Family of four killed in I-95 crash laid to rest

Four caskets sat in a row at the front of Fort Lauderdale Baptist Church: mother, daughter, stepsister and nephew.The four family members who died last week after their car plunged into a Deerfield Beach lake were eulogized together at a four-hour funeral service Saturday in front of more than 1,000 family members, friends and classmates.“They are not dead. They are living...

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December video game retail sales drop 22 percent

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. retail sales of video games and gaming systems fell 22 percent in December, capping a year of declining sales for the industry.Research firm NPD Group said Thursday that overall sales fell to $ 3.21 billion from $ 4.1 billion in December 2011. NPD estimates that sales of new game hardware, software and accessories account for about half of what consumers spend on gaming.Sales...

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Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis Engaged

Olivia Wilde, 28, and Saturday Night Live star Jason Sudeikis, 38, are engaged, ET can confirm.The pair, who went public in December of 2011, moved in together last year and have been seemingly inseparable since.Related: Olivia Wilde Divorces Italian RoyalAccording to People, Sudeikis proposed to the Tron: Legacy star shortly after the holidays."They are so excited," says a source. "And very, very...

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Everybody off! City school bus strike is likely to happen Wednesday

A school bus strike that threatens to strand 152,000 children is likely to begin on Wednesday — and could be announced as early as tomorrow, sources told The Post. The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181 has already printed strike posters, assigned members to future picket lines at bus yards across the city, and distributed a list of “do’s and don’ts”...

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Miami Beach builder Robert Turchin looks back — and ahead

If former Miami Beach vice mayor Robert Turchin had been a Miami decision maker during the recent vote that decided the fate of The Miami Herald building, he would probably have voted with the ‘nays’ allowing its demolition. “There’s nothing special about it,” says the 90-year-old Turchin as he cruises Collins Avenue between 63rd and 48th streets, a strip dense with buildings...

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2012 campaign dollars poured into unlimited accounts

TALLAHASSEE -- Florida’s sputtering economy did not stop interest groups and donors from spending $306 million this election cycle on state political campaigns, according to final election year tallies released Friday. The number is lower than the $550 million reported in the 2010 election cycle and does not include the massive amount of federal cash spent in the presidential...

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Canada natives block Harper’s office, threaten unrest

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Aboriginal protesters blocked the main entrance to a building where Canada’s prime minister was preparing to meet some native leaders on Friday, highlighting a deep divide within the country’s First Nations on how to push Ottawa to heed their demands.The noisy blockade, which lasted about an hour, ended just before Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his aides met with about 20 native...

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Britney Spears Split with Jason Trawick

After more than three years together, Britney Spears and her fiance Jason Trawick have split, her rep confirmed to People. RELATED - Britney "Working Hard" on New Music"Jason and I have decided to call off our engagement," Spears says in the statement. "I'll always adore him and we will remain great friends." Trawick adds, "As this chapter ends for us a new one begins. I love and cherish her and her...

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No charges for NBC host David Gregory over ammunition magazine

APWASHINGTON — NBC journalist David Gregory won't face charges for displaying a high-capacity ammunition magazine on his "Meet the Press" news program last month, District of Columbia prosecutors announced Friday.The city's Office of the Attorney General, which handles low-level crimes, said criminal charges wouldn't serve the public's best interests even...

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What the week’s big mortgage moves mean for consumers

This week brought three big developments to the nation’s beleaguered mortgage landscape. For consumers, the complex moves have been mostly mystifying, but experts say they all aim at turning the page.“There is a strong desire to put behind us all this period of time — the aftermath of the darkest period in American finance. All these things [announced this week] are intended...

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Sen. Bill Nelson is going python hunting

Sen. Bill Nelson has taken some ribbing for his focus on Pythons in the Everglades. But the problem is real. So little surprise the 70-year-old Democrat will participate in Florida’s first snake hunt, which begins Saturday and offers cash prizes.Nelson will go out Thursday with a rancher in Davie.“He’s had a hand in drawing attention to the problem and it has, in fact, proven...

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A Tale of 2 Strategies: The Twitter Genius of Chuck Grassley and Cory Booker

If you’re on Twitter and not following Sen. Chuck Grassley, you’re not using Twitter correctly.The Iowa Republican is known for his colorful and personal Twitter feed. Take a gander: He personally tweets about everything from the History Channel to “Obamacare” to an incident in which he hit a deer with his car  (“assume dead”). Grassley’s tweets take us along for a ride, one that’s often...

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First Look: Kesha's C'Mon Music Video

Ke$ha's getting frisky with some furry, fun-loving friends in the new music video for her single C'Mon, and we have your first look!Related: Kesha on Justin Bieber: 'I Would Hit That' Straight off her album Warrior, you can catch the premiere of the full C'Mon video Friday on Vevo.com.Ke$ha also graces the cover of Seventeen magazine, so make sure to pick up a copy on stands n...

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First alleged thug in fatal parka mugging arraigned on murder, weapon possession charges

The first alleged thug busted in a senseless fatal parka mugging is claiming all he did was supply the gun."I saw the guy shoot the kid," Timothy Montalvo, 16, said of the January 4 fatal shooting of Raphael Ward in front of a church at 49 Columbia Street. Ward, who is also 16, resisted demands to relinquish the $600 parka, and paid with his life, cops...

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Walmart redesigns plans for Midtown Miami store

In an effort to garner increased support for its store in Midtown Miami, Walmart late Thursday submitted redesigned plans to the City of Miami that buffers the store with independent shops and restaurants along Midtown Boulevard.The 16,000-square-feet of retail would line the ground floor of one side of the Walmart store, providing a more interactive streetfront for pedestrians...

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Dems at odds over future Florida Democratic Party chair

Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz has the ear and the loyalty of President Barack Obama, and loads of influence among Democrats in Washington and across the country. Democratic activists in her home state of Florida, however, are poised to deliver an embarrassing snub to Wasserman Schultz later this month with the heated race to lead the state...

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Go Ahead, Keep Being Mean to Celebrities on Twitter

We realize there’s only so much time one can spend in a day watching new trailers, viral video clips, and shaky cell phone footage of people arguing on live television. This is why every day The Atlantic Wire highlights the videos that truly earn your five minutes (or less) of attention. Today:  RELATED: The Honey Boo Boo Nature Special; Everyone’s Favorite Sleepwalking MomWe usually don’t condone...

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Nicki Minaj on American Idol Drama Mariah Carey

Everyone is talking about the rumored feud between American Idol's divas, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj, and ET's Rocsi Diaz was the only reporter to sit down with each of them on the topic of their relationship.VIDEO: Mariah on 'Messy' Idol Moments with NickiMinaj denied the existence of a feud in the first place, but that might depend on your definition."There is no feud! A feud is an ongoing beef...

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Unidentified 9/11 remains will be safe: city

The remains of unidentified victims of 9/11 to be interred at the World Trade Center memorial site will be safe from flooding and other disasters, city attorneys argued today in state appellate court in Manhattan.“There’s no evidence in the record that there is a problem with flooding,” argued Ellen Ravitch, of the city’s Law Department.But a group of families...

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Florida company provides electrical power for the world

More than 4,000 miles from its home base in Doral, Energy International is helping keep the lights on and the power grid humming in Gibraltar, the British territory on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula.Energy International, a global provider of power plants and energy solutions, sent a temporary plant that will provide power for at least the next two years while a...

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Rhino becomes second large animal to die at Zoo Miami

It’s been a bad week for Zoo Miami. Two of its larger animals died on MondayFirst, a 12-year-old Malayan tiger named Tevy was found dead in her enclosure.By nightfall, Mohan, at 44 believed to be the oldest living Indian rhinoceros in captivity, was euthanized due to failing health, said spokesman Ron Magill. “His breathing had become very labored and he...

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James Franco Does His Best Justin Bieber

We realize there’s only so much time one can spend in a day watching new trailers, viral video clips, and shaky cell phone footage of people arguing on live television. This is why every day The Atlantic Wire highlights the videos that truly earn your five minutes (or less) of attention. Today:  RELATED: All We Want for Christmas Is Jimmy Fallon and Mariah Carey Singing to UsRemember when Justin...

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Genie Francis Coming Back to General Hospital

General Hospital fans are in for a pleasant surprise this February!Soap star Genie Francis will make her triumphant return to the show that made her famous next month, reprising her role as Laura Spencer for GH's 50th anniversary, reports Entertainment Weekly.Video: Genie Francis Dishes on her Return to Daytime and the Future of Soaps The legendary actress returned to the daytime soap circuit last...

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'Dark Knight' massacre 911 calls played in court; sounds of gunfire & crying heard

APPeople gather outside the Century 16 movie theatre in Aurora, Colo., at the scene of a mass shooting.CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Chilling 911 calls that captured the sound of dozens of flying bullets — and a young teen weeping over the body of her dead 6-year-old cousin — were replayed at a “Dark Knight’’ massacre pre-trial hearing today.Panicked moviegoer Kevin...

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Magic Jack ends suit against Net Talk

A suit between Magic Jack and a Miami-based rival has ended.Net Talk, with headquarters in suburban Miami-Dade, announced Tuesday that Magic Jack had dropped its patent-infringement suit against Net Talk over the company’s Internet phone service. Magic Jack is one of the best-known providers of VOIP (voice over Internet protocol), and sued Net Talk in April over the competitor’s...

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Federal trial: Fellow cops’ letter to Miami PD internal affairs sparked FBI probe of sergeant

Members of the Miami Police Department’s drug-fighting squad turned against their boss, Sgt. Raul Iglesias, accusing him in an unsigned letter of “stealing drugs and money as they are recovered from the hands of criminals.”“In most instances there is a discrepancy in the amount of drugs and money [Iglesias] gives back to the officers to be reported in the arrest affidavit...

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Year-end Wii U sales steady, says Nintendo chief

KYOTO (Reuters) – Nintendo Co Ltd‘s year-end sales of its Wii U games console were steady, though not as strong as when its Wii predecessor was first launched, the Japanese game maker’s top executive told Reuters on Monday.The company, which grew from making playing cards in the late 19th century into the blockbuster Super Mario video game series, is pinning its hopes on the Wii U after posting a...

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EXCLUSIVE: Pics of Lindsay Lohan Mom Dina Lohan with a Black Eye

After alleging that her ex-husband Michael Lohan physically abused her when they were married, Dina Lohan has now released old photos of herself with a black eye.RELATED: Michael Lohan Responds to Abuse AllegationsMichael vehemently denies abusing Dina, telling ET, "[Dina] hit me with an ice tray, and I turned around and swung ... I didn't punch her. I didn't do anything deliberately to attack her....

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EMT union fume over alleged plea deal for B'klyn assistant DA accused of attacking medic: letter

An EMT union members are fuming mad over what it calls plans by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office to give a sweetheart plea deal to a Brooklyn assistant DA accused of attacking a medic in an ambulance last November, according to a union letter obtained by the Post today.Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney Michael Jaccarino, 30, will appear in court...

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Florida company provides electrical power for the world

More than 4,000 miles from its home base in Doral, Energy International is helping keep the lights on and the power grid humming in Gibraltar, the British territory on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula.Energy International, a global provider of power plants and energy solutions, sent a temporary plant that will provide power for at least the next two years while a...

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State appeals order to pay for special autism treatment

Already facing sharp criticism over policies that have resulted in the rationing of care to severely disabled children, Florida healthcare regulators are challenging a federal judge’s order that the state provide a costly — but potentially life-changing — treatment to children with autism.Last spring, U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard struck down the state’s refusal to pay...

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Handset makers scurry to join Year of the Phablet

SINGAPORE/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Call it phablet, phonelet, tweener or super smartphone, but the clunky mobile phone – closer in size to a tablet than the smartphone of a couple of years back – is here to stay.A surprise hit of 2012, it is drawing in more users, more handset makers and is shaping the way we consume content.“We expect 2013 to be the year of the phablet,” said Neil Mawston, UK-based...

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