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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Cashing in on state contracts becomes growth industry

TALLAHASSEE -- Even for Tallahassee standards, the scene was notable: lobbyist Brian Ballard dining with a nursing home executive, Gov. Rick Scott and a top aide at a pricey restaurant just blocks from the Capitol.That Ballard’s clout could command a private dinner with the governor for a client speaks to the influential lobbyist’s fundraising finesse. But equally important,...

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