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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Gloves come off in Dem mayoral war

The mayoral race is turning vicious between Democrats Bill Thompson and Christine Quinn.In his harshest statement yet, Thompson trashed Quinn — the City Council speaker — for presiding over the council during a budgetary scandal, as well as her flip-flop on term limits.“There has been a pattern of questions surrounding Christine Quinn’s entire tenure as...

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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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Olympian Oscar Pistorius weeps during court appearance over girlfriend's death

APOscar Pistorius weeps in court in Pretoria, South Africa Friday.PRETORIA, South Africa — Prosecutors say they will pursue a premeditated murder charge against Oscar Pistorius as the Paralympic superstar openly wept in court Friday after being charged with shooting his girlfriend to death.Pistorius was formally charged at Pretoria Magistrate's Court with...

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Carnival Triumph passengers finally off the ship

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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Track star Oscar Pistorius charged with murder in model girlfriend's shooting death

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 arrested on murder charges in the shooting death of his girlfriend, stunning model Reeva Steenkamp, police said."FHM"...

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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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Police find charred body in burned cabin where rogue cop Christopher Dorner was holed up; police think it's him

The manhunt for a former Los Angeles police officer suspected of going on a killing spree converged Tuesday on a mountain cabin where authorities believe he barricaded himself inside, engaged in a shootout that killed a deputy and then never emerged as the home went up in flames.A single gunshot was heard from within. San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman...

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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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'Gun bounty' suspects open fire on Miami-Dade cops; 1 suspect wounded, another at large

A wounded suspect was in custody Tuesday morning after a pair of men opened fire on Miami-Dade police at a Florida City home and officers returned fire.A search is on for the second suspect.According to Miami-Dade police, officers on Monday night went to a residence at 326 NE Eighth Ave. after receiving a "gun bounty tip," police said Tuesday morning. "As...

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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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North Korea conducts third controversial nuke test, using smallest A-bomb yet

REUTERSA monitor at the Japan Meteorological Agency's earthquake and tsunami observations division shows ground motion data from the nuclear test in North Korea.PYONGYANG, North Korea — North Korea conducted a nuclear test at an underground site in the remote northeast Tuesday, taking an important step toward its goal of building a bomb small enough to...

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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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JoePa is innocent: kin probe

The family of the late Penn State football coach Joe Paterno released the findings of their own investigation into the Jerry Sandusky child-molestation scandal yesterday — and it exonerated Paterno while blasting an earlier report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh as “fundamentally flawed.”More than six months after Freeh’s July 2012 report accused Paterno...

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U.S. Century to OK details of new deal

U.S. Century Bank is expected to sign off on Monday on its letter of intent — the framework for a plan to recapitalize the bank.Under the deal, a local group of investors, led by Jimmy Tate of Tate Capital and Sergio Rok of Rok Enterprises, will bring in fresh capital and wipe out the Doral bank’s bad loans, while allowing it to operate independently.The investor group is...

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Police: 4 wounded in shooting on Bourbon Street in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS — Four people were shot on the French Quarter's iconic Bourbon Street, sending people running as revelers partied Saturday night amid the countdown to Mardi Gras, police and bystanders said. But the party was back in full force hours later as crowds returned afterward.Two males and two females were wounded just before 9:30 p.m. time, New Orleans...

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