Grandma Calls The Cops Over Pot Fight

Antwon Willis and his brother Curtis aren't welcome at their Grandma's house in Fort Pierce anymore. The two fought Tuesday morning in Grandma's front yard regarding some missing marijuana left in a vehicle located in the yard.

During the fight, the two broke open her front door and damaged the walls inside the house.

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25 New US Citizens In Royal Palm Beach

The grand opening of the new US Citizenship and Immigration Services building in Royal Palm Beach housed a naturalization ceremony for 25 new US citizens yesterday.

The building opened in March and is 38,000 square feet. It is expected to process about 57,000 customers every year.

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Woman Lights Self on Fire at Miami Mall

A woman, apparently in some sort of trance-like state, doused herself with a liquid and lit herself on fire yesterday afternoon at The Mall of the Americas in Miami.

The 43 year old woman who has not been identified was in critical condition yesterday but conscious and talking.

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Youngest Reporter Ever To Interview Obama from Pahokee

11 year old Damon Weaver from Pahokee got his big break yesterday. He spent 10 minutes interviewing President Obama in the White House Diplomatic Room.

Read More and Watch the Interview

Foster Children Given Mind Altering Drugs

A recent report by a panel of child-welfare experts states that caregivers often rely on psychotherapeutic medications to manage unruly children. Read More...

TD2 May Not Make It To Tropical Storm Status

Tropical Depression 2 is weakening and may not survive its journey across the Atlantic. Read More...

Do 10 Hour Days Work For Government Agencies?

Employees who have switched to 4 day work weeks report that they love the change, but government reports are undecided. Read More...

Should Electric Utilities Disclose Salaries?

With Florida's two top electric companies hoping to raise their rates by as much as 31 percent next year, the Public Service Commission is asking them to disclose the salaries of their top executives.

The PSC, in an attempt to determine whether it should allow Florida Power & Light and Progress Energy to raise rates, state that the salary data is essential to "evaluate the appropriateness of the employee compensation to be included in the rate base."

The electric companies disagree.

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Hit & Run Driver in Miami Identified

A hit and run driver who killed Rodolfo Garmendia on the Dolphin Expressway Monday night has been identified. Charles Bible, 69, has not been arrested at this time.

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Virgin & JetBlue Compete for Service to West Coast

Yesterday Virgin America announced plans to offer non stop flights from Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco and Los Angeles for as low as $99 a fare. Today, JetBlue has announced that they, too, will offer non stop service to both locations.

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16 Year Old Struck By SUV Dies

A Delray Beach girl who was struck by an SUV while riding her bike yesterday has died in the hospital. Read More.

Mother and Baby Whale Die on Hollywood Beach

A baby beaked whale was euthanized Monday after its mother beached herself and died on Hollywood Beach.

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South Florida Homeowners Underwater

Almost half of South Florida homeowners owe more than their home is actually worth, according to a second quarter report released today by Zillow.com.

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Former Hobe Sound Mobile Home Parks Still Vacant

Thursday, the developer of Sunset Ridge, will ask the martin County Local Planning Agency for a change in land-use designation to allow for his project to go forward.

The developer wants to turn what was formerly Bloomfield Meadows Mobile Home Park into condominiums.

Between 2005 and 2007 an estimated 1200 Treasure Coast mobile home residents were displaced when their mobile home parks were closed so developers could build condos and other projects. Little progress has been made in the development of those projects.

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Catholics Waiting To Know Whether Their Church Will Remain Open

The Archdiocese of Miami will be finalizing a list of churches to close early this month. 13 South Florida Catholic congregations are waiting anxiously to know if their church will be closed.

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$500,000 Lottery Ticket Lost

Louis Telentino put his winning $500,000 scratch off lottery ticket in his back pocket.

That was the last time he ever saw it.

He bought the ticket at Gold Coast Liquors in Lake Worth and had Uday Waghary, the liquor store's owner, run it through the machine to verify what he saw. The ticket was a winner.

Unfortunately, on his way to the lottery office to cash it in, the ticket went missing.

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Emergency Landing in Miami, 4 Seriously Injured

A Continental jet was forced to make an emergency landing in Miami early this morning.

Four people were seriously hurt and close to two dozen injured when the plane hit turbulence on a flight from Brazil to Texas. Thirteen were transported to local hospitals.

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Hole In One For Boca Raton 4 Year Old

Last Sunday Alex Heard hit a hole-in-one. The Boca Raton golfer says it's the best shot he's ever hit.

Even more shocking is Heard's age. He's 4 years old and 223 days. Only 28 days older than the youngest person ever to record a hole in one.

Read more and see pictures...

Kanye West Still Hasn't Learned Any Humility

Does Kanye ever know when to keep his mouth shut?

"First there was Elvis (Presley), then there was Michael, now in the 21st century it's Kanye's time to rule. I am the new King of Pop."

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207 Pound Python Shot In Okeechobee

Cory Surls, 11, spotted a giant snake on the bank of the canal next to Okeechobee Veterinary Hospital and ran to get his uncle, veterinarian Doc Harvey.

Harvey shot the snake in the head, killing it. The clinic then reported the snake to Animal Control and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The python was 17 feet long, weighed 207 pounds, and measured 26 inches in diameter.

Read more and see pictures...

Puppies Abandoned in Boca Raton

A litter of puppies and a mother dog were left in a small carrier at the Tri County Humane Society last night.

The mother dog is heartworm positive and will need treatment. She is beleived to be a Papillon mix.

Read More and See Pictures Here...

Patient Confidentiality Breach at Jackson Memorial Hospital

Ruben E Rodriguez and Rebecca Garcia have been working together since 2007. Garcia, who worked as an ultrasound technician at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, made a flat $1000 a month from Rodriguez in exchange for confidential hospital records of patients who had suffered injuries and had been treated at the hospital.

Rodriguez then sold those records to a lawyer who used the information to solicit the patients for legal representation.

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Man Fatally Shoots Landlord in Martin County

911 operators in Martin County received a 911 call last night from Dean Beir. Beir told operators that he had shot a man in his house.

When paramedics arrived on the scene, they rushed Jason Nordstrom, Beir's landlord, to Martin Memorial Hospital South. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

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Safety and DUI Checkpoints in Broward County

There will be police conducted checkpoints in Fort Lauderdale and Hallandale Beach today.

The Fort Lauderdale checkpoint will be on the 1200 block of Northwest Sixth Street from 2 pm today until 2 am tomorrow.

Hallandale Beach will have DUI enforcement saturation patrols throughout the city from 11 pm tonight until 3 am tomorrow.

Read More...

Acreage Cancer Cluster Investigation Updates

Last night's meeting updating Acreage residents about the state Department of Health investigation into a brain cancer cluster in the area had the state promising to test water and the county promising to test soil.

Residents still questioned why government agencies are not more closely monitoring Pratt & Whitney, who they feel have been contaminating the land for decades.

Read More...

500 New Jobs May Be Opening On The Treasure Coast

A new digital production studio could be in the works for Port Saint Lucie.

A private investment firm focused on entertainment and Internet technology, Wyndcrest Holdings, has started recruiting a senior leadership team and plans to occupy a 150,000 square foot facility in St. Lucie County.

This could translate to 500 new jobs locally.

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Which County Should Gain Revenue from Golden Triangle Land?

There seems to be some confusion as to who should pocket the $300,000 in tax revenue generated by the slice of land south of the Hillsboro Canal.

The land will soon be considered Broward County, but Palm Beach County is moving ahead as though the property tax generated from the land will stay in the northern county.

"On Jan. 1, it was located in Palm Beach County," Gary Nikolits, Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, said. "It was ours to assess. It still is within our boundaries."

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Lobster Mini Season Death Toll Reaches Four

Two more fatalities have been confirmed related to this year's lobster miniseason. One man was struck and killed by a boat around 4 pm in the Gulf of Mexico and another was found face-down near Marathon Key.

This brings the death toll to at least four as the two day season draws to a close.

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Swine Flu Death Toll Increases in South Florida, Vaccination Will Be Released This Fall

Federal officials have singled out pregnant women and children as high risk for the H1N1 virus and now must figure out how to convince them to get the vaccine this fall.

Because both groups have low rates of immunizations against the regular flu, health planners are concerned that there will be hesitation by parents to take the new vaccine or have their children vaccinated.

State officials reported a fourth H1N1 death in Palm Beach County today and two new deaths in Broward County. The state now has reported 31 swine flu deaths.

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Fake Police Shoot Man in Miami-Dade

Laura Magnum and her husband were driving to work this morning at 4:15 AM when they were pulled over by a Dodge Charger with flashing red and blue lights. When they pulled to the shoulder near Northeast 111th Street and Northeast 14th Avenue in Miami-Dade, they were ordered over a PA system to get out of the car and put their hands on the truck.

As Magnum's husband got out of the car, two men got out of the Dodge Charger. One held a bat and the other put a gun to his head.

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New Documents Released in Casey Anthony Case

More than a thousand pages of documents in in the state's case against Casey Anthony have been released this morning.

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Lobster Mini Season Claims Two Divers On First Day

Choppy seas and wind have taken its tole on the lobster miniseason. On just the first day of the two-day season, at least two divers have died and there have been several boating mishaps.

The regular season is August 6 to March 31, but this miniseason, which runs through tonight at midnight, is popular with recreational divers.

Last year, during the miniseason, five people died along the Treasure Coast and South Florida.

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Stricter Penalities for Frequent Crash Drivers in Florida

Bad drivers in Florida will soon have to take a behind-the-wheel driving education course and pass a driving test. The new law will require any motorist convicted of three crash-related moving violations over a three-year period to take the test.

The new law, signed by Gov. Charlie Crist last month, becomes effective January 1.

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400 Pound Buddha Stolen From Restaurant

Just weeks after Zack Gardner's 150 pound Buddha head was stolen from his Japanese restaurant, Saba Thai, in Boca Raton, he was forced to report another crime.

Now a second statue, a 400 pound Buddha, was been stolen from the restaurant - only eight days after it was donated by Nicholas Jacobsen, the owner of Classic Chandeliers in West Palm Beach.

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Murderer's Vacant Lot Goes For A Steal In Palm Beach

A vacant half-acre waterfront lot in Palm Beach has been sold for the bargain price of $3.6 million. The lot was previously owned by convicted murderer Fred Keller.

Keller shot and killed his fifth ex-wife nearly six years ago.

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DCF Ignores Judge's Pleas For Them To Help Baby

Despite written concerns by Broward Circuit Judge Eileen O'Connor in February and March, child welfare administrators did not step in to help the nearly two year old son of Alberto and Jocelyn Barros until July 3rd.

By then, little Bryce was already dead.

Read more information, including incident report, emails, and court documents here.

FHP Looking for Agressive Turnpike Drivers This Week

If you drive agressively on the Florida Turnpike you may be the target of the Florida Highway Patrol today and Friday.

Changing lanes abruptly, tailgating, speeding, and ignoring traffic signs are considered agressive tactics by the FHP and they will be looking for these practices this week. FHP will be using aircraft to track drivers.

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Coconut Attack Lands WPB Man In Jail

A West Palm Beach man has been charged with attacking his roommate with a coconut. 44 year old Joseph Lovett is being held on $4000 bail by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

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PBCSO Sgt Considers Himself Punisher of Belle Glade

According to the Facebook page of Sgt Brent Raban of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, dishing out punishment to Belle Glade residents is all in a day's work.

The seven year veteran of the sheriff's office has earned himself a demotion and two of his subordinates, Deputies Gregory Lynch and Michael Woodside, have been fired due to their inexcusable behavior.

Read More...

Could A Big Screen TV Be The Reason An Okeechobee Woman Was Murdered?

New information has been released in the murder investigation of an Okeechobee woman found stabbed to death Tuesday night.

Roberta Christensen reportedly won a large flat screen television in a raffle last Christmas. The television is missing from the home.

Read More...

Boca Woman Claims She Has Been Poisoned By Fixodent

A Boca Raton woman is claiming that her Fixodent denture cream has been poisoning her for the last 11 years.

Marianne Chapman, 31, states that she has had numerous problems due to the denture adhesive cream. She cannot pick up her children like she should, she cannot run, she cannot ride a bike.

She is not alone in this fight.

Read More...

Man Arrested For Using Fake Police Lights To Avoid Traffic

Off duty Manatee County deputy, Detective Jeff Lane, was driving on I-75 July 18th when he saw police lights flashing behind him and pulled over.

A black BMW with no police markings passed him and Lane wrote down the license plate number. The sheriff's office connected the plate number to Dennis Woodruff, 34. Police went to the Publix where Woodruff worked in Sarasota and he reportedly admitted to using the lights.

He is being held on $1120 bail and charged with impersonating a police officer.

Source

Suit Filed Against Broward School District

The Broward Teachers Union has filed a lawsuit against the Broward School District to stop them from hiring new teachers.

The School District laid off close to 400 teachers in June but voted to rehire 124 of them to fill jobs. The district is also looking for 89 additional teachers they claim the laid off teachers aren't qualified to fill.

The union requested a list of the names, certifications, and assignments of the rehired teachers on July 2 and they have not yet received it, prompting the law suit.

In a written statement, union president Pat Santeramo said: “Everyone has a vested interest in making certain Broward school officials fulfill their legal obligations under the Public Records Act. District officials continue to let their employees and the public down by their failure to provide public information as required by Florida law.”

Copies of emails and the lawsuit can be found here.

Two More Girls Come Forward Against Quiet Waters Marina Worker

More girls have come forth to accuse Corey Hipscher, the worker who allegedly molested fondled a 10 year old girl at Quiet Waters Park.

Two girls, aged 7 and 8, were taken to the park by their mother, who was visiting from the Dominican Republic, on July 8 to rent paddle boats. The girls have also accused Hipscher of fondling them during a boat ride in the same lake.

The parks department is rewriting all of its contracts to require statewide criminal background checks and to require that officials be given monthly updates proving new employees have been vetted.

Hipscher is being held at the Broward County Jail. He has been charged with seven counts of molesting a victim under the age of 12 and one count of violating parole.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about these incidents to contact Detective Carol Dansky at 954-321-4240 or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.

Source

Homeless New York Families Being Shipped South

New York City is pawning their homeless off on other states. A Bloomberg administration program is buying one-way plane tickets for homeless families to leave the city in an effort to keep them out of the shelter system.

All that is required is an agreement for a family member to agree to take them in.

Families have been sent to 24 states and five continents, mostly to Puerto Rico, Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.

Source

Audio Reveals Hollywood Police Discussing Cover Up

Shocking audio can be heard recorded by a dashboard camera in one of the patrol cars in a February drunk driving incident.

Alexandra Gabriela Torrensvilas, 23, was cited with four counts of drunken driving after a Hollywood police officer rear-ended her car.

The audio on the tape clearly plays officers discussing how they would cover up the situation to protect a fellow officer.

Officer Dewey Pressley, 42, Officer Joel Francisco, 36, Sgt. Andrew Diaz, 39; and civilian Community Service Officer Karim Thomas, age unavailable, were placed on administrative duty pending an internal affairs investigation and a review by the Broward State Attorney's Office, said spokesman Lt. Scott Pardon.

Audio can be heard here.

UPDATE: The charges against Torrensvilas have been dropped. Source

Register To Donate Your Organs With a Click

It just became simpler to be an organ donor in Florida.

In an effort to help find more donors for the almost 4000 people that are awaiting a transplant in Florida, the Joshua Abbot Organ Donor Registry was launched yesterday.

Now Floridiants can simply go online to www.donatelifeflorida.org to register as an organ donor.

FAU Dissapointed Over Retraction of $16 Million Pledge

Barry Kaye, 81, a former insurance magnate, has been an FAU donor since 2005 when he pledged $5 million to the school's College of Business. In 2007 Kaye increased his pledge to $16 million and agreed to pay installments over five years.

Part of the money was used to establish a Barry Kaye School of Finance, Insurance and Economics.

FAU will now be removing Kaye's name from that school as Kaye has told FAU fundraisers he will be unable to fulfill his $16 million pledge, the largest in FAU's history.

Kaye agreed to write the school a final $1 million check, bringing his gift total to the original promised $5 million, and asked to take his name off the College of Business. FAU accepted the revised agreement.

FAU programs are not expected to be impacted, spokeswoman Kristine Gobbo explained.

"Programs and faculty hires are not put in place until the funding is received from the donor sponsoring that particular program or faculty member," she said.

"There's no question it's a disappointment," said Norman Tripp, former chairman of the FAU board of trustees. "I think he's just suffering as other people are doing with the economic times. I think [FAU officials] have to be thankful they received the money they did. But on the other side, when a pledge isn't completed, you can't keep the name on the school."

There had been questions about FAU's policies on donor relations due to Kaye's involvement with the university. Critics believed Kaye wanted a business relationship with FAU, not just a philanthropic relationship.

In 2007 Kaye hosted seminars on the campus regarding life settlements, the process of buying insurance policies from the elderly and then cashing them out when they die. He proposed taking out life insurance policies on FAU donors to raise money for the university. Kaye would have made money by brokering the deals.

"He always wanted to sell. You can't fault him. He's a good salesman," said Pamela Peterson Drake, a former associate dean in the College of Business. "But I don't think he fully understood you can't use a university for those purposes."

Kaye's $5 million pledge is the third largest in FAU history.

"There aren't too many people who have given that kind of money to the university," Kaye said. "I feel very good about thing the things I was able to accomplish."

Source

$4 Million Made Available For Foreclosure Defense in Florida

A new foreclosure assistance program for the defense of troubled homeowners was announced yesterday by attorney General Bill McCollum and the Florida Bar Foundation.

The money, a total of $4 million over two years, will be distributed through the foundation in annual grants to non-profit organizations that will approve applicants. The money will come from a settlement obtained by the Attorney General's office from Countrywide Financial.

Florida currently has the nation's fourth highest forclosure rate.

Source

Okeechobee Woman Found Murdered

A 49 year old Okeechobee woman was found last night murdered in her home on NE 11th Court, in the Pine Ridge Park subdivision.

Roberta "Bobbie" Christensen was found by her son and daughter-in-law last night. Sheriff's detectives have several leads but are not yet releasing the motive for the murder.

Source

Divers Rescued Off Pompano Beach

Four men were rescued early this morning after their boat sank off of Pompano Beach. None of the divers were hurt.

The men were found with the help of the Broward County Sheriff's Office helicopter and the Coast Guard. It is unknown what caused the boat to sink.

Man Killed in WPB Shooting

West Palm Beach police received a call regarding gunshots around 12:45 AM this morning. Police arriving on the scene found 26 year old Jenoi Leoni Hand with gunshot wounds on the 600 block of 6th Street. He was taken to a nearby hospital and later died from his wounds.

Anyone with information about the murder is asked to contact the WPB Police Dept. Homicide Unit at 1-866-312-7193 or by calling Palm Beach County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-458-TIPS.

Source

Penn State Parties Harder Than The Gators

UF has been booted from their number 1 Party School spot. This year, Penn State wins the title.

Here's the Top 20 list:

1. Penn State University, State College, Pa.
2. University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
3. University of Mississippi, University, Miss.
4. University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.
5. Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
6. West Virginia University, Morgantown, W.Va.
7. University of Texas, Austin, Texas
8. University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.
9. Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla.
10. University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, Calif.
11. University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo.
12. University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
13. Union College, Schenectady, N.Y.
14. Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind.
15. DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind.
16. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn.
17. Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn.
18. University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, N.D.
19. Tulane University, New Orleans, La.
20. Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz.

16 Year Old Twin Drowns in Miami-Dade

A teen went swimming in a lake at Amelia Earhart Park in north Miami-Dade some time before 5:20 pm yesterday while playing a hide and seek game with other kids. Divers and a police helicopter searched for the boy and found him after a half hour.

He was pronounced dead at the hospital after he arrived in critical condition.

Source

FPL's Profit Increases 77 Percent

Check out this weblog about FPL Group's profit in the second quarter. 77 percent increase while we all turn our thermostats up to save cash. Nice!

Boca Parents Irate Over Homework Policy

Next month elementary school students in third, fourth, and fifth grades will have different teachers for reading/language arts, math, science, and social studies. The new model is called departmentalization and is said to prepare children for middle school changes.

Along with this change, elementary school principals agreed to set homework expectations for these grades. The new rule is that third graders will receive a maximum of one hour of daily homework and fourth and fifth graders will receive a maximum of ninety minutes.

This includes 30 minutes for reading plus other assignments.

Many parents in Boca Raton are upset about the new guidelines stating that the national standard is 10 minutes of homework multiplied by grade level. For example, third graders would receive 30 minutes, fourth would receive 40 minutes, and so on.

Chief academic officer for Palm Beach County schools, Jeffrey Hernandez, stated that this is the "maximum that we would want to reach on any given day."

"It's up to that amount," he said. "It doesn't necessarily mean that each day they're going to be receiving that amount."

Royal Palm Beach Man Wins Big in Lottery

Viktor W. Kunci, 46, purchased a lotto ticket in Pinellas County earlier this month. In the July 18th drawing that ticket won him $3 million. Kunci purchased the ticket at the Safety Harbor Chevron in Safety Harbor, northeast of Clearwater. He is the 64th person to buy a winning ticket in Pinellas County.

Kunci has opted to take his winnings in the form of a $1.7 million lump sum.

Another Horse Butchered in Miami-Dade

Another horse was found butchered in Miami-Dade. The horse was stabbed in the neck at least twice Sunday night or Monday morning.

The animal was likely alive when its chest and legs were sliced off. The body was then burned near the stable.

A foal, still alive, was found lying next to the mare's body.

At least 18 horses in the Miami area have been butchered. Horse meat is illegal to sell in the US and can sell for as much as $20 a pound on the black market.

Source

Abandoned Kittens Rescued in Jensen Beach

Three tiny kittens were found in an empty parking lot in Port Saint Lucie and rushed to Ocean Breeze Veterinary Medical Center in Jensen Beach. Veterinary Technician Denita Bohle was just about to close up the office for the weekend when the kittens were brought in.

They were in such bad shape she almost euthanized the tiny kittens but when she gave then food and water they seemed to improve.

"It just broke my heart that they were in such deplorable condition, yet they still wanted to be held and let me clean their eyes and didn't fight it at all," she says. "I don't know. For some reason, they just kind of touched my heart."

The three kittens, named Faith, Tessa, and Cowboy, all need special medical attention right now but will be ready for adoption soon. Faith has lost an eye due to an upper respiratory infection and Tessa and Cowboy will both need one of their eyes removed.

For information about adoption, call the Ocean Breeze Veterinary Medical Center at (772) 334-2273.

Source

Paternal Rights May Be Reinstated to Dead Father

A Broward father may regain his paternal rights again. Unfortunately he'll never know it.

Known in court records as C.A., he lost his parental rights to his pre-teen daughter. Before his appeal was complete, C.A was killed when he was hit by a car.

C.A. lost his parental rights to his daughter, but not his older son. When he was killed, his son became entitled to inherit any proceeds from a wrongful death suit. His daughter, however, would not.

The Department of Children & Families, looking out for the best interests of the child, questions whether or not the daughter will be better off retaining legal ties to her father in the event of his death.

The Fourth District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach has ordered Broward Circuit Judge John Frusciante to reconsider his order ending C.A.'s rights as a father.

Source

Unemployed Man Turns to Unconventional Methods to Gain Employment

Jon Kolbe, a Boca Raton father of two, has been without a job for seven months. After applying for a couple hundred jobs, he found a lead from a stranger on Twitter.

The unemployed are flocking to the social networking site and using it to scour for job leads and listings. Tools like TwitterJobSearch.com have been created to help people sort through jobs in various industries.

Kolbe has taken it a step further. After he was laid off at an architecture firm, he created profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to market himself. He spent every day applying for jobs through Monster, Careerbuilder, EmployFlorida, Indeed and Simply Hired. After months went by with no luck, he built his own site, JonKolbe.com. He attaches a $2 gift card to every resume, hoping a cup of coffee will warm the hearts of recruiters.

In March, Kolbe launched the "Help Jon Kolbe Find A Job" contest. The winner gets a Flip Mino HD video camera.

Source

Lightning Torments South Florida

South Florida has experienced a slew on lightning strikes over the past four days. Four people have died from strikes in the past two months.

A bolt hit Michelle St. Val's car on I-595 on Friday. Saturday lightning struck a Mobil gas station in Miramar, putting a hole in the roof. On Monday lightning again struck a car traveling on I-75 in Miami-Dade County and then lightning blew the windows out on a home just a few miles away.

During a lightning storm, the safest place to be is inside a home or building. Still, that isn't always fool-proof. Lightning can travel through wiring, plumbing, and even the wire mesh in concrete floors. The weather service urges people to stay off corded phones, turn off electrical appliances, and don't use water.

Florida has an average of 1.4 million lightning strikes a year, most of them just striking ground.

Source

Chick-fil-A Murderer Sentenced to Life in Prison

Yesterday a jury convicted Jessie Lee Miller of the first degree murder of Nichoals Megrath. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the penalty required under Flordia law.

More than 10 years ago, Megrath, an 18 year old honor student, was shot while working at a Chick-fil-A in the Palm Beach Mall. Megrath was shot at point-blank range. Officers found his body bound to a metal chair inside the restaurant where he worked as a manager on May 1, 1999.

Miller was fired from the Chick-fil-A two months before the killing and coworkers reported that he repeatedly came back to the store to taunt Megrath.

Source

Pratt & Whitney Contaminants Worry Acreage Residents

Many Acreage residents are worried that contaminant spills at Pratt & Whitney may be causing a brain tumor cluster in their community in Western Palm Beach County.

Pratt & Whitney has accumulated a long list of toxic leaks and spills on its 7000 acre property dating back to at least 1979 - including one that spread into the neighboring JW Corbett Wildlife Management Area. In the 1980s the company also made headlines with its own on-site cancer scare.

Residents are urging the state Department of Health to investigate the possible brain cancer cluster and have launched a Web Site (http://www.theacreagecancerstudy.com) featuring a section on Pratt & Whitney spills.

"There's little to no migration of groundwater impact off our site," Pratt Spokesman Tom Callaghan said. "We developed a robust remediation plan to ensure that there was no risk to the environment and human health," The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Protection "determined that conditions here don't pose a risk to human health or the environment."

One contaminant, 1,4-dioxane, did migrate 800 feet into the JW Corbett Wildlife Management Area. The US Department of Health and Human Services considers this contaminant to be a human carcinogen. In 2003 Pratt did report this problem and placed six sampling wells on the Corbett property. In April, the tests showed that one of the six wells did have concentrations slightly above acceptable limits.

Over the years Pratt has dumped and spilled cleaning solvents, jet and rocket fuel, and toxic chemicals, including cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. A buried waste oil tank leaked volatile organic compounds. In the early 1980s, the facility had its own cancer worried due to one leak.

In 1979 there was a spill of TCE leaking from a Pratt storage tank and contaminating the company's water supply. The company followed with a $1 million cleanup and commissioned a 1981 University of Miami study that showed these degreasing materials may have increased employees' death and cancer rates.

The company rejected the report and a National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health study conducted two years later refuted the univertisy's study.

Cleanup began in the early 1980s and was overseen by the EPA. Around 1985 the DEP began overseeing the cleanup operation. In 1988 a state Department of Health report concluded that the site was "of potential public health concern because of the risk to human health caused by the possibility of exposure to hazardous substances via chemicals in groundwater and air."

In 1999 the company reported that it had excavated 22,000 tons of contaminated soil and recovered 14,000 gallons of fuel from groundwater in that years. It also said it had finished 70 percent of soil cleanup and 85 percent of groundwater cleanup.

There will be an interim meeting Thursday to dicuss the state investigation into whether a brain cancer cluster exists in The Acreage. The meeting will be held at the Clayton E. Hutcheson Agricultural Center, Exhibit Hall A, 559 N. Military Trail in West Palm Beach.

Source

Board Member's Inbox Clogged With Public Opinion

Fred Stresau, board member of the Fort Lauderdale Planning & Zoning Board, received more than 100 emails from the public about the Bahia Mar condo-marina-hotel compex a developer hopes to build on city land at the beach.

He blames Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom for distributing his email address in an email to her constituents, urging them to give their opinions about the project.

Stresau, who has served on city boards for 45 years believes that if there is an opinion about a city project, it should be offered in public at a meeting, "so that all concerned can hear and respond equally and accordingly."

He is deleting the onslaught of emails, unread. There is no city rule saying board members are required to read their emails.

Rostrom maintains she was ""just trying to make it more convenient for the public to give input. Would they prefer the public call them at home? It's a public process. We are public servants. We are here to serve the public."

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Shredded Documents and Chaos Found in Foreclosure Rescue Offices

A Palm Beach Circuit Court judge granted the Florida Attorney General's Office an emergency ruling Friday, requiring four mortgage modification operations to cease doing business: FHA All Day.Com, Safety Financial Services, Housing Assistance Law Center and Housing Assistance Now.

Last week investigators found bags of shredded paperwork and chaos at a Deerfield Beach storefront that was once the address for at least two of the businesses.

Victims will be in court to testify on Thursday. Regulaters state that the companies made illegal telemarketing calls using President Obama's voice and charged up to $5000 up front to modify existing home loans. This is a violation of the 2008 Foreclosure Rescue Fraud Prevention Act. Then, nothing at all was done for consumers months after the signed up.

Jason Vitulano, the owner of FHA All Day and the person officials say was connected with all four companies, is required to get court permission before transferring any assets worth more than $1000.

The Florida attorny general is currently invesitgating 81 mortgage modification companies.

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Sexting Is A Crime - Teens Need To Know

Miami-Dade County schools plan to have an anti-sexting initiative for 3rd through 12th graders by August 24th, when Miami-Dade students will be back in class. The new approach will work with state and local government and law enforcement and include training for parents and school staff members.

Palm Beach County Assistant State Attorney Daliah Weiss speaks to middle school students to let them know its a crime.

Sexting is when someone sends sexually explicit images of themselves or others via cell phone or computer. Under Florida law, each image is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, when the image is of a minor. The charge is considered posession of sexual performance by a child and is intended to cath pedophiles and sexual predators. However, teens who are sexting can be caught and face harsh consequences. The sender and the receiver are just as punishable by the law.

Though Broward and Palm Beach counties have both investigaged sexting cases by teens, no charges have been filed. Miami-Dade has not had any cases reported at this time.

The most notible Florida case of sexting was in Orlando when an 18 year old boy emailed nude photos of his 16 year old ex girlfriend in a revenge seeking move. The 18 year old was charged with sending child pornography and is now listed on the state sex-offender registry.

Vermont and Utah have both amended their laws to charge sexting by minors as a misdemeanor instead of a felony and many other states are considering following suit. State Sen. Dave Aronberg, D- Greenacres, wants Florida to change their laws as well.

"I hear stories like this all the time, about naked pictures being sent over cell phones," Aronberg said. "To those of us who grew up without cell phones, it's shocking. But the law should not treat it the same way we treat Internet predators if this is between two kids acting stupidly."

Apparent Drowing in South Miami-Dade

An unidentified woman was found dead in a lake in South Miami-Dade County yesterday evening. The lake was near the 10700 block of Southwest 44th Street. She was found dead at the scene.

Man Electrocuted in Deerfield Beach

Alex Ferradas, 38, was electrocuted and immediately killed Sunday night while pressure cleaning a Deerfield Beach building.

Ferradas and a co-worker were cleaning a building owned by Hardrives Asphalt Company on Powerline Road when his lift touched a power line. Ferradas was the owner of the pressure-washing company.

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Hollywood Trailer Park Evacuated By SWAT Team

A SWAT team was called into the Okomo Trailer Park in Hollywood last night when a call that an armed man was shooting at residents was made.

The trailer park was evacuated and police canvased the area. The suspect was not found and residents were allowed to return home around 6:30 this morning.

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Two Days to Nab Spiny Lobsters Starts July 29

There will be a two-day sport season this week for recreational spiny lobster hunters to get a jump start before the commercial season opens. July 29th and 30th divers will be permitted to take up to six lobsters a day in Monroe County and Biscayne National Park. In all other state waters up to twelve lobsters are permitted per person.

Divers are required to possess a valid saltwater fishing license and lobster permit. They are required to display a divers-down flag.

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Mom & Son Survive Lighting Hit to Car on 595

Michelle St. Val, 23, of Fort Lauderdale was on her way to the airport to pick up her brother on I-595 on Friday evening with her 4 year old son, Mikyal, belted in the backseat.

The sky threatened rain but conditions were dry when her car was struck by lightning, inches above Mikyal's head.

The music in the car stopped, her son was showered in glass, and her car was powerless and moving across three lanes of traffic.

An FHP officer determined that the bolt struck the upper left corner of the rear window, traveled through the car's frame, and exited on the right side back tire. The entire electrical system in the car was burned out.

Though St. Val, Mikyal, and the front-seat passenger were shaken, no one was injured.

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Florida East Coast Railway May Carry Passengers Again

Henry Flagler's railroad may see life again. The Florida Department of Transportation has applied for federal stimulus money to bring Amtrak to the Florida East Coast Railway.

The tracks, which run from West Palm Beach to Jacksonville, haven't seen passenger trains in 41 years.

The goal is to have service start in October 2012. The stimulus money would build eight stations in Stuart, Fort Pierce, Vero Beach, Melbourne, Cocoa Beach, Titusville, Daytona Beach, and St. Augustine; track sidings so trains can pass; and a crossover that would allow Amtrack to switch from the FEC tracks to the CSX tracks that parallel I-95.

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No Power for 120 Palm Beach County Residents

Close to 120 FPL customers are without powere this morning in Palm Beach County due to early morning storms that rolled through the area.

Outages are in West Palm Beach, Lake Worth, and Boca Raton as well as scattered in other parts of the county.

FPL technicians are working to restore power.

Man Caught Running Down Greenacres Street with Stolen Cash Register

Michael Mason, 32, of Lake Worth entered a restaurant Thursday afternoon and asked for change for a $10 bill. The cashier then asked to see the bill and Mason became irate and screamed "I want change!"

Mason then reportedly grabbed about $40 from a tip box and then grabbed the whole cash register, containing close to $300 and ran out of the restaurant.

Police officers had just come from reviewing surveillance video at a nearby convenience store where lottery tickets had been stolen Wednesday.

Police identified Mason as the theif from the video after a short chase. He is being held on $21,000 bail.

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Pack up Grandma and Head to The Atlantic Hotel

The Atlantic Hotel in Fort Lauderdale will launch a "Cheers for Years" package starting August 1st through September 30th. This promotion will give a food and beverage or spa credit equal to the oldest guest in the room.

Room rates at the 124 room beach resort start at $199 a night.

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Last Day for School Uniform Drive in Palm Beach County

The organization 'Yes We Can!' will be collecting used school uniforms through today at various locations in Palm Beach County.

Donations can be made at the following locations:

BOYNTON BEACH - Jewish Community Center, 8500 Jog Road, Boynton Beach

JUPITER - Jupiter Parks and Recreation, 200 Military Trail, Jupiter

LAKE WORTH - Holy Redeemer Church, 3730 Kirk Road, Lake Worth

PALM BEACH GARDENS - Palm Beach Gardens Community Center, 4404 Burns Road, Palm Beach Gardens

WEST PALM BEACH, Jewish Community Center, 3151 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach

The uniforms will be available to parents on Saturday, August 8 between 10 AM and 4 PM at the Gaines Park Gym in West Palm Beach. Uniforms will be free of charge, but donations are appreciated.

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Miami Beach Movie Theater Evacuated Due to Fire

A car fire on the fourth level of a parking garage adjacent to Lincoln Road's South Beach Regal Cinemas forced hundreds of patrons out in the rain during an evacuation of the theater on Saturday.

The fire alarm in the theater went off at 4:40 pm and patrons were let back into the building by 5:15. Patrons were compensated for their tickets.

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Florida Highway Patrol Setting Up More Checkpoints

FHP will be conducting checkpoints in Lake Worth today under the I-95 bridge on Lake Worth road. There will be similar checkpoints in Martin and Indian River counties this weekend.

Troopers will be looking for unlicensed drivers and faulty safety equipment on vehicles, according to an FHP report. Spokesperson, Tim Frith, states that motorists should expect several more checkpoints in the coming months.

Third DCF Employee Under Investigation in Two Years

Shkina Dees, a 26 year old DCF employee, is under investigation as to whether she abused her position to use assistance money for herself. She reportedly made purchases at a Wal-Mart in Lauderdale Lakes with money that should have gone to needy Florida families.

This is the third time in two years that a Broward County DCF employee has been investigated of misusing agency funds.

Dees was arrested last month for allegedly stealing over $2000 in jewelry and cash from her mother-in-law's house. When she was booked into the Broward County jail, deputies discovered she was carrying four government issued debit cards used to obtain cash and food stamp benefits.

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And the Mother of the Year Award Goes To...

A Panama City mother has been arested for allegedly forcing her children, a 6 year old girl and an 8 year old boy, to watch pornographic movies and also to watch her perform sexual acts on men.

The children have been living with their aunt who recently noticed inappropriate behavior from the children. The children were then questioned by child protective services and police were troubled by their responses.

The Panama City Police Department arrest affidavit can be read here.

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5 Million Floridians May Contract H1N1

Information from a top state medical official states the 5 million Floridians could contract the swine flu within a year if the virus follows the pattern of previous pandemics.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that this pandemic could be similar to the 1957 Asian flu outbreak. Officials expect more cases of the H1N1 virus to be reported after public schools open next month.

Following are tips to prevent contracting the virus:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Get plenty of sleep.
3. Be physically active.
4. Manage your stress.
5. Drink plenty of fluids.
6. Eat nutrition food.
7. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
8. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.

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Crist Won't Share Anti-Semitic Movie With Floridians

Governor Charlie Crist's office recently received a copy of the film "Jud Suss," an anti-Semitic movie produced by the Nazi propaganda arm in 1940. The office then sent a letter thanking, John Ubele, who sent the DVD to Crist. The letter told Ubele that Crist would be delighted to share the DVD with the people of Florida and it was signed with what appeared to be Crist's genuine signature.

The governor's office maintains that the signature was machine made and that Crist never actually saw the letter.

"We are NOT sharing the DVD with the people of Florida," said Sterling Ivey, the governor's press secretary. "The governor does not support this view. The letter was sent out prior to us reviewing the DVD that was sent."

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Former Altar Boy and Honor Graduate Faces Deportation

A man who was picked up by Border Patrol agents on July 16 is facing deportation.

Fredy Avellaneda's family came to Pahokee from Mexico in 1992 when he was 10. At age 12, Avellaneda became at altar boy in St. Mary's Parish and in 2001 he graduated from Pahokee High school with honors.

Avellaneda dreamed of going to college but could not because he doesn't have a Social Security number.

He was on his way to work clearing swamp land near the Everglades when he was picked up with a group of undocumented workers on Routh 27.

He has not been to Mexico since he was 10 and though he does have grandparents living there still, Avellaneda's mother states he would have no idea how to find them from the border.

Tim Keohane, managing attorney for Catholic Charities Immigration Service of Palm Beach County, says there is a possibility that Avellaneda will be released on bond due to his impecable record. Immigration reforms pending in Washington may help him eventually go to college.

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Eat Green Chicken in South Florida

Chick-N-Grill restaurants in South Florida are becoming the country's first Hispanic-owned fast-food chain to receive certification by the national Green Restaurant Association.

There are only two other certified restaurants from Florida listed on the association's website, Rolls 'n Bowls in Gainesville and Treviso in Sarasota.

Chick-N-Grill has four Miami locations in Brickell, North Gables, Pinecrest, and Miami Lakes. The restaurant can also be found inside the foodcourts at Florida Atlantic University and Nova Southeastern University.

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Adopt a Wild Horse Today in West Palm Beach

You can adopt a wild mustang today at the South Florida Fairgrounds for a mere $25. The Bureau of Land Management is organizing the two day event that ran yesterday from 1:00 to 5:00 pm and again today from 8:00 to 5:00 pm.

You must be 18 years old to adopt, prove that you can provide adequate feed and housing for the animals, and have no record of animal abuse.

More information on requirements can be found here.

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Man Electrocuted in Hialeah

A 21 year old aspiring musician and National Guard reservist, Myles Davis, was electrocuted yesterday in Hialeah while trying to move a downed power line from the roadway with his bare hands.

The accident happened yesterday afternoon around 1:30 PM along the 7800 block of West Fourth Avenue.

The line reportedly had enough electricity running through it to power 600 homes.

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Okeechobee Wildlife Center Gains YouTube Stardom with Cute Overload

A young deer bathing a domestic cat at Arnold's Wildlife Rehab in Okeechobee was filmed and posted on YouTube. As of this morning the video had over 200,000 views.

Nude Sculpture Has PTAs Panties in a Wad

A bronze sculpture in west Delray has parents of elementary school children at the nearby Morikami Park Elementary School upset.

The figure is by artist Itzik Asher and depicts an anatomically correct family of a father, mother, child, and infant. The sculpture represents the journey of Russian and Ethiopian Jews from their homes to Israel.

"It's a figurative piece, somewhat abstract," said Richard Caster, who owns the shopping center and has other large sculptures peppering its front lawn. "It's natural and beautiful."

Jamie Garroway, PTA president at Morikami Park Elementary School, finds the sculpture distasteful and emailed parents Wednesday morning calling for them to file complaints with Palm Beach County Code Enforcement.

Terri Pavals, who teaches at the school's summer program states she has not heard any of the children talking about the piece.

"It's the parents who have been talking about it," she said. "The children don't really make an issue of it."

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Northlake Blvd Closed West of US1

A water main break just west of US1 in North Palm Beach has Northlake Blvd closed since just after midnight.

Dispatchers do not know how long the road will be closed.

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Palm Beach County's 3rd Confirmed Swine Flu Death

The Palm Beach County health department confirmed yesterday that a 46 year old local woman has died of swine flu.

This makes the county's 3rd confirmed death from the H1N1 virus. Earlier cases were a 42 year old man and a 25 year old woman who died after giving birth to a son.

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Man Possibly Struck 3 Times By Same Car

An unidentified man in his 30s was airlifted by Trauma Hawk to Delray Medical Center after being struck by a hit and run driver on South Military Trail early this morning.

A witness, identified as the victim's friend, says the car hit the man, stopped and reversed to hit him again, and then went forward to hit the man a third time before leaving the scene.

The victim's condition is not known at this time.

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Blaze Rages Through the Night in Suburban West Palm Beach

Palm Beach county firefighters were called to a fire at 11:29 PM last night on Belvedere Road south of Jog Road in West Palm Beach.

The fire was located at an address listed under OK Ventures, LLC - a roofing/building/management firm.

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Ron Beesley states that it is too soon to determine whether the fire was started accidentally.

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Miami's Shantytown Sex Offenders May Be Moving

County officials are attempting to move the registered sex offenders living under a bridge in Miami to private housing this week. The chairman of Dade County's Homeless Trust stated this week that the group will move eight men into an apartment located elsewhere in Miami. Other locations are being considered to relocate the near 70 remaining registered offenders living in tents and make shift huts.

However, some of the men do not want to move, stating that being told where they must live is the same as being in prison.

"I'm not in prison anymore," said Reg, a 44-year-old offender who served six years behind bars for molesting a minor. He declined to give his last name for fear he may lose his job as a cook. "I'm a taxpayer, I'm on probation and I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. I don't want to be told to live somewhere."

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Ears Are Not Handles, Mr. Collins

A Key West man nearly lost his ear trying to make sure his female co worker got home safe earlier this month.

The 24 year old reportedly closed the bar he worked at around 4:30 AM on July 11th and drove his female co-worker home. When they arrived at her home on 9th Avenue in Key West, Gregory Collins of Stock Island reportedly pulled the victim from his car by his ear and beat him up.

The man's injuries were so severe he was transported from Lower Keys Hospital to Miami for further treatment.

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South Florida Home Sales On The Rise?

South Florida home sales in Palm Beach and Broward counties are reported to have raised 15 and 35 percent respectively from last June. Though the median sales price has dropped at least 25% from prices reported a year ago, prices have risen slightly from earlier this year.

Lower prices and government incentives have enticed buyers to purchase in South Florida.

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Man Gunned Down at Miami Car Wash

Gregory Poux, 33, was shot to death early this morning at the 24 hour Winwood Car Wash in Miami. Poux was the caretaker to his elderly mother who is in a wheelchair. He is survived by a 9 year old son.

"If you have any information on this shooting, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward."

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Plotty's Discount Motors in Stuart Investigated for Odometer Fraud

"Plotty’s Discount Motor’s has been in business at the 16th Place address for approximately six months and previously operated at 628 SW Bryant Avenue in Stuart.

The Sheriff's Office believes there are more victims in this scheme.

If you purchased a vehicle from Plotty’s Discount Motor’s and believe the odometer may have been tampered with, contact Detective Carlo Sciandra or Detective John Perez, Martin County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division, at 772 220-7060"

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Disney Store Freebies in Aventura on July 29th

The Aventura Mall in North Miami will open a new Disney store on July 29th. The new store opens at 10 AM and will be giving out freebies!

The first 200 guests will receive a Mickey Mouse lollipop and free Mickey Mouse ears will be given to kids when their parents make a purchase (while supplies last).

The store will also be including a free lunch bag with every backpack purchase.

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