Miami police union challenges officer’s firing for fatal shooting

The Fraternal Order of Police filed a lawsuit against the city of Miami on Friday, asserting that an officer who fatally shot an unarmed motorist in 2011 was improperly fired from the police department.Officer Reynaldo Goyos shot and killed Travis McNeil as he sat in a car at a Little Haiti intersection. It was one of a string of seven deadly shootings of black men in the...

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Buzzmakers: Prince Michael Reports for ET and Mindy McCready Dies

What had ETOnline readers buzzing this week?1. Prince Michael Jackson is New ET Correspondent Having grown up in show business, Prince Michael proved to be a gifted interviewer as he conducted his first sit-down as an ET correspondent.Michael Jackson's 16-year-old son impressed Oz the Great and Powerful stars James Franco and Zach Braff as well as director Sam Raimi with his confidence and competence...

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Gerard Depardieu gets Russian home address

REUTERSGerard Depardieu shows off his passport with residency permit today.MOSCOW — French actor Gerard Depardieu has a new permanent address in Russia.Depardieu had sought Russian citizenship as part of his battle against a proposed super tax on millionaires in France. President Vladimir Putin granted him a Russian passport last month, and on Saturday...

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South Florida hospitals could lose $368 million from sequestration

A detailed survey shows that South Florida hospitals could lose $368 million over 10 years in federal budget cuts starting next Friday, if the sequestration program kicks in as scheduled.The Florida Hospital Association, using data from the American Hospital Association, estimates that over the next decade, sequestration would cause Miami-Dade hospitals to lose $223.9 million...

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‘Pain & Gain,’ a movie based on South Florida murders, is a painful reminder to victims’ families

Their dark schemes, hatched amid steroids and dumbbells, strip clubs and exotic women, ended in spasms of shocking violence.A millionaire businessman stripped of his fortune, tortured for weeks and left for dead in a burning car wreck. And a wealthy Hungarian couple murdered, their bodies hacked up and scattered in drums and buckets across South Florida.The bizarre and bloody...

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Adorable Tots: Celebs and their Cute Kids!

Amber Rose and Wiz Khalifa Just one day after her little one was born on Feb. 21, 2013, Amber Rose shared a pic of her fiance Wiz Khalifa holding their little one. The model captioned the cute pic, writing: "Best daddy ever ...Up with the baby so Muva can go back to sleep." The new parents named their baby Sebastian...

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Boeing proposes revamping 787's lithium ion batteries so short-circuiting that could lead to fire won't spread

WASHINGTON — Boeing is proposing a long-term fix for the 787 Dreamliner's troubled batteries that will keep them grounded until April at the earliest, congressional officials said Friday.A Boeing Commercial Airplanes team led by CEO Ray Conner was scheduled to present the plan in a meeting Friday with Michael Huerta, head of the Federal Aviation Administration....

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National Hotel nears end of long renovation

A panel of frosted glass puts everything in perspective for Delphine Dray as she oversees a years-long, multi-million dollar renovation project at the National Hotel on Miami Beach.“Chez Claude and Simone,” says the piece of glass stationed between the lobby and restaurant, a reference to Dray’s parents, who bought the hotel in 2007. “Every time I am exhausted and I pass...

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11-year-old dead, 2 others wounded in father’s shooting rampage

An 11-year-old boy died Thursday after his father opened fire on his family and then took his own life.The tragedy played out Wednesday night at Southwest 27th Avenue and 24th Street. Stefan Zuniga was mortally wounded and died, according to medical examiner records. His mother, Michelle Zuniga, 43, and 14-year-old sister, Lauren, are in critical condition at Jackson memorial...

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Exclusive Clip Donnie Wahlberg Behind the Scenes Boston's Finest

Donnie Wahlberg is an executive producer of the new unscripted show Boston's Finest, which follows the lives of the Boston Police Department on and off the job, and in this exclusive behind-the-scenes video of the highly anticipated show, he details his older brother's life-changing run-in with a Boston police officer which forever changed the course of his life.Wahlberg rides through his hometown...

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Passenger traffic at NY metro area's airports neared all-time high in 2012

NEWARK — Passenger traffic at the New York area's four commercial airports increased in 2012 despite closures caused by Superstorm Sandy.The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says traffic at Newark Liberty, La Guardia, John F. Kennedy and Stewart airports rose by 3.3 percent last year compared to 2011.More than 109 million travelers used the four...

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Broward’s existing home sales, prices rose again in January

The median price of an existing single-family home in Broward County jumped 24.5 percent to $224,088 in January from a year earlier, according to the Greater Fort Lauderdale Realtors. The median price of a condominium or townhouse in Broward increased 26.5 percent to $94,900 in January from a year earlier. Sales of single-family-home in Broward increased 15.3 percent in January...

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Election reform, bridge repairs top Miami-Dade Commission agenda

Miami-Dade commissioners are expected Wednesday to urge the state legislature to allow Election Day voters to drop off their absentee ballots at their local precincts, and ask the mayor to identify funding to repair and upgrade the county’s 203 bridges. Returning absentee ballots to local precincts was one of 13 recommendations in a report by an Election Advisory Group that...

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Vanity Fair Party: Freida Pinto, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jessica Lowndes on Oscars

With the Academy Awards just a few days away, this Sunday's anticipated ceremony is all the buzz this week. At an event benefiting the global education campaign 10x10, the night's host, Freida Pinto, revealed her Oscar favorite."One of the films that I was truly surprised with...[and] truly entertained was 'Argo,'" the actress said of her favorite film of the year. "It was an all-around entertaining...

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Developer says American Airlines using 'act of war' claim to fend off 9/11 negligence suit

Developer Larry Silverstein is accusing American Airlines of trying to have it both ways over whether or not the Sept. 11 terror attacks were an "act of war."In court papers filed this morning, Silverstein says the airline and its insurers "repeatedly and explicitly promised Congress, regulators and the American people that they would not use act of war...

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Remote employees require care to feel like part of the team

Working from home, hundreds of miles away from your boss, may sound like a perk, but that’s not always the case.Ken Condren remembers the moment when he experienced the frustration his remote employees face. He was working from home, participating in a conference call and heard a side conversation going on, but had no idea what was being said. “I felt so out of the loop,”...

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Scholastic Writing Awards recognizes four students’ creative writing skills

Hallee Meltzer, Andrea Villa, and Haley Zilberberg of School for Advanced Studies and Christopher Leesang of the Academy of Advanced Academics were recognized for Silver Key Awards in the 2013 Scholastic Writing Awards for their creative writing skills.Hallee became a regional finalist in humor, persuasive writing, and poetry categories. Andrea is being honored for...

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Alona Tal Cult Interview

We all have pop culture obsessions (lord knows I've talked about mine, ad nauseum, on this website) but you'd be hard-pressed to find fans who take their love of a show as seriously as the characters on Cult. RELATED - TV's Most Devastating Death ScenesIn a nutshell, The CW's newest drama revolves around the mysterious disappearance of Nate Sefton, a fan of the show within Cult (also called Cult),...

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CBS anchor Morrison denies choking wife, apologizes for yelling at Conn. cops

Douglas HealeyWCBS morning anchor Rob Morrison, of Darien Conn., enters Stamford Superior Court today.Longtime New York anchorman Rob Morrison appeared at Connecticut courthouse today to begin facing charges that he choked his fellow-journalist wife, Ashley, at their tony Darien home — then threatened her in front of cops.Morrison, 44, adamantly denied...

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Sign up for Feb. 21 Miami Herald Small Business Forum featuring Zumba’s CEO, 4 interactive panels

Prepare your best pitch for the Miami Herald’s Small Business Forum on Thursday, 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...

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Hawkins withdraws his name from Jackson Health System board post

In a kerfuffle with echoes from political battles almost two decades ago, former Miami-Dade commissioner and state legislator Larry Hawkins announced Monday he was withdrawing his name from nomination to the Jackson Health System board.Hawkins, 68, who had been nominated to be the unions’ representative on the seven-member board, sent a letter to the clerk of courts saying,...

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MTA, workers' union contract negotiations stalled for past 3 months

The MTA and its largest workers’ union haven’t been to the bargaining table in over three months, with each side blaming the other for the breakdown in talks. The 35,000-member strong Transport Workers Union Local 100 — which has been without a contract for over a year — claims the MTA has refused to negotiate since ex-chairman Joseph Lhota quit to run...

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Small business lending rebounds in South Florida

For years, Pablo Oliveira dreamed of buying a property to house his high-end linen and furniture rental company, Nuage Designs, which has created settings for such glamorous events as the weddings of Carrie Underwood and Chelsea Clinton.A few months ago, that dream came true, when Oliveira purchased a warehouse across the street from his current Miami location. He is now...

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What’s your Academy Awards IQ?

From the Pakistani military complex that once housed the elusive Osama bin Laden depicted in Zero Dark Thirty to the fiercely divided halls of Congress brought to life in Lincoln to the poverty-stricken streets of 19th century France captured in Les Miserables, the big screen in 2012 took audiences on a wide-ranging and captivating journey through history and across genres....

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Hugh Grant is a Dad Again

Hugh Grant confirmed Saturday that he is a dad again.PICS: Celebs and Their Cute KidsThe 52-year-old British actor tweeted, "In answer to some journos. Am thrilled my daughter now has a brother. Adore them both to an uncool degree. They have a fab mum."Hugh and actress Tinglan Hong welcomed a daughter named Tabitha in 2011. No word yet on what Tabitha's little brother is named.Related: Hugh Grant...

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Latest 'Die Hard' takes top spot at weekend box office

LOS ANGELES — Bruce Willis remains a die-hard at the box office.Willis' action sequel "A Good Day to Die Hard" debuted as the weekend's top draw with a $25 million debut from Friday to Sunday. The 20th Century Fox release raised its domestic total to $33.2 million since opening Thursday for Valentine's Day to get a jump on the long President's Day weekend.The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, Universal's...

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NBA’s best player (LeBron James) isn’t best-paid

HOUSTON -- When LeBron James walks onto the court for Houston’s NBA All-Star Game Sunday, he’ll do so as the undisputed king of his sport.Named the league’s most valuable player three times in the past four years, James is once again dominating the NBA and most likely headed for his fourth MVP award — two fewer than Michael Jordan — with presumably a long career still ahead.But...

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