Medicare database reveals top-paid doctors

Medicare paid a tiny group of doctors $3 million or more apiece in 2012. One got nearly $21 million.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8IJgEKDGlgtqCqBdA-FarMQxJHs8mjmOx2peiFUA6G-y00gIICVwIrYDuZ4mM30iD_Tt2zxwQj9Z2FMSLlJLm-61qwKneXFyxlwwpwqreNQEbZ0pFlMWcReClRkJwDI7e-UlP1UWUEA/s1600/obama_melgen_courtesy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8IJgEKDGlgtqCqBdA-FarMQxJHs8mjmOx2peiFUA6G-y00gIICVwIrYDuZ4mM30iD_Tt2zxwQj9Z2FMSLlJLm-61qwKneXFyxlwwpwqreNQEbZ0pFlMWcReClRkJwDI7e-UlP1UWUEA/s1600/obama_melgen_courtesy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Those are among the findings of an Associated Press analysis of physician data released Wednesday by the Obama administration, part of a move to open the books on health care financing.<br /><br />Topping Medicare's list was Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen, whose relationship with Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., made headlines last year after news broke that the lawmaker used the doctor's personal jet for trips to the Dominican Republic. Medicare paid Melgen $20.8 million.<br /><br />AP's analysis found that a small sliver of the more than 825,000 individual physicians in Medicare's claims data base — just 344 physicians — took in top dollar, at least $3 million apiece for a total of nearly $1.5 billion.<br /><br />AP picked the $3 million threshold because that was the figure used by the Health and Human Services inspector general in an audit last year that recommended Medicare automatically scrutinize total billings above a set level. Medicare says it's working on that recommendation.<br /><br />About 1 in 4 of the top-paid doctors — 87 of them — practice in Florida, a state known both for high Medicare spending and widespread fraud. Rounding out the top five states were California with 38 doctors in the top group, New Jersey with 27, Texas with 23, and New York with 18.<br /><br />In the $3 million-plus club, 151 ophthalmologists — eye specialists — accounted for nearly $658 million in Medicare payments, leading other disciplines. Cancer doctors rounded out the top four specialty groups, accounting for a combined total of more than $477 million in payments.<br /><br />Overall, Medicare paid individual physicians nearly $64 billion in 2012.<br /><br />The median payment — the point at which half the amounts are higher and half are lower — was $30,265.<br /><br />AP's analysis focused on individual physicians, excluding about 55,000 organizations that also appear in the database, such as ambulance services. None of those entities was paid $3 million or more.<br /><br />The Medicare claims database is considered the richest trove of information on doctors, surpassing what major insurance companies have in their files. Although Medicare is financed by taxpayers, the data have been off limits to the public for decades. Physician organizations went to court to block its release, arguing it would amount to an invasion of doctors' privacy.<br /><br />Employers, insurers, consumer groups and media organizations pressed for release. Together with other sources of information, they argued that the data could help guide patients to doctors who provide quality, cost-effective care. A federal judge last year lifted the main legal obstacle to release, and the Obama administration recently informed the American Medical Association it would open up the claims data.<br /><br />"It will allow us to start putting the pieces together," said Dianne Munevar, a top researcher at the health care data firm Avalare Health. "That is the basis of what payment delivery reform is about."<br /><br />Doctors' decision-making patterns are of intense interest to researchers who study what drives the nation's $2.8-trillion-a-year health care system. Within the system, physicians act as the main representatives of patients, and their decisions about how to treat determine spending.<br /><br />The American Medical Association, which has long opposed release of the Medicare database, is warning it will do more harm than good.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjde-DHIk16my0bNDd0csSuWlMqoM1XppM3esQSSiUxnGeqQLIKuKWyP9HLwXoP4tiaOIdeuTxL40PYE7KbbYXeCOhg0H-_nv47gK-brXEbBE9GmnacBx9wf6trH2L3y0SiXtvN0Hhqog/s1600/US-Senator-Menendez-and-Dr.-Melgen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjde-DHIk16my0bNDd0csSuWlMqoM1XppM3esQSSiUxnGeqQLIKuKWyP9HLwXoP4tiaOIdeuTxL40PYE7KbbYXeCOhg0H-_nv47gK-brXEbBE9GmnacBx9wf6trH2L3y0SiXtvN0Hhqog/s1600/US-Senator-Menendez-and-Dr.-Melgen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The AMA says the files may contain inaccurate information. And even if the payment amounts are correct, the AMA says they do not provide meaningful insights into the quality of care.<br /><br />"We believe that the broad data dump ... has significant shortcomings regarding the accuracy and value of the medical services rendered by physicians," AMA president Ardis Dee Hoven said. "Releasing the data without context will likely lead to inaccuracies, misinterpretations, false conclusions and other unintended consequences."<br /><br />The AMA had asked the government to allow individual doctors to review their information prior to its release.<br /><br />Over time, as researchers learn to mine the Medicare data, it could change the way medicine is practiced in the U.S. Doctor ratings, often based on the opinions of other physicians, would be driven by hard data, like statistics on baseball players. Consumers could become better educated about the doctors in their communities.<br /><br />For example, if your father is about to undergo heart bypass, you could find out how many operations his surgeon has done in the last year. Research shows that for many procedures, patients are better off going to a surgeon who performs them frequently.<br /><br />The data could also be used to spot fraud, such as doctors billing for seeing more patients in a day than their office could reasonably be expected to care for.<br /><br />Medical practice would have to change to accommodate big data. Acting as intermediaries for employers and government programs, insurers could use the Medicare numbers to demand that low-performing doctors measure up. If the data indicated a particular doctor's diabetic patients were having unusually high rates of complications, that doctor might face questions.<br /><br />Such oversight would probably accelerate trends toward large medical groups and doctors working as employees instead of in small practices.<br /><br />Melgen, the top-paid physician in 2012, has already come under scrutiny. In addition to allowing the use of his jet, the eye specialist was the top political donor for Menendez as the New Jersey Democrat sought re-election to the Senate that year.<br /><br />Menendez's relationship with Melgen prompted Senate Ethics and Justice Department investigations. Menendez reimbursed Melgen more than $70,000 for plane trips.<br /><br />The issue exploded in late January 2013, after the FBI conducted a search of Melgen's West Palm Beach offices. Agents carted away evidence, but law enforcement officials have refused to say why. Authorities declined to comment on the open investigation.(AP)

Medicare database reveals top-paid doctors

Medicare paid a tiny group of doctors $3 million or more apiece in 2012. One got nearly $21 million. Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen ...

“This is for Trayvon Martin,” before attacking him

<span class="entry-title">Adams Morgan hate crime was motivated by Zimmerman verdict, police say.</span><br /><span class="entry-title"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjaeUa9dXMWulwWjsBntzEZ0YXo0wRbmmRoowJ4mhZC4Fr1hVq9Bl20q90iJsC6I1fmU4fFQR1yOqBNc7MHL5gjB9V6qCy4obDQnUsGeqwC71YzGRlaldSv_tV1M0QVKQ1efspkHbjm4Y/s1600/trayvon-martin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjaeUa9dXMWulwWjsBntzEZ0YXo0wRbmmRoowJ4mhZC4Fr1hVq9Bl20q90iJsC6I1fmU4fFQR1yOqBNc7MHL5gjB9V6qCy4obDQnUsGeqwC71YzGRlaldSv_tV1M0QVKQ1efspkHbjm4Y/s1600/trayvon-martin.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span class="entry-title"><br /></span>A Bethesda man was beaten and robbed early Saturday morning in Adams Morgan by three men who yelled, “This is for Trayvon Martin,” before attacking him, police said.<br /><br /><span class="entry-title"></span><br />The incident is being investigated as a hate crime and robbery, according to D.C. police spokesman Araz Alali.<br /><br /><div><div>Three black men approached an adult white male from behind while he was walking in the 1700 block of Euclid Street NW at 1:26 a.m. Saturday, police said.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNmyPH01UC44tWSHdqXsQlPp-78lsddG9OmsQrLMvv2vjeIqKcelPhU4lCyuPX-7wQotSYSfN0oRRrWYMGY67kF_wvYORjHX8DZQzDIguom4VK3Cbbk35PaR1HJzCIfHjgoVu1of1E3vg/s1600/trayvonmartin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNmyPH01UC44tWSHdqXsQlPp-78lsddG9OmsQrLMvv2vjeIqKcelPhU4lCyuPX-7wQotSYSfN0oRRrWYMGY67kF_wvYORjHX8DZQzDIguom4VK3Cbbk35PaR1HJzCIfHjgoVu1of1E3vg/s1600/trayvonmartin.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Two of the men threw the victim to the ground and kicked him, Alali said. The three perpetrators then took the victim’s iPhone and wallet and fled.</div><div><br /></div><div>The victim suffered minor injuries and declined medical attention, authorities said.</div><div><br /></div><div>“There is no pattern in these types of crimes. These attacks are outrageous; we are doing everything in our power to see that they certainly don’t occur. If they do occur, we are going to aggressively investigate them and bring people to justice,” Alali said.</div></div><div><br /></div><h3>Police: Robbers tell man, 'This is for Trayvon Martin'.</h3><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFZaLJ1B-auMqrnURmpPgWLWBsGbUcv9iioDXYhZzUsZPHc-zala1tf3zAfUPmXEAqEspBPyGaysQEXFdx87EXCJ_QVaWn-MHtdMoX9kuLNOOQJUjTici-R-2WFKmtRkEEFPSepKdrCM/s1600/1332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFZaLJ1B-auMqrnURmpPgWLWBsGbUcv9iioDXYhZzUsZPHc-zala1tf3zAfUPmXEAqEspBPyGaysQEXFdx87EXCJ_QVaWn-MHtdMoX9kuLNOOQJUjTici-R-2WFKmtRkEEFPSepKdrCM/s1600/1332.jpg" width="442" /></a>A weekend robbery in a racially diverse neighborhood of Washington may have been a hate crime, police said.</div><div><br /></div><div>"This is for Trayvon Martin," one of the three black men told a white man as they approached him early Saturday, according to Washington Metropolitan Police Officer Anthony Clay.</div><div><br /></div><div>The alleged robbery happened two weeks after a Florida jury acquitted George Zimmerman in the 2012 death of African-American teenager Trayvon Martin.</div><div><br /></div><div>Trayvon's father: Let's turn negative energy into positive</div><div><br /></div><div>The men kicked the adult white male as they took his iPhone and wallet, Clay said Sunday.</div><div><br /></div><div>The man, who has not been publicly identified, suffered minor injuries and refused medical treatment, he said.</div><div><br /></div><div>There have been no arrests, but police are investigating the incident as a hate crime, he said.</div><div><br /></div><div>It happened in the Adams Morgan neighborhood in the northwest quadrant of the nation's capital.</div></div><div><br /></div>

“This is for Trayvon Martin,” before attacking him

Adams Morgan hate crime was motivated by Zimmerman verdict, police say. A Bethesda man was beaten and robbed early Saturday morning in Adams...

Explosions rock Florida propane gas plant

Multiple injuries were reported after explosions shook a Lake County propane gas plant in central Florida late Monday, with flames seen from miles away.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_3v-ncfdr22vq8ccN5EetFZ301VCqAYYBX6gbCIlz9bu68q057bNVV7It3mlzvq2HChZuptULTs5oX30oYp78V2GEDJlM_M_3K8SjoYmmfn-hR6Xd_V679RCeCwoECFHENoQMH6sUkk/s1600/39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_3v-ncfdr22vq8ccN5EetFZ301VCqAYYBX6gbCIlz9bu68q057bNVV7It3mlzvq2HChZuptULTs5oX30oYp78V2GEDJlM_M_3K8SjoYmmfn-hR6Xd_V679RCeCwoECFHENoQMH6sUkk/s1600/39.jpg" width="478" /></a></div><br />ORLANDO, Fla. — A series of explosions rocked a propane gas plant in central Florida, northwest of Orlando, on Monday night, an emergency dispatch official said, and local media reported that homeowners living within a mile of the facility were being evacuated.<br /><br />The Orlando Sentinel said multiple injuries were reported after a series of explosions at the Lake County plant.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxVcJ5793sbAvVfxJjHr0aCwo_6ZwA8CQvC6xtncHXV-ebCDJAvtCEXnYjsuZ5M-utdOzDelkqgF_T5_KdA8Z9aW8d2h2w_iGv4hbsLyr2NIpMQWM2Qx0undGd-k-ws5ns_ocnmLX_VE/s1600/florida-propane-plant-explosion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxVcJ5793sbAvVfxJjHr0aCwo_6ZwA8CQvC6xtncHXV-ebCDJAvtCEXnYjsuZ5M-utdOzDelkqgF_T5_KdA8Z9aW8d2h2w_iGv4hbsLyr2NIpMQWM2Qx0undGd-k-ws5ns_ocnmLX_VE/s1600/florida-propane-plant-explosion.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The newspaper reported flames could be seen more than five miles away.<br /><br />A spark may have occurred while a propane tank was being filled, the newspaper said.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWp7xs4RAUgpT_0204h4I7pjR7D5o9Hxvl1ViRwSugvCy5jP2zK0wsb2EWSp-GmRlMKClsAgOjPprglKi5bkDw67MXy6aoX2xKfrXjMlPxktzEjorVlXfbXJ9De-XdE6MayxLJKZZ7RcM/s1600/update_62.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWp7xs4RAUgpT_0204h4I7pjR7D5o9Hxvl1ViRwSugvCy5jP2zK0wsb2EWSp-GmRlMKClsAgOjPprglKi5bkDw67MXy6aoX2xKfrXjMlPxktzEjorVlXfbXJ9De-XdE6MayxLJKZZ7RcM/s1600/update_62.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The blasts began at about 11 p.m. in the town of Tavares, Fla., a Lake County dispatcher said.<br /><br />The dispatcher said fire department and other emergency crews were being sent to the scene.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMfAMdx4ZzqNfRjKwb-Pzw-omV9eoIpBKpen7Wxw47PxVsadxoqf4qGCOTR_4l8iUoJHx79asKN-7ZOWuO-7MqBenfEXxP-SKUU1YUmNnw0CAfXB5tc-Cq6C_7WeJusDN9ZbbggUQ4_Mk/s1600/propane-plant-explosion-in-tavares.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMfAMdx4ZzqNfRjKwb-Pzw-omV9eoIpBKpen7Wxw47PxVsadxoqf4qGCOTR_4l8iUoJHx79asKN-7ZOWuO-7MqBenfEXxP-SKUU1YUmNnw0CAfXB5tc-Cq6C_7WeJusDN9ZbbggUQ4_Mk/s1600/propane-plant-explosion-in-tavares.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55RT-tvdVNAxbz-gP2Jpn1zvxar8KVmQCvyZFJLnm2BVDWjeB96o-5xVq5KlvkiXR3RWFY8S_Rm0bbBbW9MCeGmnfMxKschZdnxamhgKkRzR4y2AAjcxsW2aq2njreftGmMdapgZwKeI/s1600/33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55RT-tvdVNAxbz-gP2Jpn1zvxar8KVmQCvyZFJLnm2BVDWjeB96o-5xVq5KlvkiXR3RWFY8S_Rm0bbBbW9MCeGmnfMxKschZdnxamhgKkRzR4y2AAjcxsW2aq2njreftGmMdapgZwKeI/s1600/33.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div>

Explosions rock Florida propane gas plant

Multiple injuries were reported after explosions shook a Lake County propane gas plant in central Florida late Monday, with flames seen from...

Miami's red light cameras back in action on Friday

<div class="abs">Miami is set to join a string of other cities across the country that hold their own hearings on red-light camera tickets, a process some argue is flawed.</div><div class="abs"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Miami red-light cameras back in action: Red-light cameras Miami tickets" class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/90/72b2ec89e73218eb4fac7c7ed58577/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An automated traffic enforcement camera in Miami.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="section"><div class="first" data-class="float1"><br /><div data-class="abs"><br /></div><div data-class="abs">An automated traffic enforcement camera in Miami.</div><div data-class="abs"><br /></div></div>After a nearly month-long hiatus, Miami will resume issuing red-light traffic tickets Friday, as it convenes a special board to hear citation appeals.<br /><br />Although the city's 153 cameras at 98 intersections were still on, Miami temporarily suspended its red-light camera program on July 1 because of a new state law that requires cities to take responsibility for the red-light ticket appeals process.<br /><br />Although supporters of the law say the creation of an appeals board will provide citizens with more options, motorist advocacy groups say moving the appeals process out of an actual court takes away many of the legal protections a defendant could have.<br /><br />"It's really designed to discourage people from trying to fight these tickets," said John Bowman of the National Motorists Association. "I have yet to discover how this serves the public interest — making it hard for people to defend themselves has nothing to do with public safety."<br /><br />And it's not just Florida: Many other states also have handed over red-light camera violations to local administrations, which basically informalizes the process, Bowman said.<br /><br />Some cities have faced problems with the way they conduct their hearings.<br /><br />In Toledo, Ohio, photo enforcement administrative hearings were recently <a href="http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/41/4142.asp">ruled unconstitutional</a> by an appeals court, while in Las Cruces, N.M., a judge found that hearings offered to red-light camera and speed-camera violators <a href="http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/41/4137.asp">violated due process</a>.<br /><br />Calls to the city of Miami for comment about its new program and how it will be different were not returned.<br /><a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/25/3520890/miami-to-resume-issuing-red-light.html">The Miami Herald</a> quoted city commissioners voting in favor of the program as saying that traffic cameras have made Miami's streets safer.<br /><br />Red-light cameras remain highly profitable for cities. According to the Miami Herald, Miami makes $3.4 million annually from more than 1,200 citations issued every month.<br /><br />And, as Bowman notes, "As part of the appeals process — if you appeal your case, defend yourself, and if they still find you guilty, they can charge you up to an additional $85 administrative fee."<br /><br />"They basically just want people to pay the fine and go away," he said.<br /><br />Other cities in Florida such as Davie, Hollywood and Coral Gables have already established citation review boards.<br /><br />Miami's city commissioner, Frank Carollo, has expressed concerns about Miami's plan, <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/06/27/3472163/miami-city-commission-set-to-vote.html" target="_blank">questioning</a> whether the city has the resources and expertise to handle Miami's huge volume of citations.<br />Mayoral hopeful Francis Suarez wanted to use the new state law to end cameras entirely, <a href="http://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/07/25/miami-commission-puts-red-light-cameras-back-in-action/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=miami-commission-puts-red-light-cameras-back-in-action">CBS Miami reported</a>.<br /><br />"We have more cameras in the city of Miami than the next six cities in the state of Florida combined. And I think we have more cameras in the city than in the city of New York, which is 20 more times larger than the city of Miami," Suarez said.<br /><br />Bowman said that in most cases, people who are designated by cities to listen to appeals are not required to be a judge or a lawyer.<br /><br />"They are not legal proceedings, they are set up and run by communities that are administering the red-light camera program," he said. "The city acts as the judge in case a motorist wants to appeal."</div>

Miami's red light cameras back in action on Friday

Miami is set to join a string of other cities across the country that hold their own hearings on red-light camera tickets, a process some ar...

Container with depleted uranium found at Miami airport

There were no immediate reports of any injuries, said a spokesman for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, adding that the origin of the drum was still under investigations.<br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="uranium at airport: Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responding to a hazmat call at Opa-Locka Airport in Fla." class="image" height="360" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/6f/6b31ecad6970a58c6e8290ec0e298/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responding to a hazmat call at Opa-Locka Airport in Fla.</td></tr></tbody></table>MIAMI - An open 55-gallon drum containing depleted uranium was found at a Miami-area airport on Thursday, but preliminary reports indicated there was no environmental impact, a fire department spokesman said.<br /><br />Hazardous materials crews were on the scene at the Opa-Locka Airport, which is primarily used for aircraft maintenance and repair services, said Lieutenant Arnold Piedrahita, a spokesman for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwrjrY9iYfoVMdSidpBaWy2klP3psnFxYeUo9Wf181CmAznvshj5NWh9CITxp-1OO-u603pya6Kx9b1E3_AdhILc6Hyc8KM4Z5xDgKGIA5fvhK9FQM2DwiM4ElEDlVltwPEfdMUM_6XA/s1600/BQ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwrjrY9iYfoVMdSidpBaWy2klP3psnFxYeUo9Wf181CmAznvshj5NWh9CITxp-1OO-u603pya6Kx9b1E3_AdhILc6Hyc8KM4Z5xDgKGIA5fvhK9FQM2DwiM4ElEDlVltwPEfdMUM_6XA/s1600/BQ.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />There were no immediate reports of any injuries, he said, adding that the origin of the drum and its contents were still under investigations.<br /><br />Rescue crews have set up a 150-foot perimeter area to assess any potential hazards from the drum of depleted uranium, a radioactive material.<br /><br />"They are trying to assess the amount of radiation, if any, that it is releasing," Piedrahita said, adding that early indications showed no environmental impact.<br /><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigW0SaIlTk7bL9QqmmBgF_h56urKDnmBgREwt6wI8ylTAhc8a8JB3n36nG2bWH5xUh1BvbZCIHiljwXCz_kgT4QOi9oZjtn9HkF_ecZoT3wjP-GuqijwIqL7vGvT95T00cZ9c9Y27Pzso/s1600/uranium-depleted-miami-airport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigW0SaIlTk7bL9QqmmBgF_h56urKDnmBgREwt6wI8ylTAhc8a8JB3n36nG2bWH5xUh1BvbZCIHiljwXCz_kgT4QOi9oZjtn9HkF_ecZoT3wjP-GuqijwIqL7vGvT95T00cZ9c9Y27Pzso/s1600/uranium-depleted-miami-airport.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div>

Container with depleted uranium found at Miami airport

There were no immediate reports of any injuries, said a spokesman for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, adding that the origin of the drum was still u...

Miami cops used excessive force in shootings.

<h3>An investigation shows the Miami Police Department engaged in excessive use of force in the shootings of suspects, including seven black men.</h3><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Miami Police investigation: An investigation shows Miami police used excessive force in a number of fatal shootings." class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/4f/bc8a77ee2376d5ad4e014c04f1227/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miami Police Department</td></tr></tbody></table>MIAMI — The U.S. Justice Department has found for the second time in a decade that the Miami Police Department engaged in a pattern of excessive use of force in shootings of suspects, including seven black men fatally shot by officers over an eight-month period ending in 2011.<br /><br />The department's Civil Rights Division released the findings of an 18-month investigation Tuesday and said it will seek a federal court order to ensure necessary department changes are made permanent and overseen by a judge.<br /><br />That did not happen following a 2002 civil rights probe that also found Miami officers used excessive force.<br /><br />"We are disappointed to find that the problem is back," said Roy Austin, deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights.<br /><br />The investigation began in November 2011, shortly after the firing of former Police Chief Miguel Exposito amid an outcry from black community leaders about the shootings.<br /><br />Exposito had created specialized tactical squads that focused intensely on high-crime areas, but also increased the likelihood of violent confrontations.<br /><br /><br />His replacement as chief, Manuel Orosa, has dismantled those units and changed tactics, leading to a sharp decrease in shootings since 2012, the report noted.<br /><br />In a statement Tuesday, Orosa said he has implemented many reforms and will work with the Justice Department to make changes permanent, although he added many findings needed unspecified clarification.<br /><br />"The Miami Police Department will strive to continue providing professional police services in accordance with the tenets of the Constitution of the United States of America," Orosa said.<br /><br />Miami U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said federal officials will negotiate with the police department on policy changes and reforms to present to a federal judge.<br /><br />He said court oversight is likely to last several years.<br /><br />"We are confident that the findings and conclusions of this investigation will be heeded," Ferrer said.<br /><br /><br />Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, said the report mirrors what his group and others have been saying for years.<br /><br />"But as significant as these findings are, ultimately, someone needs to be held responsible for the deaths and the violation of constitutional rights," Simon said.<br /><br />"We expect a follow-up investigation into the conduct of the Miami Police Department officers who were responsible."<br /><br />The Justice Department report found that between 2008 and 2011, Miami officers fired shots at someone 33 times. In contrast, investigators noted that during one 20-month period in 2002-04, no Miami police officer fired a gun at a suspect.<br /><br />Only seven officers were responsible for a third of the 2008-11 shootings, three of which were found unjustified by internal police investigators. No officers have been charged criminally. One officer has been dismissed by the department after he shot and killed an unarmed motorist and wounded an unarmed passenger.<br /><br />Five of the officers involved in the fatal shootings of black suspects have been cleared of criminal wrongdoing, said state attorney spokesman Ed Griffith. Two remain under investigation.<br /><br /><h3>The Justice Department investigation found numerous deficiencies at the Miami Police Department, including:</h3><br />• Officers used poor tactics, such as poor marksmanship, shooting from too far away, failing to wait for backup in a possibly armed confrontation and firing at moving vehicles.<br /><br />• Specialized units often used unmarked vehicles and officers dressed as civilians, raising the likelihood of violence.<br /><br />• Shooting investigations encountered lengthy delays, including one in 2009 in which the officer and witnesses still have not provided statements to investigators. Justice Department investigators say such delays mean corrective actions are not taken or policy changes not made, meaning avoidable shootings continue to happen.<br /><br />• Police shooting investigations are inadequate and often don't probe deeply enough into whether officers had non-lethal options available. In some cases, the physical shooting scene wasn't preserved properly.<br /><br />The 2002 Justice Department probe began after 13 Miami police officers were indicted in conspiracy charges for planting evidence, including guns, to undermine investigations into four officer-involved shootings. Although the latest cases are not that egregious,<br /><br />Civil Rights Division investigators said, many of the same institutional problems were found both times.<img alt="AP" class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/e3/12e7ff08bf55a6d7449b766b4e23c/_h17_w0_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" /><br /><div><br /></div>

Miami cops used excessive force in shootings.

An investigation shows the Miami Police Department engaged in excessive use of force in the shootings of suspects, including seven black men...

Oops! You Won't Believe What Florida's Done Now.

<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;"><h3><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Florida Accidentally Banned All Computers,Smart Phones In The State Through Internet Cafe Ban: Lawsuit</span></span></h3><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPvZ4KZ6d-5pSZXjNAiwKFUZuztAgqjzu5XlWpsFg0Eiae26o7H2YhEDvW_OPH_hXmPu_72tWqbQ-_vPoVD0Ri5d81I4yv3ErWLSonNzMR4HWGiCX5iVlT0IKesG17_JirNxAW5ZniOTE/s1600/ria_ru.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPvZ4KZ6d-5pSZXjNAiwKFUZuztAgqjzu5XlWpsFg0Eiae26o7H2YhEDvW_OPH_hXmPu_72tWqbQ-_vPoVD0Ri5d81I4yv3ErWLSonNzMR4HWGiCX5iVlT0IKesG17_JirNxAW5ZniOTE/s1600/ria_ru.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">When Florida lawmakers <a href="http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0155" style="border: 0px; color: #058b7b; cursor: pointer; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">recently voted to ban all Internet cafes</a>, they worded the bill so poorly that they effectively outlawed every computer in the state, according to a recent lawsuit.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_BLARRzWUH1gRsDtZ-1z5HUG1V_2iMjh-ZLM-DCJDSrll-djFMmSGqIZnwKtS8dO26ICnZkzZLQbfMhueJlZJmbTbj7t-75hHI8Fn6E9pihWBZceX5yqkB9NbAvc9CRmdagPT8fawzBM/s1600/RICK-SCOTT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_BLARRzWUH1gRsDtZ-1z5HUG1V_2iMjh-ZLM-DCJDSrll-djFMmSGqIZnwKtS8dO26ICnZkzZLQbfMhueJlZJmbTbj7t-75hHI8Fn6E9pihWBZceX5yqkB9NbAvc9CRmdagPT8fawzBM/s1600/RICK-SCOTT.jpg" /></a>In April Florida Governor Rick Scott <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/10/florida-internet-cafe-law-signed-rick-scott_n_3054466.html" style="border: 0px; color: #058b7b; cursor: pointer; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">approved a ban on slot machines and Internet cafes</a> after a charity tied to Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll was shut down on suspicion of being an Internet gambling front -- forcing Carroll, who had consulted with the charity, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/25/jennifer-carroll-resignation_n_2950786.html" style="border: 0px; color: #058b7b; cursor: pointer; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">to resign</a>.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">Florida's <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/10/florida-internet-cafe-law-signed-rick-scott_n_3054466.html" style="border: 0px; color: #058b7b; cursor: pointer; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">1,000 Internet cafes were shut down immediately</a>, including Miami-Dade's Incredible Investments, LLC, <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/lawsuit-claims-state-applied-internet-caf233-ban-to-all-computers/2129772" style="border: 0px; color: #058b7b; cursor: pointer; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">a café that provides online services to migrant workers</a>, according to the Tampa Bay Times.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">The owner, Consuelo Zapata, is now suing the state after her legal team found that the ban was so hastily worded that it can be applied to any computer or device connected to the Internet, <a href="http://miamiherald.typepad.com/files/internet-cafe-complaint.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #058b7b; cursor: pointer; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">according to a copy of the complaint obtained by The Miami Herald</a>.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">The <a href="http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0155/BillText/er/PDF" style="border: 0px; color: #058b7b; cursor: pointer; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">ban defines illegal slot machines as any "system or network of devices"</a> that may be used in a game of chance.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">And that broad wording can be applied to any number of devices, according to the Miami law firm of Kluger, Kaplan, Silverman, Katzen & Levine, who worked with constitutional law attorney and Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">The suit maintains that the ban was essentially passed "<a href="http://miamiherald.typepad.com/files/internet-cafe-complaint.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #058b7b; cursor: pointer; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">in a frenzy fueled by distorted judgment in the wake of a scandal that included the Lieutenant Governor’s resignation</a>" and declares it unconstitutional.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">Read the <a href="http://miamiherald.typepad.com/files/internet-cafe-complaint.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #058b7b; cursor: pointer; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">full complaint here</a>.</div>

Oops! You Won't Believe What Florida's Done Now.

Florida Accidentally Banned All Computers,Smart Phones In The State Through Internet Cafe Ban: Lawsuit When Florida lawmakers  recently vote...

Florida:Internal affairs investigation launched over BSO sergeant carrying box on car

<h3>Sergeant Matthew Baldwin placed on desk duty.</h3><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXgzzJo1CRQs8cTUCuwDy6wllQHxej6L33qnCZCY0yquSNGtqU6FWK0ippbNqEUsAlpForOOYX91ocn7VEtjY039rIquit2EIcCx96kX7uywAP0cUaBpedrrgXBkHPWQ2CHj4Y4PTg_Q/s1600/BSO-cruiser-with-box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXgzzJo1CRQs8cTUCuwDy6wllQHxej6L33qnCZCY0yquSNGtqU6FWK0ippbNqEUsAlpForOOYX91ocn7VEtjY039rIquit2EIcCx96kX7uywAP0cUaBpedrrgXBkHPWQ2CHj4Y4PTg_Q/s1600/BSO-cruiser-with-box.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -The Broward Sheriff's Office on Monday launched an internal investigation after a 17-year veteran was photographed using no restraints to hold down a box on the roof of his patrol car.<br /><br />The photographs sent to share@local10.com showed Sgt. Matthew Baldwin driving down S.R. 84 near Ikea in Sunrise on Sunday morning, said officials. The viewer said his arm was sticking out of the driver's side window, holding the box that rested on top of his car, and the car's emergency lights were activated.<br /><br />"This is something that, definitely, we don't want to see our patrol vehicles used for. It doesn't appear the package is strapped down and the first think you think of is safety and what could have happened," said Veda Coleman-Wright with the Broward Sheriff's Office.<br /><br />"Clearly, there does appear to be a violation of policy and it is something we take seriously and because those photos were sent to us, the sergeant has been called in."<br /><br />Baldwin was placed on restrictive duty and had his patrol car taken away, Coleman-Wright said. He works out of Pompano Beach.<br /><br />In March 2012, a Miami-Dade police officer who was seen carrying a mattress on top of her patrol car was relieved of duty.<a href="http://www.local10.com/news/internal-affairs-investigation-launched-over-bso-car-carrying-box/-/1717324/20883262/-/10hs1ft/-/index.html" target="_blank">source</a>

Florida:Internal affairs investigation launched over BSO sergeant carrying box on car

Sergeant Matthew Baldwin placed on desk duty. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -The Broward Sheriff's Office on Monday launched an internal investi...

Cargo handler and Pawn Shop owner arrested in Miami gold heist.

<b>Miami airport employee Marco Cruz is accused of stealing six gold bars valued at $625,000.</b><br /><b><br /></b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuVoi6cJOvqz9J9JXj8s5xa4S_-MQlLcaz-qTRqbIiCSL3nj5t91aS3Rynu4E5Rpo6SOf82GgRdKWhuNN2jrOVuryZu6JGthnszPTpdtSkzSQoI4exh-spMPjqwBRLcanSPY5AtFpNFI/s1600/63911.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuVoi6cJOvqz9J9JXj8s5xa4S_-MQlLcaz-qTRqbIiCSL3nj5t91aS3Rynu4E5Rpo6SOf82GgRdKWhuNN2jrOVuryZu6JGthnszPTpdtSkzSQoI4exh-spMPjqwBRLcanSPY5AtFpNFI/s1600/63911.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />MIAMI — An airline cargo handler and a pawn shop owner have been arrested in connection with the theft of $625,000 in gold bars from Miami International Airport, officials said on Friday.<br /><br />Prosecutors charged Marco Cruz, a 47-year-old Miami man who works as a cargo clerk at the airport, with stealing a box of six gold bars last month that arrived as cargo on an American Airlines flight from Ecuador.<br /><br />The cargo was unloaded but a box containing the gold vanished after apparently being loaded onto a motorized luggage cart.<br /><br />When cargo workers noticed the box was missing, they alerted authorities.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQhfS8HWif5cF2XdySZNXZZeEm52D0Mbjl4zfJh7BoEUqE2Fm92b3M_qx5KlVXIEbEjZMljOko1ptEQfawMyOpxc7nrYEomRzrU9ipsA9FmKLjQoUbhFcFqWn-GMoCzxVo0yl5Y8QzPA/s1600/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQhfS8HWif5cF2XdySZNXZZeEm52D0Mbjl4zfJh7BoEUqE2Fm92b3M_qx5KlVXIEbEjZMljOko1ptEQfawMyOpxc7nrYEomRzrU9ipsA9FmKLjQoUbhFcFqWn-GMoCzxVo0yl5Y8QzPA/s1600/logo.png" /></a><br />Ramses Llufrio, a 38-year-old pawn shop owner, was charged with receiving the gold bars knowing they had been stolen, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami said in a statement. Llufrio purchased five gold bars from Cruz for $250,000, it said.<br /><br />As part of its investigation into the heist, officials interviewed airline employees including Cruz, who initially denied any involvement.<br /><div><div>He later agreed to allow investigators to search his home and police found one of the bars and $200,000 in cash. He later gave a law enforcement official the additional $50,000.</div><div><br /></div><div>If convicted, the men face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.</div><div><br /></div><div>Miami International is a major trans-shipment point for large quantities of gold produced in South America.</div><div><br /></div><div>Gold is Miami's No. 1 import valued at almost $8 billion last year, mostly from Mexico and Colombia and almost all destined for Switzerland, according to World City, a Miami-based publication that tracks trade data.</div></div><div><br /></div>

Cargo handler and Pawn Shop owner arrested in Miami gold heist.

Miami airport employee Marco Cruz is accused of stealing six gold bars valued at $625,000. MIAMI — An airline cargo handler and a pawn shop ...

Kushen Taramov said Ibragim was going to fly back home to Chechnya on May 24.

'Never in his life': Father of Tsarnaev's friend questions FBI slaying of son.<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn8xvcz-9ZPUU4GPXtCMQYjGIv939tR-nGJRtjbv10SZhUcvGcABbvcT1sNAtvKZKt4eddtTew5ujNpyYh-icdOZc1F170FVrMAYlJ_h7ledtAbzZn-ZnJfd_aDBQPYqQdB1S4WtE8YoU7/s1600/todashev-ibragim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn8xvcz-9ZPUU4GPXtCMQYjGIv939tR-nGJRtjbv10SZhUcvGcABbvcT1sNAtvKZKt4eddtTew5ujNpyYh-icdOZc1F170FVrMAYlJ_h7ledtAbzZn-ZnJfd_aDBQPYqQdB1S4WtE8YoU7/s1600/todashev-ibragim.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ibragim Todashev </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />An FBI agent shot Tamerlan Tsarnaev-linked triple murder suspect Ibragim Todashev in Florida, allegedly after the suspect attacked him with a knife. But Todashev’s father Abdulbaki told RT he strongly doubted his son could attack the agent first.<br /><br />Following reports that a Chechen man Ibragim Todashev, suspected in a 2011 triple murder in Massachusetts alongside the elder Tsarnaev and questioned about the Boston bombings previously, was shot by an FBI agent during interrogation in Orlando, Florida, RT had a phone conversation with the suspect’s father.<br /><br />The elder Todashev described his son as “a very calm” man, who wouldn’t become aggressive for no reason.<br /><br />“Never in his life would he attack anyone unprovoked,” Abdulbaki Todashev stressed.<br /><br />Abdulbaki, who lives in Grozny, Chechnya, said he was not contacted by anyone from the US, and his only sources about Ibragim’s fate were neighbors citing media agencies.<br /><br /><div><div>Having heard the reports that Ibragim was questioned by a group of people, including several policemen, Abdulbaki also said he does not believe he would rush to engage in a one-sided fight.</div><div><br /></div><div>He explained that his 27-year-old son studied in the Russian city of Saratov, and later in Grozny, but decided to give up his education and move to the US after going on a student internship there.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Ibragim decided to leave for Florida because he “liked America,” Abdulbaki explained, adding he never got to know what occupation, if any, his son had in the US, other than practicing sports.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMV0rooTYLGAEsrY4H1lT_QaVJ9NXgZt-x-v7fqirEK6wG7AtraWxXrpjTx08zlPqUiFlxUyKGSkLzTgZ-gyuWGkZRzWWYgxZwmDU5HrJsVq9gwB-Q9jW0IdYHH30ldVbmoILhI4R8-p-/s1600/Tamerlan_Tsarnaev_Ibragim_Todashev.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMV0rooTYLGAEsrY4H1lT_QaVJ9NXgZt-x-v7fqirEK6wG7AtraWxXrpjTx08zlPqUiFlxUyKGSkLzTgZ-gyuWGkZRzWWYgxZwmDU5HrJsVq9gwB-Q9jW0IdYHH30ldVbmoILhI4R8-p-/s1600/Tamerlan_Tsarnaev_Ibragim_Todashev.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Abdulbaki said they were not acquainted with the Tsarnaev family at home in Chechnya. Ibragim knew Tamerlan Tsarnaev only because they went to the same gym when he stayed in Boston, he added.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Ibragim “couldn’t take part” in the Boston Marathon bombings as he was undergoing a surgical operation on his tendons in Florida days before the bombings and “had to learn how to walk again,” the father said.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsD3ABmX6uWbtVCG1SNV7bqiiMfAB5tv6TIA_dn8thREre0WgugvCpvZd95eaOqRMGzvEpTLxZA0lXPkhMjQvgAsoRoZoZC2kvor3z_keiWo-gp0AuFkKudCh_3Vd9-o2aytyriV3I0sV/s1600/Khusn+Taramiv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsD3ABmX6uWbtVCG1SNV7bqiiMfAB5tv6TIA_dn8thREre0WgugvCpvZd95eaOqRMGzvEpTLxZA0lXPkhMjQvgAsoRoZoZC2kvor3z_keiWo-gp0AuFkKudCh_3Vd9-o2aytyriV3I0sV/s1600/Khusn+Taramiv.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Todashev’s friend Kushen Taramov or Khusn Taramiv said he and Ibragim had been interrogated about the bombings earlier this week.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlHci8i-a3KqghPV7NgWGt9Qz-dggh5ItrazgrTOZHyul-GWQbZWvaC7mvFtcZlyUCGYV_cknqaUeW1u2DK9p9Ulino6YpxNfpHv53fwzox1VZ4eU2d4sIvt7G01evdceKbLZMGXZcNkhL/s1600/brendanmesserikweissmanraphaelteken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="91" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlHci8i-a3KqghPV7NgWGt9Qz-dggh5ItrazgrTOZHyul-GWQbZWvaC7mvFtcZlyUCGYV_cknqaUeW1u2DK9p9Ulino6YpxNfpHv53fwzox1VZ4eU2d4sIvt7G01evdceKbLZMGXZcNkhL/s1600/brendanmesserikweissmanraphaelteken.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div>But reports said that on Wednesday the investigators were questioning Todashev over his alleged role in an unsolved 2011 triple homicide in Waltham, Massachusetts, which the bombing suspects Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev have been implicated in, and that he was ready to sign a confession.</div><div><br /></div><div>Todashev allegedly took out a knife and attacked the FBI agent questioning him, but was shot to death.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqDIrdryGN5033pueosN5pitt7TDynaJVLIHWmqOkyASu_xzeo69GYPw-zvIksc3FOySzLNJdCl0-o5VOJgR8NBT0RkD1GkqBPjo6pM_l1duyPtDMM02P8IUo03OZ1KnOHQJsaUoJ4wM1/s1600/Ibragim+Todashev.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqDIrdryGN5033pueosN5pitt7TDynaJVLIHWmqOkyASu_xzeo69GYPw-zvIksc3FOySzLNJdCl0-o5VOJgR8NBT0RkD1GkqBPjo6pM_l1duyPtDMM02P8IUo03OZ1KnOHQJsaUoJ4wM1/s1600/Ibragim+Todashev.jpg" width="320" /></a><b>Taramov said Ibragim was going to fly back home to Chechnya, but the FBI insisted that he postpone his trip for “one last” interview. Abdulbaki also knew that his son was flying to Grozny on May 24.</b></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="40" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" width="320" /></a></div><div>AND WHO's HITMAN friend of...?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXxHTECqvTuAAjS6xTAAGg4l7z5LtC0iOcIh87PbcihneDfxn1CBPYhRuqNvgOyhF5d2_Y5RrgWO6v4nLfkOg33lYTnghbjauO8q-pTnY30nIfKtZJ5la2lwQvSJlqylYxH5_uQdpTZeD/s1600/65799a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXxHTECqvTuAAjS6xTAAGg4l7z5LtC0iOcIh87PbcihneDfxn1CBPYhRuqNvgOyhF5d2_Y5RrgWO6v4nLfkOg33lYTnghbjauO8q-pTnY30nIfKtZJ5la2lwQvSJlqylYxH5_uQdpTZeD/s1600/65799a.jpg" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFL1ZRs6v2Ih-7Wo45gmD-4bGsceNevna-ByFBsgLL-2onS89nd_HjgJtdUS5d1QRsCVkSwjrOAMzYczAOOvQfLZpwdWMfKKeRe6w0Gjj8HyHE7jSngGhMMz3046nDz8rt7BnSmv72xbId/s1600/hitman-glass-feature-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFL1ZRs6v2Ih-7Wo45gmD-4bGsceNevna-ByFBsgLL-2onS89nd_HjgJtdUS5d1QRsCVkSwjrOAMzYczAOOvQfLZpwdWMfKKeRe6w0Gjj8HyHE7jSngGhMMz3046nDz8rt7BnSmv72xbId/s1600/hitman-glass-feature-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KybsRY5671jA_OGARwlGV-IXzZ2e1Fn4pzLcQMpcum-b71rca5pCX6hb1HuG6eUphZ2uSYcgNRkm0Mrc0mcJ0xXPaZ8Mk478WdLRixzxVtdOUXJ89DisS06TeXPZR0DCmvdbfX6nsngl/s1600/hitman-glass-feature-2_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KybsRY5671jA_OGARwlGV-IXzZ2e1Fn4pzLcQMpcum-b71rca5pCX6hb1HuG6eUphZ2uSYcgNRkm0Mrc0mcJ0xXPaZ8Mk478WdLRixzxVtdOUXJ89DisS06TeXPZR0DCmvdbfX6nsngl/s1600/hitman-glass-feature-2_0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQAH_LKoYfbh6RyKN4kjQ44XKr7QXKf11udDpGV8lkxivtnd1Wr65W7l46ScauH9cGHr8UtE7hRPPVXSclkI0v2vA8bCz3A4XuctftvH6WA0Awvz_48kSDaC579_UXhE5JhxtUs2Mk0sw/s1600/hitman-glass-feature-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQAH_LKoYfbh6RyKN4kjQ44XKr7QXKf11udDpGV8lkxivtnd1Wr65W7l46ScauH9cGHr8UtE7hRPPVXSclkI0v2vA8bCz3A4XuctftvH6WA0Awvz_48kSDaC579_UXhE5JhxtUs2Mk0sw/s1600/hitman-glass-feature-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div>

Kushen Taramov said Ibragim was going to fly back home to Chechnya on May 24.

'Never in his life': Father of Tsarnaev's friend questions FBI slaying of son. Ibragim Todashev An FBI agent shot Tamerlan Tsarn...

FBI: Man fatally shot in Boston bombing probe"An FBI team was dispatched from Washington to review the shooting"

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtX_yLHEhIRrxMLpLWrTObu8KCa26JXcqNNUItMfPIU4w7vOx8DkqOlGLTQ_u4Z-hP1X2DgvZ1BOUG5VQHxseBFeGW4kbkfLM-FTAjedde7kTRDr5I_mYD_YxzeDQLdBVJLIF1gmAQ4uvV/s1600/fbi1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtX_yLHEhIRrxMLpLWrTObu8KCa26JXcqNNUItMfPIU4w7vOx8DkqOlGLTQ_u4Z-hP1X2DgvZ1BOUG5VQHxseBFeGW4kbkfLM-FTAjedde7kTRDr5I_mYD_YxzeDQLdBVJLIF1gmAQ4uvV/s1600/fbi1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The FBI said Ibragim Todashev, a former mixed martial arts fighter, initiated a violent confrontation with agents who were questioning him about the bombing.<br /><br /><h4>"An FBI team was dispatched from Washington to review the shooting, a standard step that is taken in such incidents."</h4><br /><br /><br />ORLANDO, Fla. — A man being questioned by authorities in the Boston bombing probe was fatally shot when he initiated a violent confrontation, FBI officials said Wednesday.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAMG14c3mb6Vr3_A3lssanwaQFkn6uJDXFasUAPOucgncnVqJqNFJ_UmmTmBW1SpDqatiNyxF6puIXTx_KHdZzFhi4CF6QYp3dyCSrQlz1wBPWZccGFCPbDW9vwcD_MlRk-v_kuPapQWKE/s1600/FBI2-jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAMG14c3mb6Vr3_A3lssanwaQFkn6uJDXFasUAPOucgncnVqJqNFJ_UmmTmBW1SpDqatiNyxF6puIXTx_KHdZzFhi4CF6QYp3dyCSrQlz1wBPWZccGFCPbDW9vwcD_MlRk-v_kuPapQWKE/s1600/FBI2-jpg.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>The shooting early Wednesday took place in Orlando, where an FBI agent along with other law enforcement personnel were interviewing the man, identified as 27-year-old Ibragim Todashev.<br /><br />In a statement, FBI spokesman Paul Bresson said the FBI agent acted on an imminent threat and shot Todashev. The agent was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF3DnP_AAEEbsRxOH9jidd0wDw6Dsdfq4HRElPselYoVrGy0F8zy_8hCzJJQ9RuzW0zGlNl4wb1DJyOI7uCzK5rxp1C-83tsfZ1_-0dpm-Wzc5IWoOu2u18PWOztrnhVgMiqmDpiD9CUyX/s1600/FBI3-jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF3DnP_AAEEbsRxOH9jidd0wDw6Dsdfq4HRElPselYoVrGy0F8zy_8hCzJJQ9RuzW0zGlNl4wb1DJyOI7uCzK5rxp1C-83tsfZ1_-0dpm-Wzc5IWoOu2u18PWOztrnhVgMiqmDpiD9CUyX/s1600/FBI3-jpg.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><h4>An FBI team was dispatched from Washington to review the shooting, a standard step that is taken in such incidents.</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBtS-rsCScajM7fYdF5YPVssexh-tcyCVzaW_yhKX3g0a8pFscPZq5TLB-dMjI2B7B8-_jQHn7xA62uuxEcjPAGRD64yPYidQUQpaeVBkPrPv0v50azK1Gv-1kyCUsdI0c4p6GB0rw0Ypv/s1600/todashev-ibragim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBtS-rsCScajM7fYdF5YPVssexh-tcyCVzaW_yhKX3g0a8pFscPZq5TLB-dMjI2B7B8-_jQHn7xA62uuxEcjPAGRD64yPYidQUQpaeVBkPrPv0v50azK1Gv-1kyCUsdI0c4p6GB0rw0Ypv/s1600/todashev-ibragim.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Even before his encounter with the FBI, Todashev, a mixed martial arts fighter, had a recent run-in with law enforcement.</div><div><br /></div><div>He was arrested earlier this month on a charge of aggravated battery after getting into a fight over a parking spot with a 54-year-old man and his 35-year-old son at an Orlando shopping mall. The 35-year-old man was hospitalized with a split upper lip and several teeth knocked out, according to a report from the Orange County Sheriff's Office.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Also by his own admission Todashev was recently a former mixed martial arts fighter," the arresting deputy said in his report. "This skill puts his fighting ability way above that of a normal person."</div><div><br /></div><div>Todashev was released on $3,500 bond after his May 4 arrest. His attorney, Alain Rivas, didn't immediately respond to a phone inquiry Wednesday.</div><div><br /></div><div>Police tape blocked off the complex of townhomes near Universal Studios where Todashev was shot.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jared Morse, who lives in the next building from Todashev's unit, said he had been watching an NBA game when he heard loud bangs that sounded like gunfire.</div><div><br /></div><div>"It's crazy, especially in this neighborhood," Morse said as he walked his dog. "Nothing like this ever happens here."</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0oI39Wc6ebNDAkQ67P8faOM366vHC0NHMDM_GtuFCbdKNtHrteDaNcoGaOEOkvyVihE-EPJpKEORUCZRCSD5nhQIUSmRsUcgUZmXPg2edaU_h7YSKz69ZOAW58vI_olhKZNdfXD7bUpu/s1600/FBI4-jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0oI39Wc6ebNDAkQ67P8faOM366vHC0NHMDM_GtuFCbdKNtHrteDaNcoGaOEOkvyVihE-EPJpKEORUCZRCSD5nhQIUSmRsUcgUZmXPg2edaU_h7YSKz69ZOAW58vI_olhKZNdfXD7bUpu/s1600/FBI4-jpg.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="40" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="234" id="ep_1248" width="416"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="movie" value="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_embed_2x_container.swf?site=cnn&profile=desktop&context=embedwww&videoId=bestoftv/2013/05/16/tsr-dnt-todd-boston-suspect-met-with-chechen-rebel.cnn&contentId=bestoftv/2013/05/16/tsr-dnt-todd-boston-suspect-met-with-chechen-rebel.cnn" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><embed src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_embed_2x_container.swf?site=cnn&profile=desktop&context=embedwww&videoId=bestoftv/2013/05/16/tsr-dnt-todd-boston-suspect-met-with-chechen-rebel.cnn&contentId=bestoftv/2013/05/16/tsr-dnt-todd-boston-suspect-met-with-chechen-rebel.cnn" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="416" wmode="transparent" height="234"></embed></object>

FBI: Man fatally shot in Boston bombing probe"An FBI team was dispatched from Washington to review the shooting"

The FBI said Ibragim Todashev, a former mixed martial arts fighter, initiated a violent confrontation with agents who were questioning him a...

Florida:Family of man shot 16 times by police in Miami files lawsuit

<br /><div class="abs"></div><div class="abs"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFacODcK0H9TWBF8QaIIlfJj-gL0PqbA5Zw4IN6rFzxkDfJofn-z29PrCZ5uR-1_XWUUhsxkjj8Y-X1uovXD_sjJT3Uy3NmPDBMvUcPqiBrlZwOIWaqBGOro_1E2RTwOFX1oTj4VHQb4Tg/s1600/%2540Publimetro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFacODcK0H9TWBF8QaIIlfJj-gL0PqbA5Zw4IN6rFzxkDfJofn-z29PrCZ5uR-1_XWUUhsxkjj8Y-X1uovXD_sjJT3Uy3NmPDBMvUcPqiBrlZwOIWaqBGOro_1E2RTwOFX1oTj4VHQb4Tg/s1600/%2540Publimetro.jpg" /></a>Police fired more than 100 shots at Raymond Herisse's car after they said he was driving erratically in Miami Beach and refused a request to pull over. </div><div class="abs"><br /></div><div class="abs">MIAMI — The family of a 22-year-old man who was shot 16 times by police two years ago during a hip-hop festival in Miami Beach filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Tuesday against two Miami-area police departments.</div><div class="abs"><br /></div><div class="abs">Officers fired more than 100 shots at the vehicle of Raymond Herisse after police said he was driving erratically and refused an officer's request to pull over during Urban Beach Weekend, according to police records.</div><div class="abs"><br /></div><div class="abs">The festival, held annually on Memorial Day weekend, draws hundreds of thousands of people from across the country.</div><div class="abs"><br /></div><div class="abs">Marwan Porter, an attorney for Herisse's family, said the officers responded with excessive force. He also criticized police officials for failing to release more information about the shooting.</div><div class="abs"><br /></div><div class="abs">"Why did the officers feel that day it was necessary to utilize that type of force?" Porter asked. "It took us almost two years to even get basic information that we were entitled to determine what happened."</div><div class="abs"><br /></div><div class="abs">The lawsuit was filed against the police departments of the cities of Miami Beach and Hialeah and also against city officials. It seeks unspecified damages for Herisse's death.</div><div class="abs"><br /></div><div class="abs">Prosecutors are investigating the killing and have yet to determine whether the officers were justified in using lethal force. Four bystanders were also injured when police opened fire.</div><div class="abs"><br /></div><div class="abs">Police initially said they believed Herisse fired gunshots from his car. Officials found a gun under a seat in his vehicle, but a gunshot residue test indicated Herisse had not fired the weapon, according to an autopsy report.</div><div class="abs"><br /></div><div class="abs">An amateur video shot on the night of the killing, which was viewed by Reuters, showed Herisse's speeding car coming to a halt before police surrounded the vehicle and opened fire.</div><div class="abs"><br /></div><div class="abs">Porter said he eventually obtained copies of Herisse's autopsy report and several other documents related to the case after he filed a public records lawsuit on behalf of the family.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="40" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />

Florida:Family of man shot 16 times by police in Miami files lawsuit

Police fired more than 100 shots at Raymond Herisse's car after they said he was driving erratically in Miami Beach and refused a reques...

A winning ticket in Florida for $590.5M Powerball,"if you buy a ticket,that winner might be you"

<br /><h4>Eighty percent of all possible number combinations were picked for Saturday's $590.5 million Powerball drawing.</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnn1-s1czMdcWQTzGYuV-6uJyed0fIBgS1E0GG-Y2ApsJ9_GvvBfZV6I43pAGWNoOVm7jADksi6hIKMsw9p2KMQhuIt1j3can4IP3S3YkeOKfAxQUSnVl75rI28d9AIeBJkBnv-862Sg6G/s1600/tss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="445" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnn1-s1czMdcWQTzGYuV-6uJyed0fIBgS1E0GG-Y2ApsJ9_GvvBfZV6I43pAGWNoOVm7jADksi6hIKMsw9p2KMQhuIt1j3can4IP3S3YkeOKfAxQUSnVl75rI28d9AIeBJkBnv-862Sg6G/s1600/tss.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />A lottery official says 1 winning ticket has been sold in Florida for a record Powerball jackpot of more than $590 million.<br /><br />Terry Rich, a lottery official in Iowa, confirmed the ticket matching all six numbers was sold in Florida. Rich told The Associated Press by telephone that details were expected to be announced later by Florida lottery officials about the actual ticket sold.<br /><br />Powerball.com said the winner sold in Florida means the current estimated jackpot resets at $40 million or $25.1 million cash value.<br /><br />The numbers drawn Saturday were: 10, 13, 14, 22, 52 and Powerball 11.<br /><br />With four of every five possible combinations of Powerball numbers in play, someone was almost certain to win the game's highest jackpot, though chances of winning remained astronomically low at 1 in 175.2 million.<br /><br />Lottery officials estimated about 80 percent of those possible combinations have been purchased. The problem, of course, is those same odds just about guarantee the lucky person wasn't you.<br /><div><div>That didn't deter people across Powerball-playing states — 43 plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands — from lining up at gas stations and convenience stores Saturday for their chance at striking it filthy rich.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Of course there's no guarantee, and that's the randomness of it, and the fun of it," Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich said earlier Saturday.</div><div><br /></div><div>At a mini market in the heart of Los Angeles' Chinatown, employees broke the steady stream of customers into two lines: One for Powerball ticket buyers and one for everybody else. Some people appeared to be looking for a little karma.</div><div><br /></div><div>"We've had two winners over $10 million here over the years, so people in the neighborhood think this is the lucky store," employee Gordon Chan said as he replenished a stack of lottery tickets on a counter.</div><div><br /></div><div>Workers at one suburban Columbia, South Carolina, convenience store were so busy with ticket buyers that they hadn't updated their sign with the current jackpot figure, which was released Friday. Customer Armous Peterson was reluctant to share his system for playing the Powerball. The 56-year-old was well aware of the long odds, but he also knows the mantra of just about every person buying tickets.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Somebody is going to win," he said. "Lots of people are going to lose, too. But if you buy a ticket, that winner might be you."</div></div><div><div>The latest jackpot was expected to be the world's second largest overall, behind a $656 million Mega Millions jackpot in March 2012. If $600 million, the jackpot would currently include a $376.9 million cash option.</div><div><br /></div><div>Charles Hill of Dallas said he buys lottery tickets every day. And he knows exactly what he'd do if he wins.</div><div><br /></div><div>"What would I do with my money? I'd run and hide," he said. "I wouldn't want none of my kinfolks to find me."</div><div><br /></div><div>Clyde Barrow, a public policy professor at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, specializes in the gaming industry. He said one of the key factors behind the ticket-buying frenzy is the size of the jackpot — people are interested in the easy investment.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Even though the odds are very low, the investment is very small," he said. "Two dollars gets you a chance."</div><div><br /></div><div>That may be why Ed McCuen has a Powerball habit that's as regular as clockwork. The 57-year-old electrical contractor from Savannah, Georgia, buys one ticket a week, regardless of the possible loot. It's a habit he didn't alter Saturday.</div><div><br /></div><div>"You've got one shot in a gazillion or whatever," McCuen said, tucking his ticket in his pocket as he left a local convenience store. "You can't win unless you buy a ticket. But whether you buy one or 10 or 20, it's insignificant."</div><div><br /></div><div>Seema Sharma doesn't seem to think so. The newsstand employee in Manhattan's Penn Station purchased $80 worth of tickets for herself. She also was selling tickets all morning at a steady pace, instructing buyers where to stand if they wanted machine-picked tickets or to choose their own numbers.</div><div><br /></div><div>"I work very hard — too hard — and I want to get the money so I can finally relax," she said. "You never know."</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="40" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>

A winning ticket in Florida for $590.5M Powerball,"if you buy a ticket,that winner might be you"

Eighty percent of all possible number combinations were picked for Saturday's $590.5 million Powerball drawing. A lottery official says ...

Suspicious package prompts evacuation at U.S. Miami airport

<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZSs1pE3_TippOOq-JjObK1Jsz6hEY0ng6xgU0ueom8Aj5PTWZG8FoRLPoT2ej5YYs1VVjXb18cK-Jy-o2XkS7imngqZTffUnN_C1f-k8-Gx1uGd51IqdhTO7mPvHtVXbrwkjND-cr3usD/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZSs1pE3_TippOOq-JjObK1Jsz6hEY0ng6xgU0ueom8Aj5PTWZG8FoRLPoT2ej5YYs1VVjXb18cK-Jy-o2XkS7imngqZTffUnN_C1f-k8-Gx1uGd51IqdhTO7mPvHtVXbrwkjND-cr3usD/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" /></a>WASHINGTON,- A concourse of the Miami International Airport in the U.S. state of Florida was evacuated on Thursday after a suspicious package was found, local media reported.<br /><br />A bomb squad was dispatched and several police vehicles could be seen on the tarmac, according to the local WPLG-TV.<br /><br />Airport spokesman Marc Henderson was quoted as saying that the package was discovered at about 3:05 p.m. outside the gate of a Caribbean Air flight.<br /><br />All passengers in the airport's J concourse were evacuated to nearby areas.<br /><br />The evacuation and police activity caused mild disruption to traffic at the airport, with 10 flights unable to depart and two incoming flights diverted to other gates.<br /><div><br /></div>

Suspicious package prompts evacuation at U.S. Miami airport

WASHINGTON,- A concourse of the Miami International Airport in the U.S. state of Florida was evacuated on Thursday after a suspicious packag...

5 Young Adults Killed in Florida Crash off I-95

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnB1aXehU9d61VyHP6rVLKv9SwHnS6It0rXhb4b-tFcB_xJ__pTEi0HTJ3psz2qon2Y4Nh_MwGvUZKOpE81aFWiwhwbdi7735tzV303XVvTQLPIQjkD8ve8qy38jvXbnz8JmGeB98SxEWl/s1600/p1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnB1aXehU9d61VyHP6rVLKv9SwHnS6It0rXhb4b-tFcB_xJ__pTEi0HTJ3psz2qon2Y4Nh_MwGvUZKOpE81aFWiwhwbdi7735tzV303XVvTQLPIQjkD8ve8qy38jvXbnz8JmGeB98SxEWl/s1600/p1.jpg" /></a>Five young adults have been killed in a two-vehicle crash on an interstate exit ramp in South Florida.<br /><br />The Florida Highway Patrol reports that a Mercedes ran a red light as it exited Interstate 95 in Riviera Beach early Saturday and struck a Lexus.<br /><br />FHP Lt. Tim Frith says the Lexus rolled over and hit two trees. Several passengers were ejected.<br /><br />Four of the occupants of the Lexus were pronounced dead at the scene. A fifth died at the hospital. All were between the ages of 18 and 22.<br /><br />Frith says the driver of the Mercedes was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center and was not cooperating with investigators.

5 Young Adults Killed in Florida Crash off I-95

Five young adults have been killed in a two-vehicle crash on an interstate exit ramp in South Florida. The Florida Highway Patrol reports th...

South Florida girl, 4, shot dead in car

Miami-Dade Police are investigating after a 4-year-old girl died after she was shot inside a car Saturday night.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrky7ZUImKQKym9O9HZeqHYloJr4B5G4JjJq5gWCRVwBj9hRfBnh6x5dmQc2r7XfGUAnGZXk1X_qOSHzReQSSDBXA81lkosRrIQl7CLQYuFQ4BybBf5qihaFPkDRDFSPKzDVb3TpVctf92/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrky7ZUImKQKym9O9HZeqHYloJr4B5G4JjJq5gWCRVwBj9hRfBnh6x5dmQc2r7XfGUAnGZXk1X_qOSHzReQSSDBXA81lkosRrIQl7CLQYuFQ4BybBf5qihaFPkDRDFSPKzDVb3TpVctf92/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" /></a>The shooting happened just after 6 p.m. in the 12000 block of Northwest 20th Avenue, as the girl was sitting in a parked Mercedes Benz with several other small children, police said.<br />Somehow the girl, later identified as Rahquel Carr, was shot in her upper body. Carr was taken to Ryder Trauma Center where she later died, police said.<br /><br />Police said it's unclear if one of the other children in the car was responsible for the shooting. An adult was nearby when the shooting happened, police said.<br /><br />Under Florida law, a firearm must be securely encased when in a vehicle. It is unclear where the firearm was located at the time of the shooting.<br /><br />"We will be looking at who this firearm belonged to, were the firearm was in the vehicle at the time, along with who was present when the gun was fired," said Miami-Dade Police spokesman Det. Roy Rutland.<br /><br />No arrests have been made. Children were witnesses to the shooting and Miami-Dade Police will be forced to interview them, as well as many family members, Rutland said.<br /><br />"There's a lot of speculation right now as to who had that firearm at the time, but we're not in the business of speculating, we're in the business of facts," Rutland said.<br />Distraught family members and friends arrived to the home Saturday night to give them support.<br /><br />"Someone called my daughter, and told her she got shot," said Sonia Wheelers, who said she is like a grandmother to the child. "It's horrible, it's sad."<br /><br />The shooting is still being investigated and the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department will be conducting an autopsy on the child, police said.`<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="40" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" width="320" /></a></div>

South Florida girl, 4, shot dead in car

Miami-Dade Police are investigating after a 4-year-old girl died after she was shot inside a car Saturday night. The shooting happened just ...

44-year-old art heist reinvestigated in Florida

A Florida sheriff's detective has reopened the case of a 1969 art heist in which more than 50 works, including paintings of the Stations of the Cross and the resurrected Jesus, were stolen from a museum just days after Easter.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCuFdWRgovJcomHDzUN6LlL4fchFvcKQDOfkpSNkwE-OfVxUyE2VRL7IFN1Nb7uxcxNhMUMO6V56Mi-S7o9kIOHuAixPb1zu-z9uCnm3poZOkH83fxFdupcci6EmwcrPAdSFVdCGHYZhaW/s1600/publimetro.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCuFdWRgovJcomHDzUN6LlL4fchFvcKQDOfkpSNkwE-OfVxUyE2VRL7IFN1Nb7uxcxNhMUMO6V56Mi-S7o9kIOHuAixPb1zu-z9uCnm3poZOkH83fxFdupcci6EmwcrPAdSFVdCGHYZhaW/s1600/publimetro.gif" /></a>SARASOTA, Fla. — On an April evening nearly 44 years ago, just days after Easter Sunday, someone slipped into a museum in Sarasota and stole 15 paintings, one portraying the resurrected Jesus and 14 depicting the Stations of the Cross.<br />Now, a Sarasota County Sheriff's detective is reinvestigating the decades-old disappearance of the art.<br />"Those paintings could be anywhere in the world," said Detective Kim McGath.<br />All of the paintings were done by artist, illustrator and author Ben Stahl, who died in 1987. He was well known in the 1950s and '60s for being a prolific and well-compensated illustrator for the Saturday Evening Post and for creating movie posters and book covers. "Ben Hur" and the 25th anniversary edition of "Gone With The Wind" were among the movie posters; "Madame Bovary" was one of his limited-edition book illustrations. He also one of the first professors at the Famous Artists School, a correspondence course in art once advertised on the back of matchbooks.<br />Stahl, who was from Chicago, wrote and illustrated "Blackbeard's Ghost," which was made into a 1968 Walt Disney film.<br />Commissioned to illustrate a Bible for the Catholic Press in the mid-1950s, Stahl painted the 14 Stations of the Cross. Later, he decided to paint larger versions, along with a 15th painting titled "The Resurrection," because he wanted his work to end on a positive note. All 15 paintings were 6 feet by 9 feet, and painted in oil.<br />In 1965, Stahl and his wife moved to Sarasota, Fla., and decided to open a museum for the large-scale paintings. Called "The Museum of the Cross," it was one of the main tourist attractions in the area at the time. He also displayed other works that he had done, some on loan from museums. Even his fellow artists were impressed.<br />"Those Museum of the Cross pictures are absolutely fabulous," wrote Norman Rockwell in a letter dated June 3, 1968. "The rest of us are just illustrators but you are among the masters and I am filled with admiration."<br />Whoever stole the paintings and other pieces of art in the predawn hours of April 16, 1969 must have known what they were doing, said McGath, because they carefully removed each of the tacks that attached the canvases to the frames.<br />Stahl told The Associated Press at the time that the heist was "one of the craziest art robberies of this century."<br />More than 50 artworks in all were stolen, including gold rosaries that Stahl and his wife had on display and had collected from their world travels.<br />Left behind by the burglars was "The Moment of Silent Prayer," a "miracle picture" because it also survived a fire that destroyed Chicago's convention center in 1968, Stahl said at the time.<br />The fact that "The Moment of Silent Prayer" and one other painting were left untouched was interesting: They were the only two paintings on loan from another museum and the only ones that were insured.<br />"He couldn't understand how anyone could steal from his museum, because it was like church," said his daughter, 78-year-old Gail Stahl. "I couldn't understand why he wouldn't understand why they shouldn't have been uninsured."<br />McGath said that no evidence points to an insurance scam or Ben Stahl's involvement. In fact, she said, he ended up in deep financial trouble following the heist.<br />"He put everything into that museum," McGath said. "He mortgaged his home on the museum. He lost everything."<br />At the time, officials said they had no clues. One officer theorized the works might be held for ransom. One witness remembered seeing a white van near the museum that night, while Stahl recalled two visitors from South America who asked odd questions in the days prior to the theft.<br />The trail eventually went cold, and Stahl and his family didn't think investigators were trying as hard as they could.<br />"It was devastating," said Regina Briskey, Ben Stahl's daughter, who was working at the museum at the time. "It was incomprehensible, because at that that time in Sarasota, there was hardly any crime."<br />Stahl's son, David Stahl, wrote on a website that he even contacted witnesses and possible informants around Florida, but claimed authorities didn't pay attention. David Stahl could not be reached for comment for this story.<br />McGath — who is also investigating the cold case of a quadruple murder in 1959 in Sarasota and its possible link to the "In Cold Blood" killers in Kansas — said she's poring over records and wants to talk to anyone who might have information about the Stahl art heist.<br /><a href="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/5c/91327ed46cc32445a1c1debf1fecd_h366_w650_m6_lfalse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" Stolen Easter art: This image provided by the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office shows Benjamin Stahl's painting "Jesus is Condemned To Death," from his Stations of the Cross series. This and dozens of Stahl's other works were stolen just days after Easter in 1969 from his museum in Sarasota, Fla. The paintings have never been found. IMAGE " border="0" class="image" data-src="{"default":"http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/5c/91327ed46cc32445a1c1debf1fecd_h366_w650_m6_lfalse.jpg"}" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/5c/91327ed46cc32445a1c1debf1fecd_h366_w650_m6_lfalse.jpg" title=" Stolen Easter art: This image provided by the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office shows Benjamin Stahl's painting "Jesus is Condemned To Death," from his Stations of the Cross series. This and dozens of Stahl's other works were stolen just days after Easter in 1969 from his museum in Sarasota, Fla. The paintings have never been found. IMAGE (AP Photo: Sarasota County Sheriff's Office)" width="409" /></a>The INTERPOL office in Washington, D.C., is also involved. Spokeswoman Nicole Navas said this week that officials recently sent out a message to all 190 INTERPOL member countries in an attempt to renew interest in the case, which she said is one of 500 open art heist cases being investigated by the agency.<br />"These paintings could be anywhere," she said.<br />The latest investigative efforts are welcome news to Gail Stahl, an artist herself who has a gallery in Laguna Beach, Calif.<br /><br />"I certainly hope that something will be accomplished," she said. "It's really quite sad that someone can go and take someone's work like that and disappear."`

44-year-old art heist reinvestigated in Florida

A Florida sheriff's detective has reopened the case of a 1969 art heist in which more than 50 works, including paintings of the Stations...

Ex-Florida GOP chair Jim Greer gets 1 1/2 years for stealing

Jim Greer was sentenced for funneling almost $200,000 to a company he formed, and for keeping more than 60 percent of that money.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-4TFrfYozFi3Lhalj-Vfb6HaSfvXvP7rzGBNvJCzwnGqfqPbK7skJ3IkZkrg523gpkncsnX68VLzSZejmGYUWBWRpMKCBQWQbSZetxxkf8TtkP5NY9AJl1IX53pE2EOqpB9Ic30K7u8CP/s1600/Jim+Greer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-4TFrfYozFi3Lhalj-Vfb6HaSfvXvP7rzGBNvJCzwnGqfqPbK7skJ3IkZkrg523gpkncsnX68VLzSZejmGYUWBWRpMKCBQWQbSZetxxkf8TtkP5NY9AJl1IX53pE2EOqpB9Ic30K7u8CP/s1600/Jim+Greer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>ORLANDO, Fla. — The former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida has been sentenced to 1 1/2 years for stealing more than $125,000 in party funds.<br />Jim Greer was sentenced in Orlando Wednesday, more than a month after he pleaded guilty to four counts of theft and a single count of money laundering.<br />The sentence was less severe than the 3 1/2 years in prison requested by prosecutors.<br />A trial had threatened to expose the underbelly of Florida's dominant political party and its formerly high-spending ways.<br />Topics covered in pretrial depositions included allegations of prostitutes at a fundraiser in the Bahamas and the drinking habits of former Gov. Charlie Crist.<br />Prosecutors say Greer funneled almost $200,000 to a company he formed with his right-hand man, and kept $125,000 for himself.`

Ex-Florida GOP chair Jim Greer gets 1 1/2 years for stealing

Jim Greer was sentenced for funneling almost $200,000 to a company he formed, and for keeping more than 60 percent of that money. ORLANDO, F...

Carnival Legend Back to Work After Troublesome Trip

(TAMPA BAY, Fla.) — The Carnival Legend is back on the move Monday morning with a new crop of passengers after it experienced technical issues with its propulsion system and cut guests’ vacations short.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnN3b5MPOwLbIgscBqw8TUoUnIN7lZuzFa1y3VZ2pdntxhkltaagrWAoexMDpdZBtIBYWkkL6dtSTfuSwqjldJ-jnBshfA1a2OyeYi7FIycu7_JaR49j2YcZnGCN3hQEvSqPFu0AMkd4eO/s1600/Carnival12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnN3b5MPOwLbIgscBqw8TUoUnIN7lZuzFa1y3VZ2pdntxhkltaagrWAoexMDpdZBtIBYWkkL6dtSTfuSwqjldJ-jnBshfA1a2OyeYi7FIycu7_JaR49j2YcZnGCN3hQEvSqPFu0AMkd4eO/s1600/Carnival12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The Legend departed Tampa Bay, Fla., on Sunday, less than nine hours after unloading more than 2,000 angry travelers who missed the last leg of their seven-day Caribbean cruise.<br />The ship is already back at work even though its problems with the propulsion system have not been solved.  Carnival says the issues are still being worked on by technicians during its latest voyage.  A technical problem caused the ship to sputter in the Yucatan last week as it failed to reach optimal speed.<br />“I really don’t want to get stranded out in the middle of the ocean,” Molly Sandberg told ABC News before departing on the Legend Sunday.<br />Carnival stressed in a statement that the Legend’s safety systems, steering and services onboard are functioning normally.  The Legend will be making normal itinerary stops with the exception of one port, Grand Cayman, which is being replaced by Costa Maya, Mexico.<br />Upset vacationers on the Legend’s previous excursion vented their frustration at Carnival.<br />“Last cruise I am taking for sure,” Thomas Grutter said after stepping off the Legend.<br />The Legend departed Tampa on March 10, but missed its last stop at the Grand Cayman islands and, instead, headed back to the United States.  All guests on the Legend will receive a $100 per person credit and a full refund on pre-purchased shore excursions for Grand Cayman, according to the Carnival.<br />“Terrible trip, canceled early, three days at sea, missed two stops and they only gave us $100,” passenger Jeff Cairo said.<br />Carnival’s mishaps have prompted one U.S. lawmaker to call for the cruise ship industry to make changes and improve communication with passengers.<br />Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., has called on the industry to adopt a “passenger bill of rights.”  He says passengers should be entitled to a full refund if there’s a serious problem.<br />“Passengers have the right to real-time information updates.  When something is wrong on the ship almost nothing is worse than not knowing when it’s going to be fixed and what’s going to happen next,” Schumer said on Sunday.<br />“Every ship should have a back-up generator in case the power fails as it has done on a number of ships before,” Schumer added.

Carnival Legend Back to Work After Troublesome Trip

(TAMPA BAY, Fla.) — The Carnival Legend is back on the move Monday morning with a new crop of passengers after it experienced technical issu...

UCF suicide: James Seevakumaran planned to attack campus

ORLANDO -- <br />The University of Central Florida's main campus may have been targeted for an attack by a student found dead in his dorm room early Monday morning.<br />That student was James Seevakumaran, 30, a business student at UCF.<br /><br />Updates from UCF ▼<br /><br />The Tower 1 residence hall, in Knights Plaza, was evacuated around 1 a.m., and remains evacuated while police investigate the death of a male student who appeared to have shot himself, along with a bag of improvised explosive devices found nearby.<br />Classes were cancelled until noon. The university said essential personnel should report to work, but other employees were asked to stay off campus until noon.<br />Latest updates from UCF<br />5:15 p.m.<br />Florida Highway Patrol says they arrested James Seevakumaran in 2006 in Seminole County. They say he did not have a proper driver's license, and put a tag on his vehicle, which was not assigned to it. That's the only arrest UCF Police know of.<br />4:20 p.m.<br />UCF President Hitt, asked about whether this might lead to UCF allowing guns on campus, said that would be a recipe for disaster.<br />4:13 p.m.<br />Police received a 911 call from a roommate who said the student pulled a gun on him. They say that 911 call was extremely helpful in getting police to the tower.<br />4:08 p.m.<br />UCF Police say Seevakumaran, pulled a fire alarm to get people out in the open. Police believe rapid response from law enforcement made him rethink is plan. Weapons to be sent to FBI for analysis. The rifle was an American tactical rifle. Police say Seevakumaran also had four improvised explosive devices in a bag, and a couple hundred rounds of ammunition.<br />4 p.m.<br />The gunman is identified as James Seevakumaran, a business major. The 30-year-old had not enrolled for the spring semester. Police said evidence found in the room showed it was a planned attack. He was found dead with a .22 rifle and .45 handgun nearby.<br /><br />1:20 p.m.<br />UCF's Counseling and Psychological Services is offering crisis services Monday in its main office, as well as at the Veterans Academic Resource Center. Students can meet individually or in small groups with CAPS clinicians. In-person crisis services are available until 6 p.m. Monday at both locations, and telephone crisis services will be available thereafter until the office opens again at 8 a.m. Tuesday.<br />If the need arises, expanded hours for in-person crisis services will be provided.<br />Students can call the CAPS main office at (407) 823-2811 to schedule an appointment, or can walk in to either location for services.<br />For telephone crisis services after 6 p.m., students can call (407) 823-2811 and select option 5.              <br /><br />Noon<br />UCF's main campus has reopened. However, Tower 1 remains evacuated at this time during the ongoing investigation.<br />11:10 a.m.<br />All explosive devices will be removed from Tower 1 before noon, when classes resume.<br /><br />Tower 1 is still an active crime scene, and will remain evacuated until further notice.<br /><br />11 a.m.<br />UCF's main campus will resume normal operations at noon.<br />Tower 1 remains evacuated. The Veteran's Academic Resource Center is still open for Tower 1 residents.<br /><br />Eplosives have been rendered safe.<br />Faculty members have been asked to be understanding of students who may not have class materials Monday.<br />UCF has confirmed the person found dead was a student.<br />A news conference has been scheduled for 3:45 p.m. Monday at UCF.<br /><br />———————————————<br />UCF police said they received a fire alarm call around 12:20 a.m. As they responded to that call, police then received a 911 call reporting a man with a gun.<br />When police arrived, they found a student with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. They also found a bag of improvised explosive devices, along with a handgun and an assault weapon.<br /><br />Tower 1 was evacuated, and Parking Garage G was also closed. The parking garage has since reopened.<br /><br />West Plaza and Victory Way are also blocked during the investigation.<br />"It was 12 o'clock and I was doing homework," said Jason Smith, a student who was evacuated. "The alarm went off and I figured it was too late to be a drill, so we just got up and left."<br /><br />UCF sent a text message alert to students about the suspicious death, informing students the campus was closed until noon, but that there was no threat to the campus community.<br />"University police responded immediately when we received a fire alarm call and a subsequent 911 call," said UCF police Chief Richard Beary. "The safety of our students in Tower 1 and our entire campus community is our top priority."<br /><br />One student, however, said he would have liked to know sooner.<br /><br />"I would think that they would let us know faster, because it was at least two hours -- because it was at least 2 o'clock in the morning -- and this happened at midnight, and we didn't know anything for at least two hours," said student Nick Eckman. "It's sad that it was a student, but at least there weren't high casualties."<br /><br />The evacuated students were initially encouraged to go to the Student Union or the Recreation and Wellness Center annex for counseling services. Counselors have been moved to the Veteran's Academic Resource Center as of 7 a.m. Food, water and counseling services were made available to evacuated students.<br /><br />UCF said the Orange County Sheriff's Office and the FBI are assisting UCF police. The Sheriff's Office bomb squad has also responded to examine the explosives.<br />"It's scary," said student Ryan Elkin. "Obviously, it's in the news and stuff, with all the school shootings, but there's not much you can do about it. Obviously they took precautions and emptied out the whole building."<br /><br />UCF said classes and operations in the Central Florida Research Park and all other campus locations were not impacted, and will continue as scheduled Monday.<br /><br />Mugshots.com ID: 2662962 <br />Booking No: 200600014809 <br />Name: JAMES SEEVAKUMARAN <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2toMXv5pm4Fw1YaS0dFN5GYnuic_IuSC0yqETWybk3dPIRPoKk6bf_IsqxJtFa70C8mMqYv21Jykq_bUFe765ny2iWIdbHbVgaAGTZ15NIrgpM_FT-ozhQpJOCLyayKGscA-S3IDBOir/s1600/James-Seevakumaran-mugshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2toMXv5pm4Fw1YaS0dFN5GYnuic_IuSC0yqETWybk3dPIRPoKk6bf_IsqxJtFa70C8mMqYv21Jykq_bUFe765ny2iWIdbHbVgaAGTZ15NIrgpM_FT-ozhQpJOCLyayKGscA-S3IDBOir/s1600/James-Seevakumaran-mugshot.jpg" /></a>Birth date: 10/14/1982 <br />Location: O <br />Arrested By: Florida Highway Patrol - Deland <br />Arrest Date: 10/30/2006 <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><h3>Massacre Thwarted at University of Central Florida</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh7k6HDpfLL7hCR8je95hQd1gw-2S0qKjLtWCbEoqMvYyEo2hyF8nhsDInz6y1pGYs2Mqddk8AiSL4zsQrLl_zmdTXzDWgmI6ak_FuXsH-BlSlGW0K6J6AesE2quHnrB7Ze588wL5ttDS6/s1600/James+Seevakumaran1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh7k6HDpfLL7hCR8je95hQd1gw-2S0qKjLtWCbEoqMvYyEo2hyF8nhsDInz6y1pGYs2Mqddk8AiSL4zsQrLl_zmdTXzDWgmI6ak_FuXsH-BlSlGW0K6J6AesE2quHnrB7Ze588wL5ttDS6/s1600/James+Seevakumaran1.jpg" /></a></div><br />(ORLANDO, Fla.) — A planned massacre was thwarted Monday at the University of Central Florida where a student who had assembled hundreds of rounds of ammunition and homemade bombs took his own life as cops closed in on him. <br />A 30-year-old man who was in the process of being kicked out of his dorm at Tower 1 on the UCF campus had written out a timeline and elaborate plan for how to harm the greatest number of individuals during the planned attack, university Police Chief Richard Beary said. <br />Shortly after midnight, James Oliver Seevakumaran pulled the fire alarm at the Tower 1 residence hall and then went back into his apartment to get his weapons, Beary said. <br />While police were responding to the fire alarm call at the dorm, Seevakumaran’s roommate called 911 to say that Seevakumaran had pointed a gun at him, causing the roommate to flee to the bathroom and lock himself inside. <br />Police believe that Seevakumaran planned to go out into the hallway as students evacuated and fire the weapons and detonate bombs. <br />Instead, police arrived at the suspect’s apartment in Tower 1 with the knowledge that there was a report of a man with a gun. Beary said that officers were armed when they entered Seevakumaran’s apartment. <br />They freed the roommate from the bathroom and found Seevakumaran dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Beary said. <br />The roommate told police that Seevakumaran, whose family lives in Florida, had exhibited some anti-social behavior but that the roommates had never seen him with weapons or act violently. <br />The university said that he had been enrolled as a student at UCF from fall 2010 to fall 2012. He did not enroll for the spring 2013 term, and the university was in the process of moving him out of the residence hall. A spokesman said that the university takes a “compassionate” position toward students that are no longer enrolled, instead of forcing them off campus immediately. <br />Police said Seevakumaran obtained the weapons at an Orlando-area gun shop, and that he began amassing ammunition in early February. <br />Classes resumed at the University of Central Florida on Monday after police removed the bombs and an assault weapon from a dorm. The campus was reopened around noon. <br />A bomb squad from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department removed the explosive devices. <br />“University police responded immediately when we received a fire alarm call and a subsequent 911 call,” Beary said in a statement released in the morning by the school. “The safety of our students in Tower 1 and our entire campus community is our top priority.” <br />Students who were evacuated from their dorm rooms in the Tower 1 residence hall were housed at the UCF Arena until they were allowed back into their rooms, the school said.<br /><br /><h3>Explosive Devices Found on University of Central Florida Campus</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoiBmovuhegCrma1A-B2ynESLzqcP3z8rmC6wR257oq9JIrSgCAOgGCsMU4cM2CkhdKqkiUklJyq6b6sra4bvJ8y6WLHinZCmYf6kCsC3TcQBIaPMtLlz34I_PnpHVHHpIYh9OqfALa0GI/s1600/James+Seevakumaran.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoiBmovuhegCrma1A-B2ynESLzqcP3z8rmC6wR257oq9JIrSgCAOgGCsMU4cM2CkhdKqkiUklJyq6b6sra4bvJ8y6WLHinZCmYf6kCsC3TcQBIaPMtLlz34I_PnpHVHHpIYh9OqfALa0GI/s1600/James+Seevakumaran.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />(ORLANDO, Fla.) — Morning classes were canceled and hundreds of students were evacuated from the University of Central Florida campus in Orlando on Monday after explosive devices were found while police were investigating a death.<br />The discovery at the Tower 1 residence hall happened shortly after midnight while campus police were responding to a fire alarm call.<br />“A call came into UCF police about a fire alarm in Tower 1.  On the way to respond to that, a 911 call came in about an armed man in the tower,” UCF spokesman Grant Heston said.<br />“When police arrived, they found a victim who died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.  Tower 1 was evacuated, and Parking Garage G was closed,” the university said in a statement.  “As investigators reviewed the scene, they found a handgun, an assault weapon and IEDs.”<br />UCF has canceled classes on its main campus until noon Monday while police investigate.  Non-essential employees were also asked to stay home until then.<br />“We don’t believe there’s an active danger to the campus community beyond the areas in which we’ve shut down here,” Heston said. <br /><br /><h3>Student found dead in Florida dorm room planned campus attack, police say</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36WhF_WbJD33LLyCbiLSDcgrRYi3MMzRqEvTImzlO0YFWnaM7o0ggm463Ptmp9AAM35L3W5AAKM0q5Hm_YKp1Hgai8DNrCMaxBgW0ZZ_wM9BkgzsFhsDSACKG__b_aviUjXydcdtRXGV3/s1600/James+Seevakumaran1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36WhF_WbJD33LLyCbiLSDcgrRYi3MMzRqEvTImzlO0YFWnaM7o0ggm463Ptmp9AAM35L3W5AAKM0q5Hm_YKp1Hgai8DNrCMaxBgW0ZZ_wM9BkgzsFhsDSACKG__b_aviUjXydcdtRXGV3/s1600/James+Seevakumaran1.jpg" /></a></div><br />A former student found dead in a University of Central Florida dorm room along with makeshift explosives and weapons was planning an attack on the school's Orlando campus, the university police chief said on Monday.<br />The man’s body was found at about 1 a.m. at the Tower 1 residence hall, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said.<br />A fire alarm had gone off less than an hour earlier, and as campus police responded, a 911 call came in reporting a man with a gun, police said. When police went to investigate, they discovered the man’s body as well as a .45 caliber handgun, a .22 caliber tactical weapon and four homemade explosive devices. Hundreds of rounds of ammunition were also found, police said.<br />The explosives were found in a backpack near the student. They have since been disabled and removed, university officials said.<br />“Within the last hour we've discovered some material in the dorm room that makes this look like it was part of a planned attack on UCF campus,” university spokesman Grant Heston said in an afternoon news briefing.<br />The dead man was identified as James Oliver Seevakumaran, a 30-year-old former student who, though not enrolled for the current semester, was still living in the dorm pending his removal from the tower, officials said.<br />Notes and writings found in the dorm room indicate that Seevakumaran had a timeline of violence planned, university Police Chief Richard Beary said. Beary speculated the fire alarm was set off by Seevakumaran to draw people out in the open.<br />"While the crime scene processing was underway in that room we found some notes and some writings that indicated that this was a planned attack," Beary said. "This individual had laid out a timeline and laid out some of what we feel were going to be his actions. We’re pretty confident the fast response and some other situations maybe made him change his mind. At that point, he took his own life."<br />The man’s roommate had placed the 911 call and locked himself in the bathroom, Beary said. Responding officers were able to locate the roommate and rescue him. In the bedroom, they found Seevakamaran’s body. Later they discovered the weapons and explosives.<br />Morning classes at the university were canceled, and the dorm, which houses 500 students, was evacuated along with a nearby parking garage. The school reopened at about noon.<br />The dorm near the college’s sports arena remained a crime scene most of the day as officers from the FBI, Orange County Sheriff’s Office and campus police investigated, university officials said. It was reopened in late afternoon, though the third floor where the body and explosives were found were still closed.<br />Counseling services were being offered to students.<br />"It could have been a bad day for everybody here," said Beary. "All things considered, I think we were very blessed at the University of Central Florida."

UCF suicide: James Seevakumaran planned to attack campus

ORLANDO -- The University of Central Florida's main campus may have been targeted for an attack by a student found dead in his dorm room...