Preservation board to decide on Herald building

The city of Miami’s historic preservation office has compiled a lengthy, detailed report that substantially bolsters the case for designation of The Miami Herald’s “monumental’’ bayfront building as a protected landmark based on both its architectural merits and its historic significance.Somewhat unusually, the 40-page report by city preservation officer Megan McLaughlin,...

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How They Pulled Off 'The Impossible'

The true story of the devastating 2004 tsunami that consumed the coast of Phuket, Thailand -- and how one family survived it -- is reenacted by Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor in The Impossible. Watch the video to go behind the scenes...Video: Tsunami Survivor Petra Nemcova Reacts to Latest Disaster in JapanIn theaters December 21, The Impossible finds Naomi as Maria and Ewan as her husband Henry, who...

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Speeding SUV slams into Jeep, which then runs over family of four in Brooklyn

Benny J. StumboThis jeep flipped over and hit a family of four during a terrible accident in Brooklyn sparked by a speeding SUV. An out-of-control SUV driver blew a stop sign and caused a domino effect of destruction — hitting a jeep that flipped over and struck a group of pedestrians in Brooklyn this afternoon, witnesses and authorities said.Horrified...

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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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Senate President Don Gaetz cancels on governor to avoid rule violation

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Rick Scott invited Senate President Don Gaetz to dinner Thursday and the senator gladly accepted, before realizing that going might violate Senate rules and the Florida Constitution.Scott invited legislators to a holiday reception at the Mansion and Gaetz said he and his wife were invited to stay for dinner.“They’ve asked Vicki and I to stay afterwards,”...

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Fergie Plays Santa Baby for Soldiers

Fergie is certainly in the holiday spirit these days – the songstress and entrepreneur hosted the Cell Phones for Soldiers Voli Light Vodka Party at the SkyBar in Hollywood Thursday night, and she shared her big holiday plans with ET.Video: What Turns Fergie on About Husband Josh Duhamel "My plans are to go to my mom's for Christmas, have a nice Voli cocktail and her homemade lasagna. " said Fergie...

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'Split right down the middle': Released juror would have acquitted Hasidic leader in underage sex trial, others torn

One of the alternate jurors released today from serving on the explosive sex trial of a prominent Hasidic leader said she would have voted to acquit — and two other dismissed jurors said they would only have voted to convict him on some of the charges. “I didn’t have enough evidence to nail the person. No video, no DNA,” said the juror, a middle-aged black...

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Heico increases special dividend

Technology company Heico Corp. said Thursday that it would increase a previously announced special dividend by $1 per share after an enthusiastic reaction from shareholders.The new special cash dividend will be $2.14, combined with a regular payment of six cents per share. A single $2.20 per share amount will be paid on or before Dec. 31. Heico moved up the date of the regular...

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A Pearl Harbor veteran remembers the horror

On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Abe Stein, a 21-year-old solider from Wilkes Barre, Penn., was asleep in the U.S. Army’s Schofield Barracks on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.The post was established in 1908 as home to the 25th Infantry Division, assigned to protect the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor.But that day, no one could protect the ships docked there or personnel at surrounding...

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Shakira's Boyfriend Shares Ultrasound Photo

He's not even born yet, but Shakira's son already has a good side.The 35-year-old singer's footballer boyfriend, FC Barcelona's Gerard Pique, posted a picture to his WhoSay account today, introducing his son to the world.RELATED: Shakira Pregnant with First Child"His first pic!" Gerard, 25, wrote as a caption to an ultrasound photo of his baby boy.Shakira confirmed the news of her pregnancy in September...

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Jurors convict former NYPD detective in fatal Bronx DWI

Jurors today convicted a former NYPD detective of manslaughter for mowing down a Bronx grandmother three years ago, but let him slide on a more serious charge because they thought evidence he was driving drunk was tainted.Kevin Spellman, 45, faces 5 to 15 years in prison on the second-degree manslaughter charge, but he’d faced 25 years had he been convicted...

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New equity options exchange owned by Miami company starts trading on Friday

MIAX Options Exchange, a new fully electronic, equity options trading exchange, said it will begin trading on Friday.MIAX Options Exchange is based in Princeton, N.J., but its parent company is Miami International Holdings. While MIAX’s executive offices, technology development center and national operations center are based in Princeton, additional executive offices, and...

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Fla. university leaders want to avoid tuition hike

TALLAHASSEE -- The presidents of Florida’s state universities have an offer for the Legislature: Give us $118 million and we won’t raise tuition.“What we’re asking for this year is a significant investment from the state, tied to specific goals to universities,” said University of West Florida President Judy Bense during Wednesday’s news conference. “With an investment provided...

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25 top-rated Facebook games from 2012

Games can be both a welcome and an annoying diversion on Facebook, the world’s most popular online social network. This year, Facebook crossed a big milestone — reaching 1 billion active users. Game companies such as “FarmVille” creator Zynga Inc. and Rovio Entertainment Ltd. of “Angry Birds” fame seek to tap into that vast base of users to gain more players for their games.This week, Facebook Inc....

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Worn Out? Stars Step Out in Same Style

Kristin Cavallari vs. Dania Ramirez The Hills star Kristin Cavallari sported this festive red skater dress at the Chinese Laundry launch party for her new shoe collection in NYC Tuesday night, though Dania Ramirez beat her to the punch -- she stepped out in the same memorable dress (which she chose to pair with a black belt) at Variety's Power of Women event back in...

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Unidentified skeleton found on Jamaica Bay island

Skeletal remains that appear to belong to a teenage girl were discovered on an uninhabited island in Jamaica Bay, authorities said.A boater passing the Canarsie Pol, across from Canarsie Pier around 4:45 p.m., Tuesday spotted the bones and notified police, sources said.Fog, darkness and choppy waters prevented the NYPD Harbor Patrol from investigating the...

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Innovate MIA puts spotlight on startup community

If you think the next week is all about art, you may be surprised to learn there are also six entrepreneurship events vying for your time.And that is all by design. In much the way that Art Basel helped put Miami’s arts community on the international map, organizers of the first Innovate MIA hope their weeklong grouping of events will shine a light on the city’s growing tech...

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Miami-Dade Commission postpones Jackson Health System decision

Miami-Dade County Commissioners postponed Tuesday voting on a resolution concerning the future shape of the governing board of the Jackson Health System.Commissioner Rebeca Sosa asked for the delay and no one opposed the move.In October, the commission voted 6-5 to make permanent a seven-member Jackson board, selected by a nominating committee of nine persons, five of whom...

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Stars Return to Middle-earth for 'The Hobbit'

Are you ready to return to Middle-earth? Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is coming to theaters and IMAX everywhere in 3D on December 14, and the extensive cast of Hobbits, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs and Wizards features a pleasant mixture of new and returning faces to new, first installment of the growing, six-movie franchise.Video: An Unexpected Journey to the NZ 'Hobbit' Premiere "It's...

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Two more former LIRR workers cop to disability pension scam

They're hopping off the gravy train.Two more LIRR retirees pleaded guilty today to scamming disability pensions -- and promised to pay back all the money they stole by faking career-killing injuries.Former conductor James Reiser, 59, also cut a deal to cooperate with the feds in a bid to stay out of the slammer, admitting in court that he schemed with an...

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Commissioners to reconsider board structure for Jackson Health System

Struggling to find the best long-term solution on how Miami-Dade’s public hospitals should be governed, county commissioners are expected Tuesday to reconsider a resolution that a deeply divided commission approved six weeks ago to permanently shrink the Jackson Health System’s governing board to seven members.The motion passed in October, pushed hard by Commission Chairman...

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Ericsson seeks U.S. import ban on Samsung products

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Swedish telecoms gear maker Ericsson has filed a request with the U.S. International Trade Commission to ban U.S. imports of products made by South Korean group Samsung,The request from Ericsson, which said on Monday the products infringe on its patents, came after it sued Samsung for patent infringement in a U.S. court last week.“The request for an import ban is a part of the...

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ET Confirms Jamie Foxx in 'Spider-Man' Sequel

Jamie Foxx has some electrifying news for ET: He will definitely be starring in the sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man!Related: Did 'Spidey' Director Just Reveal New Villains? "Electro is a great character," Jamie tells ET's Nancy O'Dell when she asks him if he's confirmed to be in the next installment of the blockbuster franchise "I met with the director, Mark Webb, I met with Andrew Garfield, and...

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J & Z trains resume full service tomorrow

The MTA will resume J/Z service tomorrow to Fulton and Broad Street stations, both of which have been closed due to damages sustained during super storm Sandy. Service begins at the two Lower Manhattan station at 6 am. The trains had been stopping at Chambers Street. The service suspension was necessary so workers could repair hundreds of signal wires damaged...

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The business behind the artist: Miami’s art gallery scene still evolving

This week, thousands of art collectors, museum trustees, artists, journalists and hipsters from around the globe will arrive for the phenomenon known as Art Basel Miami Beach. The centerpiece of the week: works shown at the convention center by more than 260 of the world’s top galleries.Only two of those are from Miami.While Art Basel has helped transform the city’s reputation...

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Two dead after bus crash at Miami International Airport

What began as a day of prayer and fellowship turned into a surreal scene of stunned, bloodied passengers and twisted metal. There was the sickening sound of crunching metal early Saturday as a busload of Jehovah’s Witnesses was low-bridged by a concrete overpass at Miami International Airport, peeling back the top of the vehicle “like a can of sardines.” Airport workers running...

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Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 2 Tops Box Office Again

In its third week of release, Breaking Dawn: Part 2 continues to dominate the box office.Related: The Ultimate 'Twilight' Guide to 'Breaking Dawn' Actors & Their Characters The final film in the Twilight Saga series raked in $17.4 million in ticket sales over the weekend, putting the vampire drama ahead of Skyfall, which earned $17 million for second place.The spy thriller beat out Steven Spielberg's...

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Chiefs linebacker Belcher struggled with head injuries, alcohol and painkillers before he snapped and killed girlfriend, friends say

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker and former Long Island high-school star Jovan Belcher was allegedly battling football-related head injuries and booze, painkiller and domestic problems when he snapped and murdered his girlfriend before killing himself in front of two coaches Saturday. A pal of Belcher’s told the Web site Deadspin.com that Kasandra Perkins,...

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Boat Show may block Miami’s 2016 Super Bowl bid

This winter, the biggest NFL match-up in South Florida might be Super Bowl versus Boat Show. As South Florida readies a bid for the 2016 Super Bowl, it must contend with a major potential conflict on the tourism calendar. The National Football League may move the Super Bowl to Presidents’ Day weekend, already home to the five-day Miami International Boat Show since the 1940s....

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