Joe Martinez says he’ll challenge Joe Garcia

Joe Martinez, the former Miami-Dade Commission chairman who lost his bid to become county mayor last year, said Friday that he intends to run against U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia in 2014.“I’m meeting with different people and feeling them out, seeing what the level of support will be there,” Martinez told The Miami Herald shortly after announcing his intentions on Facebook. He wants...

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'Escape from Planet Earth' Interview

Jessica Alba, Rob Corddry, William Shatner, Sofía Vergara and George Lopez are among the all-star voice cast creating laughs in the fast-paced, animated comedy-adventure Escape from Planet Earth, and they tell ET's Brooke Anderson that it's the perfect film for the whole family.Pics: 13 Must-See Movies of 2013 In theaters now, the out-of-this-world 3D comedy is told from the alien point of view, following...

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It came from outer space!

A meteor exploded into a blinding fireball above Russia yesterday with the force of 20 atomic bombs — striking fear into the hearts of residents convinced the world was ending.The 7,700-ton space rock, about the size of a city bus, whizzed by the Ural Mountains at 33,000 mph — beyond hypersonic speed.The shock wave injured at least 1,200 people, shuttered...

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Sign up for Feb. 21 Miami Herald Small Business Forum

Prepare your best pitch for the Miami Herald’s Small Business Forum, Feb. 21 at the south campus of our sponsor, Florida International University.In addition to how-to panels and inspirational stories from successful entrepreneurs, our annual small business forum will include interactive opportunities with experts to learn about financing options and polish your personal...

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Miami-Dade packed for weekend of events

Lured by sailboats and megayachts, urban street art and Romero Britto — and, of course, the lack of snow — thousands of visitors are expected to pour into Miami-Dade this holiday weekend.The activities started Thursday morning with the opening day of the 72nd annual Progressive Miami International Boat Show at the Miami Beach Convention Center and the Yacht & Brokerage...

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Meteorite falls in Russia

MOSCOW — Russian officials say a meteorite has fallen in the Chelyabinsk region some 930 miles east of Moscow.A spokesman for the Russian Interior Ministry, Vadim Kolesnikov, said the Friday morning fall caused a blast that broke windows.There were no immediate confirmed reports of injuries, but Russian news agencies cited unnamed sources as saying several...

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Carnival Triumph finally arrives in port

MOBILE, Ala. -- Exhausted, grubby and almost five days late, the 3,143 passengers and 1,086 crew aboard the disabled Carnival Triumph returned to the U.S. late Thursday — to a city almost 500 miles from its home port.Thousands of passengers aboard the Carnival Triumph cheered, screamed and waved from outside balconies as the ship was pulled in shortly after 10 p.m. Families...

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Jewish liturgical music festival continues through Sunday

The Fifth International Festival of New Jewish Liturgical Music is being celebrated in Miami through Sunday. It will feature new works from composers from throughout the United States, Canada, Israel and the United Kingdom. The music reflects a diverse range of musical styles and traditions.The six-day festival is presented by Shalshelet: The Foundation for New Jewish Liturgical...

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Artists You Should Know: Emeli Sande

British recording artist and songwriter Emeli Sandé is already making waves in the UK and hopes to become the latest in a growing list of British musicians that have taken over the world in recent times. Her debut album Our Version of Events is the UK's biggest selling album of 2012 and with her lyrically rich songs powered by an incredible voice, I have no doubt she is the next Global superstar....

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South African track star Oscar Pistorius questioned in girlfriend's shooting death: reports

REUTERSSouth Africa's Oscar Pistorius was one of the most inspirational athletes in the 2012 London Olympics.South African track star Oscar Pistorius — who became an Olympic legend by becoming the first person to race on prosthetic legs — was being questioned today by South African police for allegedly shooting his girlfriend dead at his home in Pretoria,...

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Start-Up City: Miami panelists discuss building tech hub

A day-long forum led by Richard Florida explored ways to build an innovation hub in South Florida.Can Miami become one of the great cities of innovation?Richard Florida, an urban-affairs expert and now a South Florida resident much of the year, brought in an all-star lineup of national and local thought leaders Wednesday to explore how to build a robust technology community...

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Thirst for power? Or just thirst? Sen. Marco Rubio’s weird, viral dry-mouth moment

Sen. Marco Rubio was cruising along in his rebuttal to the president’s State of the Union speech Tuesday night when he couldn’t take it any longer.The small bottle of Poland Spring water was irresistible. Eyes fixed on the camera, the Florida Republican interrupted his own speech to take a live swig.It quenched his thirst, but sent Twitter ablaze. The small, live on-camera...

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Oscar Nominees Before They Were Famous

As hard as it may be to believe, Oscar nominees Bradley Cooper, Ben Affleck, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Lawrence were once fresh-faced actors itching for their big break in the biz.Pics: Star Sightings! Click the video to see the five stars (before they became famous) in their very first on-screen rol...

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State pulls a fa$t one

ALBANY — The state is diverting $8.5 million a year in speeding-ticket fees meant to fund spinal-cord research and using the money to balance the budget, The Post has learned.The money comes from a surcharge on speeding tickets that was imposed in 1998 to create and finance the Spinal Cord Injury Research Trust Fund. But since 2010, the money has gone into...

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A close look at compact megazoom cameras

The lenses get longer, but the bodies get smaller. Pretty amazing. These four cameras offer wide-angle lenses with long zooms, giving you a lot of shooting flexibility, but without the bulk of larger dSLR-style megazooms. Canon PowerShot SX260 HS Rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent) The good: Shooting modes are for every type of photographer, casual to...

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Miami-Dade investigating police-involved shooting in Florida City

A manhunt was underway Monday night for suspects following a police-involved shooting in Florida City.Details were sketchy but Miami-Dade police officers appear to have exchange gunfire with one or more suspects at a home on the 300 block of Northwest Eighth Avenue.No officers were injured. One person may have been wounded by the gunfire that broke out around 8:45 p.m. ...

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Bachelor Recap Sean's Sister Provides Perspective on Tierra

Apparently there is one girl whose words have weight enough to sway The Bachelor from his affections for Tierra, and that's his sister Shay.One week prior to the all-important hometown dates, Sean flies his sister to St. Croix to help him work out his feelings for the remaining six. Harking back to her sage, sisterly advice before he embarked on his Bachelor adventure, Shay tells Sean not to "end...

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Cops pop gun-toting teen after rooftop firefight

Cops shot an armed teenager and apprehended another man after a gunfight erupted on a Brooklyn rooftop last night, sources said.Police said a 16-year-old male opened fire on a Brownsville rooftop at 10:13 last night. When the officers returned fire they shot him three times. The teenager was shot once in each arm and once in the leg.“They were just shooting...

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Green cards for sale at a South Beach hotel: Competition is on for EB5 investment visas

If David Hart gets his way, South Beach’s 42-room Astor Hotel will be on a hiring spree this year as it adds concierge service, a roof-top pool, an all-night diner, spa and private-car service available 24 hours a day. New hires will be crucial to Hart’s business plan, since foreign investors have agreed to pay about $50,000 for each job created by the Art Deco boutique....

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With millions at stake, tutoring lobby goes into action

Second of two partsEvery year for nearly a decade, private tutoring companies have made millions in Florida because the federal government required school districts to hire them.That was in danger of changing last February, when the state won freedom from mandated private instruction for poor children in the state's worst schools. But the tutoring industry...

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Alicia Keys on Record-Breaking Super Bowl Anthem

Alicia Keys was praised for putting her unique twist on the national anthem at Super Bowl XLVII, and she opened up about the experience to Nancy O'Dell on the Grammys red carpet.PICS: Grammys Fashion "It felt like a dream actually because it was such a moment and I'd never done that before and I really put a lot of beautiful time into it, so it was an incredible high," Keys gushed.The Grammy winner's...

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‘Psycho’ fear at Grammys

Tense LA cops swarmed last night’s Grammy Awards, fearful that fugitive former officer and accused triple-murderer Christopher Jordan Dorner might strike there. Dorner hasn’t been spotted since he allegedly executed a cop in cold blood on Thursday morning, just days after killing the daughter of a retired LAPD captain and her fiancé.In a rambling manifesto he left behind before embarking on his rampage,...

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Green cards for sale at a South Beach hotel: Competition is on for EB5 investment visas

If David Hart gets his way, South Beach’s 42-room Astor Hotel will be on a hiring spree this year as it adds concierge service, a roof-top pool, an all-night diner, spa and private-car service available 24 hours a day. New hires will be crucial to Hart’s business plan, since foreign investors have agreed to pay about $50,000 for each job created by the Art Deco boutique....

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Miami-Dade mayor disappointed at Major League Baseball over All-Star Game

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez was swept into office in part because of his opposition to the public financing for the Marlins’ new baseball stadium.But that doesn’t mean he was happy when Major League Baseball awarded the 2015 All-Star Game to Cincinnati. Marlins President David Samson said last year he hoped to host the game, continuing a streak of All-Star games at new...

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Chris Brown Car Collision

ET has learned that Chris Brown was involved in a solo, non-injury traffic collision in Beverly Hills at noon today, blaming the paparazzi for losing control of his Porsche and colliding with a wall. Pics: Remembering Whitney Houston A statement from Lieutenant Lincoln Hoshino of the Beverly Hills police details the incident: "On February 9, 2013 at approximately 12:03 p.m., entertainer Chris Brown...

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Police: 3 wounded in shooting on Bourbon Street in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS — Police say three people have been shot on crowded Bourbon Street in New Orleans as revelers were partying during Mardi Gras.New Orleans police spokesman Frank B. Robertson said two males and a female were shot just before 9:30 p.m. local time. He says one person is in critical condition and the other two are in stable condition. He did not...

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Mega mansion frenzy: Buyer snaps up Pat Riley’s $16M home to level it, rebuild

Miami Heat President Pat Riley sold his spectacular bayfront mansion in gated Gables Estates for $16.8 million last March.The 12,856-square-foot Mediterranean-style dream house at 180 Arvida Parkway has a theater, wine cellar, library, and a sprawling pool with waterfalls and an aqua bar.But that’s all coming down. Turns out the lure was the lot: a rare...

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