Miami police union challenges officer’s firing for fatal shooting

The Fraternal Order of Police filed a lawsuit against the city of Miami on Friday, asserting that an officer who fatally shot an unarmed motorist in 2011 was improperly fired from the police department.

Officer Reynaldo Goyos shot and killed Travis McNeil as he sat in a car at a Little Haiti intersection. It was one of a string of seven deadly shootings of black men in the inner city by Miami police officers in 2010 and 2011.

Goyos was cleared of criminal wrongdoing by prosecutors in 2012. But he was terminated last month after the department’s Firearms Review Board concluded that the shooting was unjustified.

The police union lawsuit claims that the board violated state open-government laws by failing to open its meetings to the public.

Goyos “was improperly terminated by the city of Miami Police Department by a review board that violates the law,” union President Javier Ortiz wrote in a statement.

The lawsuit contends that Goyos should be reinstated.

City Attorney Julie O. Bru declined to discuss the specifics of the case. “We reviewed the allegations, and the city maintains that the board has operated consistent with the requirements of law,” she said.

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Michelle Obama The History of Mom Dancing on Late Night

Jimmy Fallon may have gotten The President to Slow Jam the News, but I think getting The First Lady to present A History of Mom Dancing may end up being The Late Night host's greatest accomplishment, yet!

PHOTOS - Michelle Obama's Best Fashions

The routine, in celebration of her Get Up campaign, features Michelle Obama re-creating some of history's greatest mom moves, like The Sprinkler, The Raise The Roof and The Hand Part From Single Ladies.

Watch our FLOTUS break it down. 

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Cobble Hill woman dies after being found with head trauma

A Cobble Hill woman died early today after being found yesterday with head trauma, police said.

The 55-year-old was discovered unconscious in a Clinton Street residence near Sackett Street about 10:33 p.m., cops said.

She died at Long Island College Hospital about 4:30 a.m.

The medical examiner will determine the cause of death.

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South Florida hospitals could lose $368 million from sequestration

A detailed survey shows that South Florida hospitals could lose $368 million over 10 years in federal budget cuts starting next Friday, if the sequestration program kicks in as scheduled.

The Florida Hospital Association, using data from the American Hospital Association, estimates that over the next decade, sequestration would cause Miami-Dade hospitals to lose $223.9 million and Broward facilities $144.4 million under the Congress-mandated budget cuts that hit virtually all federal programs unless Republicans and Democrats can work out a compromise.

The New York Times and other national news organizations are reporting that sequestration, unlike the New Year’s fiscal cliff, seems virtually certain to take place.

The law requires across-the-board spending cuts in domestic and defense programs, with certain exceptions. Because healthcare represents more than one in five dollars of the federal budget, it will be a huge target for cuts.

For hospitals and doctors, the major impact will be felt in Medicare cuts, which according to the budget law are limited to 2 percent of Medicare payments. Medicaid, food stamps and Social Security are exempted from cuts, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.

The FHA study calculates that over 10 years, Jackson Memorial Hospital stands to lose $30.6 million, Mount Sinai Medical Center on Miami Beach $27.3 million, Holy Cross in Fort Lauderdale $23.8 million and Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood $21.4 million.

“The problem with sequestration is that it just makes broad cuts across the board,” said Linda Quick, president of the South Florida Hospital and Healthcare Association. “The Affordable Care Act is looking at all sorts of intelligent ways to reduce costs,” including coordinated care that will stop duplicated tests and reduce hospital readmissions. “But sequestration takes an ax, and that doesn’t make any sense.”

FierceHealthcare, which produces trade publications, says sequestration cuts over the next decade will include $591 million from prescription drug benefits for seniors, $318 million from the Food and Drug Administration, $2.5 billion from the National Institutes of Health, $490 million from the Centers for Disease Control and $365 million from Indian Health Services.

The National Association of Community Health Centers estimates that 900,000 of its patients nationwide could lose care because of the cuts. The group said the cuts were “penny wise and pound foolish” because they would mean less preventive care while more and sicker patients would end up in emergency rooms.

Like the fiscal cliff, Republicans and Democrats agreed on a sequestration strategy, with the idea that the drastic measure would force the two sides to reach agreement on more deliberative budget adjustments. That hasn’t happened.

The White House reports that the law will mean that nondefense programs will be cut by 5 percent, defense programs by 8 percent. But since the first year’s cuts must be done over seven months, that means in 2013, nondefense programs need to be cut by 9 percent, defense programs by 13 percent.

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Miami-Dade has authority to enact absentee ballot law, judge rules

In its effort to crack down on voter fraud, Miami-Dade County has the authority to limit how many absentee ballots a voter can possess, a judge ruled Friday.

The ruling came in the case of Sergio “El Tio” Robaina, whose lawyers had challenged a county ordinance that makes it a misdemeanor to collect multiple absentee ballots.

Prosecutors say Robaina, 74, illegally collected absentee ballots and filled out two against the wishes of two voters, one of them a woman with dementia. He faces two felony counts of voter fraud, and two misdemeanor counts of illegally possessing absentee ballots.

The Miami-Dade County Commission, worried about the perception of election fraud, passed the ordinance two years ago. A person may turn in only two absentee ballots in addition to their own: one belonging to an immediate family member and another belonging to a voter who has signed a sworn statement designating that person as responsible.

Friday’s order by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Milton Hirsch was his second ruling against Robaina.

Last month, Hirsch ruled that Robaina did not have standing to challenge the constitutionality of the ordinance. His lawyers argued that the law disenfranchise elderly Hispanic voters who rely on friends and associates to help them deliver absentee ballots.

In Robaina’s latest request, lawyers claimed that Miami-Dade County — under a recent state voting law — did not have the power to enact the ordinance because elections also feature state and national candidates.

But Florida, in 1885, granted Miami-Dade County sweeping powers because of its unique status as the state’s preeminent city.

Hirsch pointed out that decades ago, the state’s Supreme Court said Miami-Dade was a “teeming, cosmopolitan city” that needed broad powers to legislate its affairs. The same hold true even today, Hirsch ruled.

“Miami has become one of the crossroads of the world,” Hirsch wrote in a 15-page order. “It is a leader on a global scale, in countless commercial, cultural and other activities.”

The judge agreed with county attorneys, who said absentee ballot fraud had become a “cottage industry” unique to Miami-Dade. The ordinance, the judge said, still does not prevent a Miami voter from filling out an absentee ballot and mailing it.

Robaina has long admitted to collecting the ballots, but merely as a way to help elderly citizens. The probe started after authorities discovered 164 absentee ballots dropped off at a North Miami-Dade post office.

The bundle was dropped off by an aide to Miami-Dade Commissioner Esteban “Steve” Bovo, who has not been accused of wrongdoing. Robaina, the uncle of former Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina, has consistently shifted the blame to that aide, now a key witness against him.

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Stars Without Makeup!

Malin Akerman

February 22, 2013

A makeup-free Malin Akerman showed off her natural pregnancy glow shopping at Bed Bath & Beyond in Hollywood.

ALSO IN THIS GALLERY:

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Bloomberg says NYC must press for 'real' teacher evaluations

Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the $250 million New York City schools stand to lose amid a standoff on teacher evaluations is important, but the city "cannot compromise on having a real evaluation system."

The mayor spoke on his WOR-AM radio show Friday. On Thursday, a judge blocked the state from withholding the money, at least for now.

The judge froze any sanctions until the resolution of a lawsuit filed by parents. The state plans to appeal.

School districts had to have evaluation systems in place by Jan. 17 to get a state aid increase this school year.

Bloomberg's administration and the teachers' union couldn't agree on a system, so the city missed the deadline.

The city has said the lost money means eliminating 700 guidance counselor and teacher positions.

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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 that glass, I remember why,” said Delphine Dray, who joined her father — a billionaire hotel developer and well-known art collector in France — to restore the hotel after the purchase.

After working with him for years, she is finishing the project alone. Claude Dray, 76, was killed in his Paris home in October of 2011, a shooting that remains under investigation.

In a recent interview and tour of the hotel’s renovations, which are nearly finished, Dray did not discuss her father’s death, which drew extensive media coverage in Europe. But she spoke about the evolution of the father-daughter working relationship, the family’s Art Deco obsession and the inspiration for the hotel’s new old-fashioned touches.

The National is hosting a cocktail party Friday night to give attendees a peek at the progress.

Dray grew up in a home surrounded by Art Deco detail; her parents constantly brought home finds from the flea market. By 2006, they had amassed a fortune in art and furniture, which they sold for $75 million at a Paris auction in 2006.

That sale funded the purchase of the National Hotel at 1677 Collins Ave., which the Drays discovered during a visit to Miami Beach.

After having lunch at the Delano next door, Dray said, “My dad came inside the hotel and fell in love.” The owner was not interested in selling, but Claude Dray persisted, closing the deal in early 2007. Her family also owns the Hôtel de Paris in Saint-Tropez, which reopened Thursday after a complete overhaul overseen by Dray’s mother and older sister.

Delphine Dray said she thought it would be exciting to work on the 1939 hotel with her father, so she moved with her family to South Florida. She quickly discovered challenges, including stringent historic preservation rules and frequent disagreements with her father.

“We did not have at all the same vision,” she said.

For example, she said: “I was preparing mojitos for the Winter Music Conference.” Her father, on the other hand, famously once unplugged a speaker during a party at the hotel because the loud music was disturbing his work.

“We were fighting because that is the way it is supposed to be,” she said. “Now, I understand that he was totally right.”

She described a vision, now her own, of a classic, cozy property that brings guests back to the 1940s.

Joined by her 10-year-old twin girls, Pearl and Swan, and 13-year-old son Chad, Dray pointed out a new telephone meant to look antique mounted on the wall near the elevators on a guest floor. She showed off the entertainment units she designed to resemble furniture that her parents collected. And she highlighted Art Deco flourishes around doorknobs and handles.

“It’s very important for us to have the details,” she said.

With those priorities in mind, she is overseeing the final phase of the renovation, an investment that general manager Jacques Roy said will top $10 million. In addition to the small details, the renovation includes heavier, less obvious work: new drywall in guest rooms, for example, and new windows to replace leaky ones.

Painting of the building’s exterior should be finished in the next two to three weeks, Roy said. Dray compared its earlier unfinished state to resembling “a horror movie — the family Addams.”

And the final couple of guest room floors, as well as the restoration of the original Martini Room, should be done by the end of April.

“At the end, I will be very proud,” Dray said.

The National’s renovation wraps up as nearby properties such as the SLS Hotel South Beach and Gale South Beach & Regent Hotel have been given new life. Jeff Lehman, general manager of The Betsy Hotel and chair of the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority, said the National has always been true to its roots. He managed the hotel for 10 years, including for a few months after Dray bought the property.

“I think historic preservation and the restoration of the hotels as they were built 70, 80 years ago is such a huge piece of our DNA,” he said. “It’s a lot of what sets us apart from any other destination on the planet.”

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LGBT students, allies, supporters put on Youth Pride Band concert

Music is “a great conversation starter,” says Ezequiel Beltrame, an 18-year-old flutist from Hollywood Hills High School. “Even if you have nothing to talk about, you can talk about music. And that usually leads to other things.”

For Beltrame and more than 50 other South Florida Youth Pride Band students, who perform Sunday at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, post-music discussion topics include sexual orientation, gender identity and bullying.

“We don’t talk about it enough,” says Beltrame, who identifies as pansexual. “Most people don’t even know what that is. It means that gender is not a factor in my attraction.”

The Youth Pride Band is a project of the South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble, an LGBT band that marched last month in President Barack Obama’s inaugural parade in Washington, D.C.

“It started as an idea of our board in April 2011,” said ensemble member Adam DeRosa, youth band coordinator and president of the international Lesbian and Gay Band Association.

In June 2011, the Community Foundation of Broward gave the adult ensemble $5,000 to launch a youth band. In 2012, 23 students participated in the three-week program, and the ensemble awarded five $1,000 college scholarships.

Last year, the Community Foundation gave another $8,000. Private donors have also contributed, and additional scholarships will be announced at Sunday’s concert.

The youth band will be joined on stage after intermission by the adult ensemble. The program, called “Taking Flight,” will feature songs including Come Fly With Me, Defying Gravity from Broadway’s Wicked and Theme from Superman.

“The concept of bringing in the 50-some young musicians to sit beside the older musicians is a fantastic learning opportunity,” said Grammy-winning vibraphonist Gary Burton of Fort Lauderdale, who has guest-starred with the wind ensemble. “I’ve heard other gay bands around the country, and I have to say it’s one of the best.”

Ensemble director Dan Bassett said the adults advertised in high school marching band programs and relied on word of mouth to reach teen musicians from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

“The kids get out of it a real sense of camaraderie,” said Bassett, assistant principal and band director at St. Mark’s Episcopal Academy in Oakland Park.

There’s no requirement that youth members be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. “It’s not something we ever ask,” DeRosa said. “We don’t ask our own members and they’re adults.”

Ensemble members want to nurture the students and provide a safe space for them, he said. “The most important thing is we want it to be an outstanding musical experience for the kids. The idea of the organization is to celebrate diversity and be a positive way to combat bullying.”

“This is my second year here,” said clarinetist Jake Glass, 17, of Pompano Beach and North Broward Prep. “It’s a great experience. ... Because it’s a gay-straight alliance band, it’s an extremely open community. I’m straight myself, but I have a number of friends who have been bullied or suffered through it because they are gay or bisexual.”

Clarinetist Natalie Mullen, 18, of McArthur High School in Hollywood, said the band experience has taught her much.

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Stars Without Makeup!

Calista Flockhart

February 21, 2013

A bravely bare-faced Calista Flockhart accompanied her husband Harrison Ford to the Conservation International conference in Sao Paulo.

ALSO IN THIS GALLERY:

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Rhode Island police charge two Queens residents with credit card fraud

WEST GREENWICH, RI — Rhode Island State Police have charged two New York City residents with obtaining credit cards through fraudulent means after finding dozens of cards in their vehicle.

Col. Steven O'Donnell said 22-year-old Emendjer Mathurin and 37-year-old Abdul Springer, both of Queens, NY, were arrested this week after a trooper stopped them for speeding on Interstate 95 in West Greenwich and found dozens of credit cards. Some had the name of the driver and others had the names of unknown people.

Authorities say the credit cards were encoded with information from stolen cards. State Police says the two were arraigned on Wednesday and did not enter pleas. They were released on $5,000 surety bail each.

A message was left for Mathurin. A current listing for Springer couldn't be found.

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Broward’s existing home sales, prices rose again in January

The median price of an existing single-family home in Broward County jumped 24.5 percent to $224,088 in January from a year earlier, according to the Greater Fort Lauderdale Realtors.

The median price of a condominium or townhouse in Broward increased 26.5 percent to $94,900 in January from a year earlier.

Sales of single-family-home in Broward increased 15.3 percent in January to 1,033 from a year earlier, while closings on townhouses and condos increased 10.7 percent year over year, the Realtors group said.

Extremely tight inventory continues to shape the market. The number of single family homes available for sale on the multi-listings service plunged 26.5 percent in January to 4,510 from a year earlier. The number of available listings of condos and townhouses on the market was down 11.2 percent year over year to 6,407 units in Broward in January, the group said.

The months of supply of existing single-family homes fell to 3.8 months, while the inventory of condos and townhouses shrank to 4.7 months. A six-month to nine-month supply is considered a balanced market between buyers and sellers, while a lower level favors sellers, helping fuel price increases, Realtors say.

Broward homes are selling more quickly and for levels closer to their asking prices in Broward. In January, existing single-family homes fetched 93.4 percent of their listing price, up from 90.9 percent a year earlier. Condos and townhouses went for 93.8 perenct of their asking price, an increase of 1.4 percent from a year earlier.

The median days on the market was 48 for a single-family home, down from 53 a year earlier, and 42 days for a condo or townhouse, down from 43 in January 2012.

“I’m seeing strength right across the board,’’ said Charles Bonfiglio, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Realtors and head of AAA Realty Group. Many Broward residences are fetching multiple offers, frequently above the asking price, he said.

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Election reform, bridge repairs top Miami-Dade Commission agenda

Miami-Dade commissioners are expected Wednesday to urge the state legislature to allow Election Day voters to drop off their absentee ballots at their local precincts, and ask the mayor to identify funding to repair and upgrade the county’s 203 bridges.

Returning absentee ballots to local precincts was one of 13 recommendations in a report by an Election Advisory Group that needs local and state approval to become law. Now, absentee ballots can only be returned to election headquarters in Doral.

The advisory group, created after the embarrassing November presidential election saw people waiting in lines for up to six hours, also wants to change the name of absentee ballots to “Vote by Mail.”

Other recommended voting changes include expanding early voting days from eight to 14, including the last Sunday before an election; expanding the number of permissible voting sites; limiting ballot language on constitutional amendments to 75 words; and expanding the number of days elections supervisors are allowed to total and check votes from 15 to 20.

Commissioners are also expected Wednesday to urge Mayor Carlos Gimenez to identify funding sources to repair the county’s bridges. The county estimates that over the next two decades it will need as much as $450 million for repairs. The issue came to light in early January when the county was forced to close down the west-bound half of Bear Cut Bridge leading to Key Biscayne, after structural flaws were found.

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Pope Benedict XVI may enact law governing upcoming conclave to elect new pope

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI may enact a new law governing the upcoming conclave to elect a new pope amid continued uncertainty over when the voting can begin.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said Wednesday that he didn't know for sure if the new law under consideration would address the timing of the conclave following Benedict's Feb. 28 resignation. He said it would contain some "clarifications" on certain points. But given the crush of interest surrounding the conclave date, it's likely to address the issue.

The current law says cardinals should wait 15 days after the papacy becomes vacant before launching a conclave to allow all eligible cardinals to arrive in Rome, making March 15 the presumed start. That delay, however, assumed a papal death and funeral. In this case, the cardinals already know that this pontificate will end Feb. 28 and can get to Rome in plenty of time to take part in the conclave.

AP

Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on Sunday

Some canonists and scholars have said the current rules allow for some wiggle room on the 15-day wait given that most if not all the cardinals will already be in Rome for Benedict's final general audience Feb. 27 and his farewell meeting with cardinals on Feb. 28.

"The document says that the cardinals present in Rome must wait 15 days for the arrival of the others," noted Ambrogio Piazzoni, the vice prefect of the Vatican library. "That can mean that if the cardinals all arrive before the 15 days there is no need to wait. The phrase 'must wait' doesn't say that you can't start before 15 days."

However, leading US canonist Edward Peters, an adviser to the Vatican high court, welcomed word that the pope himself might intervene.

"Advancing the conclave start-date would make obvious good sense, but actually doing so on anything less than express papal authority raises serious canonical and even ecclesiological problems," he said on his blog.

The date of the conclave's start is important because Holy Week begins March 24, with Palm Sunday Mass followed by Easter Sunday on March 31. In order to have a new pope in place in time for the most solemn liturgical period on the church calendar, he would need to be installed by Sunday, March 17, because of the strong tradition to hold installation Mass on a Sunday. Given the tight time-frame, speculation has mounted that some arrangement would be made to start the conclave on March 10 or thereabouts, earlier than a strict reading of the law would allow.

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Remote employees require care to feel like part of the team

Working from home, hundreds of miles away from your boss, may sound like a perk, but that’s not always the case.

Ken Condren remembers the moment when he experienced the frustration his remote employees face. He was working from home, participating in a conference call and heard a side conversation going on, but had no idea what was being said. “I felt so out of the loop,” Condren recalls.

Today, businesses want the talent they want – and are more willing to hire or retain someone to fill a job even if they live or move thousands of miles away. Yet even with a great number of employees working remotely, nobody wants to be that guy who doesn’t get the inside joke during a conference call.

When the success of a team depends on the people, and all the people are scattered, it’s the manager who must make sure relationships stay vital and productivity high. Getting the most out of remote workers takes a manager who knows how to motivate and communicate from a distance. “Virtual workers still need a personal connection,” says strategic business futurist Joyce Goia, president of The Herman Group. “They want camaraderie and to feel like they are part of a team.”

More managers are using technologies such as videoconferencing, instant messenger and other collaborative software to help make remote workers feel like they are “there” in the office. Not being able to speak face-to-face can quickly be solved with Skype, Face Time or simple VoIP systems.

Condren, vice president of technology at C3/CustomerContactChan-

nels in Plantation, uses Microsoft Lync to connect virtually with a team spread across geographies and time zones. Employees see a green light on their screen when a colleague is available, signaling it’s a good time to video chat or instant message. Instead of meeting in physical conference rooms, team members get together in a virtual work room where they can hold side conversations during conference calls or meet in advance to prepare for the call. “You lose the visibility of waving hands during an in person meeting, but we can build that with virtual workspaces.”

Beyond that, Condren says he holds weekly video conference calls with his staff to help his remote workers become better team players. He also sets aside 45 minutes to an hour each week to check in with his remote workers. “It’s a little extra effort to make sure they are giving me the updates that happen casually in the office.”

Condren says adapting to a virtual workforce has allowed him to hire talent in any geographic market with the skill set he wants. And he has been able to hire them at competitive salaries.

In the current economy, such flexibility can be critical for a company looking to attract top talent. CareerBuilder’s Jennifer Grasz says the recession has created a less transient workforce, making it difficult for workers to sell their homes and relocate. “Employers are turning to remote work opportunities to navigate the skills deficit.”

Even from a distance, managers say there are ways to hone in on remote workers who are having problems. Billie Williamson managed virtual teams as a partner for Ernst & Young and would focus on the tone of someone’s voice during a group conference call. She would even listen for silences. “Silence can mean consent, or it can mean the person you’re not hearing disagrees or is disengaged.” If she sensed a team member was lacking engagement, she would follow up immediately.

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Scholastic Writing Awards recognizes four students’ creative writing skills

Hallee Meltzer, Andrea Villa, and Haley Zilberberg of School for Advanced Studies and Christopher Leesang of the Academy of Advanced Academics were recognized for Silver Key Awards in the 2013 Scholastic Writing Awards for their creative writing skills.

Hallee became a regional finalist in humor, persuasive writing, and poetry categories. Andrea is being honored for her entry in the short story category. Haley’s work in personal essay and memoir, short story, and poetry earned her recognition as a regional finalist. Christopher is being recognized for his poem, Where the Sky Touches the Sea.

IMMACULATA-LA SALLE HIGH SCHOOL

Immaculata-La Salle High School, in Miami, was named an Apple Distinguished Program for its iLearn@ILS iPad program. The iLearn implements technology to help develop the student and teacher experience in the classroom by allowing students to respond quickly and teachers to support and create engaging lessons.

The Apple honor is reserved for programs that meet visionary leadership, innovative learning and teaching, professional learning, evidence of success, and a flexible learning environment.

MATER ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL

Mater Academy High School’s business and marketing club, in Hialeah, will compete in the 48th annual Florida Collegiate Distributive Education Clubs of America competition in Orlando on Feb. 28 through March 3.

Students across the state will compete in various categories including marketing, management, merchandising, hospitality, and more. Participants are taking business courses and participating in afterschool activities to prepare for the conference.

CORAL REEF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Tanarut Chaisuesomboon, Prudhvi Lokireddy, Carly Misztal, Nicolas Reed, and Jialin Zhang of Coral Reef Senior High School were announced as National Merit Scholarship Program finalists.

These four students will be considered for a National Merit Scholarship and the Merit Scholar title.

MIAMI KILLIAN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Miami Killian Senior High School students Kathryn Lopez, Jaclyn Cruz-Alvarez, and Eduardo Fuentes-Moran were selected to represent their school in the Miami Dade County Public School’s 2013 Superintendent’s High School Honor Band at the Lehman Theater.

Kathryn plays flute, Jaclyn bassoonand Eduardo is on the euphonium, a brass instrument.

NORTH BEACH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

North Beach Elementary School student’s David Tamen and Zavian Schwartz are both visual arts winners and were recognized in the Reflections Arts competition. David also earned an honorable mention for literature.

—  Compiled by Adrianne Richardson

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'30 Rock' co-star says Baldwin should 'apologize' if he used racial slur against Post photographer

Splash News

Alec Baldwin returns home with pregnant wife Hilaria Baldwin amid reports that the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force has launched a probe into his alleged racist remarks earlier this week.

Alec Baldwin’s “30 Rock” co-star Tracy Morgan today demanded that the hot-headed actor apologize, if he lobbed a nasty — and outdated — racial slur against a Post photographer.

Morgan was careful to use the word “if” in chastising Baldwin, who allegedly called black photographer G.N. Miller a “coon,” and “drug dealer.”

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO

“If he called somebody a coon, he should apologize,” a worked-up Morgan told WNKS-FM in Charlotte, NC.

Morgan also took note of Baldwin’s alleged choice of a weird, old-school slur.

“If anyone calls anybody a derogatory statement like coon, this is 2013. First of all coon is played out — use a new term,” Morgan said.

“If so, I think he [Baldwin] should [be] made to apologize. There’s no excuse. You’re in your 50s.”

The 54-year-old actor has denied using a racial slur at Miller — a decorated, retired NYPD detective. Baldwin said yesterday he couldn’t have used a racial slur, because he gave $50,000 to the Arthur Ashe Learning Center.

The confrontation happened Sunday when Miller was taking pictures of Baldwin outside his East Village apartment.

Baldwin also allegedly called Miller “crackhead” and demeaned him with the pet name “Ralston” on his Twitter page on Sunday, but quickly deleted it.

The Post reported today that the NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the alleged racially fueled tirade.

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Sign up for Feb. 21 Miami Herald Small Business Forum featuring Zumba’s CEO, 4 interactive panels

Prepare your best pitch for the Miami Herald’s Small Business Forum on Thursday, 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 and business brands.

During our finance panel, audience volunteers will be invited to explain their financing needs to the group. During our box-lunch session, they will be invited to pitch their business or personal brand to our coaches.

Those who prefer just to listen will be treated to a keynote address by Alberto Perlman, co-founder of the global fitness craze Zumba (see bio below). Panels include success stories from the local entrepreneurs who founded Sedano’s, Jennifer’s Homemade and ReStockIt.com; finance tips from experts in small business loans, venture capital, angel investments and traditional bank loans; and insiders in the burgeoning South Florida tech start-up scene. Scroll down to see the panelists’ bios

Plus, it’s a real bargain. $25 includes the half-day seminar, continental breakfast and a box lunch.

Register here.

Program

8 a.m.

Registration and continental breakfast, provided by Bill Hansen Catering

8:30 a.m. Welcome

Host: David Suarez, president and CEO, Interactive Training Solutions, LLC

•  Jerry Haar, PhD, associate dean & director, FIU Eugenio Pino and Family Global

Entrepreneurship Center

•  Alice Horn, executive director, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE South Florida)

•  Jane Wooldridge, Business editor, The Miami Herald

Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge Overview:

•  Nancy Dahlberg, Business Plan Challenge coordinator, The Miami Herald

8:45 a.m. Session I – Success Stories

Moderator: Jerry Haar, PhD, associate dean & director, FIU Eugenio Pino and Family Global

Entrepreneurship Center

Speakers:

•  Jennifer Behar, founder, Jennifer’s Homemade

•  Matt Kuttler, co-president of ReStockIt.com

•  Javier Herrán, chief marketing officer, Sedano’s Supermarkets

10 a.m. Session II – All about Tech

Moderator: Jane Wooldridge, Business editor, The Miami Herald

Speakers

•  Susan Amat, founder, Launch Pad Tech

•  Nancy Borkowski, executive director, Health Management Programs, Chapman Graduate School of

Business, Florida International University

•  Chris Fleck, vice president of mobility solutions at Citrix and a director of the South Florida Tech Alliance

•  Charles Irizarry, co-founder and director of product architecture, Rokk3r Labs

11:15 a.m. Keynote

Speaker: Alberto Perlman, CEO and co-founder of Zumba® Fitness

Introduction: Jane Wooldridge, business editor, The Miami Herald

11:45 a.m. Session III – Show me the money: Financing your small business

An interactive session featuring audience volunteers who will be invited to make a short investment pitch before a panel, including experts in microlending, SBA loans, traditional bank loans, venture capital and angel investing. Audience volunteers should come prepared with a two-minute presentation that includes details about current backing, how much money they are seeking and a brief synosis of ow that money would be used.

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Leader of Coconut Grove school to be honored

After 45 years of educating children at Vanguard School of Coconut Grove, Director John Havrilla will retire. His life’s work of helping over 3,000 students with varying learning difficulties will be celebrated at the school’s upcoming annual gala.

Havrilla and four other teachers from Vanguard School in Pennsylvania opened the Miami school with just 13 students in 1968. Along the way Havrilla has been honored and praised for his commitment. The Association of Independent Schools of Florida gave him the Distinguished Educator Award for developing a program to successfully mainstream students with learning disabilities into traditional classrooms or other school settings.

The nonprofit school’s motto is “Never, never quit.”

"I have enjoyed the experience of working with all the teachers, students and parents over the past 45 years,” Havrilla said. “It has been very rewarding to watch our students grow and become successful adults. My interest has always to been to help children and I have always tried to do my best to do just that."

Alumni, parents and staff are invited to the gala starting at 7 p.m., March 9 at Shake-A-Leg Miami. Tickets are $75. The volunteer parent group, the Vanguardians, is also holding fundraising for a commemorative tile mosaic wall as a tribute to Havrilla and the school. Current parents, alumni parents and all students may purchase and personalize a tile to add to this ongoing memorial.

For information on gala tickets or to purchase a commemorative tile call 305-445-7992 or write vangcg@aol.com. Vanguard School has individualized programs for first through eighth grade students with learning difficulties and/or attention deficit disorder. For more about the school check www.vanguardschool.com.

“EYES ON THE EARTH” FESTIVAL

The DuMond Conservancy will host a festival to celebrate the Earth from 1-4:30 p.m., Feb. 23 at Monkey Jungle, 14805 SW 216th St.

Dr. Kate Detwiler, one of the members of the history-making team that discovered the Lesula monkey last year in the Democratic Republic of Congo, will deliver the festival’s keynote address.

This youth-led festival will feature performances by Momentum Dance Company, and Brazilian dancers and drummers. There will also be a play written by New World School of the Arts drama student Kaithleen Conoepan, an Eco Fashion Show, and family activities to show ways our community can contribute in conservation.

Pre-sale tickets to the festival are $15 for adults, $10 for children (5-18 years) and students, and free for children under five years of age. Family tickets (two adults and up to three children) are $30. Admission to the festival also includes admission into Monkey Jungle. Buy online because tickets at the door are $29.95 for adults, $23.95 for children ages three to nine, and free for children under three. Pre-sale tickets can be purchased at www.dumondconservancy.eventbrite.com.

39 YEARS OF CHICKEN BBQ

Amazing slow-cooked, fall-off-the-bone chicken meals for $9 are what make the annual Chicken BBQ of the Silver Palm United Methodist Men a 39-year success story in rural Redland. This year the event will be on Feb. 23 with takeout meals served starting at 2:30 p.m. from the bright red First National Bank of South Florida trailer at the front of the parking lot at 15855 SW 248th St. (Coconut Palm Drive)

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Mike and Molly Exclusive Clip Mike The Tease

Now that they've conquered love and marriage, it's time for Mike and Molly to start planning for what comes next: the baby carriage!

But as you can see in ETonline's exclusive clip from tonight's all-new episode of Mike & Molly, getting pregnant is easier said than done as his "swimmers" might not be up to the job.

RELATED - Melissa McCarthy Announced As An Oscar Presenter!

Luckily for Molly, her mother-in-law has a Biggs family secret to share -- and in true Peggy style, she also has a big overshare for Molly as well. Watch!

Mike & Molly airs Mondays at 9:30 p.m. on CBS.

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Reeva Steenkamp’s mother grieves, ‘Why my little girl?’

Gallo Images/startraksphoto.com

Reeva Steenkamp and Oscar Pistorius at the Feather Awards on November 4 in Johannesburg.

JOHANNESBURG — A devastated June Steenkamp, mother of slain model Reeva Steenkamp, is demanding answers as mystery shrouds the Valentine's Day shooting horror.

Mrs. Steenkamp was quoted by the Times newspaper in South Africa in a front page interview Monday asking: "Why my little girl? ... Why did he do this?"

She wept as she spoke of her pain after Oscar Pistorius allegedly killed her daughter, who she described as “the most beautiful person who ever lived.”

She says of her late daughter, a model, law graduate and Pistorius' girlfriend, "she loved like no one else could love" and "she had so much of herself to give and now all of it is gone. Just like that, she is gone.”

"All we have is this horrendous death to deal with, to get to grips with.

“All we want are answers, answers as to why this had to happen, why our beautiful daughter had to die like this."

PHOTOS: REEVA STEENKAMP

Mrs. Steenkamp said her daughter was "so proud of being a South African", adding: “She loved this country and all its people. This was the only place she called home.”

Reeva will be buried near her home in Port Elizabeth tomorrow following an "intimate" family funeral.

Double-amputee athlete Pistorius, an icon in South Africa and a star of last year's Olympics, remains in custody in a Pretoria police station charged with Steenkamp's murder after she was shot multiple times inside his home. He is set to return to court Tuesday for the start of his bail hearing. That hearing will be the first opportunity for the prosecution to describe evidence police gathered against the 26-year-old double-amputee runner and the reasons why he was charged with murder.

AP

Oscar Pistorius at his court hearing in Pretoria Friday.

Steenkamp, a blonde model, law graduate and reality TV contestant, died last week of multiple gunshot wounds.

A bombshell report revealed cops found banned steroids inside Pistorius' home and believe the Olympic track star may have killed his girlfriend in a boozy, ’roid rage.

The search also turned up a blood-covered cricket bat.

Investigators said Pistorius might have smashed Steenkamp’s skull with the bat before shooting her to death in the horrifying, pre-dawn Valentine’s Day attack.

“Steroid drugs were found at Pistorius’ home together with evidence of heavy drinking,” a source close to the investigation told The Sun of London.

“Police have specifically ordered that he be tested for steroids,” the source said of the 26-year-old double-amputee track star.

Police said they arrived in the predawn hours of Thursday to find paramedics trying to revive Steenkamp. Police said she had been shot four times. A 9 mm pistol was recovered from the scene and Pistorius was arrested and charged with murder the same day.

Prosecutors said in Pistorius' first court appearance Friday that they would pursue a more serious pre-mediated murder charge against the Olympian and world's most high-profile disabled athlete.

In a statement initially given only to The Associated Press and two South African reporters over the weekend, Arnold Pistorius, Oscar's uncle, said the prosecution's own case would show there was no murder.

"We have no doubt there is no substance to the allegation," Pistorius' uncle said, "and that the state's own case, including its own forensic evidence, strongly refutes any possibility of a premeditated murder or indeed any murder at all."

The bail hearing, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, will be the first time both the prosecutors and defense will show their hands about the evidence involved in the killing, said Stephen Tuson, an adjunct law professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

"There will kind of be a little trial within a trial," Tuson said.

Due to the gravity of the charges, Pistorius' defense lawyers will present their case first, trying to argue that their client is not a danger to the public and won't try to flee to avoid trial, Tuson said. They'll also have to show that he won't try to intimidate witnesses, nor pose a risk of sparking public unrest, the professor said.

The defense does have the opportunity to put Pistorius — who broke down and wept in his first appearance in court — on the stand to offer testimony on his own behalf. That likely won't happen, as prosecutors would then be allowed to ask him potentially incriminating questions, Tuson said.

Typically, defense lawyers read a prepared statement in court instead.

From there, prosecutors will offer their own version of events, likely bolstered by testimony from the lead investigator in the killing, Tuson said.

Pistorius' agent told the AP that there is no way to predict if he will ever run track again.

"For me it's too early to comment," Peet Van Zyl said. "I think it's still a huge shock and tragedy that took the world by surprise so I can't comment on that one (Pistorius' future career) or give any timeline to that at this point in time."

With AP and The Sun.

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Small business lending rebounds in South Florida

For years, Pablo Oliveira dreamed of buying a property to house his high-end linen and furniture rental company, Nuage Designs, which has created settings for such glamorous events as the weddings of Carrie Underwood and Chelsea Clinton.

A few months ago, that dream came true, when Oliveira purchased a warehouse across the street from his current Miami location. He is now renovating the loft-like space with the help of a $2.1 million, 25-year small business loan.

“It allows me to own my own space as opposed to renting, and that will decrease my costs for infrastructure and allow me to build equity with time,” said Oliveira, who secured a U.S. Small Business Administration-guaranteed loan from Wells Fargo.

For small businesses like Oliveira’s, a loan can be the critical key to growing a business, as well as the kindling to ignite an operation.

Take Harold Scott’s fledgling Great Scott Security, which manufactures window guards in Hollywood that can open quickly in case of need.

When he was 13, Scott’s stepfather perished in a Georgia house fire because he couldn’t escape through heavy window bars. Scott made it his mission to fix the problem.

“I promised myself I would dedicate all my time to working on a solution,” said Scott, 60.

Now retired from a 23-year career in the U.S. Justice Department, Scott recently secured a $7,500 microloan from Partners for Self Employment. He used it to buy a computer and pay for marketing and other business expenses for his quick-release window guards, which have met national, state and Miami-Dade County fire safety codes.

During the depths of the recession, business owners often griped that gaining access to capital was their biggest hurdle. Saddled with bad loans, many banks were wary of making new ones. At the same time, both the value of collateral and the creditworthiness of many borrowers tumbled.

Now, at last, banks are starting to open their pocketbooks again, experts say, though lending is still not on par with pre-recession levels.

“There is no question that small business borrowing declined as a result of the recession and has yet to recover to pre-crisis levels,” said Richard Brown, chief economist for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., via email. “According to the Federal Reserve, total loans to noncorporate businesses and farms stood at just under $3.8 trillion in September, which remains below the peak of about $4.1 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2008.”

Signs of Growth

In South Florida, more businesses are applying for loans and getting approvals from banks, according to lenders, officials at government agencies and leaders of organizations that help small business owners secure loans.

“Lenders are expressing a greater interest than they have in the past few years in terms of meeting the needs of the small business community,” said Marjorie Weber, Miami-Dade Chapter Chair of SCORE, which helps business owners put loan packages together and refers them to bankers.

Loan figures are indeed rising. During the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2012, SBA-guaranteed loans were up in both Miami-Dade and Broward counties, according to the SBA. In fiscal 2012, 449 loans were approved in Miami-Dade, totaling $213.3 million, up from 426 loans for $154.4 million in 2011. In Broward, 262 loans for $91.4 million were approved in fiscal 2012, compared to 257 loans for $102.4 million in 2011.

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What’s your Academy Awards IQ?

From the Pakistani military complex that once housed the elusive Osama bin Laden depicted in Zero Dark Thirty to the fiercely divided halls of Congress brought to life in Lincoln to the poverty-stricken streets of 19th century France captured in Les Miserables, the big screen in 2012 took audiences on a wide-ranging and captivating journey through history and across genres. Now, with the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards behind us and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Oscars drawing ever-closer, film aficionados and casual viewers alike are beginning to reflect on the cinematic grandeur of the year just completed. Test your memory of the film cornucopia that was reeled out in 2012 with this quiz.

1.Nine-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis is the youngest nominee for Best Actress in Oscar history for her leading role in which film?

A. Beasts of the Southern Wild

B. Life of Pi

C. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

D. Les Miserables

2.Which of the following films has received the most Academy Awards nominations?

A. Les Miserables

B. Lincoln

C. Zero Dark Thirty

D. Argo

3. One of the nominations for the James Bond flick “Skyfall” is for Best Original Song — in this case, “ Skyfall,” performed by Adele. Which of the Bond movies was the last to receive an Academy Award nomination for its theme music?

A. The Spy Who Loved Me

B. Tomorrow Never Dies

C. For Your Eyes Only

D. Live and Let Die

4. Amour snagged five Oscar nominations, including one for Best Actress for Emmanuelle Riva. It’s also up for Best Foreign Language Film. Which country is its writer and director from?

A. France

B. Austria

C. Canada

D. Switzerland

5. Which of these films is not nominated in the category of Best Animated Feature Film?

A. Frankenweenie

B. ParaNorman

C. Hotel Transylvania

D. Wreck-It Ralph

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Hugh Grant is a Dad Again

Hugh Grant confirmed Saturday that he is a dad again.

PICS: Celebs and Their Cute Kids

The 52-year-old British actor tweeted, "In answer to some journos. Am thrilled my daughter now has a brother. Adore them both to an uncool degree. They have a fab mum."

Hugh and actress Tinglan Hong welcomed a daughter named Tabitha in 2011. No word yet on what Tabitha's little brother is named.

Related: Hugh Grant Responds to Jon Stewart Diss

Hugh told The Guardian in 2012 of being a dad, "I like my daughter very much. Fantastic. Has she changed my life? I'm not sure. Not yet. Not massively, no. But I'm absolutely thrilled to have had her, I really am. And I feel a better person."

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Pistorius may have beaten girlfriend with bat before shooting her: report

“Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius may have beat his girlfriend with a cricket bat before shooting her to death in his South Africa home, according to a new report.

Pistorius, who gained fame by using carbon fiber prosthetics to compete on the world stage against able-bodied runners, was arrested last week and charged with murder for shooting his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp early Thursday morning.

Pistorius told cops he mistook her for a burglar, but investigators said a bloodied cricket bat was found in the runner’s home, according to The City Press, a South African newspaper.

AP

Reeva Steenkamp poses on set during the shooting of the reality show "Tropika Island of Treasure."

Pistorius’ may have either used the bat to attack Steenkamp or break down the bathroom door where she was hiding, or she may have used the bat to defend herself, City Press reported. Police are investigating all three scenarios.

'I'VE KILLED MY BABA,' PISTORIUS SOBBED TO FRIEND

"There was lots of blood on the bat. Forensic tests will show whose blood it was," a source with inside knowledge of the case told City Press.

As well as bullet wounds to the head, arm, hand and hip, Steenkamp suffered a “crushed” skull, according to the South African paper.

Steenkamp, 29, was sitting on the toilet when she was hit four times, in the arm, head, hip and finger by bullets fired through the bathroom door, London’s Sun reported.

Meanwhile Pistorius’ best friend said he received a phone call moments after the shooting.

Before the Olympic athlete called the emergency services he phoned Justin Divaris, 27, at 3:55 a.m. to tell him what had happened.

"I said to him, “What are you talking about?” He then repeated himself – “There has been a terrible accident, I shot Reeva”,’ he told The Sun.

By the time Divaris got to the home it had already been sealed off by police. Divaris said the model’s body was "covered in blankets and towels."

Steenkamp had been dating Pistorius, a double-amputee known as the Blade Runner, since November.

But she has also been linked to a playboy rugby player, a relationship that could have led to a final, fatal dustup with Pistorius.

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NBA’s best player (LeBron James) isn’t best-paid

HOUSTON --
When LeBron James walks onto the court for Houston’s NBA All-Star Game Sunday, he’ll do so as the undisputed king of his sport.

Named the league’s most valuable player three times in the past four years, James is once again dominating the NBA and most likely headed for his fourth MVP award — two fewer than Michael Jordan — with presumably a long career still ahead.

But while James is the most valuable player in the NBA, he’s nowhere close to being the league’s highest paid. Of the 10 players voted into the starting lineup of Sunday’s All-Star Game, five earn more than James, whose salary for this season ranks 13th in the NBA.

James’ decision a while back to “take my talents to South Beach” was a case of trading dollars for victories. The league caps what teams can spend on salaries.

The bimonthly checks cut by team owner Micky Arison this year will equal a bargain come season’s end: $17,545,000.

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, the league’s highest-paid player, will earn about $10 million more than that this season.

James understands he’s underpaid in the purest sense, but he also understands reality: He makes obscene amounts of money playing a game. Super-rich athletes who gripe about money seldom get much sympathy — witness the outpouring of scorn when golfer Phil Mickelson recently complained that increased taxes on high earners, coupled with California’s high tax rates, might force him to make “drastic changes” in his playing schedule.

James also makes a fortune in endorsements, from companies ranging from Nike to Sprite to Samsung to Dunkin’ Donuts.

Still, the obvious question remains: Considering not only James’ impact on the Heat, but also his overall contribution to the entire NBA, how much money could James command on the open market if there were no league-imposed economic constraints?

“Per year, if there were no salary-cap restrictions, I think he’s worth well over $100 million, easy,” said Shane Battier, the Heat’s heady forward and former Duke University schoolmate of Heat CEO Nick Arison.

That’s $100 million per year.

It’s an audacious and historic number, but considering James’ recent run of play, it’s not complete fantasy. James is performing at a historic level of excellence. After thoroughly wiping the court in Oklahoma City on Thursday, scoring 39 points, pulling down 12 rebounds and dishing out seven assists, James has scored at least 30 points in seven straight games.

The last player to accomplish that feat going into the All-Star break was Wilt Chamberlain back in 1963.

“This guy, LeBron James, he’s doing stuff that I’ve never seen,” said Hall of Famer Charles Barkley on Thursday night during TNT’s Inside the NBA. “He’s on another planet.”

Considering Barkley’s sharp criticism of James in the past, not to mention his history of going head-to-head with Michael Jordan during both men’s prime, that’s high praise.

But a market value of $100 million?

“Really, it boils down to the ego of an owner,” Battier said. “A lot of owners would pay just to have LeBron James on their team. I can think of a couple that would pay him, easily, nine figures per year.”

According to one numbers cruncher — John Vrooman, an economics professor at Vanderbilt University — Battier’s figure is an overestimation of James’ worth by about $60 million. Here is how his math works: Vrooman used an advanced metric known in the sports world as “win-share,” which assigns a number to each player on a team based on his contributions, both offensively and defensively, for a season. Last season, when James led the Heat to the championship, he had a win-share value of 14.5, which translates to 31.5 percent of the 2011-12 Heat’s 46 regular-season wins.

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