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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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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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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Van Myers, former president of Wometco, dies at 95

Sylvan “Van” Myers spent 44 years at Wometco, rising through the ranks, first to head the data division, later as executive vice president of bottling, vending and food service operations and finally as president and CEO of the company.After retiring in 1984, Myers devoted himself to the South Florida community and working to improve people’s lives, said son Bruce Myers.“I...

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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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Fugitive ex-cop Dorner shot himself at flames closed in

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — Fugitive ex-cop Christopher Dorner killed himself as the cabin he was barricaded inside caught fire following a shootout with officers, police revealed Friday while also confirming he spent most of his time on the run in a condominium just steps away from the command center set up to find him."The information that we have right...

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Investigators probe cash missing from Hollywood Police Department’s evidence room

Broward County and state law enforcement authorities are investigating a tip that as much as $175,000 may be missing from the Hollywood Police Department’s evidence room, prompting an investigation into possible criminal wrongdoing by police officers or other city employees, sources have told The Miami Herald.The missing money has drawn the attention of the Broward State...

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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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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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Designer rapist Anand Jon has 48 sex-attack counts dropped, still faces 54 years

Manhattan prosecutors have dropped almost their entire case against a notorious California fashion designer-turned-serial rapist, allowing him to plead guilty to just a single sex-attack count in what was once a twelve-victim, 49-count indictment. Under a plea taken in Manhattan Supreme Court today, Anand Jon -- whose designs have been worn by Paris Hilton,...

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Was that Che in Beach hotel? Not any longer

Gus Exposito, 51, of Davie, couldn’t believe what he saw in the marble walls of South Beach’s W Hotel: a larger-than-life framed photograph of what looked like communist revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara.“He was a mass murderer, killed thousands of Cubans execution-style,” Exposito wrote in an email, comparing the long-dead Fidel Castro pal to Adolf Hitler or the Ku Klux...

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Now owned by top executives, Cruise Planners on course toward continued growth

With a background in travel and present-day focus on raising her two small children, Lori Jahner set out to find work she enjoyed that would give her the flexibility she needed.The 33-year-old from Aurora, Colo. decided on Cruise Planners — American Express Travel, a home-based travel agent network headquartered in Coral Springs. “They have so much training to offer, ongoing...

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Stacy Keibler's Valentine's Day Plans with Clooney

Stacy Keibler kept a tight lid on what she and beau George Clooney will be up to on Valentine's Day, but she may have left some hints as she gave ET a sneak peek of her new reality competition show, Supermarket Superstar.PICS: Surprising Celebrity Hookups Supermarket Superstar, premiering later this year on Lifetime, gives contestants a chance to get their food creation onto supermarket shelves."This...

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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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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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State to crackdown on tutoring contractors

Florida will crack down on tutoring contractors that defraud school districts and — for the first time — require criminal background checks for people who head tutoring firms under changes announced Tuesday by the state’s top education official.Education Commissioner Tony Bennett issued a statement outlining a series of steps his department will take to rein in fraud and...

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Window washer left hanging sues scaffolding company

A window washer who was left dangling at a 45-degree angle from a midtown high rise last summer is suing the scaffold company and the building for multiple injuries he sustained during the slip, according to a new lawsuit. Steven Kind, 40, of Long Island, was 42 stories above the street polishing the exterior panes of 1177 Sixth Ave. on July 11 when the...

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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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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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Sneak Peek: Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue Featuring Cover Girl Kate Upton

Kate Upton and the ladies of Sport's Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue preview this year's highly anticipated spread for ET!Clad in impossibly tiny bikinis, the gorgeous girls representing SI's 50th edition of the beach-themed edition travel across the globe to show some skin across all seven continents.Pics: Top 5 Sexiest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Covers Check out a sneak peek of the sizzling hot pics...

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Indian national busted on visa fraud charges after claiming film biz connections

He tried to pull an “Argo” on the feds.An Indian national arrived at JFK Airport in New York and told US Customs and Border Protection officers he was a production manager for a film company known as "Fire and Ice."Nitinkumar Chandubhai Patel explained that his firm was gearing up to make a movie titled "I Love New York," and he had traveled from New Delhi...

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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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3 Killed Filming Discovery Channel Production

Three people were killed Sunday morning in a helicopter crash during a production shoot for a Discovery Channel reality show.The crash occurred about 3:40 a.m. in an open field in the town of Acton outside Los Angeles, Deadline reports. The three victims were thrown from the helicopter and pronounced dead at the scene.PICS: Star SightingsIn a statement to Deadline, the Discovery Channel confirmed...

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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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