Cashing in on state contracts becomes growth industry

TALLAHASSEE -- Even for Tallahassee standards, the scene was notable: lobbyist Brian Ballard dining with a nursing home executive, Gov. Rick Scott and a top aide at a pricey restaurant just blocks from the Capitol.That Ballard’s clout could command a private dinner with the governor for a client speaks to the influential lobbyist’s fundraising finesse. But equally important,...

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Double Take Celebrity Lookalikes

Stacy Keibler and Heidi Klum ETonline has found the lookalikes to the stars and, it turns out, it's their Hollywood peers. Click the pics and let us know if you think these celebs bear a resemblance to one another.  ...

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Child, 8, reportedly killed in LI apartment fire, more than 200 left homeless

HEMPSTEAD — Police say an apartment fire that spread to several buildings has forced 250 people from their homes, killed one and sent 11 to hospitals on Long Island.Nassau County police say one victim is in critical condition after fire Saturday morning in Hempstead. The rest have injuries that aren't seen as life-threatening.Police haven't released the...

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Are gun maker stocks in your portfolio?

BOSTON -- Are there guns in your investment portfolio? It’s an issue that some politicians and gun-control advocates are raising after recent mass shootings prompted calls for tougher laws. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel wrote letters to six mutual fund companies asking them to sell their stock in gun manufacturers Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger & Co. It’s a critical...

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Feds indict 11 So. Floridians for stealing IDs, filing taxes for 2,700 dead people

A South Florida ring accused of plotting to fleece $34 million from the U.S. government by filing phony tax returns in the names of thousands of dead people was indicted this week.The indictment charged 11 defendants with conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service by stealing the identities of nearly 7,000 people, including more than 2,700 who were dead, to file fraudulent...

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Jerry Lewis Max Rose Set Visit

Hollywood legend Jerry Lewis explores the dignity of aging, the value of family, and the power of marriage in his new movie Max Rose. The octogenarian star exclusively shares a day on the set of the upcoming film with ET, and also gives our young interviewer Tatiana Toomer a hard time – just for the fun of it.Pics: 13 Must-See Movies of 2013 Asked to explain his character in the film, he replies,...

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Deers of joy: Seemingly dead fawn pulled from icy waters 'licked' back to life by family of deer

It’s like the Enchanted Forest out there.Suffolk County cops pulled a seemingly-dead fawn out of icy waters in Fire Island today — and a family of deer came up to it and licked it back to health!Suffolk County PDMarine Bureau officers Robert Femia and Peter Bogachunas were nearing the Davis Park Marina on their boat about 1:04 p.m. when they noticed a little...

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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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Ramp repairs after dangling-truck wreck to begin next week at I-95, S.R. 84

Repairs will begin as early as Tuesday on a State Road 84 ramp at Interstate 95 after a fatal accident that left a bakery truck dangling over the edge for hours early Wednesday.Florida Department of Transportation spokeswoman Barbara Kelleher said repairs were on hold until a hazardous-materials crew could dig up the soil under the spot where the truck was hanging due to...

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Lohans hit with court papers over Long Island manse

A process server slapped Lindsay and Dina Lohan with court papers today — part of Chase Bank’s years-long battle to foreclose on their Long Island mansion, sources said. The server tacked the court papers on the front gate of the troubled Starlet’s childhood house in Merrick — where Dina and Lindsay brawled in October.Today’s court documents — which a source...

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Miami startup that turns text to video receives $1 million in seed funding

Guide, a new technology startup based in Miami, announced Tuesday it has closed a $1 million round of seed funding from investors including the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Sapient Corp., MTV founder Bob Pitman, actor and producer Omar Epps, and early Google employee Steve Schimmel. The Knight Foundation is supporting Guide through its new early-stage venture...

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Lauderhill seniors are the model of elegance

Gert Packman has never looked her age.During the Great Depression, movie theaters wouldn’t let her in to see some films, because she didn’t look 16. (She was older).After retiring and moving to Florida, she got skeptical looks when she asked for the senior citizen discount. (She qualified). At 96, Packman showed a room full of people Wednesday that you...

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Supermodel Victoria's Secret Angels Share Valentine's Day Tips

Victoria's Secret Angels Lily Aldridge and Candice Swanepoel shared Valentine's Day tips with ET's Brooke Anderson and Rob Marciano via ooVoo's video chat service. Read on to learn how you can make this Valentine's Day a memorable one for your special lady.PICS: Hollywood's Most Dateable StarsWhen asked for advice on how to sweep a woman off her feet, Aldridge replied with a laundry list of trickets:...

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Inwood man confesses to setting wife's head on fire with blowtorch

First he bought his wife coffee. Then he set her head on fire.Officials today released the confession of the Inwood man charged in last month's blowtorch revenge attacks on his wife and ex-boss -- admissions eerie in their mix of the mundane and the maniacal."I woke up this morning around 6 a.m. with the plan already made," Carlos Diaz, 35, told cops of...

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Miami startup that turns text to video receives $1 million in seed funding

Guide, a new technology startup based in Miami, announced Tuesday it has closed a $1 million round of seed funding from investors including the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Sapient Corp., MTV founder Bob Pitman, actor and producer Omar Epps, and early Google employee Steve Schimmel. The Knight Foundation is supporting Guide through its new early-stage venture...

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Lawmakers want major changes in fixing long voting lines

TALLAHASSEE -- Some lawmakers are considering strengthening state officials’ authority to remove county supervisors of elections after voting snafus in November led to long lines and voter anger.Details are sketchy; supporters haven’t come forward with a specific proposal yet, and at times seemed to be thinking out loud at a Tuesday meeting of the Senate Ethics and Elections...

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Carpet Countdown: Oscars Luncheon

In today's Carpet Countdown, ET's Nancy O'Dell sits down with the Oscar frontrunners (including Hugh Jackman, Quevenzhane Wallis, Bradley Cooper, Naomi Watts and Jennifer Lawrence) after the Motion Picture Academy's Nominees Luncheon.PICS: Hot Looks of the Oscar Luncheon ...

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Car swiped in Bronx -- with baby in back seat

A 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee left idling outside a cell-phone store in The Bronx was swiped tonight — with an 8-month-old baby in the back seat, cops said.Police are now frantically scouring the area for the silver Jeep, which has blue fog lights, tinted windows and the Pennsylvania license plate RR84L2.The child’s dad had hopped out of the car — leaving...

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Report calls Florida business incentives “corporate welfare’’

TALLAHASSEE -- A government watchdog group and a conservative advocacy group blasted Florida’s government Tuesday for the hundreds of millions of dollars it gives to corporations, blaming the state’s public-private jobs agency for “pay-to-play” cronyism and “corporate welfare.”A new report by Integrity Florida and Koch brothers-funded Americans for Prosperity highlights...

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Member of Miami-Dade marijuana growhouse ring pleads guilty

An operative in the Santiesteban family’s alleged marijuana growhouse ring pleaded guilty Monday to conspiring to kidnap a rival gang member, admitting he witnessed the man’s murder after the target stole 50 pounds of pot from the Miami-Dade clan.Juan Felipe Castaneda’s plea agreement signaled a major development in the federal government’s crackdown on one of South Florida’s...

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Live action: Twitter grabs Super Bowl spotlight

NEW YORK (AP) — Beyonce’s splashy show, a freak power outage, and —oh, yeah— a captivating game of football combined to generate a record 24.1 million posts on Twitter during Sunday night’s Super Bowl.That’s up from 13.7 million last year — and that doesn’t even include chatter surrounding the ads.Twitter said in a late Sunday blog post that about half of the more than 50 national TV spots that aired...

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Bruce Willis Cracks Up At Vintage 'Die Hard' Intv

Bruce Willis is back for his fifth Die Hard movie as veteran cop John McClane, and the junket for A Good Day to Die Hard proved to be the perfect opportunity to show Bruce some old footage of himself during our on-set interview for 1990's Die Hard 2: Die Harder.Pics: 13 Must-See Movies for 2013"This should be on your show, this is terrific," Bruce told ET's Christina McLarty with a laugh. "Holy mackerel."In...

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Hero cop Figoski's blood-stained badge revealed at trial

There was blood on his badge.Chilling photos of slain Brooklyn cop Peter Figoski’s blood-stained shield and uniform were revealed in the first-degree murder trial of his killer today – bringing tears to the hero cop’s mom as she watched from the courtroom gallery.Career criminal Lamont Pride, 28, shot Figoski once in the face when the decorated cop and...

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Minority Chamber holding job fair on Tuesday

The Minority Chamber of Commerce will hold an “Expedited Job Fair” Tuesday, Feb. 5, in Sweetwater.The event is advertised as having immediate openings to fill, including positions for sales executives, warehouse workers and managers. The free event will be held at the Minority Chamber of Commerce Convention Center at 10720 West Flagler St. in Sweetwater. It begins at 11...

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Giraffe injured at Zoo Miami fleeing amorous advances

A female giraffe at Zoo Miami took a nasty tumble Sunday afternoon fleeing the unwanted advances of a suitor.The accident played out within view of patrons watching the animals in the public feeding area.Zoo officials said Kita, one of six giraffes at the zoo, tried to avoid the unidentified suitor and ran into a rocky area to get away, but fell down. The 29-year-old female...

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BlackBerry Z10 Smartphone Already Going for $1,500 on eBay

The new BlackBerry Z10 smartphone won’t be out for weeks, but you can already get your hands on it via eBay for about $ 1,500.BlackBerry — the company formerly known as Research In Motion (RIM) — announced the new smartphone at an event earlier this week and handed out samples to guests and members of the press in attendance. It didn’t take long for the Z10, which could potentially turn around the...

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Stars Pick Sides at Hot Super Bowl Parties

ET correspondent and Ravens fan Rocsi Diaz seemed out numbered over the weekend in terms of her football affiliation, which sparked a little friendly competition with Jenny McCarthy.RELATED: Super Bowl Star Pics As a 49ers fan, Jenny agreed to a wager: the loser has to buy the other dinner and drinks when they get back to Los Angeles."Girls night out," said Jenny. "You go out with my posse if I win...

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Deadly deserts

Ralph Peters Violence in Allah’s name in northern Africa won’t end in my lifetime — and probably not in yours. The core question is: To what extent can the savagery be contained?From the Atlantic coastline to the Suez Canal, struggling governments, impoverished populations and frankly backward societies struggle to find paths to modernization...

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Digital Debrief: David Klock getting down to Business

David R. Klock took the helm of Florida International University’s College of Business as dean, on Oct. 1, after serving in a similar role at the University of Alabama-Birmingham’s School of Business.A milkman’s son who earned a doctorate in finance, Klock’s career has spanned leadership positions in both academia and business.Soon after he arrived at FIU, Klock began holding...

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