Former Miami Beach resident may be next Israeli ambassador to U.S.

Ron Dermer, a top adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and who has family ties to two former Miami Beach mayors, may soon become the next Israeli ambassador to the United States, according to reports in an Israeli newspaper.The daily Makor Rishon reported late Friday that the current ambassador, Michael Oren, plans to step down from his post in the spring...

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Fiscal-cliff deal could be ready for a vote tomorrow

WASHINGTON — Start holding your breath — a fiscal-cliff deal could be ready for a vote by tomorrow.President Obama and congressional leaders emerged yesterday from last-ditch negotiations at the White House with a grim new determination to seal a deal before the New Year’s Day deadline, when big tax hikes and deep federal spending cuts otherwise will whack...

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Resources for South Florida small businesses

•  Florida Small Business Development Centers. Counseling and training at centers in South Florida and around the state, www.floridasbdc.org.•  SCORE Workshops, online training and free coaching at local branches, www.score.org, miamidade.score.org, browardscore.org, southbroward.score.org• Florida Women’s Business Center. Provides training, mentoring and...

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Miami-Dade camping law may clash with Supreme Court ruling

When Miami-Dade commissioners voted unanimously this month to ban overnight camping at “county facility property,” they opened the doors to debate about how police should apply the measure to homeless people.The action was a clear shot at the Occupy Wall Streeters who flooded public spaces, including outside County Hall, in the summer of 2011. In addition to making it illegal...

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Raj will pony up $1.5M

Former hedge-fund manager Raj Rajaratnam has agreed to pay $1.45 million to resolve a civil Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit related to his alleged insider trading based on tips from former Goldman Sachs Group director Rajat Gupta, according to court documents.Rajaratnam, founder of Galleon Group, was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison last year after he was convicted of conspiracy...

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5 issues small business owners will face in 2013

In 2013, small business owners will contend with many of the same issues that made it hard to run their companies during the past 12 months. They’re also heading into the new year with a lot of uncertainty. It’s unlikely that negotiations in Congress will resolve all of lawmakers’ disagreements over tax and budget issues that affect small businesses. And there are still...

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Megachurch members raise $600,000 for charity in two days

This is truly a Christmas miracle.When Christ Fellowship Church asked its parishioners to help make "an everlasting impact on the hurting and under resourced this month", the idea was simply to raise $337,000 on the weekend of Dec. 15 and 16.The result was overwhelming, when thousands of families attending one of the megachurch’s six campuses throughout Miami-Dade County...

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Storm dumps snow, rain on region, flooding roadways and leaving messy travel conditions

EPAMotorists make their way through snow fall and traffic along the Merritt Parkway in New Canaan, Connecticut Wednesday.Whipping wind and soaking rain pounded the region overnight, flooding area roadways and leaving a messy morning commute for travelers.The northeaster dumped a snow-rain mix on New York and New Jersey, leaving slick and sloppy driving...

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Deadline to apply for free foreclosure case reviews is Monday

Florida residents who believe they suffered from shoddy foreclosure practices have through Monday to apply for a free case review that could net them up to $125,000 if wrongdoing is found.The program, which is overseen by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, began in November 2011 with an estimated 4 million eligibility letters mailed nationwide.As of late September,...

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Outdoorsy fun for the New Year’s holiday

So, as Miss Ella once sang, What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?Many of you, of course, will ring in 2013 with champagne and dancing at one of the clubs in Miami Beach or downtown Miami — and many of these same people will wake up with a hangover Tuesday only to wonder why they spent $2,000 to be in the same space as R&B/hip-hop act Drake and a DJ at the Fontainebleau...

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