Miami News

Sun-Sentinel

• Three pedestrians struck by car at Pines shopping center

  Sun-Sentinel – 13 mins ago  

  All three were taken to area hospitals Three people were injured Friday afternoon when they were struck by a car that jumped a curb, police said. Full Story »

• Former Cardinal Gibbons basketball player recovering from shooting

  Sun-Sentinel – 58 mins ago  

  Mountain State University basketball player and former Cardinal Gibbons High School standout Alvin Mitchell is in serious but stable condition at an undisclosed hospital where he is being treated for multiple gunshot wounds. Full Story »

• Fort Lauderdale bridges going up for Winterfest

  Sun-Sentinel – 58 mins ago  

  Drivers in Fort Lauderdale will want to avoid the city's New River bridges when the 38th annual Winterfest Boat Parade gets under way Saturday night. Full Story »

• PETA circus protest gets cool school reception

  Sun-Sentinel – 2 hrs 28 mins ago  

  Some parents worried that the elephant suit with head wound was too over-the-top for elementary students to see WEST PALM BEACH – Five police officers watched with a mix of boredom and amusement as a woman dressed as an elephant with a head wound waved at children arriving at Belvedere Elementary school Friday morning. Full Story »

• America's Most Wanted in Jupiter to profile Thanksgiving shootings

  Sun-Sentinel – Fri Dec 11, 8:49 am ET  

  America's Most Wanted , one of the most-watched shows on television, will be in Jupiter on Friday to do an in-depth story about the Thanksgiving shootings of four family members and to update the public on the manhunt for the suspect in these murders, Paul Michael Merhige, 35, of Miami. Full Story »

Miami Herald

• Pentagon drops Kuwaiti's war crimes case

  Miami Herald – Fri Dec 11, 9:26 am ET  

  A day after the emir of Kuwait sent his royal jet to fetch a citizen from Guantánamo, the Pentagon has dropped war crimes charges against the Kuwaiti Airways executive who has long claimed he was a victim of mistaken identity. Full Story »

• Nova Southeastern University to get new president

  Miami Herald – Fri Dec 11, 7:56 am ET  

  Nova Southeastern University in Davie will get a new president next year in a succession plan approved by the board of trustees last week. Effective Jan. 1, George Hanbury II, currently executive vice president and chief operating officer, will become university president, keeping his COO title. Full Story »

• Marco Rubio accused of switching stance on global warming

  Miami Herald – Thu Dec 10, 8:41 pm ET  

  Against the backdrop of the climate change summit in Denmark this week, U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio is hammering rival Charlie Crist's ``cap-and-trade scheme'' -- though Rubio voted for a bill backed by the governor requiring state officials to devise such a plan. Full Story »

• Everglades bird population soars

  Miami Herald – Thu Dec 10, 7:46 pm ET  

  The Everglades: River of Grass. Bass was particularly surprised by wood storks, a rare wader typically fortunate to produce one or two chicks. Nesting numbers and chicks roughly doubled the average over the last decade. Full Story »

• Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade leads All-Star voting in east

  Miami Herald – Thu Dec 10, 3:16 pm ET  

  Miami Heat Dwyane Wade would eventually like to join forces with Cleveland's LeBron James as NBA teammates in the near future. For now, Wade will settle for surpassing his buddy in All-Star voting popularity. Full Story »

CBS4 Miami

• Christmas Arrives Early For Underprivileged Kids

  CBS4 Miami – 18 mins ago  

  Christmas arrived early Friday for hundreds of underprivileged kids in Hialeah who were treated to a big holiday party and an early visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus. Full Story »

• Casey Anthony Attorneys Try To Quash Death Penalty

  CBS4 Miami – 28 mins ago  

  The possibility of a death penalty sentence is the topic of a courtroom meeting in Orlando Friday afternoon; Casey Anthony's attorneys want a Florida judge to stop prosecutors from seeking the sentence while prosecutors plead their case. Anthony is charged with killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee. Full Story »

• Expect Delays Up To An Hour On SR-874 This Weekend

  CBS4 Miami – 45 mins ago  

  If you travel on the Don Shula Expressway over the weekend, get ready to reduce your speed, because it will be a slow ride. Major construction is expected to cause heavy delays all weekend long, and might make you late to your holiday plans. All northbound lanes will be shifted and normal traffic patterns disrupted beginning Friday evening. Full Story »

• $10K Bond For Grandma Charged In Baby's Death

  CBS4 Miami – 1 hr 1 min ago  

  The grandmother of a baby girl who died after being left in a locked car for hours has been granted $10,000 bond one day after her arrest on a charge of aggravated manslaughter of a child. Full Story »

• Pastor Gaston Smith Guilty Of Grand Theft

  CBS4 Miami – 1 hr 1 min ago  

  Pastor Gaston Smith was found guilty on grand theft charges on Friday after a Miami-Dade jury agreed with prosecutors that Smith stole thousands of dollars in public grant money. The jury came to a verdict shortly after noon. Jurors spent five hours deliberating the case before reaching the guilty verdict on the grand theft charge. Full Story »

NBC Miami

• Welcome Back, Yak!

  NBC Miami – 18 mins ago  

  Cops catch fugitive who was on the run for nearly 10 years. Full Story »

• Jury Finds Pilfering Pastor Guilty of Grand Theft

  NBC Miami – 48 mins ago  

  Rev. Gaston Smith ripped off non-profit for $10,000. Full Story »

• Miami Coast Guard Crew Nets 630 Pound Stash

  NBC Miami – 2 hrs 48 mins ago  

  Crew finds massive amount of marijuana on boat near Bahamas. Full Story »

• Time to Unfriend for Fla. Judges

  NBC Miami – Fri Dec 11, 10:28 am ET  

  Ethics committee recommends Florida judges not be cyber friends with lawyers. Full Story »

• Lawyers for Polanski, Victim Ask U.S. Court to Dismiss Case

  NBC Miami – Fri Dec 11, 8:13 am ET  

  Roman Polanski’s victim has renewed her call that longstanding sexual misconduct charges against the Oscar-winning director be dropped under a new law that lets victims have a say in their cases. Full Story »

Local 10 Miami

• Car Hits, Injures Grandmother, 2 Children

  Local 10 Miami – 10 mins ago  

  A grandmother and her two grandchildren were transported to hospitals Friday afternoon after a car hit them at the Shops at Pembroke Gardens. Full Story »

• Gator Picks Family's Doorstep As New Hangout

  Local 10 Miami – 10 mins ago  

  Forget the swamp. A 10-foot alligator recently decided a Florida family's front doorstep was the perfect place to hang out. Full Story »

• Plea Deal Expected For Teen

  Local 10 Miami – 55 mins ago  

  A Coral Springs teenager accused of fatally stabbing his younger brother will likely be offered a plea deal. Full Story »

• Pastor Found Guilty Of Grand Theft

  Local 10 Miami – 1 hr 25 mins ago  

  A jury found a Liberty City pastor guilty of grand theft on Friday. Full Story »

• Anthony Wants Death Penalty Ruled Out

  Local 10 Miami – 1 hr 40 mins ago  

  An Orlando woman accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter sobbed in court Friday as a prosecutor speculated about how the child was killed. Full Story »

7 News Miami

• Woman shot and killed in vehicle

  7 News Miami – Sun Dec 6, 11:13 pm ET  

  MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (WSVN) -- A 54-year-old woman is dead after being shot multiple times and left to die while in her vehicle. Police are looking for the person who shot and killed Carol Taylor. Full Story »

• Fast food employees robbed at gunpoint

  7 News Miami – Sun Dec 6, 11:13 pm ET  

  MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (WSVN) -- Authorities are investigating the scene at a fast food restaurant where two men robbed employees at gunpoint. Full Story »

• Fla. deputies written up for inmate's near-escape

  7 News Miami – Sun Dec 6, 8:13 pm ET  

  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- An inmate's near-escape got four Palm Beach County corrections deputies in trouble. Twenty-year-old Michael Opalenik tried to escape from the West Palm Beach detention center on May 5. Full Story »

• 1 dead, 2 seriously injured after crash into pond

  7 News Miami – Sun Dec 6, 8:13 pm ET  

  ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- A Jacksonville mother has been killed and two children critically injured after their SUV plunged into a pond at a resort near Orlando's theme parks. Full Story »

• Fla. Panhandle schools to confiscate cell phones

  7 News Miami – Sun Dec 6, 8:13 pm ET  

  PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) -- Panhandle school officials have found a simple but novel solution to cell phones interruptions: Confiscation. The Escambia County School District previously issued suspensions for cell phone violations, but that didn't seem to work. Full Story »

Florida Keys Keynoter

• Cheeca set to open Tuesday on schedule

  Florida Keys Keynoter – 2 hrs 24 mins ago  

  Cheeca Lodge & Spa in Islamorada is set to reopen on schedule Tuesday, just shy of a year after a New Years Eve fire damaged most of the landmark resorts main oceanfront building beyond repair. Full Story »

• Village offices to close Dec. 18, move to building at park

  Florida Keys Keynoter – Fri Dec 11, 9:22 am ET  

  Boxes line the walls and corridors of the current Islamorada village hall, as municipal workers ready themselves for their move to a new home. Full Story »

• Tavernier man arrested after reports of vehicle burglaries

  Florida Keys Keynoter – Fri Dec 11, 9:22 am ET  

  A Tavernier man was arrested Sunday, Dec. 6 and charged with burglarizing several vehicles on Oleander Drive in Tavernier. Full Story »

• Judge orders Key Largo Ocean Resort closed

  Florida Keys Keynoter – Thu Dec 10, 5:07 pm ET  

  A circuit court judge ruled Thursday that the Key Largo Ocean Resort RV park must shut down by Jan. 15, giving residents there about a month to find new homes. Full Story »

• Fraud count dropped after money's repaid

  Florida Keys Keynoter – Wed Dec 9, 11:53 am ET  

  The former manager of the defunct Cristal Clear Rentals no longer faces criminal charges in Monroe County. Full Story »

Miami New Times

• At Florida Memorial University, surviving assaults is part of the curriculum

  Miami New Times – Tue Dec 8, 4:51 pm ET  

  A turtle suns itself on a rock along the edge of a dark and placid comma-shaped lagoon that marks the center of campus. Casually dressed students carrying schoolbooks saunter across manicured lawns or slouch at patio tables outside the modest student activity center. A pleasant breeze ratt... Full Story »

• Sports betting magnate James Giordano goes to jail

  Miami New Times – Tue Dec 8, 4:50 pm ET  

  Last Wednesday, a former bookmaker named James Giordano pleaded guilty to promoting gambling in New York. The 55-year-old Pinecrest resident was indicted in 2006 for running a sports betting website in the Caribbean that took millions of dollars in bets from dozens of U.S.-based bookies and gambl... Full Story »

• Scott Rothstein's drunken adventure

  Miami New Times – Tue Dec 8, 4:50 pm ET  

  From its base in South Beach, V Georgio Vodka was supposed to take over the world. Started by college basketball player, recording artist, and sports agent Victor Harvey, the company long ago hooked up with disgraced lawyer Scott Rothstein, who became a part-owner. Rothstein not only bought a sta... Full Story »

• Miami Dade College professor claims a Hummer hit him; driver says he's nuts

  Miami New Times – Tue Dec 8, 4:50 pm ET  

  This past June 6, Miami Dade College French professor Bob Michel was walking across the Wendy's parking lot on Biscayne Boulevard at 79th Street. "I hear this incredible screeching, and before I know it, this thing was on top of me," he recalls. "All I saw was this big grille hitting me in the ri... Full Story »

• Assistant State Attorney Richard Scruggs squirms on the stand

  Miami New Times – Tue Dec 8, 4:50 pm ET  

  Assistant State Attorney Richard Scruggs usually nails bad guys. But a Miami-Dade judge last Friday chastised the veteran prosecutor for improperly handling the case against Rev. Gaston Smith, a popular Liberty City pastor. Scruggs admitted he withheld key information from attorneys on bo... Full Story »

Broward-Palm Beach New Times

• Sweet Music in the Arsht

  Broward-Palm Beach New Times – Fri Dec 11, 2:01 am ET  

  If you sometimes feel like a motherless child, try the following. This Friday, skip the after-work happy hour. Go home, make yourself a decent meal, then head over to the Knight Concert Hall for Sweet Honey in the Rock. If you know your Ketuvim, you’ll know that the name comes from the Psalms, ... Full Story »

• Hello, 2003. We Missed You.

  Broward-Palm Beach New Times – Fri Dec 11, 2:01 am ET  

  You remember the space shuttle Columbia exploding upon reentry; 80s hair metal band Great White starting a fire that killed 100 people in a Rhode Island nightclub; Operation Iraqi Freedom beginning, and then “ending” one month later when a certain President pronounced, “Mission Accomp... Full Story »

• The Heat Has Cooled

  Broward-Palm Beach New Times – Wed Dec 9, 2:04 am ET  

  The Miami Heat kicked off the year with a bang, boasting a franchise-best 6-1 record. Since then, however, they’ve been hit with a mild case of mediocrity, dropping games to top-tier teams such as the Cavs and Celtics, as well as bottom-of-the-barrel teams such as the Wizards and Thunder... Full Story »

• Boats Gone Wild

  Broward-Palm Beach New Times – Wed Dec 9, 2:03 am ET  

  Santa may have a sleigh and eight mangy reindeer, but the 2009 Winterfest Boat Parade has Kim Kardashian and Alonzo Mourning. This pair of hoops-loving celebs are the grand marshals for this 38th-annual orgy of seagoing Christmas spirit — call it Boats Gone Wild — which kicks... Full Story »

• Toy Store-y

  Broward-Palm Beach New Times – Wed Dec 9, 2:03 am ET  

  Two words: Monster Pussy. What image does that conjure up in your skull? We're willing to bet it’s not a delectably hip orange cat donning a purple T-shirt, like the one in Helena Garcia 's painting Monster Pussy . And hell, if it is, you wre born to attend the Wee Beasties art e... Full Story »

Key West Citizen

• Teen hits fellow teen with real-looking gun

  Key West Citizen – Fri Dec 11, 1:19 am ET  

  MARATHON -- A Key Largo teen was arrested Wednesday night after hitting another teen in the mouth with an airsoft gun, knocking some teeth out, reports say. Joseph "Scooter" Lindsey, 19, was... read more Full Story »

• Mile Markers

  Key West Citizen – Fri Dec 11, 1:19 am ET  

  FLORIDA KEYS 4 separate lighted boat parades Florida Keys waters will light up with holiday cheer with four different boat parades at these locations: • Key West Historic... read more Full Story »

• Trailer park residents evicted

  Key West Citizen – Fri Dec 11, 1:19 am ET  

  A judge on Thursday ordered all residents of a Key Largo trailer park to vacate their homes by midnight Jan. 15 because of fire hazards. Circuit Judge Luis Garcia said he considered the timing, but... read more Full Story »

• Obituaries

  Key West Citizen – Fri Dec 11, 1:18 am ET  

  JOHN PATRICK CRYER JR. Cmdr. John Patrick Cryer Jr., USN (Ret.), 85, of Longwood, Fla., died Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009. He was born June 29, 1924, in Lakewood, N.J. John enlisted in the Navy in... read more Full Story »

• State OKs new grouper, shark protections

  Key West Citizen – Fri Dec 11, 1:18 am ET  

  The state approved several new regulations Thursday that bring greater protections to groupers and sharks. read more Full Story »