Gov. Rick Scott pushes “Finish in Four” tuition plan to save college students money

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Rick Scott’s push to keep tuition low includes a new twist submitted with his budget for the coming fiscal year, which begins July 1. The governor’s idea: tuition should be the same when students graduate as when they start.Scott has offered legislation that would hold tuition steady for four years for students entering a state university this fall or...

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FTC issues guidelines for mobile applications

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Trade Commission has issued a wide-reaching set of new guidelines for makers of mobile platforms and developers of applications for mobile telephones and tablets to safeguard users’ privacy.The non-binding guidelines, published in a report on Friday, include the recommendation that companies should obtain consumers’ consent before including location tracking in software...

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Buzzmakers: SAG Winners Pics and Nicole Kidman Explains Jimmy Kimmel Lap Dance

What had ET readers buzzing this week?1. PICS: SAG Winners with their Statues! Some of Hollywood's biggest stars gathered Sunday night to honor acting achievements at the 2013 Screen Actors Guild Awards. Anne Hathaway -- winner of the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for Les Misérables -- kicks off our gallery of the stars accepting their handsome statuettes!Click...

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Turkey: US Embassy bomber had been imprisoned on terror charge — but was released after hunger strike

ANKARA, Turkey — The suicide bomber who struck the U.S. Embassy in Ankara spent several years in prison on terrorism charges but was released on probation after being diagnosed with a hunger strike-related brain disorder, officials said Saturday.The bomber, identified as 40-year-old leftist militant Ecevit Sanli, killed himself and a Turkish security guard...

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Miami Beach hotels seek more political clout

When Miami Beach wanted local hotels to scale-back their popular rooftop parties and bars, Alexander Tachmes fought back. An attorney who has represented Beach hotels on a myriad of issues, he “cobbled” together a group of his hotelier clients and went before the city commission to ask them to curb the proposed rules. The hotels won. It was a learning...

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In Dominican Republic, eye doctor linked to Sen. Menendez known for philanthropy, thirst for celebrity

SANTO DOMINGO -- Salomon Melgen arrives at galas here in a blue Mercedes Benz, his four bodyguards in tow. He rarely goes unnoticed. The stout 58-year-old ophthalmologist is a regular on the society pages, where he is almost always pictured with important politicians. Late last year he made national headlines for performing free eye surgery on a 28-year-old woman who had...

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Hackers target Twitter, access about 250,000 user accounts

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Anonymous hackers have targeted Twitter this week and gained access to roughly 250,000 user accounts though only “limited information” such as email addresses was compromised, the microblog said on Friday.Twitter has already reset passwords for affected users, and will notify them soon, it said in a blog post. The cyberattacks come days after the New York Times and the Wall...

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Christina Ricci Engaged to James Heerdegen

Congrats are in order for Christina Ricci!The actress, 32, will soon tie the knot with boyfriend James Heerdegen, reports Us Weekly.Pics: 2012's 12 Most Amazing Couples Ricci, after being spotted sporting what appeared to be an engagement ring in L.A., confirmed the happy news to the magazine.According to UsWeekly, Ricci and her now-fiancé became engaged "a couple months back."Video: Christina Ricci...

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Career crook held on bail; allegedly targeted Asians

A career crook wanted for targeting Asians in eight violent East Harlem muggings was ordered held on one of the alleged attacks today, with the rest remaining under investigation.Jason Commisso, 34, committed the eight attacks on Asian men and woman late last month, prosecutors say."The people are still investigating, as are the police, the hate crimes...

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Who is Rick Ross? Shoot-’em-up raises new questions

Rick Ross has always styled himself as a tough guy who grew up in Miami’s cocaine cowboy-like underworld, mingling with drug traffickers and armed outlaws. The successful rapper has powered his way to the top of the Hip Hop world with rhymes about his rags-to-riches life, scrapping for food while his mother worked three jobs. His critics and fellow rappers, however, have...

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Report shows health concerns in Broward’s black communities

A swath of low-income communities wedged between Interstate 95 and the Turnpike, and stretching from Fort Lauderdale to Lauderdale Lakes and Lauderhill, is home to the highest diabetes rates in Broward County.That’s one of the most troubling findings from a “state of black Broward health report’’ released Thursday by the Urban League of Broward County. The statistics, charts...

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Online bingo shows its worth at Rank

LONDON (Reuters) – It may lack the noisy camaraderie of a trip to the bingo hall, but the online version of the numbers game has proved more profitable for Britain‘s Rank Group than the original.The merits of the online business were further emphasized when Rank said a snowy January had cost it 3 million pounds ($ 4.7 million) in revenue as Britons opted not to venture out to its bingo halls and casinos.Operating...

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Man convicted in murder of pregnant ex-girlfriend

A Queens man was convicted today for the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend and her toddler. Jimmy Humphrey was found guilty of strangling Linda Anderson to death and setting her lifeless body on fire. The fire ultimately killed her 2-year-old son, Aiden Hayes, as he searched for his mother through the smoke in their St. Albans apartment. "I'm not happy...

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Mompreneur jumps into the ‘Shark Tank’

It all started with a 4 a.m. email nearly a year ago: “Do you think a baby bib could change the world? I do...”Then Susie Taylor included a link to her website, bibbitec.com, and off it went to Shark Tank, the popular ABC television show where entrepreneurs pitch their companies to investors on the show — and by extension, 7 million viewers.Four months later, as the “mompreneur”...

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Miami cop fired for ‘unjustified’ shooting of unarmed man

A Miami police officer whose shooting of an unarmed motorist two years ago capped a string of fatal police encounters that sparked a public outcry and political upheaval was fired on Wednesday. The reason: A review board finding that officer Reynaldo Goyos used “unjustified” deadly force when he shot and killed Travis McNeil and wounded friend Kareem Williams as they sat...

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Rape trial of teenaged football players to be open to public: Ohio judge

(Reuters) – The controversial trial of two high school football players accused of raping a classmate will remain open to the public and will not be relocated to another town, an Ohio judge ruled on Wednesday.Prosecutors and an attorney representing the accuser had sought a closed trial, arguing that public access to the juvenile trial would subject the accuser to unwanted publicity and make potential...

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5 Shocking Truths About the Making of Pulp Fiction

Daniel Day-Lewis as Vincent Vega? Almost two decades after the release of Quentin Tarantino's game-changing Pulp Fiction, it's impossible to imagine anyone else in the role made famous by John Travolta. But in a new Vanity Fair expose on the making of the 1994 Oscar winner, Travolta's career was so "cold" that producer Harvey Weinstein fought it tooth and nail.Here are five shocking truths about the...

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Colombo underboss gets 63 months in jail

The underboss of the Colombo crime family was sentenced to 63 months in prison today on mob racketeering charges.Benjamin “The Claw” Castellazzo, 75, will also have to pay $400,000 in restitution and serve three years probation. The wiseguy - who's the second highest-ranking member of the Colombos - began his 55 year-long criminal career in 1958.Castellazzo...

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Mompreneur jumps into the ‘Shark Tank’

It all started with a 4 a.m. email nearly a year ago: “Do you think a baby bib could change the world? I do...”Then Susie Taylor included a link to her website, bibbitec.com, and off it went to Shark Tank, the popular ABC television show where entrepreneurs pitch their companies to investors on the show — and by extension, 7 million viewers.Four months later, as the “mompreneur”...

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Rick Ross raps about ducking hail of bullets

Rapper Rick Ross was keeping a low profile Tuesday, one day after his brush with bullets on the streets of Fort Lauderdale.Though he has yet to comment on the incident, the self-proclaimed “Boss,” did what he does best: He rapped about the incident. “I can’t believe I’m alive,” he said, dropping a rhyme about his near-death experience into a recording by a fellow rapper,...

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BlackBerry 10 said to be inadequate for helping RIM overcome its ‘demons’

After hitting a seven-year low of $ 6.22 this past summer, shares of Research in Motion (RIMM) have rebounded and climbed more than 100% in the past six months. The company that was previously written off by Wall Street investors has seen a significant boost in recent months as anticipation grows for its BlackBerry 10 operating system. But while a number of analysts have voiced their support for RIM,...

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Ashley Judd and Husband Dario Franchitti Divorcing

After more than 10 years of marriage, Ashley Judd and Dario Franchitti are calling it quits."We have mutually decided to end our marriage. We'll always be family and continue to cherish our relationship based on the special love, integrity, and respect we have always enjoyed," said a spokesperson for the couple to People on Tuesday.Pics: Top 10 Biggest Divorce Payouts Judd, 44, tied the knot with...

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American Airlines jet carried thousands with its emergency exits blocked

An American Airlines jet ferried thousands of passengers in December and January with its emergency exits blocked by misaligned passenger seats, sources told The Post.The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the misplaced seats – which blocked the exits over the wings -- on the Boeing 757, which an aviation expert said would have endangered...

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Marlins hire new PR firm

Maybe a new slogan will help?The Miami Marlins on Tuesday announced the hiring of a new public relations firm to help with the team’s battered image on the heels of jettisoning star players and renewed backlash against tax dollars used to build the team’s new baseball park. Miami’s Jeffrey Group won the account. The company replaces RBB and founding partner Bruce Rubin, a...

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Related developers find themselves in court over tactics

His company on trial over its tactics in a controversial condo project, Jorge Perez, the celebrated developer, found himself on the witness stand Monday answering to an unexpected foe: Jorge Perez, the author.Perez, the chairman of the Related Group, testified in the trial of a lawsuit brought against his company by The Vizcayans, a fundraising and support group for the Vizcaya...

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Yahoo revenue rises on search advertising

(Reuters) – Yahoo Inc posted a 4 percent gain in net revenue to $ 1.22 billion in the fourth quarter, when an increase in search advertising sales offset weakness in the Web portal’s display ad business.The company forecast net revenue — which excludes fees shared with partner websites — of $ 1.07 billion to $ 1.1 billion in the current quarter, trailing the $ 1.1 billion that Wall Street analysts...

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Jamie Lynn Sigler Engaged to Cutter Dykstra of Washington Nationals

Wedding bells will soon be ringing for former Sopranos star Jamie-Lynn Sigler!The actress, 31, spilled the beans about her upcoming engagement via Twitter by posting a smiley photo of herself with beau Cutter Dykstra, 23, showing off her brand new sparkler.Pics: When Celebs and Athletes Hook Up "So this just happened," captioned Sigler to the pic of the couple beaming.Soon after, the ecstatic groom-to-be...

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Father 'proud' of son who stood up to alleged molester

I'm proud of him, the dad testified today of a brave nine-year-old boy who stood up to an alleged sex-molesting school aide at the Upper West Side's PS 87 last year.The boy had taken the stand Friday to describe the alleged abuse at the hands of aide Gregory Atkins, 56, angrily confronting the defense attorney during cross examination by shouting, "Stop...

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Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge opens for entries

Entrepreneurs, please don’t let the name of our contest scare you.As we launch our 15th annual Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge today, we are putting out our annual call for entries. But we aren’t looking for long, laboriously detailed business plans. Quite the contrary.More and more, today’s investors in very early stage companies want to see a succinct presentation...

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Brush fire breaks out in Southwest Miami-Dade

Firefighters were battling Sunday a brush fire in Southwest Miami-Dade, with crews working to keep the flames from spreading to nearby homes.The fire broke out at 1:07 p.m. in the area of 112th Avenue and 224th Street. As of late Sunday, no homes were being threatened, fire department officials said.Streets in the area were blocked off while firefighters worked to contain...

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Screen Actors Guild Winners 2013

Tonight, the Screen Actors Guild hosts its annual awards show at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California -- and ET is updating you on the winners below! Check back to find out if your favorite star takes home "the Actor" statuette. (Winners Underlined.) RELATED - 2012 Independent Spirit Award Nominations Best Ensemble Argo Les Miserables Lincoln Silver Linings Playbook Best Exotic Marigold...

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Schools safety agent shot in Brooklyn; he's expected to survive

An off-duty school-safety agent was shot in the chest in Brooklyn tonight, sources said.A masked man walked up to the city worker around 5:46 p.m. as the victim sat alone in his black Infiniti at 256 East 51st St. near Clarkson Avenue in East Flatbush and blasted him once, sources said.The wounded man was rushed to Kings County Hospital. His condition was...

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Miami Lakes company growing its brand of skin care products

For decades, Vivant Skin Care has formulated creams, serums, cleansers and tonics to treat such dermatological conditions as acne, aging and hyperpigmentation.Family owned and linked to Dr. James E. Fulton, who co-developed the anti-aging formula Retin-A, the company built its reputation with medically tested therapies aimed at improving skin.Now, like a complexion that has...

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