Heat's back on Wendy's finger-in-chili liar: This time she made up story about son's shooting, cops say

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A Northern California woman convicted of planting a severed finger in a bowl of Wendy's chili has been arrested again after police say she made up another tale, this one about a shooting involving her son.

The San Jose Mercury reports that Anna Ayala, the so-called Chili Finger Lady, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of being an accessory to a felony and filing a false police report.

Authorities say she told officers that her son, Guadalupe Reyes, had been shot in the ankle by two unknown people and gave them a detailed description of the assailants. They say she later acknowledged that Reyes had shot himself.

The 26-year-old Reyes, a convicted felon, was not supposed to be in possession of a gun.

Both are scheduled to be arraigned Friday.

Read More..

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.

Read More..

Boil water order in Miami Lakes after waterline break

Residents of multi-family apartment buildings in Miami Lakes Thursday night were advised to boil their water until further notice.

Town officials said during a preventative maintenance on a fire hydrant earlier in the day, a water pipe ruptured in the area of Northwest 64 Avenue and Miami Lakeway North.

Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department crews are on site to make repairs.

For now, a localized boil water order is being issued for two nearby multi-family apartment buildings.

For additional information, visit www.miamidade.gov/water.

Read More..

Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose Welcome Baby Boy

Wiz Khalifa and fiancee Amber Rose welcomed their first child today.

PICS: Celebs and Their Kids

The proud 25-year-old papa (real name Cameron Jibril Thomaz) made the announcement via Twitter, writing, "Happy Birthday Sebastian 'The Bash' Taylor Thomaz!!! Everyone welcome this perfect young man into the world."

This news comes after yesterday's false alarm, when Amber went in for a doctor's appointment that became blown out of proportion.

"My due date isn't until Feb 24 & this is my first baby so he may come early, he may come late but either way he'll be here soon," Amber, 29, clarified on Wednesday.

The couple, who announced their engagement last year, are planning to hold off on a formal wedding ceremony until after Amber has a chance to drop the baby weight.

"If we have a daughter one day, [Amber] might wanna give the dress to our daughter, but if she's pregnant then she can't do that," Wiz explained to Hot 97's Angie Martinez in November.

Read More..

Developers want to raise proposed Brooklyn Bridge Park complex three feet to avoid massive flood damage

These guys want to put their Brooklyn Bridge Park plans on a pedestal.

The developers tapped to bring a hotel and residential complex to Pier 1 near Old Fulton St are planning for a future Hurricane Sandy by raising both buildings up at least three feet to avoid the massive flood damage that devastated the surrounding DUMBO neighborhood during last October’s super-storm.

David Von Spreckelsen, a senior vice president at developer Toll Brothers, said the 159-apartment, 200-room hotel project — which would raise a $3.3 million chunk of the park’s $16 million annual maintenance budget — will now include additional steps and ramps leading to the main lobby and more masonry to ensure the building is above the site’s flood plain set by the feds.

Mechanical systems that normally are in basements will be moved to the roof. A basement will still be built but will be primarily used for parking.

“We want to make our building a structure that can survive any kind of storm,” said Von Spreckelsen, whose company is partnering with Starwood Capital Group in the development.

The development was supposed to break ground in February but is on hold until both Toll Brothers and Starwood complete the redesign.

Regina Myer, president of the city development corp. overseeing the 85-acre park’s construction, said she’s “comfortable” with the developers’ progress and confident that – despite the wrath of Sandy - the park would eventually be able to select a developer and move forward with other high-rise condo complexes planned for Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn Heights and John Street in DUMBO.

Myer said the park suffered about $1 million in damage from Sandy – mostly lighting and other electrical work – that is nearly fixed, adding “the park did very well” considering parks citywide suffered a total of $750 million in damage.

However Cobble Hill Judi Francis said the storm proved just how bad a spot the waterfront park is to build more housing.

“The lesson of Sandy is it will happen again, and when it happens, it will be really bad for those residents who wind up buying condos there,” she said.

rcalder@nypost.com

Read More..

Experts offer advice to entrepreneurs

Do your research, be sure to network, pick partners who have complementary skills and make sure your product is amazing.

Starting or growing a business can be daunting for an entrepreneur. So have a plan, give only a sliver of your business away to investors, know how much money you need and how you will spend it, and demonstrate your passion when searching for capital.

Experts doled out that advice and more at The Miami Herald’s Small Business Forum on Thursday at Florida International University.

About 100 attendees — budding entrepreneurs, small-business owners and others — gleaned tips and inspiration during a series of panel discussions.

Matt Kuttler, co-president of ReStockIt.com, started three businesses with his business partner, who started as his high school friend.

“The background is trust,” he said, advising entrepreneurs to choose someone with similar values, and to ask themselves: “Can I work with this person? Can I respect them?” In that way, though they have had disagreements, “Ultimately, the mutual respect brings us back,” Kuttler said

Before founding ReStockIt.com, which the partners sold four months ago to a Baltimore company, Kuttler did lots of research and networked with everyone he could, asking questions.

Know what you want and what you don’t want when searching for a venture, he counseled. For example, if you don’t want to work nights and weekends, don’t start a restaurant. And be aware that even though you can have a thriving personal life, you will always be thinking of your business.

Alberto Perlman, chief executive and co-founder of Zumba Fitness, energized attendees with his tale of starting and growing the Miami business, which combines exercise with entertainment. Zumba classes are now found in 140,000 locations in 186 countries, and the company has sold 12 million DVDs.

“One of the biggest business lessons of Zumba,” said Perlman, the keynote speaker, “is that the product has to be magical. It has to be amazing.”

Other lessons he offered: only give investors or licensees “a sliver of the business” —only what they need. Always “give people more value than what they are paying for.” And spend the money to hire “A” players.

To find financing for a small business or start-up, get help putting together a business plan and a loan application from organizations like SCORE and Partners for Self Employment, their executives said.

Marjorie Weber, Miami-Dade chapter chair of SCORE, advised being careful not to borrow short term if your needs are long term.

And when you are asked, “ ‘How much do you need,’ never answer with ‘How much can you give me,’ ” said Cornell Crews Jr., program director at Partners for Self Employment. “Always know how much you need and how you are going to spend it.”

When pitching to potential investors, do your homework to see what they are interested in, and make a good first impression, said Darius G. Nash, co-founder of G3 Capital Partners, a mid-market and early-state investment company.

“Image matters,” he said.

To present your business, frame it in terms of a problem and a solution, said Melissa Krinzman, founder and managing director of Venture Architects.

“If you don’t have a problem you are solving for your customer, you don’t really have a business,” she said.

What’s more, show your passion and commitment, said Boris Hirmas Said, chairman of Tres Mares.

“I love clever ideas; I love clever people,” he said.

And find someone who believes in you, because the road ahead may be bumpy, he said. “You don’t want people to pull the plug on you.”

Finally, expert coaches critiqued entrepreneurs’ pitches so they could shine.

Among the tips: begin with a provocative sentence to explain why your business solves a problem. Go from ‘why’ to ‘what’ to ‘how,’ to ‘who,’ and always ask for something — like an investment or advice. Also, offer what experience you and your team have in your field.

Speak directly into the microphone and take your hands out of your pocket.

“Showing your hands shows you have nothing to hide,” said Michelle Villalobos of Mivista Consulting.

And share your passion, said David Suarez of Interactive Training Solutions.

“If you can make your audience feel what you are feeling,” he said, “you have done most of your job.”

Read More..

Missed flight connections at MIA blamed on understaffed border and customs officials

For a picture of the nation’s border struggles, look at the long lines and understaffed international-passenger checkpoints at Miami International Airport.

Up to 1,000 passengers in a single day have missed connecting flights at the airport — the busiest in the nation for international flights — because they’re held up at the Customs and Border Protection facility.

And the problem could get even worse next month because of looming federal budget cuts, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Wednesday after visiting the airport.

“Everything we are trying to do here — the additional staffing, overtime, technology…. will come to a screeching halt,” Napolitano said.

“It means not adding Customs officers, we’re going to be starting to furlough Customs officers,” she said. “Not adding overtime to cover peak periods, but eliminating overtime.”

If Congress comes up with a deal to avoid the cuts — under the so-called sequester — the agency either needs to shift resources to properly staff its Miami facility or get more money to hire more officers. One solution for getting more cash: Tapping Miami-Dade taxpayers to help foot the bill.

Absent a Congressional deal, however, Napolitano also warned that Transportation Security Administration officers might be furloughed as well, meaning travelers should arrive at busy airports like MIA an hour early and citizens re-entering the United States could wind up waiting twice as long to get back in the country.

U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia, a Miami Democrat, toured the airport with Napolitano and said earlier that the situation at the airport encapsulates what’s wrong with Congress as well as the entire immigration system.

“We’re having a big debate over fixing our borders in Mexico, but we can’t even get a rich Argentinian businessman through Customs on time because we don’t have the proper staffing,” Garcia said before the press conference.

Garcia noted that up to half of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States overstayed their visas and probably flew into the country — they didn’t cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

“We have to focus on a broader solution,” Garcia said.

While he toured the airport with Napolitano and U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Garcia noted that half of the 72 booths at the international-passenger checkpoint were unstaffed on Wednesday.

U.S. Rep. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, joined the tour at the airport, but she slipped away before cameras caught her with the Democrats. U.S. Rep. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, also a Miami Republican, met Napolitano earlier Wednesday at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale but couldn’t make the airport tour because he had engagements in the Naples area. Diaz-Balart called for more officers in South Florida.

After touring the facilities Wednesday, Napolitano pointed out that the lines are better now than in the past.

Almost as soon as the new $180 million facility opened in July, it was understaffed and plagued with long lines.

Gov. Rick Scott wrote to Napolitano in September and again on Wednesday, asking for more Customs and Border Protection staff. He said the long lines and missed flights were bad for Florida’s reputation and therefore its bottom line.

“CBP has not been able to meet the necessary staffing numbers in the new facility. As a result, customers, often numbering well over 1,000 daily, and their baggage are misconnected and must be re-booked on later flights, many leaving the next day,” Scott wrote.

During one 30-day study in February 2012, nearly 5,000 American Airlines customers missed their connecting flights as a direct result of delays in CBP processing.

Napolitano said she was able to provide a few more staff at peak times and that it helped alleviate some of the long lines.

The airport’s director, Jose Abreu, said wait times are down as are the incidence of missed flights. But up to 700 people daily can miss flights because they’re held up in lines, waiting to be processed by border officers.

To further shorten lines, Napolitano said, her agency would like to increase a pre-screening program for low-risk international travelers and hire more border officers in cooperation with local officials.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who met with Napolitano and the congressional members, said he’d be willing to try to pitch in county money to help.

Wasserman Schultz, the Democratic National Committee chairwoman, said she and the other South Florida congressional members will try to pass legislation giving local governments the ability to help underwrite the costs of federal border officers.

But, she said, the looming federal budget cuts need to be handled quickly.

“Deep cuts to Customs and Border Protection operations will mean less staffing and even more frustrated passengers,” she said.

Read More..

Michael Jackson Son Prince Michael Interviews Oz the Great and Powerful

Having grown up in show business, Prince Michael proved to be a gifted interviewer as he conducted his first sit-down as an ET correspondent.

PICS: Bewitching Oz the Great & Powerful Posters

Michael Jackson's 16-year-old son impressed Oz the Great and Powerful stars James Franco and Zach Braff as well as director Sam Raimi with his confidence and competence on his first assignment.

"You're doing awesome," Braff gushed. "You're a natural."

Prince Michael returned the compliment, praising their work in the fantasy flick and getting Franco to shed some light on how he approached playing the lead role of Oscar Diggs, a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics.

"I saw that his particular transformation would allow for comedy," Franco explained. "Because he's a conman -- that would get him into a lot of awkward situations that could be played for comedy."

The movie imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum's beloved character from The Wizard of Oz. After Oscar Diggs (Franco) is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he first thinks he's hit the jackpot -- until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting.

Oz the Great and Powerful hits theaters March 8.

Read More..

USPS delivers -- fashion

The USPS is putting their stamp on fashion.

Heavy duty coats, hats, jackets, footwear and clothing inspired by mail carriers will soon be hanging on the racks at premium department stores like Nordstrom, Macy’ s and Bloomingdale’s.

The cash-starved U.S. Postal Service partnered with Cleveland-based clothing company Wahconah Group to license it’s own line called “Rain, Heat & Snow” that is crafted to support electronics like iPods.

“We don’t want people to look like mailmen,” said Wahconah marketing chief Bob Carlston.

“We’re looking to incorporate iconic elements of their long and rich history of delivering the mail for us.”

Designers at Wahconah company are working closely on designs and sketches with the USPS, who will receive a small percentage of the sales. The inventory will be made in the U.S. with fabrics sourced from around the world including Italy, Mexico and Asia.

“We won’t be using stamps (for tagging),” Carlston said.

“Think of a Pea coat with really nice brass buttons from an old historic postal service uniform.”

An outerwear line for men will be introduced in Spring 2014. They’re also working on a women’s line.

The designs and price points are still undecided but Carlston predicts a premium wool Pea coat will retail for around $500.

“This agreement will put the Postal Service on the cutting edge of functional fashion,’ said Postal Service corporate licensing manager Steven Mills in a statement.

But some aren’t so sure that the Postal Service can pull it off.

“If it looks the price and you can see the quality and fashion in it - yes, I’d wear it,” said student Jesse Williams, 22.

“It is important that they (USPS) deliver what they are saying. And if it keeps me warm and dry, that’s a bonus.”

Read More..

Barbie Dreamhouse coming to Sawgrass Mills

Barbie fans will get to step into a real-life Malibu Mansion starting next month at Sawgrass Mills.

The Sunrise mall will be the only place in the United States to feature the first life-sized replica of the Barbie Dreamhouse. Located in the Oasis section at Sawgrass, the Dreamhouse will feature pink elevators, an endless closet, a walk-in “glitterizer” and a dazzling “diamond” ring display. Girls will be able to enjoy this unique interactive experience, including LED touch screens where they can digitally try on Barbie’s fashions.

The only other Barbie Dreamhouse Experience will be located in Berlin, Germany.

“It is a real coup for Sawgrass Mills to get this first-ever global experience, which will only enhance our already successful mix of retail, dining and entertainment concepts,” said Luanne Lenberg, vice president and general manager of Sawgrass.

The original Barbie Dreamhouse debuted in 1962 and has been a popular place for girls to play house with their Barbie dolls

Admission to the Dreamhouse at Sawgrass will start at $14.95, with special packages available for groups, families of five and a VIP Megastar Experience. The Dreamhouse will run through the end of 2013. For more information and pricing, visit www.barbiedreamhouse.com.

Read More..