When the latest layoff story is about you

It’s an odd feeling reading in the newspaper about losing your job. I didn’t learn about being fired in the newspaper but the story of losing my position was there. Why I lost my job (along with more than a dozen of my colleagues) was the lead story in the business section of The Miami Herald on Feb. 22. It even had a picture of me right next to the paragraph describing how...

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UCF suspends socials for fraternities, sororities

It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact moment when the University of Central Florida decided that the behavior of its Greek student organizations was out of control — after all, UCF fraternities and sororities have been caught breaking the rules on dozens of occasions in only the last couple of years.A recent Sigma Chi photo posted on Facebook, however, sticks out as one of...

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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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No likes for Facebook fiascos

John Crudele DEAR JOHN...THE ANSWER MAN Dear John: I am writing to you because I need help exposing a chat room called openchat on Facebook. This app allows access to all ages 13 and up. There is hate chat, racism, bullying, sexually explicit [content], nudity, pornography and also perverts and pedophiles.There is a webcam room...

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Jackson Health System -- in “the calm before the storm”

With the latest audit offering a new perspective, Jackson Health System’s long-troubled finances are looking better in some basic areas, but underlying problems linger and a precarious future lies ahead.After losing $419 million over three years, Jackson eked out an $8.2 million surplus in its fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, according to the audit released earlier this month,...

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Harry Sargeant, Florida Republican money man, is a highly controversial figure

TALLAHASSEE -- Former Gov. Charlie Crist calls him "a great patriot.’’Congressional investigators call him "a war profiteer" who walked away with an extra $200 million while providing fuel to American troops in Iraq.At Florida State University, he is something of a hero — contributing more than a million dollars to athletic programs, the business school and his old fraternity....

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Ellen DeGeneres Pens Open Letter to Supreme Court to Pass Prop 8 for Gay Marriage

With a touch of her trademark humor, Ellen DeGeneres tackles a very serious topic close to the talk show host's heart: gay marriage.In an open letter posted to her website, Ellen reaches out to members of the Supreme Court, who will soon decide the fate of same-sex couples who wish to wed.Pics: 'Amazing Race' Stars Cheer Up Bullied Gay Fan "Portia and I have been married for 4 years and they have...

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The ex-Pope

‘You are confusing a modern man with an American liberal.”These words were spoken years ago by a French cardinal responding to a question about modernity and Christianity. They come back to us now as we watch a pope who has just left the chair of St. Peter — where the eyes of the world were upon him — for a life of prayer and obscurity.Since he announced...

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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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’Les Mis’ touring company works out to stay in shape at Wilton Manors gym

Even if you’re a Broadway dancer in top shape, it’s not easy looking good and staying fit when you’re on the road with a show like Les Misérables."Touring is a difficult life because you’re constantly moving," said Trinity Wheeler, production stage manager for the Les Mis touring company, playing through Sunday at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami."It’s not like you can...

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The CW Says Goodbye to 90210

The CW's remake of the '90s hit show 90210 will reportedly end its five-year run in May.PICS: The High School Hotties of 90210According to Us Weekly, the show (starring AnnaLynne McCord, Shenae Grimes, Matt Lanter, Jessica Stroup and Jessica Lowndes) has been canceled due to meager ratings.The show has reportedly averaged 1.23 million viewers this season, being overshadowed by new hits The Vampire...

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Read the heartbreaking impact statement read by the Figoski girls

Pool PhotoBelow is the impact statement read in Brooklyn Supreme Court today by the four daughters of NYPD Det. Peter Figoski at the sentencing of his killer, Lamont Pride. The one joint statement was read in court, with each daughter taking a portion.CHRISTINE FIGOSKI, 21:On the evening of Sunday, December 11, my sisters and I went to bed with the worries...

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Would-be convention center developers make pitches to Miami Beach residents

Developers on Wednesday presented Miami Beach residents with competing ideas for what the city’s Convention Center could look like after an overhaul. It was the public’s first glimpse of what could become of the 52-acre site. Two heavy-hitting teams are competing for the project, which could cost up to $1 billion.Both teams – Portman-CMC and South Beach ACE – stressed that...

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2006 report detailed problems with Havana Palms condos in Little Havana

In January 2006, executives at Montara Land V, LLC, hired a firm to do an analysis of the roof, structure, plumbing, and other conditions of an apartment complex in Little Havana that they wanted to convert to condominiums. This report, submitted to the state department that regulates conversions, concluded that the buildings, constructed in 1946, barely had five more years...

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Christina Applegate's Gorgeous Wedding Ring

Christina Applegate and longtime boyfriend Martyn Noble said 'I do' on Saturday and now we have a look at the actress' stunning sparkler.PICS: Most Memorable Celeb Weddings of All-Time The dazzling diamond ring by Neil Lane completed Applegate's wedding attire along with a gown by Maria Lucia Hohan.The event took place during a private ceremony at the couple's Los Angeles home. This marks Applegate's...

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Hospitals’ handicaps

Comments in the editorial “A Surgical Strike” (Feb. 27) are a gross oversimplification and show a remarkable lack of insight. Surgical centers provide little or no charity care. They are not required to take care of everyone that comes to their door regardless of ability to pay. In fact, no one arrives at their door uninvited. They do not provide emergency...

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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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Little Havana condo owners get little help as units collapse

When a group of Little Havana condominium owners realized in 2009 that there were serious structural problems in the properties they had just bought, they sought help from several local officials. They called Miami building inspectors. They wrote letters to the directors of the city and county programs that helped finance their purchases with nearly $1 million in public funds....

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Rihanna Obtains Restraining Order From Obsessed Fan

Fearing for her life, Rihanna has filed for and been granted a restraining order from an obsessed fan.Pics: 10 of Rihanna's Sexiest & Most Scandalous Shots The singer obtained a temporary order against Steveland Barrow, 31, on Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. According to paperwork acquired by ET, Barrow broke into a residence adjacent to Rihanna's (believing it was hers) where he "removed...

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Bloomberg’s thirst

Confronted with revelations that his ban on jumbo-size soda is far more extensive than New Yorkers have realized, Mayor Bloomberg showed that his thirst for control remains unquenched: If he can’t impose his preferences on everyone, then the state should do it for him.His remarks come as restaurants and other food establishments prepare for the day, less...

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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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Is this really the end of Cuba’s Castro brothers? Exiles say not so fast

On the streets of Miami, the announcement of a possible end to the Castro brothers’ rule was met with uncharacteristic silence Monday — no clanging of pots and pans in Little Havana and Hialeah. No loud pronouncements on Spanish-language radio, either, about the news that President Raúl Castro planned to retire in 2018 and had named an heir apparent. “There’s like, a little...

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PICS: What Happened in Vegas This Weekend

Let Them Eat Cake Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Brandi Glanville celebrated the release of her book Drinking and Tweeting and Other Brandi Blunders with co-author Leslie Bruce and two girlfriends during a raucous party at Lavo in Las Vegas over the weekend. ...

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Old McDonald had a donor

Mayoral candidate George McDonald scored a small win in court yesterday: For the time being, he can collect campaign donations that are legal under state law but exceed the $4,950-per-donor limit imposed by the city.That’s great news for New Yorkers who are fed up with the city’s current class of politicians. For this case is about more than money in politics:...

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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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Analysis: When it comes to Citizens, property insurance costs, Gov. Rick Scott keeps mum

TALLAHASSEE -- He says he is protective of Florida families, but Gov. Rick Scott can’t get a grip on one of the big pocketbook issues for many of them: the rising cost of homeowner insurance.Scott has ordered internal investigations into spending practices at the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance, Florida’s largest insurer, and when he was blindsided by big raises...

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Christoph Waltz Shocked in Oscar Press Room

Christoph Waltz took home his second career Oscar statue at tonight's 85th Annual Academy Awards and no one was more surprised about the win than the actor himself.The 56-year-old performer entered the Oscar press room clutching his prize for best supporting actor in the slavery western Django Unchained looking visibly flustered.Pics: The Biggest Oscar Fashion Trends "I still am [in shock]," stammered...

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Chill factor

Most popular songs1. Thrift Shop, Macklemore, Ryan Lewis2. Stay, Rihanna3. Ho Hey, The Lumineers4. Harlem Shake, Baauer5. Suit & Tie, Justin Timberlake6. Gangnam Style, PSY7. When I Was Your Man, Bruno Mars8. Scream And Shout, Will.i.am9. I Will Wait, Mumford & Sons10. Started from the Bottom, DrakeTivo favorites1. The Big Bang Theory2. Modern Family3....

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Restaurant royalty and SoBe style

For Miami restaurateurs, this is Showtime.With dozens of top toques — Bobby Flay, Todd English, Daniel Boloud and Masaharu Morimoto among the list — in town for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, the pressure is on everywhere, from Michy’s to the new Catch Miami. The goal: Show everyone from around the country that Miami’s food scene has arrived on the national stage.Chef...

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The case of the phantom ballots: an electoral whodunit

The first phantom absentee ballot request hit the Miami-Dade elections website at 9:11 p.m. Saturday, July 7.The next one came at 9:14. Then 9:17. 9:22. 9:24. 9:25.Within 2½ weeks, 2,552 online requests arrived from voters who had not applied for absentee ballots. They streamed in much too quickly for real people to be filling them out. They originated from only a handful...

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Creep teach keeps his job

A lovesick Brooklyn teacher who stalked, assaulted and threatened another teacher for refusing to date him can keep his city job, The Post has learned. Salvatore Sparacino, 46, a gym teacher at It Takes a Village Academy HS in East Flatbush, vented his fury at a colleague when she spurned his romantic advances, according to testimony.“I’ll show you, you...

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Ian Schrager joins forces with chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten for new Edition Hotel

Two of the best-known names in their respective fields — hotelier Ian Schrager and chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten — have teamed up for the Edition Hotel in Miami Beach, they told The Miami Herald Friday.The partnership had not previously been officially announced, but the two were set to host a cocktail party Friday night at the site of the old Seville Beach hotel, 2901 Collins...

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Shots fired as Hialeah police attempt to stop a stolen vehicle, perimeter set up in search of suspects

A perimeter has been set up in Hialeah as police search for car thieves after shots were fired in an attempt to stop the vehicle.According to Hialeah police Sergeant Eddie Rodriguez, shots were fired as police approached a stolen blue mini-van in an attempt to make a stop. The occupants then fled and crashed into an occupied vehicle around the corner at East 6th Avenue. and...

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2013 Oscars Preview

Security is airtight at the Dolby Theater in the days leading up to Oscar Sunday, but ET has your ticket inside the heavily guarded streets of Hollywood as the Academy preps for the big day!Our Brooke Anderson even snagged a moment aside with host Seth MacFarlane where the funnyman revealed that nine-time emcee Billy Crystal was kind enough to give the newbie a few pointers. Despite the pep talk,...

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Pickup truck horror in Brooklyn: pedestrian crushed on cookie run

 William C Lopez/New York PostScene of the deadly accident in Brooklyn tonight.A Brooklyn woman was crushed to death by an out-of-control pickup tonight just seconds after she left a Brooklyn Heights cafe with a bag of cookies, cops and witnesses said.Martha Atwater, 48, had just paid for five horseshoe-shaped cookies and exited Bagel Cafe when the driver...

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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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