Attacks on Gov. Rick Scott’s Medicaid move reveal Adam Putnam’s big-spending record

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam’s headline-grabbing criticism of fellow Republican Rick Scott over expanding Medicaid highlighted just how much the governor flip-flopped on government spending and entitlement programs.But Putnam has a more extensive record of supporting expensive entitlements and big-government spending.As a member of Congress from 2001-2011, Putnam...

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Near-record warm winter for South Florida

Winter won’t officially be over for a few weeks but it’s already been a near-record warm one in South Florida – not including the cold front rolling through this weekend. From December through February, Miami recorded the third warmest winter on record, the National Weather Service’s Miami office reported Friday. The average temperature of 72.3 degrees was 2.7 degrees warmer...

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Would-be convention center developers make pitches to Miami Beach residents

Developers on Wednesday presented Miami Beach residents with competing ideas for what the city’s Convention Center could look like after an overhaul. It was the public’s first glimpse of what could become of the 52-acre site. Two heavy-hitting teams are competing for the project, which could cost up to $1 billion.Both teams – Portman-CMC and South Beach ACE – stressed that...

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Owner of Keys island sick of trespassers

Many Keys visitors and locals know Money Key as a perfect spot to anchor up and spend a sunny day in the Keys, maybe even start a fire and camp overnight.The problem is the small island about 800 feet off the Seven Mile Bridge oceanside near mile marker 42 is privately owned, and its visitors are apparently anything but conscientious."The problem is these formerly pristine...

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Jurors to decide fate of Miami imam accused of aiding Pakistani Taliban

For two months, federal prosecutors portrayed Miami imam Hafiz Khan in the worst possible light: terrorist sympathizer, Taliban supporter and pathological liar.“His whole defense is a lie,” Assistant U.S. Attorney John Shipley told 12 jurors Tuesday during closing arguments.The 77-year-old Khan, with his hunched shoulders and flowing white beard, testified that he sent about...

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Citizens Property Insurance strains to pull in belt on spending

The Maryland insurance executive charged with cleaning house at Citizens Property Insurance has had trouble sticking to the tighter travel expense policy he put in place.Since Barry Gilway became Citizens CEO in June, he has stayed in a hotel at nearly twice Citizens’ room rate cap, charged liquor to a corporate credit card in violation of company rules, submitted expense...

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Opinion: Salute to the Brothers to the Rescue fliers shot down on this day by Cuba

I was 5 years old and strapped to a tall pole across from my 3-year-old sister. The pole, a mast for a sail that was never very useful, was in the center of a raft being thrown about the Florida Straits. I don’t remember the nights, but I’m told they were so dark my mother, sitting between us, could not see us, but only feel us. I don’t remember being wet or cold, but my...

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Miami police union challenges officer’s firing for fatal shooting

The Fraternal Order of Police filed a lawsuit against the city of Miami on Friday, asserting that an officer who fatally shot an unarmed motorist in 2011 was improperly fired from the police department.Officer Reynaldo Goyos shot and killed Travis McNeil as he sat in a car at a Little Haiti intersection. It was one of a string of seven deadly shootings of black men in the...

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Miami-Dade drug felon makes quick buck in $12 million tax-refund ID-theft scam

A convicted Miami-Dade drug trafficker unemployed for the past decade discovered how to make a quick buck, cashing $12 million in fraudulent tax-refund checks over five months last year, authorities say. Frankie Jermaine Anderson skimmed 20 percent of the take for himself, gave 30 percent to a Perrine check-cashing store owner and delivered the other half of the proceeds...

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Author Dan Pallotta hopes to wake up charity leaders at Philanthropy Miami

The way author and entrepreneur Dan Pallotta sees it, charities need to start taking big risks – the kind of risks a business would make.Pallotta will be speaking about his philosophy during the first day of the Leadership Forum at the Philanthropy Miami conference in Jungle Island on Feb. 21 which focuses on the trends and practices in non-profit management. Currently in...

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Parents and kids have plenty of choices for spring break camps

Camp can be the highlight of the year for kids. But they don’t have to wait until the summer to get the fun to begin.This year many places are running themed camps to make spring break more exciting for kids. From the Miami Children’s Museum’s exploration of the 50 states, to North Miami’s tennis camps, there is a camp to match every kid’s interests.Here are a few examples....

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Hawkins withdraws his name from Jackson Health System board post

In a kerfuffle with echoes from political battles almost two decades ago, former Miami-Dade commissioner and state legislator Larry Hawkins announced Monday he was withdrawing his name from nomination to the Jackson Health System board.Hawkins, 68, who had been nominated to be the unions’ representative on the seven-member board, sent a letter to the clerk of courts saying...

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President’s Day is observed Monday. Here is what will be open and closed

Holiday schedule Federal offices: Closed Miami-Dade County offices: Closed Broward County offices: Open Miami-Dade and Broward courts: Closed Public schools: Closed Garbage collection: Varies; check with your municipality Banks: Most are closed Stock markets: Closed Post offices: Closed Miami-Dade and Broward Transit: Regular schedule Tri-Rail: Regular...

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Miami-Dade fugitive shot dead in Texas

The manhunt for escaped convict Alberto Morales ended early Saturday in a hail of gunfire as the fugitive was cornered by police and shot and killed in a small town in Texas.Authorities said Morales, who had somehow slipped out of his handcuffs since escaping police Monday, lunged at the officers with wooden sticks, according to Texas authorities.Morales, 41, had been on...

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Grassroots Festival brings cultural diversity to Virginia Key

At the Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance, don’t ask where you can find the VIP tent. This isn’t Art Basel.Rather, Grassroots, a four-day festival starting Thursday at Virginia Key Beach Park, is designed to showcase musical and cultural diversity. The second annual event presents an array of reggae and world music bands, including Rusted Root, Suenalo, MC Yogi, Donna...

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Crime Watch: Steer clear of these latest email scams

Today I want to share with you some interesting scam emails shared by readers. We truly need to be super-careful and not open or respond to any of them.I personally got the one from Kabul and had to laugh because this was a new one for me. I am not showing the email address, but trust me it looked very official especially when I do have friends that are stationed in Kabul....

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Mystery shrouds failure of Internet video link between Pakistani hotel, Miami terrorism trial

The mystery of who pulled the plug on the Internet connection linking witnesses testifying in Pakistan to a Miami terrorism trial remained unsolved Wednesday, stalling the high-profile proceeding until next Tuesday as the defense scrambles for an alternate solution.A defense attorney for Miami imam Hafiz Khan, standing trial on charges of financially supporting the Pakistani...

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Chinese New Year rings in at St. Thomas University

A Chinese Lunar New Year celebration was held at St. Thomas University on Sunday, Feb. 10, in Miami Gardens. The free event was open to the public and also featured an ancestral-veneration ceremony, lion dances and a reception. ...

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Carnival ship fire quickly extinguished as ship wallows in Gulf awaiting tug

The Carnival Triumph, a Galveston, Texas-based passenger cruise ship with the theme “Great Cities Around the World,” might have been better off sitting at port, as a court initially ordered. As of Monday morning the 14-year old ship was going nowhere, operating on emergency generator power after a fire Sunday in one of the diesel generators killed its propulsion. The fire...

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Two Fantasy 5 tickets sold in Broward take $92,069 jackpot

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Three tickets, two purchased in Broward County, matched all five Fantasy 5 numbers to collect a jackpot worth $92,069.38 each, the Florida Lottery said Sunday. The winning tickets were bought in Plantation and Tamarac and in Homosassa, lottery officials said. The numbers drawn Saturday night were 1-3-16-18-25 The 463 tickets matching...

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