Bal Harbour cops spent lavishly with seized drug loot

Flush with millions of dollars seized from drug dealers, Bal Harbour police financed a freewheeling spending spree: $3,200 for a Miami-Dade police chiefs golf outing at Miami Shores Country Club; $1,000 for two nights’ stay at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico; and thousands more in sumptuous meals at Carpaccio Restaurant in the Bal Harbour Shoppes.There were...

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Samsung Smart TVs: The next frontier for data theft and hacking [video]

Smart TVs, particularly Samsung’s (005930) last few generations of flat screens, can be hacked to give attackers remote access according to a security startup called ReVuln. The company says it discovered a “zero-day exploit” that hackers could potentially use to perform malicious activities that range from stealing accounts linked through apps to using built-in webcams and microphones...

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Riveting Details Emerge from CT School Rampage

As morning turned to afternoon on Friday, further details continued to emerge from Newtown, CT, a tight-knit community shaken by a massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School that took the lives of innocent students and teachers, in addition to the gunman, reportedly identified as Adam Lanza.RELATED: President Fights Tears as He Addresses NationAs President Barack Obama touched on in his tear-jerking...

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Domino's founder sues federal government over mandatory contraception coverage in Obamacare

DETROIT — The founder of Domino's Pizza is suing the federal government over mandatory contraception coverage in the health care law.Tom Monaghan, a devout Roman Catholic, says contraception isn't health care but a "gravely immoral" practice.He filed a lawsuit Friday in federal court. It also lists as a plaintiff Domino's Farms, a Michigan office park complex that Monaghan owns.Monaghan offers health...

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At Miami’s new urban 7-Eleven’s only the gulps are bigUrban

Miami real estate broker Nathan Kurland was driving downtown on Biscayne Boulevard with his wife the other day when they spotted a red, orange and green-striped sign with a familiar logo on the ground floor of an office tower.“Was that 7-Eleven store there before?” Kurland said they asked each other.It wasn’t. Suddenly, the ubiquitous chain’s convenience...

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Miami photographer sentenced to 10 years in child-porn case

A Miami-area photographer who secretly videotaped children while they changed clothes in his home studio was sentenced in federal court Friday to 10 years in prison. Diego Tobias Matrajt, 37, pleaded guilty in September to distribution and possession of child pornography.Last February, Matrajt distributed 10 images of child pornography to an undercover agent by using a peer-to-peer...

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Pope needs help sending out blessing in first tweet

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – After weeks of anticipation bordering on media frenzy, Pope Benedict solemnly put his finger to a computer tablet device on Wednesday and tried to send his first tweet – but something went wrong.Images on Vatican television appeared to show the first try didn’t work. The pope, who still writes his speeches by hand, seems to have pressed too hard and the tweet was not sent...

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Celebs Tweet Reactions to CT School Shooting

There was breaking news this morning out of Newtown, Connecticut when at least one gunman opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School. CBS News is reporting that a minimum of 27 people were killed in this massacre, including an estimated 18 young children.Lt. J. Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police held a press conference to assure concerned citizens that "the scene is secure" and "the shooter...

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SHOCKING AUDIO: Gunman's rampage took only minutes, cop radio calls reveal

AFP/Getty ImagesState Police inspect the area near Sandy Hook Elementary School.Judging by the radio calls, it took only a few minutes for a gunman to snuff out the lives of 20 Newtown school children and six adults.The first word of the horrifying Newtown school shooting went out over the town’s police radio at 9:36 this morning. Two minutes later,...

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Miami in spotlight at AVCC, other entrepreneurship events

Entrepreneurs from around the world took the stage during this packed week of entrepreneurship events in Miami: Florida International University’s Americas Venture Capital Conference (known as AVCC), HackDay, Wayra’s Global DemoDay and Endeavor’s International Selection Panel.The events, all part of the first Innovate MIA week, also put the spotlight on Miami as it continues...

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Now a Democrat, Charlie Crist regrets signing anti-gay marriage petition

ST. PETERSBURG -- Former Gov. Charlie Crist completed his conversion to the Democratic Party on Thursday at a camera-ready media event at which he revised his views on yet another issue: same-sex marriage.Nearly a week after posing with a party switch form at a White House reception, Crist milked the decision for more publicity by inviting the media to cover him handing in...

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Hugh Jackman Gets Star on Walk of Fame

Good news just keeps coming for Hugh Jackman. Fresh off the heels of his SAG and Golden Globe Awards nominations his presence was required to accept his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.RELATED: 2013 Golden Globe NomineesET's Christina McLarty congratulated Jackman for today's early-morning announcement, naming him as a Golden Globe nominee for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy."We got in at about...

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Gambino crime family associate known as 'Seven-Second Bandit' cried when he was busted: defense

This mobster turned rat has one heck of a sob story.Known as the “Seven-Second Bandit,” Gambino crime family associate and speedy serial bank heists Jack Mannino had 24 New York bank stick-ups under his belt — enough to earn him life behind bars — when the FBI caught up to him.But the feds had no idea the wannabe wiseguy was also a crybaby.“The day you...

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Florida leads nation in foreclosure activity

Florida led the nation in foreclosure activity for the third month running in November, a dubious distinction that will likely dampen the momentum of the real estate recovery in the coming year, according to RealtyTrac.Even as foreclosure activity decreased nationally, foreclosure filings in Florida jumped 20 percent in November from a year earlier and rose 3 percent from...

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State investigates foster father in Jackson South case

State child welfare administrators are investigating a Miami foster parent who may be implicated in an alleged scheme to abduct a newborn child from the nursery at Jackson South Community Hospital.The foster father, who has not been identified, brought his family to the Jackson nursery and visited with a baby that had been taken into state care by the Department of Children...

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‘Dishonored’ tops a diverse year in video games

The video game universe in 2012 is a study in extremes.At one end, you have the old guard striving to produce mass-appeal blockbusters. At the other end, you have a thriving community of independent game developers scrambling to find an audience for their idiosyncratic visions. Can’t we all just get along?Turns out, we can. For while some industry leaders are worried (and not without cause) about...

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Sean Didn't Attempt to Win Back Emily Post-Jef

When Emily Maynard was back on the market for a hot second after breaking her engagement to Jef Holm (she's reportedly already in a new relationship), Bachelor Sean Lowe didn't consider asking for a second chance."I heard about the split in the final destination, so I had already invested in other women," he told ETonline. "It became clear over time…[Emily's] not the one for me."PICS - 'The Bachelor':...

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Justice Dept. won't seek death penalty for mob thugs

Two men charged in a Mafia murder involving a Bonanno crime family associate featured on “Mob Wives” are no longer looking death in the face.The US Justice Department announced today that they will not seek the death penalty against reputed mob associates Luigi Grasso and Richard Riccardi for the July 2010 murder of a Luchese crime family associate during...

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Lennar to borrow $1.7 billion from Chinese bank

Miami-based Lennar Corp. has gotten approval on $1.7 billion in loans from China Development Bank to fund the development and construction of two major projects in San Francisco, according to a person familiar with the transaction.The contract, set to close by Dec. 31 subject to various conditions, would mark the first U.S. loan by the big state-owned Chinese bank. One condition...

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Legislative leaders dish out salary increases to top staff

TALLAHASSEE -- Florida’s new legislative leaders handed out hefty raises and salaries to many of their top staff and newly hired talent even as thousands of state workers went for a sixth year without a bump in pay.Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford, who were sworn in last month, immediately hired new chiefs of staff and paid them more than taxpayers...

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'Bachelorette' Wedding Full of Love, No Red Roses

Fresh off their December 1 nuptials, J.P. Rosenbaum continues to keep the romance alive with wife Ashley Hebert.The blissfully in love newlyweds met on The Bachelorette. History has shown that most such couples fizzle after the cameras go away, but not for these two lovebirds. "I think the romance part of it is the easy part. You know that's there. It's all about emotion and romance. That's what...

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Report finds teachers with more poor or disabled students likely to get lower ratings than peers

Teachers in classrooms with high numbers of poor or disabled students tended to get slightly lower ratings than their peers under the state’s new evaluation system, according to an outside review.Similarly, teachers whose classes enrolled lots of already high-performing students were slightly more likely to earn better ratings on average, a report by the...

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Tips for managing workplace stress

There are end of the year deals to close, budgets to meet, gifts to buy, and just thinking about it has your stress level rising. But when does stress turn into distress and at what point should your employer intervene?For American workers, coping with workplace stress is a year-round concern that employers are beginning to see as partly their responsibility. Three-fourths...

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SunPass investigation shows South Florida officers often go home early

South Florida police officers used to return to the station at the end of a shift to turn in their paperwork and patrol cars. But technology has revolutionized a cop's workday, and those laptops, radios and take-home cruisers make it possible to go AWOL or duck out of work early. SunPass toll records analyzed by the Sun Sentinel found cops from Miami to Plantation cutting...

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Isabelle Allen Beams Over Les Miserables Role

Just last year, Isabelle Allen was playing the lead (as a boy) in a production of The Pied Piper of Hamelin at her school. Tonight, the 10-year-old actress will attend the star-studded premiere of her first big movie, Les Miserables.ET's Christina McLarty caught up with the young thespian (who portrays the younger version of Amanda Seyfried's Cosette) at Dylan's Candy Bar in New York City, her first-ever...

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Cops hunting Bronx rape suspect

A sicko followed a young woman into a Bronx apartment building and brutally raped her, cops said today.The creep stalked the 21-year-old woman as she walked on East 143rd Street in Mott Haven around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, cops said.He forced the woman into a stairwell, where he raped her.The suspect is described by cops as a black man in his 20s, about 5’7” tall and has a bump on his left cheek.He was...

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AutoNation: Back in the fast lane with expansion, higher sales

Despite an agonizingly slow economic recovery, the country’s largest auto retailer, Fort Lauderdale-based AutoNation, is thriving again as demand for vehicles expands. The company, one of Florida’s largest, is posting increasingly strong profits and revenues. Just last week, in a sign of confidence, Autonation announced a major acquisition — buying six large auto stores in...

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U-Haul chase suspect appears in Miami-Dade court on Sunday

The suspect arrested in connection with Friday’s chase through the streets of Miami-Dade in a rental U-Haul truck appeared in front of judge Sunday morning. Darrell Conyers, 45, made his first appearance in bond court. Conyers faces a number of charges including grand theft, fraud and resisting arrest with violence. During the hearing, the judge noted...

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Apple, Samsung face off in court again

SAN JOSE (Reuters) – Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics squared off again in court on Thursday, as the iPhone maker prepares to convince a U.S. district judge to ban sales of a number of the Korean company’s devices and defend a $ 1.05 billion jury award.Apple scored a sweeping legal victory in August at the conclusion of its landmark case against its arch-foe, when a U.S. jury found Samsung had copied...

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Prince William Attends Centrepoint Winter Whites Gala Without Kate

Prince William made his very first public appearance since the announcement of wife Kate's pregnancy last week to attend a charity event in London sans his expectant bride.Video: Prince William Visits Kate in the Hospital Without Kate, the Prince continued on with his royal duties attending The Winter Whites gala at Royal Albert Hall in support of his homeless charity Centrepoint. Although the Duchess...

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Saved! US troops rescue Colo. doc from Taliban — Special Ops soldier dies in effort

Morning Star DevelopmentColorado doctor Dilip Joseph was rescued from his Taliban captors in Afghanistan. A doctor from Colorado who was kidnapped by Taliban thugs during a humanitarian mission in eastern Afghanistan was rescued over the weekend by US Special Forces, the White House said today.But the raid to free Dr. Dilip Joseph, a medical advisor with...

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Events showcase Miami’s growth as tech center

One by one, representatives from six startup companies walked onto the wooden stage and presented their products or services to a full house of about 200 investors, mentors, and other supporters Thursday at Incubate Miami’s DemoDay in the loft-like Grand Central in downtown Miami. With a large screen behind them projecting their graphs and charts, they set out to persuade...

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