Amid tragedy, we can still find peace

Dear Friends and Neighbors:By now, we have kind of wrapped our heads around the tragedy that happened in Newtown on Dec. 14. I say, "kind of," because I am still finding it hard not to tear up when I think about the victims, and also the family of the person who did the shooting.That this happened at a time when the world is celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace, is...

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Buzzmakers: New X Factor and Miss Universe Winners

What had ET readers buzzing this week?1. 'The X Factor' Crowns A Winner!And the $5 million recording contract goes to…Tate Stevens! The 37-year-old country crooner beat out runner-up 13-year-old Carly Rose Sonenclar for the top prize Thursday night. 35 million votes were cast Wednesday to determine victory for L.A. Reid's mentee.Near tears, the Raymore, Missouri native thanked his fans for their overwhelming...

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Staten Island man killed in early-morning house fire

A Staten Island man was killed when an early-morning fire swept through his home, police and relatives said.Jameek Champagne, 23, died in the third-floor attic of the home on Osgood Avenue in Clifton. His brother and grandfather escaped the blaze uninjured.A neighbor reported the blaze after seeing flames erupt from the house at about 5:40 a.m. He banged on the door in a frantic effort to awaken its...

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Time’s up for holiday shopping procrastinators

Last minute shoppers like Josette Tyne are in luck this year.With a long weekend before Christmas, retailers want to make it easier for procrastinators to finish their gift buying. Macy’s for the first time is keeping all its stores open around the clock from Friday until Sunday at midnight. Toys “R” Us and Walmart Supercenters will be open non-stop until Christmas Eve.Even...

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Great-grandmother leads annual Miami-Dade, Monroe toy drive

Beginning in August, Bunchy Gertner puts aside her social life, her needs and even her great-grandchildren to head over to the “North Pole,” the place where she stores, wraps and distributes thousands of toys destined for foster care children in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.“This is top banana,” said Gertner referring to the nonstop volunteer work she has done for the past...

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Guns in our households: protecting or killing us?

The Issue: America’s gun-control laws and the commercial availability of military-like weapons. ***When our forefathers wrote our right to bear arms into the Constitution, the arms they referred to fired one bullet at a time and took a while to reload (“Adam Lanza’s Weapons,” Editorial, Dec. 18). Our country was in its infancy and laws and civility were...

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Investors shuffling assets ahead of fiscal cliff

Some citizens aren’t waiting to find out if the White House and Republicans in Congress will be able to reach a last-minute deal to pull the country away from the “fiscal cliff.” They are selling securities while capital gains tax rates are still low or transferring millions into trusts for the benefit of children and grandchildren before estate tax laws become more stringent....

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Bay of Pigs invasion veterans mark 50 years since release

In the days before Christmas 50 years ago this weekend, 1,113 Bay of Pigs fighters captured by Fidel Castro’s forces and imprisoned for 20 months were finally released to a heroes’ welcome in Miami.The first planeload of POWs arrived at Homestead Air Force Base on Dec. 23, 1962. Gaunt and feeling betrayed by the John F. Kennedy administration, members of the proud Brigade...

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B’Berry users decline for first time, to 79M

Research in Motion shed BlackBerry users for the first time ever last quarter, the company reported yesterday.The number of BlackBerry users dipped to 79 million in the three months ended Dec. 1 from 80 million the previous quarter, it said.Despite losing an average of 11,000 users a day in the period, the Waterloo, Ont.0, company’s results topped analyst...

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John Fumagalli succeeds Sheldon Anderson at Northern Trust Florida

Northern Trust has named John Fumagalli President of Northern Trust in Florida. Fumagalli succeeds well-known banker Sheldon Anderson, who announced his retirement earlier this year. A Northern Trust veteran, Fumagalli joined Northern Trust in Chicago in 1989. In the years since he was served as President and CEO of Northern Trust in Missouri, President and CEO for the Southwest...

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Slip-N-Slide’s Ted Lucas teams up with Miami Heat’s James Jones for All-Star Holiday weekend

Record executive Ted Lucas and Miami Heat star James Jones joined forces to bring holiday cheer to Miami Gardens kids — and motivate them to achieve academically — earlier this monthThe All-Star Holiday weekend started with a toy distribution at North County K-8 Center on Dec.13Lucas and Jones, who got good grades when growing up in Miami Gardens, got some help Santa Claus...

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Kodak in $525 million patent deal, eyes bankruptcy end

(Reuters) – Eastman Kodak Co agreed to sell its digital imaging patents for about $ 525 million, a key step to bringing the photography pioneer out of bankruptcy in the first half of 2013.The deal for the 1,100 patents allows Kodak to fulfill a condition for securing $ 830 million in financing.The patent deal was reached with a consortium led by Intellectual Ventures and RPX Corp, and which includes...

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Tappan Zee mystery

Nicole Gelinas In the runup to Christmas, Gov. Cuomo just presented a great bargain for New York “shoppers”: The state Thruway Authority will build the new Tappan Zee Bridge by 2018 for $3.1 billion, plus $500 million to $800 million in a reserve for financing and unexpected costs — when the pricetag as recently as this summer was at...

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Accelerator planned for healthcare-tech start-ups

A new start-up accelerator focused on the intersection of healthcare and technology is coming to Miami next year. Project Lift Miami, designed to help develop young companies and prepare them for investment opportunities, is a partnership between Lift1428, an innovation design, strategy and communications firm; the Miami Innovation Center at the University of Miami Life...

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Judge admonishes defendant in Rilya Wilson murder trial

A Miami-Dade judge admonished the woman accused of killing foster child Rilya Wilson after two brief courtroom outbursts Tuesday.At the time, Geralyn Graham’s ex-lover, Pamela Graham, was on the stand testifying under cross-examination about why she was cooperating with authorities. The two are not related.In front of the jury, Geralyn Graham yelled at Pamela Graham to stop...

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Nielsen to buy Arbitron for about $1.26B

NEW YORK (AP) — Nielsen, the dominant source of TV ratings, on Tuesday said it had agreed to buy Arbitron for about $ 1.26 billion to expand into radio measurement.Arbitron pays 70,000 people to carry around gadgets that register what stations they’re listening to. Since Nielsen also collects cash register data, CEO David Calhoun said buying Arbitron will let Nielsen be a one-stop shop for advertisers...

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The Voice Crowns a Winner

Cassadee Pope, Nicholas David and Terry McDermott sang their hearts out this season, but only one would take home the top prize Tuesday night on The Voice.Following a star-studded live finale with special appearances by Smokey Robinson, Rihanna, The Killers, Avril Lavigne, Peter Frampton, Bruno Mars and Kelly Clarkson as well performances from contestants past, 23-year-old Cassadee Pope was crowned...

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A postal pickle

The Postal Service works efficiently delivering the mail (“Postal Dis-Service, Editorial, Nov. 24).80 percent of the red ink results not from postal operations, but from a 2006 congressional mandate compelling the agency to pay billions of dollars a year to pre-fund retiree health benefits 75 years into the future. No other agency or company is required...

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Stocking stuffers and last-minute gift ideas

In the portable electronic world, stocking stuffers are easy to find. Here are some for those last-minute holiday gifts on everyone’s list.•  WATER-POWERED CLOCK: Aside from telling time, the eco-friendly Bedol Water Clock is a portable alarm that is also waterproof in the event you feel like standing in a rain storm or showering with it. It’s battery-free so all you...

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Miami-Dade court program helps young inmates change their lives

It was a graduation without pomp and circumstance. There was marching in combat boots. No gowns.The remarks by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Beth Bloom were full of the hallmarks common at any graduation. She spoke of goals and achievement and of the opportunity. But were it not for the “I’m Ready” program, many of Monday’s graduates would not be anticipating...

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Hillary Clinton’s head fake

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was set to face a grilling from Congress this week over the terrorist attacks in Benghazi when she started channeling the late poet Shel Silverstein.“I have the measles and the mumps / A gash, a rash and purple bumps,” said Clinton, in effect, informing the House and Senate (with regrets!) that she was suffering too many...

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Miami in spotlight at AVCC, other entrepreneurship events

Entrepreneurs from around the world took the stage during this packed week of entrepreneurship events in Miami: Florida International University’s Americas Venture Capital Conference (known as AVCC), HackDay, Wayra’s Global DemoDay and Endeavor’s International Selection Panel.The events, all part of the first Innovate MIA week, also put the spotlight on Miami as it continues...

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Sperm whale dies off Pompano Beach coast

The carcass of a 40-foot sperm whale that apparently died as it neared the shore off of Pompano Beach on Sunday afternoon later drifted back out to sea, ending a drama that had drawn the attention of beachgoers and scientists alike.The whale was spotted about noon offshore near the 600 block of North Ocean Boulevard, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office.Read the full...

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SNL Pays Somber Tribute to Sandy Hook Victims

Saturday Night Live forwent their usual comedic cold open last night to pay their respects to the innocent lives lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday.Related: President Fights Tears as He Addresses NationThe New York Children's Chorus sang Silent Night in memory of the 20 children and six teachers and administrators shot and killed by a gunman who opened fire, and later shot himself dead,...

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Losing by Winning?

Amir Taheri With the first leg of Egypt’s constitutional referendum completed, it looks as if President Muhammad Morsi has secured the victory he had hoped for. Yet it may prove to be a hollow victory, if not the first step toward the derailment of Morsi’s troubled presidency.On Saturday, half of Egypt’s provinces, including Cairo and...

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Five years after the recession, a slow recovery plods on

Five years ago this month, the Great Recession began. Which leads to this question: How much longer until South Florida can erase the damage?Officially, the recession ended in June 2009. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the national economy began contracting in December 2007 and did not grow again for 19 months. Using taxable sales figures, it’s probably...

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