For more information, please visit http://c-aace.org/

Brightline, the only privately funded express intercity passenger rail system in the country, has earned the ﾓEagle Awardﾔ for the Fort Lauderdale Station by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Florida East Coast Chapter. Brightline, its contractor and subcontractors received five awards, including two Eagle Awards, a Free Enterprise Award, and awards for Electrical and Low Voltage Systems. CMA provided civil engineering services for the Ft. Lauderdale Station. For more information, please visit http://bit.ly/2gxOX3n

CMA staff members Jose L. Acosta, Patrick Kaimrajh, Miguel Lockward, Jose McCray, Pamela Mu�oz and Sathvika Ramaji attended the Miami-Dade County League of Cities (MDCLC) 7th Annual Best Practices Conference at the Hilton Miami Downtown Hotel. Through this conference, the MDCLC facilitated a venue for Cities as well as its associate members to find a distinctive forum where views were shared. The Mayor of the City of Miami Beach Phillip Levine was the luncheon keynote speaker. MDCLC was established in 1953 for the purpose of uniting the common interests of the municipalities within Miami-Dade County. For more information, please visit http://www.mdclc.org/