UCF suspends socials for fraternities, sororities

It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact moment when the University of Central Florida decided that the behavior of its Greek student organizations was out of control — after all, UCF fraternities and sororities have been caught breaking the rules on dozens of occasions in only the last couple of years.A recent Sigma Chi photo posted on Facebook, however, sticks out as one of...

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UM, county clash with owner of mall over pedestrian overpass above U.S.-1

After several University of Miami students have been killed or seriously injured trying to cross busy U. S. 1 to get to popular retail spots on the other side, Miami-Dade County has finally approved building a Mediterranean-styled pedestrian bridge across the highway. But the project has come to a standstill after the owner of the mall, University Centre, has refused to cooperate.The...

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Miami’s Mailman Center helping change the way society views developmentally disabled children

The seeds of the Mailman Center for Child Development were sown on a tennis court during a match more 50 years ago, a conversation between a U.S. president’s sister and the director of a university pediatric department about how best to serve special needs children.They both knew something about that world: Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s sister, Rosemary, was developmentally disabled...

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Miami police to enforce teen curfew

Miami police began enforcing a teen curfew Wednesday, although they insisted this was not in response to a recent series of shootings in the city..According to the Juvenile Curfew Ordinance, it is against the law for children younger than 17 to be out on their own in Miami-Dade County between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. from Sunday through Thursday. On Friday and Saturday, curfew...

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Little Havana condo owners get little help as units collapse

When a group of Little Havana condominium owners realized in 2009 that there were serious structural problems in the properties they had just bought, they sought help from several local officials. They called Miami building inspectors. They wrote letters to the directors of the city and county programs that helped finance their purchases with nearly $1 million in public funds....

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Miami Marlins hold ballpark organist tryouts

For the first time since the team's inception in 1993, the Miami Marlins held open auditions for an organist Monday night at their new stadium.Several local musicians showed up to vie for the special gig.The chosen organist will be responsible for performing songs such as Take Me Out to the Ballgame, Let's Go Fish and Clap and Stomp at all 81 home games next season. ...

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Miami group lauds immigration reform efforts

Each year, the Miami-based Americans for Immigrant Justice generally honors immigrants who succeed in winning asylum or a green card against all odds. Things will be a little different this time.The organization will be celebrating bipartisanship at its 17th annual gala on March 7, as Republicans and Democrats begin working toward immigration reform. ...

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Miami Dolphins hopeful on stadium referendum date

The Miami Dolphins are hopeful the Miami-Dade County Commission will approve a May 14 date for a referendum on the $400 rehabilitation of their stadium, time enough to get South Florida in play for Super Bowl 50, a Dolphins spokesman said Saturday.Spokesman Ric Katz said the language of the proposed referendum has yet to be decided, and ultimately the commission decides the...

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Shots fired as Hialeah police attempt to stop a stolen vehicle, perimeter set up in search of suspects

A perimeter has been set up in Hialeah as police search for car thieves after shots were fired in an attempt to stop the vehicle.According to Hialeah police Sergeant Eddie Rodriguez, shots were fired as police approached a stolen blue mini-van in an attempt to make a stop. The occupants then fled and crashed into an occupied vehicle around the corner at East 6th Avenue. and...

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Are Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake coming to South Florida? It seems likely

The rumored Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z tour appears closer to reality — and a South Florida show is in the plans.First, bloggers hinted the Legend of the Summer Tour would take place in at least 12 outdoor venues across the U.S.Then Thursday night, Jay-Z's lifestyle website, Life + Times, coyly posted photos of 12 stadiums — including Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens,...

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U.S. Supreme Court ruling affects many immigrant convicts in South Florida

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling Wednesday shuts the door on appeals for hundreds of Floridians convicted in the past of crimes for which they could be deported.The high court, in Chaidez v. United States, ruled that immigrants convicted of certain crimes before 2010 cannot appeal their cases if their criminal defense lawyer did not properly warn them of deportation.Wednesday’s...

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Cuban blogger Yoani Sánchez to speak at Miami’s Freedom Tower

Dissident Cuban blogger Yoani Sánchez, who is on a world tour after 10 years of being barred from leaving her homeland, plans to visit Miami April 1 and speak at the iconic Freedom Tower.“It is such an honor to not only have Yoani speak at what we affectionately call Democracy’s College, but also at the Freedom Tower. I can think of no better venue for this historic conversation...

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Work begins on State Road A1A repairs in Fort Lauderdale

The battered section of northern Fort Lauderdale’s shoreline will start to take its former shape this week, when pieces of a 2,600-foot-long sea wall made of corrugated steel are installed.The repairs, initiated to undo the damage left by Hurricane Sandy in October, will not be complete before spring break or possibly the Fort Lauderdale Air Show in April, Florida Department...

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The builders of the Sen. Marco Rubio brand

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Marco Rubio is on a breathless rise, a testament to his political skill and demographic appeal that last week saw him delivering the Republican State of the Union response and appearing on the cover of Time as “The Republican Savior.”But behind the scenes is a relentless, methodical effort to build the Rubio brand, aided by a team of strategists and media...

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The Miami Beach cop and the meth dealers: a tawdry tale

While other cops strived for the big bust or sergeant’s stripes, George Navarro Jr. had other aspirations. The Miami Beach patrolman yearned for the ultimate score, his friends told investigators: to engineer an epic drug deal, one that would make him rich and allow him to leave law enforcement behind.They called it the “Coke Dream.”That dream is dead now, as may be Navarro’s...

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‘Alarmed’ by missing cash from Hollywood evidence room, city official calls for a full review

Saying he was “alarmed” to learn that as much as $175,000 in cash could be missing from the police department’s evidence vault, Hollywood Assistant City Manager Frank Fernandez asked Friday for a full review and meeting with anyone who was aware of problems there.Fernandez, who was hired in August, said although he had been briefed by outgoing Police Chief Chad Wagner, he...

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Miami-Dade packed for weekend of events

Lured by sailboats and megayachts, urban street art and Romero Britto — and, of course, the lack of snow — thousands of visitors are expected to pour into Miami-Dade this holiday weekend.The activities started Thursday morning with the opening day of the 72nd annual Progressive Miami International Boat Show at the Miami Beach Convention Center and the Yacht & Brokerage...

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86 degrees: Last time it was this hot in Fort Lauderdale, FDR was president

Did it feel hot Wednesday for a February in Fort Lauderdale?The thermostat hit 86 degrees, breaking the city’s previous record of 85 degrees set in 1935 for a February 13.“There’s only a handful of those old records left on the books,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Stephen Konarik, of the 78-year-old record that fell to our current unseasonably hot weather....

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‘Tony Montana’ pleads guilty to millions in jewel thefts

Eight months after his arrest in a South Beach hotel, the jeweler who called himself “Tony Montana” pleaded guilty Tuesday to organizing the thefts of and later reselling millions of dollars worth of diamonds and other jewels.Juan Guardarrama, 49, received a reduced prison sentence of 10 years in exchange for cooperating with authorities on other cases related to the criminal...

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Related could give jolt to long overdue Watson Island development plans

The long overdue development of Watson Island, stalled for a dozen years by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and a collapsed economy, may have received a huge jolt when New York’s Related Companies agreed to study the plan and possibly join forces in its development. Developer Mehmet Bayraktar, who won the right to develop on the waterfront crown jewel back in 2001, said Monday...

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