Cashing in on state contracts becomes growth industry

TALLAHASSEE -- Even for Tallahassee standards, the scene was notable: lobbyist Brian Ballard dining with a nursing home executive, Gov. Rick Scott and a top aide at a pricey restaurant just blocks from the Capitol.That Ballard’s clout could command a private dinner with the governor for a client speaks to the influential lobbyist’s fundraising finesse. But equally important,...

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Double Take Celebrity Lookalikes

Stacy Keibler and Heidi Klum ETonline has found the lookalikes to the stars and, it turns out, it's their Hollywood peers. Click the pics and let us know if you think these celebs bear a resemblance to one another.  ...

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Child, 8, reportedly killed in LI apartment fire, more than 200 left homeless

HEMPSTEAD — Police say an apartment fire that spread to several buildings has forced 250 people from their homes, killed one and sent 11 to hospitals on Long Island.Nassau County police say one victim is in critical condition after fire Saturday morning in Hempstead. The rest have injuries that aren't seen as life-threatening.Police haven't released the...

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Mega mansion frenzy: Buyer snaps up Pat Riley’s $16M home to level it, rebuild

Miami Heat President Pat Riley sold his spectacular bayfront mansion in gated Gables Estates for $16.8 million last March.The 12,856-square-foot Mediterranean-style dream house at 180 Arvida Parkway has a theater, wine cellar, library, and a sprawling pool with waterfalls and an aqua bar.But that’s all coming down. Turns out the lure was the lot: a rare...

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Red light camera opponents find questionable champion in Rep. Campbell

Opponents of red-light cameras could have found a better advocate for their cause than state Rep. Daphne Campbell, D-Miami, who is sponsoring a bill to outlaw the practice.A Honda minivan registered to her husband, Hubert, has five red-light camera violations, according to records obtained by the Herald/Times from American Traffic Solutions, or ATS, a Scottsdale, Ariz. vendor...

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Jerry Lewis Max Rose Set Visit

Hollywood legend Jerry Lewis explores the dignity of aging, the value of family, and the power of marriage in his new movie Max Rose. The octogenarian star exclusively shares a day on the set of the upcoming film with ET, and also gives our young interviewer Tatiana Toomer a hard time – just for the fun of it.Pics: 13 Must-See Movies of 2013 Asked to explain his character in the film, he replies,...

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American, US Air boards close on merger decision

DALLAS — The boards of American Airlines parent AMR Corp. and US Airways could decide early next week whether to merge their two companies and create an airline rivaling the world's biggest.The AMR board is scheduled to meet Monday, and directors of US Airways Group Inc. planned to meet over the weekend or Monday, people close to the matter said on Friday.The...

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Sign up for Feb. 21 Miami Herald Small Business Forum

Prepare your best pitch for the Miami Herald’s Small Business Forum, Feb. 21 at the south campus of our sponsor, Florida International University.In addition to how-to panels and inspirational stories from successful entrepreneurs, our annual small business forum will include interactive opportunities with experts to learn about financing options and polish your personal...

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Green card ends terrible chapter for South Floridian

Juan José Correa Villalonga looked at the envelope, felt its contents and held it close to his chest, but he would not open it. He let his mother do it, because the permanent residence card inside represented long years of her struggles.And thus, the young Venezuelan became one of the few people who have been deported and later allowed to return to the United States. He is...

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'Escape from Planet Earth' Premiere

Jessica Alba, Jane Lynch, Craig Robinson and the rest of the voice cast of Escape from Planet Earth hit the red carpet on terra firma this week to premiere their fun new movie. Will Jessica's kids see the movie over and over and over? Watch the video highlights!Pics: 'Star Wars' Scoundrel Casting: Young Han Solo In theaters February 15, the out-of-this-world 3D animated comedy also features the vocal...

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Accused witch burned alive in Papua New Guinea

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea -- Assailants stripped, tortured and bound a woman accused of witchcraft, then burned her alive in front of hundreds of witnesses in a Papua New Guinea town, police said Friday after one of the highest profile sorcery-related murders in this South Pacific island nation.Some of the hundreds of bystanders took photographs of...

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Miami startup that turns text to video receives $1 million in seed funding

Guide, a new technology startup based in Miami, announced Tuesday it has closed a $1 million round of seed funding from investors including the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Sapient Corp., MTV founder Bob Pitman, actor and producer Omar Epps, and early Google employee Steve Schimmel. The Knight Foundation is supporting Guide through its new early-stage venture...

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Judge angered after learning mentally ill Miami man was placed in assisted living facility, and escaped

After Cristobal Abreu was arrested for stabbing a Hialeah SWAT officer with a large BBQ fork in December 2009, doctors deemed his mind too ravaged by mental illness to stand trial.For years, he bounced around mental health facilities.Then a stay at a Miami Gardens assisted living facility, where funds for his medications ran out and his mental state deteriorated, ended last...

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Justin Timberlake Reveals New Album Cover for 20 20 Experience

We're one step closer to The 20/20 Experience!Justin Timberlake just dropped a major treat for his fans on Twitter, revealing the cover art and track listing to his upcoming solo album, The 20/20 Experience."I wanted you guys to see this first!!!," wrote Timberlake with a link to the cover (featuring the singer dressed to the nines behind a phoropter) and song titles.Pics: Justin & Jessica's Long...

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Upper West Side molestation trial in jury deadlock

A Manhattan jury deadlocked today in the molestation trial of an Upper West Side school aide, with only five out of 12 jurors believing the nine-year-old alleged victim's account of repeated unwanted stripping and "massaging" in the boy's room and auditorum.Gregory Atkins, 57, remains accused of on four occasions last winter bringing the boy into a bathroom...

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Miami startup that turns text to video receives $1 million in seed funding

Guide, a new technology startup based in Miami, announced Tuesday it has closed a $1 million round of seed funding from investors including the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Sapient Corp., MTV founder Bob Pitman, actor and producer Omar Epps, and early Google employee Steve Schimmel. The Knight Foundation is supporting Guide through its new early-stage venture...

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6 Miami-Dade cops fired or suspended for loafing

A Miami-Dade police sergeant and two officers have been fired, and three others have been suspended, capping a two-year investigation into accusations that they ignored emergency calls, filed false police reports and lied about calls they handled, Miami-Dade police spokeswoman Nancy Perez said Tuesday.The Miami-Dade Internal Affairs Bureau launched the investigation into...

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Jessica Chastain Reveals Her Oscars Date Will Be Her Grandmother

Who will arrive arm-in-arm with Jessica Chastain on Oscar Sunday?The 35-year-old beauty, who is nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her work in Zero Dark Thirty, tells ET she plans to bring a very special date to Hollywood's biggest night!"I'm going to take my grandmother to the Oscars," beamed Jessica at The Hollywood Reporter's award season bash at Spago in Los Angeles on Monday. "We...

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Former Liu fund-raiser sent to the loony bin

The former fund-raiser charged with scheming to funnel illegal campaign contributions to embattled city Comptroller John Liu has been sent to the nuthouse, further delaying his trial.Xing Wu “Oliver” Pan is “involuntarily committed in connection with a mental-health condition” and undergoing treatment, Manhattan federal Judge Richard Sullivan said in court...

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Report calls Florida business incentives “corporate welfare’’

TALLAHASSEE -- A government watchdog group and a conservative advocacy group blasted Florida’s government Tuesday for the hundreds of millions of dollars it gives to corporations, blaming the state’s public-private jobs agency for “pay-to-play” cronyism and “corporate welfare.”A new report by Integrity Florida and Koch brothers-funded Americans for Prosperity highlights...

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Jury: Man deserves execution for slaying of elderly Little Havana woman

A Miami man should be executed for the savage stabbing of an elderly Little Havana woman in December 2000, a jury decided Monday night.By a 7-5 vote, jurors recommended that Victor Guzman be executed for the slaying of 80-year-old Severina Dolores Fernandez. In September, the same jury convicted Guzman of first-degree murder.Using a DNA match, police linked Guzman, 39, to...

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Carpet Countdown: Directors Turn Fans at DGAs

Filmmakers like Ben Affleck, Kathryn Bigelow and Tom Hooper have provided inspiration for young up-and-comers, who hope to reach their level of greatness, but who do the Oscar-nominated directors look up to? Click the video to find out.RELATED: Hot Looks of the Oscar Lunche...

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FTC corrects language on Herbalife

The Federal Trade Commission today corrected its earlier statement that Herbalife was the subject of a “law enforcement investigation.” In response to a Freedom of Information Act request by The Post, the FTC said some complaints against the company were withheld because the information was “obtained through a law enforcement investigation.”The agency said...

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Register for our free Business Plan Bootcamp

Whether you are planning to enter the Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge or want to refine a short business plan you already have, our free Business Plan Bootcamp later this month can help. Melissa Krinzman, a veteran Business Plan Challenge judge and managing director of Venture Architects, will be leading a panel of experts who will give you advice on crafting a short...

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Aqua Foundation for Women to honor allies including Cristina Saralegui, NAACP

South Florida’s largest lesbian organization on Thursday will honor its allies: Cristina Saralegui, the straight Cuban-American television talk-show host; the NAACP; and a gay male couple who have been high-profile volunteers. “It’s vital that we appreciate and show our appreciation to those who make our community a better place to live and help the movement move forward,”...

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Take-Two delays launch of Grand Theft Auto V video game

(Reuters) – Take-Two Interactive Software Inc said on Thursday it has pushed back the launch of the latest game from its hit “Grand Theft Auto” franchise to September 17 from its previously announced release window of spring 2013.Shares of Take-Two were down six percent at $ 12.31 in early afternoon trading on the Nasdaq.The delay was to allow Take-Two’s Rockstar Games studio, which develops “Grand...

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Stars React to Super Bowl Power Outage

During the second half of the Super Bowl on Sunday, power was lost in half of the stadium, halting the game for 35 minutes and sending the twitterverse into frenzy. Here are some of the reactions from the stars:PICS: Stars Flock to Super Bowl XLVII Rosie O'Donnell: "If this were a movie - fireworks would go off - and the joker would show up - snarling at Gotham."Elizabeth Banks: "Oh um. Did not see...

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Deadly deserts

Ralph Peters Violence in Allah’s name in northern Africa won’t end in my lifetime — and probably not in yours. The core question is: To what extent can the savagery be contained?From the Atlantic coastline to the Suez Canal, struggling governments, impoverished populations and frankly backward societies struggle to find paths to modernization...

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Digital Debrief: David Klock getting down to Business

David R. Klock took the helm of Florida International University’s College of Business as dean, on Oct. 1, after serving in a similar role at the University of Alabama-Birmingham’s School of Business.A milkman’s son who earned a doctorate in finance, Klock’s career has spanned leadership positions in both academia and business.Soon after he arrived at FIU, Klock began holding...

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