Miami photographer sentenced to 10 years in child-porn case

A Miami-area photographer who secretly videotaped children while they changed clothes in his home studio was sentenced in federal court Friday to 10 years in prison. Diego Tobias Matrajt, 37, pleaded guilty in September to distribution and possession of child pornography.Last February, Matrajt distributed 10 images of child pornography to an undercover agent by using a peer-to-peer...

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Riveting Details Emerge from CT School Rampage

As morning turned to afternoon on Friday, further details continued to emerge from Newtown, CT, a tight-knit community shaken by a massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School that took the lives of innocent students and teachers, in addition to the gunman, reportedly identified as Adam Lanza.RELATED: President Fights Tears as He Addresses NationAs President Barack Obama touched on in his tear-jerking...

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RIM shows how BlackBerry 10 touch screen keys could rival its traditional keyboards [video]

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Foreign leaders shocked and saddened by Connecticut tragedy

LONDON — As the world joined Americans in mourning the school massacre in Connecticut, many urged US politicians to honor the 28 victims, especially the children, by pushing for stronger gun control laws.Twitter users and media personalities in the UK immediately invoked Dunblane — a 1996 shooting in that small Scottish town which killed 16 children. That...

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Miami in spotlight at AVCC, other entrepreneurship events

Entrepreneurs from around the world took the stage during this packed week of entrepreneurship events in Miami: Florida International University’s Americas Venture Capital Conference (known as AVCC), HackDay, Wayra’s Global DemoDay and Endeavor’s International Selection Panel.The events, all part of the first Innovate MIA week, also put the spotlight on Miami as it continues...

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Miami-Dade elections group to discuss potential changes to state law

An advisory group poring over Miami-Dade elections problems will hold its second meeting Friday, this time to focus on what changes to request from state lawmakers.County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who convened the group, and his appointed elections supervisor, Penelope Townsley, already asked Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner — the state’s chief elections officer — on Tuesday...

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10 Year Chris Pratt Outtakes DVD Exclusive

In case you missed the heart-warming yet hilarious 10 Year when it hit theaters back in September I've got good news for you: it's coming to DVD on December 18! And in even better news, ETonline scored an exclusive sneak peek at the bonus features, revealing just how much the cast was allowed to improv! VIDEO - Channing Tatum On His High School ExperienceAnd that freedom is best showcased through...

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Kerry, Hagel front-runners to lead State, Defense

WASHINGTON — Democratic Sen. John Kerry, who unsuccessfully sought the presidency in 2004 and has pined for the job of top diplomat, vaulted to the head of President Obama's short list of secretary of state candidates after UN Ambassador Susan Rice suddenly withdrew from consideration to avoid a contentious confirmation fight with emboldened Republicans.The...

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Wynwood co-working center funded by Knight Foundation, angel investors

The LAB Miami announced Thursday it will open a 10,000-square-foot co-working center in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and local angel investors are investing $650,000.As Miami’s startup community continues to grow, The LAB Miami said its “work-learn campus” will offer an in-house mentor network that will include investors and...

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Miami city Commission considers hiring attorney to defend mayor against commissioner

The Miami City Commission will convene its final meeting of the year on Thursday.The agenda is long, but few of the proposals are expected to be controversial except for an item from Mayor Tomás Regalado.Regalado is asking the commission for an outside attorney to defend him in a lawsuit filed by Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones. The suit accuses the mayor and Miami-Dade...

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Lidl Christmas dinner offer goes viral on Twitter

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Discount retailer Lidl faces a 200,000-euro ($ 260,000) Christmas dinner bill after an offer of chicken vol-au-vents and ice cream cake for the poor went viral.The supermarket launched a Twitter campaign in Belgium on Monday, saying it would hand out five four-course Christmas dinners to food banks for each tweet on a hash tag.Lidl had expected to hand out about 1,000 of the 20-euro...

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Taylor Swift Turns 23!

23 On the Dot The 22 singer turns 23 today and if we know anything about Taylor Swift's style it's that she loves to rock the dots! Though the girly-girl has been known to wear lots of stripes and florals, her true affection seems to lie with polka dots. Click the pics to see a few of Swift's spotty style statements, and leave her a few birthday wishes! First up, some...

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US retail sales up 0.3 percent in November

WASHINGTON — Americans spent more online in November to start the holiday season and began to replace cars and rebuild in the Northeast after Superstorm Sandy.US retail sales rose 0.3 percent in November from October, the Commerce Department said Thursday. That offset a 0.3 percent decline in October from September.The figures were much stronger after factoring...

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Lennar to borrow $1.7 billion from Chinese bank

Miami-based Lennar Corp. has gotten approval on $1.7 billion in loans from China Development Bank to fund the development and construction of two major projects in San Francisco, according to a person familiar with the transaction.The contract, set to close by Dec. 31 subject to various conditions, would mark the first U.S. loan by the big state-owned Chinese bank. One condition...

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Fla. board to select education chief

One finalist for Florida education commissioner conceded Tuesday that he can be caustic at times, while another said he resigned as Illinois’ top school official because of the political climate under a governor who later went to prison.The remaining finalist acknowledged the federal No Child Left Behind Act that he helped draft and promote as a congressional staffer and...

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Top 2012 searches include Whitney, PSY, Sandy

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The world’s attention wavered between the tragic and the silly in 2012, and along the way, Web surfers searched in huge numbers to find out about a royal princess, the latest iPad, and a record-breaking skydiver.Whitney Houston was the “top trending” search of the year, according to Google Inc.’s year-end “zeitgeist” report. Google‘s 12th annual roundup is “an in-depth look at the...

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Drew Barrymore's Baby Daughter Olive Lands First Cover

Drew Barrymore introduces her baby daughter, Olive, to the world on the latest People magazine cover.The nine-week old is seen in the arms of her actress mom who told the magazine that after giving birth, "I couldn't eat or sleep for two weeks, I was just so nervous!" She added, "You have the highest highs and yet you're facing the biggest fear of, 'How do I keep someone alive?' "Barrymore, 37, was...

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Indian sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar dies at 92

NEW DELHI — With an instrument perplexing to most Westerners, Ravi Shankar helped connect the world through music. The sitar virtuoso hobnobbed with the Beatles, became a hippie musical icon and spearheaded the first rock benefit concert as he introduced traditional Indian ragas to Western audiences over nearly a century.From George Harrison to John Coltrane,...

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The first wave of Windows 8 PCs

We’ve been benchmarking and field-testing new Windows 8 systems, including all-in-one desktops, traditional clamshell laptops and convertible laptops with displays that flip or twist around to form tabletlike devices. Dell XPS One 27 Rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent) The good: Boasts the highest-display resolution among Windows 8 all-in-ones, and...

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South Florida pols sticking to party lines on fiscal cliff

WASHINGTON -- Don’t expect South Florida’s congressional delegation to stray too far from party lines when it comes to dancing on the edge of the fiscal cliff, the end-of-the-year spending cuts and tax increases set to take effect if Congress and the president don’t address them.Democrats are firmly with President Barack Obama, whose proposal seeks to raise $600 billion over...

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WebMD to cut 14 percent of workforce to reduce expenses

(Reuters) – Health information website WebMD Health Corp said it will cut around 250 jobs, or 14 percent of its workforce, to reduce costs.The company, which had about 1700 employees according to Thomson Reuters data, said it would take a charge of about $ 6 million to $ 8 million in the fourth quarter, primarily on severance and other restructuring-related costs.WebMD, which is a popular and long-trusted...

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Dallas Plans JR Ewing Funeral Larry Hagman

The world lost an icon on November 24 when Larry Hagman passed away while working on the second season of TNT's Dallas, and now TV Line has learned how the show plans to deal with his passing. VIDEO - Linda Grey Remembers Her Dallas Co-Star Reportedly the season's eighth episode, scheduled to air March 11, will revolve around J.R. Ewing's funeral. In real life, Hagman was laid to rest at the end of...

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Mom gunned down outside hospital

A woman was gunned down this morning behind Brookdale Hospital, authorities said.Shalema Gaskin, 32, was standing outside of the hospital on Hegeman Avenue and East 98th Street when a passerby opened fire around 3:10 a.m., police said.She was hit once in the neck and rushed inside the hospital where she later died, police said.Gaskin was at the hospital...

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AutoNation: Back in the fast lane with expansion, higher sales

Despite an agonizingly slow economic recovery, the country’s largest auto retailer, Fort Lauderdale-based AutoNation, is thriving again as demand for vehicles expands. The company, one of Florida’s largest, is posting increasingly strong profits and revenues. Just last week, in a sign of confidence, Autonation announced a major acquisition — buying six large auto stores in...

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Tower Theater remains an asset for Little Havana

More than 20 years ago, when the city of Miami bought an historic but abandoned theater on Southwest Eighth Street, city leaders expressed their hope that the investment would help revitalize Little Havana.The troubled neighborhood that’s considered the symbolic heart of Miami’s Cuban exile community couldn’t afford to wait to see if “something will fall from the sky and...

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Charlie Sheen Talks Lindsay Lohan Loan

Notorious bad boy Charlie Sheen is opening up to ET's Chris Jacobs in an exclusive interview, commenting to Chris on a loan he made to his ex co-star Lindsay Lohan.Pics: Charlie Sheen's Meltdown Timeline Sheen struck up a kinship with his co-star Lindsay Lohan on Scary Movie 5, and reportedly gifted the troubled starlet with $100,000.In speaking with ET, Sheen admitted he had indeed given Lohan an...

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Bus driver in fatal casino crash feels 'sorry every day'

Bus driver Ophadell Williams said not a not moment passes without sad thoughts about last year’s horrific crash that killed 15 passengers returning from a gambling jaunt.William emerged from his Brooklyn home this morning, seeing morning daylight for the first time since he was acquitted Friday on manslaughter charges.“I feel sorry every day,” Williams...

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AutoNation: Back in the fast lane with expansion, higher sales

• AutoNation’s announcement December 4 that it was acquiring six auto stores in Texas, its second most important market after Florida, forms part of the company’s national growth strategy.• AutoNation operates in 15 states and, according to CEO Mike Jackson, prefers to build its brand network in existing markets rather than expand to new markets. It grows either...

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State scraps plan to have private vendors make license tags

TALLAHASSEE -- Backing away from a possible court fight, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles announced Friday that it will halt its attempt to bid license tag services to private vendors.Tax collectors — who distribute state tags — and two manufacturing groups tried to block the change by lobbying elected officials and filing legal action against...

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How They Pulled Off 'The Impossible'

The true story of the devastating 2004 tsunami that consumed the coast of Phuket, Thailand -- and how one family survived it -- is reenacted by Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor in The Impossible. Watch the video to go behind the scenes...Video: Tsunami Survivor Petra Nemcova Reacts to Latest Disaster in JapanIn theaters December 21, The Impossible finds Naomi as Maria and Ewan as her husband Henry, who...

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Federal tax breaks proposed for Sandy victims

ALBANY — Two Democratic senators are proposing federal tax breaks to help victims recover faster from Superstorm Sandy.Sens. Charles Schumer of New York and Robert Menendez of New Jersey want to make all repair expenses fully tax deductible, reducing the tax bite of victims in their returns covering the current year.The breaks would also include credits...

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Events showcase Miami’s growth as tech center

One by one, representatives from six startup companies walked onto the wooden stage and presented their products or services to a full house of about 200 investors, mentors, and other supporters Thursday at Incubate Miami’s DemoDay in the loft-like Grand Central in downtown Miami. With a large screen behind them projecting their graphs and charts, they set out to persuade...

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