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

Four caskets sat in a row at the front of Fort Lauderdale Baptist Church; mother, daughter, step sister 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 150,000 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” for...

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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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Everglades activists hope to maintain progress

The last few years have been good for Everglades restoration.After a decade of delay, there have been a string of ground-breakings and dedications, most recently Friday for a pump station in deep South Miami-Dade that will send more freshwater to both parched Everglades National Park and a too-salty swath of Florida Bay. Next month, a ribbon-cutting is scheduled for a new...

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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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'Jurassic Park 4' to Eat Audiences Summer 2014

Welcome to Jurassic Park – again! The long-in-the-works fourth entry in the blockbuster dino franchise has finally gotten the green light, with Universal Studios announcing that Jurassic Park 4 will arrive on June 13, 2014.Video: The Lost 'Jurassic Park' Footage Universal tweeted the news on Friday afternoon, saying: "Breaking News! Jurassic Park 4 is coming June 13, 2014! What do you hope to see...

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Suspect in city's first 2013 murder caught in Ohio

Police have nabbed a suspect wanted for New York City's first murder this year in Ohio, law-enforcement sources said today.Raymond Mayrant, 25, will be extradited back to New York for the murder of a Bronx school crossing guard, sources said.Mayrant was dating her daughter, and allegedly shot them both in a confrontation at a Soundview apartment on Jan. 3.Elzina Brown, 59, was shot in the chest, while...

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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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Rob Marciano's ET Initiation

This week marked the beginning of Rob Marciano's post as co-anchor of ET, and he hit the ground running.Rob kicked off the week with his first big get -- a sit-down with the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger.VIDEO: Arnold Talks Movies and Gun ControlLast night, the former CNN weatherman was late to bed but early to rise, as he smoozed with celebs backstage at Wednesday's People's Choice Awards...

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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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Scott floats new tax break for manufacturers

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Rick Scott is planning to cut taxes further for manufacturers in the coming year as a mechanism for creating more jobs and boosting the state’s manufacturing industry.Scott announced Wednesday that he would seek a new sales tax exemption for manufacturers that purchase industrial equipment and machinery.“We have 17,500 manufacturing companies in Florida...

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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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Stars Ready for Awards Season

Awards season is in full swing, and last night stars such as Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper and Daniel Craig hit Manhattan for The National Board of Review's annual Awards Gala. Watch the video to see how the stars are prepping for the busy kudos season – and hear Jessica Chastain talk about the crazy showbiz jobs she held before becoming famous!Video: McConaughey Basks in Awards Glow...

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Creep confesses to raping woman in West Village

A monstrous West Village rapist caught zipping his pants up at the scene -- and with his victim's ATM card in his pocket -- finally 'fessed up today to his attack on a drunken 29-year-old woman.Ivan Ramos, who now faces at least 20 years prison, had found his disoriented victim wandering alone and lost on Perry Street at six in the morning in April, 2012.The...

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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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Woman’s body found dead inside Northeast Miami-Dade home

A foul odor coming from a northeast Miami-Dade apartment led police Tuesday to the body of an elderly woman and her unconscious husband.A neighbor of 77-year old Wylene Floyd called the landlord Tuesday to report a bad smell coming from a nearby unit in Romont South, a building off of Northeast Second Avenue and 203rd Street.The woman reportedly said the smell had been around...

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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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Lindsay Lohan Parents Dina and Michael Still Fighting

Amidst Lindsay Lohan's legal and financial woes, her parents continue their back and forth regarding Dina's abuse accusations against ex-husband Michael.In a September interview with ET's Christina McLarty, Dina revealed details about the alleged abuse, saying, "I will tell my story ... about abuse and how I've survived it and how my children have survived it. It shed some light on my children's behavior,...

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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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Gov. Rick Scott remains skeptical of federal health care changes

WASHINGTON -- Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Monday that he had a "great conversation" with the Obama administration’s health secretary, continuing to project openness toward a health care law he once fiercely opposed and used as a springboard to political office.But Scott emerged from the meeting with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius with the same concern...

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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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Supernatural Star Jensen Ackles and Wife Expecting Baby

Congrats are in order for Jensen Ackles!Pics: Hot Moms! Hollywood's Most Glam Baby Bumps! The Supernatural star is expecting his first child with wife Danneel, confirms People magazine.Jensen, 34, and Danneel, 33, will meet their bundle of joy later this year. The happy couple married in 20...

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Cops on lookout for man who sexually abused 10-year-old girl in Queens

Cops are hunting a man wanted for sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl inside the child’s apartment building, authorities said.The victim was walking home from the store Saturday afternoon when the man followed the girl into her apartment building near Broadway and Pettit Avenue in Elmhurst, according to cops.The man tried to engage the girl in conversation...

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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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Police sweep planned for counterfeit BCS National Championship gear

In an effort to ensure fans purchase authentic BCS National Championship gear in Miami-Dade, a sweep for counterfeit material will be conducted at Sun Life Stadium on Monday, Miami-Dade police announced Sunday. Hours before kick-off for the national game between Alabama and Notre Dame, officials from the Collegiate Licensing Company, the bowl, both universities, along with...

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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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Texas Chainsaw 3D Beats Les Miserables Django Unchained

Texas Chainsaw 3D ripped through theaters in its weekend debut, scoring $23 million and the top spot at the box office.The Christmas Day champion, Les Miserables dropped to fourth place over the weekend, behind Django Unchained ($20.1 million) and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey ($17.5 million). The popular musical pulled in $16.1 million.WATCH: The Best Moment from Les MiserablesQuentin Tarantino's...

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Labor issues could mean NYC school bus strike

The New York City schools chancellor on Sunday accused the union representing school bus drivers of “jerking our kids around” by threatening a strike that would force 152,000 students to find alternative ways to get to class. “A strike would affect our most vulnerable students,” Chancellor Dennis Walcott told a news conference at the Manhattan headquarters...

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Billionaire Phillip Frost an ‘entrepreneur’s entrepreneur’

For that blind first date, a half-century ago, the young doctor, Phillip Frost, showed up at Patricia Orr’s family house in suburban New York, with an unusual gift: a miniature mushroom garden.In the 50 years since, Frost, the son of a shoe store owner, has gone on to amass a fortune of $2.4 billion, according to Forbes magazine, becoming the 188th wealthiest man in the United...

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