Parents decry closing of two Broward schools for special-needs kids

If you ask parents why they value Broward’s Wingate Oaks Educational Center — and why they’re so furious about its imminent closure — the answer often boils down to trust. The school for medically fragile children is a place where students might need help going to the restroom, and parents trust the teachers and staff to respect their child’s dignity. David Martinez’s 7-year-old...

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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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Upstate fire department's squirrel hunt fundraiser draws ire

HOLLEY — A weekend squirrel-shooting contest in upstate New York is a sell-out, with all 1,000 tickets spoken for, organizers said, despite a push by animal rights groups and others to cancel the event.The 7th annual "Hazzard County Squirrel Slam" will raise money for the volunteer Holley Fire Department, the event sponsor.Prizes ranging from $50 to $200...

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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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‘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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Miley Cyrus Talks Liam Hemsworth and Cosmopolitan Cover

Liam Hemsworth is one lucky man, and he knows it.Miley Cyrus recently made a big hoopla about how gorgeous she finds her soon-to-be hubby Liam in the pages of Cosmopolitan magazine, and who can blame her? At Cosmo's big bash in NYC, celebrating the issue's launch, Miley tells ET that her fiancé can't get enough of her sexy compliments.Pics: Miley Cyrus & Liam Hemsworth Through the Years "I'm the...

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Brian Cashman's accused extorter wants daughter ban lifted

Her daughter doesn't want to see her, Manhattan prosecutors say.Still, Louise Meanwell -- the accused extorting ex-mistress of Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman -- is asking a Manhattan judge to lift the order of protection barring her from any contact with the Rensselaer County teenager.The 15-year-old girl is neither a victim nor a witness in the...

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Credit reports still not error-free

Lucky you if you’re one of the many consumers who recognize an error in your credit file and are able to successfully dispute it, get it removed and receive the credit rating you deserve.But woe to those who find errors and still have trouble getting corrections from any of the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian or TransUnion.That’s the conclusion of a long-awaited...

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Body found floating in a Doral lake

Miami-Dade police are investigating the discovery of a body floating in a lake in Doral.The body was found Thursday afternoon in a lake at Northwest 25th Street and 95th Avenue, police said. It’s unknown how long the body had been in the water, or if the death is a homicide. Investigators will now try to identify the victim.An autopsy will help determine...

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Jessica Chastain's Retro-Modern Style

ET caught up with Zero Dark Thirty star Jessica Chastain at the Calvin Klein Collection fashion show in New York City on Thursday, getting the Academy Award nominee to dish on her red carpet style and what she might be wearing to the Oscars.PICS: Stars at New York Fashion Week "I think my sense of style is all about embracing silhouettes from the past, especially feminine silhouettes, and making it...

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Brothers of murdered man confront Bonanno wiseguy outside court

Two brothers of a man murdered during a Mafia-engineered home invasion robbery angrily confronted a Bonanno wiseguy outside a courthouse today and FBI agents intervened to prevent them from assaulting the mobster.The incident came minutes after Bonanno crime-family associate Neil Messina pleaded guilty in Brooklyn federal court to mob racketeering charges...

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American Airlines, US Airways announce merger

After a nearly yearlong courtship, the union became official Thursday: American Airlines and US Airways have formally announced plans to merge.An early morning announcement by the airlines confirmed reports widely circulated after boards of both companies approved the merger late Wednesday.The move brings stability to one of Miami-Dade County’s largest private employers more...

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Come 2016, Sen. Rand Paul could be the anti-Rubio choice for tea party faithful

WASHINGTON Sens. Marco Rubio’s and Rand Paul’s delivery of back-to-back rebuttals of President Barack Obama’s speech to Congress — Rubio as the Republican response, Paul as the tea party rejoinder — raises some tantalizing questions:With Rubio being stamped as the early favorite in the 2016 Republican White House race, is Paul emerging as a leading alternative among tea party...

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HIMYM Star Alyson Hannigan Files Restraining Order

Paul A. Hebert/ ETONLINEHow I Met Your Mother and American Pie star Alyson Hannigan filed a temporary restraining order on Wednesday against a man she claims has threatened to kill her.PICS: How I Met Your Mother Set Stills In the filings, John Hobbs is accused of harassing Hannigan, 38, on the Internet via Facebook and MySpace posts.The papers go on to claim that Hobbs is "mentally unstable and...

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Bloomberg plans pilot program to collect and compost food waste

In an ambitious and dramatic move to boost a dismal recycling rate, the Bloomberg Administration intends for the first time to collect and compost food waste starting with a pilot program on Staten Island.Officials said Mayor Bloomberg will announce the initiative tomorrow in his 12th and final State of the City address at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.If...

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AP Sources: American Airlines, US Airways to merge

DALLAS (AP) – American Airlines and US Airways will merge and create the world's biggest airline. The boards of both companies approved the merger late Wednesday, according to four people close to the situation. The carrier keeps the American Airlines name but will be run by US Airways CEO Doug Parker. American's CEO, Tom Horton, will become chairman of the new company, these...

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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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Brooklyn perp shot after pulling gun on cops

A man was shot by police today in Brooklyn after he turned a gun on the officers, cops said.The man, 31, tried to flee when police responded to a call at 5:45 in East New York, police said.Police had surrounded the building when the man tried to escape out the back door.After being told to drop the weapon he turned and pointed the gun at the officers. A...

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Disabled Carnival ship limping toward land

Carnival Cruise Lines President and CEO Gerry Cahill on Tuesday apologized to passengers stranded after an engine room fire left 4,229 people adrift on one of the cruise giant’s ships in the Gulf of Mexico. “No one here from Carnival is happy about the conditions on board the ship and we obviously are very, very sorry about what’s taken place,” Cahill said at a press conference...

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Papal transition won’t lead to big changes in South Florida parishes, archbishop says

Like millions of other Roman Catholics, when Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski woke up Monday morning and heard the news that Pope Benedict XVI had announced his resignation, he thought it was just rumor.When he realized it wasn’t, Wenski called Mary Ross Agosta, the Archdiocese’s communications director, and told her: “ ‘Get ready for a busy day.’ ’’And so it was, as he gave...

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Harold and Kumar Star John Cho Becomes a Dad Again

Harold & Kumar star John Cho has welcomed his second child with wife Kerri Higuchi, People reports.PICS: Celebs and Their Cute Kids A rep for Cho confirmed to the news source that the couple now has a baby girl in addition to their infant son, but no further details were immediately available.Cho, who currently stars on NBC's Go On, wed Higuchi in 2006. They announced that they were expecting...

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Adweek publisher gets the ax

Adweek Publisher Erica Bartman is out in the first major shake-up at the magazine since investment firm Guggenheim Partners took over ownership last month of its parent.The parent of Billboard, Adweek and The Hollywood Reporter is now known as Guggenheim Digital Media following the buyout of minority owner Pluribus Capital Partners, an investment firm headed...

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Green cards for sale at a South Beach hotel: Competition is on for EB5 investment visas

If David Hart gets his way, South Beach’s 42-room Astor Hotel will be on a hiring spree this year as it adds concierge service, a roof-top pool, an all-night diner, spa and private-car service available 24 hours a day. New hires will be crucial to Hart’s business plan, since foreign investors have agreed to pay about $50,000 for each job created by the Art Deco boutique....

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Tawdry allegations may emerge in criminal trial of former Florida GOP chairman Jim Greer

TALLAHASSEE -- They headed for Marsh Harbour Airport in the Bahamas, most of them on private planes owned by billionaire Harry Sargeant III, then the finance chairman of the Florida Republican Party.The weekend trip began on Friday Jan. 11, 2008, for a select group of Floridians —maybe 20 or so — who helped raise money for a constitutional amendment that would increase homestead...

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Ben Affleck & George Clooney Celebrate BAFTA Win

Ben Affleck's Argo continued its accolades winning streak Sunday in London, with the true-life Iran hostage drama picking up the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Best Film and Best Director and Ben and fellow producers George Clooney and Grant Heslov, who were on hand to celebrate their victory.Pics: Celebrity Lookalikes Ben dedicated his directing prize to "anyone out there who's...

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Houseboat man found dead under dock in Brooklyn

The body of an elderly man who lived on a houseboat was found floating under a dock today in Brooklyn, authorities said.The 74-year-old man’s boat was docked in the Plumb Beach Channel off of Ebony Court in Gerritsen Beach when he he was spotted in the water around 12:35 p.m., cops said.He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police do not suspect any criminality...

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Green cards for sale at a South Beach hotel: Competition is on for EB5 investment visas

If David Hart gets his way, South Beach’s 42-room Astor Hotel will be on a hiring spree this year as it adds concierge service, a roof-top pool, an all-night diner, spa and private-car service available 24 hours a day. New hires will be crucial to Hart’s business plan, since foreign investors have agreed to pay about $50,000 for each job created by the Art Deco boutique....

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