Miami-Dade sees first hiring drop since 2010

Miami-Dade ended 2012 with its first overall job loss in more than two years as sharp drops in construction, healthcare and government jobs wiped out other gains.

The sectors all share one key funding source — tax dollars — as ongoing squeezes in government budgets force cutbacks in hospitals, infrastructure projects and basic municipal staffing. Miami-Dade lost nearly 5,000 local government jobs in December compared to the year before. Its hospital and construction sectors were both down almost 2,000 jobs each. Miami-Dade last saw its overall payroll number decline in June 2010.

Along with a hiring loss, Miami-Dade reported a sharp increase in people describing themselves as unemployed. Miami-Dade’s unemployment rate went from 8.4 percent in November to 8.8 percent in December, the sharpest increase since the recession was still underway in 2009.

Miami-Dade’s new job numbers were easily the most discouraging data set in Florida’s latest employment report. Florida reported an unemployment rate of 8 percent for December, down from 8.1 percent in November even though hiring is down for the year. And Broward recorded its second month of job gains, up about 5,000 positions.

Construction and government hiring have been rocky for years in South Florida, but the decline in the healthcare could mark a new, disturbing milestone for Miami-Dade’s economy. Before the end of 2012, Miami-Dade hospitals hadn’t reported a net job loss for 56 months. The losses follow significant layoffs at both the University of Miami medical school and the Jackson hospital system.

Miami-Dade’s 8.8 percent unemployment rate is still significantly lower than where it was a year ago, when unemployment sat at 10.2 percent in December 2011. Monthly employment reports also subject to revisions, so the hiring picture could look much better in a month. Still, Miami-Dade’s increase of four-tenths of percentage point in the unemployment rate is the fastest growth since April 2009, two months before the 2007-09 recession officially ended.

Of all the local job markets, only Miami-Dade receives a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate on the same day as the statewide report. The smaller markets’ raw rates aren’t considered as reliable.

Broward’s raw unemployment rate was 6.7 percent in December, down from 7 percent in November.

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Jackson Health System leaders fire off memos on UM

A little known children’s program at Jackson Memorial Hospital run by University of Miami doctors has sparked two contentious memos to the county’s political leaders.

Speaking about the pediatric bone marrow transplant program, Marcos Lapciuc, the Jackson board chairman, fired off an email late Thursday to the mayor and county commissioners complaining about UM “wishing to cease” providing such services at Jackson.

Jackson Chief Executive Carlos Migoya quickly responded with a “clarifying” memo to the politicians that “we have every indication” that UM will continue to providing such services at Jackson,” but might also provide those services elsewhere. Migoya added that, if UM also undertook such services at another hospital, it would “clearly raise a host of complex issues.”

In his memo, Lapciuc complained that UM’s “maneuver will affect our most vulnerable population -- our children. This is clearly a violation of the bilateral duties and obligations that the University of Miami has under its annual operating agreement with Jackson.”

Lapciuc said Jackson’s board has “a fiduciary duty to protect and enforce all binding obligations” between Jackson and its vendors. “If this issue is not promptly addressed, then I will consider a range of options to present to the ... board.”

Both the medical school and Jackson have been struggling to overcome financial problems. UM so far has refused to say what it plans to do. When board members raised the issue earlier this week, UM spokeswoman Christine Morris said only that “we continuously work with our expert doctors and leadership at Jackson to make sure that our patients get the best possible care.”

Bone marrow transplant can be a crucial, life-saving treatment. UM doctors working at Jackson do about 10 to 20 of them each year on children, said Jackson spokesman Edwin O’Dell.

What concerns board members is that, as with any operating room procedure, staff needs to do quite a few each year in order to remain competent and hone their skills. If a program’s annual number of procedures gets too low, the state could withdraw certification.

Joaquin del Cueto, a veteran Jackson board member, told The Herald Thursday that the small program is symbolic of larger tensions between UM and Jackson. When UM purchased the 560-bed Cedars Medical Center, across the street from Jackson Memorial, in 2007, there was an understanding that UM pediatric services and transplants would remain services performed at Jackson, del Cueto said.

Earlier this week, a Jackson attorney told the board that there was nothing in the agreements with UM in which UM promised to keep transplants exclusively at Jackson.

Nevertheless, board members thought they had an understanding. Joe Arriola called the UM possibility of taking the pediatric program elsewhere “a stab in the back to our feelings,” to which fellow board member Darryl Sharpton added, “not to our feelings: Our viability.”

Board member del Cueto told The Herald that the spreading of the bone marrow program is “not in our best interests” because “we’ve invested millions of dollars to be the regional provider of transplant services” and Jackson has developed “highly trained professionals,” nurses and others, to do the procedures..

Del Cueto said he believes that Jackson’s basic operating agreement with UM requires UM to support the Jackson transplant program. He said he understands that Migoya is trying to calm the waters, to keep negotiations open with UM, but “I can’t sit by quietly” while UM is undermining Jackson.

In his memo to county commissioners, Migoya said, “We are continuing conversations with university leaders to find solutions that address both institutions’ long-term goals.” He said that UM has provided no notice that it plans to terminate these pediatric procedures at Jackson, but if it did, that “could be viewed” as a violation of the Jackson and UM signed agreements.

“Our professional recommendation is to continue our conversations with university leaders,” Migoya wrote.

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Morrisons to launch online kitchenware business

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain‘s fourth largest supermarket group Wm Morrison said on Friday it would extend its online presence in the spring with the launch of a kitchenware website in partnership with specialist Lakeland.

The joint venture will be Morrisons‘ third fully transactional website following the launch of wine website MorrisonsCellar.com in November and the purchase of baby care retailer Kiddicare.com in 2011.

“We believe the future for retailing many non-food products is online rather than in supermarkets,” said Chief Executive Dalton Philips.

Unlike the other grocers that make up Britain’s so called “big four” – market leader Tesco, Wal-Mart’s Asda and J Sainsbury – Morrisons does not have a website for the home delivery of food.

Earlier this month Morrisons posted a weak Christmas trading update that it partly attributed to its lack of an online food offer.

The firm is researching the possibility and plans to say more when it publishes full year results in March. Most analysts expect it to launch a trial this year.

(Reporting by James Davey; editing by Kate Holton)

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Selena Gomez Talks Justin Bieber to Nylon Magazine

Even before it was splashed across blogs that Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber had split, the Spring Breakers star was already playing coy as to her relationship status. In an interview with NYLON magazine, Gomez offered up her views on this "normal thing" called love.

"I'm having fun," the actress/singer, 20, said when asked about dating by the publication (via London Daily Mail). "At the end of the day, love is such a normal thing, and everyone deals with it. Just because it's a different lifestyle doesn't change the meaning of what I've been raised on, which is fairy tales."

RELATED: 10 More Shocking Celebrity Breakups

There is one relationship that is still going strong for Gomez -- the one with Taylor Swift. "We both experienced the same things at the same time," she said of her bestie. "But we've never once talked about our industry. She just became the person I'd go to for an issue with my family or boyfriend. It's so hard to trust girls, so I'm lucky to have her."

RELATED: Is Swift Writing About Ex Harry Styles?

Who do you think Gomez should date next? Let us know, below.

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John Galliano invited to return to fashion two years after anti-Semitic rant

John Galliano has been invited to return to fashion for the first time since an anti-Semitic rant at a Paris cafe was captured on video.

Oscar de la Renta invited Galliano to spend time in his studio over the next three weeks, according to a statement released Friday by de la Renta's company.

Galliano was dismissed as creative director of Christian Dior and left his own label two years ago after his rant went viral. A French court also convicted him on two other complaints of anti-Semitic behavior.

In a statement, Galliano said he is an alcoholic and has been in recovery for the past two years.

AP

John Galliano

"Several years prior to my sobriety, I descended into the madness of the disease. I said and did things which hurt others, especially members of the Jewish community. I have expressed my sorrow privately and publicly for the pain which I have caused and I continue to do so," he said. "I remain committed to making amends to those I have hurt."

De la Renta said he has known Galliano for years and is "a great admirer of his talent."

"He has worked long and hard on his recovery and I'm happy to give him the opportunity to reimmerse himself in the world of fashion and reacclimate in an environment where he has been so creative," de la Renta said in a statement.

The statement did not elaborate on what role if any Galliano might play in de la Renta's business. Galliano said he was grateful and humbled by the invitation.

The saga of Galliano's undoing began with run-ins at a Paris watering hole where fellow diners contended the designer showered them with a litany of racist and anti-Semitic insults. Video posted online showed an inebriated Galliano slurring "I love Hitler," among other incendiary remarks.

Although Galliano's remarks would not be punishable in the U.S., France has strict laws aimed at curbing anti-Semitic and racist language. The laws were enacted in the decades following the Holocaust.

Galliano's extravagant, theatrical collections drew inspiration from far-flung cultures like Kenya's Massai people and the geishas of Japan and his proud rooster-like post-fashion show strut had long been a thing of legend.

Galliano's own namesake label, now designed by Bill Gaytten, was presenting its menswear collection in Paris on Friday.

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Venture investments decline sharply in 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – A new study shows that funding for business startups declined in 2012, the first time that's happened in three years, as venture capitalists spent less money on fewer deals.

Capital intense sectors like clean technology and life sciences were among the hardest hit, according to the MoneyTree study released Friday. The study was conducted by PriceWaterHouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association, based on data from Thomson Reuters.

Startup investments fell 28 percent to $3.28 billion, compared with $4.57 billion a year earlier. There were 267 deals in all, a decline of more than 23 percent.

In Florida, the drop was much steeper. In 2012, investments fell 41 percent to $202.9 million, compared to $346.3 million in 2011. there were 34 deals in Florida in 2012, compared to 55 in 2011.

The trailing investments and declining number of deals continued into the final quarter.

San Francisco's SquareTrade Inc., which provides electronics warranties, snatched the biggest round of funding in 2012 – $238 million.

Nancy Dahlberg of the Miami Herald contributed to this report.

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Mayor Gimenez appoints new Miami-Dade fire chief

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez named a new county fire chief Thursday, the same day current chief William “Shorty” Bryson announced his retirement.

Dave Downey, an assistant fire chief in charge of operations, will take the helm of the largest fire department in the Southeast on Feb. 2. Bryson’s retirement, which was expected, takes effect Feb. 1.

Downey, 49, a Fort Lauderdale native who became a firefighter for the city of Sunrise in 1982, has been with the county’s fire rescue department since 1988.

“I’ve enjoyed my 30 years in the fire service, and I think this is a natural progression,” he said. But, he added, “This is not something I had planned for.”

Gimenez appointed Bryson, a longtime, trusted friend, shortly after he became mayor in August 2011, with an eye on looming union negotiations.

“We had a lot of battles,” Gimenez recalled at a news conference Thursday. “I wanted to get somebody that was going to help me.”

Two months later, the county reached a tentative contract agreement with the firefighters’ union that avoided the steep cuts other bargaining units faced while offering savings by reducing overtime.

The mayor, a former firefighter and fire chief for the city of Miami, lavished praise on Bryson, 61, whom he has known since the two joined the city’s fire department in 1975. Bryson was the fire chief when Gimenez was the city manager; when Gimenez was elected county mayor, he brought Bryson out of retirement to seek the union concessions and streamline the department, which has a budget of about $370 million and nearly 2,500 employees.

This time around, Gimenez said he wanted to elevate someone from inside the department to the chief’s job. He tasked Bryson to groom his successor.

The mayor touted Downey’s years of service, experience teaching public safety courses at local universities and involvement in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s urban search-and-rescue program. Downey’s new salary has not yet been set. His current salary is about $164,000; Bryson’s salary was $185,000. Downey’s appointment must still be approved by the county commission.

Downey said he hopes to lower response times across the county and step up service, particularly in neighborhoods in northeastern, western and southern Miami-Dade.

“As our tax base increases, we still have a lot of areas of the county that are underserved,” he told The Miami Herald.

Rowan Taylor, president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 1403, gave high marks to Bryson, saying he was able to resolve union grievances. The number of new grievances filed has also gone down, Taylor said.

And the rank-and-file is pleased that the new chief is being promoted from within the department.

“He is someone who has worked his way through the ranks up to assistant chief and now fire chief,” he said. “We’ve had a good working relationship with him.”

Gimenez has yet to name a successor for former Miami-Dade Police Director James Loftus, who retired early last August. Gimenez acknowledged that it has taken him longer to make that decision, and said he had expected Loftus to stay longer.

“He kind of left a little bit before we thought he was going to leave,” he said.

The department is being overseen by assistant police directors Naim Erched and J.D. Patterson.

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AT&T Offers $100 Off HSPA+ Nexus 7 for a Limited Time

The Nexus 7, made by Asus in partnership with Google, was the first really successful Android tablet that wasn’t made by a bookseller. It brought the hundreds of thousands of games and apps on Google Play (formerly the Android Market) to a wide audience, and it did so at an unheard-of price point: Only $ 199, for a device packing a Tegra 3 processor which made it much more powerful (and better for gaming) than Amazon‘s Kindle Fire.

When the Nexus 7 launched, it was Wi-Fi only and had as little as 8 GB of storage space. Google and Asus have fixed both of those problems, and from now until Feb. 14, AT&T is offering $ 100 worth of credit towards your wireless bill with the purchase of a new Nexus 7 and the signing of a two-year wireless contract.

The tablet itself

The Nexus 7 isn’t designed as a book-reader, but is more of a competitor to the iPad Mini. It lacks exclusive Amazon services like Amazon Instant Video, and many of the best iPad games and apps either aren’t available for it or aren’t available yet. It has far more games and apps for it than the Kindle, though, and can actually read Kindle books and run games and apps that you previously bought for the Kindle.

Its Tegra 3 processor allows it to play “THD”-enhanced games, which are roughly comparable in graphics quality to modern iPad or Xbox games. Finally, the model that AT&T is offering a discount on has both HSPA+ (a slower version of 4G) wireless Internet and 32 GB of storage, a combination which costs $ 559 on a similarly palm-sized iPad Mini. The Nexus 7 is only $ 299, and that’s before the $ 100 credit.

AT&T’s plans

The cheapest plan available is the $ 10 Mobile Share plan, which allows you to add the tablet to a plan that you already have. The next cheapest is AT&T’s $ 15 plan, which offers only 250 MB per month — okay for occasional email and web surfing, but completely inadequate for streaming videos regularly. Its $ 30 plan offers 3 GB of data, which still won’t stand up to constant Netflix viewing but will hold up much better than the $ 15 one.

What else is there?

The iPad and iPad Mini are also available (and much more expensive) from AT&T, as is a new Lenovo IdeaTab. It’s available for $ 199 off-contract and $ 99 on a two-year contract, but it’s not as fast or powerful as the Nexus 7, can’t play the same games, and has much less storage space.

Finally, if you like the Nexus 7 but aren’t sure you’ll still want it in two years (especially since the hardware is half a year old already), AT&T offers month-to-month wireless plans, which can be canceled at any time without paying an early termination fee. You just won’t get the $ 100 discount unless you sign a two-year contract.

Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.

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1600 Penn Exclusive Clip

1600 Penn has already revealed how difficult mundane tasks become when you're The President's son, and in tonight's all-new episode, we learn just how difficult dating is for Skip.

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Although, it remains unclear how much of his romantic inability is because of who Skip's dad is and how much is because of who Skip is!

Check out ETonline's exclusive sneak peek of tonight's all-new 1600 Penn, airing at 9:30 p.m. on NBC.

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Good catch! Cops deliver baby at Yankee Stadium subway station

Richard Garcia

Cops and EMT personnel assist in the delivery of a baby at a transit district 11 police station near the Yankee Stadium train stop.

Special delivery!

Cops helped deliver a healthy baby boy this morning in a Bronx subway station, authorities said.

Tamika Snipe, 21, was on her way to the doctor when her water broke sometime after 10 a.m. near the Yankee Stadium stop on the 4-train, police said.

"She had some pain. The contractions got worse, so she got off the train. A woman came in and said the woman's water broke and she was in labor,” said NYPD Lt. Sylvia Mendoza, 32.

Chad Rachman

The officers brought the woman to the transit district 11 police station inside of the 161st station and called an ambulance, cops said.

"The mother said the baby was coming. She felt the head coming out. Two female officers assisted the mother, took off her pants and shoes and the baby was crowning," Mendoza said.

The lieutenant stayed on the line with EMS and relayed verbal directions to the delivering officers.

Baby Maxwell was born at 10:25 a.m. -- minutes before the ambulance arrived.

"I was very happy to see the baby cry. His color was perfect," said a relieved Mendoza.

Both mom and baby were taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in stable condition, police said.

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