Palmetto reopens to traffic after crane crash shuts down roadway

A crane on top of a semi struck an overpass on the busy Palmetto Expressway Friday evening, creating a messy parking lot on one of South Florida’s busiest thoroughfares.Traffic had to be diverted away in both directions on State Road 826 and Northwest 27th Avenue, causing major delays and detours during rush hour traffic.The bobcat crane was sitting atop the tractor trailer...

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Israel ‘settles’ UN score

Israel defied the UN General Assembly’s embrace of the Palestinians by approving construction of 3,000 new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem yesterday.Last week, the United States urged Israel not to build in the corridor, saying it would snarl peace efforts.But Israeli officials made clear that yesterday’s actions were a rebuke...

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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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Artwork of young Miami-Dade artist will be showcased during Art Basel week

A week into his 18th birthday, Rey “Rson” Jaffet is already a promising local artist - and he’s still attending high school in the Miami-Dade public school system. And this period in his life is what his art tries to capture, said the Miami Palmetto High senior. “It’s that point when you’re a teen but are maturing into adulthood,’’ he said. Jaffet might be young but he’s...

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$1 mil or bust

He took a $1 million roll of the dice — and wound up rolling in Benjamins.The German man who returned cheapskate rapper Ryan Leslie’s laptop said yesterday he knew there was a good chance the jury in his suit against the hip-hopper might rule against him — but settling the case was not an option.“I understood the risk,” said Armin Augstein, 54. “One never...

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California Pizza Kitchen brings prototype to Sawgrass Mills

The restaurant chain that took barbecued chicken pizza mainstream is ready to push the culinary envelope again. How about a pizza topped with roasted Brussels sprouts and applewood smoked bacon or a Korean barbecue pizza with pork loin and spicy kimchee salad?Innovative menu items are just one piece of what’s unique about California Pizza Kitchen’s new flagship restaurant...

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Miami-Dade ethics board rebukes two city of Miami commissioners

The county ethics commission dinged Miami Commissioner Frank Carollo this week for phoning the police chief after Carollo was pulled over for a traffic stop.Separately, Miami Commission Vice Chairman Marc Sarnoff was reprimanded for not filing a gift disclosure when the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau paid his way to Brazil.Sarnoff said his travels did not...

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NYPD Daily Blotter

ManhattanAn off-duty NYPD sergeant was arrested Tuesday for harassing a woman in the Gramercy area, authorities said. John Randazzo, who works at the 115th Precinct in Queens, was busted on charges of aggravated harassment at 5:50 p.m., police said. The victim alleges that the 44-year-old sergeant made a series of harassing phone calls to her, and also...

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Gift ideas for the techie on your list

The holidays are coming fast, and if you’re like me, you’ve probably gotten very little of your gift shopping done. Here are suggestions for a variety of gifts for the techie and the not-so-techie people on your list. Some of these items can be found in stores and some are only available online, but you should be able to order them in time for Christmas or Hanukkah. ...

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Weatherman conned by SoBe “Bar Girls” now has Twitter account hijacked by Playboy fiancée

A former TV weatherman who testified 12 days ago in a Miami federal courtroom that Latvian “Bar Girls” swindled him out of $43,000 on Miami Beach was back in the spotlight Tuesday over suggestive photos and tweets sent from his Twitter account. John Bolaris, who was suspended from his job as a weather anchor for Fox affiliate WTXF in Philadelphia last year amid his allegations...

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The Complete List: 'Dancing with the Stars' Winners

The Complete List: 'Dancing with the Stars' Winners On Tuesday night, TV personality and former Bachelor contestant Melissa Rycroft became the latest Dancing with the Stars victor! Click through the gallery for a look back at all the previous mirror ball winners. ...

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‘Shark’-hunting cops’ jaw-dropping catch

It’s a thug supergroup.The FBI busted a loan-sharking ring featuring an unlikely trio of associates: an alleged Gambino crime-family member, a Westies gangster and a motorcycle gang member, authorities said yesterday.NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly likened the bust to hitting it big at the racetrack.“With alleged involvement of the Gambinos, Westies and Hells...

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Gift ideas for the techie on your list

The holidays are coming fast, and if you’re like me, you’ve probably gotten very little of your gift shopping done. Here are suggestions for a variety of gifts for the techie and the not-so-techie people on your list. Some of these items can be found in stores and some are only available online, but you should be able to order them in time for Christmas or Hanukkah. ...

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Survivor of flea-market police shooting is charged

Two Miami men shot Sunday by Miami-Dade police outside a flea market were identified Monday, and the survivor was charged with battery.Michael Nathaniel Parks, 21, faces charges of battery on a law-enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence. The second man, who had been driving the van the pair had been in, and who died at the scene, was identified as LeBron...

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How Zero Dark Thirty Copied Bin Laden's Compound

Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow reteams with her Hurt Locker screenwriter Mark Boal for Zero Dark Thirty, a chronicling of the hunt for Osama bin Laden, and the two opened up to Nightline about how they recreated bin Laden's compound.VIDEO: Zero Dark Thirty TrailerThe filmmakers built a full-scale version of the compound in Jordan, and Bigelow says that everything from the carpet to the marks...

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‘Fare’ strikes out

Pedicab drivers who overcharge unsuspecting riders are being shut down by the City Council. A key committee yesterday unanimously approved a bill that forces drivers to charge a per-minute rate — which is laid out on the side of the rickshaws and printed on a rate card handed to passengers before the ride begins. Drivers must also have a timer in clear...

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Shoppers welcome holiday sales by buying early, often — and online

Shoppers swooped into stores in droves on Thanksgiving weekend, topping last year’s sales, as more retailers opened their doors earlier than ever on Thursday, luring bargain hunters away from eating another plate of turkey.And now Cyber Monday is expected to set a record for online shopping this year, for those who prefer the Internet to the mall.Spending per shopper nationwide...

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Flurry of new bills filed in Tallahassee

TALLAHASSEE -- Florida lawmakers have filed their first bills of the season.Most are familiar: a ban on texting while driving, a requirement that parasailing operators carry insurance and a “foreign law” bill criticized by opponents as anti-Islamic.Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, says she will keep sponsoring the texting while driving measure until it passes. It nearly survived...

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Justin Bieber Defends Meeting Prime Minister in Overalls

After catching a bit of flack for meeting with the Canadian Prime Minister in a decidedly casual pair of overalls, Justin Bieber took to Instagram Sunday to explain himself.Related: Justin Bieber on Selena, His Favorite Things "The pic of me and the Prime Minister was taken in a room in the arena where I was performing at that day," Bieber wrote in response to a journalist who criticized the move...

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Family swept to sea in effort to save dog - who eventually got out of the water on its own

EUREKA, Calif. — A couple died and their 16-year-old son went missing after being swept into sea in Northern California while trying to save their dog, authorities said Sunday.The family was at Big Lagoon, a beach north of Eureka, Saturday afternoon when the dog chased after a thrown stick and got pulled into the ocean by eight to ten foot waves, said Dana...

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Shifting tides of Panama real estate echo Miami trends

PANAMA CITY, Panama — As a real estate agent shows off a model apartment — white leather sectional, stainless steel appliances, open concept, ocean views — in the 59-story Yacht Club Tower, and touts its fitness center and pool deck designed to mimic a ship floating on the sea, he makes a telling statement:“We tried to emulate the Miami style in this building.”Approaching...

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Never mind shopping; Messiah concert marks start of holiday season

Participating in the annual Messiah sing-in, always made me feel like the Season had begun. I was a member of the community chorus for many years, under the late Dr. Lee Kjelson. It was a wonderful feeling, singing the words from the Bible that foretold the coming of Jesus. Now, decades later, the Messiah sing-in tradition is still going strong.At 2:30 p. m. on Dec. 9,...

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Larry Hagman Dies

Larry Hagman, best known for playing Dallas villain J.R. Ewing, died Friday morning from complications stemming from his recent battle with cancer.He was 81 years old.Video: Larry Hagman Talks 'Dallas', Cancer and Veganism "Larry was back in his beloved Dallas, re-enacting the iconic role he loved most," his family said in a statement via The Dallas Morning News. "When he passed, he was surrounded...

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Bx. slay & suicide attempt

A young Queens woman was found strangled in her car early yesterday in the The Bronx after a man called 911 to say he had killed his friend, police sources said. Officers found Madonna Martin, 22, at around 4:25 a.m. behind the wheel of her white Honda at Brook Avenue and Bruckner Boulevard in Mott Haven.Her boyfriend, Richard Bloomfield, 40, was found...

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Is the electric car dying again?

A second administration of President Barack Obama will be forced to revisit the issue of subsidies for renewable energy and, with it, those for electric vehicles. Despite the millions of dollars spent on government incentives, marketing and promotion, sales of fully electric cars are well below projected targets. Investment in vehicle charging infrastructure also has fallen...

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