Unemployment claims on the rise in Miami-Dade

Miami-Dade County ended 2012 with more people joining the unemployment rolls than it did last year. The late-year increase in first-time unemployment claims broke a trend of declining applications throughout most of 2012. First-time claims spiked about 15 percent in November and December, with about 17,500 new applications in all over those 60 days. That’s compared to 15,000...

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Hollywood OKs deal with Cinema Paradiso

Cinema Paradiso will soon have a sequel.Hollywood’s Community Redevelopment Agency board agreed Wednesday morning to buy 3,000 movie tickets a year — at a cost of $30,000 — to help the small art house theater open a second location.“The outpouring of support is amazing,” said Gregory von Hausch, the theater’s executive director. “Now we just have to work to get it open.”...

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31 Fun Facts About Birthday Girl Kate Middleton

Kate Middleton captured the attention of the world by marrying Prince William in a fairy-tale ceremony watched by millions in April 2011. She continues to be a major celebrity in her own right, with the world's media clamoring for tidbits about her everyday life and closely following her fashion choices. In honor of her 31st birthday today, here are 31 fun facts about the Duchess of Cambridge!1. Born...

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Why bother with a Facebook phone? Facebook’s app is already on 86% of iPhones and iPads

Rumors suggesting Facebook (FB) is working on a smartphone have resurfaced a number of times over the past year. Each time, Facebook denied the various claims. Facebook may indeed still be working on its own phone but as a new report from market research firm NPD Group shows, it probably doesn’t need to.[More from BGR: Is Samsung the new Apple?]Facebook makes money by gathering information about its...

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Biden meets with gun-safety, victims groups; set to sit down with gun owners, NRA and Wal-Mart on Thursday

WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden is hearing personal stories of gun violence from representatives of victims groups and gun-safety organizations as he works on the Obama administration's response to the shooting at a Connecticut elementary school.Biden's meeting Wednesday is part of a series he's holding this week to build consensus around proposals...

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4 smartphones with standout features

These days, smartphones are almost all drawing from the same bag of tricks, and it can be hard to tell one from the next. If the average smartphone will do all the basic things you want it to, what does it take to be special? Here are four smartphones with unusual features that really make them stand out. Nokia Lumia 920 Rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent) ...

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Scott Israel is sworn in as Broward sheriff

As several thousand people looked on inside the Faith Center of Sunrise, new Broward Sheriff Scott Israel was introduced at Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony to a standing ovation.It’s one of the most powerful elected post in the county, overseeing about 5,500 employees and a $670 million budget.The BSO Honor Guard and a pipe and drum corps led the procession on stage. Israel’s...

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Jessica Chastain Talks Oscars at Mama Screening

Jessica Chastain is an Oscar nom favorite heading into Thursday morning's Academy Award nominations announcement, thanks to her critically acclaimed performance in Zero Dark Thirty, and it turns out she'll probably also set an Oscar first -- receiving the amazing honor while 30,000 feet up in the air!Jessica will be flying Thursday morning during the announcement, but says she will resist the urge...

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Ex-councilman Seabrook sentenced to 5 years in jail for misdirecting funds

Disgraced former City Councilman Larry Seabrook was slapped with a five-year jail sentence this morning after he was convicted of misdirecting hundreds of thousands of dollars for community projects to his girlfriend and family.The Bronx Democrat, who will have to turn himself in by March 8, avoided a fine but will have to pay $619,715 restitution. He was...

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Jobs grow, wages dip

Wages in South Florida took a dip last summer, despite a spike in hiring. New federal data show that while employment continues to grow in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, the average weekly wage dropped during the second quarter of 2012. In Broward, the weekly wage dropped .7 percent to $830 and in Miami-Dade it inched down .5 percent to $876, according to the Bureau of...

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