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

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

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Modern Family Stars Get Stuck in Crowded Elevator

No good deed goes unpunished. PICS: Candid Celeb Sightings While on their way to a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Kansas City on Friday night, three stars of ABC's hit sitcom Modern Family were trapped in a crowded elevator for almost an hour, ABC News reports.Julie Bowen, Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson took pictures together during the ordeal, which Ferguson posted...

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How to create a winning business plan

If you are creating a short business plan to enter in the Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge or to send to an investor, how do you make your plan stand out from the pack?With the March 11 deadline for the Challenge looming, our judges, all very experienced in business planning and capital-raising, have some advice for you on writing a plan, whether you are starting your...

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Near-record warm winter for South Florida

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

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'Skyfall' Jameson Empire Awards Nominations

Daniel Craig's third outing as 007, Skyfall, has grown to become the most successful James Bond film ever and the biggest-ever U.K. box-office hit – and after winning two Academy Awards it now leads the pack for the 18th Jameson Empire Awards with six nominations. Read on for details and to vote for your favorite films and stars!CLICK HERE TO VOTE for the Jameson Empire Awards 2013.Pics: The 12 Most...

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Florida class-action case takes aim at Citizens’ reinspection program

Thousands of Florida homeowners buffeted by higher windstorm premiums have sued state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to recover potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in “back-door” rate increases driven by “arbitrary” reinspections of their residences.The proposed class-action lawsuit, filed in Broward Circuit Wednesday, aims to halt Citizens’ reinspection program,...

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NTSB says pilot error caused fatal 2011 East River helicopter crash

Pilot error caused an October 2011 East River helicopter crash that killed three overseas visitors, the National Transportation Safety Board said today.Probers found that the Bell Ranger chopper was as much as 261 pounds too heavy when it lifted off from the East 34th Street Heliport, and say pilot Paul Dudley underestimated his passengers’ weights.Dudley’s...

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Knights Arts Challenge seeking grant applicants

Miami-Dade County Schools students diagnosed with physical, developmental and intellectual disabilities learned a new dance last year and performed it for their peers.Florida Grand Opera sopranos and tenors performed in new locations.And artists who worked with clay at The Ceramic League of Miami received new kilns and other studio tools. These were some...

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Dillion Casey Nikita Season Three Interview 2013

From losing hands to losing power, every character on Nikita has had to come to terms with the loss of something major this season. But perhaps no one has given up more than Sean Pierce, who in the last episode was forced to fake his own death after Amanda framed him for multiple murders.But as Dillon Casey tells ETonline, his character's funeral frustrations are directed at someone else in the coming...

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Don’t get too personal on LinkedIn

Have you ever received a request to connect on LinkedIn from someone you didn’t know or couldn’t remember?A few weeks ago, Josh Turner encountered this situation. The online request to connect came from a businessman on the opposite coast of the United States. It came with a short introduction that ended with “Let’s go Blues!” a reference to Turner’s favorite hockey team...

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Cardinal Timothy Dolan longshot as oddsmakers peg favorites to replace Pope Benedict XVI

New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan is a longshot at the holy book to become Catholicism’s new world leader and first American pope.Offshore oddsmakers have pegged Peter Turkson and Angelo Scola as slight favorites in a wide-open race to replace Pope Benedict XVI, who retired today in the first papal resignation in nearly 600 years.Ghanaian Cardinal Turkson...

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Jurors deliberating in money-laundering trial linked to South Florida ‘Ponzi scheme’

One-time Fort Lauderdale executive Steven Steiner and his former live-in partner, Henry Fecker III, had a taste for the finer things in life.They owned multimillion-dollar homes on the waterfront in Fort Lauderdale and Camden, Maine, along with a Manhattan condo.Now, a federal jury in Miami is deliberating whether the former partners laundered millions of dollars in ill-gotten...

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Bobby Brown Sentenced to Jail for DUI

Bobby Brown has been sentenced to 55 days in jail for his second DUI conviction in a year.The 44-year-old singer received the sentence Tuesday after his lawyer entered a plea of no contest on his behalf to charges that Brown was under the influence and driving on a suspended license when he was arrested in October 2012.PICS: Star SightingsHe was ordered to report to jail beginning March 20 and was...

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Drivers line up for $2.27 gas at the Finish Line in Sweetwater

Hundreds of cars were backed up for more than four blocks waiting for gas Wednesday at the Finish Line in Sweetwater.Drawing the crowd: a special promotion at the gas station and convenience store on 109th Avenue and West Flagler Street. Drivers started lining up at 5 a.m. to pay a cash price of $2.27 per gallon, close to a 50 percent savings. The promotion...

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Bernanke defends Fed's low-interest-rate policies

WASHINGTON — Facing criticism from Republican lawmakers, Chairman Ben Bernanke stood behind the Federal Reserve's low-interest-rate policies Wednesday and sought to reassure members of Congress that the central bank has a handle on the risks.In his second day of testimony on Capitol Hill, Bernanke told members of the House Financial Services Committee that...

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

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

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Derek Hough Talks Maksim Chmerkovskiy Dancing with the Stars Exit

ET caught up with the brand-new cast of Dancing with the Stars season 16 after their big Good Morning America announcement Tuesday morning, where one looming question couldn't be ignored -- can the show survive without popular pro dancer Maksim Chrmerkovskiy?"It's the nature of the show, you know. People aren't asked back certain seasons and come back later," pro dancer Derek Hough says. "It'll be...

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Carrie Fisher hospitalized after strange cruise performance: report

Carrie Fisher was hospitalized briefly after a strange, off-key performance she delivered aboard a Caribbean cruise, according to published reports today.Fisher was treated for her bipolar condition, according to celebrity Web site TMZ.com, citing the actress' publicist."There was a medical incident related to Carrie Fisher’s bipolar disorder,” the rep...

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Univision bumps NBC into fifth place

A failing NBC has left Univision the fourth most popular network in the United States — at least for now.The latest ratings from the February “sweeps” race — a milestone moment for network ratings in the television business — had NBC fall behind its Spanish-language rival. The Doral-based network finished the sweeps period with a viewership that amounted to 1.5 percent of...

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Citizens Property Insurance strains to pull in belt on spending

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

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Janet Jackson Married Wissam Al Mana

Rumors that Janet Jackson is planning her wedding to Wissam Al Mana have been flying fast and furious for weeks now. There's only one problem: they're already married! PHOTOS - The Most Glamorous Oscar GownsIn their first joint statement as a couple, Janet Jackson and Wissam Al Mana confirm the news exclusively to ET, saying, "The rumours regarding an extravagant wedding are simply not true. Last...

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Facebook agrees to remove some Newtown pages

HARTFORD, Conn. — Facebook has agreed to remove some so-called tribute pages related to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting over concerns they're being used to exploit the tragedy, US Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Monday.Echoing complaints already brought by some Sandy Hook families, Blumenthal and fellow Connecticut Democrats US Sen. Chris Murphy...

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Miami medicine goes digital

About 10 years ago, Dr. Fleur Sack quit her practice as a family physician to become a hospital department head. Spurring her decision was the need to switch from paper records to electronic ones to keep her private practice profitable. “At that time, it would have cost about $50,000,” Dr. Sack recalled. “It was too expensive and it was too overwhelming.” But times and technologies...

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Cessna crashes into Biscayne Bay; four people rescued off Bayfront Park

A Cessna carrying four people crashed into the waters of Biscayne Bay Sunday afternoon within view of busy Bayfront Park.The crash occurred at around noon. Four people onboard were rescued from the water by Miami-Dade fire rescue workers,” said U. S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Jon-Paul Rios.“We understand the crash happened at the water entrance to the park,” Rios said. ...

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Independent Spirit Award Winners 2013

The 2013 Film Independent Spirits Awards were handed out in Santa Monica, CA today and lots of Oscar frontrunners cemented their status by dominating in their categories once more.Check out all the winners below: Best Feature Beasts of the Southern Wild Bernie Keep the Lights On Moonrise Kingdom Silver Linings Playbook BEST FEMALE LEAD Linda Cardellini, Return Emayatzy Corinealdi, Middle of Nowhere Jennifer...

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Man commits suicide by leaping in front of Manhattan subway train

A suicidal man died after jumping in front of a subway train in Manhattan this morning, police said.The unidentified victim was near the edge of the platform at Eighth Avenue and West 23rd Street in Chelsea around 9:30 a.m. as the E train neared the station, sources said. He stepped back about 10 feet before taking a running leap just before the train arrived,...

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Miami police union challenges officer’s firing for fatal shooting

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

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Buzzmakers: Prince Michael Reports for ET and Mindy McCready Dies

What had ETOnline readers buzzing this week?1. Prince Michael Jackson is New ET Correspondent Having grown up in show business, Prince Michael proved to be a gifted interviewer as he conducted his first sit-down as an ET correspondent.Michael Jackson's 16-year-old son impressed Oz the Great and Powerful stars James Franco and Zach Braff as well as director Sam Raimi with his confidence and competence...

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South Florida hospitals could lose $368 million from sequestration

A detailed survey shows that South Florida hospitals could lose $368 million over 10 years in federal budget cuts starting next Friday, if the sequestration program kicks in as scheduled.The Florida Hospital Association, using data from the American Hospital Association, estimates that over the next decade, sequestration would cause Miami-Dade hospitals to lose $223.9 million...

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Florida task force says no major changes needed to Stand Your Ground law

TALLAHASSEE -- A 19-member task force commissioned by Gov. Rick Scott to review Florida’s Stand Your Ground law has put out its final report, largely voicing its support for the law.The task force made a handful of recommendations for the Legislature, but began the report by stating that, at its core, the self-defense law is fine as it is.“All persons who are conducting themselves...

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Dwayne Johnson Talks 'Snitch'

Dwayne Johnson is forced to drive for a ruthless drug cartel in the gritty action-thriller Snitch, in theaters today, and the towering star with a heart of gold tells ET, "I would go through heaven and hell to protect my child."Pics: They Dated?! Surprising Celebrity Hookups"At the heart of this film it is about family, and I would do anything to protect my family," says Johnson. "It's what we do...

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National Hotel nears end of long renovation

A panel of frosted glass puts everything in perspective for Delphine Dray as she oversees a years-long, multi-million dollar renovation project at the National Hotel on Miami Beach.“Chez Claude and Simone,” says the piece of glass stationed between the lobby and restaurant, a reference to Dray’s parents, who bought the hotel in 2007. “Every time I am exhausted and I pass...

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Most charges dismissed against ex-Blackwater execs

RALEIGH, NC — The federal prosecution of five former employees of the private security firm Blackwater has crumbled after the defendants said they were acting at the behest of the CIA in giving an assault rifle, a shotgun and three pistols to King Abdullah II of Jordan.Federal prosecutors indicted former Blackwater president Gary Jackson and four others...

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Kids being bullied via calls and text messages? There’s an app for that

As you know, bullying and the prevention of it has become a major focus in our schools. But bullies are no longer limited to just verbal or physical bullying. Text bullying has become a serious problem among adolescents and teens. Almost 9 out of 10 teens have a cell phone and about 1 in 5 will be victims of a text bully. About 1 in 10 teens engage in text bullying. Many...

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Josh Brolin Praises Diane Lane Before Split

News of Josh Brolin and Diane Lane's split after eight years of marriage came as a surprise to many in Hollywood, especially since Josh just recently sang the praises of his spouse while ruminating about how to maintain a successful relationship in the Hollywood spotlight during his recent Gangster Squad junket. Watch the video…Pics: Top 10 Biggest Divorce Payouts Diane stars in the upcoming summer...

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