An armed robbery suspect and a possible accomplice were arrested Wednesday after the suspect offered to sell an iPad and iPhones to the man he is accused of robbing at gunpoint two days earlier, according to Miramar police.

Failing to use a sidewalk or a crosswalk – where one is provided – is not a crime, but lawyers for the Broward Public Defender's Office say Fort Lauderdale police officers are using the traffic infraction as an excuse to stop and search people for drugs, mostly in the city's low-income and minority neighborhoods.

While some say it already seems like excessive enforcement to stop and search people for not walking on the footpath, the defense lawyers say some officers have taken it to a whole other level — by stopping and even citing people for not using sidewalks on streets that have no footpaths.

"We're not quite sure what they think our clients should do in neighborhoods where there literally is no sidewalk to walk on — should they fly?" said Samantha Epstein, an assistant public defender who's recently had drug cases dismissed against two clients who were first stopped by officers for allegedly violating the statute.

An argument that erupted in a high school cafeteria Thursday escalated after school when a 15-year-old girl was stabbed by schoolmates as she walked home, police said.

The victim, identified by friends as Kiana Henry, apparently argued with other girls earlier in the day over rumors circulating around Miramar High School, witnesses said.

The older girls feuding with Kiana — seniors at the high school — threatened to settle the fight after school, according to a friend of the victim.

After the final bell rang, Kiana was walking home, blocks away from the school, when two girls accosted her in the parking lot of the Village of Mallorca apartments, near the school at 3601 SW 89th Ave.

One of the girls swung, but Kiana ducked, according to witnesses. Then one of the girls reached for a weapon in her waist pocket, pulled it out and stabbed Kiana twice under her arm.

STUART — Distinguished Everglades activists, policy makers and politicians who have witnessed decades of stalled projects and broken promises applauded Gov. Rick Scott this evening when he held firm on finding $40 million in this year's state budget to spend on restoring the Everglades.

"It's an exciting time as long as you are an optimist," Scott said during the opening reception at the Everglades Coalition's annual conference.

As for the $40 million, "I'm very optimistic we will get there," Scott said.

A dispute over the volume of a stereo led to domestic assault charges against a suburban Boca Raton man Thursday, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said.

[...]

Copertino's niece told deputies that she had arrived home from work that evening and heard music "blasting" from Copertino's room. When she asked him to him to turn the music down, Copertino cursed at her, the woman said. The woman said she turned the music down, at which time Copertino allegedly grabbed the stereo, smashed it over her head and struck her repeatedly.

The woman's father, Copertino's brother-in-law, intervened and pulled him off of her, according to the affidavit. The men eventually made their way outside and began screaming at each other in the front yard.

LAUDERHILL, Fla. - A dog attacked a woman, a 2-month-old and a 9-year-old Thursday in Lauderhill.

The attack occurred in the 1100 block of Northwest 41st Terrace.

Police said the woman was walking with the two children when a pit bull that was roaming free in the area attacked them.

Neighbor Shaymar Myles heard the commotion and saw the dog attacking the woman, who had the baby in a carrier that was strapped to her.

"I see this pit bull attacking this lady, and when she turned around, she had a newborn with a strap on the front, so I grabbed the baby from her so she could try to get the pit bull," Myles said. "Then the owners of the pit bull came down here and got the dog."

MIAMI (WSVN) -- Miami-Dade commissioners voted against forcing officers in the county to spend more of their hard-earned money, which means that hundreds of officers may soon receive pink slips.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez has asked for $239 million in concessions from all of the unions, $75 million specifically from the Police Benevolent Association.

In November, the Police Benevolent Association and the County reached an agreement to cut $57 million, but the union rejected the portion of the contract that increased healthcare contributions.

On Thursday, the commission was forced to choose whether they would require Miami-Dade Police officers to contribute another five percent toward their healthcare benefits, or lay off law enforcement officers.

A- Obalesque makes me laugh.

B- The Miami Bike Scene posts a nice video showing us the new M-Path and adds some commentary.

The new M-Path bicycle and pedestrian bridge will help users cross over the dangerous entrance ramp to SR 878/Snapper Creek Expressway. However, once the cyclist/pedestrian is off the bridge they'll encounter plenty of intersections along the path and must exercise extreme caution. The video is a great reminder of how poorly people drive in South Florida, in just a few minutes you can lose track of how many motorists fail to stop behind the white line as required by law.

C- It's all about the whites giving to the blacks, or the "blahs," as some Republicans call them...at Bark Bark Woof Woof.



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A- Some Blogging Guy opines on smoking bans in public places.

I think this is a case where individual rights come into play. Non-smokers should have the right to not choke on stinking tobacco smoke.

B- Miamism takes a look at the Miami Shores real estate market for 2011.

The best improvement evidenced in Miami Shores in 2011 was the luxury homes market with 6 sales above $1 Million, compared to one in 2010 and none in 2009. Miami Shores home owners wanting to sell their luxury or waterfront properties can now rest assured that they will not just sit unsold for 2 years like seen in the past.

C- Nikon Miami posts some wonderful ornithological images.

D- Bark Bark Woof Woof defends the actions of a Republican. *gasp*

So if there's anything at all to note about Mr. Santorum's story of the loss of his child, it is that he deserves as much respect and privacy as he would deprive from those women and families who make the intensely personal and private choices about what they can or must do about their own bodies.

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A- Strap on your flight helmet and head up to the skies above Alligator Alley with Go Hydrology!

B- Florida Keys Girl has the 411 on what sounds like a new and very good take-out restaurant in Key West.

We had the sesame tuna sandwich, with aioli, and it was delicious. A large sandwich, filled with fresh tuna. You can’t really go wrong with that. Also part of the order was the chicken pesto sandwich, covered in cheese and delicious pesto. You need to be really hungry when you order from Luigi’s, as the sandwiches are huge. If for some reason the abundance of protein and accompaniments isn’t enough, the sandwiches also come with potato chips.

C- Speaking of new restaurants, the Delano has a new one, according to Eater Miami.

Opening to the public January 27, Bianca picks up where Blue Door leaves off, as the new and 'improved' Delano's new dining destination run by Las Vegas nightlife heavyweights The Light Group. Brian Massie, who has trained with Lidia Bastianich, Charlie Palmer and Gualtiero Marchesi, will serve as executive chef. Expect, they say, "an inventive Italian menu featuring local, farm-­-to-­-table organic ingredients and will participate in the Slow Food movement.

D- The bounty for CSA Share Week 5 is on display at Redland Rambles.

E- The Chowfather enjoyed his first visit to the new Salumeria 104.

Salumeria 104 is the type of place we need more more of if we are going to continue to evolve into a legitimate food city My first visit was a great experience and I highly recommend checking it out.

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Some gun extremists have taken offense with this remembrance and have organized an online campaign that is represented locally by Gun Free Zone. In his post today, GFZ includes this image...

 ... and claims that the Brady Campaign doesn't...

...want you to light a candle for Non-Americans or everybody who was not subject to gun violence. They don’t care about any other kind of violence because it is not about the violence but about guns and how to control people.

I'm not sure what GFZ is expecting from an organization that is about "enacting and enforcing sensible regulations to reduce gun violence." Perhaps he wants them, in the interest of "fairness," to include memorials for victims of knife, hammer and machete attacks. Maybe he would like the Brady Campaign to remember victims of strangulation or baseball bat beatings.

Or maybe, just maybe, GFZ really could care less about these victims of violence. Indeed, for GFZ, and those like him, it's just one more opportunity for them to harangue the Brady Campaign for doing something that brings attention to the fact that far too many people are killed by bullets in this country every year. It's a message that most gun enthusiasts would agree with but that extremists, like GFZ, are scared of and find threatening to what they interpret as their 2nd Amendment rights.

So on a day that for victims of gun violence is probably a solemn time of remembrance, GFZ and his minions have become the gun advocate's version of Westboro Baptist Church and have decided that posting callous and inflammatory pictures that are nothing more than gun porn is the best way of delivering their message.

Good job, guys.  Stock up on your candles. MLK Day is just around the corner.




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A- It doesn't sound as if Worst Pizza was particularly bowled over by Sir Pizza out on Key Biscayne but they still gave them 6 out of 8 stars.

When I got my pizza, Sir Pizza was still rocking. The pizza had no crust so to say, and it was cut into squares. I guess this is their way of being different, or maybe their pizza makers never learned how to cut things into eight, so they just play it safe and have them make lines all across. The pie was thin, and I liked watching them spread the sauce on with a knife, like someone would spread peanut butter on bread. Some people even at their pies with ranch sauce. The sauce was tasty on top of the thin tasting crust, which although wasn’t entirely tasty, still was pretty good. The cheese tasted average, so I cannot say it was the best or the worst for that matter.

B- Go Hydrology! features a cool little beach sand project he found on Florida's west coast.

C- Coconut Grove Grapevine says LoKal is the new hotspot in the Grove.

I spent a lot of time at LoKal, the burger joint, which seems to be the place to be in the Grove now. Just stand there for a bit and the whole Grove ends up there after awhile. I have seen more local service industry people there than anything! They literally come from other restaurants to eat or take out!

D- Eye on Miami's self-described Sunday sermon on climate change.

Those who go to church, to temple, or to mosques on Sunday or any other day of the week: by all means pray for a better place in the next world, but what if our world-- this one-- is the next world? What if we are judged for what we have done to the blue planet that feeds us through a stable climate with predictable growing seasons? We've been lucky. So far.

E- The Reid Report posts a video of her appearance on The Ed Show.



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A- Just remember that Ron Paul is running as a Republican when you read this Reid Report post about a disgusting video ad that Ron Paul supporters have allegedly released.

B- Soul of Miami shares some photos from the Chalk Ping Pong And Billiards Lounge Official Grand Opening on Thursday night.

C- South Florida Guy shows us a side of Stuart that you may not have known existed.

When I was there last weekend, I found a little boardwalk along the river and decided to follow it. I remember the hurricane a few years ago put a hurting on the docks and boardwalk and I was very pleased to find it was even better than years ago.

D- Tile Fort Lauderdale ends a long hiatus, drops Flower Eyes at Gateway Shopping Center in Fort Lauderdale and gives us a nice story.

Flo resolved to abandon her computer, and her evil workplace, and get the hell outside. When a neighborhood blog did a little story about her transition, the article got picked up by a local newspaper that had fired most of its writers and began relying solely on bloggers who worked for free ... Apparently, many cubicle dwellers and other workers decided they liked Flo's little idea. They printed T-shirts that said Go with The Flo and several stopped working overtime. Their days of volunteering for large greedy corporations were finally over.

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I'm extremely grateful for the links, unlike some, and want to thank the HuffPo Miami for including SFDB in their content yesterday. They're welcome to help themselves anytime they want.


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Naked Politics comes this Daily Show video that makes a mockery of some recent events in Broward County. On the one hand, it's insanely hilarious the way the Republican mind, particularly the one that belongs to Tea Party candidate Joe Kaufman, works, on the other hand it's depressing to see just how blind they are to their blatant bigotry.

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

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A- Random Pixels continues his scathing critique of South Florida's mainstream media, this time turning his sights on WPLG.

Watch Hughes for any length of time and it soon becomes evident that something is missing.

It's as if someone had a programmed a computer to produce the ideal anchorman; but what you got was someone who was attractive, well-spoken but not terribly bright: It's Ron Burgundy meets Sarah Palin.

B- Conductor James Conlon and violinist James Ehnes impressed during the New World Symphony's first concert of the new year, according to South Florida Classical Review.

Taut, strongly delineated fugal lines of the introduction emblazoned the subtle instrumental nuance and structural integrity of the entire performance. The ballroom scene burst forth in a blaze of orchestral magic, Conlon capturing the balletic sweep of this extroverted dance music. The love scene unfolded with supple grace, all the better for lack of overheated passion.

C- The Reid Report wraps up last night's GOP debate.

4. Newt Gingrich has too much baggage to overtake Mitt. Ron Paul nailed Newt on the “chickenhawk” charge, rebutting Gingrich’s self-defense of having been a married father at the time of the Vietnam draft, by pointing out that he was one, too, and managed to serve.

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A- Sun-Sentinel: How ridiculous. Haven't they heard that climate change is a farce?

A battle plan for an anticipated assault by seawater has been drafted by four South Florida counties, attempting to protect one of the nation's most vulnerable regions from the impact of climate change.

The proposal by Broward, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties calls for 108 actions to deal with rising sea levels and other consequences of global warming.

Among the steps: Redesigning low-lying roads to keep them above water, restricting development in vulnerable areas and relocating drinking-water wells inland to protect them from contamination by salt water. The plan contains no cost estimates.

B- Sun-Sentinel: The perils of driving on I-95.

JUPITER- Three elderly people were killed Sunday afternoon after their car veered off Interstate 95 and went into a drainage ditch full of highway runoff water.

The victims, who were in a Honda CRV, are from New York and New Jersey. Florida Highway Patrol officials identified the driver as Albert Koeniges, 80, of Haworth, New Jersey, and the passengers as Ann T. Lane, 75, of Wanaque, New Jersey and Lore T. Brunetti, 73, Carmel, New York.

The accident happened shortly after 2 p.m. just north of the Donald Ross Road exit when the car, which was traveling south, swerved off the road, hit a light poll, struck a cement culvert and was launched into the pit. The pit is between the highway and Florida's Turnpike.

C- NBC Miami: Life in South Florida.

Detectives said 69-year-old Jorge Estacio shot and killed his wife, Sonia, around 11:42 Sunday night at the couple's home in the 9400 block of Southwest 155th Avenue.

The couple's daughter and her boyfriend were also inside the home at the time of the shooting and Miami-Dade Police said the daughter found her parents' bodies.

Authorities said the couple had lost two of its daughters in a violent car accident on I-75 about two years ago.

D- WSVN: Miami nice.

NORTHEAST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Good Samaritans rushed to the aid of an elderly man after his car plunged into Biscayne Bay, Sunday.

According to witnesses, the car drove into the water near Northeast 106th Street and Biscayne Bay around 5:00 p.m. "We see this car flip over onto its rooftop, fall into the water and basically just starts drifting and then starts submerging itself," said a Miami Beach Police Det. Daniel Erben, who saw the accident while sitting on the dock.

Those who saw the car crash through the concrete and into the water had to react quickly as the 81-year-old man behind the wheel remained inside vehicle. "I wasn't thinking at the time I just jumped in as fast as I could," said a man who dove in the water.

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B- Miami Beach 411 debunks a promotional video about future development in Miami that you first saw here at SFDB.

C- Belle Isle Blog reports that an attractive bike path might not be built on Miami Beach because of some technicalities.

But there is a 650-foot stretch of the 2900-foot-long path — south of the intersection of Dade Boulevard and Michigan, across from the old Publix — where there is no room for replacement trees if the path is built.

And that has become the focus of the fight.

“For this group, the trees trump public safety and even though nothing has ever really grown along this stretch except weeds, the odd bush and garbage,” the entire project is in jeopardy, Jorboe says.

D- Obalesque discusses how we can rid society of the "undesireables"...okay, not really, but close.

E- A popular Palm Beach music venue has been closed indefinitely after they allegedly let their liquor license lapse, according to Beached Miami.

“I hope everyone realizes how damaging this is to music in our area and hopefully everyone who’s [sic] ever played or attended a Snooze show will do what they can to ensure it’s [sic] longevity,” someone using the name “Jesus H. Christ” wrote in the comment section of the County Grind article. “Everyone interested in music suffers when there isn’t a fertile creative space to foster energy and ideas on such an important level.”

F- Culture Designers has some highlights from the Oshogatsu celebration that went down on Sunday in Palm Beach County.

The usually serene Morikami Gardens were flooded with thousands of people and the sounds of Taiko drums on Sunday for Oshogatsu – the Japanese New Year celebration. The diverse crowd of Japanese culture lovers ranged from elderly ladies shuffling about in geisha garb to teenagers in their most outrageous anime cosplay outfits.

G- More Everglades bird photos are up at Nikon Miami.


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A- Based on Discourse's experience today with a telephone pollster, we all now know how to get rid of them without being rude.

B- Miami-Dade Dems posts a couple videos of an interview with Miami-Dade Democrat Joe Garcia who spends some time talking about today's Cuba.

C- A swampy opening with a Key West theme...at Swampstyle.

A collection of objects acquired in 48 hours. Victims of the economic recession go to Key West to see if the combination of alcohol and an island mentality are a catalyst for a new form of consumerism and plundering debauchery. Combining "found" object and video, the haggard stories of 48 hours are told in a fresh context.

D- Transit Miami makes us scared to venture out on SoFla's roads.

E- Brickell Life shares some images from the Pinecrest Farmer's Market.

F- If you're Hispanic and want to get on TV, you might want to hang out at a Dunkin Donuts for the next couple days, according to the latest from Eater Miami.

G- Shakespeare in the Park is returning to the Grove, according to Coconut Grove Grapevine.

This rollicking production features a full cast, live music and classical Shakespeare performed in a way that is easy to understand. Pack a picnic and bring your friends, but get there early because seats at this venue are very limited. Because of the demand for seats and the unusual shape of the “theater”, no outside chairs are permitted. Bring a blanket and sit on the ground or rental chairs will be available for $3.00 each.

H- Didja hear that Opa-Locka Airport is going to become the next MIA? It isn't true and Eye on Miami has the email to prove it.


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